Huntington Family Series

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  “You bet we do,” she said. “What do you mean telling Lexi she can live with you?”

  “Whoa, wait a minute. I didn’t tell her anything. That was her idea.”

  “Oh? She said you’d agreed.”

  “No. I think I’d remember that.”

  Savvy’s jaw clenched. “You have no claim here, Tyler.”

  “Claim? You think I want to take her away from you?” Tyler was fully awake now and ready to defend himself. He stood, wanting the advantage that height would give him.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Savvy said, pushing him back onto the couch. “I’m the one who–aaah!” She screamed as Tyler pulled her down with him. She moved hastily away from him to the far end of the couch.

  Tyler didn’t release her hand. “Look,” he said, scooting closer. “I’m sorry that Lexi’s trying to put me into the middle of this, but I’m not the problem here. Did it ever occur to you to wonder why Lexi doesn’t want to live with you?” The reporter in him knew there had to be an explanation.

  Savvy looked stricken. “No,” she whispered. After several moments she added, “Am I that bad? Why doesn’t she want me?”

  The words ate into Tyler’s heart. He had the distinct feeling that Savvy’s question ran much deeper than it appeared on the surface. Was it somehow connected to him?

  Savvy tried again to pull her hand away and this time succeeded. “She’s lost everything. I’m the only close relative she has left. I mean, besides Derek, and when he . . .” Tears gathered in her eyes, making them large and luminous. “Well, I’d think she’d want to do everything she could to be with me.”

  Tyler tried to put himself in Lexi’s place. What reason could she have for not wanting to be with Savvy? It didn’t make sense unless–“Maybe she’s afraid . . . afraid of losing you.”

  As he said the words everything fell into place. Fell into place because he felt the same way–terrified of losing Savvy. For a long moment Tyler couldn’t speak. His throat felt clogged and his heart full. I have to tell her how I feel, he thought. I have to help her believe in me before it’s too late for us.

  “Afraid?” Savvy’s eyes grew wide, the hurt fading. “Oh, Tyler,” she whispered, “you’re right! She didn’t start acting like this until that girl hit my mom’s car. All this time I kept wondering if Lexi was still mad at me for making her go to church, but that isn’t it at all.”

  “She’s probably thinking you could have been killed.”

  “Poor Lexi. I have to make her see that I’m not going anywhere. But it’s not as though I can promise nothing will ever happen. I mean, look at her family.” Savvy’s voice broke. Tyler thought she might turn to him for comfort as she had yesterday in the Jeep, but she lurched off the couch, averting her face from him. What had changed?

  Tyler wished he could comfort her. He wanted to take her in his arms and promise to love her forever. He jumped to his feet, hoping to find the right words.

  At that moment, Derek came into the room, blocking Savvy’s passage. He took one look at her tearful face and opened his arms. She met him in a hug. “Savannah,” he murmured, smoothing her hair. “It’s going to be all right.”

  She sniffed, fighting tears. “I’m sorry. I–I just wish . . . I . . .” She hugged Derek again. “I’m so glad I got to meet you.” Pulling away, she added, “I’ll be ready in a minute to get those things you wanted at the store. Meanwhile, will you tell Tyler here that you are not giving Lexi to him?” She shot a pointed glance at Tyler. “You have to stop encouraging her.” Without another word she left the room.

  Derek watched her go before turning to Tyler. “Didn’t go well, huh?” His mouth twitched in a half grin.

  Tyler flexed his hands. “Not well at all.”

  Derek sat heavily on the couch, bending over to rub his ankles. “Darn legs keep swelling. Hope the doctor can give me something for the fluid retention. I have an appointment on Monday.” He sat up straight and looked into Tyler’s face. “She can’t read your mind, you know.”

  Tyler started. “What do mean?”

  “Seems to me you have some serious convincing to do.”

  “I know.” Tyler stared in the direction Savvy had gone. He swung his gaze back to Derek. “What should I do?” He felt stupid asking this man who had failed so much in his own life, but given that emotional display between them, Derek did seem to have some connection to Savvy’s heart.

  “You should probably try to talk to her.”

  Tyler nodded, feeling irritated. Even he knew that much.

  Savvy reentered the living room as Tyler’s phone began ringing again. “Better hurry,” she said. “You wouldn’t want to make your girlfriend wait.”

  “I keep telling you–I don’t have a girlfriend!”

  She pulled her purse over her shoulder, opened the front door, and went out into the cloud-covered morning. Shrugging sympathetically, Derek disappeared down the hall.

  Tyler jabbed at the answer button on his phone. “Hello?” he gritted darkly.

  “Hi, this is Thayne Duncan from the Salt Lake Tribune. I received your resume this week in the mail. I know it’s a weekend, and I would ordinarily wait until Monday to call, but I’m heading out of town next week. Is this a bad time?”

  “No, no. Not at all.” Tyler made a face. Great, one word and I almost blew it. “In fact, this is a great time to talk.”

  The phone conversation was lengthy and ended in a promise of a face-to-face interview. Tyler felt hopeful, yet at the same time, he didn’t know if he wanted the job. Savvy would soon be back in California, and what would Utah hold for him then?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ome on, get up. We’re going to church.”

  Lexi opened her eyes to find Savvy peering down at her. She was smiling, which was a relief because she had been so quiet yesterday. Not that she’d been rude to Lexi. If anything, Savvy had gone out of her way to be nice–making Lexi a nice dinner, renting her a video, inviting Amber to spend the evening with them. With each thing Savvy did for her, Lexi’s load of guilt increased.

  But her plan to put a wedge between Savvy and Tyler was working well. Savvy said little to Tyler, though he attempted to talk with her several times. Savvy obviously believed that he had been talking to that girl on the phone, though Lexi wasn’t sure why she was so insecure. Didn’t Savvy notice how Tyler drooled over her? Did Tyler know how dumb he looked? It was enough to make her sick–and maybe just a little jealous.

  “Get up,” Savvy repeated.

  “I’m not going.” Lexi put her head under her pillow.

  Savvy pulled the pillow off. “Yes, you are. So’s your dad. Come on. Tyler made pancakes. He’s not much of a cook, though, so pretend you like them, okay?”

  Though she had no intention of setting foot inside Savvy’s church again, Lexi had to see Tyler cooking. She threw back the covers and followed Savvy to the kitchen.

  “Whoa! You cook?” she asked Tyler, who was standing near the stove with a spatula.

  He smirked. “Better than you, I bet.”

  Lexi saw her dad seated at the table, drinking a protein shake. “The pancakes are that bad?”

  “Too much fat for my heart,” he said. “All that syrup and butter.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Lexi’s stomach twisted. How could she have forgotten?

  “Here.” Tyler passed her a plate with a short stack of pancakes. Lexi sat down at the table and began smothering them with butter and syrup.

  “Only one for me,” Savvy said.

  Tyler held out a plate. “You sure?”

  “I’ve eaten your pancakes before.”

  “Hey, that was years ago. I’ve improved since then. I promise.”

  “We’ll see.” Savvy spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the pancake.

  Lexi took a big bite of pancake. Immediately, she spat it out. “Yuck! Ugh! What’d you do, use a whole cup of baking soda?”

  Savvy choked on her forkful but managed to swallow it. “She’s right. T
his is terrible.”

  “Worse than terrible,” Lexi added.

  “You guys . . .” Clearly unbelieving, Tyler took a bite of the pancake. “There’s nothing wrong with–” He gagged and spit into the garbage. “Can’t see what would make it so terrible. I followed the regular recipe, except that I used a bit more sugar.”

  “Sugar?” Derek asked, cocking his head. “What sugar? I don’t think I have any–doctor’s orders.”

  “It’s right here.” Tyler showed them a plastic holder containing a white granulated powder.

  Derek let out a snort. “That’s my vitamin C powder. Concentrated. I put a tiny bit in my shakes every morning. If you used a cup of that–or even a half–” He chuckled.

  Tyler sat down on a chair and sighed.

  Lexi went to find the cornflakes.

  “I’m not going with you,” she said as they finished breakfast a short while later.

  Savvy looked disappointed, as did her father, but Tyler grinned. “Too afraid of a repeat, huh? What, don’t you have that skirt you wore last time? Maybe the kids here will like it.”

  “Tyler,” Savvy warned.

  “Hey, it’s like riding a bike. She’s got to get back on.” He glanced at Lexi. “Come on, I dare you to go. Or are you too chicken?”

  Lexi knew he was goading her and that all she had to do was run to her bedroom to get away, but she couldn’t do that. She wanted to please Tyler. If she did, maybe he would agree to let her live with him.

  “I’m not afraid! Fine, I’ll go. But I won’t like it.” She tossed her head and left the kitchen, prepared for the laughter to follow. But no one laughed, and she was glad.

  This time she wore a skirt that went well past her knees and a long shirt that was actually loose. She left off all but a little makeup–like Savvy usually wore–and took out half her earrings. “There, now you look like a good little sister for Savvy,” she said with a sneer. The thought made her heart ache. After sticking out her tongue in the mirror, Lexi went out to wait in Tyler’s Jeep.

  They had barely entered the chapel when a man came to meet them. Lexi knew he was the bishop in the local ward. He’d been to the house a few times, and her father had always listened politely but then sent him away with no promises.

  “Good to have you here.” As the bishop shook their hands, Lexi noticed her father’s face was gray and that his breathing was coming hard. Savvy noticed, too, and they quickly led him to a bench. In a few moments, his color was better, and he was able to sing a hymn.

  Lexi was glad that today she didn’t stand out. In fact, no one really gave her a second look–except that boy a row back who was smiling at her. Lexi returned the smile and looked away.

  After the sacrament meeting, Lexi attended a Sunday School class with boys and girls. She didn’t see the boy who’d smiled at her, but the other kids were nice. There was even a girl she recognized from school, who sat by her. “I didn’t know you were a member,” Bridget whispered.

  “I’m not. My dad is. Or was.”

  “Are you going to be baptized?”

  Lexi thought about it. She might have to if she lived with Tyler. “Maybe.”

  The next meeting was with girls only, and Bridget stayed with her. The lesson was on prayer. Lexi listened, experiencing the strangest feeling that she was hearing it all for a second time. Then she remembered that her mother had written things like this to her in letters before she was baptized. Lexi had been so angry at the time that she’d barely read them, but maybe she should have paid more attention.

  “Do you believe in all this prayer stuff?” she asked Bridget, keeping her voice low.

  “Yeah. Do you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  In her heart, Lexi wanted to believe. If she was really a daughter of God, like they said, wouldn’t God want to help her? Could He heal her father? Or at least make everything work out?

  “So, how’d it go?” Savvy asked as Lexi came out of the meeting, walking next to Bridget.

  Lexi nodded good-bye to her friend as they moved off. “Okay, I guess.”

  “I see you met a friend.”

  “Just a girl from school.”

  Savvy stopped walking. “That’s great! I’m glad you knew someone. Makes it easier.”

  Why does she have to be so nice? Lexi felt even worse about pushing Savvy away and for lying to her about Tyler getting married, but she wouldn’t give up her plan. It was too important to her future.

  “Look, there’s Tyler and Dad,” she said. “He looks tired. We should take him home.”

  * * *

  After a total of three nights on the hard, lumpy couch, Tyler woke up late Monday morning determined to find another place to sleep before the day was out. Having too little rest was beginning to exact its toll. Yesterday when they had taken Derek to the local ward, Tyler had nodded off in priesthood meeting. Derek had been amused, but the teacher and other members hadn’t been impressed.

  Grumbling to himself, Tyler stumbled to the kitchen to find some breakfast–though it was closer to lunchtime by now. The slamming of the front door called his attention away from his stomach. He’d heard Savvy leave with Derek for the doctor’s less than an hour ago. Surely they couldn’t be back already.

  He paused, cornflakes box in hand, when Lexi appeared in the doorway. She stopped, taking in a swift breath.

  “I thought you were in school,” he said.

  Lexi frowned. “I was, but I left.”

  “Why?”

  “My dad’s dying–remember?”

  “Well, your dad’s not here. He’s at the doctor’s–which I think you knew very well.”

  The defiance in her lifted chin verified his assumption.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you back to school.”

  “No! Besides, it’ll be lunchtime.”

  “So we’ll stop and get something for lunch.”

  She nodded, though her eyes, once again rimmed with heavy black makeup, were still angry. He figured she had a lot to be angry about. And better at me than at Savvy, he thought. Of course, Savvy was also upset with him.

  “That reminds me,” he said, opening the door to his Jeep. “Did you say something to Savvy to make her mad at me?”

  Lexi shrugged, but her gaze didn’t quite meet his. “I told her I wanted to live with you, that’s all.”

  “She wants you with her. I think that’s for the best, too.”

  Lexi folded her hands over her stomach. “My dad’s not even dead yet.”

  “You know the diagnosis.”

  “What about prayer? Couldn’t there be a miracle? Or don’t you really believe?”

  Tyler hated the hope in her eyes. “Lexi,” he said, “if it were the right thing to do, God would heal your father. But you have to understand that sometimes we learn more when we have to face the hard things. I think this is one of those times. No matter what happens, He will always help us. That’s for sure.”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  “We have to talk about it.” Tyler couldn’t help the irritation seeping into his voice. “You’re not a baby. You know what’s going to happen.”

  She glared at him. “You don’t want me, do you? You’d rather I went to Minnesota.”

  “That’s not it at all.” He gave a frustrated growl. “Look, I just want to talk about this reasonably. Why don’t you want to live with Savvy? Tell me. Maybe I can help.” Until she was ready to admit her fear of losing Savvy, he didn’t see how he could help.

  Lexi stared out the window and refused to speak. After four attempts, Tyler gave up. He simply didn’t understand this creature.

  “Fine,” he muttered. He pulled into the first fast-food restaurant he found, ordering hamburgers, fries, and shakes from the drive-up. While she ate, he drove to the grocery store on the corner.

  “I know you’re not talking to me,” he said, “but I have to get a card to send to a certain politician. I owe him a big apology, and I’d bette
r do it now while I still understand why.”

  There was a question in Lexi’s eyes, but he didn’t wait around to see if it would win out over her apparent vow of silence. For the moment, he needed to be away from this unpredictable child.

  The ten minutes of isolation did wonders for Lexi. By the time he returned, she would at least look at him. She’d finished her food and started in on his fries. He slapped her hand away. “Hey, those are mine.”

  She shrugged. “They’re cold.”

  “Where’s a mail box?” He started the engine. “I’ll send this note after I take you to school. I hope they let me check you in.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I snuck out of band, and lunch isn’t over yet. Just drop me off.”

  “You promise you’ll go to class?”

  She sighed. “Yes.”

  “Really?”

  “I said yes.”

  “And no more leaving? You can’t be a journalist if you don’t get an education.”

  “All right, all right.” She looked at him and grinned. “I will capitulate to your request. For today, at least.”

  He laughed. “Enough with the big words already. Which way is the school?”

  When Lexi was safely inside the building, Tyler drove around until he found a mail box. Then he made a short call to discover the politician’s address.

  Now for a motel, he thought, as the letter dropped out of sight. Man, I’d better get a job soon, or I’ll have to hit my dad up for a loan. Whatever happened, he didn’t plan on leaving Savvy. She needed him–whether she realized it or not.

  * * *

  Savvy was in the waiting room a long time. She tried reading several different magazines, but the words swam before her eyes. A bridal magazine on the end table was particularly disturbing because when she looked at it, the face of the male model seemed to be Tyler, or to resemble him closely enough to make her feel it was him. That caused her anger to swell again in her heart. How could she love him and be so angry at him?

  I have to get away from him, she thought.

  Maybe she should tell him to go back to Utah, but her heart rebelled at the idea.

  She, of course, couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until she was sure Derek was stable enough to take care of Lexi. She kept telling herself she acted only for Lexi, and yet deep inside, where she didn’t examine too closely, she knew it was for herself, too. She wanted to know Derek for as long as possible.