by Cindy Kirk
“Do you want to skate?” Cade asked Marigold.
“In a second.” Her gaze never left the two women. “I’d like to see how this plays out first.”
“How is your dear mother?” Anita exhaled an exaggerated sigh. “I really miss Patty. She and I were once such good friends.”
“If that were true, she’d know Patricia never went by Patty,” Marigold whispered to Cade, her eyes dancing with barely suppressed amusement.
“Mother is well, thank you. She and Father enjoy life in Palm Springs.” Eliza’s tone remained polite. “She golfs daily. They entertain frequently.”
“Any chance of them moving back to Good Hope?”
“Though they continue to have commercial interests in the area, I doubt they’ll ever move back.” Eliza shifted in an attempt to keep Jeremy in sight. “They may return for the occasional holiday or if there’s business requiring my father’s attention.”
“I’m surprised he doesn’t let you handle those details instead of making a special trip.”
A shadow traveled across Eliza’s face but was gone so quickly it made Cade wonder if it had been there at all. “If my father couldn’t come, he’d likely ask Ethan to fill in for him.”
“That makes no sense.” Anita’s hazel eyes glittered like a shark’s, sensing blood. “Why wouldn’t he ask you?”
“How is Ethan?” Marigold interrupted.
When Eliza only stared, Marigold smiled brightly.
“Your brother and I were in the same grade in school,” she reminded Eliza. “Is he still in Chicago? He and I talked about getting together sometime when I lived there, but it never happened.”
“He recently relocated north of the city.” Eliza kept her gaze on Marigold, ignoring Anita completely.
Marigold inclined her head. “What’s the name of the town?”
“Village Green.”
“I’ve been there.” Marigold slanted a glance at Cade. “I swear it’s one of the coolest towns in Illinois. It has all these lovely Victorian homes and this gorgeous lake a couple of blocks from downtown. Old-fashioned gas streetlights. A very quaint, artsy community. Fabulous vibe.”
“That’s what he tells me,” Eliza agreed, her smile almost friendly.
“He tells you?” Anita made a disbelieving sound. “You don’t know?”
Eliza’s gray eyes were cool as she faced Anita. She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if speaking to an especially dull-witted child. “I believe I just mentioned that my brother only recently moved there. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit him.”
“Well, when you see him, be sure and tell him hello.” Marigold’s tone remained light and friendly.
“Is he dating anyone seriously?” Anita stepped forward, angling herself between the two women. “Ethan was always so smart and personable. And, oh my, what a handsome young man, with those lovely gray eyes and thick brown hair.”
“I don’t like to judge.” Marigold tapped Anita on the shoulder. “But I think he’s a little too young for you.”
Anita whirled.
“You’d be venturing into cougar territory.” Marigold spoke solemnly, somehow managing to keep her expression serious.
The venomous look Anita directed to Marigold had Cade stepping forward.
Marigold gave a subtle shake of her head, and he paused midstep.
Seizing the opportunity she’d been given, Eliza scooted around the women and hurried over to fall casually into step beside Jeremy, who appeared headed toward The Hut.
When Anita finally found her voice, the words she directed at Marigold held an icy chill. “You’ll pay for your disrespect.”
Marigold batted her lashes, her expression one of innocence and confusion. “I was simply making an observation. Are you saying you don’t think he’s too young for you?”
Anita hissed her displeasure. With her jaw set in a hard line, her gaze swept the immediate area. “Steven, did you hear what your daughter said to me?”
Several feet away, Steven held a laughing Callum upside down. He turned his head. “Which one?”
“Which one what?” Anita snapped, not bothering to mask her irritation.
“Which daughter?” Steve had to speak loudly to be heard over his grandson’s laughter.
Eliza wasn’t the only one who could seize an opportunity. Cade had waited long enough. He held out a hand to Marigold. “Skate with me?”
Her fingers curved around his. “Yes.”
“Finally.” He expelled a relieved breath as they headed for the ice.
Chapter Twelve
“About Anita,” Cade began once I-Need-a-Man was merely another person at the pond’s edge. “I didn’t like the way she—”
“Let’s not waste one second more on the Wicked Witch.” Marigold shot Cade a mischievous smile. “If we’re lucky, while we’re skating, Callum will toss a bucket of water on her and she’ll melt away.”
Cade’s laugher was so infectious Marigold had to join in.
By the time they’d made a complete circle on the ice, Anita had been relegated to Marigold’s mental garbage can, leaving her free to focus on the beautiful evening and the handsome man skating at her side. “My sisters think it’s wonderful that I’m dating you.”
He grinned. “Ami and Prim are smart women.”
“I made it clear, of course, that it’s only temporary.”
Cade merely slipped an arm around her waist and skated faster. As they glided across the ice, Marigold lost herself in the pleasure of the moment.
The lights draped around the perimeter of the pond bathed the area in a bright white glow. The piped-in music kicked on, the perfect accompaniment to the laughter and conversation filling the cool air.
“I used to skate at Millennium Park when I lived in Chicago.” Marigold visualized the scene in her head. “It’s especially lovely at night, with the skyscrapers lit up all around you.”
“Campus Martius is like that in Detroit.” Cade took her into his arms for an ice dancing move that left her breathless. “You skate until midnight surrounded by the city’s tallest buildings. While they aren’t nearly as grand as the ones in Chicago, it’s still impressive.”
She thought of him and his former fiancée. What was her name? Ah, yes, Alice. The one who thought Cade shouldn’t turn in dirty cops. “Did Alice like to skate?”
“Not much.” He laughed. “She wasn’t overly fond of cold weather, either. What about Jason?”
“Skating was a means to an end for him. ‘See and be seen’ was his motto.” Marigold kept her tone light, realizing that had also been her mantra for many years. “I don’t fault him for it. Being visible was also part of my business plan.”
Cade’s gloved hand tightened around hers. “You’re getting plenty of visibility tonight.”
“Tonight isn’t about visibility.” She breathed in air and her nose tingled from the tangy scent of pine.
“What is it about then?”
Marigold shot him a coquettish smile.
Cade cocked his head.
“Tonight is about you,” she said, then added, “and about me. It’s about us having fun together.”
If his arm tightening about her was any indication, he understood. Marigold leaned her head against him as they skated and let herself simply enjoy the moment. She’d given her sisters the impression this was a simple fling. Though the Bloom sisters had no secrets, she hadn’t chosen to elaborate on all the confusing feelings tugging at her.
None of those emotions mattered anyway. No matter how much she enjoyed spending time with Cade, she wouldn’t be staying in Good Hope.
The kind of success she sought couldn’t be found here. Everyone agreed she was on her way to the top. Then her world had collapsed around her. She’d been stupid not to see . . .
No. Marigold stopped the thought in its tracks. She wasn’t stupid. Not stupid. Never stupid. God, how she hated that word.
She’d simply had—she struggled to find the right word—blind
ers, yes, she’d had blinders on when it came to Steffan. Having misplaced loyalty didn’t make her stupid. Marigold calmed herself with thoughts of the future. A successful future.
While she was enjoying this interlude in Good Hope, it was time she came up with a solid plan for her return to the fast lane. When she got back to the apartment, she’d dig a little deeper into several of the salons on her dream list, then bullet point her next steps.
“I didn’t know K.T. and Braxton could skate so well.”
Marigold glanced around and saw her entire family was now on the ice, with the exception of Anita, who thankfully wasn’t family. Not yet, anyway. The brunette sat on one of the benches encircling the pond. Her gloved hands were cupped around a steaming cup of cocoa, undoubtedly bought by Steve to support the Seedlings.
Anita’s gaze remained fixed on Marigold’s father, who was currently circling the pond with his grandsons. The proprietary way the brunette watched him struck a harsh chord.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Anita’s grandsons on the ice.”
Following the direction of his gaze, Marigold spotted the Lohmeier boys. Their black skates were even more battered than hers, but she had to give the boys props. “They’ve got mad skills.”
As Marigold watched, Braxton turned and skated backward with an ease Marigold envied. She noticed his gaze—as well as his brother’s—kept darting to the side of the pond. “Who are they looking at?”
Cade jerked his head in the direction of a bench near where Marigold had left her skating bag. “They’re out to impress her.”
Marigold narrowed her gaze in that direction, expecting to see a pretty young girl in her midteens. Instead, she stifled a grimace. “Why would they try to impress Anita?”
“Because she’s their grandmother.”
“In name only.” Marigold’s heart twisted. “I don’t believe Anita wants anything to do with either of them.”
“That’s my take, too.” Cade’s tone was grim.
“I don’t understand it. Those two might be a bit rough around the edges, but they seem like nice boys.” When Cade had brought the brothers to her for an apology, Marigold had expected to see a defiant toughness in their eyes. Instead there’d been a shyness, a vulnerability that had touched her heart. “They need their grandmother. And, while we’re wishing on a star, they need a father as well.”
“Clint Gourley lived with their mother for a number of years.”
“Clint is a douche bag.” Marigold saw no need to pull punches. “He may have lived with Cassie, but he was no father to her sons. The best thing that happened to those kids was when Clint moved out.”
“I was involved in the investigation of that string of burglaries last summer.” Cade’s gaze kept straying to the boys. “While I wasn’t the officer who ultimately arrested Clint, I concur with your assessment of his character.”
Cade’s gaze had turned brooding by the time they circled the pond again.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing,” he murmured, but those gray eyes told a different story.
An instant later he jerked back. His dark brows slammed together. “Hey, why’d you pinch me?”
She offered a sweet smile. “You’re cooking up something. I want in on the action.”
Cade chuckled and shook his head. “I’ve never known anyone quite like you.”
Marigold lifted her hand and let her pincher finger and thumb snap open and closed.
“Okay, okay.” He lifted both hands in surrender, and his expression turned serious. “A boy needs a dad. Or at least, a solid father figure. Someone to give guidance. Those kids are no exception.”
A memory stirred as Marigold watched her dad clap Max on the shoulder before joining Anita on the sidelines. “Did Max ever mention that my dad was his Big Brother when he was growing up?”
The surprise in Cade’s eyes answered her question.
“Max’s father died when he was a little guy.” Marigold paused to call out a greeting to Greer Chapin, who was currently skating with Travis. “His mother remarried a couple of times, but the guys didn’t stick. Max was in middle school when he and my father were paired up.”
“Does your dad still volunteer?”
She and Cade now skated hand in hand, crossing the ice at a leisurely pace that favored conversation. She loved it when his beautiful gray eyes turned from teasing to serious. Loved it when his lips quirked up in humor. Loved talking with him.
So many things to love about this man.
Marigold’s heart began to beat against her ribs like a closed fist. Panic wrapped around her throat and squeezed tight.
No reason to worry. No reason to worry. No reason to worry. By the time she mentally repeated the words a third time, the tightness around her throat eased and she could breathe again.
“Does he?”
“Does who what?”
“Does your father still mentor kids?”
“Yes. No. Wait.” Marigold blew out an exasperated breath as she fought to focus. She hated days like this, days when she had difficulty filtering out background noise, days when the perfect word refused to pop into her head. “I don’t know for sure if he still volunteers, but I think he does. My father is very civic minded.”
“Let’s ask him.” Cade guided them to the edge of the pond. Marigold hadn’t noticed the chill in the air until Cade turned as if to walk away.
Then he paused and extended his hand. “Come with me.”
“Why?” She expected him to say that Steve was her father. Or perhaps laugh and say he’d be a fool to leave a woman as pretty as her alone.
“We’re a team.”
“In what world?” she said laughingly.
“In the Good Hope world.” His strong face remained sober as those gray eyes met hers. “As long as you’re here, we’re together. Being together makes you and me partners.”
His expression relaxed, and the smile he shot her sent warmth flooding all the way to her toes.
Basking in the glow, Marigold considered whether she’d ever been anyone’s partner. It didn’t take her long to conclude this was something new. She’d always asserted she liked to fly solo. Even during her time with Jason, they’d never been a team.
Marigold wasn’t sure she was comfortable being Cade’s wingman, or partner, or whatever the heck else he wanted to call her. Still, she went with him to where her father now sat laughing with Anita.
Anita’s gaze immediately honed in on Marigold’s hand, nestled firmly in Cade’s.
Marigold fought the urge to pull her hand free, as if she were a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar instead of a grown woman holding the hand of the man she was dating.
Temporarily dating.
“You two were doing a smash-up job out there on the ice.” Steve’s stocking cap proclaimed him as the World’s Best Grandpa. The cap completely covered his wiry hair, except for one recalcitrant gray strand peeking out midforehead.
Marigold’s heart swelled with love for this kind, gentle man who’d been her rock for as long as she could remember. “It’s easy to look good when you have a talented partner.”
There was that word again. Partner.
“Your crossover maneuvers are top-notch.” Steve cast an admiring look at Cade. “I can see why the Ice Holes recruited you.”
Anita’s eyes took on a faraway glow and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “That name is about as bad as the one you and Richard chose for your team.”
“The Lucky Pucks.” Steve grinned. “Those were good times. After a game we’d always go for pizza afterwards with the kids.”
“The pizza place in Egg Harbor,” Anita supplied. “The one with all those vintage pinball machines in the back.”
Marigold had only vague memories of those outings. She’d always wondered what tied her father and Anita together. It was easy to forget the history they shared.
Because the last thing she wanted was to stroll down memory lane wi
th her dad and Anita, Marigold glanced around. “Any idea where I can find Ami and Prim?”
“Last I knew they were up at the house.” Steve gestured toward the three-story home at the top of the hill. “Jeremy got a new train set, and he wanted to show the boys.”
Jeremy fit perfectly in the fabric of the Bloom family. Marigold knew she wasn’t the only one in the family who wished things had worked out between him and Fin.
She wondered if Fin’s career in LA made her happy. Wondered if her sister’s current boyfriend, Xander Tillman, would be The One. Marigold didn’t feel as if she could properly assess the relationship, as she’d never met the guy. The producer had always been “too busy” to come with Fin to Good Hope at holiday time.
“From what you’re saying, Big Brothers sounds like a wonderful program,” Cade told her father.
“I strongly believe every boy can benefit from a positive role model in this life.” Steve’s eyes darkened with emotion. “The relationship isn’t one-sided. The Big Brother gains so much, too.”
Marigold realized while she’d been assessing Fin’s life, the conversation had veered into Big Brother territory. Had her father brought up the topic? Or had Cade?
“Are you interested in participating in the program?” Steve’s voice shook with an eagerness he didn’t bother to disguise. “I can give you a contact name and phone number if you’re ready to apply and get started.”
“I’d prefer to wait until after the election.”
“That would be a mistake.”
Cade turned in response to the soft, southern drawl to find Beck shaking his head.
“Max and I have been doing some strategizing.” Beck jerked a thumb in his brother-in-law’s direction. “We feel it’s important for you to show the citizens of Good Hope you’ve made this community your home.”
“Let them see you’ve settled in.” Max’s gaze was thoughtful. “That you’re involved and committed to living here.”
Settled. Committed. Marigold shifted uneasily. Definitely not her type of conversation.
“Are you still living in that boarding house?” Anita drew everyone’s attention with the unexpected question.