Kinley closed the book when they were finished and noticed her standing there. "We hang the twee now?"
"Absolutely. I was just listening to your story." Petra moved into the room, tape in hand.
They put the tree up right next to her bed and Kinley stood next to it, dancing and singing something along the lines of O Christmas Tree, except she didn't know half the words and some were mispronounced. Still, it was cute and touching. Petra laughed and sang along with her. Eric even chimed in quietly.
Kinley stopped singing abruptly. "I'm hungwy."
*****
An hour later, Kinley went down for a nap after the three of them had lunch. Eric was pretty damn proud of his tree idea and how well it went over with his daughter.
Now that it was just him and Petra, the awkwardness came back. Why was it he couldn't find a decent way to make conversation? Had he always been this bad and never knew it because he hid behind his anger and drinking?
"Thank you for the tree idea. That was a good save." Petra started the process of washing the dishes. Was she just as nervous? Petra kept thanking him for the past hour.
"I'm glad she liked it." And you, too. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then decided to busy himself with wiping down the table. It gave him something to do, other than stand around and feel like an idiot. There was still a cup on the table, so he brought it over to Petra. She must have been coming for it because when he turned, he bumped into her. He reached out to steady her. "Sorry."
"It's okay," she said quietly. Petra didn't take a step back, and Eric still held her arm.
She was beautiful. He'd never noticed so much about her before. Her long blonde locks curled at the ends, and today they were wild and unruly. She had full lips that he missed kissing. If he ever had a chance to kiss them again, he would be more passionate about them.
Warm air enveloped him. He finally had to take a step back and get some distance from her.
Petra licked her lips, dropped her gaze, and reached for the cup in his hands. Then she abruptly turned away.
Damn. Breaking that contact bothered her just as much as it did him. What was up with this lately?
"So, about earlier..."
Petra finished washing the cup and whirled around. "What about it?"
Was she really going to play that card? The one where she wanted to say something but let him, and when he did, she acted like it didn't bother her?
"Me with Gina and Evan at the store." He ran a hand through his newly cut short hair, still forgetting how much of a change it was.
"You don't have to explain anything to me about what you do, Eric." He saw it in her eyes, though. It had bothered her. Which meant what? She felt something for him? Or something else?
"You looked really upset."
She was taken aback by his response. Hell, he wasn't sure if he should have said it.
"You caught that, huh?" Petra closed her eyes. "I don't know, Eric. For a split second, yeah, it hurt. I was jealous. I really don't know why." When she opened them again, her gaze drifted to him.
"I feel bad for them, especially Evan. Their car wouldn't start, so I drove them to the store," he explained.
"Is this your way of trying to make amends for your past?"
"What do you mean?" Hell, kind of. She hit it on the spot to a point.
"The mom and child without their father. You said Evan reminds you of Ben-"
"No, I said I think of Ben when I look at Evan. The situation. The way he talked." Eric's voice grew louder. "Yes, Petra, it makes me think of past mistakes. I can't fix everything, I wouldn't know where to start, but I think about it, you know? A lot. But I'm not making amends with a different family because I screwed up mine. Multiple times."
Or was he? The thought had occurred to him. Gina and Evan were Adrian's family. He shouldn't have to step in and fix Adrian's problems. He should step in and fix his own.
But damn it if that family didn't pull at him a little. No, more than a little. They pulled at him a lot, and it bugged him to no end. It left him unsettled and unsure what to do about it all.
Chapter Six
"Oh yeah, girls night is finally here!" Robin exclaimed, pulling her hair up in a ponytail.
"It's only been a month since our last one," Cheyenne pointed out.
Robin groaned. "Yes, but the closer the wedding gets, the more Jonas and I are going crazy. No offense, Caitlin, but your brother is a pain in the ass right now."
Caitlin grinned. "None taken. I agree. Just smack him. I always do."
"I can only get away with that so much." Robin rolled her eyes. "We should have married before Christmas, not after."
"Umm, wouldn't matter. Weddings are hectic any time." Cheyenne said. "Now let's get out of here before Jacob and Jonas decide they aren't on kid duty tonight."
Petra laughed. "Yes, I have to agree. It's been a long week, and I could use a night out. By the way, Robin, your wedding will be perfect. Stop worrying."
"It's not me, it's Jonas!" Robin held her hands up. "I swear. Who would have thought he'd get so into these plans?"
"Please tell me you talked him out of the Santa suit," Caitlin pleaded.
"Yes. He was kidding about that anyway. I think." Robin grabbed her purse and coat.
"Enjoy your night out, ladies." Jacob stood by the front door and leaned in for a kiss from Cheyenne before she left the house. "Please bring my wife back in one piece," he teased.
"Ha! You should have seen her last time! I wasn't sure I'd make it back!" Petra shot back at Jacob.
"Don't tell him a thing, Petra!" Cheyenne called out playfully.
"I always knew she had a devilish streak. She can't play cute and sweet all the time." Jacob lowered his tone, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"We already knew that. Just took you longer to figure it out." Robin nudged Petra. "Let's go. We tell him no more."
"Robin! Don't forget, we're picking up my red suit in the morning!" Jonas bolted into the foyer from the hallway, a huge grin on his face.
"Uhh, no we are not." Robin pointed a finger at him. "Not funny."
"Told you to smack him!" Caitlin called.
They left the house giggling and piled up in Cheyenne's car.
Two years ago, Petra never would have imagined becoming such good friends with these ladies. Cheyenne had been married to Eric prior, Robin was Cheyenne's best friend and used to watch Ben and Desiree, and Caitlin was going to become Robin's sister-in-law soon. Eric's drunk nights and anger fits put a lot of strain on everyone, and Petra had never felt she had a place among these ladies. Then after the last straw and when Eric tried to get in the house from the back and ended up punching Jonas in the nose, things changed. Jonas had given Eric a choice and by doing that, Eric finally sought the help he needed for so long.
All week she'd been dealing with her feelings and struggled. If she told any of them that she still harbored feelings for Eric, what would they say? Not that they had a say in it if she actually gave in, but they were her friends. People who had been there while she learned to get on her feet and become a single mother to Kinley when she was down on her luck.
Well, if they didn't ask about him, she wouldn't bring it up. There wasn't much to say other than her feelings were conflicted. Hadn't they always been?
"You know, Jonas teases so much about a red Santa suit for the wedding, we should totally play a trick on him," Caitlin piped up from beside Petra, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"What? Actually get a red Santa suit for his fitting and film his reaction?" Robin giggled from the front seat.
"Yep." Caitlin's voice was full of humor. "I could call the place and set it up. Cheyenne could borrow Jacob's Santa suit from the mall."
Cheyenne chuckled. "Jacob would be in for that, as long as he got to see it."
"You guys are so bad!" Petra loved the idea though. Jonas was a goofball, and it would serve him right. "The idea is perfect!"
"Yeah, because when it come
s down to it, Jonas doesn't want that suit for his wedding. He just likes to tease Robin. He wants this wedding to go off without a hitch." Caitlin giggled.
"What does he know? Weddings always have a hitch. If only one, then it's pure luck!" Cheyenne pulled into the parking lot of their destination, a new bar and grill they'd discovered while picking a place. Each month, they tried to find a new one to go to.
They shuffled through the parking lot and headed inside. Music blared from the speakers. The lights were dim, and the tables were full of people ready to celebrate the weekend.
Cheyenne and Robin sat together on one side of the booth while Petra and Caitlin scooted in on the other. Menus were already on the table, stacked behind the condiments.
"This is an interesting place." Robin glanced around as Cheyenne busied herself with the menu.
"If the service and food is good, I call it a win." Caitlin tapped her long nails on the table.
"Can I get you ladies started with something to drink?" Their waitress stood at the head of the table. When Petra glanced her way, she reeled back.
Gina. The woman who was at the store with Eric the other day.
Damn it, she recognized Petra, too. Her eyes went wide and she let out a little gasp. "You're Eric's girlfriend. Look, I swear to you there's nothing going on-"
Great. Now all eyes were on her.
"Gina, I'm not his girlfriend. We aren't together any more," Petra said quietly. Ugh. She couldn't avoid the conversation any more now!
"Oh. Ok. Well, I- Still. Anyway. What can I, uh, get you to drink?" The woman stumbled over her words, clearly embarrassed.
After everyone ordered, Gina walked away.
The moment Petra dreaded arrived. The looks. The silence. The tension.
"Okay, what was that all about?" Cheyenne broke the silence first.
Petra slumped back in her seat and heaved a sigh. "You know Eric's friend who died? That's the widow. Apparently he's been spending time with her and her son. I saw them at the store together when I needed new groceries when the fridge broke. I had a moment of ... I don't know. Surprise, jealousy, something, and they both saw it. End of story." Or not.
"She has a guilty conscious," Robin said, then immediately looked for the woman, probably to make sure she wasn't heading back and overhearing them.
"Yeah, she does. But after all she's been through, I'm sure it's a confusing time. Her son called Eric out of the blue because he was a friend of his dad's. I think he's looking for someone to talk to, someone to understand."
They hushed the conversation when Gina came back to the table, drinks in hand. She nearly spilled them when she handed each drink over. Yep, she clearly didn't want to be around them right now.
Petra felt bad for her. Honestly.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Can we have a few more minutes to look over the menu?" Caitlin asked. "We haven't quite decided yet."
"Sure thing." Gina rushed away.
Well, they'd picked an interesting spot for sure.
*****
After a long, drawn out day at work, Eric decided to pick up something to eat and take it home instead of cooking. Bag of fast food in hand, he headed up the sidewalk that led to his apartment complex. A chilly wind swirled stray leaves around as if they were dancing.
His phone rang, and he reached into his pocket for it. Without checking the caller ID, Eric answered. "Hello?"
"Mr. Eric? I don't mean to bother you, but Mommy's not answering her phone. She's at work, and the baby sitter's here, but someone was at our house. He was big and scary and-"
"Whoa, take it easy, little man." Eric tried to be calm, but by the sound of Evan's voice and the way he rambled, something was wrong. "Let's try this again slowly."
"There was someone scary here!" Evan insisted frantically.
"Where's your baby sitter?"
"Trying to call Mommy. She's scared. I am, too. He looked like a bad guy. I thought a bad guy got Daddy, and I don't want him to get me."
Shit. Did someone from the night Adrian died come back to look for his family? Eric had feared that. Unlike the police, he didn't think it was an accidental or stray shooting.
"Evan, I'm on my way, okay? You just stay away from the doors and windows until I get there."
"I think he's gone, but I don't know."
"On my way. I promise." So much for dinner and a night to recuperate from a long week, but if someone was lurking around Gina and Evan's place, especially if it had to do with the last night he'd been with Adrian, Eric had to do something.
Ten worrisome minutes later, he arrived at the house. He called Evan back on the number he'd called Eric on and waited for him to answer. "I'm in front of your house. Nobody's here, but if you want-"
The front door flew open before he had a chance to finish talking.
"Evan! Don't open the ... Who are you?" The baby sitter was a young girl, even younger than Robin was when she'd first started looking after Ben. Eric didn't think she was older than eighteen.
"He's my daddy's friend!" Evan defended Eric, then took his hand and pulled him inside. "Mommy knows him. He's helped us out."
"I'm Eric. Evan called me frantic," Eric explained to the girl, who watched him with a wary glance. "What happened?"
"Someone was here looking for Gina, saying how sorry he was about Adrian. I don't know ... I got bad vibes from him and I think Evan did too, which is probably why he called you. I got a hold of Gina finally, and she's on her way." The girl pursed her lips.
"Did he say anything out of the ordinary? Do something that bothered you?" Eric questioned.
"Not really. Just ... he seemed shady, like he was looking for much more than he let on."
"I'm so sorry I didn't get your message in time!" Gina appeared in the doorway, her cheeks flushed. She stopped and gaped at Eric. "What are you doing here?"
Guilt and worry brought him here, but he wasn't about to say that. Maybe it was time to find out what Gina knew about Adrian's history with the people he'd had an argument with that night. Then it was time to find out how safe they were, and then himself. He'd been seen with Adrian when they ran off before help arrived.
After getting Evan calmed down and in bed, then paying the baby sitter before she left, Gina approached Eric again. "I'm really sorry he keeps calling you. I didn't know you had a daughter with someone, and I know Evan has his hopes up for a father figure. What a damn mess." She sank on the couch beside him.
"I did tell him he could call me. Maybe that was my mistake, but I really felt for him." Eric sat up and clasped his hands together.
"I'm just trying to make sense of all this. What happened that night? I wanted to ask you before, but I'm sure it can't be easy for you either. Maybe now, I need to know. Adrian used to run with some shady people. If they're coming around, then I need to know what you two were involved with that night." Gina leveled him with a hard glare.
Wait, she thought he had something to do with what Adrian did? No way! He'd been the one to attempt to talk Adrian out of it!
His heart raced and a surge of anger rose. "I had nothing to do with it! I tried to talk him down." Okay, he needed to chill. There was no reason to get angry. He wasn't going to be that person any more.
Put yourself in her shoes. Of course she'd think that.
Gina's eyes widened. Damn it, he scared her, hadn't he? Didn't this woman have enough problems? Yeah, time to chill.
"All I know was Adrian had some unfinished business. That's all he told me. I had no idea what. Then things happened so fast, I never got a chance to figure out just what happened and why. He just said it had to do with a person you two mutually knew years ago. He told me to stay back. I heard yelling, Adrian ran, then I heard the shot."
Gina's brows rose, and she crinkled her nose. Then she snapped her fingers just as her skin paled. "I know possibly who you're talking about. Damn it. What was he doing messing with them again?" She sighed. "This isn't good. Damn him." The last word
s came out as a whisper. "I thought he promised to leave it alone."
But she didn't elaborate. Eric had a feeling it wasn't something to play around with. And those people had seen him that night, if they'd stuck around. There was no stray bullet. There was no wrong place, wrong time.
Something was wrong.
Chapter Seven
"So you got it recorded at least?" Petra giggled as she cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder. She had to finish getting Kinley's things together for the trip to the park. Today was an exceptionally warm day, so Kinley's time with Eric would be spent at the park. He was due to arrive any minute. She debated on if she should bring up Gina's mistake last night. Nah, probably not.
Robin laughed. "Yes. It was priceless! Jonas' face- I don't think he'll be teasing any more about red suits. Then he put on his real tux. I'm weeks away from marrying that man. It's almost here."
"You deserve it," Petra said, feeling a little wistful. Two years ago Cheyenne married near Christmas, now Robin soon after the holiday. Petra longed for a little love of her own. She could stand on her own two feet without a man, but still it would be nice to have a little romance.
The doorbell rang. That must be Eric. "Hey Robin, I'll call you later. Eric's here for his time with Kinley."
"Okay. Have a good day." They disconnected.
Petra pulled the door open. Sure enough, Eric stood on the other side. "Hey. Almost ready. Come on in." She stepped back. "Kinley! Daddy's here!"
Eric closed the door, then their daughter bolted down the hallway. "What awe we gonna do today?" She stopped just before the two of them and waited for an answer.
Eric cleared his throat. "I was thinking the park. It's nice out. Does that sound fun?"
Kinley nodded. "I like the pawk. I go get my shoes!"
Petra laughed. "She had them on at one point."
Eric half smiled. Something seemed to be bothering him again. She wondered, but wasn't going to ask.
Petra went to find her daughter's shoes, finished getting ready, and just as they were about head off to the park, Eric's phone rang. With a grunt, he pulled it out to answer. Petra wasn't sure what was going on, but he sounded really upset.
Tis The Season For Forgiving Page 5