Chapter 9
NINE
ANABELLE
The night is warm for April, and my dad mans a grill full of hot dogs and burgers in my parents’ backyard, distant and quiet, like he’s been since my divorce.
“Mom, can I swim?” Nolan asks me.
“That pool will be freezing,” I say.
“So?” He looks at me like this information is irrelevant.
“I actually need to shock the pool. It’s got some algae growing in there,” Mom says, carrying a tray of fruit to the large wooden table on the deck. She puts her hand on Nolan’s shoulder. “I want to tell you how proud I am of the job you’ve been doing cleaning my bathroom.”
He’s finished his third time cleaning to make up for the fact that he broke her vase.
“Does that mean I get paid from now on?” Nolan asks in a hopeful voice.
Mom laughs. “Nice try, but I don’t think so.”
“The point wasn’t to build you up to a job offer,” I say. “It’s to say sorry.”
Nolan shrugs. “I know, but it was worth a shot to ask.” He grins.
My brothers Grant and Drew flock to the table at the sight of the first food emerging from the kitchen.
The sun has just set, and Mom goes over to turn on the overhead string of lighting that always makes the outdoor living space feel intimate.
The pool has a waterfall feature that splashes pleasantly in the background, and Mom’s planters are full of blooming tulips, daffodils, and other spring perennials.
“What if I get Uncle Grant and Uncle Drew to watch me?” Nolan counters.
“You think you can convince them to swim in that gross, cold water?” I laugh. “Good luck.”
“How is it any different from swimming in the pond at Great Grandpa’s farm?” Nolan counters.
I sigh. “Ask them that question.”
Grant ruffles Nolan’s hair. “Try some fruit, bud.”
Nolan frowns but takes the plate from him. Grant is clean-cut, practical, and loves to tease with a straight face.
“Hey, you never know. Some people love having green slime all over them,” Drew teases Nolan.
“Yeah, like your ex-girlfriend,” Grant says with a straight face to Drew.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Drew asks skeptically.
“You know, she was always putting those seaweed masks on her face and doing those spa treatments,” Grant says.
“That’s not funny,” Drew says.
“Sounds like you’re still hung up on her,” Grant tells Drew.
“Ooh, burn,” Nolan says, jumping into the teasing.
This kid fits right in with my brothers.
Too bad he doesn’t see them as much as I’d like because they’d be good male figures for him in his life.
Well, sort of. They are questionable at times.
But maybe I say that because I’m their sister and have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Dad stacks burgers and hot dogs on a plate, and Mom swoops in to carry them to the table.
“Nolan, let’s help Grandma carry everything out.” We go in the kitchen and grab the buns, potato salad, and dinnerware while my mom carries out a pitcher of lemonade.
“You got anything stronger, Mom?” Drew asks.
“Why? You need to drown out your sorrows after that breakup?” Grant says in a serious tone.
“You’re so hilarious, you should start your own stand-up comedy show,” Drew says.
“Guess he hit a nerve,” I tease.
“I have beer and margaritas in the fridge,” Mom tells him.
Dad stays quiet by the grill, and Nolan runs off to the grassy part of the yard where a tire swing dangles from a branch of a huge oak tree.
“Speaking of hitting nerves, how’s your breakup going, sis?” Drew asks, glancing over at where Nolan is.
I wrinkle my brow in confusion. “I wasn’t dating anyone.”
“I mean with Jeremy. Have you guys tried working it out lately?” Drew asks.
Dad turns off the grill and brings another plate of meat to the table.
“I know you were pushing for that, Drew, but I can’t work something out with someone who doesn’t want anything to do with Nolan and me. But even if he did, I’d say no.” Nolan is off at the back fence, looking at the neighbor’s horses. My heart aches at how much he’s had to go through.
Dad sets the plate down, a dark look on his face, and his silent disapproval of my divorce hurts more than anything. He seems to think I could have worked harder to keep Jeremy around. My dad and brothers all got along extremely well with him, and they’ve taken the divorce really hard.
“Jeremy and I are over. End of story. The sooner you accept this, the better.” I lower my voice. “It doesn’t help Nolan to hear you guys say stuff like this. I know he’s not right here, but sometimes you slip up and he hears what you’re saying.”
Mom comes outside from the kitchen. “I think we’re about ready to eat.
” She gives Drew a stern look. “I heard you picking on your sister about Jeremy again. You need to leave that alone. She’s done everything she can.
” She gets starry-eyed. “Plus, you never know who might show up in her life next that could be even better.”
“Is she seeing someone?” Grant asks.
“No,” I say.
At the same time, Mom says, “Yes.”
“Which one is it? Yes or no?” Drew asks.
Dad pulls up a chair and loads up his plate silently, but I’d give anything to know what he’s thinking.
“Mom, I’m not seeing him.”
“Oh, so there is someone,” Drew says.
“No, there isn’t!” I insist.
Drew scoops up some chocolate pudding and flings it toward me. “Tell the truth!”
It lands square on my cheek. “Oh, no you didn’t,” I screech and dash toward him, but he takes off running. I tackle him right as we hit the pool’s edge, but the impact sends both of us toppling over the edge and into the green water.
The water is icy, as I predicted. I come up sputtering and push my hair back from my face.
“Hey, Mom, no fair! You said we weren’t allowed to go swimming.” Nolan rips his shirt and shoes off and jumps into the deep end.
Nolan: one. Mom: zero.
“Swimming in April?”
I know that voice. I twist around, and Lucas is standing in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over a button-down that somehow makes his shoulders look even broader.
His expression is unreadable, but that jawline is criminal, and I hate that I notice it while I’m dripping like a drowned rat.
I should be cold, but instead, heat crawls up my chest.
Nope. Absolutely not. Do not be attracted to the man who just watched you wipe out in front of your entire family.
So much for subtle. “Why not?” I shrug with water dripping down my face. “It’s refreshing.”
What is Lucas doing here anyway?
I climb out of the pool, chattering, and my mom hands me a pink floral towel. Drew is already out, wrapped up in one of Nolan’s favorite Spiderman towels.
I grab the towel from Mom and cover up the parts of me that are currently putting on a wet t-shirt contest. Why do I always wear the push-up bra on the wrong days?
“You’re a lot braver than me, getting in that water,” Lucas says.
“So there is a guy,” Grant says.
Nolan’s still splashing around in the water like a little duck. “Hi, Lucas!”
My body is freezing, but my face is hot. “What are you doing here?”
“Nolan forgot his cleats and water bottle at our last session, and I know he’ll need them for practice tomorrow, so I thought I’d bring them by.”
“You could have called.”
“I did. You didn’t answer. Mrs. Wheaton overheard me giving you my voicemail at the grocery store, and she told me I could find you here.”
Should I be grateful or angry?
Nolan climbs from the pool and runs to Lucas, wrapping his arms around him. “Thanks for bringing my stuff.”
A muscle in Lucas’s jaw twitches, but he doesn’t comment on the slimy water that’s now covering the entire front of his body. He just hugs Nolan back.
“How do you guys know each other?” Grant asks.
“I’m Nolan’s soccer mentor,” Lucas explains.
Grant smirks. “And mentoring his mom, too?”
“Nolan, why don’t you go inside and shower?” I say, heat rising in my face.
“I wasn’t finished swimming.”
“You are now.” I say firmly.
“Come on, Nolan, here’s a towel,” my mom says. “Let’s get you to the shower.”
Thankfully, Nolan was planning to spend the night here anyway. My mom takes him from time to time to give me a break. Having my mom’s support has been priceless to me.
Nolan goes into the house, and she turns to Lucas. “Please stay for dinner. We have more than enough.”
“Mom, I’m sure he has other things to do . . .”
“I’d love to stay. Thank you.”
“Well, y’all have fun. I’m jumping in the shower. I can’t stand another moment in this slime. And don’t attack Lucas with all your questions.”
Am I terrible for leaving him alone with my family? I’m not sure who’s worse: my mom, my dad, or my brothers.
By the time I’m done with my shower, the food is cold. Of course. But Lucas is deep in conversation with my brothers, and surprisingly, they seem to be getting along because Lucas is actually laughing at something Drew is saying.
He’s laughing. With my brothers.
And not just a polite chuckle. A real laugh. One of those low, warm, rumbling ones that comes from the chest and makes you look twice.
I freeze mid-step.
I’m used to him being broody and silent—not effortlessly charming. Not making my brothers like him. Not making me want to like him more than I already do.
This isn’t fair. I was doing fine. Fine-ish.
But now I’m in clean clothes, with dry hair, and Lucas is sitting there looking like the guy you dream about kissing and bringing to Sunday dinner.
I need to pull myself together. I can’t be developing feelings for a man who’s only passing through.
I go to microwave my burger and hotdog, but Mom stops me with a sparkle in her eyes. “You take a seat and entertain your guest, dear. I’ll warm this up for you.”