In the here and now, though, what was he going to do? He’d been counting on Teresa to watch the kids during practice, and with basketball season just about to start, he couldn’t afford to miss a practice.
And, really, he didn’t want to disappoint the boys on the team. As was the case in many small towns, sports were a big deal in Bygones, and was often all that was going on for teens at any given time. If not for practice after school, who knew what the kids would be up to. Trouble, probably.
But…he was out of options. He clenched his teeth and shook his head. Looked like he’d have to cancel practice. And hope he could make arrangements for someone to watch the twins tomorrow and Friday.
“Sam, is everything all right?”
He turned. Allison stood holding the book she’d been reading. Her normally smooth brow was creased.
“Oh, yeah.” He waved a hand in the air to emphasize his point. “Everything’s good.” He didn’t want to dump his ex-wife and day-care problems on her.
“Everything doesn’t look good.” She moved closer, her head canted to the side. “Your jaw’s so tight it looks like it’s going to crack.”
He abruptly unclenched his teeth and held up his cell phone. “I just got off the phone with Teresa, and she has a way of making me tense.” Understatement.
“What did she want?” Allison said, then immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oops, sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s okay.” He let out a heavy breath. He needed to commiserate. “She called to tell me she’s going out of town and won’t be able to watch the twins while I’m at practice.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, and it’s going to be a big problem for me to find someone else on such short notice.” He chewed on his cheek. “I guess I’ll have to cancel practice.”
“Is there someone else who can watch them?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Lori is out of town and my dad has the flu.”
Allison paused. “I could watch them.”
He blinked. “No, absolutely not. I don’t want to impose.”
“It wouldn’t be an imposition. Viv’s here, and I can entertain the kids in the Kids’ Korner.” Allison smiled. “That’s what it’s for.”
“I guess so…” He turned over all his options, which were few. Maybe his teenage neighbor, Shawna, could babysit…. No, she was on the girls’ soccer team, and they were at an away game this afternoon. Lori, no. Dad, no. Shawna, no. Three strikes. And out.
He put his hands on his hips and looked at Allison, mulling. He had no qualms with how the kids would fare; she was good with them and they loved her. To them, she was like the circus and Sesame Street all rolled into one fun, loving package. And to him—
“Come up with anything?” Allison asked with a lift of her brow. “You look pretty deep in thought there.”
“No.” He was stuck. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“Absolutely not. They’re great kids, Sam. It’ll be fun.”
His rational side made him throw out one last-ditch effort to give her an out. “As you know, Nicky can be a bit of a handful, and Rosie, well, she’s pretty bossy.”
Allison shook her head, her eyes sparkling. “I can handle them just fine, so don’t worry. I wrangled my little sisters all the time, so there isn’t anything Rosie and Nicky could throw at me that I haven’t already dealt with.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am, so go to your practice, take your time and come back and get the kids here when you’re done.”
“Okay.” What other viable choice did he have on such short notice? “How about I bring burgers from the Everything and we can have dinner?”
“That would be great. We’ll all be starved by then.” She smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. “And I’m guessing the kids will be thrilled about the burgers.”
“And dinner is the least I can do to thank you for your help. Although, you’ll really deserve combat pay.”
She waved a hand in the air. “Oh, pshaw. Being with your kids is never a hardship, trust me.”
“Okay, I will trust you.” He really thought highly of her generosity, her no-nonsense approach to the twins and how she thought they could do no wrong, even though he knew better. “If Nicky gets out of hand—”
“Sam, don’t worry. We’ll be fine. Go,” she said, shooing him away as she moved closer. “I’m happy to watch them whenever you need me.”
The faint scent of peaches wafted his way, tantalizing him. He tried to focus on their conversation. He was out of options. “If you’re sure.”
“As long as you come back bearing burgers, we’ll be good,” she said. “And fries, too.”
She didn’t ask for much. “I’m going,” he said, finally capitulating. “Practice ends at seven, and I’ll be back as soon as I pick up the food.”
“The store closes at seven, so just knock and I’ll let you in.”
“Sounds good.” He spontaneously touched her arm and squeezed, leaving his hand there for a moment. Warmth seeped into his fingers. “And thank you again. You’ve really rescued me from a bind. The guys on the team thank you, too.”
She gave him a smile, her lips trembling. “It’s no big deal.”
“It is to me.” He turned and headed toward the front of the store, then reversed course. “Where is my brain?” Caught up in Allison? “I’d better go say goodbye to the kids.”
“I’ve got another story to read, so make it quick,” she said, shooing him playfully.
He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
He went back and said goodbye, and they were thrilled that they were going to get to stay at Miss Allison’s for a few more hours, and both seemed comfortable with the change in plans. Thankfully, they weren’t clingy kids. They were already engrossed in books that made sounds when he headed back to the front door.
Allison followed him. “See you in a few hours.”
He opened the door and turned, his hand on the knob. She regarded him with eyes made bright blue by the muted outside light shining through the open door. His breath stalled like a floating jump shot from the three-point line, and he had to will himself not to gawk like a hormone-fueled teenager. Somehow, he managed to speak. “I owe you.”
“Stop,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m happy to do this.”
“Well, I appreciate it,” he replied, forcefully pulling his gaze away. Actually, he appreciated everything about her. Her kind, unselfish and giving nature most of all.
“Bye,” she called, her voice soft.
“Bye.” He waved over his shoulder, forcing himself not to turn around, to get on with his day as planned, thanks to Allison’s unexpected yet generous offer.
She was a good friend, and he needed one of those right now, and the kids needed as many positive female role models as possible in their lives. How could he deny them that?
She’d watch the kids, he’d be grateful and he and the twins could stop by for Story Time once in a while so Nicky and Rosie could see their new favorite person. Everything would be fine, as long as he remembered his set-in-stone priorities.
Chapter Six
Two hours after Sam left the twins at Happy Endings, Allison realized she couldn’t remember when she’d had a better time. She was glad she’d gone with her gut and offered to take care of them, even though Sam had clearly been reluctant to impose.
The dinner hour was typically slow, so Viv had taken over the rest of the store and Allison had hunkered down on the beanbag chairs in the Kids’ Korner with Rosie and Nicky to entertain them with books. She alternated reading stories about cars and trucks with those about princesses and horses, and both kids sat quietly, cuddled up on either side of her, engaged and cooperative. Near-perfect behavior.
They really were wonderful kids, and as the afternoon had worn on, she couldn’t help but wish they were hers; just the thought of being with them every day brought forth a wistful longing she couldn’t suppress, a
s if they filled a hollow space inside her in a way nothing else could. She’d always dreamed of being a mom. Maybe someday. But not with these kids.
She had other plans, other people counting on her. She was counting on herself to focus on her own dreams. Her path was set, and she wouldn’t dream of stepping off it.
After a bit, she got out some sock puppets she kept at the store for children who visited and gave into the twins’ begging for a made-up story using the puppets. Soon she had them giggling with glee as they lolled on the beanbag chairs, relaxed and silly, adding their own whimsical tidbits to the story as they went along.
“Well, well,” a male voice said. “What’s going on back here?”
Allison’s pulse leaped, but she held it together and leaned back on the edge of the beanbag so her head hung over the side, backward. An upside-down Sam stood there, holding food bags. Viv, who was still here, must have let him in.
“We’re making up stories,” Allison replied. Was it seven already? My, how time flew when she was having a great time.
Nicky jumped up. “Miss Allison has these socks puppies!”
“Yeah,” Rosie exclaimed. “We’re pretending they’re dragons!”
“Well, that sounds like a lot of fun.” Sam moved closer. Even upside down he looked fantastic, athletic yet put together. “Anyone hungry for burgers and fries?”
“I am,” Rosie said, standing. “Yum.”
“Me, too,” Nicky added, running over to his dad. “I love fries.”
Allison clambered from the floor and the aroma of the food hit her full force. “Wow, that smells good.” Better she smell food rather than Sam’s spicy aftershave.
“I’m hungry, too.” He set the bags down on the kid-size table in the center of the Kids’ Korner. “But first we have to go wash our hands.”
“Good suggestion,” Allison added, liking being part of a team with Sam.
They all traipsed back to the restrooms and took turns washing up, and then the kids and Sam headed back to the Kids’ Korner to eat while Allison went to her office at the back of the store and grabbed some paper plates, napkins and bottles of water from the minifridge she kept there for the lunches she usually ate in, along with the blanket she’d brought from home for when the weather turned cold and her office might get drafty.
When she got back to the Kids’ Korner, the twins had the sock puppets on their hands and were singing some kind of song as they moved the puppets’ mouths.
Sam gave her a bemused look. “I guess socks are fun.”
“I guess so.” Allison held the blanket up. “Who wants to have a picnic?”
“Me!” the twins answered together.
“Well, then, come on over and help me spread this blanket out on the floor.”
They did as asked—Allison commented on what good little helpers they were—and soon they had a nice little burger picnic set up. Everyone sat in a circle, boy, girl, boy, girl, and when they were settled, Sam handed out the food and dumped the fries into the bag to share.
Something occurred to Allison, and she got to her feet. “I’ll be right back.” She headed out to the front counter to talk to Viv, who was closing out register two. “Hey, you,” Allison said.
“Hey back.”
“Listen, we’re having burgers and fries back there. You want to join us?” She wouldn’t feel right excluding Viv.
Viv smiled. “Thanks, but no. I have to get home and feed the fur babies.” Viv was single and had a hamster named Roger, for Roger Bannister and his four-minute mile, and a cat named Esmeralda, Essie for short.
“You sure?”
“Positive.” She pointed toward the Kids’ Korner. “You better get back there and eat your dinner. Sam and the kids are waiting.”
Sam and the kids are waiting. The sound of that made Allison’s heart warm. But she couldn’t let her heart rule her head. Not with so much at stake. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As Viv had predicted, Sam and the kids sat, waiting for her to eat.
“Sorry about that.” She lowered herself to the floor and her knee touched Sam’s. She swallowed and tried to act normal. “I asked Viv to join us, but she has to get home.”
Sam nodded. “That was nice of you.”
“The more the merrier,” Allison said. And the safer? Probably. Too late now.
Sam grabbed a fry. “Who can find the longest one?”
Giggling, the kids held up a fry, and Allison did, too.
“Nicky wins,” Sam said.
Between bites of burger they continued that game, and periodically Allison peeked at Sam, not quite able to believe the boy she’d loved from afar was here with her, along with his two adorable children.
Filled with equal parts happiness and gut-munching apprehension that set her on an uneasy edge, her appetite faded and everything she ate tasted like sawdust.
“You not hungry?” Sam asked, nudging her knee.
She looked at him, noticing the dark flecks in his eyes. “Um…I had a muffin from Sweet Dreams Bakery this afternoon, and I guess it stuck with me.”
True enough. It wasn’t as if she could say, “Not really, because you being here, touching my knee, has got me so flipped out I can’t eat.” Put that way, she felt like a silly girl with a crush, and that was the last thing she wanted.
“Lori said that place is really good.”
“It is.” Sweet Dreams was another Save Our Street business, and was run by Melissa Sweeney. She was now engaged to Brian Montclair, whom she’d hired to help out at the bakery. They’d fallen in love and were planning a January wedding. “Of course, I do have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’m partial.”
“I’ll have to give it a try.”
His mention of Lori brought up a thought. “So, what’s Lori up to?” Allison tried another fry and it tasted delicious. Maybe the change in subject was a good thing for her appetite.
“Haven’t you talked to her?”
A bit of shame marched through Allison; she’d felt bad she hadn’t made the first move when she arrived in Bygones and contacted Lori. “Um…no. I’ve been really busy getting the store open and off the ground.” True enough. She’d been working insane hours since she’d arrived in Bygones. “I didn’t hear from her, and I didn’t make the first move.”
Sam rested his forearms on his knees. “Yeah, not surprising now that I think about it. She and Joe were gone for the past two months on a cross-country driving trip to see his family in Oregon. They just got back last week.”
She shrugged. “I have to admit, our friendship fell off our senior year in high school, and I always had the impression she was mad at me or something.”
He frowned. “Mad at you?”
“Yeah, it seemed like she was avoiding me.”
“That’s odd.”
“I thought so, too.” Allison took a bite of burger. “I tend to be sensitive when it comes to stuff like that, though, so maybe I imagined it.” Her parents’ emotional neglect had produced some pretty deep insecurities, and in certain instances, oversensitivity. She did her best to modulate being easily upset, but sometimes her lack of self-confidence got the best of her and she read things that weren’t there into situations.
“You’re sensitive?” Sam asked.
“Sometimes.” Often, actually. She just had a lot or practice hiding it. “Does that surprise you?”
“Actually, it does. You seem very levelheaded and grounded to me.” His eyes searched her face. “Not too sensitive at all.”
His praise—and visual perusal—set off sparklers inside her and her face heated. She looked down and swirled a fry in some ketchup, hoping he didn’t see her blush. “Well, thanks.”
“I’m sure Lori would love to hear from you.”
“She has two kids, right?”
“Right. Jacob is four and Katy is three.”
“A girl and a boy.” Just what Allison had always wanted—a daughter to share girlie stuff with and a rough-and-tumble boy to horse around
with, though girls liked horsing around, too. Her sisters could run circles around just about anybody on the basketball court.
Rosie and Nicky were quietly eating, so Allison decided to take advantage of their being occupied and kept the conversation with Sam going. “Your dad must be thrilled with all his grandkids.” Allison’s parents had never even mentioned any desire for grandkids. Not that she saw them that often, but still…
“Yeah, he dotes on them.”
She envied that; if history proved true, her own parents wouldn’t have time for any of their future grandkids. But, boy, would they have a successful wheat farm. Talk about messed-up priorities, something she wouldn’t repeat with her own kids when she had them someday. She would work hard now, when she didn’t have children, and hopefully be established enough when she did to shower them with attention.
“I always thought your dad was the nicest man. He took me and Lori fishing pretty often.” Allison had always wished Sam would join them, but he was busy with sports and his girlfriend and never had time.
“He’s a good guy, and he still loves to fish.”
Allison nibbled on the last part of her bun. “Did he ever remarry?”
Sam shook his head as he took a drink of water. “Nope. He’s never even dated anyone. My mom’s abandonment pretty much ruined love for him.”
“Oh, wow. That’s sad.” The Franklin family had never been the same since Mrs. Franklin took off, never to return. She didn’t even keep in touch.
“You think?” Sam popped the last bite of burger into his mouth.
She furrowed her brow. “Yes. Don’t you?”
“Well, from a strictly emotional point of view, yes, it’s a bit sad that he doesn’t believe in love. But from a pragmatic standpoint, I think it makes sense.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing; Sam had always had plenty of girlfriends and had seemed gung-ho on finding love in high school. Plus, he’d married right out of college. Had he changed that much? Of course, he had been through a devastating divorce. “I didn’t take you for such a cynic.”
“I didn’t used to be.” He lowered his voice. “But now… Well, now I know better than to put much stock in love.”
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