by Leah Atwood
The door closed behind him, and she went to the kitchen, grabbing a pint of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and a spoon from the drawer. On her way into the living room, she caught sight of herself in the mirror above the fireplace. No wonder Jeff had greeted her earlier with a strange look.
Her hair was pulled back in a messy knot and looked like it hadn’t been brushed since she woke up. Come to think of it, she didn’t remember doing anything with it today beyond pulling it back into a hair tie. She hadn’t bothered with makeup either and had barely gotten dressed, if throwing on a pair of holey jeans and a paint-stained T-shirt counted. Admittedly, she looked rough.
She had to get herself together before she left for Gram’s house in a few hours. Between the church and the community of Oden Bridge, there was enough food there to feed an army, and the family was meeting for dinner and to console one another. Initially, the plan had been to meet at her parents’ house because they didn’t want to cause more work for Gram, but she seemed to thrive on having people around her.
Plopping down on the couch, she tucked one leg under another. The ice cream carton was cold in her hand so she balanced it on the sofa’s arm. She removed the lid, digging in. The first bite was cold and soothing, comfort food at its best. Halfway through the carton, her stomach begged for mercy. A pint of ice cream wasn’t the best choice of nourishment when she hadn’t eaten anything since the beignet yesterday morning. Lid replaced, she carried it back to the freezer.
Someone knocked on the front door.
“Who could that be?” She walked to the foyer and looked through the peephole. “Oh no,” she muttered under her breath. Bryce had shown up early. With Rob. “Be there in a minute.”
Even through the barrier of the door, Bryce’s laugh was loud. “Open the door, Dani. I see you right there.”
So much for freshening up before letting them inside. Horrified by her appearance, she opened door. “Hi.”
“Hi to you, too.” Bryce smiled, and for a second, in her happiness to see her cousin, she forgot about the reason he was here.
“Come in. I didn’t think you’d be here this soon. What time did you leave?” She moved away from the entry, allowing room for the two men to come inside the house.
“Too early.” Bryce’s smiled faded, and he regarded her solemnly. “I’m always glad to see you, but, man, I wish it were under different circumstances.”
“Me, too.” Her bottom lip trembled, and the waterworks were about to start again.
Bryce took Dani into a big bear hug, letting her cry on his shoulder. A brother by blood couldn’t have been a better comforter. Finally the tears subsided. As often as she’d cried in the past twenty-four hours, she was starting to wonder if they were going to become a permanent fixture.
She’d briefly forgotten about Rob. He stood back, unobtrusive. Pink tinged her cheeks when she realized he was witnessing her at her worst. The emotional breakdown, the lackluster—err, pitiful— appearance.
“Hi,” he said when she made eye contact.
“Hi.” She fought the urge to smooth her hair and draw attention to the mess.
They stared at each other. Volumes of silence begged to be filled with words, but neither spoke. He extended a hand, she took it. Still, no words were exchanged.
Bryce cleared his throat with an intentional cough. Startled, she released Rob’s hand and spun to see her cousin eyeing her with a quizzical gaze.
She gathered her bearings and waved them to the kitchen. “Come have a seat. Should I put some coffee brewing?”
“Coffee would be fantastic.” Scraping sounds of metal against tile ensued as Bryce pulled a chair out from the table.
“Yes, please.” Rob sat down also, the same chair he’d chosen the first, and only, time he’d been in her house.
Once the coffee was ready, she poured a cup for each of them and joined them at the table. “You must have driven through the night to get here at this time.”
“He told me four, but dragged me out of bed at three.” Rob sounded alert, but she could tell by his drooping eyes that he was tired.
“Not my fault you weren’t ready.” Bryce took a sip of coffee, then looked at her. “Gracie woke up around two, upset and crying. Once Sophie and I got her back to sleep, we were wide awake, so I figured I’d go ahead and leave early.”
Dani pressed her lips together, thinking. “I hate that any of us are going through this, but I especially hate it for Gracie. How is she, honestly?”
“I think she’ll be okay in time. Unfortunately, she’s had to learn the facts of life much sooner than any child should have to.” Drawing in a long breath, Bryce stared into his coffee. “How’s Gram? I only got to speak with her a few minutes before she insisted we stay with her.”
“Gram’s a trouper.” She drummed her finger against the tabletop. “I wish I had the amount of faith she possesses. You didn’t stop there first?”
“No. I wanted to see you first to get the real scoop. I knew you’d tell me the truth about Gram.” His phone rang and he looked at it. “It’s Sophie, I’ll bet wanting to know if we made it. Excuse me.” He stood and moved to the living room, leaving her alone with Rob.
“I’m glad you could come with Bryce,” she told him.
He shrugged. “It’s what friends do.”
“How was the drive?”
“Pretty good. A few spots of traffic, some fog early on.” The coffee mug spun between his fingers.
She laced her fingers, twirling her thumbs. “How long are you staying?”
“Trying to get rid of me already?” Although smiling, insecurity reflected in his eyes.
“You’re always welcome.” She returned his smile, but her stomach knotted.
Nothing had changed between them, yet everything had. The attraction that arced back and forth from them at the wedding hadn’t disappeared. Neither had the unwillingness to discuss that spark. Rob’s lack of faith was no longer a hindrance, but that didn’t mean he’d changed his views of relationships. Those were moot points anyway since she was seeing Jeff.
“How’s work?” Unhanding the mug, one arm rested casually on the table and the other was bent over the back of the chair.
“Slower than I would like, but otherwise good. I decided to close for a few days in light of everything.” Although Angela had offered to keep the fires burning, Dani decided shutting the doors for a few days was best for her well-being, if not for business. She needed a full break from the restaurant to deal with Gramps’ death.
“How are you?” The depth of his blue irises locked onto her, piercing her with their gaze.
The weight of his stare—his genuine concern—threatened to make her cry again. She swallowed. “I miss him.”
He reached over and clutched her hand, briefly, then let it go.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Bryce standing in the doorway. His head was cocked to one side, his lips clamped in a straight line. “Ready to go, Rob?”
Rob broke eye contact. “Whenever you are.”
“You can’t stay a little longer?” She stood and pushed her chair in, not sure what Bryce’s sudden problem was. “Aren’t you hungry? I can fix you something to eat. Dinner at Gram’s isn’t for another several hours.” Goodness, she hoped they couldn’t hear the desperation in her voice, but she didn’t want Rob to leave.
“I could go for something to eat. Breakfast was ages ago,” Rob spoke up, surprising Dani by vocalizing his desire to stay.
“I don’t know.” Shifting his feet and looking at her, then Rob, Bryce hedged.
“There’s shrimp and crab gumbo in the freezer.” She played the right card, knowing it was a favorite of Bryce’s that he didn’t eat often because of Sophie’s shellfish allergy. “It won’t take long to heat it.”
“You win.” Bryce chuckled. “Any chance of potato salad?”
“You’re pressing your luck on that one.” She went to freezer, opened the door and withdrew the container with the gumbo. It
was frozen solid, unlikely to come right out of the bowl, so she ran it under water while she readied a pot.
“What can I help with?” Rob sidled up to her.
“Nothing, you’re a guest.” She turned to Bryce after dumping the Gumbo into a pot. “You can get the bowls down.”
“Hey now.” Bryce pointed to Rob. “How come he’s considered a guest and told to do nothing, but I get bossed around?”
“Because dear cousin, you are family, not a guest.” Grinning, she swatted his arm. “Now, go earn your keep.”
He saluted her. “You’ve got it, boss.”
“Is the truck locked?” Rob asked, looking at Bryce.
“No, why?” Reaching up, Bryce grabbed a few navy blue bowls from a cabinet.
“I left my phone in it, and there’s a call I need to make.”
“Go ahead, its open.”
Dani observed Bryce with curiosity as he watched Rob leave the house. The minute the door shut behind Rob, Bryce turned to her. “What’s up?”
“With what?” Playing dumb, she stared at him, hoping she appeared impassive.
“With you and Rob. You can’t keep your eyes off each other.” Bryce set the bowls down on the counter near the stovetop.
“We’re friends, that’s all.” She stirred the gumbo with a long-handled, large metal spoon.
“And I’m Bigfoot.” Bryce positioned himself against an open spot on the wall with his arms crossed. “I knew he had a thing for you, but I didn’t realize it was mutual.”
“You’ve talked about me with Rob?” She spun around, spoon still in hand, sending gumbo stock spraying across the kitchen.
Telltale guilt flashed across him. “Inadvertently.”
“Whatever is that supposed to mean?” Annoyed, interested, flattered—she wasn’t certain which feeling was going to take the lead.
“Are you still seeing Jeff?”
“Don’t change the subject. Tell me what was said.” Well aware she was giving him more ammo with her insistence, but unable to stop, she shook a finger at him.
He darted a gaze to the door. “The night Gram told me you’d been dating someone, it came up naturally in conversation. Jay and Adam had picked up on earlier signals, and thought Rob was that person.”
“And?” she pressed, looking at him while wiping up the gumbo that had flown from the spoon.
“And he also gave me the friends spiel.”
“Oh.” Disappointment stalled further thoughts.
“But both of you are lying.” Bryce came and stood beside her. “A few months ago, I would have told you to run as far from Rob as you can. In fact, I essentially told him as much.”
“You had no right.” She put both of her hands on her hips.
His hand flew up, interrupting her. “Let me finish, please, because this isn’t easy for me to admit. I made a mistake that night and said some things I regret to a very good friend. People like Rob don’t come along too often, and I’m ashamed to say, I made some harsh judgments of him.”
“Do you have a point? If so I’d really like to hear it before he comes back in?” She pursed her lips, waiting.
Bryce was silent for a second before speaking. “Here it is—you and Rob are obviously attracted to each other, and it’s apparent to me that it goes beyond something physical.” He took a deep breath then exhaled. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think you owe it to each other to stop this ‘friends’ junk and figure out what you both want.”
“Rob’s made it clear he’s not interested in a relationship.” Painfully clear. She turned away and put rice to boil in another pot.
“I’m pretty sure that’s changed, but he thinks you’re still seeing Jeff.”
“I am,” she whispered.
Bryce turned her to face him. “Are you happy with him?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Then do something about it.” His hand, still on her shoulder, started to shake and a shadow cast over his face. “Gramps’ death showed us life can end at any time. Rob also learned that lesson all too well. Don’t waste precious time forcing something that’s not meant to be because it’s easier.”
The front door opened and brought their conversation to a quick end. Rob walked in, handing the phone off to Bryce. “Caroline’s on the line. She wants to talk to you.”
Making a face, Bryce took the phone.
“Caroline just found out about Gramps,” Rob explained as Bryce stepped out. “Elle let it slip by accident.”
She raised her eyebrows. “He didn’t tell Caroline and Jay?”
“No, they were still on their honeymoon, and he didn’t want to mar it.” Rob pointed to the pots on the stove. “Sure I can’t help with anything?”
“Positive.”
The air in the room thickened. Bryce’s words hovered above her, creating an increased awareness toward Rob.
“Dani…”
“Rob…”
They spoke at the same time. A thin giggle of nerves came over her.
“Ladies first.” Rob flashed a smile.
“I’m sorry I all but stopped talking to you.” There, she’d admitted it.
“I understood.” His teeth grazed his bottom lip. “You started seeing someone and it wouldn’t have been right for us to talk as much as we did with a boyfriend in the picture.”
The rice began to boil over, and she removed the pot from the heat. Setting it aside so it could cool and absorb the last of the water, she turned off the burner. Once it cooled down, she’d clean up what spilled over the top. Today wasn’t a good day for keeping the kitchen clean. She turned back to him. “Your turn.”
“For what?” He squinted, confused.
“You were going to say something a minute ago.”
“Oh.” His lips twisted and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking of something to say, different than what he’d intended. “I was just going to say it’s good to see you again.”
“You look good.” When she realized how her words sounded, embarrassment hit her. “I mean you look more at peace than you did this summer.”
“I am.”
“About Jeff…” The front door open and closed before she had a chance to elaborate.
“That was fun,” Bryce said with a sarcastic tone from the hallway. He entered the kitchen and tossed Rob his phone. “You had a missed call, but I couldn’t get Caroline off the phone in time.”
Rob caught his phone and looked at the screen. “Stop acting so grumpy. You know how Caroline is.”
“Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful for her and Jay’s friendship and condolences, but I just had to play hardball to convince them not to leave their honeymoon early.”
Dani stood back. She’d never once envied Bryce his fame or fortune, but times like this, she did wish for a close network of friends like he had. Her own friendships seemed superficial next to his. Every last one of his band members would do anything for each other, immediately drop what they were doing if another was in need, unlike Jeff. Agitation tightened her chest. She couldn’t make excuses for him any longer. He was a good man, but work would always come first to him, much like it had for her. Until now.
She dished the rice and gumbo into a bowl for Bryce and one for Rob. The ice cream had been enough to curb her diminished appetite. Insistent on helping, Rob carried the bowls to the table. Bryce pulled out two spoons from the silverware drawer and handed one to Rob. The room became conspicuously quiet while they ate.
Rob finished first and set his spoon down in the bowl. “This was really good. Thank you.”
“I didn’t think I was that hungry until I started eating.” Bryce finished off the last bite of his food. “It’s even better than I remembered.”
Laughing, she took their empty bowls from the table and set them in the sink. “It’s only been a few months.”
Bryce looked at his watch. “We really should be going.”
There wasn’t anything else she could say to delay their
departure, not when she knew Gram would be expecting them soon. At least she’d see them again in a few hours. She walked them to the door and watched them leave. As they left the driveway, Bryce and Rob looked to be already engaged in a serious conversation.
Back inside, she washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, all the while thinking of Rob. His presence confused her further, but even that was a welcome distraction from the pain of Gramps’ passing.
Two hours later, she grabbed her phone, preparing to leave. The flashing message indicator light caught her eye. She must have missed the initial alert. She looked down and saw a new text message from Rob, the first one from him in weeks.
For the record, you look good too. :)
She sucked in a sharp breath. If the pleasant shudder of her nerves was any indication, she was in trouble.
Chapter 13
Friendship should come with limitations, or at least a get-out-of-jail-free card to cash in at times like this. Rob leaned against the sink of the funeral home’s bathroom, fleeing the mourners for a few minutes. Gramps had been a pillar of the Oden Bridge community and the continuous flow of guests evidenced that.
For the most part, Rob had stood back, keeping to himself. His main role was over now that Sophie and Gracie were here and by Bryce’s side, supporting him. Since noon, he’d occasionally been drawn into conversation with various people but, by and large, he felt like an outsider. He was tempted to cut out, head back to Nashville tonight, but Sophie caught him checking on flights and asked him to stay.
“I’m his wife, but you understand loss in a way that I don’t,” she’d said.
Bryce must have said something to her about Carrie. Rob wasn’t happy about the breach of implied confidentiality, but grudgingly admitted to himself that he’d have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. Sophie and he had talked, and by the end of the conversation, he’d promised to stay until after the funeral.
A promise he was regretting since they were only halfway through viewing hours. The scene brought back all the ugly memories of Carrie’s funeral, the worst of which was the sea of dark clothing. That’s what he remembered the most—the insipid, mundane detail of the attire. It made him want to rip his black shirt off and discard it in the trash like he had his suit.