Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
“T hank you for inviting me to your home,” Luc said to Bailey’s parents, as her stomach knotted. She might’ve spent their last two dinner dates assuring Luc they’d welcome him, but her words had been more hope than truth. Her mom was fine, she seemed a big fan of Luc. But Dad, well…
She studied her father as he watched Luc interact with her mom, that heavy pull to his mouth suggesting he didn’t like what he saw. Dad had never liked tattoos, and it had been part of the reason he’d said he hadn’t coped well with Chrissy’s husband. That, and Jed’s violent streak, which hadn’t revealed itself until too late.
Her heart sorrowed for her sister, for the estrangement that distance and unforgiveness had put between them. Chrissy wouldn’t be here today, although yesterday her mom had dropped the bombshell that Rhett and Cindy would. As Bailey hadn’t seen Rhett in forever that’d be great. Cindy, well, that was up to her how things progressed. But as Rhett was a hockey fan, she figured he’d at least cope with today.
Her father turned, spotting her, and his face noticeably relaxed. He held out his arms and hugged her. “How’s my little girl?”
“I’m good.” The dates squeezed around Luc’s and her busy schedules had helped them delve deeper into knowing each other. And the kissing had been the cherry on top. “Really good.”
“And how was that church you went to today?”
The way he said this, like with a sneered inflection, drew Luc’s attention. Bailey smiled, and like she’d said to Luc after the service, “It was different, but I enjoyed it.” She swallowed, but knew she had to own her brave. “And I’d like to go again.”
“You know you’re welcome anytime,” Luc said, his voice soft.
She nodded. She did. Although she suspected once his busy game schedule started, there’d be far less opportunities to attend with him, and the place felt so big and bright and new that she wondered if she’d get lost. That was exactly the reason Luc said he enjoyed going, as he could come late and sit in the back and escape without drawing much attention. But she’d felt the life there, even though she’d missed the traditions of her parents’ older church. There was much to be said for both expressions of worship.
“Well, we’re just waiting on Rhett and Cindy. They should be here any moment,” Mom said.
“Rhett and Cindy?” Luc asked Bailey.
“My brother and his wife.” She pointed to the mantelpiece where a series of family photos were gathered in silver frames. The most recent family picture had her parents positioned in the center, Rhett and Cindy to one side of her mom, while Bailey stood next to her father. They’d all been grinning at the camera, except Cindy whose smile had seemed forced.
Luc shot her a smile. “You look so pretty.” He glanced at the next photo, a much older one which included Chrissy, but not Jed. Photos of him had been expunged from the house the second they’d learned of his betrayal. He motioned to the picture. “Who is this?”
She moved to his side, and said in a softer voice, “That’s my older sister, Chrissy.”
“She’s not around?”
“It’s, ah, complicated.” She shot a look at her father.
“She lives in Florida now,” Dad said. “With a man who isn’t her husband.”
“She’s married?” Luc asked.
“Was,” she murmured. Her father might’ve despised Jed, but he’d not understood why Chrissy had divorced her husband, saying divorce was against God’s law. Then, when she’d found a new man, her father’s values had seen him raise objections against remarriage, which had been enough for Chrissy to declare she was done with such conservative prejudice and would go live with a man she’d met on the internet. Some days Bailey suspected her father had never really gotten over the shock, and this was why he was so protective of her.
She lowered her head. Her sister might’ve been older, and much of this had happened when Bailey had lived overseas, but she wondered what her life would be like if she hadn’t left. Chrissy had always encouraged Bailey to chase her dancing dreams, and together with Gran and Mom they’d been enough to persuade Dad to let Bailey leave for France as soon as she’d finished school aged seventeen.
But when the truth about Chrissy’s marriage saw Jed jailed, and the other pieces of Bailey’s life crumbled, Bailey had sought the safe space of home. Her parents’ home. Her parents’ church. Her parents’ influence in the studio that she’d started with her portion from her grandparents’ will. She’d had adventures, and since that time of initial regrouping, had struck out to live with Poppy, then on her own, then stepped into the Dance Off show. But still, the cords of familial obligation and responsibility pulled tight, something especially obvious whenever she visited home. She suspected Luc might think she stayed too close to the family nest, but being close to her family was part of who she was.
The sound of a car outside drew her mom to the window, then she clapped her hands, and rushed outside, her dad following soon after. Bailey caught Luc’s half-smile—yes, she might possess a few of her mother’s attributes—and she moved to his side, holding his hand. “Don’t worry,” she murmured. “Rhett is nice, and Cindy, well, she can be too.”
He chuckled, and she winced, realizing what she’d said, but it was only the truth. Nobody knew what weather Cindy would bring when she came, her temperature as variable as a spring day. But the fact they hadn’t attended the show’s tapings—Bailey had messaged Rhett with the invitation to come, but he couldn’t spare time from work—meant it was likely Cindy would be holding some resentment, as past experience had proved.
A moment later, the door opened, and Bailey hurried to her brother, encasing him a hug. “Hi Rhett.”
“Hey, it’s the celebrity.”
Who—? Oh, he meant her. She squeezed him tighter. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Bailey Rose.”
“Rose, huh?” Luc murmured, his lips tilting up on one side.
She shrugged, returning her attention to her brother.
“I’m really sorry I couldn’t make it to your gig. But Cin and I watched it every night, didn’t we honey?”
Bailey turned to her sister-in-law, their lean-in-quick-back-pat a maneuver perfected over the past four years, ever since she’d returned from Europe and discovered that just as her brother-in-law was going to jail, her brother had got himself engaged. “Hi Cindy.”
“Bailey.” She nodded to Luc. “So, you’re the truck, huh?”
Bailey wrapped an arm around him, her heart tumbling. When Cindy said things like that Bailey was never sure if she meant to be rude or just had no filter, all of which made her feel uncertain. She hoped Luc wouldn’t be put off.
Luc held out a hand. “I usually go by Luc, but I’ve been called a truck a few times, too.”
She wanted to cheer as he shook a stunned Cindy’s hand, then Rhett’s. “Good to meet you.”
“You, wow. Like, this is kind of awesome meeting you,” Rhett stuttered.
Luc snickered softly, and she realized he must be used to similar interactions with awestruck fans. “And it’s great to meet more of Bailey’s family.”
“Are you two actually going out?” Cindy said. “You kissed her, but I was sure you only did that for the ratings.”
Wow. Bailey fixed her smile in place. Apparently for today’s lunch Cindy had brought winter.
“Actually, yeah. We’re going out.” Luc kissed Bailey’s cheek. “I’m so grateful I met her. She’s just the best, isn’t she?” he said to Cindy.
Cindy’s upturned lip spoke volumes. “Hashtag grateful and blessed,” she snarked before dragging Rhett off to the open concept kitchen where her mom was fixing a salad.
Luc swiveled to meet Bailey’s gaze, his upraised brows and mouthed “Wow” concurring with what she’d thought. “Is she always like that?”
“Not usually as bad as that, but who knows? The day is young.”
He bent his head and murmured, “How long are we staying for?”
“Let me guess. You want to get straight to dessert.”
“Always.”
She laughed, which drew her mom and Rhett’s smiles, and her dad and Cindy’s frowns. Surely the rest of the day could only improve.
* * *
“Oh my gosh. Luc, I’m so sorry.”
He reached across his vehicle’s center console and held Bailey’s hand. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I cannot believe she spoke like that to you.”
Cindy was, in the words of his mom, “a piece of work”, but saying so to Bailey right now wouldn’t help the situation. Judging from the way Wayne had eyed him, he didn’t like Luc much either. But again, pointing that out wouldn’t help the situation.
“I don’t know what you think of my family,” Bailey murmured.
“Your mom and Rhett seem to like me, so that’s something.”
“They do. Mom is a big fan, and I think you’ve officially made Rhett’s year.”
Luc chuckled. Rhett might be in his late twenties, but he’d seemed more excited than some of the kids Luc met at preseason family days. “He works hard at the pharmacy, huh?”
“He works too hard, but Cindy likes nice things.”
“She doesn’t work?”
“She has a photography business she never does much with.”
“I see.”
Some of the players he knew had wives or girlfriends like that. The classic trophy wife who existed more to look good than contribute meaningfully in any way. And maybe that sounded judgy, but when he saw how some of those women treated his workmates, hearing their complaints about the travel and times away, despite knowing that his teammates worked their butts off, risking injury to collect a paycheck, yeah, he wasn’t sympathetic to their cause. A woman who worked hard herself, who made few demands, yet obviously valued family, was much more his speed. He glanced across, picked up Bailey’s hand and kissed it.
“What’s that for?”
“Being brave enough to take me today.”
“I hope you enjoyed some of it.”
“Of course I did.” Seeing her world, some of what had shaped her, was fascinating. And in the course of that, learning more about the dynamics of the Donovan family spiked a sliver of concern. Bailey was close to her family—anyone could see that—but how much did she place her sense of value and worth on what they said? He’d noticed the way she shut down when Cindy started sharing her opinions. Maybe it was politeness, but it seemed the whole Donovan clan just pretended that Rhett’s wife was pleasant, when her behavior should’ve been called out. If it was his house he would’ve done that, and had been sorely tempted to pull her down a peg or six, but respect for Bailey and her mom had kept his lips zipped.
Then there was Bailey’s dad, with his prodding and poking and glances at Luc’s arms like he didn’t know how a sweet girl could fall for a guy like him. He sighed.
“What is it?”
“Does your dad have a problem with tattoos?”
“You’ve noticed that, huh?”
Like someone noticed an ambulance screeching by with its lights on and siren blaring.
“You know that picture of Chrissy, and what he said before? She married a man who had ink like you, and Dad was never a fan.” She sighed. “So now, I’m afraid he feels the same about anyone who sports similar things.”
He half-smiled at her use of “sports.”
“What?”
“I love some of these words you use like ‘sports’.”
She shrugged. “I think I picked it up when I was in England.” She squeezed his hand. “Let me guess: you love it because it’s ‘sports’.”
“That’s it exactly,” he drawled.
“You’re fun.”
“You’re funner.”
“Aw, now who’s pulling out the fun words?”
He steered to her street, and found a park, reversing into the street parking with ease.
“Want to come up?”
“Is Poppy there?”
“Probably. Does that make it a yay or a nay?”
Maybe this would be a good chance to find out a little more about the business. Bailey’s dad certainly hadn’t appreciated his questions earlier. “Definitely a yay.”
She snickered, and he smiled, racing around the vehicle to get her door. He loved this, this looking after her, helping her out, making her feel special. Well, he hoped she felt special, that the flowers and dates had been something she enjoyed. She’d seemed to, even enjoying meeting Travis and his girlfriend Molly last night at dinner. His best friend on the team had given a huge thumbs-up whenever Bailey was talking with Molly, and he’d loved drawing her into his world.
Upstairs, her space seemed as pretty and dainty as everything else about this woman, and probably made his modern place feel really cold and sterile. There were art posters labelled with Paris and Cologne, photos of Bailey and Poppy in costume, including that dramatic one of Bailey in a white tutu which he’d first been sent by Dance Off in one of their many emails. Trinkets and girly things he’d always rolled his eyes over, but because they belonged to her, he was intrigued.
“I like your space,” he said, looking around. “Suits you to a T.”
“Speaking of, would you like a cup of tea? Or are you more of a coffee man?”
He shot her a look, then she seemed to remember where they’d first bumped into each other. Literally.
“I might not read minds but I can read that face,” Poppy said from the kitchenette. “How do you have it?”
“Strong and black. Thanks, Poppy.”
“I’ll help,” Bailey said.
“No, you sit right there,” Poppy commanded. “I know you’re an English breakfast tea girl on a Sunday afternoon.”
“You are?” Luc asked Bailey. “Why don’t I know this?”
“Because every Sunday afternoon we’ve been slammed for time. Until now.” She sighed, cradling his hand in hers. “Can you believe the final was only a week ago?”
“It seems like another world.” So weird. The intensity of those rehearsals and flights and attention, followed by his return and the rush of media and hockey and training. It was like he’d been sucked into a whirlpool and near drowning, and finally spat out on a beach with gentle waves, and he could breathe. Could see the horizon. Could see a future. Where he and Bailey shared lives, and a house, and a—
Whoa. He wasn’t going there . Not even in his head. Thoughts needed taking captive. Now.
“Here you go.” Poppy deposited a tray with Bailey’s cup of tea and a small French press of dark coffee on the table and a mug that said “Dance is Life!”
“Sure is,” he said, gesturing to it.
Poppy laughed. “Wow, I love how dance can transform people’s lives, don’t you?”
He kissed Bailey’s hand. “I’m a convert.”
“Okay. Well, that sounds like my cue to go and—”
“You don’t have to leave,” he said. “I actually wanted to ask you both some questions about the business.”
“The studio?”
He nodded. “If that’s okay.”
“Sure.” Bailey tucked up her knees on the couch. “What do you want to know?”
He had to tread carefully here. He didn’t want to upset her, or Poppy, or have more of his questions come back to Wayne. “I’m just curious about how two young women managed to fund something like that in the middle of a major city.”
“That’s easy enough,” Poppy said, as Bailey said at the same time, “Sure.”
“You go,” Bailey said.
Poppy waved her off. “It’s your story.”
Bailey shrugged. “Okay. Well, as you might’ve gathered from today, our family had a bit of a tumultuous time. Around the same time that my sister’s husband was arrested for domestic violence, my surviving grandparents both got sick, and both died within the space of two months.”
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured.
“It was a shock. Especially as my mother’s mom had always supported my dancing dream. Gran was the one who encouraged my mom to dance, and she’d given me money to go to Europe to study there.”
“Would that we all had grandmothers who could afford to do that,” Poppy teased.
He pointed at her. “This coming from the woman whose family have their own movie set.”
“Right?”
Bailey’s chuckle broke through the poignancy of the moment, and he again sensed the depth of affection between these two.
“So, anyway, when she died, two months after Granddad, she left me her car and some money. It was earmarked for further study or to start a dance studio, so that’s what I did.”
“And this was all while your brother is getting engaged and brother-in-law was going to jail, huh?”
She nodded. “I think part of the reason Cindy gets annoyed with me is because she thought our family was wealthier than we are, and then a big chunk of my grandmother’s estate came to me instead of them.”
“Your brother wasn’t annoyed?”
“He’s the most lovely, generous man, and understood why Gran did what she did.”
“He seemed that way,” Luc agreed. Wanting to hush over strain and keep the peace, a lot like Bailey did too.
Poppy sipped her tea. “It’s always been a mystery to me how those two paired up.”
“Opposites can attract, I’ve heard.” Luc kissed Bailey’s hand, as Poppy snickered.
Bailey’s smile grew wistful. “I’m so grateful for my family, and the fact they’ve supported me with my dancing, and with going overseas. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without them, and definitely couldn’t have started the studio without Gran’s money. Nor without Poppy’s contribution.”
“See, that’s what I wanted to ask.” He turned to Poppy. “So you put in money too?”
“I put in five grand from my savings, so I was always the minority partner.”
“And now the debt is paid we can repay you soon too,” Bailey said.
“One day, no rush.” Poppy’s head tilted. “But why all the questions about money?”
Because he wanted to know how much Bailey’s dad had been involved in setting it up. “I, um, just wondered, as I wasn’t sure who was the financial brains behind the business. And I haven’t heard either of you say you’ve studied that kind of thing.”
“Mom used to have a studio, and Dad advised her,” Bailey said. “Now he advises me. He’s a member of the finance board at church, and has always been willing to help with financial things.”
Luc kept his lips clamped as he nodded. Just as he suspected.
“Then your mom’s studio closed.” Poppy stared at him. “Right Bailey?”
Bailey nodded, but Poppy’s unsettling stare at Luc kneaded fresh concern. “Can I ask why?”
Bailey shrugged. “It was before I was born, but Mom always said it was because she wanted to concentrate on us kids when we were young.”
Clearly a question he should ask Bailey’s mom. Delicately, perhaps.
“But I don’t really want to talk about that. It’s all okay. I’ve paid off the debt except what’s owed to Poppy so we’re now nearly up-to-date. So, who wants another tea or coffee?”
He and Poppy declined, which saw Bailey move to the kitchen.
As soon as Bailey exited, he murmured, “Do you have some concerns about it?”
“Look, Wayne might be ultra straitlaced about a bunch of things, but he is a nice guy, and I don’t want to speak badly about him,” Poppy said in a low voice.
“But?”
She sighed. “But, let’s just say he’s not as clever as he thinks he is. I think the reason Bailey’s grandmother left the money directly to Bailey was to make sure Wayne didn’t get his hands on it. He might not be too smart with money, but Bailey just adores him.”
He knew that. Bailey might be independent in some ways, but in others she still seemed like Daddy’s little girl. And while he loved that they were a close family, he also could understand some of Cindy’s frustrations in trying to break into such a close-knit unit.
“So why haven’t you said something, especially if you’ve invested five grand of your own money?”
“Do you know how hard it is to even remotely criticize her family?”
He was getting a fairly good idea.
“What are you two talking about?” Bailey asked on her return.
He might be all about honesty, but now didn’t feel the right time to deep dive into financial questions. “I was about to tell you both that I’ve got a lead on a website designer who’s prepared to offer a significant discount.” Well, it would seem so, because Luc would subsidize it.
“Are you serious?”
When he nodded, Bailey clapped her hands, her action so reminiscent of her mother’s it made him smile again. “Oh my goodness! That’s awesome. When can we meet him?”
“It’s a her, actually. She lives in Ontario, and does a lot of work remotely, but is excellent. And she’s a Christian, so I think she understands the need to keep things affordable for your students.”
He gave the name, and Bailey kissed his cheek. “I really appreciate that. Thank you.”
Poppy nodded. “You’re really proving yourself as excellent boyfriend material, aren’t you?”
“Hashtag grateful and blessed,” he deadpanned.
Bailey snickered, and Poppy looked bemused. “Clearly there’s something going on here that I don’t know about, but okay.” Poppy rose. “Now I’m going to leave you two to it. Unless, of course, another viewing of Dance Off is on the menu.”
Bailey turned to him. “Have you seen all our dances put together?”
“Not together, no.”
“Ooh, well, just you wait, mister.”
He glanced at Poppy, who shrugged and reclaimed her seat, and he watched the package of their dances from the previous weeks, the high points, the lows, the moments where he’d stumbled, and those where their connection was so obvious it was like the studio could erupt in flames. And as he watched himself improve from stumbling baboon to someone more suave and risk-taking, he wondered exactly how to tell Bailey she needed to stand up to her father and fire him from his role with the finances at her dance studio.