Chapter Twenty-Six
On Friday afternoon, Trip tidied his desk before leaving the clinic. He hadn’t started taking Friday afternoons off yet, but he didn’t mind since Shelley was over at Jim’s place. He enjoyed going down to the bakery to hang out with everyone, but he didn’t want to head down there without her.
He’d called Harper earlier and told her that he could pick Alana up from her rehearsal. He’d thought she’d be happy about it since it meant she’d be able to hang out with Shelley for a while, but she hadn’t been as enthusiastic as he’d expected. He didn’t know much about women’s friendships, but he was hoping that there weren’t any problems between her and Shelley.
Brooke greeted him with a smile when he stepped out into the reception area. He smiled back. She was a good kid, and she'd already proven that she was going to be great at the job. It wasn't the same as having Shelley working here still, but…
"How’re you doing, Brookie? Are you enjoying this? Feeling like you're settling in?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "I am. Thanks so much for giving me this chance, Trip. It's awesome. And if there's anything else I can do, all you have to do is say."
"You're doing great. I think this is going to work out well for both of us. So, what do you say? Do you want to shut down and we'll get out of here?"
"But… it's only early."
"That's the whole point, Brookie. It's Friday afternoon. We want to get out of here early, don't we?"
She nodded slowly. "What are you going to do? Shelley's at Jim's, isn't she?"
"She is. And I'm going to pick Alana up from her rehearsal. Tanya's still up here in town too—she was hanging out with a friend after school."
"Oh, you don't need to do that. I can go get them."
"You need to get the hang of having some time off. And besides, I want to do it. I haven't hung out with the girls in far too long. I used to be close with them when they were smaller, but I haven’t seen much of them lately." He gave her a wry smile. "If they're interested, I want to talk to them about coming by the ranch soon—see if they’re into my mom’s old wardrobe anymore.
“When they were small, they used to love coming over and dressing up. Her ballgowns and all the fancy clothes she used to wear in Hollywood were far too big for them back then. These days, the clothes might fit them better, but I don’t know if they'll be interested anymore.
"Do you think they’ll think it’s cheesy? Or that they’ll think her old clothes are … I’m trying to remember the word Emmett used—retro cool, I think he said. Is that even a thing?"
Brooke’s eyes were wide. "You still have your mom’s old ballgowns?"
He shrugged. "It's not like I'm hanging onto them for any particular reason. Other than, like I said, the girls used to love dressing up in them. I didn’t want to throw them away in case the day came when they were interested again."
"Well, if they’re not interested—please, whatever you do, don’t throw them away."
He cocked an eyebrow. "You’d be interested?"
She nodded vigorously. "I’d be so much more than interested. I’d love to see them."
"Then you should come over. Go through them all. You can have anything you want. I mean, if the girls are interested, they may want to pick out some things too, but…" He shrugged. "You can sort it out between yourselves."
"Oh my God, Trip, that’d be so awesome. Thank you so much."
"You’re more than welcome. I wish I’d known sooner that you might be interested in them. But come on, let’s get out of here. Do you know what time Blane and the others are arriving? Will you get to see him tonight?"
"I hope so. He said he’ll call when he lands. You know what he’s like—he doesn’t say much. Doesn’t like to make plans in case he’s going to let me down. I just wish he understood that he couldn’t let me down, no matter how hard he tried." She shrugged.
"He’s my big brother—he’s my hero."
Trip waited while she shut down the computer, then held the door for her before locking it behind them. He rested his hand on her shoulder.
"He loves you, you know."
"I do know. He’s just not very good at showing it. But that’s okay." She tilted her head to the side. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything."
"Do you think there’s any chance that those guys will ever come home? I’d love to think he might move back here."
Trip took a breath. He didn’t want to raise her hopes—but at the same time, he didn’t want her to feel like there was no hope.
"I don’t know for sure," he said eventually. "But I have a feeling they might be considering it."
Brooke’s eyes shone with tears as she nodded rapidly. "That’s what Ace said too, when I talked to him. I’m going to take that to mean there’s something in the air—but I shouldn’t hold my breath."
He walked her to her car and held the door as she got in.
"I think you’re right not to hold your breath—but I wouldn’t give up hope yet, Brookie. And, you know, even though Blane’s not around, you still have the rest of us. We’re here for you." He smiled. "And even if I or the other guys aren’t what you need—there’s Shelley now, too."
She smiled back at that. "Thanks, Trip. I know. I don’t like to bother any of you, but I’ve always known you guys have my back if I need it. And I love that you have Shelley now. She’s awesome. You guys are great together."
He nodded happily.
"Okay, well, since we’re finishing so early, I might just stop by the grocery store and splurge on something good for dinner for Blane. I’ll see you tomorrow night."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow night, Brookie. I hope you get some time with him this weekend."
As he watched her drive away, he decided that he was going to have a word with Blane while he was here. While Trip understood why he stayed away, he had a feeling that Blane didn’t understand just how much his little sister missed him.
When he realized that he was standing there staring after her car, wondering what it would have been like to have a little sister, he pulled himself together and got into his SUV. It was time to go pick Tanya up.
As soon as he pulled up outside Tanya’s friend’s house, the front door flew open. Tanya and her friend Mia came running out to greet him.
“Uncle Trip! Uncle Trip!” Tanya called. “You really came!”
He laughed. “Of course I did; I said I would.”
“I know, but Brooke said she might come if she finished work early. Is she okay? I can’t believe she’s going to be the doctor’s receptionist. Your receptionist!”
“She’s not going to be—she already is. And she’s doing a great job.” He hesitated, wondering if the girls would rather Brooke had come for them. “She offered to come. I hope it’s okay that it’s me instead.”
Tanya grinned. “It’s not just okay—it’s amazing! I haven’t hung out with you for years and years.” She turned to her friend. “Trip’s one of my dad’s best friends, you know? There are like ten of them, and they all used to be Navy SEALs together. Isn’t that cool?”
“That’s way cool,” Mia said, nodding as she gave Trip a shy smile. “Maybe next time I can come with you guys too?”
“Sure—we’ll have to talk to your mom,” said Trip.
He wouldn’t mind, but he didn’t know how Mia’s parents would feel. She turned and went racing back toward the house, where her mom had just appeared in the doorway. Trip gave her a wave, and she came out to join them.
“Mom, can I go next time too?”
Her mom, Rebecca, smiled at Trip. “I don’t know about that. Dr. Harvey’s doing Tanya’s dad a favor. I’m sure he doesn’t—”
Seeing the disappointed looks on both girls’ faces, Trip interrupted. “It’s okay by me if it’s okay by you. I’m not sure when it’ll be my turn to pick the girls up again, but we can probably set something up.”
Rebecca smiled. “Well, if you really don’t mind, then maybe Shelley should give me a call once you figure out when it is.” She rested a hand on Mia’s shoulder. “These two just love hanging out together.”
“We’ll make it happen,” Trip told her.
He wasn’t sure how Shelley would feel about being roped in to make playdates for kids, but for himself, he loved that people already seemed to consider them a couple.
As they pulled away from the house, Tanya—who had gleefully claimed the front seat since, according to her, Alana always called shotgun first—waved at her friend before turning to Trip.
“Thanks so much for coming to get us. We’re loving having everyone take turns to get us. Don’t get me wrong—Brookie’s awesome, and we have so much fun with her—but we haven’t gotten to hang out with you guys much lately.”
Trip shot her a quick smile. “I know. And last time I talked to your dad, we were saying that we could maybe change that. How would you feel about coming over to hang out at the house again sometime? Remember? Like you used to when you and Alana were small?”
“I’d love it,” she said. “I don’t know about Alana. She’s all grown up these days.”
That made Trip smile. There were only two years between them—Tanya was thirteen and Alana fifteen—but from the little he’d seen of them lately, he’d say Alana was already becoming a young woman, while Tanya was still more of a child. Although, he figured that had more to do with their personalities than their ages.
“There she is,” Tanya pointed as Trip pulled up in front of the theater.
Alana hadn’t spotted them. She was tapping away at her phone and didn’t look thrilled when he parked right in front of where she was standing. He hoped that her lack of enthusiasm was because Tanya had claimed the passenger seat—not because it wasn’t cool to have him picking her up.
“Hey, Uncle Trip. Thanks for this,” she said as she climbed into the backseat of his SUV.
“It’s my pleasure,” he told her as he pulled away. “How’s it going?”
“Yeah, things are going well, thanks. The play’s going to be awesome. I hope you’ll come and see it.”
“Absolutely, we’ll be there. When does it open?”
“Not for a couple of months yet. Rehearsals are going to go on forever—but that’s okay. It’ll mean we’re truly ready by the time the curtain goes up. And when you say ‘ we ,’ you mean you and Shelley, right?”
“I do.”
“Will you bring Harper too?”
He smiled at her in the rearview mirror. “I doubt we’ll be able to keep her away. She loves the theater—and from what she said, it sounded like the three of you got along well when she picked you up.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of the sly smile Alana gave him as she nodded.
He turned his attention back to the road as Tanya said, “Harper’s awesome. And Shelley’s awesome too. Are you going to marry her?”
He chuckled as Alana leaned forward between the seats.
“Is your seatbelt fastened?” he asked.
“It is,” she assured him. “If it wasn’t, I’d be even further forward. But go on, tell us—are you going to marry Shelley?”
“No…” He had to laugh when they both groaned. “Give me a second, ladies. Let me finish. I was going to say that I don’t want to marry her. But we are together, and I do want to… I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
It felt strange to put it so plainly—to spell it out so clearly for them—but there was no other way to say it. And he didn’t want to hide it.
“So why don’t you want to marry her?” Tanya asked. “I thought that was what getting married was about—spending the rest of your life with someone.”
“You don’t have to get married to do that, though,” said Alana. “Marriage is kind of old-school, if you ask me.”
Trip had to laugh. “I’d have to agree with you there.” He shot Tanya a quick smile, wanting to reassure her. “To my mind, it’s just a case of personal preference. Some people still want to get married. Some people don’t need the title or the piece of paper to make it official.”
Tanya still looked disappointed. “So you’re telling me she doesn’t get a diamond ring or get to wear a pretty white dress and have a big party or any of that?”
He had to laugh. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m saying. Although…” He glanced at them both in turn. “I’m still going to get her a ring. I mean, every girl likes rings, don’t they?”
Tanya nodded eagerly, and Alana chuckled. “Yeah. I think so. But if you’re not going to marry her, what kind of ring will you buy her? It won’t be an engagement ring, will it?”
Trip pursed his lips. He hadn’t thought about it in that much detail yet. He just had it in his mind that he wanted to buy her a ring. Period.
“You should get her an eternity ring,” Tanya declared. “That’s even better than an engagement ring. It means you’re going to love her forever and ever—for eternity.”
He liked the sound of that. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” he told them. “What do they look like? I know engagement rings are like… a solitaire diamond. But what does an eternity ring look like?”
“Uncle Trip!” Alana exclaimed. “Don’t you know anything? I’ll tell you what—when we get home, we can go online and I’ll show you.”
“It was my idea,” Tanya declared. “I can show you too!”
“I have my laptop in my bag,” said Trip. “I reckon the three of us can sit together and look at them, don’t you?”
He was relieved when they both nodded their agreement.
They rode in silence for a little while before Alana said, “Did you know that Dad’s letting us hang out by ourselves tomorrow night so he can go to Uncle Blane’s birthday dinner?”
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror again, hoping to get a read on how she felt about that. There was something off about her tone, but he didn’t know what it was.
“I was hoping he’d come, but I wasn’t sure. I know Brooke hangs out with you guys sometimes when he has to be out in the evening—but since it’s Blane’s birthday…”
“Yeah, no—we told him to go,” said Alana. “Promised him we won’t get into any trouble and won’t fight.”
Tanya nodded solemnly in the passenger seat, making Trip want to laugh.
“But he said he’s only going to the dinner. Do you think you can talk him into staying for the rest of the evening? You’ll all go to the saloon after you eat, won’t you?”
Trip deliberately didn’t look at her. “Are you trying to get him out of the way for longer?”
She blew out a sigh. “See, that’s what he thought when I suggested it too.”
“I couldn’t tell him why,” Tanya blurted. “But we want him to go because Harper’s going to be there, isn’t she?”
He shot another glance in the mirror. Alana didn’t look like a scheming teenager trying to get her dad out of the house for the evening. She looked more like a thoughtful young woman who wanted the best for someone she loved—and that someone just happened to be her dad.
“Did you think the two of them got along well then?” he asked cautiously.
Alana laughed out loud. “They haven’t been around each other long enough to get along—but Dad likes her. You can tell. And from the way she spoke to him on the phone, I think she likes him, too.”
Tanya nodded sagely but didn’t add anything.
“Do you think she likes him?” Alana asked.
Trip thought about it for a few moments. He didn’t know what to say. Not only because it was hard to get a read on Harper, but also because he didn’t want to disappoint the girls—or give them false hope.
~ ~ ~
When Jim pushed his chair back from the big oak desk where they were both sitting and said, “I reckon you’d better be getting along, Miss Shelley,” she was shocked to see that it was almost seven already.
“Sorry, Jim. I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I did warn you I tend to get something of a one-track mind when I get started.”
“It’s not a problem. I don’t mind. I’ve enjoyed your company. But I reckon Trip will enjoy it more when you get home to him.” He chuckled when his stomach let out a loud rumble. “And as much as I’d like to try to be polite and hide it—I need my dinner.”
She rested her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
He laughed again. “You don’t need to be. It’ll do me good. It’s been a long time since anything held my interest enough to distract me from my dinner.”
They both looked up when Banner spoke from the doorway.
“He’s not joking, Miss Shelley. I was starting to get worried about the two of you.” He smiled at Jim. “What’s it to be tonight? Do you want some of that casserole or want me to throw some steaks on the grill?”
“I reckon I’ve earned myself a steak, don’t you?”
Shelley nodded her agreement. Jim’s relationship with Banner had surprised her at first. They behaved more like family than employer and employee. But as he’d explained more of his life to her while they worked on arranging his bequests, it made perfect sense to her that they were so close.
“You’re more than welcome to join us if you like,” Jim told her. “I’m not excluding you—just assuming that you’ll be headed home to Trip now.”
“I will. I should get going. I’ll stop by again tomorrow – even if only for an hour.”
“If you can, that’ll be great. But if not, we can wait until Monday,” said Jim. “I’d guess that you and Trip are all going out with everyone tomorrow night, right?”
He turned to Banner, who was still hovering in the doorway. “You should go along. Everyone’s going to be there.”
“I enjoy hanging out here with you more than I enjoy watching people drink too much and dance.”
Jim chuckled as he turned to Shelley. “Don’t believe him for a second. In his younger days, this fella knew how to tie one on with the best of them.”
Banner smiled through pursed lips. “I’m not denying that—but that was a few years back.”
“Maybe so,” said Jim. “But if you’re saying that you won’t go without me, then I might just have to come with you. I haven’t seen Blane in far too long. Aye…” He nodded to himself. “I’ll come and buy him a drink for his birthday.” He winked at Shelley. “I like to surprise them all sometimes and show up at the saloon—kick up my heels and remind ‘em I ain’t dead yet.”
He turned back to Banner. “Since it’s Blane’s birthday, you can bet your ass that Brookie’s going to be there. You might want to tell that brother of yours—Brody—that he needs a night out.”
Turning back to Shelley, he added, “Maybe you can have a word with Trip. Make sure he gives his foreman the night off tomorrow.”
She was sorely tempted to ask what the story was between Brody and Brooke, but she decided to leave it for now. She could ask Trip when she got home.
Banner didn’t comment—which made Shelley even more curious.
“But go on with you, Miss Shelley. You get on home—and we’ll see you tomorrow. If not in the morning, then at Chico.”
He chuckled as he added, “I might just have to cut in on Trip and steal a dance with you, if you don’t mind.”
“Mind? I’d love that,” she told him honestly.
After she’d hugged Jim, Banner walked her out to her car.
“The two of you are close, aren’t you?” she said.
He frowned. “We are. I owe him my life—and my brothers too. But if you think that I’m trying…”
“No—I wasn’t implying anything. I was trying to say that I love the relationship you have.”
“Sorry. It’s just—with you working on his will and everything, I wouldn’t blame you for being suspicious of people’s motives around him.”
She stopped when they reached her car. “Are you suspicious of anyone?” she asked.
He blew out a sigh. “You know, his nephew Gavin’s been lurking around. I wouldn’t trust that slimy bastard as far as I could throw him.”
“I only met him briefly, but I feel the same way,” Shelley agreed.
“That’s why I’m sticking even closer than usual,” Banner explained. “I never thought the day would come when I’d try to coddle Jim—but he’s getting older now. And like I said, Gavin’s a tricky bastard.”
Shelley glanced back up at the house, hating the idea of anything happening to Jim. Even though she was helping him arrange his affairs for when he died, she didn’t want to think about that day coming—let alone about anything awful happening to him before then.
As she stared up at the house, Jim appeared on the front porch and waved.
“You get on home to Trip, Shelley? I’ll bet Banner’s telling you his worries.”
Shelley didn’t know what to say—but luckily, she didn’t need to.
Banner laughed beside her and said, “You’re right, Jim. I am. I’m telling Miss Shelley that I’m worried I won’t be able to get a girl to dance with me tomorrow night—they’ll all be after you instead.”
Jim laughed. “Let’s get these steaks on the grill. Then you can tell me what you need of me as your wingman.” He turned to Shelley as he explained, “I’m only joking. This one has the ladies falling at his feet whenever he goes out.”
She raised her eyebrows at Banner and he shrugged.
“He ain’t wrong. That’s why I don’t go out much. We’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Shelley.”
Trip was already home when she got there. He’d left her the space closest to the door, and as she grabbed her bag from the backseat, he came out to greet her.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pushed her back against her car and leaned his weight into her as he looked down into her eyes.
“How was your day, honey?”
“It was good. How about you?”
He chuckled. “It was good. I had a good chat with Brooke—and I had fun with Tanya and Alana.”
“Oh, I’m glad. I know you’ve been looking forward to that.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “So now that we know we each had a good day—want to come inside and have a great evening?”
She waggled her eyebrows. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“I definitely want the kind of fun you’re thinking about—but how would you feel about dinner, a bottle of Shiraz, and a movie first?”
She smiled. “A romantic comedy—like the first time I stayed over?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Just like that.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he walked her into the house.
“Just like that—only better,” he added. “Back then, I thought we’d only ever be friends.” He turned and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Now I’m hoping that you’re going to be my lady—for eternity.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “That seems like a strange one to use.”
He gave her a bashful smile. “I was just trying out the sound of it. What do you think?”
She rested her hands on his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his lips. “It sounds wonderful to me.”