by Tanya Agler
“What does that have to do with admitting you had a good time tonight?”
Everything, and nothing.
“I guess it doesn’t.”
She tilted her head as if waiting for more of an admission from him.
“Okay, I did enjoy myself, but I have to keep an eye on what the future holds. For me, that’s in Fort Lewis and then DC.”
Inspiration struck him.
He should ask Natalie to move closer to them next year after he received his honorable discharge and accepted the job in Washington, DC. That plan made sense. In a year, she could reconnect with Danny and also be part of his own life as well. The thought both terrified and captivated him.
Was it too soon for that kind of commitment? Unsettled with all the recent events, he’d almost abandoned his steady self. No one rearranged their lives for someone else this quickly.
Surely Natalie would come to the same conclusion?
“It’s okay to keep one eye on the here and now every so often.” Her voice softened. “And you’re not doing a disservice to your fellow troops. You deserve this time to grieve for your sister and make some new memories.”
“How did you know what I was thinking?”
She shrugged and picked up the pillow once more. “I did have a heads-up on your personality from Shelby, you know. Did you know I lived in Raleigh for five years? I was even Teacher of the Year there. As soon as the Dalesford County School District posted the kindergarten teacher position, though, I submitted my application, and they snapped me up. I missed my friends and family too much to stay away.”
One more reason she couldn’t move to wherever he and Danny lived. She needed her support system. People she could depend on. People who loved her.
Unlike him, she couldn’t flourish where those were nonexistent.
“You can choose where to teach and serve others.” Come to think of it, though, they had that in common. They both wanted to help make the world a better place, him through service and her through education. “The security firm has government contracts and is centered in Washington. It doesn’t have branches in Hollydale.”
“Serving people is what counts. Serving people you care about while helping them enjoy their lives is a bonus.”
They were at yet another impasse. Any chance of her relocating to Washington washed away before it had any chance to take root. He should have known the evening’s cozy glow wouldn’t last. Cease-fires often preceded renewed combat.
“That’s my cue to leave.” He rose, and she escorted him to the door.
“I haven’t told Danny about Stormy. I’m not seeking your permission either, because I think having new life around will help his therapy. He still hasn’t laughed, you know, and kittens bring smiles and giggles to most. Who knows? A kitten might break through his defenses.”
He opened the door, and she reached out and touched his arm. “Do you want to take him to his therapy session tomorrow while I pick up Stormy?”
He recognized her peace offer. Nodding, he looked back one more time before entering the cool comfort of Shelby’s house.
* * *
“AUNT NATALIE, MY tummy hurts.”
Natalie rolled over in her bed. Just five more minutes. She reached for the pillow to put it over her head when Danny’s words registered in her brain. The minute they did, she jerked to a sitting position in her bed and turned on her lamp. Hunched over, Danny stood in the doorway, pain etched on his face.
Aidan had told her it was too late for ice cream. Why hadn’t she listened to him?
She bolted out of bed, the cherry hardwood cool against her warm feet. Running over, she reached Danny and led him to the bathroom.
“Wait here a minute.”
Taking her phone off the charger in her bedroom, Natalie dialed and waited. Her mother had raised three children and would know best even if it was one o’clock.
“Natalie. What’s wrong?”
“It’s Danny.” Retching noises came from the bathroom, and she winced. “I let him eat ice cream too late, and now he’s sick. What should I do?”
Sure, she had taught enough kindergarten classes where she’d witnessed a similar scene before, but this was Danny.
“I’ll be right over.”
Natalie replaced the phone on the charger before running to the bathroom.
The second Danny saw her, he cried. “I want my mommy.”
Her heart broke as she held him, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, his tears gushing out along with choking sobs of anguish. She tightened her grip and rocked him, singing to him in a murmur as soft as a mountain breeze.
“Natalie? Danny? I’m here!” Her mother must have let herself in with her spare key. Her mom’s head popped into the bathroom doorway.
Tears burned Natalie’s eyes, and she did everything in her power to stem them. “It’s my fault, Mom. Aidan warned me it was too late for ice cream, but I forged ahead.”
Danny was paying the price for her impulsive ways. He shivered, and she clutched him to her chest.
Diane came over and placed the back of her hand on Danny’s forehead and then on the nape of his neck. “He’s hot. I think this is a stomach bug, not something he ate.”
“Oh.” Natalie repeated her mother’s actions and blinked. The teacher in her took over, and she helped Danny to his feet. She and Diane cleaned him and helped him change into fresh pajamas. “Back to bed with you.”
A quiet rap on the front door startled her, and she glanced at Diane. “Did Dad follow you over?”
“He would have let himself in. I’ll check the peephole.” Diane hurried away.
Natalie ushered Danny to bed and looked up to find Aidan in the doorway. “I heard a car pull in and looked out the window. I saw the lights go on and recognized your mother’s car.”
So he was a light sleeper? Was that tonight or every night? Nightmares or his natural habits? Their gazes locked, and a tingle of awareness made her admit he was far more complicated than he appeared.
“What if I had invited a male friend over who had the same make and model as my mom?” She pushed a lock of Danny’s wet hair off his forehead.
Aidan shoved his hands in the pockets of his black sweatpants. “You wouldn’t have kissed me if there was someone else in the equation.”
Her mother appeared behind Aidan carrying a tray with crackers and water, her face giving every impression she’d heard about the kiss.
Aidan reached for the tray, and Diane smiled. “Now that Danny’s in such capable hands, I’ll be going.”
Natalie flinched, her jaw tightening. Diane found Aidan capable, but not her? Ouch didn’t begin to cover the gaping hurt inside her.
“Aunt Natalie?”
She shifted on the bed and reached for the glass of water on the tray. After he took a small sip, she sang a soft lullaby.
He squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Aunt Natalie. I love you.”
Within minutes, his steady breathing filled the room, and she extricated herself from his grip. At the doorway, she soaked in the sight of him, calm and content in his bed. She clicked off his lamp and found Aidan in the living room, pacing.
“Your mother said she was sorry. She realized she sounded like she was being critical of you and promised she’d call later today.” He stopped pacing the floor long enough to look at her. “How’s Danny?”
“Asleep. Did she really say that or are you being nice?” She folded her arms and stood back, her eyelids growing heavier by the minute.
“Yes, she said that.” His eyes gave no appearance of being sleepy. Military background and all that, she supposed.
“Why did you leave Danny’s room? Why didn’t you come in and comfort him?”
He halted and sat on her couch, his shoulders slumped. “My mother sang that same song to me.”
His voice wa
s so low, it was almost imperceptible.
She sat next to him. “Thank you for telling me that.” She yawned, unable to hold back any longer.
“You need sleep. Call me in the morning with an update on Danny.”
The morning! She was supposed to pick up Stormy from the vet’s office. “Could I ask a favor of you? Can you fetch Stormy and take her home with you for a few days? Just until Danny’s better.”
The long pause grew into silence. “As long as you don’t repay me with cake, preserves or blankets, we’re good.”
And his sense of humor might be the part of him that was stealing her heart.
“Thank you.”
“Lock up behind me.”
He gave a longing glance in her direction but left without another word. She hesitated at the front door, the chain in her hand. While caution was part of his inner self, his words about security were his way of showing he cared.
At least her heart started to hope he did.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WHAT HAD AIDAN gotten himself into? He’d survived in the military, fifteen years in a world of order and teamwork. Now, in the comfort of Shelby’s living room, everything he’d accepted about himself was up in the air.
Except for Stormy, who mewed on his lap after he’d fed her a bottle with formula mixed with chicken from a blender. He’d have never guessed the kitten had orange-and-white fur when it was all dirty and wet.
One, two, three swipes on the kitten’s back with his pinky, and then the kitten circled once before making herself comfortable, snuggling into him, the mews turning into soft purrs. Within minutes, she was asleep. He transferred her to a box filled with one of his old T-shirts. Wasn’t like he was going to use it anymore.
“Rest well.” His whisper was rusty from disuse, but he managed anyway. “Glad you’re safe from the storm.”
The kitten stirred, and Aidan hovered over the area for a second until she nestled in and resumed its nap.
Aidan went to Shelby’s bedroom, the box on the bed already half full of clothes to take to the local women’s shelter. After knowing Natalie a little over a week, he saw the box as half full. Heading to the closet, he reached for another armful of clothes and deposited them in the container. That was the last of Shelby’s closet. A long rectangular teak box on the floor caught his eye, and he reached for it at the same time the front doorbell rang.
He still held the box in his hands when he opened the door and found Natalie on his front porch.
“Thought I’d check on my kitten. How’s she doing?”
“Where’s Danny?” He searched the yard, alarm rising.
“My mom came over to check on him and is with him now. Don’t worry. His fever broke. I did tell you Penelope Romano can’t fit us in until after the Fourth, right?”
“Yes. I made a note of the new appointment with the attorney on my phone.” He shifted the wooden box from under one arm to the other. “Were you able to reschedule his therapy appointment since you canceled it?”
“No. They’ll see him next week as usual unless there’s anything before then that causes too much concern and...” Natalie pointed at the box in his hands. “What’s that?”
Whatever it was wasn’t heavy. Bulky but not heavy. “I don’t know. I found it in Shelby’s closet.”
He led her inside, and they sat on Shelby’s leather couch. He placed the box on the coffee table and stared at it for several minutes.
She tapped his knee. “Do you want to open it? Or shall I?”
Aidan breathed in and exhaled, rolling his neck around, popping sounds filling the air. Nothing came out of his mouth. There was so much he hadn’t known about his sister. The superficial things like butter pecan ice cream? No problem. As far as her hopes and dreams, he had no idea, no answers for Danny when he was older.
Although he might, in fact, find out something in a minute. Would this box hold answers about what was important to her?
Natalie picked up the box and extended it to him. For all he knew, it might be empty, waiting for a lifetime of treasures from Danny. He accepted it and opened the lid. There, stacked with a ribbon tied around them, were all the letters he’d written and sent to Shelby during basic training. Gingerly he untied the ribbon and fingered the first one.
“I wrote her every week. I had no idea she kept them.” The lump of emotion in his throat made it impossible to talk.
Shelby had written him every other day, sending him doodles and long chatty stories. He’d only replied out of guilt, and his letters, more like postcards really, were brief, to put it politely. Butter pecan ice cream, these letters, the Christmas care packages. His sister cared more than he’d known, and he’d failed her.
Natalie’s arms wound around him. “She saw how your father was emotionally distant at times, and she once told me she’d never give up on you.”
Soldiers weren’t supposed to cry. He hadn’t cried when he’d seen unimaginable atrocities. He hadn’t cried when the young enemy sliced his arm.
And he hadn’t cried when he received the news of Shelby’s death.
Now, one tear, then two, then an avalanche fell. For what he’d seen, for what he’d lost, for Danny. Natalie held him close as waves of grief crashed over him.
* * *
PUSHING AROUND HIS macaroni and cheese, Danny sent Natalie a look of pure defiance. Bored at the curtailment of activity from the past two days, his message was clear. He needed to get out of the house, and soon.
Truth be told, she could use a change of scenery herself. The float showed some progress today, but the only places she’d been over the past couple of days were the park, Aidan’s home and her own.
Funny how she already considered Shelby’s place Aidan’s.
She rose from the small table in the breakfast nook and clapped her hands. “Time for a walk.”
For the first time since his stomach bug, light flashed in Danny’s eyes. “With Uncle Aidan?”
She hesitated. She’d like nothing more than to spend time with the handsome soldier who was close to claiming her heart. He was sensitive and direct, and the heady combination intoxicated her more than two glasses of her favorite zinfandel. He’d be leaving soon, and the question still remained whether he’d take both halves of her heart, the half that belonged to Danny and the half he was close to occupying.
Still, there was no reason not to include him. After a little more than a week, his seriousness and dependability were becoming bedrocks in her life. Problem was, another military bedrock had been ripped away from her once before.
“Aunt Natalie?”
Danny’s voice pulled her back to the breakfast nook, and she nodded. While Danny fastened the Velcro on his sneakers, she slipped into her favorite ankle boots. They headed next door, where Aidan didn’t answer when she knocked. Danny’s face fell, and a twinge of something missing tickled her spine.
She chucked his chin. “We’ll tell him in advance the next time so we can include him.”
They set out for downtown, his little hand tucked in hers. She refused to think this might not be the case in the near future. Aidan and she would work together in a way that would benefit Danny in the long run. For Danny’s sake, they had to agree rather than take sides against each other.
Stretched across the top of the two-story brick storefronts were lines of twinkling white lights. Hollydale bathed in the happy glow of the last day of June. Holiday excitement took hold, smiles on more faces.
Even now, though, the mountain air and altitude provided a welcome respite to the heat that often gripped the South. She was glad for the light sweater she had donned before they left.
Near the gazebo, college-aged students joked and one or two strummed guitars while families dotted the lawn with their picnic blankets and coolers. Strolling along, she stopped and chatted with a former student about her summer.
Danny’s smile was enough reward for her. Her eyes adjusted to the lower level of fluorescent lighting, and she smelled Aidan’s citrusy scent before her gaze fell on him. Aidan wasn’t home because he was here.
“Natalie! Danny! What are you doing here?” His gaze met hers, tentative with a touch of disapproval.
After everything between them from kisses to tears, he still didn’t trust her. Then again, he might not know Danny’s tummy trouble was normal for someone his age.
“I should have realized right away what was up. I’m a kindergarten teacher. I see this type of stomach bug all the time. Sick for a couple of hours and climbing the wall the next. He’s feeling much better.” Reassurance lined her voice, and she leaned against the display of lanterns.
“I’ve been better since yesterday morning.” Danny backed up her claim and mimicked her gesture, his arms tight against his chest. “If I didn’t walk, I’d be a real crab. Aunt Natalie said so.”
Out of the mouth of babes. Natalie’s cheeks warmed even in the coolness of the air-conditioning.
Aidan closed the gap and ruffled Danny’s thick brown hair in need of Mitzi’s services at A New You salon. “I stand corrected. Anyone who can put two adults in their places like that is on the road to recovery.”
“What were you looking at?” Natalie asked.
“Canoes.”
They strolled over to the section, and Aidan ran his hand over the smooth contours of one at the end of the aisle, his longing and desire clear.
“Timber River has some great spots for canoeing and kayaking. I have a friend who runs a tubing and canoe station.”