Skye

by Heather Gray

  He took a couple steps away from the office door and glanced over at the laundry room.

  Would Skye come back?

  And who had he seen that day as she left?

  Nothing had seemed unusual as he’d talked to her that day, but when he’d stepped out of the laundry room to watch her walk away, he’d caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye. A lot of the men were standing around watching her go. So it shouldn’t have struck him as so odd. Something in his gut, though, had put him on edge. The feeling of being watched had followed him afterward, too, but none of the men had reported seeing anyone unregistered on-site.

  Sam headed toward the back of the property to check on the men and their chores. Aside from the basics, like doing their own laundry and taking turns with dishes and cleaning the kitchen, the men had taken on a variety of tasks from the list Conway had compiled.

  Ginger’s older brother was a class act. Conway Schneider had made a list ten pages long of what needed to be done around the place. He’d marked everything that could be handled by unskilled labor so Sam could hand out those jobs out to the men. He’d given estimates on all the rest. The big one would be the roof. Its replacement became more urgent with each passing week. Conway was checking around, trying to find a supplier willing to donate shingles. Hopefully he would find one before winter hit. Sam had spent a little too much time on the roof last winter shoveling snow and patching the bald spots left by missing shingles.

  Sam needed to court a construction-conscious donor. An education-friendly donor, too. Or donors in general. He wasn’t exactly swimming in funds.

  Several of the companies supporting Samaritan’s Reach had pulled their funding once they’d realized the city hoped to shut him down. Nobody wanted to dump money into a sinking ship. He probably should have kept his troubles with the City Council to himself, but he’d thought sharing the prayer needs of Samaritan’s Reach would help unify the shelter’s donors. Boy, had that backfired.

  Sam was ten feet away from the chess game when Franco pointed behind him. “Miss Skye.”

  He twisted around and, sure enough, Skye walked into view in a navy-blue, tailored lady-suit and close-toed shoes. They were a far cry from sensible shoes, but at least they weren’t the hand-tooled sandals she’d worn last time.

  Skye stood beside a woman wearing a billowy skirt, one of those loose, flowy-type shirts, and brown hair that reached almost to her waist.

  Sam ran a hand over his hairless head.

  Skye’s companion had a look about her. Earthy.

  Each woman held a dozen or more bags from the local big box store. He never would have pegged Skye as the sort of person to set foot inside one.

  He jogged over to meet the women and relieve them of their load. “Can I help you with that?”

  “Just tell us where to put it.” The brown-haired woman eyed him, and he got the feeling not much had escaped her inspection.

  “Depends on what it is, I suppose.”

  Skye took a step toward him. “Some clothing and personal hygiene items.”

  Sam turned toward the supply room behind the office as he reached for his keys. “Follow me, ladies.”

  He opened the door and pointed to a large empty table against the far wall. “Set everything there. I need to sort and inventory before I can put any of it away.”

  The women stepped through the door. The brown-haired one dropped her bags on the table easily, but Skye struggled to lift hers. Sam moved in to help, but the other woman took the bags instead and lifted them to the table. “How’d you end up with all the heavy ones?”

  Skye shrugged. “I grabbed them to hand to you, not to haul up the driveway. You were already reaching for the other bags, though, so…”

  The brown-haired woman threw her head back and laughed while Skye gave an impish grin.

  Huh. Skye wore the smile well. She should wear one more often.

  “I’m Tawny.” Skye’s companion offered her hand like a woman used to being in charge.

  Sam took it and returned the firm handshake. “Sam Madison. I run this place.”

  Tawny’s eyes traveled him up and down, and she shook her head. “You’re not quite what I pictured.”

  Color stained Skye’s cheeks.

  He held Tawny’s eye, though, and addressed her. “What did you expect?”

  She clucked her tongue. “Suit and tie, clean-shaven, preppie type.”

  Skye’s blush intensified.

  Sam nodded sagely. “I can see how this might be a disappointment then.” He wore faded jeans and a button-up denim shirt cut off at the shoulders. His ever-present goatee, bald head, tattoos, and single earring pretty much guaranteed no one would ever call him preppie.

  Tawny clapped her hands together and changed the subject. “Are you going to show me this place of yours, or is the supply closet the highlight?”

  The tour complete, Sam led both women into the office. Gideon had finished his call, so they had the space to themselves.

  Sam was less than stellar at this part of the job. He needed to learn to close the deal. He hadn’t even tried the last time Skye visited. Of course, those circumstances had been unique, to say the least.

  “So tell me, ladies, do you have any interest in assisting Samaritan’s Reach or the men we serve?”

  No was on the tip of Skye’s tongue. She hadn’t said it, but the twitch of her lips tipped him off to the words’ effort to escape.

  Tawny jumped in. “We’d like to give a helping hand. We’re not sure how just yet, though. We’ll talk it over, pray about it, the usual.”

  In other words, don’t call us; we’ll call you. The volunteer kiss of death.

  Sam gritted his teeth. “Of course.”

  Skye’s flinch was almost inconspicuous.

  Sam flexed his jaw and counted to ten before making a conscious effort to soften his voice. “When my donors became aware of the City Council’s intentions, several of them pulled their funding. People don’t generally like betting on a horse when the odds are beyond long.”

  Tawny frowned. “Skye told me about what the Council is doing.”

  Sam tucked his hands in his pockets. “Losing donors meant cutting back on staff.”

  “What staff?” Skye glanced around. “You were the only one here last time.”

  “I had a part-time administrative assistant and a part-time fundraising coordinator. Without them, I’m the one who answers the phone, files the taxes, and comes up with inventive ways to get volunteers and donors. Unfortunately, I’m not particularly skilled at any of those things. I have interns who help out on a regular schedule, too, but they work with the men, not in the office.”

  Tawny looked from him to Skye, then back to him. “Like I said, we’ll discuss it.”

  As sure as the sun had come up that morning, an undercurrent swirled around his legs. He just couldn’t tell if it was trying to pull him down or keep him afloat. Tawny was as much of a mystery as Skye, but maybe she would end up on his side. And she might be able to talk Skye into coming back.

  Skye tugged on her friend’s arm. “We should get going. I didn’t plan on being away from the office so long.”

  Tawny raised an eyebrow. “You work from home. It’s not like the office is going anywhere.”

  Skye’s chin jutted forward, and her eyes managed a half-roll before she tugged again. “We’re in a period of transition. I told them I’d stay available.”

  Tawny’s eye-roll didn’t stop halfway. “‘Available’ is not the same as chained to your computer. You have a phone. They can call you if they need anything. Being the CEO should come with at least a few perks, don’t you think?”

  Skye shook her head and gave up on her friend’s arm. “Bye, Sam.”

  She slipped out the door, abandoning her friend. Tawny didn’t waste the opportunity, either. She gave Sam a hard stare. “We just got her back. Don’t you dare hurt her.”

  Then she was gone too, the glass door swinging closed behind he
r.

  What on earth had just happened? And why couldn’t women talk straight and make sense?

  Yep. The undercurrent was pulling him under.

  If only it was as simple as knowing how to swim.

  CHAPTER 11

  June

  Skye’s glare would have drilled holes into the clock if she could have managed it.

  Friday evening had arrived.

  Most people didn’t worry about Friday nights. They either went out or stayed in. No major decision.

  Skye wasn’t most people, though.

  Back in the day, all the Rainbow Girls got together for dinner on Friday. In high school, they’d met up at someone’s house. When everyone grew up, they switched to a favorite restaurant. That was what Tawny had told her when she’d invited Skye to join them. For the umpteenth time.

  Skye’d been back in town for over a month, closer to two, really, and she’d scrupulously avoided the rest of the Rainbow Girls. Not that she didn’t like them. She did. She loved them. At least, who she remembered them to be. Was she ready to face them en masse, though?

  Another look at the clock. Dinner started in fifteen minutes.

  If she stayed home, if she kept avoiding the people who had once been her friends, then she was handing the victory over to her grandparents. They might be dead, but they weren’t gone if they still dictated her actions.

  Her whole reason for coming back to Rainbow Falls had been to escape their memory, the control they’d exerted over her life, and the sadness and sense of failure that pressed down on her for letting things continue on the way they had for such a long time.

  Staying home allowed them to keep control.

  She needed to be able to face herself in the mirror.

  Skye snatched her purse from its hook inside the closet and went to her car. She hit the button to open the garage door and, with shaking hands, started the ignition.

  She could do this.

  She couldn’t do this.

  Skye sat in the parking lot, staring at the entrance to Italita.

  If she leaned just right, a glimpse of a broad corner booth off to the side came into view. Several women sat in the circular seating section. She counted six, but part of the table was shielded from her sight. They laughed together, talked at the same time, and ate. They grabbed food off each other’s plates, waved their hands around to emphasize whatever they were saying, and… looked happy. They were family.

  Why was the idea of having family again frightening?

  Any thought of the Rainbow Girls opened a pit of sickness in her stomach. The sweet memories of their days together were all colored over with the pain of having lost them. Having people who loved her just the way she was — and having those people ripped from her life — had hurt. She’d lost more than just Mom when she’d been taken from Rainbow Falls.

  Skye jumped at a tap on the window. She fumbled with the keys that lay forgotten in her lap, stuffed them into the ignition, and clicked it over it far enough to allow her to lower the window.

  “I’m running late, too. Want to walk in together?”

  Skye stared at a woman with exotic features and straight black hair. “Jette?”

  The woman tipped her head toward the front door. “I had a deposition, but I couldn’t stay away. They have the best tiramisu here. Sometimes I can’t help but miss dinner, but it’d take a herd of raging bulls to keep me away through dessert. Come on, walk with me.”

  “Um, sure.” Skye rolled up the window and scrambled to collect her keys and purse, resisting the urge to check her makeup in the mirror. She climbed from the car and followed Jette.

  Unlike Tawny, Jette didn’t pull her into an exuberant hug or talk nonstop. In fact, Jette didn’t say a word once Skye got out of her car.

  Instead, Jette employed a familiar and useful technique. She walked off without looking back.

  Skye couldn’t very well make an excuse or say she’d changed her mind if Jette wouldn’t speak to her.

  Then again, maybe Jette just wasn’t a talker. Or happy to see her.

  Stones rolled around in Skye’s stomach as the table came into view.

  Then Tawny saw her, and her whole face lit up. As long as Skye only looked at Tawny, she’d make it through.

  “Scooch, scooch.” Tawny was on the end of the horseshoe-shaped booth. She pushed all the other women to the side, then grabbed Skye’s hand and pulled her into the booth. Jette slipped in after her and exchanged a look with Tawny.

  Hm. Jette’s timely appearance in the parking lot might not have been a coincidence after all.

  The group that greeted her included sisters Rose and Ruby Rhed and two of the Green girls — though which two? Tawny Brown was present, obviously. As was Jette Black and another woman… Did Skye even know her?

  Rose gave a small finger wave. “It’s good to see you, Skye. Tawny told us you were back in town, and we’ve been hoping you’d join us one of these Fridays.”

  “Here, have some chips and salsa.” The food was shoved in her general direction.

  “If you want to skip dinner, at least order dessert. The tiramisu is to die for.”

  Um… Something was wrong with this picture. “Tortilla chips? And tiramisu?”

  The stranger at the end of the table laughed.

  Ruby leaned forward. “Italita. It’s an Italian-Spanish restaurant.”

  Tawny bumped her shoulder. “Makes for an interesting menu.”

  One of the Green sisters pointed to Skye’s menu. “But seriously. Skip dinner if you want, but don’t miss out on dessert.”

  Skye picked up her menu, and conversation burst out around her as if held back too long by a leaky dam.

  “We’re here every week. You should come.”

  “You look fantastic. Life has treated you well.”

  “Love your purse. Where’d you get it?”

  “I wish I could tame my hair to look like yours.”

  “That guy over there’s trying to flirt with one of us.”

  “Yeah, but which one?”

  The words came so fast and from so many different directions, Skye couldn’t keep straight who was saying what. It was a lot like she remembered. Everyone talked into and over each other, yet everyone understood. Except her. She’d been away too long.

  Her chest tightened, and each breath came faster than the one before it.

  Everyone around her was sharing conversation and camaraderie.

  So why did she want to climb over Jette and bolt for the front door?

  Jette leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Smile. You’re safe here.”

  Skye glanced over at the dark-haired beauty whose eyes brimmed with understanding. How much Jette knew, or how she’d come to know it, remained a mystery. Regardless, Skye’s breathing slowed, and the steel bands loosened their hold on her chest. She gave a small nod to Jette as the mystery woman stood in her spot dead-center at the bottom of the horseshoe, stuck two fingers in her mouth, and whistled loud enough to crack glass.

  “Sunny, get down from there!”

  The Green sisters, one on each side of the whistling woman, yanked her back onto the bench before giving Skye an apologetic smile. “Her parents own this place, so she…”

  Their words halted as a waitress arrived at the table, pad and pen in hand. “No shoes this time, I hope…?” Acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary — and maybe it wasn’t — the waitress turned her attention to everyone else. “Alright ladies, what’ll it be tonight?”

  Five orders of tiramisu later — some people planned to share — the waitress left, and all eyes swung to Skye. She took Jette’s advice and smiled. Hopefully it didn’t come across as forced as it felt.

  One of the Green girls leaned forward. “Tawny tells us you’re running a company. CEO or something. What does it do?”

  Skye nodded. How should she answer?

  “I’m Fern, by the way. We were lab partners in…”

  The pieces fell into place. “…in s
ophomore biology.”

  Fern grinned at her. “Yeah, that was a fun class, wasn’t it? Talk about eye candy.”

  They’d been two of four girls in the whole class, and underclassmen to boot. The rest had been upperclassmen, including the entire starting lineup of the football team. How something like that had happened, they never did figure out. They hadn’t cared, either. They’d spent too much time giggling behind their hands and staring like love-struck teens.

  Skye was still smiling, but it wasn’t as forced anymore. “I inherited my grandparents’ chux manufacturing company.”

  “Chux?” Several voices chimed in at once, and curiosity lit everyone’s gaze.

  Tawny reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze under the table, and Skye started answering questions. “Chux are absorbent pads that go under bedridden patients or seniors who struggle with incontinence during the night. They absorb any leaks or spills without letting the fluid soak into the bedding — or the bed. We sell to hospitals, assisted living facilities, things like that. We’re breaking into the pet market, too, but that’s a long story.”

  “That sounds…”

  “Um…”

  The other Green sister — Olive? — voiced the thought showing on everyone’s face. “That’s an old-people product. You’re too young to be doing something like that.”

  Skye pushed the chips away to make room for the tiramisu she was going to share with Tawny. “Patients of all ages use chux in the hospitals. You can find our products in the neonatal unit, the geriatric unit, and everywhere in between. But, yeah, this company was my grandparents’ baby. I inherited it, but it’s not exactly what I pictured myself doing in life.”

  “And you can work from home? You don’t have to be at headquarters or anything?”

  Skye shrugged. “I don’t want to run the company, but I can’t sell it, either. Working from home is my compromise.”

  Jette vocalized her thoughts for the first time since her whispered comment earlier. “Why not? Was it a stipulation in the will?”

  “Legally, I can do what I want, but morally… A lot of people depend on this company for their livelihood. It puts food on their families’ tables. If I sell, whoever buys it will move production overseas.”