Always the Hero

by Anna J. Stewart

  It helped they were both busier than ever. Thanks to advance planning, the second Saturday, despite having a lower turnout of volunteers, had resulted in a more streamlined effort. Lori had acquired her own gardening army and by midafternoon, all the flora had been situated in its new home with economical redwood bark as a ground cover both to retain moisture and give a finishing touch. The tiny pops of color amidst drought-resistant plants and a good thatching of milkweed that now lined each house below the window line, promised a winged insect paradise once the blooms erupted.

  By the end of the day, the second section of houses were finished, which allowed Matt and his team to start on the third while a group broke off to unroll the new sod along the side area of the street. They were well on their way to being ahead of schedule, and while Lori loved watching the transformation, she was ready to be done. Which was probably why she’d headed over to the second cul-de-sac the last couple of days after work and got a jump start on the planting.

  “Have you heard anything from BethAnn lately?”

  “Hmmmm?” Lori looked across the truck’s cab at Matt as the morning sun shone against his silky hair. They’d gotten an early start, but that meant hitting rush hour traffic. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t.” Last she’d heard BethAnn had narrowed down the catering choices to two companies, both of whom Lori suspected were far out of budgeting price range. “Why, have you?”

  “Something Gil said on Saturday got me to thinking. Calm before the storm?”

  “No way of knowing,” Lori said. “Something tells me we’ll know something when we know.” And then, knowing BethAnn, they were all going to suffer for it. “Tell me about Kyle. What’s going on with his case?”

  Matt checked his mirrors before he shifted to the next lane. “Next hearing is scheduled for a week from Monday. Hopefully that’s when the judge will let him out and approve the adoption.”

  One thing she had learned of late, discussing Kyle’s case wasn’t on the top of Matt’s list of preferred topics. She’d lost track of how many times he’d changed the subject or given her a one-word response, the subject is closed, answer.

  “You get his room finished?”

  “Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand down the side of his neck and winced. “I really hope I’m not jinxing anything.”

  “I’m sure you’re not.” Lori had trouble understanding why he was worried. Matt was a stable influence with a good job, a good support system, most of whom were in law enforcement. “It isn’t as if there’s a lineup of people willing to take him on. It’ll be fine.”

  He reached out to hold her hand, something he’d been doing a lot of late. Something she’d gotten used to far, far too easily. “I’m glad you’re coming with me. I bet he’s tired of seeing just my face all the time.”

  “I hope he doesn’t mind. I could end up being a third wheel here.”

  Matt shook his head. “The two of you got along great on that video call. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him laugh like that.”

  “Then I don’t have to feel guilty about usurping all your conference time?” After the initial uncomfortable introductions, she’d told Kyle about a new series of books she’d started only to find out he’d just finished the first one. Lori glanced into the backseat and the small box containing the rest of them. It wasn’t buying his affection. Not exactly. But books had always been an escape for her, a way to dream beyond herself. That seemed like something Kyle might need as time had no doubt crept to a standstill.

  “You don’t have anything to feel guilty about. You’ll be a good influence on him, Lori. You’ve already been a good influence on me.” He took the turnoff as Lori’s stomach tightened. “Hey. Why are you so nervous?” He squeezed her hand.

  “Because it’s like meeting your parents only in reverse.”

  “You’ve known each other for years. By sight anyway. So in a way he already knows you. Relax. It’ll be fine.”

  Except she didn’t quite believe him. There was a hesitancy in his voice, a tension that had been growing over the past few days. Maybe it was something with work or maybe there was something going on with Kyle’s case he hadn’t told her about. Whatever it was, she was determined not to push. He’d tell her when he was ready.

  Progress, she told herself, as she’d moved past the “this is none of my business” disclaimer. By the time they’d parked at the facility and were headed inside, the nerves were back. They’d all but robbed her of speech as they had their belongings searched and were escorted to the visitor’s area. She couldn’t sit still on the metal chair and must have rearranged the box of books for Kyle a dozen times before Matt took a hold of both her hands.

  “Now you’re making me nervous.”

  “I know. Sorry.” Her cheeks flushed.

  “Stop apologizing or I’m going to kiss you.”

  Something inside her loosened. There was the funny, teasing man she’d come to rely on. “That would embarrass Kyle more than it would me. Speaking of Kyle.” She saw the teen step into sight on the other side of the glass. She tugged her hands free, stuck them in her lap. “Okay, here we go.”

  Matt scooted his chair closer to her then got to his feet and held out his hand. “Kyle. How are you doing?”

  “Okay.” Kyle offered a timid smile and in that moment, Lori relaxed. She’d been imagining the dangerous, troubled boy she’d seen around town, the boy who had been struggling to survive. Matt was right. He looked different. He was taller than she remembered. Not nearly as scrawny, but that probably came with decent nutrition rather than rampant parental neglect. She’d gotten an inkling of the change in him on the video call, but seeing him now, his onetime bleached blond hair replaced by a soft brown. Eyes that she remembered as angry crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He had dimples. Who knew? “Hi, Lori.”

  “Hey. I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”

  “No, it’s cool.” Kyle took a seat, eyed the box with childish curiosity. “Is this for me?”

  “It is.” Lori pushed it a little closer.

  Matt turned his head, chuckling under his breath.

  “I thought maybe after our last conversation you’d like them,” Lori explained.

  Kyle popped open the lid, set it aside and stared into the box. He sagged in his chair.

  “If you’ve already found them—” Uncertainty swept over her in a cool wave.

  “No, I didn’t.” Kyle blinked. “You really brought them for me?”

  “Well, yeah.” Lori frowned, glanced at Matt.

  “Thank you.” He lifted one of the hardcover books free, ran gentle fingers over the cover. “No one’s ever bought me a book before. I’ve stolen a few—” His eyes went wide. “Sorry. Never mind.”

  “No one should ever have to steal a book.” Lori kicked Matt under the table. “You know Holly from the diner?”

  “Yeah. She let me eat there for free sometimes.”

  “Holly’s good people,” Matt said.

  “She’s the best,” Lori agreed. “I remember talking to her about her son, Simon, one time and she told me the one thing she wouldn’t ever deny him was a book. Toys or games or whatever else she could argue with him on, but never ever a book.”

  “That’s cool. She and the sheriff got married, didn’t they?” Kyle asked.

  “They did,” Lori confirmed.

  “They’re about to have a baby, too,” Matt added. “Well, in a few months.”

  “I feel like I’ve been gone forever.” Kyle cracked open the book and brought it to his face. Matt grimaced, but Lori’s grin only widened.

  “I love how books smell,” she said.

  Kyle nodded. “Thank you. I’ll give them back when I’m done.”

  “You will not.” Lori sat back in her chair as the tension drained from her body. “Those are yours, Kyle. Whatever you want to do with them is fine.�
�

  “So...” He looked around the almost-empty visitor’s room. “If I wanted to leave them here in the library for other kids, that would be okay?”

  Lori nodded and made a mental note to have a new set waiting for him when he came home. She felt Matt’s hand on her shoulder and reached up to take his hand. “That would be more than okay.”

  And with that, whatever worries or concerns she had about getting along with Kyle Winters, vanished.

  * * *

  “MATT. GOOD. I was hoping to catch you here today.” Kyle’s caseworker joined him at the visitor’s counter, looking as harried and stressed as always. Tall, lanky and wearing a suit Matt suspected he might have found at a thrift store, Chris Walters looked as if he’d put his first foot out of college only days before. “I believe we’re all set for the hearing.”

  “You’ve heard from the judge?” Matt looked down the hall where Lori had stopped at the ladies’ room.

  “Not directly, no, but I did get confirmation she received my amended report about your situation. I mailed you a copy. She should be notifying us in the next few days if she wants Lori to testify on your behalf.”

  It was all Matt could do not to clamp a hand over the caseworker’s mouth in case Lori heard him. “I brought her with me today. She and Kyle hit it off over video chat so I thought they should connect in per—”

  “She’s here?” Chris’s face lit up. “That’s great. I was going to ask you for her contact information so I could interview her—”

  “Interview who for what?”

  Matt closed his eyes. There were many things he loved about Lori Bradley, but her bat-like hearing was not one of them. “We were just talking about one of Chris’s other cases,” he lied. Try as he might, he hadn’t been able to find a way to tell her about the role she might play in Kyle’s custody case. He certainly didn’t want to do so with an audience. “Lori, this is Chris Walters. He’s Kyle’s caseworker.”

  “Oh, hello.” Lori extended her hand and Chris, looking more than a bit shell-shocked, accepted. “It’s good to meet you. Do you see any problem with him being released to Matt’s custody?”

  “Ah, there might be some things that need ironing out.” Chris made it sound more like a question than a statement of fact. “We’ll know more after the hearing of course, but I think we’re good for now. Will you be there?”

  “Me?” Lori blinked. “No. There’s a big event dinner in town that day. I’m not sure I can get away. But Matt will be there for sure.” She rubbed a hand up his arm. “He’s looking forward to getting Kyle home and settled.”

  “So you two are...” Chris hedged. “Dating?”

  Matt’s disgust with himself had peaked. “Yes, dating. That’s what we’re doing.” He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Nice, stable, dating life.”

  Chris didn’t look convinced.

  “And I thought I was the one with anxiety issues.” Lori laughed while Matt was certain he was turning green. “We’re still getting used to things. Is something wrong?”

  “Nope, nothing’s wrong. Right, Chris?”

  “Remains to be seen. Matt, do you mind if I have a word?”

  “Yeah, of course.” He dug into his pocket for his keys. “How about I meet you at the truck?”

  “Sure. Nice to meet you, Chris. No offense, but it would be great not to see you again.”

  “I get that a lot,” Chris said with a strained smile. One that vanished the second Lori walked out the front doors. “What’s going on, Matt?”

  “What’s going on with what?”

  “You suck at lying.” In that instant, Chris went from overworked government servant to defiant, irritated crusader. “You told me you and Lori were serious. That she was a part of your life.”

  “She is. Now,” Matt admitted.

  “Meaning when you told me about her the first time she wasn’t?”

  Matt hadn’t squirmed this much since his basic training days. “Things were complicated back then.”

  “Back then was only a few weeks ago. I sent in information to the judge based on our conversation, Matt. Based on you telling me you had a stable female influence in your life who could be of benefit to Kyle. What’s going to happen when the judge questions her?”

  “You said that might not happen.” At this point, he was putting all his money on that scenario.

  “I also said this judge is completely unpredictable. She’s the judge you don’t want in this situation, Matt. She takes each case individually. She will examine every single detail, every single statement, and will not just pass him through.” Chris pointed to the door. “If she even gets a whiff of dishonesty it’s game over. That woman, Lori, might be the only person who can ensure you get Kyle, and from what I just saw, she has no clue what’s expected of her.”

  “I’ll handle it,” Matt said. “I’ll tell her.”

  “Yeah, well, you’d better. And you’d better hope she doesn’t think what I’m thinking right now. That the only reason you’re dating her is because she looks good on paper.”

  “Careful.” Anger surged. “That’s not a smart thing to say about the woman I love.”

  “If you loved her you wouldn’t be playing her.”

  The accusation struck Matt’s sense of honor dead center.

  “Get your act together, Matt. Fix this. You make sure she’s ready to testify that you’re a fit guardian, otherwise you can kiss your hopes of being Kyle’s father goodbye.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “YOU GOOD TO handle things from here, Willa?” Lori had waited until the last expected arrivals for the day had checked in to the Flutterby before getting ready to head out. She had a huge To Do list, beginning with Willa and Nina’s front yard. Jasper was taking his mom and little sister out to an early dinner so Lori, Charlie and Paige could whip the landscaping into shape. But before she headed over she wanted to stop by the sheriff’s station with a couple of gifts.

  “I’m good.” Willa nodded. The deer in the headlights expression had faded in recent days as the young woman became more familiar with the job. She was a quick study, rarely had to be told anything twice and, thankfully, found ways to keep herself busy during the downtime. “I’ll stick close to the phone, though. Something tells me the Hemmingbergs are going to need some extra attention.”

  Lori didn’t want to add fuel to the fire, but she agreed. The civil lawyer and his wife, both longtime friends of BethAnn Bottomely, had traveled from Los Angeles to attend the festival. It was clear, given their initial reaction to the town, that they weren’t overly impressed.

  That BethAnn was due to meet them for dinner at Flutterby Dreams anytime had Lori all the more anxious for escape. She’d managed to go nearly two weeks without having to deal with the monstrous community organizer, but she still had ears. The woman had been running roughshod over everyone she came in contact with. Word from Harvey’s Hardware was she was one short circuit away from a complete meltdown.

  “You have my cell if you need anything. And Abby should be back from Calliope’s soon.”

  “Thanks. I’m sure everything will be—”

  The front door opened and in swept BethAnn looking as if a tornado had deposited her on their porch. It wasn’t that BethAnn didn’t appear presentable. But with the wrinkled ivory shirt, askew collar, and hair that looked as if it had been styled by a swarm of bees, she certainly didn’t look like herself.

  “We really need to get a back door to this place,” Lori muttered, and earned a grin from Willa as she faced their visitor. “Good evening, BethAnn. Here for dinner with your guests?”

  “I made reservations,” BethAnn announced. “I assume you got them.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Willa said. “You’re just a few minutes early, but if you’d like to take a seat, we have complimentary wine and—”

 
“I’d like to be seated now.” She stopped to stand directly in front of Lori, knocked her chin up and stared up and into her eyes. “Do you not make allowances for special customers?”

  Special customers? BethAnn hadn’t even been bothered to meet with Jason to discuss his catering services and here she stood at Jason’s pride and joy demanding special treatment?

  “I can go check—” Willa took a step back, but Lori held up her hand.

  “No, you won’t, Willa.” Lori was so tired of this woman’s attitude. “Dining room hours begin at six, BethAnn. Which is why we don’t accept any reservations beginning before six fifteen. As Willa said, you’re welcome to relax here in the lobby while you wait for your companions.”

  “I don’t want wine and cheese. I don’t want anything other than to be seated at my table—”

  “And you will be. When it’s ready.” Lori’s patience stretched thinner than a spider’s web.

  “I am a paying customer.” She pushed a trembling hand through her hair. “I expect to be treated with respect.”

  “You’re not the only one,” Lori said. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw BethAnn’s guests heading down the stairs. “Listen to me, BethAnn.” Lori lowered her voice and did her best to control her temper. “Unless you’d like to cause a scene in front of what I’m assuming are very influential friends, I suggest you get yourself under control. You don’t get to come in here and start ordering everyone about. This isn’t your committee. This is a place of business. And as such, we have the right to refuse service to anyone. Now grab yourself a glass and chill out.”

  “You’re impertinent and out of line.” BethAnn crossed her arms over her chest. “I demand to speak with your superior.”

  “Lori doesn’t have many superiors.” Abby closed the front door behind her. “But if you mean her boss, that would be me.”

  “Excellent.” BethAnn spun around. Even without seeing BethAnn’s face, Lori knew when she realized who Abby was. Her spine couldn’t have gone any stiffer if it had been made of steel. “You’re engaged to that chef I fired. Clearly you’re not the person to handle this. Who do you report to?”