Daddy Next Door

by Carol Voss

  “You’re welcome. We can figure out other things you’d like to cook or bake if you want.”

  “I guess.” She looked up at her dad. “I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.”

  “Sleep well, kiddo. Fun game.”

  Hope grinned and hurried away.

  Ben watched her go, his forehead creased in a frown.

  “You’re worried about her?”

  “A little. She rarely acts out like that. And it’s my own fault. I never got around to talking to her like you suggested.” He seemed to be avoiding her eyes.

  He wasn’t telling her everything. “Does she resent our being here?”

  “She’s feeling a little overlooked, that’s all.”

  “I’m glad you took her to the ball game. Please don’t let the boys and me disturb your regular routine any more than necessary, okay?”

  He nodded. “Thanks for understanding. And for calming her down earlier. I appreciate it.”

  “I can relate to her not wanting to share her father. I still don’t like sharing mine.”

  “So it’s an ongoing thing?”

  “In my case anyway. But my father never found time to drop everything and spend time with me, so you’re already ahead of the game with Hope. You always seem to know what to do.”

  “Me?” He gave her a questioning look. Sighed. “Not even close.”

  “That’s not the way I see it. Did you learn how to parent from your father?”

  “Mostly. But too bad for Hope, there’s a lot of trial and error.”

  “You said your mother left when you were eight. What happened?”

  “She went back to her family in Vietnam.”

  She couldn’t help frowning. “What an awful thing for her to do.”

  “My dad was in the military, so we moved a lot, and he was gone much of the time. He said my mother got so miserable and depressed that her health became an issue.”

  Poor woman. “It must have been terrible for her to have to choose between her health and her husband and child. Is she still there?”

  “They both are. When Dad retired, he joined her. I was in college by then.”

  “You and Hope have only each other. No wonder she worries about you.”

  He dropped his gaze. “She doesn’t completely trust me.”

  “Of course, she does. I’m the one she’s not sure about.”

  “Hope’s trust issues aren’t about you. They’re about her mother. And I let her down, too.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “It’s true.” He pulled a chair out from the table and sat in it. “It happened not long after we moved here.”

  “It’s difficult to start over.”

  “Yeah. Hope was only five.” He traced the wood grain in the tabletop with his index finger. “She’d lived her whole life in Chicago with familiar things and people and schedules. I was struggling to save the newspaper. We didn’t know anybody. But there are no excuses.”

  She tried to brace herself for whatever he needed to tell her. “Go on.”

  He blew out a breath. “It’s hard to admit.” He searched her face as if seeking her understanding. “In Chicago, I always did background checks on people I hired for child care. But here, I hired Denise without doing one. She was capable, smart. Loved Hope. She’d dress her up and paint her fingernails and toenails and all those feminine things. Hope soon adored her. Everything was great for a while.”

  He shook his head. “I started trusting her enough to let her keep Hope overnight at her place when I worked into the morning to keep the newspaper afloat or worked on the house. I was overextended or a fool, probably both. I’ll never know why I didn’t see it coming.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He gave her a tortured look. “Denise was a secret alcoholic.”

  Chills shook her. “How did you find out?”

  “She slipped up a few times—missed things she said she’d cover, like Hope’s doctor appointment when she had an ear infection. Or one time, she bought treats for Hope to give her classmates for her birthday, but forgot to deliver them. Then she forgot to drop Hope off at school one morning when Hope spent the night.”

  He stood, paced across the kitchen and back. “The school called me. Hope answered the door in her pajamas. Denise was passed out on the couch, a half bottle of Scotch open on the floor beside her. I shook her awake and left. Later, she called in a panic when she couldn’t find Hope. She didn’t even remember I’d been there.” He shook his head. “Think of what could have happened to Hope because her dad was too stupid to watch out for her.”

  “You didn’t know, Ben. What happened to Denise?”

  He shook his head. “I hear she went back to Dun Harbor and has become a public alcoholic like the rest of her family. Sad. But she had no right to involve my daughter in her addiction.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  He sat down again. “Hope wanted a mother so badly, she was destroyed. Add that to her mother’s abandonment, and you can understand why she’s worried I’ll let her down again.”

  “You trusted somebody you shouldn’t have, as it turned out. But you’ve made solid choices for Hope. I admire you for that.”

  Ben squinted as if he couldn’t believe her.

  “Denise must have been more than an alcoholic or you and Hope wouldn’t have responded to her.”

  “Of course she was. I offered to help her get into rehab, but she turned me down. She had no interest in changing.”

  “Like Shelby?”

  He nodded. “I’d had an up close view of addiction. Why didn’t I see it with Denise?”

  “She was probably very good at hiding it. You are human, you know. What amazes me is you had enough trust to invite us into your home after all you and Hope have gone through.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too.”

  “You’re a great listener. I hope I didn’t unload too much on you just now. Not every man would have so little sense to tell a woman he admires about his failures.”

  He admired her? She wanted to ask him why. Instead, she reached out and clasped his hand in hers, needing to make him feel better. “I know it wasn’t easy to tell me about that. But you did the right thing. If you can look at it as a learning experience instead of a failure... I mean...it is one of the things that’s made you the special man you are now.”

  Ben looked at her as if considering her words. Then holding her gaze, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  It was the most romantic thing a man had ever done for her.

  Chapter Nine

  Alyssa lay staring at the ceiling. How could she sleep with so much confusion rattling around inside her about Ben? They’d shared a lot over the past few days. They were becoming close friends. But he’d kissed her hand. It was...surprising. In a good way, but unexpected just the same. He’d looked a little surprised himself.

  But then he’d smiled, thanked her for listening and told her he thought she was special, too. Of course, he was referring to her earlier comment about him. And he’d seemed genuinely touched by her encouragement. That was all it was. No need to make any more out of it than that.

  But he’d kissed her hand. No man had ever done that before. Who knew he was such a romantic? She sighed with the sheer pleasure of it.

  Hadn’t she had issues with her erratic pulse almost from the beginning? And there was that mysterious connection she’d felt right away. And his smile that always claimed her attention. Hadn’t she enjoyed his closeness? Even caught herself flirting with him?

  Hmm. She blew out a breath, her confusion dissipating and allowing serious concerns to crowd her mind. Extremely important concerns like her boys and Hope and Ben himself.

&nbs
p; And if she needed further discouragement to her thoughts of romance, what about her need to learn to stand on her own and pull her life and her cottage together before her parents came for Christmas? How would romance keep her on track with that?

  It wouldn’t. Romance was nowhere in the picture. Giving in to a hearty sigh, she turned on her side and repositioned her pillow. She was ready for some serious sleeping now that she had her priorities clearly in place again. No matter how romantic Ben’s gesture had been.

  * * *

  Returning from town with a few needed groceries, Alyssa stopped at the cottage mailbox to see if any mail had been forwarded and was surprised there were several pieces, including the monthly envelope from her parents.

  The school bus passed her and dropped Hope off. Alyssa got back in her car and drove into Ben’s drive.

  As soon as Joey was out of the car, he ran to Hope. “Let’s play in the snow.”

  Alyssa watched the exchange a little uneasily. She didn’t know where she stood with the girl, and she wanted to be sure Hope didn’t take out her anger on Joey.

  “Okay,” Hope answered. “But we need our snow clothes first.” Clasping Joey’s hand, they jogged for the house.

  She was relieved Joey still seemed to be in Hope’s favor. Carrying Robbie in his car seat, Alyssa followed them. She walked into the laundry room and almost ran into the kids scrambling to get into boots and snow clothes with Digger doing his best to help by wagging his entire body for attention smack in everybody’s way. “Need anything?”

  “We’re good.” Hope helped Joey switch his boot to the correct foot.

  Hope took good care of Joey. No wonder he trusted the girl. By the time Alyssa had unbundled Robbie in the kitchen and taken off her own coat, the kids had grabbed the carrots and charcoal Joey had stashed and were outside putting features on their unfinished snow family.

  Alyssa settled on the couch to nurse Robbie. When he fell asleep in her arms, she laid him down, then curled up near him with a cup of tea to browse the decorating magazine she’d bought. It was time to get serious about figuring out what she was going to do about dressing up the cottage. Spying a lovely slipcover, she studied it to determine whether it was simple enough for her to replicate. Maybe. Never mind that she still needed to find a couch to put it on.

  She still hoped to have a few furniture pieces in place before her parents came for Christmas. She set her teacup on a side table and shuffled through her mail. Laying aside a couple bills, she opened the envelope from her parents, a check fluttering out. She shook the envelope, always hoping for a letter.

  Not surprisingly, it contained only a generous check signed by her father’s accountant. The monthly stipend her parents insisted on sending ever since Cam’s death, in spite of her objections. She tore it up into small pieces like she always did. Hadn’t anybody noticed she never cashed any of them?

  Frowning, she jumped up and hurried to get her new cell from her purse. She hit speed dial, settled beside Robbie again and waited.

  “This is the Bradley residence.”

  “Mother, it’s Alyssa.”

  “How wonderful to hear your voice, dear.”

  “Yours, too.”

  “I’ve been trying to call you. I was getting a little worried.”

  “I’m sorry, Mother. I had to buy a new cell phone.”

  “How are the boys?”

  “They’re doing great. Happy and growing fast. We’re all fine. You and Daddy?”

  “Busy as always.”

  A warning blinked in the back of her mind. “You’re still coming to Wisconsin for Christmas, right?”

  “Actually, we don’t want to hold you to that invitation given all that’s happened over the past year.”

  “But I want to do it, Mother, especially after everything that’s happened.” It might not be logical, but a family dinner around Gram’s old table was the dream she’d woven and clung to through the darkest times.

  “Your father wants to talk to you.”

  “No. Mom?” Too late. Her mother was already transferring the phone to his home office.

  “Alyssa?”

  “Hi, Daddy.” Deferring to his always-busy schedule, she skipped pleasantries. “I want you and Mother to celebrate Christmas with us at Gram’s cottage this year.”

  “The cottage? It isn’t even winterized. And it looked pretty forlorn when your mother and I were there for your grandmother’s funeral this past spring.”

  She hated that she’d had to miss Gram’s funeral because she was on bed rest before Robbie was born. Even worse was all the time she’d missed with Gram before she died. “I’m having some work done, so it should be quite comfortable. And I’m really looking forward to serving Christmas dinner on Gram’s old kitchen table.”

  “Your mother didn’t tell you? I have to stay in town over Christmas this year. Big meeting I didn’t schedule, but I can’t miss it either.”

  She dragged a breath against the familiar hurt. Shouldn’t she be used to her parents canceling their plans whenever she tried to do something for them? “But you haven’t seen Robbie since he was two days old. He’s going on four months and smiling now. And Joey’s growing so fast—”

  “Of course, we’re anxious to see you and the boys.”

  “Of course,” she said automatically. “Family is important, Daddy.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Christmas is too far away anyway. That’s why we’re coming for Thanksgiving.”

  Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving was in two weeks. Would the cottage even be ready by then?

  It would be close. But no way was she going to miss the opportunity for her boys to see their grandparents. Who knew how long it might be before her parents’ schedule allowed time again? “Thanksgiving, then. But we won’t be in Madison, Daddy. Actually, we’re not in Madison now. We’re at Rainbow Lake.”

  “What? But it’s almost winter.”

  “We have lots of snow here already. It’s breathtaking.”

  Silence.

  She swallowed around a lump in her throat. She hoped he wasn’t reconsidering making the trip. But didn’t he always expect her to make her case? “The cottage holds memories of happy times, Daddy. I want to share it with my family. I miss Cam. And Gram,” she blurted.

  “Well, I guess we’ll see you for Thanksgiving at the cottage, then,” he said resignedly.

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “I only hope we don’t have to fly through a blizzard to get there. But we’re really looking forward to seeing you and the boys, Lissa. Your mother’s been insisting we make the trip for weeks. I just haven’t been able to clear my calendar. Now, I’m sorry, but I need to take another call.”

  “Of course,” she said, but he’d already hung up.

  Well, they weren’t coming for Christmas. And she wouldn’t be as established when they arrived as she’d planned.

  But they’d be here for Thanksgiving. The cottage should be mostly done by then. She had a job. And her boys were thriving.

  That was just going to have to be established enough for her parents to accept the choices she’d made.

  * * *

  Saturday noon, Coop sat in one of the large circular booths at Della’s Main Street Diner with the Reclamation Committee, watching Alyssa jot notes while finishing her salad and running the meeting. Robbie slept contentedly in his carrier beside her. She was a talented woman clearly in her element and loving it.

  He smiled to himself, remembering the surprise in her eyes when he’d kissed her hand that night in the kitchen. He had to admit he’d shocked himself, too. But she’d moved him deeply with her compassion and support when he’d admitted he’d contributed to Hope’s inability to trust by failing to check Denise’s background.

  Now, Alyssa pushed away her sa
lad plate and checked her notes. “Looks like that about does it for now.”

  With murmurs of satisfaction on the progress they’d made toward the fund-raiser and thanks to Alyssa for organizing it, everybody filed out. Everybody except Lou who was folding up the beautiful quilt she’d finished for the silent auction.

  “Thank you for bringing your quilt to show us, Lou.” Alyssa packed up her things. “I for one will be bidding on it for my bedroom.”

  Coop made a mental note to keep an eye on the quilt at the silent auction.

  “And what little girl wouldn’t want some of those doll clothes you made?” Alyssa said.

  “They come together pretty quickly, so I’ll make more.” Lou finished wrapping her quilt in the cloth she’d brought it in. “You sure do have a contented baby.”

  Alyssa smiled. “He’s such a sweetheart. Thankfully, Hope is practicing her babysitting skills on Joey for a little while. He wouldn’t have been nearly as contented for the meeting.”

  “Once kids start getting around, watch out,” Lou said. “Great job planning for the fund-raiser, Alyssa.”

  “Thanks for agreeing to head the silent auction.”

  “No problem. Gotta go. We don’t want Harold to start beeping the horn out there.” Lou hurried away.

  Alyssa put the black, wooden toy horse that Max had patterned after Harold’s horse, Jack, into her bag. Turning to Coop, she said, “Joey will love this. It was so generous of Max to give it to him.”

  Della stopped at the booth and began clearing the table. “The announcement in the Courier and the posters around town are creating a buzz for the fund-raiser. Ticket sales have been brisk. How’s the planning going?”

  “Very well,” Alyssa answered.

  “You can put me down for pies for the bake sale,” Della volunteered.

  Alyssa smiled. “Thanks, Della.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Coop realized time alone with Alyssa was a rare occurrence he wasn’t ready to lose. “You want a piece of pie, Alyssa? I’m buying.”

  She checked her watch. “I think we should check with Hope first, in case she’s tired of watching Joey.”