Yadira bit her bottom lip. “I think you should change how much power you give her. And you did that last night by not binging after she upset you.”
“I did, didn’t I?” I said, feeling proud of myself.
*
After therapy, I walked down Main Street back to my apartment. Yadira was right about Kate. She was also right about Daniel, too. I had judged him based on the fact that I was attracted to him. For all I knew, he might be a horrible person.
Except, deep in my gut, I knew he wasn’t. Part of that was due to the fact that he’d fathered such an incredible daughter.
I thought about my own daughter. Would she get along with Joy? They were almost the same age after all. What if Daniel and I started dating and ended up getting married? Joy and my daughter would become sisters and—
I jumped as a truck startled me by pulling up to the curb. “Need a ride?” the driver asked, speaking through the opened passenger’s side window.
Unable to help myself, I grinned, thrilled to see Daniel grinning right back at me.
Chapter 8
Claudia
Dear Bianca,
I received your letter and
And what? thought Claudia. What exactly was she supposed to say to this woman? Her birth mother?
Claudia repositioned the pillows on her bed, trying to get comfortable. Bianca’s letter had arrived several days ago, and she still didn’t know how to respond.
She wanted to thank Bianca for giving her life and placing her with a family that’d been perfect. But meeting Bianca in person? That wasn’t something Claudia could do right now.
At the same time, she didn’t want to hurt her birth mother’s feelings. Leland had said Bianca seemed nice. Claudia agreed, but that didn’t mean she had to meet her. Did it?
A loud crashing sound came from her brothers’ bedroom down the hall. Clark and Clay yelled at each other. Then, Claudia heard Mom’s firm voice rise above the fray. “Just clean it up, boys, okay? Both of you.”
Claudia reached for her headphones only to remember she’d left them downstairs. It was times like these that made her question her decision to live at home this year.
She’d chosen not to live in the dorm because she’d wanted to be close to her family as her father went through treatment. Plus, the idea of moving out at seventeen was a little unsettling for both her parents and her.
Overall, she had no regrets about staying home, but sometimes, like tonight when she was trying to concentrate and the boys were all wound up, she fantasized about living on campus next year.
There was a soft knock on her bedroom door, and she quickly stashed the notebook with the letter under her bed. “Come in.”
Her mother opened the door and smiled. “Am I interrupting?”
“No, come in. Is everything okay?”
“The boys broke a shelf in their closet, but they’re fine.” Mom entered the room, closed the door, and sat on the edge of Claudia’s bed. “We haven’t really had time to talk since your birthday. How are you doing?”
“Good.”
“Were you studying?”
Claudia shrugged. “Not really.” She hadn’t told her parents yet about hearing from Bianca, nor did she intend to right now. Honestly, she was just trying to figure out her own feelings before sharing them.
“It’s been such a whirlwind week with the party, recovering from the party, and dealing with the boys’ project for Cub Scouts. You and I haven’t really had any time to connect. I was thinking we could grab lunch tomorrow if you’re free.”
“I’m free, and lunch would be perfect.”
“Good.” Mom smiled. “Did you have a nice birthday? I feel like there was so much focus on your father’s good news that the celebration wasn’t really about you.”
Claudia shook her head. “Celebrating Dad’s recovery was the best birthday gift in the world.”
“I have to agree.” Mom picked up the stuffed elephant Claudia had received as a baby from her grandmother. “I heard Nona retelling the story of your adoption.”
Claudia nodded. “I asked her to tell it. I like hearing it. I like the part where she’s speeding to the airport, gets pulled over, and talks her way out of the ticket.”
Mom laughed. “I like that part too, but my favorite part is when Nona talks about holding you for the first time. How the earth stood still as she looked into your eyes. How you looked back at her, and she just knew God had created you to be in our family.”
Goosebumps prickled Claudia’s skin. “You said that’s how you felt the first time you held me.”
“It was. We were in the hospital in South Carolina, and you were so tiny that I worried I might drop you. I think the nurse was worried, too, but I instantly felt like you were mine.”
Mom’s eyes filled with tears as the boys came down the hall, shouting, “Mom, Mom.”
“Pretend we’re asleep.” Mom dove into the bed, her back to the door. Claudia lay down as well, facing her mother.
“Try not to laugh,” Mom said, closing her eyes.
“You try not to laugh.”
As the sound of Clay’s and Clark’s footsteps came closer, Claudia shut her eyes and breathed deeply.
The door creaked open. “Mom?” Clark whispered.
Mom didn’t answer.
“I guess they’re asleep,” Clay said, keeping his voice low.
A beat of silence followed, then her brothers whispered something to each other that Claudia couldn’t hear. A moment later, the door closed.
Both Claudia and her mother opened their eyes at the same time, huge smiles on their faces. Then, Claudia screamed because the boys were standing at the edge of her bed staring down at them.
“Ha,” Clay said. “I knew they were faking it.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Clark said.
Claudia and Mom burst into laughter, howling so hard their bellies hurt.
“You guys are big fakers,” Clay said, jumping on the bed.
Clark followed, and Claudia and her mother grabbed the boys and began tickling them as they laughed with abandon. Clay laughed so hard he farted, which caused all of them to laugh even harder.
“Hey, what’s going on up here?” Dad said with mock sternness as he came into the room.
“It’s Dad.” Clay stood and launched himself off the bed into his father’s arms. Dad caught him and swung him around. Clark came next, and Claudia’s heart lifted at the sight of her strong father holding her brothers.
This time last year, Dad had been too weak to roughhouse with the boys. Now, everything was better. Everything was perfect.
No way was she jeopardizing this by doing anything as foolish as meeting her birth mom. No way.
Chapter 9
Bianca
Trying to play it cool, I rested my arms on the open window ledge of Daniel’s truck. “What are you doing downtown tonight? Not enough excitement for you in the suburbs?”
“Something like that,” he said with an easy smile.
I laughed, partly because being around him made me nervous, and partly because downtown Rose Island during the off-season in the middle of the week wasn’t exactly exciting. There were a few people eating at the new restaurant that’d just opened, but other than that, the street was quiet.
Daniel tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “Joy and I were talking, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in striking a little deal.”
“What kind of deal?” I asked, thinking Yes, let’s get married and have lots of babies before it’s too late for me.
“Well, I was thinking maybe I could install your countertops in exchange for you teaching Joy how to drive.”
I stared at him with what I imagined was an expression of disbelief. “You want to install my countertops, and all I have to do is teach your daughter how to drive?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly phrase it that way, but yes. What do you think?”
“I think you might change your mind once you see my countert
ops. They’re really heavy.”
He shrugged. “I have a friend that can help if I need him, but I don’t think it will be too hard. Do you think I can stop by and see them sometime?”
“You can come see them now.”
“Okay.”
Because we were so close to the salon, he drove forward half a block and parked. I unlocked the salon door and led him upstairs to my apartment.
Once inside, I said, “Come on in. Welcome to Casa Bianca.”
Casa Bianca? Really, Bianca?
Daniel stepped into my apartment and gestured across the living room. “Are those your countertops?”
Feeling the need to be ornery, I waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, they’re just slabs of granite I like to keep around for decoration.”
“Good to know.” His mouth tugged upward in a smile as he walked across the room.
In the mirror above my entry table, I caught a glimpse of my double chin and cringed. Suddenly, I felt foolish for flirting with Daniel. What was I thinking?
If I hadn’t felt a connection with him, hadn’t felt this mutual attraction between us, it would’ve been no big deal. I was used to being the pal after all. Used to having good-looking guy friends who confided in me about everything from problems with their girlfriends to fears about losing their jobs.
When it came to romantic relationships, however, I always fell for the guy who either had no interest in me or was no good for me.
“This shouldn’t be too hard,” Daniel said, when he finished examining each slab of granite.
“No?”
He shook his head. “Where’s the kitchen?”
“This way.” I led him around the wall to my kitchen.
He looked at everything, opening and closing my messiest cupboard. “Just out of curiosity, was your runaway contractor going to do anything else besides the countertops?”
“Is that your way of telling me my kitchen is outdated?”
“No, I didn’t mean anything by that. I was just curious.”
“It’s okay. This kitchen was already here when we bought the building. I know it’s old. To answer your question, yes, my runaway contractor was going to replace the flooring and appliances, which I already bought. They’re in the back room at the hardware store.”
“What about the wall?”
I glanced at the wall that separated my kitchen from the living room. “Everyone says I should knock it down to open the floor plan, but I’m nervous about doing that.”
“Are you afraid of seeing the kitchen mess every time you’re in the living room?”
“Exactly.”
He nodded. “I helped my neighbor knock down his wall. His wife had the same worry as you, so we raised the countertop to hide the kitchen mess.”
“That’s a good idea.”
He nodded and gestured at the food-splattered wall behind the stove. “What about the backsplash?”
“I thought maybe I’d try to do the backsplash myself once the countertops were installed. I’ve seen it done on one of those design shows, and it didn’t look too hard.”
Daniel smiled. “Famous last words.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “Actually, the backsplash isn’t that hard to do.”
“No?”
He shook his head and gave the kitchen one last look. “Well, if you’re interested, and you don’t mind covering the cost of any additional supplies, I’d be willing to install the countertops, the flooring, the appliances, and help you with the backsplash. I can even knock down the wall if you want.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What’s the catch?”
“The catch?”
“Yes, that’s an awful lot of work on your part.”
He rocked back on his heels. “Well, the catch would be you teaching Joy how to drive.”
“I can do that, but teaching her to drive doesn’t seem like much in exchange for getting my entire kitchen renovated.”
“Have you seen my daughter drive?”
I laughed. “Yes, and I still think you’re not getting a fair deal. What if I throw in a year’s worth of free haircuts for both you and Joy?”
He smiled and absently ran a hand through his short cropped hair. “I think negotiations are supposed to go the other way, Bianca. You’re supposed to offer less, not more.”
I smiled, loving the way he said my name. “You’re probably right, but I wouldn’t feel good taking advantage of you like that.”
“Again . . . have you seen my daughter drive?”
“She’s not that bad.” I laughed at this little exchange between us. “Joy definitely needs practice, but I’m confident I can help her.”
“So, it’s a deal?”
“It’s a deal.”
He held out his hand and I shook it, thinking this was the best deal I’d ever made in my entire life.
*
After Daniel left, Vicki came over to ask my opinion about the sleek, black cocktail dress she was wearing. Holding out her hands, she spun around. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think you look amazing.”
“Really? You don’t think it’s too tight?”
“No, you look great. What’s the occasion?”
“I’m going to see a concert in Galveston at The Grand.”
“With whom?”
She hesitated before admitting she was going with Seth Watson, her long-time admirer.
“Wow. What’s that about? Did he somehow age an extra five years?”
“Ha ha. No, he just came into the bakery today—”
“In his turnout gear?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, he wasn’t wearing his turnout gear. He just mentioned that he had an extra ticket to the concert, so I figured why not. We’re just going as friends.”
I raised a brow. “Maybe that’s what you think, but I guarantee that’s not what Seth will be thinking when he sees you in that dress.”
Self-conscious, she ran a hand over the bodice. “Should I wear something else? I don’t want him getting the wrong idea. I love this gown, but maybe I should wear that dress I wore to church last week.”
“Don’t you dare. This is perfect for a night out at The Grand.”
“Okay.” She started to leave, then she asked if I’d heard anything from my daughter.
“Not yet.”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re anxious, but it really hasn’t been that long.”
“It feels like an eternity.”
“I’m sure it does. What about Daniel? I just saw him driving out of the parking lot. Is everything okay with Joy?”
I nodded and told her about the deal I’d just struck with Daniel.
“Good for you,” she said.
“I know, right?”
“Why do you think he’s being so nice? Do you think he has ulterior motives? Do you think maybe he likes you?”
“I wish, but no. I think he really doesn’t want to be the one teaching Joy to drive. She’s pretty much the worst driver in the world.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but there’s a reason for it.” I explained about the accident that killed Joy’s mother and how it left Joy feeling extremely anxious about driving. “I’m sure that affected Daniel, too. I think he just wants to make learning how to drive a pleasant experience for Joy.”
“Maybe, but it seems like he’s going out of his way to make things pleasant for you, too.”
The idea of that being even remotely true caused a thrill to skitter through me. I knew if I thought about it too much, I’d come to the conclusion that it was too good to be true. Still, I couldn’t help but hope it was slightly true.
Chapter 10
Daniel
Thursday night, Joy and Daniel drove up the mountain to talk to Bianca’s dad about buying the truck Walter was selling. Daniel’s truck had over 250,000 miles and was starting to shake whenever he drove faster than twenty-five miles per hour.
All day, the sky had been overcast. When they reac
hed the Morgans’, the rain began, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
Walter invited them into the barn to wait out the storm with him and his beautiful golden labs, Duke and Lady. Daniel was impressed by the barn, which boasted a fully stocked workshop.
In addition to every tool and gadget a person could ever want or need, Walter had no less than fifty projects going at one time from refurbishing old furniture to renovating cars. While Daniel tended to be the kind of guy who finished one project before beginning another one, he admired Bianca’s father for his ingenuity.
When the storm lifted, Daniel and Joy took the truck for a spin. Upon their return, Daniel and Walter spent a few minutes negotiating a fair price. Once the check was written, the men shook hands, and Walter invited Daniel and Joy to dinner.
“The family usually gets together on Sundays,” Walter explained, “but Luella and I have other plans this weekend, so we’re having family dinner tonight.”
“We don’t want to intrude on your family time,” Daniel said.
Walter waved a dismissive hand. “Nonsense. You’re here and there’s plenty of food, so come join us. I insist.”
Daniel and Joy agreed, and they strode across the lawn with Walter to the house. As they entered through the kitchen door, Luella, a large woman with bushy brown hair, turned from the oven and smiled. “Daniel, Joy. I’m so happy to see you.” She crossed the room and gave them each a hug.
“They’re staying for dinner,” Walter told his wife.
“Wonderful.”
“I hope we’re not interfering,” Daniel said, repeating what he’d told Walter.
“Not at all. Walter loves feeding people, and so do I. You two are welcome anytime.”
“Thank you,” Daniel said.
Joy nodded. “Yes, thank you. What are we having? It smells delicious.”
Walter unwrapped a foil-covered pan that’d been sitting on the kitchen counter. “Brisket, and of course, it smells delicious. It’s the second-best barbecue in Texas.”
“Second best?” Joy asked.
“Yep.” Walter winked. “Luella is originally from Lockhart, the barbecue capital of the world. Most people agree that my barbecue is outstanding, but changing my stubborn wife’s mind is impossible, so we let her have her way in declaring mine the second best.”
Bianca's Joy: Rose Island Book 3 Page 5