Daddy Next Door

by Carol Voss

  “Because you, Ben Cooper, like taking care of people.”

  “Do I?”

  “Especially kids. And dogs. Hope told us you rescued Digger after a car hit him.”

  “I’m gaining more than I gave, don’t you think?”

  She nodded. “Unlike with me.”

  “Not true. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been cleaning and tidying up the place. And I could get used to having you and the boys live with us just for your cooking.”

  She gave him a little smile. “Better be careful. Maybe we’ll stay forever.” Oh, that didn’t sound right. “I mean, like Digger.”

  “Okay. Stay forever.”

  She laughed nervously. “Nice save.”

  The kids reached the top of the hill again.

  “See ya.” Ben strode to keep the promise he’d made to his daughter.

  * * *

  After working at the church for a few hours the next morning, Alyssa made a quick stop for groceries. Then she bought a cell at the phone store and walked out, holding Robbie and clasping Joey’s hand. The Courier marquee across the street snagged her attention. “Look, Joey. That’s where Ben works.”

  “Can we go see him?”

  He’d still been working in his home office last night when she’d gone up to bed. She’d never been in a small-town newspaper office. Did Ben have employees or did he do everything himself?

  “Can we, Mommy?”

  Why not? The thought of seeing him made her as happy as her son. Besides, she was curious to see where he worked. And maybe if he had time, he’d mentioned he wanted to show her the Burkhalter Building. “Shall we surprise him?”

  Joey did an excited little hop, haphazardly juggling the phone bag she’d given him to carry.

  She stashed the package in the car, then walked toward the newspaper office, Joey at her side. She opened the door and entered the noisy, bustling office she hadn’t expected.

  “Where’s Ben, Mommy?” Joey sounded worried.

  He was probably busy. She shouldn’t have come. At least, not without calling. She turned to leave.

  But the pretty, young woman behind the reception desk had stopped typing and had already snatched her earphones off her head. “What can I do for you?”

  Alyssa stepped closer to her desk. “We’re looking for Ben Cooper.”

  “I’m sorry. Mr. Cooper isn’t available. Can I help?”

  “I didn’t realize—”

  “Clint, where’s the background article on the Burkhalter Building?” Ben’s rich bass cut through the din.

  “Ben!” Joey pulled his hand from Alyssa’s grasp and charged through the flurry of activity.

  “Hey, Joey.” Ben swooped the boy up into his arms. He wore khakis and a blue oxford button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up. Very professional-and polished-looking. Knowing Ben, she wouldn’t expect anything less.

  “Are you surprised?” Joey asked.

  “Very. Where’s your—” He gave Alyssa a welcoming smile as if he was glad to see her. “Here she is.”

  Alyssa smiled back, if a little chagrined. “I didn’t realize how busy you’d be today.”

  “It’s always like this. I’d like to give you a tour, but we’ll wait until sometime when we’re closed.” He glanced around.

  People who’d stopped to watch the interchange quickly got back to work. Alyssa felt very conspicuous. “We’ll just get out of your hair.”

  “I want to find out how your first day on the job went. And while you’re in town, I’ll show you the Burkhalter Building. Just let me get my jacket.” With Joey in his arms, Ben hurried away, issuing changes he wanted in a layout as he went.

  She walked back to the front of the office to wait near the door, noting the young woman behind the reception desk was transcribing again.

  Ben soon strode through the bustling room with Joey riding his shoulders, stopping to answer questions and make decisions on the way.

  He commanded his office much the way Cam and her father did, making decisions without hesitating. Funny, she hadn’t thought about the men being similar.

  Of course, they were different in many ways, too.

  Walking toward her, Ben gave her one of his disarming smiles.

  The only thing she could do was answer his smile with one of her own.

  He opened the door for her, then followed her outside, ducking to make sure Joey didn’t bump his head. Grasping her elbow, he walked beside her. “Thanks for stopping to see me. What a thoughtful thing to do.”

  Leave it to Ben to try to convince her that she hadn’t thrown a wrench in his workday. “I would have called to see if you had time, but I had no idea you worked in such a hectic place. How in the world do you find so much news to report in such a small town?”

  He laughed. “The Courier covers news in the Noah’s Crossing area. But we also supplement and print an area trade paper and village newspapers for three nearby towns. Keeps us hopping and then some.”

  “Sounds like pressure to me.”

  “We have a lot of deadlines to meet. People want to know what’s going on in their towns.”

  “It doesn’t seem that different from a city newspaper.”

  “It’s not all that different. All good newspapers bring problems into focus so they can be fixed. How did the boys do at the day-care center?”

  “We made amimal cookies,” Joey reported. “And Brett and Trent and me were superheroes, and we played Chutes and Ladders and Trent helped me make four puzzles ’cause he’s four, too. And Matt read a book with little pitures for us to read. Robbie cried, but Mrs. Roxanne sang to him, and he stopped crying so he could hear her.”

  So that was how Mrs. Roxanne had won Robbie over. Alyssa smiled at Joey’s enthusiasm. “There’s your answer.”

  “Good job, Joey and Robbie,” Ben encouraged. “How did it go for you?” He gave her a concerned look.

  “Almost as great.”

  “You felt comfortable there?”

  She nodded. “I did.”

  He looked relieved. “Great. Ah, here we are...future home of low-income family housing.” He unlocked the door and let her inside. “Sorry, it’s not very warm. We heat it just enough to keep pipes from freezing.” With Joey still riding his shoulders, Ben gave her a tour of the mostly open space, explaining the planned layout as they went.

  “It will be very nice. Are you including a picture or two of the committee’s progress in the Courier along with news about the fund-raiser?”

  “Not sure pictures of a big empty space will show much.”

  “It will show why the committee’s holding a fund-raiser, and give people who donated to help purchase the building a feeling of ownership.”

  He nodded. “Good point. I’ll look through pictures I’ve taken through the process. I should have a few good ones.”

  “Before and after, maybe?”

  He grinned. “I should have hired you to work at the newspaper.”

  “I’m impressed with the progress the committee’s made, and I’m sure other people will be, too.”

  “Thanks for your advice.”

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  He gave his head a little shake. “You don’t need to repay me.”

  “I enjoy doing things to thank you,” she said honestly.

  His rugged face melted in a warm smile. “Perfect answer, pretty lady.”

  Absorbing the effects of his smile, she gave him a saucy look. “Seeing that charm of yours peek through is my reward.”

  “Charm?”

  “It works for me.” What was she doing? Trying to flirt? She never flirted. She’d always been terrible at it. But it had happened so naturally with him that she hadn’t realized she was doing it.

&
nbsp; “Really. Then I should use my charm more often?” He looked amused with just the right touch of seriously wanting an answer to his question.

  Nicely done. All she could do was smile, noting that he seemed to enjoy the banter as much as she did.

  Chapter Eight

  Driving home that evening, Coop thought about Alyssa’s surprise visit. That she’d thought about stopping in made him smile. She and her boys had created quite a stir.

  When he’d returned from showing her the Burkhalter Building, a colleague had commented that everybody was shocked when Coop left in the middle of pressing deadlines. Funny, he hadn’t given deadlines a second thought. Not his normal behavior for sure.

  He pulled into his drive, killed the motor and jumped out of his truck. Striding for the back door, he realized he hadn’t spent his short drive home working out problems and setting goals for the next day the way he usually did. Instead, he’d been thinking about Alyssa’s visit, about her waiting at home. Shaking his head, he pulled open the door and shut it behind him, wonderful Italian smells coming from the kitchen.

  “Hi, Ben. I’m feeding Digger.”

  Digger danced between Coop and the food Joey scooped into the dish, poor dog torn between two loves.

  Giving Dig a quick scratch behind his ears, Coop smiled at Joey’s earnest face. “Looks like you’re doing a great job.” He shrugged off his jacket. “Just one scoop, right?”

  Joey nodded. “Hope showed me how.”

  “Great.” He hung his jacket on a peg.

  “Hope, it’s easier and safer to use the colander to drain spaghetti and many things you boil,” Alyssa’s gentle voice directed.

  Must be a cooking lesson going on. He walked into the kitchen, his gaze zooming to Alyssa working at the counter in slim, dark jeans and a soft pink sweater that gave her fair skin a healthy glow. His breath hitched.

  Spinning greens in a gadget he’d never seen before, Alyssa gave him a little smile. “Did you put the newspaper to bed?”

  “Sure did.” Beaming from the inside out, he got lost in her deep blue gaze. “Thanks for stopping to see me today.”

  “We enjoyed it, too.” She glanced at Hope.

  He turned his focus on Robbie cooing at his wrist rattle in his carrier on the island. Joey’s cars lay scattered near him. What a wonderful scene to come home to. An amazing woman, children’s toys and aromas of delicious food cooking. “Smells great in here.”

  “We’re having spaghetti and meatballs.” Hope looked up from her task, steam rising around her.

  “Careful,” Alyssa reminded.

  “I have cooked before, you know,” Hope said abruptly.

  Coop scowled at the back of his daughter’s head. Apparently, things weren’t going as well as he’d thought.

  “Hope, will you please turn down the heat under the sauce and stir it to keep it from scorching?” Alyssa asked.

  Hope set the spaghetti pot on the stove with a thud and turned down the burner under the sauce before she grabbed the wooden spoon and began stirring.

  She was following Alyssa’s directions, but her body language told Coop his daughter wasn’t happy. He realized that with everything going on, he still hadn’t had that talk with her that he’d promised Alyssa he would. He’d better get it done soon.

  “My meatball broke.” Joey’s mouth drew into a pout.

  Coop ruffled his hair. “Your hands have to grow a bit, that’s all. Then you’ll make great meatballs.”

  Seeming satisfied with that explanation, Joey climbed onto a stool to play with his cars.

  Alyssa tore romaine and endive she took from the spinning gadget into a glass bowl she must have dug out of the things they’d carried to his basement to allow her to return her rental U-Haul. “Hope, make sure you dip the spoon all the way to the bottom. You need to stir the sauce closest to the heat.”

  Hope gave Alyssa an exasperated look.

  “Here, I’ll show you.” Alyssa moved closer, took the spoon from Hope and demonstrated what she meant.

  “Whatever you say,” Hope snapped.

  “Hope, Alyssa is being kind enough to show you how to cook—”

  “My cooking’s been fine until she moved in.”

  He frowned, surprised by her retort. It just wasn’t like her.

  “Hope,” Alyssa said, “I had to take a basic cooking class after I got married because I didn’t know a thing about it. But you already know so much. I’m only showing you the finer points to help you improve.”

  Hope looked at Alyssa, as if trying to decide if she could trust her words.

  Holding the girl’s gaze, Alyssa raised her hand, swearing to the truth.

  Hope turned back to the sauce. Alyssa relinquished the spoon, and Hope took over the stirring. “Is this right?”

  “Perfect.” Alyssa went back to fixing the salad.

  Alyssa knew how to calm Hope, but his daughter had been known to carry a grudge. Add the fact that she seemed to be turning into a woman way too fast, with all the wonders and complexities he would never understand, and he could have reason to worry. Obviously, he needed to have that talk with her right after supper.

  When all were seated around the table, Coop said grace, Hope served the spaghetti and meatballs while Alyssa passed filled salad bowls. Finally, everybody dug in.

  “We went to see Mr. Krentz today,” Joey announced.

  “He opened the door?” Coop asked.

  “I don’t think he wanted to,” Alyssa said. “I asked him if he had a generator. He does, but it was on the fritz in this last storm, so he slept on the kitchen floor near his woodstove. I tried to persuade him to let you take a look at it, which only made him grumpier. We didn’t stay long.”

  “Can’t help him if he doesn’t want it,” Coop said. “I talked to Tony this afternoon. He mentioned you’d been taking measurements at the cottage while the boys were napping.”

  “I need to look for furniture that will fit. I was surprised at how much work they’ve already done. Tony says they’re right on schedule.”

  The meal ended with rave reviews, and Coop began clearing the table. “How about helping me with kitchen cleanup, Hope? We need to talk.”

  Alyssa eyed Coop. “Joey will help me clean up, won’t you, honey?”

  “Can I play in the sink?”

  “You can carry things to the sink, okay?” She handed him a plate.

  “Thanks,” Coop said. “Come on, Hope.”

  She followed him, and they settled onto the couch in front of the fire.

  “I’ll apologize to Alyssa,” Hope said flatly. “Is that what you want to talk about?”

  “I think an apology would be good. I’m glad you suggested it. But that’s not what I want to discuss. I should have talked to you before I asked Alyssa and the boys to stay with us. I honestly thought you’d love the idea.”

  Hope frowned. “It’s fine, Dad. Really. I’m sorry I made such a big deal earlier. But I do know how to cook. Some anyway.”

  “I know that.”

  “I mean, it’s not like I asked her opinion or anything.”

  He blew out a breath. “You’re bored making easy things like mac and cheese and fish sticks. Alyssa wants to help out, so I asked her to help you cook dinner.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The beef Stroganoff was pretty bad, wasn’t it?”

  “Not your best.”

  “Well, now I know why. I didn’t turn down the heat and I didn’t stir the bottom of the pan.”

  “Alyssa would probably like hearing you figured that out.”

  She sighed dramatically.

  “You like having them here sometimes, don’t you?”

  She shrugged. “Joey’s fun most of the time. The baby’s cute, even if he hates me. An
d Alyssa could be a lot worse.”

  Not exactly a glowing endorsement, but... “What’s the matter? You don’t like sharing our home?”

  “I don’t mind that. But sometimes I don’t feel like sharing you.”

  Hmm. She had a point. They hadn’t spent much time together since Alyssa and the boys arrived, had they? “How much homework do you have?”

  “I did it at school. Why?”

  “Want to go to the high school basketball game?”

  “Just you and me?” She grinned.

  “Just you and me.”

  Her grin disappeared too quickly. “Dad, just so you know, I’m not dreaming about a mother anymore.”

  “Why not? That’s been your dream for a long time.”

  “I’m getting kinda old for it.”

  “I don’t think you’re ever get too old for a mother, kiddo.”

  “You like Alyssa, don’t you?”

  He caught himself smiling. “She’s a remarkable woman.”

  Hope’s heavy sigh stopped him. “Well, for the record? I liked our life the way it was. I can’t wait to go back to just us, okay?”

  “I hear you.” And he did...loud and clear. But her words surprised him. And for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, they made his chest heavy with disappointment.

  * * *

  Working on the laptop at the kitchen table, Alyssa kept thinking about Hope’s flare of anger when they were cooking dinner. She’d hoped Ben’s talk with his daughter would help. But neither of them had met her eyes as they’d hurried off to catch a basketball game, and she was anxious to ask Ben what had happened.

  Digger scrambled to his feet. Toenails clicking on the hardwood, he trotted to the back door. Finally, she heard Ben’s truck in the driveway. When he and Hope walked into the kitchen, she looked up from the laptop. “How was the game?”

  “Great,” Ben answered. “I had good company, it was exciting and our team won. Can’t get better than that.” He gave Hope a look. “Do you have something you want to say, Hope?”

  The girl focused on the table. “I’m sorry for being rude earlier.”

  Alyssa smiled. “I’m sorry if I was too bossy.”

  “Thanks for teaching me the colander thing and how to keep things from burning.”