“Yet not having someone worry is worse,” Chris put in. “Nobody seems to miss her. To me that’s a clear indication that something’s very wrong.”
Savvy nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, I’ll find out where she’s from soon enough–one way or the other.” There was a note of determination in her voice that Tyler recognized all too clearly.
“That little girl is lucky to have a sister like you,” Chris said.
“Thanks.” Savvy gave him a smile equally bright as the one she’d given Tyler.
“Well, then, if you’ll all excuse me,” Chris said, “I think I’ll go meet my friends. Have fun, Savvy. I’ll see you later.” There was an unmistakable promise in his voice that grated on Tyler’s nerves.
“Sure.”
For a moment, Tyler thought Chris was going to kiss Savvy, but he took her hand and squeezed it instead. Letting go, Chris nodded at Tyler and Kerrianne. “Nice to meet you.” Tyler shook his hand and repeated the words.
They all watched Chris climb into his blue convertible and drive away.
“What do you think Lexi’s scared of?” Tyler asked Savvy when he was gone. “What do you suspect?”
Savvy shook her head. “I don’t really know. She won’t say. But she seems to be afraid of her father, and she claims her mother died in a plane accident.”
“She claims?” Tyler raised a brow.
Savvy sighed. “It’s hard to know if she’s telling the truth. I found out last night that she’s thirteen, not sixteen. I know, I know, looking at her she couldn’t possibly be sixteen, but I wanted to believe her.” She bit her bottom lip. “She–we–have a half brother, too. College age, she says. Lexi seems to worship the ground he walks on. And somewhere there’s a boy named Zeke.”
“What about the scar on the back of her leg?” Kerrianne asked. “Couldn’t miss it as she went inside.”
“What scar?” Tyler realized that his attention had been too focused on Savvy’s interaction with Chris.
“She has an ugly scar on her calf,” Savvy said. “Looks pretty bad. I haven’t asked her about it yet. There’ve been so many other things to talk about. But if her father caused it . . .” Savvy trailed off. Tyler didn’t miss the fact that she did not refer to Lexi’s father as “our” father. He wanted to ask her what she was feeling, but it wasn’t the right time. Maybe they would have some time alone later.
Lexi came back down the stairs wearing crisp, belted jeans and a black top so tight that Tyler doubted it would fit his niece Misty, who would be turning eight in a few months. At least an inch of skin showed above the waist of the pants, and he was sure he caught the glint of a belly button ring. “You bought her that?” he said under his breath to Savvy.
“Not the shirt,” Savvy replied, equally low. “What should I do? Make her change? I’m not her mother, Tyler. And I’ve only been a sister to her since yesterday.”
Tyler didn’t know what to say, and before he could form an opinion, Kerrianne cleared her throat. “Let her come as she is. The pants are a good start. For now let’s accept her the way she feels comfortable. The rest will come. You said it yourself, Savvy, she hasn’t had a good example in her life so far. How could she possibly know how tacky and cheap that shirt is?”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Savvy said. “But this isn’t going to be easy. My mom would never have allowed me to set foot outside the door in that shirt.”
Kerrianne chuckled. “That’s probably why you turned out as well as you did. You had a mother who wasn’t afraid to put her foot down.”
In a few more seconds, Lexi had sauntered over to the van where they stood. “Well?” she asked. “What are we waiting for?” Her chin was up, as though challenging Savvy, daring her to ask why she wasn’t wearing one of the new shirts. Tyler saw the girl’s left shoulder jerk twice and wondered if it was purposeful or if the motion was an involuntary tick that betrayed her insecurity.
“Did you lock the door?” Savvy asked.
Lexi nodded and tossed her the keys. “Well, get in the van,” Savvy said.
Tyler opened the sliding door for them. As Savvy stepped inside, her eyes met his, and he was starkly reminded of the loss he’d felt when she’d left on her mission two years before.
“Savvy,” he said, wanting to reach out, wanting to say something that would fill the sudden void in his chest.
“What?” She waited, her blue eyes wide and questioning.
Tyler couldn’t find the words. Did they even exist?
“Nothing,” he said. “Nothing.” Was it his imagination, or did her eyes reveal a tiny bit of disappointment?
Chapter Nine
After a short debate, a Thai restaurant and a seafood diner were passed over for Italian cusine at Ristorante Milano in San Francisco. Tyler and Lexi ordered spaghetti with Milanese meat sauce, Kerrianne had fettucine, and Savvy opted for grilled vegetables with shallots and balsamic dressing.
The food was great and the company even better. To Tyler it almost felt like old times with Savvy. They talked about his family, her family, mutual friends they’d known. Kerrianne looked more at ease than he’d seen her in some time. But as they finished their meal, the easiness faded, and Tyler found himself fumbling for words. Savvy, too, seemed to feel the developing strain, so much so that she asked about the weather in Utah, a sure sign that something was dreadfully wrong. How many times had they joked that only people who had nothing to say would stoop to talking about the weather? Tyler would have called her on it but was too aware that the time when they had been close enough to do so was long past. That thought caused him more sadness than he would have thought possible.
It doesn’t have to be this way, he thought suddenly. We could get it back, if we tried. But get what part back? For no reason he could pinpoint, Tyler found himself remembering that LaNae wanted them to date other people. Was that what he wanted? To date Savvy again?
“Raining,” he answered Savvy’s question. “We had a nice August storm. We really needed it, too. Been too dry.” He set down his glass and leaned back in his chair. “Not like here. It’s hot, but there’s more moisture in the air, so it doesn’t feel so dry. I like it. In fact, it’s so nice that I might move here. That’s what I’m doing on Monday–dropping by a few newspapers to give them my resume.”
Much to his disappointment, Savvy didn’t leap up in excitement at the prospect. “It is nice here,” she agreed. “I’ve considered staying on after I finish my master’s, but I really miss my family, so I might move back.” She laughed. “Wouldn’t that be funny if we actually switched states?”
Tyler felt a moment of dizziness, as though he was standing on quicksand and couldn’t find his balance. That was crazy because he was still sitting in his chair. “Well, nothing’s decided yet.”
Savvy stared down at her plate. Tyler wished for a moment that he could reach out and touch her face–to force her sky blue eyes to look at him.
“I think it’s wonderful here,” Lexi said predictably. She had been hanging on his every word since they’d entered the restaurant. “Some newspaper should have a job for you. And I bet it’d be a lot more–” Her eyes fell to her lap, where Tyler knew she was holding a miniature dictionary that she’d taken from her tiny black purse. She looked up. “It’d be a lot more, uh, riveting for you.”
He smiled. “It would be, that’s for sure. A lot more going on. Of course my parents wouldn’t like having me so far away, and since we’re so close, it’s hard to abrogate their concerns.”
Lexi nodded, but her eyebrows gathered in puzzlement. She looked down at her lap to find the word’s meaning.
“Abrogate?” Kerrianne shook her head. “Speak English, Tyler.”
“I am. It means to ignore–well, that’s one of the meanings.”
“You’ll have to ignore a lot more than them if you move,” Kerrianne said. “What would I do without you? And the kids would be heartbroken.”
Tyler hated the furrow in her brow. “I’d visit
a lot. Besides, I might do freelancing instead. I could do that anywhere.”
“Being a reporter must be so exciting,” Lexi gushed.
“It has its moments.” Tyler didn’t think now was the time to talk about boring city council meetings and his conservative paycheck. “Are you interested in being a reporter?”
Lexi nodded, her eyes glowing. “I’d love to be a reporter.”
“It’s not always fun,” he admitted, thinking of his own unemployment.
“Well, maybe I’ll be a writer instead. I think I could write a book.”
“The Great American Novel, eh?” he said.
She shrugged with all the innocence and power of youth. “Why not?”
Why not indeed? Far be it for him to discourage her.
“Aren’t you hungry, Lexi?” Kerrianne asked. “You’ve hardly touched your spaghetti.”
“I think I ate too much bread.”
Savvy laughed. “You guys should have seen her down three servings of spaghetti last night!”
“Three plates?” Tyler whistled. “Not that I blame you in the least–spaghetti is my favorite food.”
“Mine too!” Lexi gazed at him so adoringly that Tyler couldn’t help but feel a rush of protective emotion for her. He’d never had a younger sibling, but he bet he would have been a great big brother.
“If you ate pasta last night, maybe we should have picked a different restaurant.” Kerrianne set down her fork and pushed away her plate.
“Oh, no,” Lexi said. “I could eat it every day.”
“Well, are we about finished here?” Savvy looked between Tyler and Lexi pointedly. For some reason Tyler couldn’t define, she seemed annoyed. Surely she wouldn’t mind sharing her new little sister when she had so many younger siblings at home.
He fell into step beside Savvy as they left the restaurant, while Kerrianne and Lexi, with her little dictionary tucked back into her black purse, took the lead. “Is something wrong?” he asked softly.
She gazed at him, her eyes seeming to reach inside his soul. “Crank down the charm a notch, okay? She’s a little girl trying to figure out her difficult life. She doesn’t need unrequited love for a grown man on top of that.”
If she’d slapped him in the face, Tyler couldn’t have been more surprised at her words. “I’m treating her like a little sister, that’s all,” he protested.
“Well, she’s my sister, so lay off!” With that, Savvy hurried ahead of him and out the door into the dusk. By the time he’d caught up to them, Kerrianne had already opened the van and they were climbing inside.
So that’s what I get for trying to make myself useful! he thought. Stifling his irritation, he went around to the driver’s seat. At least Kerrianne was letting him drive so he wouldn’t have to look at Savvy or join the conversation. “Which way is Berkeley?” he nearly growled.
Kerrianne pointed before Savvy could answer. Tyler wasn’t surprised. Not only had Kerrianne visited the area many times but she was good with maps. “But we really should stop at Paula’s before we take them back,” she said. “Paula’s is only maybe ten minutes from here, but if we go back to Berkeley, we’ll have another thirty-five minute drive, plus the half hour back to Pleasant Hill.”
Tyler checked his watch. “It’s after eight, and I’m exhausted. I don’t feel like talking to Paula right now.” He glanced at Savvy, thinking that the brief exchange with her had been more than enough. “Maybe we should come back tomorrow.”
“Well, in that case it’ll be more than an hour drive each way, and you’ll have to go alone because I’m not wasting two more hours plus in a car when I could be spending the day with my mother-in-law.” Kerrianne smiled sweetly as she spoke, but he knew she meant business.
“Paula?” Savvy asked. “You mean Kevin and Mara’s mother?” As one of Amanda’s best friends, Tyler wasn’t surprised that she would recognize the name.
“Yeah, last night Manda suddenly decided that she wants me to go see her, feel her out on the custody issue,” Tyler explained. “Paula moved here three or four months ago, at least according to the last communication Manda received.”
“Then we’d better go now,” Savvy said. “Paula’s a night person from what I’ve heard of her, and besides, you might need another night or two to find her if she’s moved.”
As Tyler pulled out of the parking lot, Lexi leaned forward and put her hand on the side edge of his seat. “Uh, who is Paula? Another sister? I thought you only had two.”
Tyler shook his head. “She’s our sister’s husband’s cousin.”
“Oh,” Lexi replied in a voice that clearly told him she had no idea what he was talking about.
“It’s like this,” he began. “When our sister, Manda, met her husband, he had Paula’s two kids living with him. They were four years and eight months old at the time. They went through some rough spots, but he eventually got custody right before he and Manda were married. Now she and her husband would like to adopt them.”
“They took in two kids just like that?” Lexi snapped her fingers. “They didn’t even care that they weren’t their own? Because some people really care about that, you know.”
Tyler shook his head. “Nope, their idea seems to be the more the merrier. They’ve had a baby of their own, and my sister’s expecting again.”
“What?” Kerrianne, sitting in the front passenger seat, swatted him with her hand. “When did you find this out? And why didn’t you tell me? I can’t believe it–we were in the car for more than ten hours today and you didn’t say anything?”
He held up a hand to fend her off. “Hey, you were reading, remember? Besides, I only found out this morning before I came to pick you up. It must have slipped my mind.”
“Slipped your mind,” Kerrianne muttered. “Typical male. The next thing you’ll tell me is that Mitch and Cory are going to have a baby and that slipped your mind as well.”
He grinned. “Well, now that you mention it . . .”
“Tyler!” Kerrianne raised her hand, but he jerked toward the door to avoid her blow. “Just kidding, just kidding. As far as I know EmJay still keeps them both hopping.”
Savvy chuckled at the display. “Hey, they’ve been married less than a year. It’ll happen soon enough.”
“I remember that Mitch is your brother,” Lexi said to Tyler. “But who’s EmJay?”
“She’s the child of my brother’s best friend. Mitch was her guardian, and when his friend and his wife drowned, he got custody. But her aunt fought him over it. To make a long story short, they fell in love and got married.”
“So they also have a kid that’s not theirs?” Lexi asked.
“Uh, yeah.” He came to a stop at the light and glanced in the back seat. Lexi was looking at him, her eyes narrowed. Tyler had the odd sensation that she was sizing him up, but for what purpose, he couldn’t tell.
* * *
Savvy watched with irritation as Tyler interacted with Lexi. Didn’t he realize how attractive he was and how readily Lexi responded to him? It was all too apparent that the girl craved his approval, even down to that stupid dictionary she’d brought along and the difficult words they’d been slinging at each other all through dinner. Yes, Savvy was pleased that he was nice to her and had refrained from mentioning her piercings and embarrassing shirt, but he didn’t have to turn the charm up so high. Several times Savvy felt herself smothering . . . wishing . . . well, that she was the focus of his attention! No, she would not go there.
Besides, the reality was that he was only trying to be nice. None of his comments toward Lexi could be in any way misconstrued as flirtatious. He was treating her like a favored little sister, and if Savvy admitted the truth, she was plain and simply jealous at their easy conversation and how much Lexi had opened up in his presence. He was actually doing Savvy a favor–the more comfortable Lexi felt, the more likely she would be to tell them about her father.
They drove to Paula’s address, taking fifteen minutes for the trip. With the
help of a map, Kerrianne smoothly guided Tyler to an area thick with small condominiums. There was a gate to enter the community, but it was open and in disrepair.
“Well, this is it,” Kerrianne said, gesturing to a condo with rock and stucco siding, only partially illuminated by a single remaining streetlight. The other lights were broken or so dim as to barely shine at all.
Tyler brought the van to a stop, and they all stared out the windows. The small rectangle of grass in the front yard was neatly mown, but the flowerbed was overgrown with a bush that strangled several wistful clumps of yellow flowers. The condo itself was a mirror image of most of the others on the street, differing only slightly in the color of stucco and rock work.
“I’ll go see if this is the right place,” Tyler said to Kerrianne.
He hadn’t spoken more than a few sentences to Savvy since leaving the restaurant. She knew he was angry at her. The slight tightening of his mouth and the way he avoided her eyes screamed out his displeasure, but Savvy wasn’t repentant. He needed to be put in his place. Who did he think he was, Sir Galahad? Just because he’d come running to California to help her out didn’t mean she was going to lose her heart again. It certainly didn’t mean she owed him anything. She didn’t even want him here. Moreover, she couldn’t allow him to hurt Lexi–even unintentionally. Whatever her untruths, the child had been through enough.
“Can I come, too?” Lexi asked quickly. She smiled at Tyler, her shoulder ticking once.
He hesitated only a second. “Sure. But if she’s here, she might be a little scary.”
“I’m not afraid.” Lexi pulled open her sliding door and jumped out into the night.
Savvy watched her go up the short walk with Tyler, wondering if she should intervene. “I think Lexi has a crush,” she said to Kerrianne, only half joking.
“On Tyler?” Kerrianne glanced out the window. “Well, well, you’re probably right. But don’t worry, it’ll pass. Think of it this way–it’s far better for her to imagine herself in love with a good man like Tyler than some boy of questionable designs who might take advantage of her. Tyler, at least, will never hurt her. Even when she finds out about his girlfriend, he’ll be kind about it. You know he will.”
Huntington Family Series Page 68