12. Caught in the Act
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dalton
Caught in the Act
T he problem with Sandy Point was that no one could keep a secret, and Dalton needed to be strategic about advertising a part-time position on his grandmother’s estate. Plus, he didn’t exactly know what the job would be. The job description was in flux because he needed a companion for his grandmother, but also someone who could cook, clean, help in the garden, and keep track of her. Even as a trained Navy SEAL he was constantly losing her in the huge two-story Victorian-style family house on the one-hundred-acre property. She had a very busy social calendar and easily slipped out into town without him realizing. Which was why this morning he was standing at the bulletin board in the local library, reading over the other types of jobs and town news posted, trying to decide if he should post anything at all.
“Look, Mom, Mr. Dalton’s here. Now I don’t have to be bored with all those books,” Max’s squeaky voice rang in the foyer of the library as he and Brooke walked through the sliding doors of the new building.
Brooke’s huff made it clear she wasn’t very happy to see him, but Dalton crouched down to give Max a high-five and a big smile.
“What’s up, little man? Did I hear you say boring books ? I feel like those two words don’t go together. Maybe you just haven’t found the right books yet.”
“Ugh, not you too. Why does everyone think reading is so amazing?”
He laughed. “Well, aside from the fact that you can learn anything about anything from a book, you mean? Did you know I’ve had a pet dragon, a magical wardrobe, fought off enemy drones, and learned how to live in the woods?”
“See that’s what I’m talking about, I want to do that SEAL stuff,” Max said.
“Yah, I did all that while reading a book,” Dalton said.
Max’s mouth dropped open, and he thought he saw a faint smile pass Brooke’s face.
“I’ll help you find a good one today if you need a dude’s perspective.” He stood and ruffled Max’s hair.
“You’re trying to trick me, like Mom. But I’ll agree to let you help me, if you tell me a story about one of your missions.”
Dalton cocked his head because it sounded like both of those things were an advantage for Max. “Well played, Max, you’re a mean negotiator. You might be a lawyer when you grow up.”
Max smiled. “Maybe. Mom’s meeting a lawyer today.”
“Max, remember what I said about not needing to tell everyone our business all the time?” Brooke chimed in.
“Yes, Mom,” he whined.
“Hi, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. Do you mind if I help Max look for some books while you have your meeting?” Dalton asked. He was itching to ask her what she needed a lawyer for, but knew better than to try to ask her personal questions.
“Um, no, just stay in the kids’ section—he’s allergic to chapter books, so see what you can find in graphic novel style.”
“Got it, no chapter books. Too bad Navy SEALs only read those,” he said.
“What? Alright, I’ll try a few,” Max said, stomping into the library. “Come on, Dalton,” he said, turning back to wait for him.
“I’ll just be with Declan Shaw over there,” Brooke said, pointing to a large man with deep brown skin, huge shoulders, and glasses at a round table. He had a laptop and several books open.
“Did he graduate in Wes’s class?” Dalton asked as they stepped farther into the library.
“I think so. He was in the military too, but now he’s a family attorney.” She was whispering now that they were in the actual library.
He wanted to ask more, but it was clear she didn’t want to share all her business so he just gave her a smile. “I’m going to see if I can convince Max to try out a classic.”
“Good luck,” she said, finally giving him a half smile. “Just send him over to me once he talks your ear off.”
He found Max by a stack of chapter books, sitting between two rows.
“Mr. Dalton, are you sure these books can take you to all those places?”
“Max, I would never lie to you. A man has nothing if he doesn’t have his word.”
Max nodded, mulling that over. “Does that mean men don’t lie?”
“No one should lie. But if you’re a man, you definitely don’t lie.”
“I don’t know too many men. I have my grandpa, Uncle Miles, and my baseball coach.”
Dalton noted that he didn’t mention his dad.
“I don’t think they’ve ever lied to me, but Uncle Miles always says my dad is really busy with work and that’s how come he doesn’t come to my games or visit me much. But Uncle Miles’s voice always sounds weird when he says it.”
Dalton’s stomach twisted and his heart ached for Max. He lost one of the most important relationships a kid could ever have and he didn’t really know it. But something told him that Max was starting to figure it out.
“That’s a shame, because I saw you at bat last weekend and you hit that home run.”
Max’s smile was contagious—how could any man not want to spend time with their son?
“My coach says I could be the next Babe Ruth. I had Mom look him up on her phone and read to me about him. Did you know he’s a Hall of Famer?”
“I did know that he’s a legend in baseball. Why don’t we find a book about him after we pick a few chapter books, then we can sit over there and read a little, see if any of them make it past the first chapter test.”
“What’s that?”
“The first chapter test is about how much time you should give a book to grab your interest, like when you start a movie you can tell in the first five minutes if you’re going to keep watching.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” Max leaned closer to Dalton. “Mom doesn’t know about that test,” he whispered.
An hour later they were sitting in two bean bag chairs by a window and Max was halfway through the story of Babe Ruth when Brooke walked up. Her brow was creased and her shoulders looked tense, but Dalton bit his tongue and said nothing. She sat down next to Max and kissed his head but avoided Dalton’s eyes again. They sat there listening to Max finish the page, and Dalton ached to reach out and comfort her, but he suspected she needed space.
“Mom, did you know that Babe Ruth isn’t even his real name?”
“Well, I was wondering why his mom named him Babe.”
Max started to giggle. “How funny would that be? Can we invite Mr. Dalton to come over for lunch?”
“Actually I have another errand to run, but I’ll be at your game later.” He didn’t want to push Brooke when she clearly had a lot on her plate today. “But first I want to hear which books you think passed our first chapter test.”
Max had two stacks of books and he was looking at them like he couldn’t believe he was really going to admit he found several books he wanted to read.
“You read the first chapter in all these books?” Brooke asked.
“Well, mostly, we could tell after a few pages if a book wasn’t going to be my style. But Mr. Dalton says you gotta give a book at least five pages to give it a chance to interest you.”
“That is a good rule of thumb,” Brooke said. “So can you put the rejects on that cart for the librarian to put back, and then we’ll take these to the desk to check out.”
“And then we can go hit a few balls?” Max asked. “You promised if I was good at the library we’d go to the batting cage.”
“Yes, baby.”
“Mom, you can’t call me baby in front of men.”
They both laughed while Max jumped up and took a stack of books to the librarian’s return cart.
“Sorry about that, he was asking me what it means to be a man.”
“Wow, I’m telling you, these kids will be talking about snot and gummy bears and then the next thing you know they hit you with a really deep question.”
“I can see that. He’s really sharp, seems like a great kid.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I just said that as real men our word means everything, that we’re honest and truthful.”
She nodded. “What did he say?”
Dalton sighed. “That he only knew a few men and that he didn’t think any of them lied to him. But he wondered if maybe his uncle Miles lied about his dad always being so busy.”
Brooke bit her lip. “This is the part about being a single parent you can’t really prepare for.”
Dalton couldn’t resist wrapping his arm around her. “You’re doing a fantastic job. Max is awesome.”
“Yah, he is, but he’s getting more and more curious about why some kids’ dads are present and his isn’t. I know Miles means well, and he’s a good influence on Max, but it only highlights that the one man that should be there has no interest.”
“It’s a tough lesson to learn so young, that someone who should love you unconditionally is absent. But you won’t be able to shelter him from that hurt much longer.”
She hesitated a moment, and he thought she wouldn’t respond.
“That’s actually why I was meeting with the lawyer. I’ve let his dad get away with not being responsible or contributing to Max’s care for too long.”
“You don’t get child support?”
“I was pregnant when we divorced. I never filed for it.” She looked up as if she realized she was telling him more than she’d planned. “Never mind.”
Dalton felt fury mixed with the impulse to shelter Brooke and Max from Tyler Banks fill him with such a swift and clear longing it made him pause for a moment.
“I’ll help carry this stack to the front desk—it looks like Max got sidetracked.”
Max had picked up a game controller in the kids’ area and was playing a video game.
“Thanks,” she said. “I guess it won’t hurt if you want to come to the batting cages with us.”
“Great, I’m in.”
He still needed to speak to the librarian about helping him covertly advertise the position at his grandmother’s house, but he wasn’t going to pass up a chance to spend more time with Brooke and Max.
Declan approached him at the front desk as Brooke checked out the books.
“Hey, Dalton, I heard you were back in town.” The man held out his hand and had an easygoing smile.
“Yah, my gran snapped her fingers and here I am. How are you doing?”
“I’m good, got my hands full most days but can’t complain.”
“Mr. Tate, did you know Mr. Dalton is a Navy SEAL?” Max chimed in.
“Retired,” Dalton corrected him.
“Good for you, glad you made it home safe. Listen, I gotta run before the sitter gets mad. If you ever need anything, my office is on Front Street.” He smiled but then leaned down. “Good luck in your big game tonight, Max, not that you need it with that arm of yours.”
“Thanks, Mr. Tate.” Max said it with so much pride, it made Dalton’s heart squeeze.
He really was a great kid, he thought as they all walked out of the library.
“Hey, maybe we should get your mom one of those fancy coffees over at your aunt May’s shop before we hit baseballs.”
“Good idea. Aunt May makes the best muffins.”
“That does sound good. Let me just put these books in the car.” Brooke stepped closer to him and he could smell her sweet scent. Then her arms skimmed along his as she went to take the stack from him, and he held on to them a beat too long, forcing her to look him in the eyes. A fresh pink flush bloomed in her cheeks and he knew their contact meant she felt the charge between them too. Then he let go and she sighed, but he didn’t think it was from relief—it had more of a disappointed lilt to it.
They walked to the coffee shop, each on either side of Max as he jabbered away about all the facts that he’d read about Babe Ruth. Dalton caught Brooke’s smile as she looked at him over Max’s head, but then a tall figure stepped into their path.
“What the hell is going on here?” Tyler Banks asked.
He had wavy brown hair like Max’s tucked under a ball cap, high cheekbones, a deep tan, and a sneer. He was wearing a collared shirt, casual shorts, and boat shoes, like a man who didn’t take life very seriously.
“Tyler, can you please watch your language around Max?”
“He’s going to hear it sooner or later.”
Dalton’s body tensed. This wasn’t going to be a happy reunion and he didn’t want to make things worse for Brooke or Max, but he wasn’t going to stand by while Tyler Banks was disrespectful to her.
“I guess some things don’t change,” Dalton said, holding out his hand in greeting.
Tyler folded his arms over his chest as a rebuff to Dalton’s attempt to be a grown-up.
“So you’re back in town and trying to pick up where you left off, is that it, Dalton? Only to find someone took your place while you were gone?” Tyler asked, one side of his mouth lifting.
“What’s that mean?” Max said. “Hey, Dad, are you in town for business again or to see my big game?”
Tyler looked down as if he just realized Max was standing there.
“I’m always doing business, Max, you’ll learn one day when you’re old enough. Real men always have business to do.”
“Hey, Max, are you getting a pregame snack? Come on, I’ll help you pick out the least healthy option,” Miles said after stepping out of the coffee shop and quickly reading the energy.
Dalton was disappointed in himself for not having a better instinct to shelter Max from this. And he had to applaud Miles Banks for stepping in.
“Are you coming to the game or not?” Brooke asked. “Max will be really hurt knowing you were in town and didn’t bother to show up.”
Her tone was soft, as if she had to try to gently convince Max’s dad to pay attention to him.
“Yah, looks like I’ll be at the game. Maybe I need to keep a better eye on things, or you might let some stray start playing my part.”
Dalton gritted his teeth.
“You don’t have any say on who I spend my time with. But you’re welcome to participate in Max’s life.”
Tyler just looked between Brooke and Dalton and then laughed. “Whatever. You may as well have her now that I already took what I needed.”
It happened so fast, his reaction was so visceral, that in the blink of an eye he stepped so close to Tyler he knocked the ball cap off his head and his chest bumped Tyler’s. He’d always known Tyler was a weak person, but the fact that he would speak about the mother of his child like she was a used object he was done playing with was going too far. And Dalton saw red.
“Don’t ever speak about her like that again, and definitely not around Max, or you’ll regret it.”
Tyler was surprised enough not to talk back until he got some space between them. “I’ll talk any way I want, and if you touch me again, you’ll regret it.” Then he walked away toward a flashy red sports car parked on Main Street.
“You can’t antagonize him like that, it’ll only make him meaner,” Brooke said, walking past him to go inside the coffee shop.
But Dalton stayed to watch as Tyler punched his steering wheel before he revved his engine and sped off.
“Making friends, I see,” Wes said, walking up from behind him.
“This town is too small,” Dalton said.
“Already getting the itch to leave? That was fast.”
“No, I just mean I’d like to go the rest of my life and not see that idiot ever again.”
Wes grunted. “Come on, I’ll let you buy me a coffee.”
They found Miles sitting with Max and Brooke, but Dalton could see it would be awkward for Brooke if he tried to join them. And now his brother was lingering. So, he settled for a fancy coffee while they chatted with May for a bit. Just when Dalton thought he better let things rest with Brooke, Max came over with chocolate smeared on his face from the cookie he’d just had.
“Don’t forget we’re going to the batting cages next—I just have to wash my hands, Mom says.” Then he walked off.
“I’m not even going to say it,” Wes said.
“Good, don’t, because I don’t need any lectures from you. I’m just getting reacquainted with an old friend.”
“Uh-huh. My deputy said he saw you and Brooke getting reacquainted in your new truck the other night in the rain.”
“Your deputy needs to practice a bit more discretion.”
Wes’s laughter filled the small space in the coffee shop. They both watched as Miles gave Brooke’s arm a squeeze and left.
“Is he just being a good uncle or is he hoping to win over Brooke and his nephew?” Dalton asked.
“Hard to say,” Wes said, “but I think it’s going to be interesting to see who she ends up with this time around.”
Dalton’s gut reaction was to say him, but that surprised him even more than the fact that his brother already suspected he wanted her for himself.
How had he been gone fifteen years and not realized the one person he needed was back in his hometown?
It was too bad he couldn’t keep her. He didn’t belong in Sandy Point—he could never stay and build a life here after what happened with his parents. Being with Brooke made him forget for a little bit, but he could never really enjoy the comfort being home should provide.