Chapter 7
“What do you mean, you spent the night with him?” he bellowed.
Gina rolled her eyes. She’d told Hadley not to say a word to anybody. And what had the girl done?
She’d met her brother at the front door and told him as soon as he walked in.
“This is not your concern. I’m the mom here,” Gina pointed out.
“Not my concern? What if he’d been a serial killer or something?”
“Oh, god, Briley, do you hear yourself? He’s not a serial killer! Don’t you think I have any sense at all?”
“Apparently not, if you’d sleep with a guy on the first date.”
Gina looked at her handsome son. When he’d hit puberty, he’d suddenly become her protector.
No matter what happened, he was looking out for her.
She and Hadley were going to have a little chat as soon as she got the chance.
“Look, we have some kind of … I don’t know what you’d call it.
Chemistry. Attraction. Something. But I feel comfortable with him.
He’s loving and kind and down to earth. He’s damn perceptive too.
He sees right through me and calls me on my skewed thinking. ”
“And what does he do for a living?”
“He’s a farmer.”
“Aha. Acres and acres to bury bodies in.”
“Briley!” It would be laughable if she weren’t so fucking mad. “He’s not burying bodies! He’s planting soybeans! Good lord! Son, I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle myself.”
“Like you handled yourself with your ex-husband?” Since the last time he’d been in their home, the kids had taken to referring to their father just as her ex-husband. They didn’t want to acknowledge him as a parent, and she didn’t blame them. But comparing the two men was way off base.
“Kyle’s not Nate. At all. I don’t think he could even bring himself to spank his little girl, much less hit a woman.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No. And you don’t either. So just stop it. You haven’t even bothered to tell me about your trip! Was it good? Did you learn a lot?”
It appeared he’d finally understood it was a lost cause to argue with her, and the stress in his face began to melt away. “Yeah. It was great. I came in second.”
“Second! That’s awesome! Why didn’t you call and tell me?”
“I wanted to surprise you. Terrance and I had lunch yesterday, and he said he’s already put a bug in the ear of the guy who owns the fishing line company, SuperStrand.
They’re going to be looking for new anglers to sponsor, and every year they take on a couple of guys in the youth division.
He said there’s a good chance that by him putting in a word for me, I might be chosen.
Oh, and his wife came along this time too. She’s really nice.”
“That’s great! Son, I’m so proud of you. You just can’t know.”
He stopped for a few seconds, stared at his hands, and then lifted his gaze to his mother’s face.
Gina was surprised to see his eyes redden.
“You know, Mom, a lot of mothers—well, actually, most mothers—would tell their kids to stop chasing stupid dreams and go to college, but you haven’t.
You’ve let me pursue this as an option, and I really, really…
” A choking sound rose from his throat and he stopped, then started again.
“I really appreciate your support. It means a lot to me, to be able to do this, to see if I can cut it.”
“Awww, honey.” Gina stepped over to her son as he leaned against the back of the sofa and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He hugged her back, and they stood like that for a minute or so.
“Briley, I want you to chase your dreams. Would I like for you to go to college? Sure I would. But am I going to force you to do that? Or pester you because you decide not to? No. I won’t do that.
You have an opportunity here to make a lot of money and have a good life.
I want that for you, to make a living doing something that also makes you very happy.
It’s important to me. And now I have a favor to ask of you. ”
“Yeah?” he said and sniffled, his cheek pressed against her shoulder.
“I want you to cut me some slack about Kyle. I’m happy that you’re chasing your dreams and they’re coming true for you.
Can’t you be happy for me? Can’t you encourage me?
Support me a little? I’ve been alone for a good while now, and even before, I wished I was alone as opposed to …
well, you know. So if I can be happy with Kyle, couldn’t you at least try to understand? ”
“I do, Mom. I’m sorry. It’s just that, after everything that happened … I want to protect you. I know I’m not old enough to be in that position, but I feel like I have to at least try.”
“Well, let me assure you,” she said, pulling back to look in his face and smoothing his hair behind his ears, “that you have nothing to fear from Kyle. He’s a good guy.
We’re planning a picnic in a couple of weeks so everyone in the two families can meet.
We didn’t want anybody to know about it until that day, but now you know because Hadley told you, even though I told her not to. ”
“Why’s she so mad at you?”
“Long story. I’ll tell you later. Right now, you need to empty your bags and we’ll get something to eat, okay?”
“Yep. Thanks, Mom. For everything.”
“It’s my job, but I’d do it even if it wasn’t,” she answered with a smile. He hadn’t even disappeared down the hallway when her phone rang. “Hey!”
“Hi. Everybody doing okay?”
“Actually, Briley walked in the door and he hadn’t even had time to take off his jacket before Hadley waylaid him and told him about you.”
“Hmmm. Then I should tell you that I told Constance.”
“Oh. So much for keeping a secret,” she muttered.
“No, it’s okay. There’s a fifty/fifty chance she won’t tell anybody. It’ll be fine.”
“How’s Myla? Did she have a good weekend?”
“Oh, yeah. Constance spoils her rotten. Which I guess is good, considering she doesn’t have a mom.”
“Yes. It’s good that she’s got your sister. So, question: Between now and then, how are we going to see each other?”
“I have no idea. I’ve been trying to figure that out.”
“Myla’s got school, right?”
“Yeah. And yours do too.”
“Yeah. So I don’t know what to do. About the only thing we could do would be dinner a few times. I don’t see how we’d have any time to ourselves.”
“Me neither.” The sigh he let loose came through the phone loud and clear.
“Oh, well. We’re just going to have to figure it out somehow. So … dinner here tomorrow night?”
“Works for me. Is that going to be okay with the kids?”
“It’ll have to be. About six?”
“Yep. I’ll be there with Myla. Guess I should prepare her, huh?”
Gina laughed. “Probably a good idea!”
“Okay. I’m just glad everybody’s okay and you let Hadley live. It would be a shame if you killed her before I got to meet her,” he said with a little laugh.
“Yeah. No shit. Okay, well, I need to get on them. I’ll talk to you soon, I hope?”
“You can bet on it. Goodnight, beautiful.”
“Night, babe.” Gina ended the call and sat there thinking about Kyle.
The feel of his hands on her skin was something she was trying to commit to memory.
How long would it be before she’d feel their warmth and strength again?
She hoped not long. Something was happening to her, something both scary and wonderful.
She was opening her heart, taking a leap of faith, and hoping he felt the same way.
She was falling in love with Kyle Miller, and she wanted him to love her too.
“Go get in the shower, baby. When you get done and you’re ready, let me know and I’ll come tuck you in.” He waited until his little daughter started the shower before he called Gina.
And by the time they’d hung up, he understood that he was going to have to tell Myla.
Both of Gina’s kids already knew. If he was going to her house the next evening for dinner and taking Myla with him, he didn’t want to spring it on her.
She needed to be told so she could process it and ask questions.
“Daddy! I’m ready!” he heard her call from down the hallway.
As he did every night, he grabbed a juice box from the refrigerator and took it with him.
She’d drink it, then go brush her teeth and come back to bed.
It had been a ritual since she’d been old enough to wake up and go to the bathroom in the night. “What’s the flavor tonight?”
“Uh, looks like very berry twist. How’s that?”
“That’s good. I like it.” She took it from him, peeled the plastic from the straw, and jabbed it into the box. “Yummm. Thank you, Daddy. I love juice.”
He patted her leg through the covers. “Good. And you’re welcome.”
She’d sucked the juice down and she grinned, pink liquid staining her teeth at her gum line. “Teeth brushing time!” she announced and trotted off to the bathroom, so he took the opportunity to pull a book from her little bookcase.
Finished with her task, she crawled under the covers and smiled at him. “Is it my favorite?”
“Of course!” he said, glancing at the familiar cover.
“Yes! I love it! Read it?”
“Okay. Here we go. ‘Once upon a time and long ago …’” he began, then read on. When he was finished, he said, “‘The End.’ Now, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay. Is it something good or something bad?”
“It’s something good, or at least I hope you’ll think so.” She sat there, stock still, and stared at him expectantly, so he started. “You’ve never had a mommy.”
“I did have a mommy, but she died when I was a baby.”
“That’s true, but not a mommy that you remember.”
“No. But I have Aunt Connie and Uncle Ray, and Grandma and Grandpa, and Mimi and Pap, and Uncle Keith and Aunt Monica, and—”
“I know all that. But you know what? Not only have you not had a mommy, but I haven’t had a wife. It’s been kind of lonely for me without another grown-up in the house.”
“But there’s nothing you can do about that. Sometimes I get lonely for a brother or sister, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“Actually, there is something I can do about not having a wife. Do you know what an online dating site is?”