by Brenda Novak
He’d clued in to the primary reason Kyle had called. They used to go out on weekends all the time—before Phoenix came back into Riley’s life. “That’s okay. I just wanted to let you know I’ve got my ministerial duties under control. You can check that off your list.”
“I appreciate it. With her family being so dysfunctional, we’ve got our hands full.”
“I’m sure.”
“Thanks for being part of everything.”
“Happy to do it.”
Kyle sighed as he hung up. He supposed he could go over to his parents’ house—or Ted and Sophia’s, Cheyenne and Dylan’s or any of his other friends. But his parents wouldn’t be up to much, and most of his friends had children or were pregnant. Callie had had a liver transplant before she married Levi, so her pregnancy was high-risk. She had to be careful to take her meds and get plenty of rest.
Bottom line, he didn’t want to spend his Friday night watching TV for a few hours and then go to bed early. That wouldn’t do much to distract him from the beautiful woman staying at his house.
His cell phone rang. He hoped it wasn’t Noelle, calling to thank him for the water heater. That would be like her. She used any excuse to contact him, even though he didn’t need her thanks. He needed some space. From her.
It wasn’t Noelle, thank God. But it was Brandon. Kyle wasn’t sure that was any better. Since Lourdes had arrived, the whole issue of Olivia had been pushed into the forefront of his brain—and suddenly he wasn’t dealing with it as effectively as he had for the past several years.
It felt so damn fresh...
But it wasn’t, he reminded himself. And this was his stepbrother, someone he loved. So he answered. “’Lo?”
“Hey, glad I caught you.”
“What’s going on?”
“I was wondering if you might have a few minutes this afternoon. I’d like to talk to you. I could swing by your office.”
Kyle sat up straighter. Talk to him about what? They’d seen each other at Black Gold this morning. Brandon could’ve mentioned anything he had to say then. Unless it was private. But what did he need to convey that he couldn’t bring up in front of their friends?
Was he finally going to confront Kyle about Olivia?
Closing his eyes, Kyle rested his head on the back of his chair. If that was Brandon’s intent, he supposed he had it coming. But what could he do? He wasn’t holding on to those old feelings on purpose. “Sure. I’ll be here all afternoon. Feel free to swing by whenever it’s convenient.”
“Will do,” he said. Then Kyle began watching the clock, wondering how, exactly, Brandon would approach The Olivia Issue—and what he’d suggest they do about it.
* * *
Someone was in the house; Kyle must be home.
Lourdes hadn’t intended to sleep all day, but when she heard the noise in the kitchen, she opened her eyes to discover that it was dark outside. Apparently, she’d been out for a number of hours—so why did she still feel so utterly drained?
“Buck up,” she muttered to motivate herself. But the brief flutter of strength those two words gave her was crushed beneath the thought of Derrick.
Had he tried to call?
She reached for her phone to check.
There were no texts from him. No calls, either.
Her heart sank. He’d given her up that easily? He’d chosen Crystal?
Wincing at the pain that slammed into her, she curled into a ball. Rejection happened. Heartbreak happened. Setbacks happened. She wasn’t alone, and she had the same choices as anyone else. She had to overcome her challenges, despite how daunting they seemed.
She could start by getting out of bed.
In a minute, she told herself and burrowed back under the covers—until the smell drifting into her room encouraged her to sit up. Kyle must’ve brought dinner. It was turning out to be a really good thing that she’d had to stay with him. If she’d been in the rental, she’d be going without, because she sure as heck didn’t feel like driving into town. If she couldn’t even make herself comb her hair or put on makeup, she wasn’t likely to do much else.
With the promise of food as motivation, she dragged herself out of bed. She had to stand still for a few seconds to regain her equilibrium, then shoved a hand through her hair to straighten out some of the tangles. “Smells delicious out here. What’d you bring?” she asked with a yawn as she shuffled down the hall.
She reached the kitchen a second later only to discover that it wasn’t Kyle at all. Some woman, who seemed to be about her age, was in front of the stove. She’d been putting various dishes in the oven, but now she just stood there, gaping at Lourdes. “Who are you?”
Lourdes didn’t have to answer that question very often. These days, most people recognized her. But she knew that at the moment, she didn’t look much like her pictures. “I’m...I’m Kyle’s tenant,” she said, hoping to avoid full disclosure and all the exclamations that would go with it. “Who are you?”
“I’m his ex-wife.”
Kyle had led Lourdes to believe things were over between him and his ex. So what was she doing bringing him dinner? Especially a dinner for which she’d obviously gone to a lot of work?
The woman’s eyes narrowed as if she wasn’t too keen on finding a possible “rival” in Kyle’s house. “Did you just roll out of bed?”
“I did.”
“But...if you’re renting the farmhouse, what are you doing here?”
“The furnace is broken over there.”
Seemingly mollified, she put another dish in the oven and closed the door. “Oh. So...where’s your husband? You must be married to the guy who came from Nashville, right?”
Lourdes didn’t intend to explain what’d happened to that guy. “No, I’m the only one who came.”
She scowled. “Kyle didn’t tell me he rented to a woman. I wonder why—” Her words fell off the instant recognition dawned. The mention of Nashville had obviously sparked a—albeit delayed—connection.
“Oh, my God! You’re Lourdes Bennett, the country star! I hear your songs all the time where I work. At Sexy Sadie’s.” She added the name as though Lourdes should recognize the place.
“I take it that’s a honky-tonk of some sort?”
“Yes, the only bar in town.”
That explained what she was wearing. With a low-cut top and a short skirt, it was a server’s uniform of the more risqué variety. “You must be on your way there now.”
“I am. And I can’t be late, or I’ll be fired. My manager is such a douche.”
For expecting her to show up on time? Lourdes didn’t bother to comment. “So you don’t have a date with Kyle...”
“No, not tonight,” she said. “I’ve got to work, or...or we’d probably do something.”
Really? Kyle hadn’t acted as if he had any plans with his ex—or second thoughts about her. “Does Kyle know you’re here?”
“No. I wanted to surprise him. And instead...look at you! I’m the one who’s surprised. Wait until I tell everyone at work that we have another celebrity in Whiskey Creek, and that you’re staying for a few months. Simon O’Neal comes here at least three times a year, but he never stays long. Why would he, when he has half a dozen dream homes all over the world? If that was me, I’d never come here.”
Lourdes raised one hand. “You said you were going to tell everyone at the bar about me. But please don’t. I... I’m here to work.”
“Are you putting on a show? Where?”
“No, I mean I’m going to be writing songs for my next album and I’d rather not be disturbed.”
“Oh.” She didn’t seem nearly as excited about that idea.
“What did you say your name was?” Lourdes asked.
“Noelle. Noelle Houseman.”
“I’m sure Kyle will appreciate the food, Noelle.”
Kyle’s ex eyed what she’d created with satisfaction. “It’s all his favorites.”
“That’s...nice of you.”
“Thanks.” Intent on making everything perfect, she went back to her preparations. “I have to go,” she said a few minutes later. “But I’m leaving the lemon chicken and the baked beans with pineapple in the oven on warm, so remind him to take those out when he gets home. The heat won’t hurt the beans, but I’d hate for the chicken to dry out.”
“Will do,” Lourdes said.
After taking a final look, Noelle hurried to the door, where she turned back at the last second. “Oh, and if he asks, will you say you let me in?”
Lourdes felt her eyebrows go up. She’d assumed the door had been unlocked. “Um...since I’m here, he probably won’t ask.”
“Good point.” She hesitated again. “I can’t believe Lourdes Bennett is renting the farmhouse,” she said. “Wow. I’m going to kill Kyle for not telling me! Wait until I get a hold of him!”
“It’s my fault he didn’t tell you. I asked him not to.”
“Oh. Gotcha. Well, when I come back, can I get a picture with you?”
Hadn’t Noelle been listening to what she’d just said? “Are you coming tonight?”
“No, I work late. But how about tomorrow?”
Lourdes hoped she wouldn’t come back ever. “Sure. Provided I’m...prepared for company, of course.”
Noelle’s gaze ranged over her. “What’s wrong? You sick?”
“Sort of.” Breathing a sigh of relief when the door closed, she walked over to the note Noelle had propped against the bottle of wine she’d placed in the center of the table.
Lourdes knew she had no business reading it. It was for Kyle. But there was something about Noelle’s visit that didn’t feel right, and that made Lourdes curious. Was Kyle still seeing her or not?
She slid the small card out of its envelope. Thanks for helping me yesterday. It’s marvelous to have hot water again. I owe you—and I’d be happy to pay up. XOXO
Her phone, which she’d left in the bedroom, rang, and Lourdes stuffed the card back in its envelope so she could go answer. She thought maybe she was finally hearing from Derrick. But it wasn’t him. Her mother was trying to reach her—no doubt to make certain that Lourdes had arrived safely in California.
Lourdes sank onto the bed as she held her phone and stared at the incoming call. Her mother wasn’t pleased that she’d decided to leave Tennessee right before Christmas. “You’ll be back for the holidays, won’t you?” She’d asked that at least half a dozen times before they got to the airport.
Lourdes didn’t want to go back for Christmas. She didn’t even want to have Christmas. She was pretty sure this was going to be the worst holiday of her life.
The call transferred to her voice mail—and Lourdes couldn’t make herself call back.
* * *
Brandon showed up as Kyle was getting ready to leave for the day. With Lourdes at his place, probably needing a meal, since he hadn’t bought any more groceries yet, he felt he couldn’t stay late.
“There you are,” he said when Brandon rapped on the open door before strolling into his office. “I thought you’d changed your mind about coming over.”
His stepbrother closed the door. “No, I didn’t want to interrupt your work, and I figured you’d be winding things up about now.”
“I am. Your timing’s excellent.” Except that he’d had to spend the whole day wondering what the hell Brandon planned to talk to him about. “Want to sit down?”
“Sure.” He collapsed into one of the two chairs across from Kyle’s desk.
“Everything okay?” Kyle asked.
His stepbrother crossed one leg over the other, then switched them. “This is going to be an awkward conversation, but I care enough about you that I want to have it.”
That lead-in did nothing to put Kyle at ease. “Go on...”
“We haven’t always gotten along, but...I’ve come to look up to you. No matter what happened or didn’t happen in the past, I know in my heart that you’re a good man.”
Kyle might’ve been flattered. Brandon didn’t talk this way very often. They’d just moved on without addressing the past, since there wasn’t a whole lot anyone could say that would change the situation or make it any better. But I’ve come to look up to you felt like a setup. “I’m almost afraid to thank you, because I can tell something else is coming.”
“As you’ve probably guessed, this is about Olivia.”
Kyle’s stomach tensed. “What about her?”
“Frankly, I feel bad being with the woman you want. And that’s gotten harder and harder the more I care about you. The weird thing is...I thought we were getting past it.”
“We were,” Kyle said. “I mean, we are.”
“No.” Brandon shook his head. “Lately, things seemed to have reversed. I get the feeling the past is coming between us again, and I’d like to stop it.”
“The past isn’t coming between us. Nothing can come between us. And just so you know, I’m being honest when I say that I would never hope for you and Olivia to break up. It’s not as if I’m sitting over here, greedily rubbing my hands and hoping that someday I’ll have another chance with her. I’ve always wanted to tell you that. I’m glad you’re happy together. You deserve each other. For the record, I’d do anything I could to keep either one of you from ever getting hurt.”
Brandon pursed his lips as he formed a steeple with his fingers. “That’s just it. I don’t doubt that. I believe you’d rather see me happy, even if it means you live without. And that only makes the situation harder.”
“You’re overthinking it,” Kyle said. “Stop worrying.”
Brandon got to his feet. “I can’t help it. You got a bum deal with everything that happened. I’m still shocked that you stepped up and married Noelle. I told you at the time it was foolish, but...it was also noble. That’s the part I never mentioned until now. I’ve secretly admired you for it.”
Kyle stood, too. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Bran. That just makes it worse. I brought what happened on myself, as you well know.”
“You made a mistake, one that’s somewhat understandable. You and Olivia weren’t even together at the time, not technically.”
“Doesn’t matter. I slept with her sister.”
“You were angry with Olivia. And her sister purposely seduced you when you were drunk. Those two things together did you in.”
“Maybe. But there are consequences to actions, and I’m prepared to live with mine.”
Brandon grimaced as if he wasn’t willing to settle for that response. “But your ‘punishment,’ if you want to call it that, should’ve ended with the divorce. Being married to Noelle was bad enough.”
Kyle smiled. If only he knew how bad it really was. “She’s definitely a trial. But I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Because Mom tells me you’re struggling. She says that every time she invites you over for dinner, you ask if Olivia and I will be there, and if the answer is yes, you come up with some lame excuse.”
Had he been so obvious? “Your mother told you that?”
“For the record, she considers herself your mother, too.”
“Then why would she try to cause trouble between us?”
“That wasn’t her intent. She’s worried. Wants me to do something to stop what’s happening.”
So here he was...
“Is it true?” Brandon demanded.
Kyle rubbed his neck. “I’m trying to figure out where I want my life to go from here, that’s all.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Look, it’s not your problem
. I don’t want it to affect you. Or Olivia.”
“It can’t help but affect us! Especially because what I have to tell you won’t make your situation any easier.”
“And that is...”
He leaned forward, resting his knuckles on the other side of the desk. “Kyle, you remember how hard it was on Olivia when she miscarried last February.”
“Of course.”
“She was afraid to get pregnant again for fear the same thing would happen. But I wanted you to be the first to know that...we’re expecting.”
Kyle forced what he hoped was a believable smile, just as he’d been doing since Brandon and Olivia’s wedding. “That’s wonderful. I’m thrilled for both of you.”
“Really?”
Resisting the jealousy he’d been battling for so long, Kyle came around to slap his stepbrother on the back. “Yes, really. And I hope the pregnancy goes well this time.”
“I’m sorry I was such a competitive asshole when we were younger, Kyle. I don’t think I’ve ever told you that.”
“I wasn’t any nicer to you.”
“True,” Brandon teased, and Kyle chuckled.
“Thanks for dropping by,” Kyle said. “I appreciate it.”
“I’m glad we had this talk.”
“So am I.”
Brandon pulled his keys from his pocket. “So are you coming this Sunday?”
“Where?”
“To Mom and Dad’s. Don’t play dumb. Mom invited you, too.”
“Oh, right,” he said. “I remember now.” He was about to offer his regrets. He hadn’t planned on going, not in his current frame of mind. But that would only add fuel to what Brandon was already feeling, and Kyle didn’t want to drift apart now that they’d finally found each other as brothers. “That’s this Sunday?”
“Day after tomorrow,” Brandon replied. “We’re family, Olivia and I. Don’t try to avoid us.”
Kyle swallowed a sigh. “I’m not trying to avoid you,” he said. “I’ll be there.”
7
When Kyle first saw that dinner was on the table, he thought Lourdes must’ve picked up groceries in her rental car and cooked. That was a pleasant surprise, far more than he’d expected. But when she came out of her bedroom, he could tell she hadn’t even combed her hair today, so he doubted she was responsible for the meal.