“I guess that’s why we’re such good friends,” Bree said, settling in across from Lenora. She buttered her toast carefully while her stomach churned with apprehension. She didn’t feel like eating, but she couldn’t let Kevin’s mother know she was getting to her.
“Trena was never very maternal,” Lenora said, turning up her nose. “Definitely not the kind of mother I would have chosen for my grandson.”
“Ah, but it wasn’t your choice,” Bree reminded her. “It was Kevin’s and he chose Trena.”
“No,” Lenora said, with a visible flush in her cheeks. “He chose you. He wound up with Trena by default. It was either her or live the rest of his life alone.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Foster, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really don’t feel comfortable discussing Kevin’s marriage with you. It’s none of my business.”
“I was furious with John when I found out what he’d done,” she said, stirring a cube of sugar into her coffee before pushing the plate of toast aside. “He had no right to demand you break up with Kevin.”
Bree nearly choked on her toast as she reached for a paper napkin to cover her mouth. She’d always assumed Kevin’s parents were of the same opinion where she was concerned. It never occurred to her she might have had an ally in the formidable Lenora Foster.
“I saw a lot of myself in you,” Lenora explained, adding a drop of milk to her coffee. “My family didn’t have two nickels to rub together when I was growing up, but my parents were good people and they loved me and my sisters. That was the only thing that really mattered.”
Bree smiled her understanding. “I hope that’s the way my daughter feels. We don’t have a lot, but I want her to know she means everything to me.”
“She knows,” Lenora said, shaking her head. “Believe me, she knows.” She took a sip of coffee before setting it back down. “When John sent the message he didn’t think you were good enough for our son, it brought back a lot of my own insecurities. Like I said, I was a lot like you when John and I met. I was from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak, and his parents didn’t like me. They thought he should find someone better suited to him.”
Bree noted the flash of diamonds adorning the other woman’s manicured hands and thought it was hard to believe Lenora hadn’t been born to a life of privilege. “But you two loved each other, so it didn’t matter what they thought.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered to Kevin either,” Lenora said. “If he’d known you were breaking up with him because his father had backed you into a corner, he wouldn’t have stood for it. He’s always been very strong-willed.” She laughed. “He’s the only person I know who isn’t afraid to stand up to his father.” She smirked. “Well, except for me and Zach, of course.”
Bree smiled when she thought of little Lenora tearing a strip off her powerful, over-bearing husband. She’d pay good money to see that. “I didn’t want to cause a rift between Kevin and his father. I knew it would be difficult for us to make a long-distance relationship work with us clear across the country. Chances are the relationship would have died of natural causes eventually.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Lenora asked. “I saw the way you two looked at each other at dinner the other night. It’s obvious time hasn’t diminished your feelings for each other.”
“Time does have a way of changing things though.” Taking a small bite of toast and swallowing, she said, “We’re different people now than we were back then. We have a lot more life experience. We have responsibilities.”
“That’s true.” Lenora’s eyes drifted to the same picture Bree had been admiring on the fridge. “I should have been able to relate to Trena too, given where she came from, but I couldn’t. I knew from the first time I met her she had dollar signs in her eyes. When Kevin brought her to our house for dinner, I actually caught her turning the silver over checking for the stamp. Can you believe that? Made me wonder if she intended to lift it.”
Bree laughed. She hadn’t expected Lenora to be so charming and easy to talk to. Their interactions when Bree was young had been limited to brief conversations that left her blushing and tongue-tied. But as she’d told John, she wasn’t that insecure, naïve little girl anymore. She was a grown woman now and she could hold her own with anyone.
“I’m serious,” Lenora said, rolling her eyes. “I knew she had an agenda, but I didn’t think it was my place to interfere. Kevin’s smart and I had to believe he’d figure her out eventually.”
“Do you really think Kevin’s okay with the divorce?” Bree asked, feeling a tad guilty for prying. “He says he is, but I worry he’s repressing his feelings. Divorce is never easy, especially when there are kids involved.”
“This came as a surprise to no one,” Lenora said. “It’s not that I condone divorce, mind you. I’m old-school. I believe in staying together and working your problems out, but when you’re totally incompatible, no amount of counselling will change that.”
“I guess you’re right.” Bree really wanted to get Lenora’s take on Kevin’s job offer, but she knew she would definitely be crossing the line if she brought it up.
“Zach told me about the governor’s office contacting Kevin yesterday,” Lenora said, surprising her. “I’m guessing by that faraway look in your eye you know about it too?”
“Yes, ma’am. He told me this morning.”
“Hmm, how do you feel about it?”
Bree traced the pattern on the coffee mug with her fingertip as she said, “I love being back home. I don’t want to live anywhere else. Not that Kevin’s asked me to go with him,” she said, quickly. “We’re not at that stage yet.”
“And it’s not likely you ever will be if he leaves.” Lenora shook her head, looking disgusted. “I don’t understand that boy sometimes. He has more money than he’ll ever spend. A successful practice, a reputation most lawyers would envy. Why does he need to go to Austin to sit on some—”
“I think it’s an incredible opportunity,” Bree cut in, gently. “One that most lawyers would be hard-pressed to turn down.”
“Then you think he should take it?” Lenora asked, eyeing her carefully. “You want him to leave his home, his son, and you for some job?”
“Of course I don’t want him to leave,” Bree said, sounding defensive. “I want him to do whatever will make him happy, even if that means going to Austin.”
Lenora stood, reaching for her purse. “Maybe I was wrong about you, Bree. I thought you’d matured. I thought you were strong enough to fight for what you wanted now. I guess I was wrong.”
Bree stared at Lenora’s back as she watched her leave. She knew she should defend herself, but she couldn’t. Was Lenora right? Was she crazy to quit instead of fighting for him?
* * *
Kevin had been taking people’s heads off all morning, and his kid brother was no exception. “I don’t have time to talk to you now,” Kevin said, gesturing to his desk. “I’m swamped.”
Ignoring the warning, Zach entered the room, closing the door behind him. “Everyone needs a break, hot shot.”
“Not in the mood.”
Zach sat down across from Kevin, folding his hands over his flat stomach as he waited for his brother to look up from his computer screen and acknowledge him. “I can sit here all day.” He shrugged. “Been to practice, had a workout. Ren’s picking Monica up from school, so I got no place to be.”
Kevin knew he was trying to get on his nerves and it was working. “I have work to do,” he said, gesturing to the stacks of boxes on the floor and file folders on his desk. “Are you blind? Can’t you see that I’m too busy for this shit right now?”
“I can see that you’re burying yourself in your work, which means you’re trying to avoid or ignore something. Did you talk to Bree about the governor’s offer?”
“He didn’t exactly make an offer,” Kevin said, gritting his teeth. “He made an inquiry, to find out if I’d be interested.”
“And are you?”
>
Sitting back in his swivel chair, Kevin swiped his hands over his face before reaching for his coffee cup. “I don’t know. I don’t what the hell I’m going to do.”
“Then you did talk to Bree?”
“Yeah, I told her about it.” He grimaced as the cold coffee went down.
“And?”
“And she thinks I’d be crazy not to take it.”
“She really said that?” Zach asked, frowning. “That’s not the reaction I’d been expecting.”
“Yeah, you’re not the only one.” Deep down, Kevin knew she was just trying to do what she thought was best for him, but didn’t she realize by now, after everything he’d said, that she was the best thing for him? The rest of it was just icing on the cake. “I really thought she’d want me to stay.”
“Come on,” Zach said, fisting one hand inside the other. “It’s not like she told you she wanted you to go, right?”
“Not exactly.” But if felt that way to him. He’d wanted her to tell him that she loved him and didn’t want to lose him, that their second chance meant more than any job. “But she may as well have.”
“So what are you gonna do, man?”
“I’ve been trying not to think about it.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Until you walked in, that was working out pretty well for me.”
“The old man told me the truth about why Bree broke up with you.”
“When?” Kevin asked, glaring at his brother. If he found out Zach knew the truth all along and hadn’t told him, he’d kill him, or at least maim him.
“Relax,” Zach said, sneering. “I found out the same time you did. He looked pretty shaken up when he left the room and I asked him what happened. He said y’all got into it and told me why. You must’ve been pissed. I know I would’ve been if he’d pulled a stunt like that to break up me and Ren.”
“Of course I’m pissed.” Kevin glanced at the framed photo of Danny on his desk, wondering if he had any right to be angry. If it hadn’t been for his father’s meddling, he wouldn’t have his son. True, he may have had other children with Bree, but it was difficult to imagine his world without Danny in it.
“You’re gonna have to get over it,” Zach said. “You know he was only doing what he thought was best for you. One day, you might make a stupid mistake and have to beg Dan’s forgiveness. How would you feel if he just shut you out of his life instead?”
“I’d like to think I’m smart enough to let my kid make his own decisions and his own mistakes.” Not that marrying Bree would have been a mistake. He knew if he’d had that choice, he wouldn’t be facing divorce court now.
“We’d all like to think that, Kev. But face it, we’re human. We love our kids so damn much that sometimes we cross the line.”
“Don’t tell me you came here to defend him.” Kevin said, pointing at the door. “’Cause if you did, you can get the hell out. I don’t want to hear it.”
“I didn’t come here to talk about Dad. I came here to talk about you and Bree.”
“What makes you think there’s anything to talk about?”
“Have you seen her since Thanksgiving?”
“Yeah, a couple of times.” He reached for his water bottle, bringing it to his lips before he said, “Thanks to your wife. Did you know she hired Bree to put up Christmas decorations? She even gave her the spare key to my house. You had to have known about that.”
Zach chuckled. “No, she must have slipped it off my key ring when I was in the shower or something. Can’t say I’m surprised though. You know my wife. She loves matchmaking. So, did it work or what?”
“Haven’t you been listening?” Kevin asked, tossing the empty water bottle into the recycling bin beside his desk. “Bree wants me to move to Austin.”
“When did she tell you this?”
Kevin knew he could evade the question, but he had no regrets about what happened last night and he wasn’t ashamed of it. “This morning in bed and again in the shower.”
Zach laughed. “I’d say Ren’s plan worked if y’all are sleepin’ together again so soon.”
“What would you do if you were me?” Kevin asked. He rarely asked for anyone’s opinion, but in this case, his little brother had something he’d always wanted: a solid marriage to the love of his life.
“They say with age comes wisdom, but you’d never know it to look at you two.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He was already in a bad mood, the last thing he needed to deal with was his brother’s condescension.
“You’re making the same stupid mistakes you did twenty years ago, only this time the shoe is on the other foot. Last time, she left and you let her. This time, you’re leaving and she’s the one holding the door for you.” Shaking his head, he said, “It doesn’t make a damn bit of sense. When you want something, you fight for it.”
“Sort of like you did with Rennie?” Kevin asked, cracking his knuckles. “I didn’t see you going after her when she left town.”
“Yeah, and I’ve regretted it ever since.” Zach unfolded his legs and leaned forward. “I missed out on years of my son’s life because I let Rennie run away from me. I can’t ever get those years back. Twenty years, Kev. Twenty goddamn years you lost with Bree. How many more are you gonna lose before you guys get your act together and admit you belong together?”
* * *
Kevin couldn’t get Zach’s warning out of his head, so after work he drove around town. He didn’t see Bree’s car parked in front of the antique shop, so he drove by her house. Thankfully, her address and number were listed so he didn’t have to work too hard to track her down.
He parked on the opposite side of the street, staring up at the small two-story brick house with the wrap-around porch he knew was just down the street from her aunt’s home. She was building a nice life for herself and her daughter in her hometown. He could understand why she wouldn’t be eager to leave that behind… even for him.
It was well after nine which meant Ainsley had probably been asleep for at least an hour. There was a dim light filtering through the window at the front of the house and he imagined Bree reading, watching TV, or engaging in one of the hobbies she’d always loved.
Pulling his car into the narrow driveway behind hers, he cut the engine, questioning whether coming here had been a mistake. He promised he wouldn’t push, yet that’s exactly what he was doing showing up at her house, uninvited when he knew her daughter was sleeping upstairs. He couldn’t even be sure she’d let him in after the way they’d left things, but he had to try. He wouldn’t be able to sleep until he saw her, held her, made her promise she wasn’t ready to give up on them yet.
He walked up the path, taking the steps slowly as he soundlessly locked his car. Tapping on the door instead of ringing the bell, he hoped she would answer. A woman living alone would be smart to avoid answering the door at night, but when he saw the curtain shift, he felt confident she’d spotted him under the glow of the porch light.
“Hey,” she said, opening the door as she pulled a light coral sweater tighter around her. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was hoping we could talk,” he said quietly. “Is Ainsley asleep?”
“Yeah, I put her down over an hour ago.” She frowned, gesturing to his suit. “Are you just leaving work?”
“I left a little while ago. I was just driving around and found myself here. I hope you don’t mind that I just stopped by like this.” He hated how strained things felt between them, but he couldn’t be surprised since he’d left his house that morning without a word to her.
“No, not all.” She opened the door wider. “I’m glad you stopped by. I’ve been thinking about you a lot today.”
He waited until she closed the door before reaching for her. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted this morning, Bree. I know why you were encouraging me to go to Austin.” He felt her heart pounding against his chest and realized she’d been as anxious as he was about whether they’d reached the end of
the road again. “You just want what’s best for me. But here’s the thing…” He slipped his hands into her long hair and gently easing her head back until his mouth was aligned with hers. “I happen to think you’re what’s best for me. Not some job. You.”
She released a shaky breath before lowering her head to his chest. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. I thought you’d come here to tell me you decided to take the job.”
“Then you don’t want me to go?”
“Are you crazy?” she asked, her blue eyes flashing with indignation. “Of course I don’t want you to go. What kind of question is that?”
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Can we just hang out for a bit? I won’t stay long, in case Ainsley wakes up, but I’m not looking forward to going home to that big, empty house tonight.” Or my big, empty, lonely bed.
“Have you eaten yet?” she asked, threading her hand through his. “I made some homemade chicken soup for dinner tonight. Ainsley has a bit of a sniffle and her mama’s homemade soup always makes her feel better.”
“Truth is, I haven’t had much of an appetite today. I had a lot on my mind.” Namely you.
“I know the feeling.” She smiled as she tilted her head, inviting a kiss. “I also made an apple crisp, but I couldn’t even stomach a piece at dinner. Funny, my appetite seems to have come back all of a sudden.”
“Huh,” he said, grinning. “Imagine that.”
She led him into the kitchen, pointing to an old pine chair at the head of the rustic table. “Have a seat while I warm up the soup.”
He watched her take a loaf of homemade bread from a vintage bread box and slice it before admiring her small kitchen. It was exactly what he would have expected. A small wood table with mismatched chairs, retro appliances, and a checkered table cloth. It practically screamed country and oozed warmth.
“Nice place you have here, Bree.”
“We like it,” she said, looking at him over her shoulder. “Of course it’s nothing like that palace you call home, but it works for us.”
Fast Break (Texas Titans Holiday) Page 9