by Lisa Jordan
He read the place mat menu, even though he had his order ready in his head before he stepped inside. A lot of changes had happened since Isabella had returned to town to help save her father’s place.
“Evan Holland, why are you wasting time with that menu when we both know you’re going to order the same thing you always do?”
Evan looked up from the menu and grinned. “Noel, how are you doing?”
He stood and hugged the petite fortysomething server holding a full pot of coffee and a whole lotta sass.
She set the pot on the table and wrapped her arms around his neck. One of her auburn corkscrew curls escaped from her ponytail and tickled his chin. “Look at you with that sun-kissed, wild hair.”
He smoothed a hand over the waves that seemed to have a mind of their own. “Wild? You should’ve seen it before I cut it.”
She batted at his chest and shot him a flirtatious smile. “Positively dashing. So, what brings you back home?”
Evan jerked his head toward his shoulder, finally free of the sling. “Took a dunk in the drink and ended up having surgery.”
“Ouch. I hope it heals quickly, so you can get back on the water before the season ends.”
Not likely. But he appreciated her optimism.
“Thanks, we’ll see.”
“So, the usual?” She pulled her order pad out of her apron pocket.
He grinned. “Am I that predictable?”
“Bacon cheeseburger and garbage fries? Nah, you’re just a man who knows what he likes.”
An image of Natalie dashed through his thoughts, but he tucked it away.
“Actually, I’m meeting Coach Bishop for lunch. I’ll have an iced tea, then wait until he arrives to order, if that’s okay?”
“Absolutely, sugar.” She reached for her pot and returned to the service station.
Resting his elbow on the table, Evan cupped his chin in his hand and stared out the window, trying not to let Noel’s hope discourage him.
A week ago, he would have done almost anything to get back on the water, especially now that his sling was off and he’d be starting physical therapy soon.
But now...
Now he had a son.
And Nat.
Although he had a greater chance at winning over his son than the boy’s mother.
“Now there’s a man in thought.”
He jolted and turned to find Coach standing at the booth. Evan jumped to his feet and wrapped Coach in a quick one-armed hug. “Coach. Thanks for meeting me. How are you doing, man?”
His former mentor and father figure lifted a shoulder, looking tired and drawn. “Hanging in there. Trying to appreciate the care and concern from my hovering wife and daughter. I’m a blessed man, but I must say I’m getting tired of baked chicken and steamed broccoli.”
“Lunch is on me, so get whatever you’d like.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I invited you. I’m paying.”
“Well, thank you.”
As Coach studied the place mat menu, Evan took in the man’s thin frame and graying hair. Coach had never been a beefy man, and years of swimming created lean muscle and a youthful appearance. But the heart attack seemed to have taken a lot out of him.
“Dr. Mary and Nat have your best interests at heart.”
“Maybe so. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” The older man winked at him.
Noel returned and took their order. She came back a moment later with a glass of iced tea for Coach.
After she left, Coach leaned back in the booth. “So what’s on your mind, son?”
“What do you mean?”
“As flattered as I am, I doubt you asked me to lunch to shoot the breeze.”
Evan scrubbed a hand over his face. Coach had always had the ability to see through him. “It’s Aidan. I want to be a good dad. Someday, a great dad. Like mine. Like the way you are with Nat. But he wants nothing to do with me. When Mary and Nat took you for stitches the other night, he woke up and cried for what seemed like an hour before I could even calm him down.”
Coach looked at him a moment, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He removed a small stack of photos and thumbed through them. Then he tossed one across the table.
Evan picked it up and stared at a faded image of himself around Aidan’s age. Dressed in red swim trunks that came nearly to his knobby knees, he stood on the edge of the pool with his arms wrapped around his waist and tears running down his face.
Evan remembered the day as if it had been yesterday.
“My first swim class. I was terrified. You stood in the water and tried to coax me to get in. Where’d you get this picture?”
“Your mom stood in the doorway of the locker room and snapped it. After she had gotten it developed, she showed it to me, and I asked if I could have it.”
“Why?”
“Because that day, I saw something in you. I knew you were going to be special. And I wanted proof to offer you someday.” Coach seared him with a look that had motivated Evan over the years—a look of pride.
Evan broke eye contact with the man and stared at the words on the place mat. “I think your heart attack has messed with your brain, old man.”
“Oh, no doubt about that, kid, but I was right.”
“I’m nobody special.” He forced the words past the dryness in his throat.
“Says you.”
Evan fingered the photo once again before tossing it across the table. “What does this have to do with Aidan?”
“Remember how scared you were? I tried to get you to come into the pool and your screams echoed off the walls. You were afraid. You didn’t know me. But your mom refused to let you quit. Twice a week, she brought you to me kicking and screaming. One day you tried to get away and ended up falling into the pool.”
Evan cupped a hand over his face as the memory surged to the forefront of his thoughts. “I tried to get to the ladder and kept going under. You reached for me and spoke so calmly.”
“Remember what I said?”
“The hard part’s over—you got in the water.”
“Exactly. Aidan’s a sweet kid and he will come around. The hard part’s over—you showed up. Just keep coming around, spend quality time with him, and he’ll warm up to you.” Coach leaned forward and flicked his eyes over the dining room. Then he brought a hand to the side of his face. “You didn’t hear this from me, and if you say so, I’ll deny it, but the kid has a sweet spot for grape freeze pops. The kind in the plastic tube. He likes how they make his tongue purple.”
Evan raised an eyebrow. “So you’re suggesting I bribe him to like me?”
Coach lifted his shoulders and laughed. “Hey, whatever works, right?”
Evan wound a straw wrapper around his finger as his gaze shifted to the parking lot. “Why didn’t she tell me? I would have been there for her every step of the way.”
“I know you would have, son. Natalie Grace has a lot of fears, but I don’t have to tell you. After her dad walked out on her for the last time—”
Evan jerked his gaze back to Coach and frowned. “Wait, what? You walked out on her? When?”
“What? Of course not.” Then, almost as if he realized what he’d said, Coach paled and covered his face with his hand. “Oh, this new medicine. Doc said there’d be some confusion. Headaches, too.” He slid out of the booth. “Sorry, son, but I’m not feeling so well. I need to go.”
Evan reached for his wallet. “Let me leave money for the check, and I’ll take you home.”
“No need, a walk will do me good.” Without another word he headed for the door.
Evan hurried after Coach to get him to reconsider, but when he realized the man was already out of view, he headed back inside so Noel didn’t think he was skipping out without paying.
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Back at the table, he picked up the photo Coach had left behind. With the exception of the faded background, he could have been staring at an image of his son.
Noel returned to the table with two plates and set the burgers and fries on the table. “Where’d Coach run off to?”
Evan snitched a fry. “He wasn’t feeling well. Sorry to be a pain, but would you mind boxing these up and bringing me the check?”
“Of course, sugar.” She headed back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a white bulging take-out bag.
After paying and leaving a generous tip, Evan headed for his truck. Inside, he flicked on the AC and allowed the cold to chill the sauna-like interior. He backed out of the lot and headed for the Bishops’ place.
As he pulled into the driveway, Nat disappeared into the kennel.
Evan cut the engine, grabbed Coach’s meal and headed for the kennels. As he entered the building, Nat came out of one of the suites, cradling a small dog in her arms. Startled, she looked at him with wide eyes, then her gaze darted around the kennel as if looking for some sort of escape.
Evan lifted a hand. “Hey, Nat.”
“Evan. What’s up?”
He lifted the bag. “Coach and I were in the middle of lunch, then he split. Is he here?”
“What do you mean he split? That doesn’t sound like Dad. Especially when it comes to sneaking one of Joe’s burgers. What happened?”
Evan shrugged, replaying their conversation in his head. “I don’t really know. We were talking about my first swimming experience, getting to know Aidan better, and then...well, you.”
Nat set the dog back in the kennel and closed the door. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Me? What about me?”
“I asked Coach why you didn’t tell me about Aidan. Almost rhetorical, you know. He mentioned you having trust issues after...” Evan dragged a hand over his face and blew out a breath. “After your dad walked out on you for the final time. I asked what he was talking about, and he muttered something about his new medication causing confusion and headaches. He said he didn’t feel well and left. That’s not like him.”
Natalie stared at him with the same deer-in-the-headlights look Coach had given him.
Evan took a step toward her. “What’s going on, Nat? What’s Ted talking about? Did he walk out on you?”
She looked away and laughed, an almost shrill sound that lacked warmth and humor. “Of course not. Dad’s memory hasn’t been the same since his heart attack. He’s confused like he said. That’s all.”
Evan eyed her. If Coach’s so-called gaffe was confusion, why did Natalie look like a trapped bird? He reached for her hand, but she took a step back. “I don’t believe you. What’s going on?”
Her shoulders slumped and she lowered her chin. When she raised her head, sadness rimmed her eyes. “Nothing, Evan. Let it go. Please.”
He looked at her a moment, then jammed his fists in his front pocket and ground his jaw. “Why won’t you talk to me?”
“You’re creating something out of nothing.”
“If that were true, then you and Coach wouldn’t be acting so weird.”
“Maybe you’re the one being weird.”
He strode back to the door and picked up the bag, removing Coach’s take-out container and setting it on the desk. “Here’s his lunch.” He started for the door, then turned back to Natalie. “I don’t know why I keep trying when you’ve made it perfectly clear you plan to keep me at arm’s length.”
“Evan...” She took a step toward him.
“Forget it, Nat. I’m sorry I bothered you.” He headed out the door and forced himself not to slam it behind him. No sense in upsetting the dogs over his frustration with Natalie shutting him out. Again.
He was such a fool.
When was he going to learn she wanted nothing to do with him?
If it wasn’t for Aidan, he’d get in his truck and keep driving. No, he wasn’t going to be that guy. He didn’t walk away from his responsibilities.
But, man, Natalie wasn’t making it easy for him.
Chapter Seven
What was wrong with her?
Why did she turn into a jerk every time Evan was around?
The concern on his face when he’d asked about what her father had said over their lunch was nearly her undoing. She had always admired Evan’s compassion although, apparently, she didn’t trust him enough to share what was bothering her.
Sitting in the kennel office with her head bent over a stack of applications for a kennel technician, Natalie leafed through the papers, seeing the words without reading them.
Deciding she needed a break and maybe another cup of coffee, Natalie pushed away from the desk and turned. Then jumped. Mom stood in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest and leaned against the doorjamb.
“You startled me.” Natalie pressed a shaky hand against her pounding heart.
Mom pushed away from the door and walked over to Natalie. “Sorry about that. It wasn’t my intention. You looked deep in thought and I didn’t want to break your concentration.”
Natalie eyed her mother’s cute blue flowered skirt, white T-shirt and brown leather flats. With her hair pulled back in a low ponytail, she could have passed for one of her interns. As well, she looked more like she was just beginning her morning shift rather than ending it.
After Dad’s heart attack, Mom had cut back her own hours, allowing Willow to take over the afternoons. That gave her mother more time to be with him.
“I had finished my appointments and paperwork when Ted came into my office very upset. He’d planned to have lunch with Evan, but in the course of their conversation, he inadvertently mentioned Brady. He went into the house to lie down.”
Natalie waved away her mother’s words and shook her head. “I’m sorry Dad got upset and ended his lunch with Evan so abruptly. He didn’t do it on purpose. As you keep telling me—it’s in the past, right?”
“If that’s the case, why are you still so fearful about telling Evan about him? Or even letting Evan get close to you. He’s a good man with a sincere heart.”
“A sincere heart is great, but he’s not rooted. He travels from one river to the next, living in an RV.”
“He’s following his passion. That doesn’t change his character. And maybe he just needs a good reason to settle down.”
“He had a good reason once—me. But his passion for paddling was stronger. I let him go. No strings.” Tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she replayed the final argument that had destroyed everything between them.
“Oh, honey, but there were strings. You wanted everything on your terms. And you didn’t let him go—you pushed him away, lashing out and blaming him for Ben’s death when the real issue was you being afraid he was going to break his promises and abandon you the same way Brady did.”
“Why do you keep bringing up that man?” Natalie couldn’t stop the shiver that trailed down her spine.
“He can’t hurt you anymore, Natalie.”
“I know, Mom. I do. But I still have nightmares about the threats he screamed at you when they arrested him.”
“Brady never kept a promise in his life. He’s not going to come after us. It would take too much work to find us.”
“He betrayed us, left us hungry and homeless and with nothing. I know Evan’s nothing like him, but I have to think of Aidan now. I need to focus on helping Dad until he can return to coaching and managing the kennels without me. Then I need to build up my dog training business in Shelby Lake so I can give Aidan a secure future. Evan is all about honesty and integrity. If I tell him about the lie I’ve been carrying all these years, he’s going to get mad again and walk away. Or worse, he’ll try to take Aidan, too. So I can’t risk that.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve taken a childhood trauma and blown it up into
some sort of phobia that controls your life. You can’t live constantly looking over your shoulder.”
“I know that, but I don’t know how to stop it. With his armed robbery and arrest making national news, if someone discovers our connection to him, we could have reporters camped outside our house. We could lose everything all over again. Do you really want that to happen?”
“Of course not. That’s why we moved across the country. That’s why we changed our names. We are safe, Natalie.” Mom cupped her chin. “We’ve built a new life in Shelby Lake, and nothing from our past will change that. Trust God. Give this turmoil over to Him, and allow your faith to be greater than your fear.”
“I still have nightmares, but this time, my fath—Brady comes after Aidan.”
“Oh, honey, what does your therapist say?”
“I haven’t seen her since I’ve been back in Shelby Lake.”
“Then let’s find a local one.”
The idea of starting all over again with a new therapist widened the pit in Natalie’s stomach. Why couldn’t she be normal for once and just focus on what was in front of her instead of the terrors that crept through her sleep? Life would be so much simpler.
“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
“Natalie, I just want you to live your best life.”
“I’m not even sure what that looks like, Mom.”
“What do you want?”
“Security.”
“And what does that look like to you?”
Natalie shrugged. “Roots. A stable home. A family with someone who can love me—the real me, fears and all. Peace, and the ability to look to the future without waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“I want those things for you, too, honey. And for Aidan. You don’t think you could have them with Evan?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Evan has wanderlust. I want a permanent address.”
“There’s more to life than where you live.”
“How can we put down roots if Evan is racing down rivers and going from one event to the next? I saw him in action. I saw the adrenaline rush. The winner’s high...”