Splitting the Defense

by Amber Lynn

“What if I don’t want to have dinner with Paul?”

  Meredith wasn’t sure what had gotten into her son, but he was in a mood. As she stirred a pot of stew above the coals in their fireplace, she looked over her shoulder to where Caleb sat in his small wooden chair, swinging his legs as he stared down at the floor in front of him.

  The day before he’d seemed excited about the concept of someone coming up for a visit. Most of the day he’d been playful after Meredith made it home from her morning swim and woke him up, but as dinnertime got closer, his lower lip projected out a little more. She’d noticed, but let him tell her what was going on when he was ready.

  “I suppose we can ask him to leave when he shows up.”

  “Maybe that’s a good idea.”

  Humming softly, Meredith turned back to their food. She’d never been warm to the notion of Paul coming over, but it seemed like the perfect setting to make him finally realize there wouldn’t be anything romantic between them. The attempts she’d made at the store weren’t getting through. As it was, since the location was public, she didn’t do her best convincing. In a more private setting, she was sure she’d make him see how crazy the idea of them being a couple was.

  “Is there a reason you decided you don’t want Paul around? I thought you liked him.”

  Caleb liked everyone. He could jabber on about anything for as long as someone felt like listening to him. Most people would give him about five minutes, then smile and move on. Paul always gave him all the time he needed to speak his mind before the wind blew out of his sails. The man was probably a saint for that, but that didn’t make him relationship material.

  “I do like Paul.” Caleb emphasized the do by stretching it out a little. “I just don’t want you to be sad again like you were when Daddy was here.”

  In his short five years, Caleb seemed more mature than other boys his age. Meredith’s husband’s way of running a house made it difficult for Caleb to remain an innocent little boy. In a small cabin, it was difficult to hide everything from him, but she did her best.

  Lawrence wasn’t usually a physical abuser. He drank too much and liked to use his words to slice Meredith up from time to time. It didn’t change the fact that she cared for him. It just made him difficult to love some times. Towards the end of his life, those times became a little more frequent, which was why she questioned the meaning of the word love.

  Meredith hated the fact that a strict father, who thought children should be seen and not heard, made it so Caleb acted more adult than she did half the time. She’d hoped that after Lawrence’s death there’d be an adjustment period when Caleb would magically become a little boy again, but she hadn’t noticed any changes. He spoke more, but the words coming out of his mouth weren’t the fun and games ones she wished for.

  Putting the large wooden spoon she was using to stir dinner down on a plate in front of the fireplace, Meredith turned around to face her son. Even in his mood, he’d dressed nicely in his navy button-down shirt and a nice pair of tan slacks, ready for company. Meredith let him pick his clothes, another attempt to let him be a kid, but he always seemed to dress appropriate. Just once she would’ve loved for him to go through a phase of not wanting to wear clothes or trying to wear them backwards.

  She walked over and kneeled in front of him. His blue eyes held the seriousness of his worry. Where was a magical eraser when she needed one? She’d do about anything to make it so Caleb never had to worry, especially about her.

  “Sweetie, Paul is a friend coming over for dinner. I highly doubt he’s going to make me sad in the couple hours he’s here.”

  “But Tommy said he heard his parents talking about Paul wanting to be my new daddy.”

  Meredith refrained from saying Jim and Nancy Plum had big mouths. Living in a small community meant everyone knew everyone else’s business, and Meredith didn’t want her life to be anyone’s business.

  “Even if that’s the case, I think you, me and the baby are fine on our own. Don’t you?”

  Claiming he didn’t want Paul to become any kind of fixture made the question a little redundant. Technically, those weren’t the words he used, so Meredith wanted to make sure they were on the same page.

  “When’s the baby coming out again?”

  Rather than wait for an answer, Caleb hopped out of his chair and ran over to where they kept a calendar on one of the large pine logs that made up the cabin walls. Meredith had circled her estimated due date and each day Caleb put a black X on the calendar to mark the days off. She was getting to the point where it felt like someone was erasing the marks, because she was ready for the baby to be born.

  “One, two, three.”

  Caleb started counting. Thirty-two was the magic number, and Caleb counted slow, so they had a while before he had his answer. Meredith could have just told him, but he enjoyed doing things himself.

  Turning back to check on the stew, Meredith was stopped from her progress when a soft knock came from the front door. It was only a little after four. Even though she hadn’t said a specific time for dinner, she figured Paul wouldn’t show up until at least five.

  The counting stopped at twenty as Caleb’s eyes joined Meredith’s focused on the door. He was closer to it, but didn’t make a move to greet the person on the other side. Meredith watched his shoulders to see if there was any indication of joy or fear from them. They remained perfectly square.

  “Should I get him a bowl of stew and tell him we aren’t up for company tonight?”

  It didn’t matter if someone thought Meredith was rude to suggest they come and send them away, but she thought Caleb would like the idea of sending Paul away even more if they provided him with something for the road. After their talk, neither one of them sounded up for entertaining.

  “No, he can come in and eat. At least until he makes you sad. Then he has to leave.”

  Meredith took a deep breath. She had a feeling her genial son would change his mind.

  “Okay, well go ahead and get the door and I’ll see how soon it will be until the stew is done.”

  Without bothering to verify Caleb could complete the task, Meredith busied herself with her task. The stew had been simmering for a while, so there wasn’t an issue of whether or not they could eat. It was just a matter or making sure it was warmed through.

  “You’re not Paul.”

  The words had to be the scariest ones Meredith had ever heard from her son. They never had visitors, even when Lawrence was still in the land of the living. Her heart dropped for a second as panic took over before she could turn around to see who was at the door.

  “I’m not sure who Paul is, but you’re right that I’m not him. What’s your name, little guy?”

  Recognizing the voice didn’t ease the rapid beating in her chest that had taken over once her initial reaction faded. The man from the lake had found them. Clearly, he didn’t listen very well.

  Meredith didn’t bother trying to hide the daggers in her eyes as she concentrated on the man talking to her son. She expected him to be looking at her, but he was studying the boy that barely passed his knees.

  As she watched, the massive man knelt so he was closer to her son’s height. There was something about the man that terrified her, and she didn’t think it had anything to do with his size. It had everything to do with his smile, which he showed off, revealing his deep dimples. At least his chest and arms were covered.

  “My mom told me not to talk to strangers. Since I don’t know you, I can’t tell you my name.”

  It made Meredith proud that the chocolate eyes studying Caleb didn’t move his dedication to following her rules. It had to be the first time Caleb had ever met a stranger.

  “Your mom’s a smart one. You can never be too safe around strangers, which is why I wanted to stop by and introduce myself.”

  “Caleb, why don’t you come back over here and sit down so I can talk to Toby outside for a second.”

  Using the man’s name wasn’t the brightest
move as it only seemed to make his already larger than life smile get bigger. He was the one who’d told it to her, so he shouldn’t have been shocked to hear it coming from her lips.

  Caleb looked over to Meredith, but didn’t question her direction as he walked towards her. She tried to read his face. His eyes held a little amusement, but there wasn’t a smile on his face.

  “Maybe he should stay for dinner,” Caleb whispered as he made it to the chair.

  He turned the chair so it faced the door. Meredith shook her head. They had just got done questioning whether Paul should stay for dinner and suddenly Caleb thought it was a good idea to invite a stranger.

  “Safety in numbers,” he added.

  Her son was smart, but he didn’t understand all the ways of adults. Numbers weren’t exactly on her side. She didn’t know enough to know what Toby’s intentions were, but him showing up at her door after she told him to bugger off wasn’t a good sign.

  “I’m impressed you remembered my name. Sorry for dropping by without warning. I just wanted to apologize about earlier.”

  Meredith ignored Toby’s words and pushed him outside the cabin, letting the door close behind them. His voice echoed deeper than she remembered. Of course, she’d only heard it once, so she didn’t have a lot to go on.

  Once she got a few feet away from her home, Meredith turned to face the man intruding on her family’s seclusion. She’d tried to forget about him over the day, hoping her startled state explained why she felt flustered. She wondered if there was something about his size that her subconscious was picking up on that she hadn’t fully registered. It would make more sense than his good looks rattling her brains.

  She’d never had trouble with that before, but there was something about Toby that told her to stay away. That was exactly the reason why she’d made sure to tell him to not show up for her morning swims. He didn’t act like he recognized her, but it could be some kind of act.

  “I’m pretty sure I told you not to come here. I like not having a giant fence surrounding my property, but if we keep running into each other, I’ll have to consider remodeling.”

  The lake wasn’t solely on her property, but she doubted Toby knew that. A nice eight-foot wall seemed logical. It was becoming apparent that Meredith wasn’t exactly thinking everything through. She had no problem blaming that on pregnancy hormones she hadn’t known existed.

  “You can’t fault me for being curious about my neighbors.”

  “Push me and you’ll find I can fault you for just about everything.”

  Meredith felt her fire that protected her float above her confusion. She never let her guard down. The fact that she had, irritated her almost as much as the man in front of her.

  Toby took a step forward, causing Meredith to take a step back. They were already close enough together for her liking. The sound of tires crunching through the dirt and rock leading to the house took Meredith’s attention away from her company to the rusty green pickup coming to a stop ten feet away from them. Meredith had hoped to have Toby sent on his way before Paul showed up. Two annoying men were a little more than she could take.

  Chapter Five

  Toby watched judiciously as the skinny guy from the grocery store climbed out of the old truck. He hadn’t really stopped to think about what the pregnant woman’s husband would look like, but he sure as hell didn’t think Mr. Toothpick had a chance with her. Toby hadn’t seen every guy in town, but options couldn’t have been that slim.

  The man looked like he’d just walked out of a rodeo somewhere. His head was topped with a cowboy hat that seemed a little small. The tightness matched the dude’s jeans, which had to be cutting off circulation. It was either that or the guy didn’t have a lot to offer. Since Toby had already decided he didn’t like the guy, he rooted for the latter.

  Instant distaste didn’t generally come natural. Toby didn’t understand the emotion rolling over him as he wondered whether he should’ve worn flannel and cowboy boots instead of a suit without the jacket. In the middle of the woods, it sort of made sense.

  “Everything okay, Meredith?”

  The drawl of the locals was something Toby didn’t think he’d ever get used to. Even three simple words were hard to understand. He did finally learn the woman’s name, though.

  Meredith.

  Toby tried not to squint his eyes as he considered the name. He hadn’t spent much time thinking of the mystery woman’s name, but he doubted Meredith would have made a top ten list.

  With her husband there, it wasn’t right to hope he could spend a little time getting to know whether the name suited her. He did it all the same.

  “Everything’s fine, Paul. Toby, this is Paul. Paul, this is Toby, my new neighbor.”

  Meredith’s tone was even more annoyed than she had been when it was just the two of them talking. He wondered if she’d already mentioned running into each other at the dock.

  “So the developer guy. He’s not here trying to buy your land, is he?”

  Paul lifted the brim of his hat up slightly to get a better look at Toby. It seemed unnecessary since Toby could already make out the guy’s weird grayish eyes. They were probably blue, but the lighting made them look a little eerie.

  Toby was busy focusing on the part of the conversation where the guy mentioned the land being Meredith’s and not including himself in the statement. There was probably a husband out there who owned the land with her, but at least it wasn’t the toothpick.

  “Why does everyone think I’m a developer?”

  Something about Toby’s voice made Paul startle. Maybe he thought he was mute since he hadn’t said anything, but the action reminded Toby of a rookie on the ice. Since Meredith already knew it wasn’t the reason for his visit, he waited for Paul to come up with an explanation.

  “Why else would you be up here?”

  It was a decent question based on what Toby had observed of the area. His cabin was about as far away from a five-star resort as he could get. Toby directed his response to Meredith by turning to face her.

  Since he’d been so focused on Paul, he hadn’t realized she had turned back towards him and her body language seemed to be cutting the other guy out of the conversation. Her arms were crossed, resting on the top of her stomach. She definitely had a bit of fire in her eyes as she stared down at Toby’s feet, which seemed odd. Surely she didn’t object to his dress shoes, but then again, they were in the middle of the woods.

  “I have my reasons. I guess I should probably head back to my place.”

  Meredith’s eyes darted up and took on a panicked look as they widened. Toby couldn’t read a woman to save himself, so he had no idea what it meant.

  “Like I said, Meredith, I just wanted to make sure everything was cool between us. I’ll make sure my daily runs don’t interfere with your routine.”

  Toby made sure to emphasize her name. Since she hadn’t given it to him, he felt like he won something.

  “You don’t need to leave. Caleb invited you to dinner, so you have to at least stay for a bowl of stew.”

  Squinting his eyes slightly, Toby considered the turn of events. He was confused, both that she offered and that she was using her son as an excuse. He didn’t have great hearing, but the kid didn’t seem too impressed by him. Saying his mom didn’t either was an understatement.

  He looked over to Paul to see his take on the invite. The guy’s opinion didn’t matter, but the shocked, open-mouth expression on his face was almost comical.

  “Well, I have to say whatever you got cooking in there seemed to tickle my appetite. You sure I’m not intruding if I stay? I’m sure with your husband added into the mix, it would be pretty tight sitting around the table in there.”

  Toby had noticed the general layout of the cabin didn’t seem that different from his. Big open space and a couple of doors leading off into bedrooms was about it.

  Meredith rolled her eyes upward and shook her head. Toby was sure that meant she did a little math and
figured out how she’d be sitting on her husband’s lap if they all stayed for dinner. He assumed the Paul guy was staying since he’d shown up at what was apparently suppertime.

  “My husband died months ago, so I’m pretty sure he won’t take up too much space.”

  There didn’t seem to be any sadness in the statement, which surprised Toby. He was making a lot of assumptions, but he assumed the baby was the husband’s, so those months couldn’t have been easy or particularly long.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he managed to say, a bit lost for words.

  “It is what it is, so don’t worry about it. Look, as much as I adore my son, I’m sure he’s not sitting quietly in his chair, so we should probably get inside and get bowls for everyone.”

  Toby hadn’t really considered they’d left a small child in the house with an open fire going. The door had closed on its own, so it wasn’t latched, but there was no clear visual of what the boy was up to.

  “You sure you want to stay?” Paul said, pausing for a second. “Sorry, I’m not great with names and I seem to have forgotten yours.”

  Glancing away from Meredith, Toby got the idea that Paul wasn’t being sincere. His face had changed to be harder. Toby felt like he’d unknowingly stepped into something.

  “It’s Toby. Toby Matthews, and I think staying for dinner sounds like a great way to get to know my new neighbor.”

  A scowl had taken over Toby’s face as he spoke, but when he turned back to face Meredith, he was all smiles. Getting in the middle of things usually wasn’t his thing, but Meredith didn’t seem warm to the guy, any more than she was with Toby. If she needed a knight in shining armor to help with something, he was up for the task.

  “Great. I know Caleb will be excited you decided to stay.”

  A quick shake of the head didn’t clear away the small smile on Meredith’s face, so Toby reached up and scratched his head. His confusion only deepened.

  Rather than reveal he had no clue what was going on, he just returned the smile and followed Meredith to the door. Toby wasn’t lying about the food making him hungry. He’d planned on opening a couple cans of chili and having those for dinner. The kitchen at his cabin was ill-equipped for a big homecooked meal.