“Both Wyatt’s mom and Mia’s mom got the full story from Ava’s mom during their weekly afternoon tea-and-coffee meet-up,” Kyle explained.
Dan left the brownies untouched and handed the tin to Brooke. A sugar rush would only confuse his already twisted emotions. His father was excited his son was back home. His dad no doubt wanted to share the news. Dan wanted to analyze the situation and figure out Valerie’s agenda. He wanted to figure out if he still had a brother. Then he’d decide if he wanted to celebrate.
Ava glanced over at Brooke, her tone ominous, as if their parents predicted the future correctly, too. “Our parents have the market cornered on grapevine gossip.”
Kyle shuddered. “It’s disturbing really and I’m marrying into this.”
Brad cradled the brownie tin and leaned away from Kyle. “It’s not too late to get out.”
Ava slapped Brad’s leg, grabbed the brownies and handed the container to Kyle. “It’s way too late. Our wedding date has been decided.”
“No one is getting out of anything.” Sophie brushed brownie crumbs off her hands. “The problem with the parents is that none of them thought to tell any of us.”
“How did you find out?” Brooke set her elbows on her legs and leaned forward as if intrigued.
Dan was more interested in Brooke’s reaction to his friends than the gossip train. Had he helped her relax?
“By accident. Like we always do.” Ava grimaced.
“I called Rick earlier tonight to ask if he’d consult on an arson case.” Brad looked at Dan. “Your dad answered the phone, called me Jason and told me he couldn’t find the restaurant. I told Rick it was me. We talked about the case and let the name mix-up slide.”
Dan shook his head. “I keep telling my dad to check the caller ID before he answers the phone. But he claims he always knows who’s calling so he doesn’t need that new technology.”
As if his father really could see into the future. Dan wished his dad possessed that skill, then Dan would know what to expect and how to shield Ben from any potential harm.
“Sounds just like Rick.” Ava’s gaze zeroed in on Dan. “So, it’s true? Valerie and Jason are back in town?”
Dan exhaled into the evening air. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten the second chicken-and-waffle sandwich. “They were waiting on the front porch when Brooke and I returned from the grocery store today.”
“No announcement? No forewarning?” Sophie raised her hands like a magician about to pull a rabbit from a hat. “Just poof. Here we are.”
“Pretty much,” Dan said. Although in hindsight, he had a premonition. All those phone calls and texts he hadn’t replied to surely contributed to this mess.
He should’ve prepped Ben better. Yet each year that Valerie failed to surprise them with her return, complacency set in and Dan built a life where he was everything Ben would need.
More questions from the gang ensued. Most answered by Dan. Some fielded by Brooke, to Dan’s appreciation. Nichole had stepped in to take Ben for the night. Now Brooke stepped in to support Dan. But he wasn’t reading more into Brooke’s support than the friendly gesture it was.
The inquiries rolled to a stop with Dan’s statement: he didn’t know Valerie’s plans or her intentions.
That led to several minutes of speculation.
Sophie suggested that Valerie was tired of traveling and missed her home. Except that was Sophie’s inner family side speaking about her own need for roots.
Kyle wondered if Jason had encouraged Valerie to come back. That was Kyle speaking as an older brother who adored his sisters and wanted his whole family within walking distance. Kyle kept encouraging his own sister to move back from England.
Ava added that Valerie’s mom might be ill. That was Ava’s loyalty to her own mom coming out—she was battling MS.
Ava’s suggestion might’ve had merit if Dan hadn’t dropped Luann Bennett—a healthy and happy seventy-four-year-old—at the airport for her cruise. And received the subsequent photographs she’d forwarded to her grandson of herself on the ship—ballroom dancing and winning bingo. They weren’t pictures of an ill passenger.
But Dan’s friends circled back to the very heart of the matter quickly.
Brad asked, “What about Ben?”
“What can we do?” Sophie touched Dan’s arm. “How can we help?”
Dan valued his friends. Their constant support, given freely and without expecting any sort of payment, filled his life. Dan looked at Brooke. He didn’t need more friends, did he? He said, “I’m not sure what to do.”
“Well, we’re here.” Kyle claimed another brownie and stood up. “For whatever you need.”
“Even if you just want to lose at Ping-Pong,” Brad offered.
Laughter eased through Dan and his argument. “I wouldn’t have lost if you hadn’t convinced Ava to tilt the table at the last round.”
“Winners don’t get distracted.” Brad stood up, too. “We have singular focus.”
“Until your wife walks by and smiles at you.” Kyle earned a high five from Dan.
Brad leaned down and kissed Sophie, openly and honestly. A man not afraid of his feelings. Dan almost envied him. Almost.
Sophie asked Brooke if she could visit Rex. The women disappeared inside the apartment. Brad and Kyle walked over to the basketball hoop in the corner of the yard. Ava followed Dan inside to clean up. And like that, the evening returned to normal as if his friends understood Dan needed that the most, even without asking.
Dan walked into the kitchen and shook his head. He hadn’t considered it possible for Kyle and Brad to make more of a mess than he already had.
“This is not helping you to not become a statistic.” Ava picked up the monkey bread and coffee cake on the kitchen table, then dipped her chin at the fried chicken. “Did you know Hank is retiring?”
“Hank never mentioned it when I saw him.” Hank had five children to support. The stress of the job almost killed him. A career overhaul made sense for Hank.
“Have you considered a change?” Ava turned on the faucet, drizzled soap over the stack of prep dishes and started washing.
Dan had not. He was fine, handling the stress and balancing his life. Maybe he slept even less than usual most days. And some calls—even the minor ones—stuck to him a little longer, leaving deeper imprints that were proving harder to shake. But a decade in the rig was bound to do that to a person. The exhaustion and cynicism were typical.
“I have enough change going on around me with a new tenant and now my brother and Valerie back home.” Dan set more pans beside the sink, grabbed the disinfectant wipes and scrubbed the counter.
He had to concentrate on Ben. His son was going to have a big change now that his mother was home. Dan didn’t need to be altering his career, too. One that would put him behind a desk and into a classroom. How much help would he really be? If he was behind a desk, he wouldn’t be available for Ben throughout the day. Like now. He’d have to say no to the last-minute school projects, the volunteering and being present for school events. He hadn’t said no since Ben had entered school. And he’d never used work as an excuse to get out of helping. A daytime shift would change everything.
Still, he’d have his weekends. Wouldn’t be on call for twenty-four hours. And he’d have a regular work schedule. Did he even know how to sleep at night anymore? He’d been working nights since his first year on the job. Dan scrubbed the counter as if it would suddenly reveal an answer like a crystal ball.
“Not all change is bad.” Ava handed him a stainless-steel bowl to dry instead. “You don’t have to fight it so much.”
“I can change,” Dan argued. Choosing not to wasn’t a sign of his resistance. “I walked this week with a dog.”
Ava turned off the water and leaned against the counter. “How was that?”
Refreshing. Freeing
. He’d opened up to Brooke more than he had to anyone in a long time. And yet he hadn’t resented it. He said, “It was fine.”
“It was more than fine.” Ava shoved him in the chest with her wet hands. “I saw how you looked at Brooke out there just now.”
“It’s too dark outside to see much.” He picked up the clean frying pan and avoided looking at his best friend.
“It was light enough to notice your gaze lingering on Brooke,” Ava challenged. “You even smiled whenever Brooke smiled.”
Dan concentrated on putting away the dishes. “I was engaged in the conversation that included Brooke’s participation.”
“You watched her even when she wasn’t talking,” Ava countered. “She’s gotten under your skin.”
Like a splinter. As soon as the fragment was removed, the irritation stopped. The inflammation healed. Brooke was the furthest thing from an irritation. That was the problem. She would leave. Dan worried he wasn’t as immune as he wanted to be. Brooke’s absence would linger inside him. And he didn’t know how to fix that. “It’s nothing.”
“I told myself that, too, with Kyle.” Ava lifted her left hand, revealing her diamond engagement ring. “Look how it turned out.”
Ava had fallen head over heels in love. Dan wasn’t that foolish. He’d never rush into love. He only ever rushed out in the field, where he was trained and prepared. “I’m not interested in Brooke like that. I’m just grateful she was there today with Valerie and Jason.”
“Me, too.” Ava opened the coffee-cake box. “I would’ve told Valerie to leave. That she wasn’t welcome here.”
Dan handed a butter knife to Ava. “I considered it.”
“But it isn’t the right thing for Ben.” Ava cut a small piece off the coffee cake and popped it into her mouth. A muffled hum flowed from her. She swallowed and cut another piece. “This is divine.”
“Valerie brought that over and the monkey bread for my dad.” Dan grinned. “The coffee cake is a favorite of mine.”
“Now I touched this, so I have to eat it.” Ava chewed the second piece and glared at the coffee cake. “I suppose it was considerate of Valerie to remember your favorite things.”
He only really wanted Valerie to remember her son and his favorite things. “That’s Valerie.”
“What happens next?” Ava shut the coffee-cake box and set the monkey bread on top of it.
“I’m going to shoot a few baskets with Brad and Kyle.” Dan mimicked the perfect basketball shooting form.
“Not what I meant.” Ava walked to the back door.
“I know.” Dan followed her outside. “But I don’t have any answers.”
“Well, maybe Brooke will.” Ava nudged her elbow into Dan’s side. “Because I also noticed how she looked at you.”
“Aaaa-va.” Dan scrubbed his hands over his face and stretched out her name.
“I’m in love.” Ava poked him again. “Don’t blame me for wanting everyone to be as happy as I am.”
“We have other single friends, like Kyle’s sister. Spread your joy on Iris,” Dan said.
“Fine.” Ava laughed and headed toward the rental apartment. “But don’t think I’m giving up on you.”
Dan was happy. Maybe not the blissful, cloud-nine kind that Ava floated around on. But clouds dispersed and dissolved. Then he’d face-plant right back into reality. He was satisfied with his feet on the ground and his kind of happy.
Dan intercepted a pass between Brad and Kyle, shot and scored a basket. He high-fived Brad, then joined their debate about what to wager. This was the only kind of happy he wanted.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LAUGHTER FROM THE basketball half-court drifted through the open apartment door. Sophie concentrated on Rex, coaxing him out of the bedroom into the family room. Luna switched from one side to the other, sniffing Rex as if to encourage him, then returning to sit beside Sophie as if showing Rex what she wanted him to do.
Finally, the sweet boxer scooted out of the bedroom and curled beside the arm of the couch.
“Ella is going to be so relieved. She’s been worried about you.” Sophie knelt in front of Rex, rubbed behind his ears and glanced over at Brooke. “Ella gets that from me. It’s an occupational hazard. I worry about every animal as if they are my very own.”
“That’s what makes you great at your work.” Brooke’s former boss had often told her the very same thing throughout her five years at Nash Legal and Mediation Services. Brooke had cared about every client and had always pushed until both parties were satisfied. When had she stopped believing that her role no longer mattered? That she wasn’t needed?
Sophie sat on the floor beside Rex, resting her back against the couch. “I’m not always so great at my job.”
Sophie’s frown matched the misery in her tone. Worry pushed Brooke closer to Sophie, yet Brooke stumbled for the words. How long had it been since she’d comforted someone else? Sure, she’d asked Dan if he was okay. Wanted to reassure him, but she’d caught herself and retreated thanks to Ava’s arrival.
Something echoed inside her. Her therapist’s instructions: nurture your support system, Brooke. Always.
But she was only a guest here. Passing through. These weren’t her friends.
Still, she set a new resolution for herself. Once she’d moved into her new home, she’d work on making a new friend or two. For now, she’d try to bring back Sophie’s joy.
Ava burst into the apartment. “Did you ask Brooke yet?”
Brooke held up her hands. “Ask me what?”
“How much do you like Dan?” Ava swept Cupid up into her arms and sat on the recliner.
Brooke’s gaze fell on the jewelry box sitting on the fireplace mantel, with the three angel ornaments tucked inside. Always find the good, Brooke. The joy. Brooke stepped closer to the women. “Dan is great.”
Sophie sweet-talked Rex until the boxer rolled onto his back. He was quickly rewarded with a belly rub. “For the record, this isn’t about setting you up with Dan.”
“Unless you want us to. We can make that happen.” Ava grinned from the recliner. Ava’s straightforward manner made her impossible not to like.
Cupid curled up on Ava’s lap, happy and content, as if Ava was also a trained cat whisperer. Luna set her head on the armrest of Ava’s chair. Ava reached over, giving equal affection to both the cat and the dog. Cupid and Luna soaked up the attention. Ava added, “Although, you’re already wearing his sweatshirt so maybe you don’t need our help.”
Flames pulsed underneath Brooke’s skin, warming her entire face from the neck up.
“Don’t listen to Ava. She’s in love and wants everyone to be happily paired off,” Sophie said.
Ava pointed at Sophie. “You’re in love, too, don’t deny it. And you want the same for our friends.”
Sophie grinned and nodded. “However, we aren’t talking to Brooke about love right now. This is about hiring her.”
The heat in Brooke’s cheeks faded. Love wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss now or later. Love was past tense. She’d already loved. But work could be a part of her present. She’d found joy in her work. “You want to hire me.”
“Nothing permanent,” Sophie said, assurance in her voice. “I know you have plans to leave. But I’m in a bit of a bind.”
“A dog bind to be specific,” Ava added.
“I don’t think Dan will let me take in another dog,” Brooke said. Dan had been great with Rex and Luna. Brooke suspected that was only because they weren’t permanent residents. Still, he’d eased up on his rule and allowed the dogs into the backyard tonight.
“Dan would say yes if you asked.” Ava nodded at Brooke, confidence bracing her words.
But one evening hardly transformed Dan. He’d most likely want to avoid taking another walk with Brooke and the dogs. Allowing the dogs into the backyard was
the perfect compromise. Although he’d been the one to extend their walk that morning. Brooke rubbed her hands over her face to stop her circular thoughts. She needed to identify what deserved her focus. That tactic had always gotten her clients’ attention in the meeting room.
“I’m serious.” Ava’s smile stretched wide. “He’d agree for you.”
Brooke seriously needed to redirect her mind. Before she forgot herself and started to believe Ava.
“It doesn’t matter. The dog’s owner, Earl Powell, would never agree.” Frustration sank into Sophie’s tone like an anchor. “Earl has already turned down my qualified foster families. Every single one of them.”
Brooke sat on the opposite end of the couch, facing Sophie and Ava. “Maybe you should start at the beginning.”
Ava and Sophie shared a look. Laughter filled the air then, pure joy radiating from the duo. Brooke smiled. It had been ages since her heart had felt so light.
“Sorry,” Ava said. “It’s like you’ve been part of our group forever.”
She was a part of something. Happiness bolstered Brooke’s confidence. She wanted to settle in for the night with these women. But that wasn’t part of her new plan. Friends were for later—after she’d moved to her new home. Good plans had specific, definable steps for a reason. Ones she needed to follow to ensure success.
“Here’s my problem. Earl Powell is an eighty-six-year-old gentleman whose family needs to put him into assisted living.” Sophie paused and inhaled as if gathering herself. “His daughter Cara came to see me because Earl has a senior dog, Sherlock, who needs to be rehomed, too.”
“Dan and I have transported Earl before. He’s set in his ways, cantankerous, generous and an excellent storyteller who loves his dog more than anyone.” Affection warmed Ava’s voice.
“Earl loves his dog so much that he’s refusing to move into assisted living until Sherlock is settled with a family that he approves of.” Sophie dropped her head on the sofa cushion and stared at the ceiling.
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