And that, Brooke understood better than anyone.
“It’s not like he’d be the only reason to come home. I’d come home to see Dad and Eleni and the cats and...you.” Mandy’s gaze darted away. “If you were going to be here, that is.”
Brooke’s heart swelled. It meant the world to her that Mandy wanted her to stay in Butterfly Harbor. “Let’s play things by ear, all right?”
“Are you thinking about it, then?” Mandy gasped, her eyes sparking. “Staying here in Butterfly Harbor for good? For us?”
“For you,” Brooke said. “It’s important you understand that, Mandy. It would be so I could be here for you. But your father and I—”
“Are what?” Mandy challenged. “I saw you two today during the barbecue. You’re still in love with him.”
Yes, Brooke thought. She was. Hopelessly and permanently. “I will always love your father,” Brooke said quietly. “But it’s not that simple. It’s—”
“If you say it’s complicated I might just scream,” Mandy muttered. “Things are only complicated if you want them to be.”
Brooke’s heart softened. “I appreciate that you think I’ve earned my way into your life, Mandy. It’s more than I ever could have hoped for. But I’m not going to make promises I might not be able to keep. I am here. For now. And for now, that’s what we’re going to deal with. Okay?”
Mandy shrugged. “I guess.”
“My first teenage ‘whatever.’” Brooke lifted Bubba into her hands and held him up to her face. He stretched out a paw and patted her nose. “I’m going to take that as a badge of honor.”
* * *
SEBASTIAN HADN’T PACED this much since he’d waited for Mandy to be born. His daughter and his ex were closed up in the laundry room commiserating over Mandy’s first broken heart while he’d been relegated to ice-cream duty.
When the door finally did open and Mandy and Brooke each emerged carrying a kitten, he had to stop himself from pouncing. “Everything okay?” He wasn’t sure whom to look at first.
“Everything will be,” Brooke assured him.
“Sorry I made you leave the party early, Dad.” Mandy walked up to him for a hug.
“It’s all right, Peanut. Did you want some ice cream?”
“Nah. I’m going to take Barbie and Bubba in my room for a little while. Maybe get Tribble to play with them. They should be getting acclimated to other animals.”
“All right.” He watched her take Bubba from Brooke and head toward her room.
“Sebastian.” When he looked back at Brooke, she stepped close and lifted her hand to his face. “I’ve never seen anyone look so disappointed over ice cream before.” She stroked his cheek. “I’ll have some.”
He wrapped his hand around her wrist, wanting to believe, needing to believe, at least for now, that she would stay. “I’ll get the bowls. How about you wait for me in the living room?”
It wasn’t until she wandered out that he felt as if he could breathe. Having her here, in the home they’d meant to build together, felt right. Especially in the kitchen where he and Mandy worked out their heaviest issues. Brooke felt like the missing puzzle piece. She just...fit, even though, until now, he’d been certain the picture was complete. He scooped out rocky road and added a few sprinkles—Mandy believed life demanded sprinkles—and headed out to join Brooke.
He found her standing in front of one of the bookcases, admiring the photographs, sports awards and prizes Mandy had won over the years. Her kindergarten picture, complete with a gapped-tooth smile, was still his favorite. She’d been so proud of losing that front tooth and, as far as he knew, she still had the silver dollar the tooth fairy had left her in one of her treasure boxes.
He set the bowls on the coffee table.
“She’s a miracle.” Brooke brushed her fingers over the edge of a frame. “It seems impossible she came from me.”
“She came from us.” He took Brooke’s shoulders and guided her to the sofa.
“It’s not what I expected.” She drew her gaze around the room. “I don’t know how I imagined it, exactly, but this place is even more of a home than I thought it would be.”
“I did a lot of what you and I talked about.” There had been pain when she’d left. He’d been hurt, and betrayed—she had lied to him, after all. But he’d never let the bitterness seep in. He couldn’t. Because when he got down to it, he still loved her.
He was glad he didn’t have to battle that emotion now, as he looked at her sitting in the home they’d chosen together. The soft earth tones, the accent fabrics that were just the right touch of comfort with a bit of elegance. The same carpenter he’d hired to build the shelves for the store had built the ones for the upstairs apartment, in the same rich stained wood that spoke of historic libraries and showcase cabinetry.
The sofa and matching chairs were relatively new; he’d found the coffee table at the town antiques store a few years back. Mandy had chosen the seashell lamps that sat on the side tables.
“May I see that?” Ignoring her ice cream, Brooke leaned over and gestured to the digital frame on the table behind him. He handed it to her, bracing himself.
“I add pictures every year,” he told her. “I’ve had to upgrade the chip, of course. But it starts back a ways.” To the week after she’d left.
Brooke sat beside him, hands clasping the frame, her gaze glued to the screen as it displayed photograph after photograph of Mandy, of him and Mandy together, of him and Frankie, Mandy, and Monty. Of his parents in the home they’d raised Sebastian in. It shouldn’t have surprised him how many photos were taken in or around the water. They tended to be some of his favorite pictures, as his daughter was happiest near the ocean.
He expected tears from Brooke. Even anger or disappointment in herself. But he couldn’t detect anything. “I can’t tell what you’re thinking.”
Brooke’s lips curved. “I’m thinking you’ve given our daughter a great life.” She turned her eyes on him and he found only a hint of the sadness he’d become familiar with. “I’m thinking I made the right choice leaving her with you. And I’m wishing more than ever I’d had the courage to stay.”
So stay now, he wanted to tell her. But he couldn’t bring himself to. He didn’t want her to lie to him again. He’d rather just brace himself for her goodbye when the time came. He could deal with that, plan for it. He still loved her. Would always love her, but he also knew one thing.
Brooke Ardell may have changed in some ways, in a lot of ways, but when she had to make a choice, she would always, always leave.
* * *
“I KNOW WHAT I want to do for my birthday.”
“Huh?” Sebastian looked up from the mess of notes he’d been making on the pad next to his laptop. “Sorry, Man. What?”
“Da-a-ad.” Mandy draped herself over the kitchen table and let out a sigh worthy of an award. “You’ve been bugging me to let you know what I want to do for my birthday and I’ve finally decided.”
“Oh.” He clicked his pen closed, thoughts of Hunter’s book signing the weekend after next vanishing like smoke. “Great. What? Wait. I thought we decided on a party at Calliope’s farm this Saturday?”
“Oh, I still want to do that, but I also want to do dinner with you and Mom out on Uncle Monty’s new boat the night before.”
He stared at her. His daughter was too much of a plotter not to have planned out when to spring this on him. Not only was it Wednesday, his busiest day at the store thanks to the afternoon book club, but it was also before his second cup of morning coffee. “Man...”
“Please, Dad? I’ve already made the arrangements and done all the work, I promise! Just you and me and Mom out on the boat. It’s my first birthday when we’re all together. It’ll make me feel so much better!”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. He knew his daughter was taking her breakup with Kyl
e hard, but she hadn’t exactly been stopping to wallow. She was playing him. Still...how could he say no to her? Besides, it gave him a reason to see Brooke again without making up an excuse.
“So long as it doesn’t require me taking out a second mortgage on the store or interfere with your schedule.”
“Great. Thanks! You can ask Mom for me.”
And there it was. He and Brooke had talked separately to Mandy about her pushing them together. Clearly neither of them had gotten through. They were going to have to present a united front if they were going to get her to back down. Except... Sebastian pursed his lips as he pondered. Did he want her to?
“Oh! One more thing.”
“Mandy, you’re turning fifteen. Two celebrations is more than enough.”
“It’s about the party at Calliope’s. I was wondering...” Mandy sat up and caught her lip in her teeth. “You know how Durante has a fund-raiser every year for their foster-kids program? What if instead of people buying me presents they bring a toy or two and then we can donate them?”
Sebastian set down his pen. He wasn’t sure why Mandy’s suggestion surprised him; it shouldn’t have. She’d always had more than a fair share of empathy. “That’s an amazing idea. I also believe I’m the proudest dad on the planet.” He pushed back his chair, got up and hauled her in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re putting your energy into something positive after what happened with Kyle.”
“Right. And besides, Kyle Knight doesn’t know what he’s missing.” She gave him a quick squeeze. “That’s what Eleni told me. And Holly and Abby. And do you know what Uncle Monty said?”
“I can only imagine.” Sebastian laughed. He had the best friends on the planet. And so, thank goodness, did Mandy. “Now go get ready for school.”
“On it. You know Mom did a lot of event planning back in South Carolina, right?”
“Did she?” He seemed to recall Brooke mentioning something about that.
“Uh-huh. Sounds like she was pretty good at it. Just thinking, in case you get stuck with something or need help. I bet she’d have good ideas. I’m pretty sure she’s working at the diner and you have to talk to Holly about catering Hunter’s book signing in a couple of weeks, so...”
Sebastian knew when he was being hit with a sledgehammer. “I’ll head over after work tonight and discuss it with her.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Mandy darted down the hall to her room and slammed the door.
If he wasn’t careful, his social calendar was soon going to rival his daughter’s. Still, it would be nice to have a valid reason to venture out to the diner once the store closed that evening.
Which was exactly what he did after Mandy left for a school-night sleepover at Eleni’s. Sebastian refilled Zachariah’s and Tribble’s bowls, made sure he knew exactly where the felines were perched, and locked up, heading with his notebooks and ideas to the diner.
He made a quick detour by Dr. Gordon’s veterinary office to check in on Bubba and Barbie, to learn both had been eagerly adopted by a new-to-town family with three kids. Excellent news, he thought as he backtracked to the diner. Those two kittens were going to need a lot of attention. With spring right around the corner, he and Mandy were going to have to discuss future fostering plans. Her increasingly busy schedule—of course, she’d made the softball team—meant something was going to have to give. There were only so many hours in the day.
The dinner rush had yet to hit, but given the fact that Oscar Bedemeyer’s decked-out walker was folded and leaning against the wall by the front door, he wasn’t surprised to see the early birds had taken up the back two booths. He gave Penny and Eloise a quick wave before he scanned the diner for Brooke.
He was about to poke his head into the kitchen to ask Ursula when he caught sight of Brooke, at the opposite end of the diner, head bent low in deep discussion with Leah Ellis. Deep, serious discussion.
An odd pang struck deep in his belly.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen the two of them talking. They’d been together a few times at the barbecue, once when Monty had interrupted them. If there was something to worry about, Monty would have told him.
Brooke needed friends beyond the ones she’d made at the diner, and he figured Leah was a great choice, considering she hadn’t been around Butterfly Harbor back when they’d been in high school. It wasn’t unusual for friends to spend time together. Friends talked, especially over milkshakes and french fries. Not that either of those were on the table. No. His instincts were telling him this was all business. The question was what kind of business? The thought made him a little uneasy.
He was about to approach their table when Leah handed a large white envelope to Brooke. Brooke nodded, pulled out a stack of papers and flipped to where a bright red sticky note stuck out.
She glanced up, her eyes widening as if in panic, when she caught sight of him. Taking that as his cue, he headed for them, his dread mounting as Brooke scrambled to shove the papers back into the envelope, which she dropped onto the seat beside her.
“Can I join you two?” Sebastian asked.
Leah glanced between the two of them. “I was just leaving, actually.” She grabbed hold of her bag and scooted out of the booth. “If you have any questions just give me a call. Good to see you, Sebastian.”
“Yeah, you, too.” He watched her leave, his mind racing. “Everything okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, sure, fine.” Brooke’s dismissive smile flashed before she ducked her head. “Just some legal stuff I’ve been meaning to take care of.”
“What kind of legal stuff?” He slid into the booth across from her.
“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about? Is Mandy okay?”
“Mandy’s fine. Still reeling from whatever happened with Kyle, but she’s coping.”
“Heartbreak takes a while to heal. What’s that?”
“Oh, some notes I’ve been trying to organize. I’m having a book signing for Hunter in a few weeks and I was hoping maybe you’d lend your expertise. Mandy said you used to do some event planning back in South Carolina.”
“I did. May I?” She gestured toward his notebook on the table.
“Please. I’ve done some of the initial legwork. Called the bookstores and libraries in Durante and Monterey. They’re happy to promote the event. Just have to get some flyers made up.”
“We can whip those out in no time. The book’s about the Liberty Lighthouse, right? Kendall was talking about it at the barbecue.”
“Right. He’s taken an interesting angle with the history. He’s written a kind of love story about one of the early caretakers and interwoven it throughout the historic and refurbishment details.”
“There always seems to be a bit of romance about lighthouses. I haven’t been up to see her yet, the Liberty.” She flipped through his notes. “You want to serve refreshments and finger food. That’s a solid idea. And raffle prizes, door prizes for the first twenty people. Coupons and gift cards for other businesses around town. Not sure what you need my help for. You seem to have everything covered.”
“Maybe I was looking for a reason to see you again.” He reached across the table and held out his hand. “You’ve been a bit scarce lately.”
“I picked up extra shifts here.” She tucked her hands under the table.
“What’s in the envelope, Brooke?” Even though he’d told himself he wouldn’t ask, he needed to know. Otherwise his imagination was going to run rampant. Correction. It already was. “Does it have to do with Mandy?” Her gaze snapped up to his. The shock he saw on her face sent his anxiety through the roof.
“It’s personal, Sebastian.”
“You’re darn right it’s personal if it has to do with my daughter. You’ve changed your mind, haven’t you? You’re going to ask me for partial custody.”
“What?” Brooke’s eyes went wide before she squeez
ed them shut. “No, Sebastian, it’s nothing like that. I told you, I promised you...” She trailed off, as if in a delayed reaction. She looked at him for a long moment and, as she did, resignation rose in her gaze. “I told you when I came here I didn’t have any intention of taking Mandy away from you. I meant it.”
“Then what—”
“Here.” She handed him the envelope. “If you won’t take my word for it, read it yourself.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a prescription bottle, shook two pills into her hand and downed them with water. “Open it, Sebastian.”
He pulled out the documents, flipped over the cover sheet. A quick scan of the contents had him sinking back in his seat.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head, shame swamping him. “I thought with Leah being a family-law attorney and how well you’ve been getting along with Mandy—”
“That this was all a backdoor plan to seek custody of our daughter. Yeah. I got that much.”
“Brooke—” He could feel the trust they’d built over the past weeks crack.
“To save you the time.” She took the papers out of his hand and stuffed them back in the envelope. “I’ve transferred the inheritance my grandparents left me into Mandy’s name. I haven’t touched it. There’s enough that she won’t have to worry about paying for college, all the way through graduate school if that’s what she decides to do. When she turns eighteen, she’ll be given a monthly allowance with your approval, of course. Otherwise the money will go into a dedicated savings account for her to access when she’s twenty-one. Whatever money is left she’ll receive when she turns twenty-five.”
His mind spun. He’d never even considered... “That’s incredibly generous of you. Why didn’t you tell me about it sooner?”
“It was meant to be a surprise. I was going to tell you Friday on Mandy’s birthday. I guess the surprise is on me.”
“I should have known you wouldn’t... I should have realized—”
“You don’t trust me.” The statement was said so calmly, so quietly, that Sebastian thought maybe he’d imagined she’d spoken. Given the defeated expression on her face, he wished he had imagined it. “You don’t trust me, do you, Sebastian?”
A Match Made Perfect--A Clean Romance Page 19