Sweet on You

by Katana Collins

  My jaw went slack. “She never even told me her real name?” It certainly wasn’t any more of a betrayal than any of the other stuff she’d lied about. But it still hurt.

  I closed my eyes and slid the picture back toward Lana, not wanting to look at it any longer. “And what about … ” My voice broke, unable to get the next question out.

  Lana didn’t answer right away and my heart sank. I closed my eyes, trying to get a hold of my emotions.

  “Open your eyes, Lex,” Lana said.

  I did, slowly. Pinched between Lana’s fingers, there was a picture of a toddler. Short, blonde hair was pulled into two spikey pigtails and she grinned at the camera, her bright eyes sparkling. Turquoise eyes. My eyes. “That’s…” my voice cracked as tears filled my eyes. “That’s her?”

  Lana nodded. “That’s Olivia Roxanne Murphy. Your daughter.”

  5

  Lex

  From beside me, I felt Lana grab my hand and give it a squeeze. “We found her, Lex. We found her. And she’s only an hour away.”

  I only had one image of my daughter—Olivia—if you could count it as an image. A four-month sonogram that London had mailed almost two years ago to my flat in England. The nugget of information I’d been clinging to—that stamp on the envelope that stated she had mailed it from Maple Grove, NH. The whole reason I had packed my life up and moved to this small town. In the hopes of tracking them down.

  The tears spilled down my cheeks and normally, I wouldn’t bother to swipe them away, except they were blurring my vision. And I desperately wanted to just keep staring at the image of my daughter, uninhibited or distorted by tears. I laughed and it sort of sounded like a sob… but it wasn’t. It was pure joy.

  I reached into my wallet and pulled out the sonogram picture I carried around with me, smoothing it beside the image of my daughter. Not that I could see a similarity. Not at all.

  “How old is she?”

  “Fifteen months,” Lana said. “With her mother going to prison for a year or so, Olivia’s grandparents are applying for sole guardianship. But in the state of New Hampshire, before that can happen, they are required to put ads in the paper for Olivia’s birth father to come forward and claim paternity before they can claim abandonment. The first ad went into the paper yesterday.”

  Abandonment. I sniffed and my gut knotted tighter. “Abandonment?” I repeated, looking up at Lana. Her eyes met mine with sympathy.

  “It’s just the phrase they use. Which doesn’t even matter because you have not abandoned her. You never did.”

  My own daughter had no idea who I was. I had no idea who she was. Did she like Elmo or Big Bird? Or did kids not even watch Sesame Street anymore? Did she have a blankie she slept with? A binky? This search for Olivia was completely abstract… until now. And now I was faced with the actual job of being a father.

  Bloody hell, I’m a dad.

  “So, what’s next?”

  “You need a lawyer,” Lana said bluntly. “It might be unnecessary, but we have no idea how hard her grandparents will continue to push for sole custody. They might be thrilled to meet you. Or they might want you to not be allowed to come within fifty feet of Olivia. But you have rights, and a lawyer will help you navigate these new waters.”

  I didn’t even know where to begin finding a lawyer for something like this. Did it need to be someone local to their town? Or could I use a Maple Grove attorney? Did I even want to use someone here in town and risk the rumor mill going crazy in my tiny, tight-knit community? Did I have less rights because I wasn’t an American citizen?

  “In the meantime, I suggest you be at Sarah’s arraignment. They will likely bring up the custody of Olivia there.”

  I raked my fingers through my hair. “Can I… can I call the grandparents? Introduce myself? I don’t want to steal their granddaughter from them. I just want to be able to hold my daughter. Raise my daughter. But I’m open to co-parenting, too.”

  Lana gave me another soft smile, took a sip of her drink before sliding it to the edge of the bar, and tossed a twenty down onto the table. “I would wait until you speak to a lawyer.” She packed up the manila folder and handed it to me. “There’s the name and number of a lawyer I trust and admire in there, too. It’s who I would personally hire if I was in your shoes. I filled him in on your case already, and he’s expecting your call.”

  She stood up from the bar and I stood as well.

  I didn’t know what to say. How to repay her for this. “I was going to grab dinner. Do you want anything? We could order it to go for you and your husband.” Tony was a good guy. He and Lana had become my two closest friends. Which I realized was kind of sad, since I was her client—maybe they had no choice but to be my friends.

  She shook her head no and took both my hands in hers, giving them a squeeze. “You enjoy your dinner. Celebrate a little. But after all this time? I just wanted to deliver this news in person.”

  “I’m so glad you did. Thank you, Lana.”

  Lana laughed. “If you have another missing person to find, you know who to call.”

  I snorted and touched the envelope she had given me. “God help me if I do. I can’t afford your services.”

  “I’m so glad we found her, Lex.” Lana pushed onto her toes and hugged me tightly.

  So many thoughts were swimming through my head. So many feelings. But more than anything? Gratitude. I felt like my life was about to start all over again. Which was saying something, because as an ex-junkie, I’d already had a rebirth of sorts when I got clean. Then again when I moved here to Maple Grove. Now? It was time for a totally new identity. Dad.

  I lifted Lana’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Thank you again. So much.”

  Tears misted her eyes as she smiled. “Let’s all have dinner soon… you, me, and Tony.” Her brows lifted. “And maybe Olivia.”

  With that, she turned and left the restaurant. As I watched her leave, I found Ronnie, standing at the front of the restaurant, glaring at me.

  Ronnie

  I stood there, my feet cemented in place. Lex was on a date. Or at least, it looked like he was on a date. When Yvonne and I first walked into Greico’s, he was sitting at the bar with her and she had her hand on his arm, her thumb circling his wrist in gentle, rhythmic patterns. Was this why he turned me down last month? Was this his new girlfriend? Or was he the kind of guy who asked me out one minute, only to get turned down and ask another girl out for the same night?

  I swallowed… maybe I didn’t have any right to be angry. I did say no to tonight, after all.

  I tore my gaze away as Yvonne’s arms folded. “Didn’t you tell me he just asked you out to dinner a couple of hours ago?” she asked, and I found myself nodding.

  “He did.” Didn’t he? Or did I totally misinterpret that, too, like I had misinterpreted all of our flirting for the past two years? I had only just started to tell Yvonne about that in the car, but I also conveniently left out my terrible lie about the dog. That stupid lie that I had no doubt would come back to bite me in the ass.

  “Do you want to go eat somewhere else? We could do Jolie or even Elsa’s—”

  “Hell, no,” I interrupted. This was my town and I’d be damned if I was going to run away with my tail between my legs because some British guy who’d only moved here a couple of years ago turned me down for a date. Hell, no. Realizing my words were a little harsh, I did my best to give Yvonne a reassuring smile. “Really. I’m fine,” I said softer this time. The line in front of us for the hostess inched forward. Greico’s was one of the best Italian spots in Maple Grove and it almost always had a wait for a table. Luckily, the turnover was quick and the wait was never so long that a glass of red wine wouldn’t pass the time.

  Yvonne snorted as we watched Lex and the girl he was with stand. I didn’t recognize her, but despite Maple Grove being a small town, I didn’t know everyone. “You’re a bigger person than me, then,” Yvonne said. “When Steve and I were apart, I could barely be in the same
room as him.”

  I smiled and looked over at my soon-to-be-sister. “Well, Steve can be kind of an asshole sometimes,” I joked. “As his little sister, I can say that. But you two had a lot more history than Lex and me. I asked him out once a couple of months ago. He said no. He asked me out tonight—I said no… and apparently, he found my replacement fast. That’s the end of our saga. Our tragic love story.”

  I shrugged and for a split second, I almost believed that myself.

  Until Lex and this woman hugged. No… not hugged. Embraced. It was an emotional moment—even from across the bar with a crowd of people separating us, I could see the intense connection and moment between them as they held that embrace. Finally, pulling back, the woman touched her palm to his cheek and he lifted her other hand, kissing her knuckle.

  It wasn’t like they were making out or being inappropriate. But something in that moment was far more intense than any kiss I had witnessed. Far more intimate.

  And it was a punch in the freaking gut.

  The two separated and the girl walked in our direction—toward the exit. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Lex. Yvonne was right. He had just asked me to dinner a couple of hours ago. And now here he was with this other woman? How many women was he seeing regularly? It didn’t make sense. Lex didn’t strike me as a guy who dated a bunch of women at the same time… yet, the evidence was right here in front of my face.

  The woman gave us a nod and a passing smile as she exited the restaurant. The sort of smile you give a stranger. And as the woman’s shoulder brushed by me, Lex’s eyes lifted, colliding with mine.

  I felt his gasp. Was he embarrassed? Good. He should be.

  He raked a hand through his hair and his chest rose and fell with one heavy breath before he crossed the bar toward us. He stuffed one hand into his pocket and tucked a manila envelope under his arm.

  “He’s coming over here,” Yvonne said, stating the obvious and smacking me with the back of her hand.

  “I know. I can see that.”

  He approached cautiously, like you would walk up to a cat if you didn’t know if it was feral or domesticated. “Hello,” he gave a little wave before shoving that hand back into his pocket. I can think of somewhere else he could shove that hand…

  “Hi Lex,” Yvonne said. She was always the sweet one in our friendship. She was sweet, Kyra was sassy and sexy… and I was… hmm. What was I? Brassy. I was the one with the temper. What’s the difference between sassy and brassy? Sassy is playful and gets her point across in a tongue in cheek manner. Brassy… shoots from the hip. Brassy says what she means and usually gets labeled as a bitch. Or, as my teachers used to say in the notes sent home to my mother… Veronica has a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas.

  I hated getting in trouble, but I hated bottling up my emotions even more. And thank God for my amazing mother. Marty Tripp used to sign the letter and send it back with her own note scribbled on the bottom: Some of the most interesting cups have chips in them and every one of them has a story behind it. PS – Ronnie’s chip is the size of China, not Texas.

  “Ronnie,” Lex said, giving me a quick nod of his head. “How’s the dog doing? What’s his name again?”

  Shit. What the hell did I name that stupid, fake dog?

  Yvonne answered—because why wouldn’t she? She was the only one between the two of us who actually had a dog and we both knew it. Nor did she know about the stupid lie I told when I was backed into a corner.

  “Gatsby?” Yvonne asked. “He’s doing great. His cancer is still in remission.”

  Lex smiled at her. “That’s great,” he said, then turned back to me. “How’s your dog doing?” he asked again.

  Panicked, I glanced at Yvonne before she could answer and she immediately snapped her mouth shut, her eyes going momentarily wide before I answered, “He’s good. And…” I wracked my brain. I had chosen a name of something that was right in front of me… oh yeah! “Penny. Penny’s his name.”

  “Right,” Lex said. “Penny.” I couldn’t tell if there was a hint of sarcasm or disbelief in his tone.

  “Well, maybe tomorrow we could take Penny with us during my training session.” Although I couldn’t see my own face, I sure felt the color drain from it.

  “M-maybe. I don’t know. He’s um, he’s not the most well-trained dog. And I don’t really bring him to the gym with me much because some customers have allergies and stuff.”

  “I thought you said he was hypo-allergenic.”

  Ah, so I did. And this, my friends, is why you don’t freaking lie. Especially when you’re as bad at it as I am. “Right. He is. But…”

  “Even some hypo-allergenic dogs aren’t safe for people with severe allergies,” Yvonne cut in. “It takes care of most allergies, but occasionally, you have someone allergic to their saliva or their dander.”

  I hitched a thumb toward Yvonne. “Right. What she said.”

  “Well… why don’t we take Penny for a hike tomorrow then?”

  “Oh, I don’t know…”

  Behind my back, Yvonne squeezed me and I shifted my gaze to her widened eyes. It was like she was telling me to say yes.

  “Aw, come on. I finally have help at the bakery three times a week.” He said, beaming. “Finally hit a point where I could afford to staff the place with someone other than myself. I don’t want to squander the free time I’ve been given with his help.”

  “Okay,” I said carefully. “I need to check my training schedule to make sure I don’t have anyone else on the schedule, though.”

  “I’m your last client every day this week. Callie made sure to tell me so when I booked the week.”

  “Did she, now?” Inside, I alternated between seething and wanting to hug my sister.

  “So… a hike tomorrow? You bring Penny and I’ll bring Frost.”

  I winced. “Um, sure. But… what if Penny and Frost don’t get along? It could be a disaster.”

  Yvonne waved her hand. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said. “Lex, do you want to join us for dinner?”

  My head snapped to Yvonne who ignored me, a cocky little smirk on her petal pink lips. Why are my friends and siblings such freaking traitors?

  “Or,” Yvonne continued, “Do you need to get back to your date?”

  Awareness passed over Lex’s features as he realized what she was doing. He gave a small chuckle and pointed at the door. “Well, first of all, Lana’s not my date. She’s a—um, she’s just a friend.”

  Yvonne and I didn’t share a look, but we both felt it. Bullshit. That woman was more than a friend. And it was obvious in the way he stuttered that he was at least hiding something. He fidgeted, shifting his weight to the other foot and scratched the back of his neck. From beneath his arm, he moved the large envelope into his other hand. “I would love to stay for dinner, however, I have some things I need to handle first.” He shook the envelope. “Boring work things, you know?”

  I nodded. “Sure. Maybe next time.”

  He nodded, his gaze drifting to his feet before he stopped himself and turned back to me once more, taking a step closer. His hand landed gently at my elbow and he gave me a light squeeze, his turquoise eyes locking into mine.

  My lips parted independently of my own doing as I sucked in a sharp breath. He was intoxicatingly handsome. And when his hand was on me, I could hardly breathe, let alone think clearly. Which so wasn’t like me.

  “I mean that, you know. I would love to have dinner with you sometime.” He swallowed, his throat working hard with the movement as his eyes flicked briefly to the envelope in his other hand. “It just seems to be that our timing is always off with each other.”

  I chuckled in a way that was wrought with more sorrow than humor. “Isn’t that the truth?”

  “Maybe soon, our timing will be right?”

  “Maybe.” Doubtfully.

  “Goodnight, Ronnie.” His hand skimmed down the length of my arm, landing at the back of my hand, his
fingers intentionally—or seemingly intentionally—lingering there for a breath longer before he turned and exited the restaurant. The hostess came up to us, two menus in hand.

  “Tripp, party of two?”

  I nodded and Yvonne and I followed her in silence to our table until we sat, face to face and my best friend’s brows lifted. “So. We need to get you a dog, don’t we?”

  6

  Ronnie

  I rolled my eyes and opened the menu, studying it hard even though I had just about every item on here memorized. Ugh, why did I choose an Italian place when I was trying so hard to stay away from carbs? Maple Grove needed a healthy dining place. Somewhere that was farm to table.

  “I need a dog like I need a hole in the head.”

  Yvonne hid her smirk behind the menu, but I could see it all the same. “Except that you’re supposed to go hiking with a cat-friendly, hypo-allergenic, male dog named Penny tomorrow.”

  I dropped the menu and put a finger into the air. “I never claimed he was cat-friendly. If anything, I made it clear I didn’t know if he was cat-friendly!”

  “This ‘he’ is the hypothetical, non-existent dog of yours?”

  Yvonne’s smirk grew wider and I dropped my forehead to the table, sending the silverware clattering. “What was I thinking?”

  “What were you thinking?”

  I pushed myself back up and threw my hands up dramatically. “I wasn’t! He surprised me, asking me out for pre-dinner drinks, and I panicked. I said the first thing to come to mind, which was that I needed to go home and walk my non-existent dog. Which, of course, he didn’t believe and only made my stubborn ass dig in even further to the lie.” I sighed. “I just need to tell him the truth.”

  “Eventually, yeah.” Yvonne pulled out her phone from her purse and swiped a few times with her thumb before handing it over to me. “Or you could foster this little guy for me. He’s at the shelter right now and I was going to go over there to let him and the others go pee one last time before I went home after dinner. I’m sure he’d be much more comfortable in a foster home like yours.”