Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
B rielle pulled her car up against the curb and hesitated before putting it into park. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing the right thing by bringing Ryan along. He’d been pushing her buttons, but she could have held out. She didn’t have to let him follow her.
The thing was…she wanted to.
Whether he knew it or not, Ryan was not only tempting, but he also helped Brielle feel not so alone and visiting with Papa Harrison always made her feel depressed. Maeve’s dad was amazing and always so full of life, but his broken body was hard to swallow and today she was going to be watching him for several hours.
Ryan had ended up being a convenient buffer, and she’d been a little relieved he’d pressed so hard to come with her, which made her feel guilty, but not guilty enough to leave Ryan behind.
She saw him in her mirror, coming up to the passenger side, and Brielle’s heart softened even more than it already had. He was coming to get Sparky down from the car. His care for her pet was wearing down her barriers faster than Brielle could patch them.
“Hey,” Ryan said as he opened the door. “Sparky! Long time no see, pal.” The dog’s tail thumped several times in a happy response. His hazel eyes met Brielle’s, and his eyes squinted slightly as he grinned. “Let’s go see…what did you call him? Papa Harrison?”
Brielle shrugged and made a face. “We’ve called him that since we were little.”
Ryan chuckled and took Sparky’s leash. “I don’t know how I didn’t know all this.”
“I don’t recall you hanging out with the Harrison’s too much, and Antony is quite a bit older than us.”
“True enough,” Ryan agreed. “Come on, dude. Time’s a wastin’.”
Brielle got up and walked around, but Ryan already had Sparky on the concrete and was shutting the door. “Here. I can take him.”
Ryan handed her the leash and grabbed her free hand instead. When she gave him a look, he winked. “I might get lost.”
Brielle snorted and almost gave another comeback, but instead she swallowed the words. She’d already said something she regretted today, and he was here doing her a favor. Perhaps it was time to hold back her sarcastic side and agree to be friends, at least for the day.
When his thumb caressed the back of her hand, however, it was clear the option of being a friend was never going to work for her. Her stupid feelings were way too strong, and Ryan was way too flirty for her to keep a distance.
Despite all that, Brielle couldn’t ignore the chill she felt when she let go of his hand when they got to the door. “He can’t come let us in, so we’ll just…” She knocked and cracked the door. “Papa Harrison?”
“Brielle? That you?” His voice was gravely and shaky, but there was no mistaking that slight Italian accent.
“Yep! And I brought friends.” Brielle looked down. “Come on, boy.” She guided Sparky inside.
“I said I was coming,” Ryan teased.
Brielle couldn’t help but smile and laugh. “You’re a dork.”
“Which is why you love me.”
Brielle’s jaw fell, and she had no comment as she watched him walk farther into the house .
“Mr. Harrison?”
“Who’s that? Did Brielle finally bring a boy with her?”
“Boy? Mr. Harrison, I’m wounded. I’m older than Maeve by a whole year! Who’re you calling a boy?”
Brielle finally picked her jaw off the ground as she heard the men laughing together. Was there anyone that Ryan couldn’t charm? That same feeling of betrayal that hit her in high school was simmering just below the surface. The problem with Ryan being able to charm everyone was that he did charm everyone.
Including Aurora.
Brielle closed her eyes, hating how torn she was. She really, really liked Ryan and he seemed to want to be her friend, but her chaotic emotions were completely in the way. She wasn’t sure she could be his friend, not with how her heart skipped every time he was near and her skin flushed just by being within sight of him.
“Brielle? Are you coming? Is Sparky alright?” Papa Harrison’s voice brought her back to the current moment, and Brielle shook herself, straightening her spine.
She wasn’t here to wallow in her own misery. She had a job to do, and she wasn’t going to shirk it. “He’s fine! Coming! Sorry!”
The gathering room was dimly lit as Brielle made her way to the couch area. “Hey, Papa Harrison! How’s it going today?”
“Where’s my big guy?” Mr. Harrison leaned forward awkwardly, his arms shaking as he reached for Sparky.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Brielle said, smiling as she watched Sparky lick and slobber all over Mr. Harrison. “You just want me here for my dog.” Brielle frowned. “Speaking of…” She looked around. “Didn’t you get one?”
Mr. Harrison chuckled and slumped back against the cushions. “They figured since I was being babysat by you, Emery took the puppy to Antony.” Mr. Harrison’s dark eyes came up to Brielle’s. “They thought maybe the dog would force a response out of him.”
The playful mood immediately disappeared. “Hey, Mr. H, I’m sorry. ”
He held up his hand for a moment. “Don’t apologize. It is what it is, and there’s nothing we can do but pray and utilize puppies.”
Brielle turned to look at Ryan, who was watching her with a strange intensity. When he caught her looking, however, he gave a small, commiserating smile and winked. That stupid flutter was back in her chest, and thankfully Ryan was playing his part well.
“So…Brielle…” Mr. Harrison drew her name out as he leaned back on the cushions of the couch. His dark eyes went between Ryan and Brielle in a pointed fashion, and all her relief at Ryan playing his part flew out the window. “Tell me about Mr. oh, sorry… Dr. Thatcher.”
Brielle glared at her friend’s father. “You’ve got a tone.”
Mr. Harrison’s dark eyebrows rose high. “Excuse me? A tone?”
“We’ve been through this before, Papa Harrison. No tones.”
“I’m not a teenager,” Mr. Harrison said, his lips quirking. “I don’t even know what a tone is.”
Ryan covered his laugh with a cough, but Brielle glared at him anyway, his answering smile was no help.
“Ryan and I and Maeve ,” Brielle was quick to point out, “all went to high school together. Now he’s a vet and as you well know, Sparky isn’t doing so hot, so he’s helping me out.”
“This isn’t the vet’s office.”
Her face had to be so red at this point that she could be used to pull over a speeding car. Brielle folded her arms over her chest and gave him the same eyebrow he was giving her. “So?”
“So why is he here?”
“I told you, he’s helping with Sparky.”
“So, you’re saying this is a personal house call?” That dang smirk just never left the man’s face. How Mrs. Harrison put up with him was anyone’s guess.
“Call it what you will,” Brielle said, putting her nose in the air. “But I’m sticking to my story.”
“There’s one problem.” Mr. Harrison’s voice cracked and shook, but he showed no signs of wanting to stop the conversation as he leaned forward again with a boyish grin. “This isn’t his house.”
Ryan tried not to laugh, he really did, but Mr. Harrison was hilarious and Brielle simply couldn’t keep up with him. It was clear the man’s body was betraying him, but his mind was still sharp.
After sputtering, Brielle turned her glare on Ryan. “You could help, you know.”
“Help with what?” He gave his best innocent look. It was about time someone else battered against her walls for a change, Ryan was doing the best he could, but insider help was a major boost.
“He thinks we’re a couple!”
Ryan kept the same look on his face. “And?”
This time it was Mr. Harrison who was laughing, and Brielle’s face was nearly the same color as her hair. “We’re not dating,” she wheezed.
“Well, whose fault is that?” Ryan offered, folding his arms over his chest and giving her a challenging look. The fact that she seemed to choke on air was funny, but also had him a little worried. Her face was nearly purple, and he was starting to worry he’d gone too far.
“I knew I’d like you,” Mr. Harrison said after getting his breath back. He nodded toward a recliner. “Have a seat. You can tell me all about yourself.”
Ryan hesitated since Brielle still looked ready to blow a gasket, but he figured he’d lay off for now. Instead, he sat down and faced the obviously very mischievous Mr. Harrison. It was easy to see where the girls all got their looks from, Estelle especially. Mr. Harrison’s hair was turning gray, but the color was still mostly dark, almost black, along with his dark eyes and thick brows.
The man was classically handsome, or had been before he’d become bent and shaky from the disease. It was funny that he’d never met Mr. Harrison during his time in school with the girls, but he’d never been close to the Harrison girls or Antony. Their school was small and everyone knew each other, but they’d never been in the same friend group.
Pity.
Judging from the father, the girls would likely have been fun to be around.
“And what have you decided?” Mr. Harrison asked, slumping farther into the cushions.
Ryan gave himself a little shake. “Excuse me?”
White teeth flashed in a smile. “I’m broken physically, not mentally, and I definitely have my eyesight. What have you decided about me?”
If his tanned skin didn’t hide blushes, he was sure he’d be as red as Brielle right now. “Actually, I was lamenting the fact that I didn’t know your daughters better when we were younger. If they’re anything like you, I think we would’ve been friends.”
Mr. Harrison nodded. “You were Maeve’s age?”
“Right in between Maeve and Aspen,” Brielle offered from her place on the floor. Apparently, she’d calmed down enough to sit with Sparky and give him a belly rub while the men occupied the comfortable chairs.
“Aspen’s head was always in the kitchen, and Maeve was in love with our neighbor, Ethan,” Mr. Harrison offered. “Somehow, I think things turned out just the way they were supposed to.”
Ryan smiled but didn’t have much of an answer to that.
Mr. Harrison seemed to fall farther into himself and Ryan leaned forward, worried about the pale tone of the man’s skin. “Are you alright?”
Brielle’s head snapped up, and she jumped to her feet. “Did you want to go take a nap?” she asked, fussing over the pillows on the couch. “I can walk you down to your bed, or if you want to sleep here, I’ll grab a blanket. Maybe some food?”
Ryan’s eyes widened. He knew Brielle had a soft side, but he’d never seen her fuss quite so much as she was right now. The idea of her being a nurturer would have been absurd if he wasn’t watching it with his own eyes.
Mr. Harrison began slapping Brielle’s hands as best he could, which wasn’t much. “Would you stop? You’re my babysitter, not my mother.”
Brielle straightened, putting her hands on her hips. “Don’t make me order you around, Mr. H. Right now, I’m giving you a choice, but if you keep being a booger, I’ll pull the ‘large and in charge’ card.”
Ryan chuckled and leaned back. Brielle had this well in hand, and it was clear she had a wonderful relationship with Mr. Harrison.
“I want to talk with my new guest,” Mr. Harrison said in a too-calm voice. “I don’t get new visitors very often, and the rest of you have gotten very boring. So leave me to my interrogation…I mean chat.”
Brielle pursed her lips and looked at Ryan. “I guess you were warned.”
“Besides, this might be the only chance I get to tease you about your relationship.”
The room quieted. Ryan knew it was meant to be a joke, but it had fallen flat like most morbid jokes did. He wasn’t familiar with ALS to know exactly how long Mr. Harrison would live, but the man couldn’t even go visit his son in the hospital, so it had to be pretty bad.
“First of all,” Brielle said, rallying herself from the comment. “I’m not boring. Secondly, Ryan and I are only friends.”
Mr. Harrison’s crooked and shaking finger was pointed at Brielle. “My house. My rules.”
Throwing her arms up and rolling her eyes, Brielle went back to her spot on the floor.
“How long have you been dating?” Mr. Harrison asked Ryan, ignoring Brielle’s snort of disgust.
“I tried to take her out to lunch, but she refused my advances, so…” Ryan shrugged his shoulders. He felt Brielle’s eyes snap to him but he kept his focus on Mr. Harrison.
Mr. Harrison nodded sagely. “Sounds about right. ”
“Hey!”
The men ignored her protest. “Have you tried kissing her?”
Ryan’s lips twitched. “Not for many years.” This time Brielle strangled on air again.
“We Italians know how to woo a woman with a good kiss,” Mr. Harrison said, his voice growing weak.
“I’ve heard that,” Ryan responded. “Maybe you can give me lessons.” His smile grew as Brielle squeaked in protest.
Mr. Harrison’s eyes drooped. “I’m not quite in my prime any more, but I could probably still give you some pointers. Where do you want to start?”
Ryan hesitated, the man obviously was ready for sleep, but when one eye cracked open to look at him, Ryan responded, “How about how to get her to go out with me?”
“That’s easy,” Mr. Harrison murmured.
Brielle stood and grabbed a blanket to drape over his lap.
Mr. Harrison’s voice was so soft that Ryan almost didn’t hear it, especially since his attention was on how careful Brielle was being. Maeve’s dad meant a great deal to her, and her care only confirmed he was making the right choice in pursuing this pull between them.
“Just ask.”
Ryan’s eyes darted to Mr. Harrison, noting that he was fully asleep at this point, then looked back at Brielle. It took her a moment, but she turned from watching the sleeping man to Ryan.
Ryan wasted no time. “Brielle…will you go to dinner with me?” He wasn’t sure she was going to answer him, but after staring long enough to make Ryan want to squirm, she gave him a sad smile.
“Okay.”