by Cassie May
“Yeah, I already heard that.”
A few days after the coffee date with Dexie and Dray, Laynee sat with Abby at the breakfast table and decided to ask about the kindergarten again. “Abbs, listen. I know I said I give you all the time you need, but what do you think about taking a look at the kindergarten today? Just looking to see if you might like it there? We don’t have to stay, I just want you to know all your options, okay?”
Abby looked up with a piece of pancake stabbed on her fork, syrup dripping on her plate. With a small frown on her forehead she shrugged and made a vague gesture with her other hand.
“Buttercup, please work with me here. I don’t want to force you, but with such a vague answer I don’t know what you want.” Laynee wiped Abby’s mouth clean and shot her an annoyed look. “You don’t have to talk, but you can shake your head or nod. So tell me, do you want to go with me to the kindergarten today?”
Abby bit her lip and glared at Laynee which was actually an improvement to the tears that had come to her eyes in the weeks before they came to Peace. Finally she nodded shortly and Laynee grinned. “Good. And keep that attitude up, Missy. I like it.” She winked at Abby and the little girl giggled loudly.
Together they cleaned up the dishes and Laynee helped Abby to wash the remnants of the syrup from her face and hands. After that they put on jackets and walked the short distance to the kindergarten.
The closer they got to the kindergarten and heard the children laughing, the harder Abby gripped Laynee’s hand. “Don’t worry, buttercup. I won’t leave you here. We just want to take a look.” Abby nodded a determined look on her face. Laynee’s heart swelled at the courage the little girl showed while facing this new situation.
Together they entered the blue and white building that housed the Peace Kindergarten and elementary school since Laynee’s childhood. Laynee’s mother had already called the principal and he told her that Laynee and Abby could go directly to the kindergarten, without meeting him first. That would be necessary when Laynee decided to bring Abby more regularly.
Laynee looked around and saw children playing in different groups. Some of them were coloring pictures. Some were playing with dolls and bricks and others were sitting in a comfy looking corner and were getting a story read to them by a young man. Oh my, her mother and Dexie were not lying. He really looked good and Laynee felt herself blushing. She cursed her fair complexion when the man looked up and a smile lit up his face. He pushed the book in the hands of one of the older children around him and stood up.
Coming closer to Abby and Laynee his smile got even wider as his steps ate up the distance between him and Laynee. Swallowing hard Laynee shook his extended hand. “Hi, I am Gavin Chance. What can I do for you?”
“Laynee Bradshaw and this is Abigail Woodley. We just wanted to take a look at the kindergarten so that Abby can decide whether she wants to come here or not.” The words tumbled out of Laynee’s mouth and she felt herself blushing even more. Why was this man making her so nervous?
Gavin raised one eyebrow and squatted down in front of Abby. “Well, what could possibly be bad here? I mean, you can play with other kids in your age, find new friends and you get the world’s best story teller.” He winked and Abby giggled without saying a word.
“She doesn’t talk”, explained Laynee when Gavin continued to wait for a real answer.
“Is that so? Okay, you don’t have to talk to come here or find friends. Do you see the little girl in the corner there? She can’t hear, but she is really good in reading lips. So why don’t you take a look around while I speak with your mom.” Gavin’s voice was light and other than his comment about the deaf girl he didn’t acknowledge Abby’s muteness at all which made Laynee exhale in relief. So he wouldn’t be a problem for Abby, he might even be good for her, coaxing her out of her shell already.
Abby shot him a short look and then skipped over to the small girl sitting in the corner all by herself. Laynee looked after her with surprise. Obviously Abby was ready to meet new friends. “So, Laynee, tell me about you and your daughter.” Gavin’s deep voice was calming and made Laynee focus on the young man again.
“Well, firstly Abby isn’t my daughter. She is my ward. I am her legal guardian since her mother died. We just wanted to take a look here, see what has changed and if Abby likes it here. I don’t want to force her into doing something she doesn’t want. I already uprooted her to come back to Peace, because I thought it was the best after what happened in New York. Since we moved here she is becoming more outgoing and smiles more than she did in the weeks since her mother died. She…” Laynee trailed off when she noticed Gavin’s amused smile at her rambling.
“Okay. May I ask what happened to her father? And has Abby been mute since her birth or is it something that happened recently?” His professional questions calmed Laynee a little bit even though the smirk was still curling his lips.
Shaking her head she tried to keep it together. Normally she wasn’t flustered by good looking men, but Gavin was different. His looks alone would be enough to get women swooning, add the fact that he was good with children and obviously a total sweetheart and you got the whole package. “No, her father signed over his parental rights at Abby’s birth. She… she stopped speaking when her mother had died and she got to stay with me. She is getting better though, she communicates more with other people since we moved here. The doctors say that there is nothing wrong with her. It was probably the shock that made her stop speaking, but the docs assured me that it’ll get better and one day she might start speaking again.” Laynee calmed down the longer she talked and Gavin looked at her with sympathy in his eyes.
“And how do you feel with all that was dumped on you? I can only imagine that it was a shock for you as well. I mean, Abby seems like a great kid, but I assume you were single and now you have to play the role of a single parent. That can’t be easy.”
Blushing Laynee looked away. This man could read her far too easily. She wasn’t used to someone she didn’t know being able to guess her deepest thoughts. Looking back at him she squared her shoulders, reinforcing her inner walls against the compassion that made it far too easy for her to crumble.
“I don’t think you have the right to ask that. I came here to show Abby the place and not to be questioned about my wellbeing. I think you overstepped Mr. Chance. My feelings are none of your business.” Laynee cringed inwardly when she heard her bitchy voice, but Gavin’s smile didn’t waver.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just that I noted that you are obviously stressed. You seem tense and I just wanted to make a little conversation to loosen you up. If I have overstepped, I’m really sorry. It wasn’t my intention.” He looked at Laynee with adorable puppy eyes and she couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped her.
“It’s okay. You’re right, I’m not used to caring for another person. It all happened so fast and Abby’s mother was my best friend. I never expected to lose her like this.” She swallowed hard against the tears that burned in her eyes after telling yet another person about Kelly’s death.
She felt the tears stream down her cheeks and noticed Gavin visibly struggling to not comfort her with a hug. Oh, how she wished he would hug her, to have someone to lean on. Just for a moment. Before she could gather her wits she felt a tugging on her shirt and looked down. Abby’s big eyes were filled with worry and she looked panicked back and forth between Laynee and Gavin who had put his hand on Laynee’s arm to offer at least a little bit of comfort.
Immediately Laynee disentangled herself from Gavin’s arms and hugged Abby. “It’s okay, buttercup. Mr. Chance was just being nice. What do you think of the kindergarten? Did you already made a new friend?” Abby nodded hesitantly a frown still on her face while she bit her lip. “That’s great. So do you want to come here or do you want to think about it a bit more?”
The small girl made a funny motion between shaking her head and nodding before frowning again. She opened her mouth, but no sound came o
ut and she blushed furiously. Gavin stepped forward and squeezed her small hand. “It is okay, Abby. Don’t force it. You can come back anytime. We just make up a sign that shows Laynee that you want to come, okay?” Abby shot him a grateful smile and Laynee felt new tears rising in her eyes. He really was good with children. He knew exactly what to say to not embarrass Abby because of her muteness.
“So, what sign do you want to use for me, Abby?”
Abby closed her eyes for a short moment to think of something fitting and then formed a heart with her hands. Laynee felt the breath leaving her body in a rush and even Gavin’s eyes widened. “Are you sure, buttercup?”
Abby nodded and then pointed to Laynee and Gavin and showed the heart again. She smiled and Laynee felt the heat rising in her cheeks again. The girl was unbelievable. “Okay, that’s enough, brat. We’re leaving now, no more embarrassing your favorite aunt, are we clear?”
Abby giggled and nodded before wiggling out of Laynee’s arms to run over to the small girl in the corner. She hugged her shortly before skipping back to Laynee and Gavin. Grabbing Laynee’s hand she pulled her to a wall where a calendar was hung and pointed to the next day. She showed Laynee the heart with her hands again and Laynee chuckled at the excitement that oozed from every motion, every smile the little girl showed.
“So you want to come back tomorrow? Are you sure, buttercup? I mean we can wait a little longer till a final decision.” A sharp pain exploded in Laynee’s chest when she thought on the fact that she would spend the days without Abby if she went to the kindergarten in the mornings. It had been just the two of them against the world for so long and now it would be over? She fought against the tears again when she felt Gavin next to her.
He shot her a look Laynee couldn’t decipher and then surprised her with his next question: “I hope this is not too forward from me, but I would like to see you again, Laynee. How do you feel about coming over to my house and I’ll cook for you?”
“Are you for real? I mean, good-looking, you are good with kids, obviously a nice character and now you cook? Is there anything bad about you?” Laynee blurted out and clapped her hand in front of her mouth to stop the word vomit. Her eyes wide in shock she blushed again obviously her streak of embarrassing moments wouldn’t stop.
Chuckling Gavin shook his head. “I am surely not perfect, Laynee, I have a few talents and I’d like to see you again, so I wanted to kill two birds with one stone. So what do you say? Sheila’s or my home?”
Laynee thought about the two options. If she went to Sheila’s with Gavin she could be absolutely sure that she would be the talk of the town in the next day. It would be impossible to keep this out of the gossip mill. If she went to Gavin’s it would be way more private, more intimate than a date at the diner, but they would be kept out of the gossip mill. She was sure this wasn’t the proper way for Gavin to speak to someone wanting to put their child in the kindergarten class. However, his obvious interest in her was flattering.
“I’ll come to you. Give me your address. Should I bring something? Dessert maybe?” Laynee was proud that her voice was steady and she finally got her blushing under control.
“Just bring yourself. I have some Ben & Jerrys in the freezer for dessert. Is eight okay for you? I live in one of the Duplexes on Main Street. It’s the only blue one. You can’t miss it.” He grinned and winked at Abby before turning around to look after the children again.
“Okay”, Laynee whispered and felt a giddiness rising in her she hadn’t felt for far too long. Even before Kelly died she hadn’t been big on dating and now she was going on a date with a man who seemed to have the whole package. She almost skipped home with Abby next to her and felt a silly grin spreading over her face.
She. Had. A. Date.
In the evening Laynee stood in front of the blue duplex with a bottle of red wine almost slipping out of her sweaty hands. She wore tight black jeans and a sparkly flowing top that accentuated her breasts and now she felt overdressed. Maybe she had read him all wrong and now appeared too eager. “Big girl panties, Laynee, pull them up and go for it”, she murmured to herself and lifted her hand to knock on the door.
Before her hand met the wood the door opened and she looked in the amused face of Gavin. “Do you plan on actually knocking or do you want to stand out here a little longer?”
Heat shot into Laynee’s face – again – and she stepped up the last stair. “I’m coming in. I know you said that I shouldn’t bring anything, but I figured a good bottle of red would be appreciated. I didn’t know what you are cooking, but if it doesn’t match, you can always drink it later.” She winked at Gavin, digging deep to find her sass again and found it working when Gavin swallowed hard before stepping aside to let her in.
A delicious scent enveloped Laynee and she sniffed deeply. “Smells delicious, what are you cooking?”
“I figured I’ll take the risk and make my famous seafood carbonara. I really hope you like seafood, otherwise I have to whip up something else.” Gavin grinned while taking the bottle out of Laynee’s hands. “The red wine won’t fit, though. I have some white cooled.”
Raising an eyebrow in surprise Laynee followed him in the kitchen and found a nicely set table tucked in a cozy corner with a wine cooler on it. “You are lucky. I love seafood. I have never heard of seafood carbonara, though. Isn’t it normally with bacon and eggs?”
“Yeah, but I pimped the original carbonara. Trust me, you’ll never want normal after you tasted my sauce.” Laynee picked up on the innuendo and grinned.
“Is that so? Well then I have to trust you to know your sauce, don’t I?” Now she detected a blush creeping in Gavin’s cheeks and she smirked knowingly. Thank you for coming back, sass!
“Eeehm, yeah, well, I already set the table. Please take a seat, dinner is almost ready. Please help yourself to some wine.” Gavin motioned to the table, his face still slightly red and Laynee walked over to the table. She took a seat and poured some wine in the two glasses already on the table.
Sniffing on the glass she smiled when she detected the typical smell of Pinot Gris, one of her favorites. “Good choice.”
Gavin smiled at her and put a bread basket with steaming garlic bread on the table and went back to the stove to get the seafood carbonara. He divided the food on two plates and returned the pan back to the stove. “Please eat, it tastes best while it’s hot.”
Without further coercing Laynee dug in and couldn’t stop the moan escaping her lips when she took the first bite. “Oh my god. This is so good. You were not lying.”
“Glad I could be of service.” Gavin’s smirk was back in place, but Laynee was concentrating on the food and didn’t notice it. The garlic bread was almost as good as the main course and she ate in culinary bliss.
After the main course was finished Laynee leaned back in her seat and smiled. “This was one of the best dinners I have eaten since coming back to Peace. Not that my mom cooks bad, but she is not as good as you. Where did you learn that?” She poured another glass of wine for herself and filled up Gavin’s glass as well.
When she looked up again she noticed the dark shadows in his eyes. “Did I say something wrong? I mean, you don’t have to answer. I just figured we are getting to know each other a little.”
“It’s okay, I just didn’t expect that question. I had to learn how to cook because my parents kicked me out when I was eighteen. I told them that I didn’t want to keep playing football but wanted to become a kindergarten teacher instead. Since then I haven’t talked to my parents. My father didn’t want to support my sissy job choices and my mother always does what he says. My first attempts at cooking were awful, but time made me try out different things and I became better and better. I had to work during university and I got lucky enough to find a job in a restaurant kitchen. I climbed up the ladder till I became sous-chef and was allowed to try out new meals on the customers. My seafood carbonara was a huge success.” He delivered the whole speech with a blank look on his
face and an almost stoic voice while Laynee’s eyes grew wider with each word.
Then the anger exploded from her. “Are you serious? Now I am even more sorry for forcing you to tell me. I am sorry about what happened to you. I mean. I can’t even imagine how awful you felt.” Tears were rising in her eyes and she furiously wiped them away. How could parents do that to their child? She remembered the despair she felt when she had to leave Peace at eighteen. And she wasn’t thrown out of her parent’s house, they just wanted to keep her safe, yet it felt as if she had been torn in two. The pain was still as fresh as the first day when she thought about it and her tears were flowing freely.
“I am so sorry”, she cried. “But I just can’t understand parents who willingly part ways with their children. I just… It’s too much…”
Strong arms wrapped around her shaking body and then Laynee felt warm lips on her forehead. “Shhh, it’s okay. I managed to live my dreams nevertheless. Don’t be sorry for me. I am the best person I can be and without my parents kicking me out it would have never happened like this. I love my life and have learned that it’s my parent’s loss, not mine.” Gavin’s voice was soothing and calm as Laynee tried to calm herself down. “Why does this hurt you so much? I know your parents. They are great people so they wouldn’t have hurt you like mine did with me.”
Sobbing she shook her head. “They sent me away after I finished high school, because it wasn’t safe in Peace for a young girl. It still hurts, even though I know it was the right decision to leave, but I missed my parents so much. And now I hate myself because I didn’t want this to be about me. You told me your story and now I’m here sobbing because I feel sorry for myself.”
“Hey, hey, it is okay. We cope differently and obviously you carried a lot of pain around with you. That’s okay for me. I am content with the way my life developed after I was kicked out.” He pulled Laynee in his arms and carried her over to the couch in the living room. “Tell me about Abby. What’s her story?”