“Too bad,” Rennie said, sighing. “The Bree Chapman I remembered wasn’t afraid to take chances.”
“There’s a difference between taking a calculated risk and being stupid.” Bree knew her friend was just trying to goad her into taking the job, but she refused to take the bait.
“I’ll double your usual fee,” Rennie said, looking at her over the rim of her cup. “And both would be big jobs. Kev’s house is huge, so is the foyer of his office building. Each would probably take two days to decorate.”
That fee would probably take care of all of Ainsley’s Christmas presents. “Kevin would be furious with you,” Bree warned. “Trust me, I’m the last person he’d want to see.”
“Maybe you wouldn’t have to see him,” Rennie said, thoughtfully. “Zach has a key to his place. I could get it from him. You could decorate his home while he’s at work.”
“What about his office?” Bree asked, surprised to find herself warming to the idea. Especially if it meant she didn’t have to cross paths with Kevin. She really could use the money to make Ainsley’s first Christmas without both of her parents special.
“I’ll call ahead and explain that it’s a surprise and I don’t want Kevin to know about it until it’s finished.” Bree could tell by the sparkle in Rennie’s eye she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I’m sure Danny will be spending time at his dad’s place over the holidays. How depressing would it be for him not even to have a tree?”
“You’re trying to manipulate me,” Bree said, wagging her finger at her friend. “Using the kid angle. That’s not fair.”
“But is it working?”
Bree laughed. “Only because I need the money.”
Rennie clapped her hands. “Yay! I’m so excited. This is going to be awesome.”
“I hope you’re right,” Bree muttered, thinking about the potential fall-out if things didn’t go according to plan.
* * *
Kevin sat across from his son at a corner booth in his favorite Italian restaurant, trying to find the words to broach the subject he knew was on both of their minds. “Now that you’ve had a bit of time to get used to the idea, how do you feel about your mama moving out, buddy?” Stupid question. How did he expect the kid to feel?
“It sucks.” Danny dipped his head, his shoulders slumped. “But she told me I’m just being selfish. She said I should want her to be happy and she’s not happy with you anymore.”
Kevin clenched his teeth, silently cursing his wife for trying to drag their son into the middle of their marital problems. “I’m sorry about this, Dan. I know it’s not easy for you. I wish there was something I could say or do to make it better, but your mama’s made her decision and we both have to respect that.”
“I guess,” Danny said, shrugging. “It’s not like I’m the only kid in my class with divorced parents, but…”
“But what?” Kevin asked, trying desperately to keep the lines of communication open. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“I thought I’d have more time to get used to the idea. Mom’s already planning her wedding to Victor.” He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “I don’t know, it’s just weird, that’s all.”
“I know it is.” He smiled at the waitress who set their soft drinks down between them. “So, do you, uh, like this Victor guy?” He knew he was venturing into dangerous territory, but he had to make sure this guy wasn’t a threat to his son.
“He’s okay,” Danny said, swiping his finger across the iPod he’d insisted on bringing into the restaurant because they had Wi-fi and there was a new game he had to have. “He tries too hard though. You know, he wants me to like him and he thinks if he buys me stuff and takes me places I will. But I won’t. I’m never gonna like him. He’s the reason you and Mom aren’t living together anymore.”
Kevin knew he had to tread lightly. He didn’t want to discount his son’s feelings, but he had to be mature enough to acknowledge no one could have come between him and his wife if they’d had a solid marriage. “I know it seems like he’s to blame, but there’s a lot more to it than that, Danny. Your mama and I will always be on the same page where you’re concerned. We both want what’s best for you, but just because we love you doesn’t necessarily mean we love each other anymore.”
“Do you still love her?” Danny asked. “Do you want her back?”
Kevin had been wrestling with that question ever since he got Trena’s note. He’d told Zach he still loved his wife, but the benefit of distance made him question whether that was true. He hated going home to an empty house at night and he missed his son like crazy, but not having Trena criticize every decision he made was a welcome relief.
“No buddy, I don’t think I do.” He watched Danny dig into the pizza the waitress set down between them before he said, “Your mama may have just been brave enough to do something I should’ve done a long time ago.”
“Why didn’t you?” Danny asked, scowling. “If you didn’t love her anymore why not just leave?”
“Because I loved you. I wanted to make it work.” Kevin closed his eyes at the petulant look that told him his son was unimpressed by his claim. “You don’t believe me?”
“You were never home. If you’d been home more, maybe Mom wouldn’t have found that other guy.”
At twelve, Kevin knew his son was too young to be dissecting intimate interpersonal relationships, but children of divorce had to grow up quicker than the rest. They had to face issues their peers wouldn’t have to think about. “Maybe she wouldn’t have or maybe she would have. I don’t know and neither do you, so there’s no point speculating about it.”
Kevin waited until his son polished off his first piece of pizza before he said, “We’re gonna make this work. I’ll cut back on my hours so I can spend every other weekend with you and I’m really gonna try to come to your basketball games at school this term. Would you like that?”
“Sure,” he said, shrugging. “If you want to. It’s no big deal.”
Kevin realized the days of his son begging him to be there for his games were over. He’d lost out on that opportunity by not making it more of a priority. Now he would just have to prove to him that he was willing to make it a priority and hope it wasn’t too late. “Your Uncle Zach and Tyler tell me you’re quite a baseball player. You’re still enjoying it?”
Finally, a smile. “The kids at school think it’s so cool that my uncle is a pro baseball player. When he came to pick me up at school last week, they were all crowding around his car, asking for autographs and stuff.”
Apparently getting an innocent man off death row wasn’t nearly as important to kids as the speed of your fastball, but Kevin swallowed his bitterness and asked, “Uncle Zach picked you up from school last week? He didn’t mention that.”
“He cleared it with Mom,” Danny said, picking up his iPod when one of his friend’s faces appeared. “Hey, dude, I’m just havin’ dinner with my dad,” he said to his friend. “Later, k?”
Kevin raised an eyebrow, prompting Danny to explain. “Face Time.”
“Ah.” Kevin chewed slowly, trying to find the right words to explain to his son what he was thinking and how he was feeling about their new arrangement. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with you like this. Just the two of us. We can do anything you want, you just have to let me know what you’re up for.”
“You’re really gonna take every other weekend off just to spend with me?” Danny asked, looking skeptical. “You usually have to work weekends.”
Kevin knew the question was justified, but it still stung. “I’m the boss, Danny. That means I get to decide when I work.”
“That’s not the way you made it sound when I was living at home.” He took a bite of his pizza before adding, “You always made it sound like you had to go in to work, like you didn’t have a choice. You always said people were counting on you.”
“That’s true,” Kevin said, hesitantly. “There are a lot of people counting on me. I
got where I am by working hard—”
“Yeah, but there’s more to life than work, Dad.”
Kevin let those words seep in. It’s not the first time he’d heard that. People had been telling him his whole life that he worked too hard, took things too seriously, but hearing it from his son had more of an impact than all the other voices combined. “You’re right, there is. And I think it’s time I started enjoying my life a little more. Think you can help me with that?”
Danny grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter Three
Bree was scouring the Internet the next morning for pieces of the hand-painted Nippon pottery she loved so much to add to their collection when the bell above the door alerted her to a new arrival.
“Hey,” she said, looking up only long enough to take in the bright smile on her aunt’s face. “I wasn’t expecting you ’til later.”
“I was meeting a friend for coffee next door,” Aunt Bella said, pinching her lips together. “We had to cut it short because he had to get to a meeting, so I thought I might as well come in early. I noticed there were some boxes in the back that need to be unpacked.”
“I can handle that, Auntie. That’s why you brought me on board, remember?” Her Aunt Bella was as quirky and vivacious as she’d ever been, but arthritis made it difficult to do some of the tasks that used to come easily to her like painting her beloved porcelain and ceramics.
“Don’t you mean I begged you to come home?” She laughed. “My reasons were purely selfish, I admit. I missed my favorite niece.”
Aunt Bella lived just down the street from them when Bree was growing up and she spent more time at her house than at home. Her aunt was a creative, free-spirit, who loved all of the same things Bree did. She’d developed a passion for cooking and baking, antiquing and painting by watching Aunt Bella. When her mother died, her aunt had been the one to share her grief, to tell her that while she knew her mother was irreplaceable, she’d always have her to lean on.
“I missed you too,” Bree said, smiling. She admired her aunt’s bright pink hand-made tunic sweater. “That’s so pretty. Did you make it?”
“Of course I did,” she said, spinning in a slow circle. “I just finished it last night. Do you really like it?”
“I love it.” That was another passion Bree had inherited from her aunt, knitting. Every night she would settle in in front of the TV with her daughter, her knitting in hand, taking solace in the simple act of creating something beautiful. “You’ll have to give me the pattern. I just bought some lovely new yarn and I’m looking for a project.”
Bella laughed. “You know I don’t use patterns, dear.” She tapped a forefinger against her temple. “It’s all up here. Trial and plenty of error.” She flexed her hands before rubbing her thumb over her raised knuckles. “I have to admit, I’m concerned about how much longer I’ll be able to do it though. Gripping that tiny paintbrush to paint my pieces is already a struggle. I’d hate to lose the knitting too.”
Bree knew it wasn’t easy for her aunt to slow down, but she tried to help her stay positive. “Remember what you always told me. Focus on the things you can do, not the things you can’t.”
Bella grinned, wagging a finger at Bree. “I should have known that would come back to haunt me someday.”
“Tell me about this friend you were having coffee with,” Bree said, turning away from the computer as the auction she’d been bidding on wound down. “Someone special?”
“He’s on the city council,” Bella said, taking her lip gloss from her purse and swiping it across her lips. “Is he special? I think so.”
“Why haven’t I heard about him before?” Bree asked, narrowing her eyes when her aunt became engrossed in re-positioning her long, silver bun. She knew her aunt’s evasion tactics when she saw them. “How long have you been seeing him?”
Bella had never married or had children, though she had been involved in a long-term relationship with a local dentist. They would spend their weekends together and go out once or twice a week, while maintaining separate residences. According to Bella, that arrangement suited her perfectly. It must have, since it lasted more than sixteen years… until George was killed in a hunting accident more than four years ago. To Bree’s knowledge, her aunt hadn’t been seriously involved with anyone since.
“Just a couple of months. He collects vintage knives,” Bella explained. “He came in one day to find out whether we had a specific one he was looking for. We started talking and…” She shrugged. “After that he’d come in maybe once or twice a week when he was in the area, just to say hi.”
“You like him,” Bree said, smiling at the tell-tale blush on her aunt’s cheeks. “Is he divorced? A widower?”
“A widower,” Bella explained. “His wife died in a car accident almost twenty years ago. He’s never remarried. His work on the council keeps him busy. He has three children and four grandchildren, so I guess that keeps him busy too.” Bella hesitated. “Speaking of his family, he’s asked me to join them for Thanksgiving.”
“Oh.” While they hadn’t discussed their plans yet, Bree just assumed she and Ainsley would be spending the holiday with her aunt, since Bella was the only family she had in the area. Rennie invited her to join them, but she assumed Kevin would be there, so she politely declined. “That’s great,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment. “It’s the first time you’ll be meeting them?”
“It is.” Bella fisted her hands on her hips. “Don’t think for a second I’d leave my two favorite girls out. Charles insisted I bring you and Ainsley. The dinner is at his house so—”
“That’s so sweet of you to want to include us,” Bree said, quickly. “But you get to know them first, Auntie. If all goes well, I’m sure I’ll be meeting them soon enough.”
“But what about you?” Bella asked, frowning. “You can’t be alone on Thanksgiving.”
“We won’t be,” Bree said, smiling a little too brightly. “Rennie invited us for dinner. You remember her, don’t you? We went to high school together and worked at the golf course—”
“Of course I know Rennie,” Bella cut in. “She comes in to the shop all the time. She’s also Kevin’s sister-in-law. So how is that going to work?”
Bella was the only person who knew the real reason Bree had to break up with Kevin that summer. Of course, she’d offered to lend her some money to help her with school, but Bree knew her aunt was barely getting by back then. She couldn’t take her money.
“Kevin may not even be there,” she said, wishing she didn’t sound so hopeful. The prospect of breaking bread with her ex in the presence of her astute young daughter made her squeamish. “He said something to Ren about going out of town for a few days.”
“Huh.” Bella began to rearrange the vintage jewelry in an upright chest by the cash desk. “Are you hoping to see him again?”
“I may not be able to avoid it if I decide to take Ren up on her offer.” Bree had been able to think about little else since her friend proposed she consider decorating Kevin’s home and office.
“What offer would that be?” Bella asked, looking amused.
“She wants me to decorate Kevin’s home and office for Christmas, as a surprise, I presume. Apparently, he’s not really in the festive spirit this year. It’ll be his first Christmas without his wife and son at home.”
“I think it’s sweet of Rennie to want to do something to make him feel better.”
“I do too, but I have no idea how he’ll react to seeing me again.” That was the part tormenting Bree the most, trying to predict his reaction. She’d run through various scenarios in her head, but none left her with a warm and fuzzy feeling. “He may still be holding a grudge after the way I ended things.”
Kevin hadn’t shown his face at the golf course for the rest of the summer. She knew his father had other business interests and he’d probably gone to work for him elsewhere or decided to take the remainder of the summer off because he didn’t want to
risk running into her again. Either way, it spoke volumes about the depth of his resentment.
“Or maybe he’d be pleased to see you.”
That was her aunt, the eternal optimist. Normally, Bree appreciated having such a positive influence in her life, but she couldn’t afford to wear rose-colored glasses where Kevin was concerned. It could only lead to disappointment. “I don’t think guys like Kev are used to being dumped or rejected, Auntie. He probably still hates me.”
“Nonsense,” Bella said, holding up a pair of ruby earrings as she admired her reflection in a gold tabletop tilt mirror. “That boy was crazy about you. He may have been hurt when you broke up with him, but you were his first love. Men may not be as sentimental as women when it comes to that kind of thing, but I can guarantee he still thinks of you from time to time and remembers you fondly. He’d probably love to know what happened to you.”
Bree would love to believe he felt that way, but she couldn’t ignore the fear that her aunt may be setting her up for heartache.
“Who knows, now that you’re both single again, maybe—”
“I haven’t even filed for divorce yet,” Bree cut in. “Kevin’s divorce isn’t final either, though I heard his wife is already planning to marry another man.”
“Your divorce will be final soon enough.” Bella shuddered. “Though it can’t be soon enough for me.” Bella had never been Lyle’s biggest fan, but when Bree showed up on her doorstep with an ugly bruise on her cheek, Bella insisted it was time to start divorce proceedings.
“He sent me this,” Bree said, reaching under the counter to retrieve the box he’d sent her. “The angel Mama made for me.”
Bella smiled as she smoothed a hand over the angel’s hand-made dress. “Sometimes I forget how talented my big sister was. Our parents weren’t the least bit creative. It was Hannah who sparked my imagination. We were always using whatever we had around the house to make pretty things. Old fabric, glue, sparkles, paints…” She sighed. “I still miss her so much.”
Fast Break (Texas Titans Holiday) Page 3