Chapter Eight
Reaves rubbed a towel over his back as he watched Zia plop her soggy little self down on Alara's lap. They'd had a great time in the pool. He and Ollie had played a game of catch with Zia, who had spent more time laughing and splashing and letting the dogs catch for her. The kid was a blast.
He watched Alara rub a towel over Zia’s hair, not seeming to mind at all that her daughter was soaking her even though she was fully dressed.
He wished that she'd wanted to come in. In her few unguarded moments—like the way she'd laughed about her guilty secret Rolos in the glove box—she seemed like she'd be a lot of fun.
He turned away, knowing that fun had to be a long way down her priority list. Even before she'd gotten sick, she'd had bills to pay and a daughter to support.
Ollie grabbed a beer from the fridge next to the grill in the outdoor kitchen and handed it to him. "You look like you could use one of these."
"Thanks. I almost wish I could say I can’t, because I'm driving. But I'm not. Alara insisted." That brought a smile back to his face—and not because it meant he could have a beer.
"So how did things go with Henry?" Ollie asked.
"I don't really know."
"What do you mean?"
"All she's told me is that they're running some tests and she has to go back in a week."
Ollie frowned. "What kind of tests?"
"Bloodwork is all I know."
"That could just be routine, right?"
Reaves shook his head slowly. "She was in there for a long time. And, Ollie… she's scared."
Ollie glanced over to where she and Zia were sitting with Callie on the loungers by the pool. Zia was gesturing wildly as she talked. Callie was smiling, leaning in as she listened. Alara was smiling too. But…
"You're right," said Ollie. "She's not really here, is she? She's got something on her mind. Something big."
"Exactly," said Reaves. "I'm glad you can see it, too."
"Well, whatever it is, she's finally on the path to getting well."
"I hope so," said Reaves.
Ollie scowled at him. "Don't you dare start thinking the worst. I know. It might look that way; I've thought it myself. But let's take it one step at a time. First, we find out what we're dealing with. Then we figure out how."
Reaves shot him a grateful smile. "Who made you a part of this we?" he asked with a laugh.
Ollie didn't even smile. "We both did when we were about five years old. So quit deflecting and go grab the burgers from the kitchen, would you?"
Reaves turned to watch Alara and Zia again before he went.
Ollie followed his gaze. "Zia still looks like she's in good spirits."
He nodded. "She is, most of the time. But…" He paused. "I think that's the thing that terrifies me the most, Ollie—she's scared too."
"Damn!" Ollie shook his head. "I didn't think about that. She's so bright and so much fun, but she doesn't miss a trick, does she?"
"She sure doesn't."
Ollie grasped his shoulder. "It's a good thing they have you now."
"But that's the thing. They don't. You know I'd do anything for them. I think Zia does too. But Alara's not ready to accept it."
"She will. She'll come around."
"What makes you so sure? I mean, I'd love to believe it, but…"
Ollie smirked. "I know you've told me a couple of times now to leave the subject alone. Let it go while you wait patiently for Alara to be in a better position. But it gets more obvious every time I see you."
"What does?"
"You, my friend, are a man in love."
Reaves let out a breath. Love was a big word—but he couldn't bring himself to deny it.
~ ~ ~
"Zia." Alara spoke sternly but kept her voice low, not wanting to draw the others' attention.
Zia gave her a guilty little smile. "I'm not feeding them, Mom, I promise. I'm just saving them some for later."
Peanut and Butter sat a respectful distance away, but their eyes tracked every bite of chicken Zia took—and for every bite, she placed another two pieces on her plate for them.
"Peanut. Butter." Ollie admonished the dogs. "What are you guys doing?"
"They haven't done anything wrong," Alara said quickly. And she knew they wouldn't. It wasn't fair to get them in trouble when all they were doing was waiting patiently.
"It's okay, Mom," said Zia. "He's not mad at them. He just doesn't want me to feel scared of them. Do you, Sunshine King?"
Ollie chuckled. "I know you're not scared of them. But I don't want you to feel under pressure to have to share your food with them."
"I don't mind sharing," she said happily.
"I know I'm not allowed to feed them while we're eating, but look.
" She held her plate up. There was probably more chicken on it than she'd eaten herself, and it was divided up into two neat piles.
"There are no bones in," she said. "I checked. It's safe for them."
Alara shot Ollie an apologetic look, but he smiled at her. "I don't mind them having some." He shot the dogs a stern look. "They just need to watch their manners."
Peanut whined and Butter barked.
"They're telling him that their manners are impeccable," Reaves told Alara. "And they're right."
"Yes, they are," said Zia. "They're very clever, you know, Mom.
They scare the people who need scaring. They're kind to the rest of us, and they're especially kind to me because I'm small.
" She wrinkled her nose for a moment. "They're kind and gentle with Grandpa Grape too.
" She turned to Ollie. "Is that because he's a gentleman? "
Ollie exchanged a look with Reaves, and Alara could guess what they were thinking. Neither of them would want to say—or to admit—that it was probably because Charles was older.
"I think it is," she answered Zia for them.
Zia wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, smearing ketchup everywhere. "Can I be finished now, Mom?"
"Did you get enough to eat?"
"I did." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "And Lady Sunshine baked cookies, so I need to save room."
Alara exchanged a smile with Callie, who gave her an apologetic look.
Alara glanced back at the dogs. She didn't want everyone to feel as though they had to accommodate her and Zia, so she said, "Cookies sound awesome.
And if Ollie doesn't mind, I'm sure the dogs are tired of waiting for your chicken. "
"Go ahead," said Ollie.
Zia scrambled down from where she'd been sitting on Reaves's lap. Instead of going straight to the dogs, she tugged his hand. "You can come too, Prince Daddy."
As she watched the two of them with Peanut and Butter, Alara pressed her lips together. Today was the best day she'd had in a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a day like this, with nowhere else she needed to be. Good friends, a pool for Zia to swim in, and…
She glanced at Reaves again. A good man. A good friend. That was all he was.
But…
She started to get to her feet, but Ollie took her plate. "I can help, I…"
He met her gaze and held it. "If you don't mind, you can do me a favor and sit right there. It's taken me long enough to get Callie to believe that I'm capable of cooking and cleaning up afterward. If you start helping, you'll undo all my good work."
Callie laughed out loud. "I'm not as bad as he makes me sound. I don't have to do everything around the house. But…" She sighed. "I'm used to it, you know. It's hard to just sit on my ass and let him take over."
Alara smiled and nodded but didn't say anything. She knew exactly where Callie was coming from.
She forced herself to stay seated while Ollie cleared the table. Callie excused herself to go to the bathroom—though Alara suspected she was probably getting a moment alone with Ollie, even though he wouldn't let her help.
She smiled as she watched Reaves and Zia play with the dogs. If today was a good day, seeing the two of them together was the best part of it. Zia loved that man with all her heart, and it was easy to see he felt the same way.
She laughed at the sight of him pretending to fall, lying down on the grass, flat on his back. Zia and both dogs came running to him—two tails wagging and the beautiful sound of her daughter's laugh filling the air.
Zia had never known her father—or even a father figure—but Reaves… She wasn't surprised that Zia had named him Prince Daddy. She couldn't choose a better man for the role. And if Alara wanted to be honest, she'd love to choose him too. But…
She turned away from the happy scene in front of her. She refused to let worst-case scenarios intrude on this day.
When she looked back, Reaves was throwing a ball for Zia and the dogs to chase. They did that a few times, but when they lost interest and went to examine a patch of daisies instead of bringing the ball back, he came and sat down beside her.
"Thank you," she said.
"Hey, you don't have to thank me for playing with her. I enjoy it just as much as she does. Probably more."
She chuckled. "I can see that. And that's not what I meant."
He raised his eyebrows.
"I mean for today, Reaves. This has been the best day."
"I'm glad. I think so too."
"And not just for today. For everything."
He nodded. "I hope you know by now that I feel the same way. Thank you for everything that's happened so far."
He rested his hand on the arm of her chair, palm up. She only hesitated for a moment before placing hers in it.
He gave her a wink as he squeezed her hand. "Thank you for everything so far. And everything that's still to come. And in case I haven't been brave enough to make it clear yet—I'm hoping there's still a whole lot more to come for us."
She inhaled sharply, wondering if he'd picked up on her fear without her ever naming it.
He held her hand tighter before she could pull away. "Shit. I didn't mean whatever you're scared of. I mean…" He shook his head. "I mean no matter what."
She relaxed her hand in his again. As he released his grip, she tightened hers.
"Thanks, Reaves. I'm sorry I haven't been sharing with you. But to talk about it, I'd have to face it. And I don't want to yet."
He nodded. "I figured as much. But as long as you know that whenever you're ready to face it—whatever it is—you don't have to do it alone."