Jason shook his head, his voice skeptical. “Not any that a ten-year-old will keep on.”
“Fine.” Valerie retied her silk scarf as if rearranging her proposal. “Where do you suggest we take Ben?”
“Simple.” Jason shrugged. “Liverpool, England, to see a soccer game.”
Dan toasted his brother, warming to that suggestion. “I could be tempted to travel for that.”
Brooke leaned forward, excitement in her tone. “Could you really get tickets?”
Jason tipped his head, curiosity in his dark gaze. “Would you be interested in joining us?”
“I was just curious.” Brooke sat back and pulled her hand away from Dan’s as if she’d overstepped herself.
Dan wanted to take her hand back.
“I’m sure Jason knows someone who can get us tickets to a soccer game,” Valerie interrupted. “However, I don’t think that’s the best idea for Ben.”
“Why not?” Brooke asked the question on Dan’s mind. And from the rise of Jason’s eyebrows, on his mind, too.
“Surely Ben has enough exposure to soccer here at home.” Valerie’s voice was earnest and sincere. “Shouldn’t his vacation be about learning and seeing new things?”
Brooke’s chin dipped up and down. “That is part of traveling.”
“Ben would be visiting soccer stadiums larger than anything he’s ever seen,” Jason argued.
Dan waved his hand toward his brother. “That would be new.”
“It can’t be about soccer, soccer and more soccer.” Valerie’s fingers tensed on the stem of the wineglass, yet her face remained composed.
“Why not?” Dan asked. If it was about Ben, then it should be about what Ben liked.
“There are over thirty soccer leagues in Europe.” Jason grinned and thanked the waiter for his entrée. “It could really be all about soccer.”
“What else, though? It needs to be about more than that.” Valerie held up her hands. “Let’s do this. Everyone tell me your favorite childhood vacation.”
Everyone quieted. Only long enough for the rest of the entrées to be placed on the table.
Brooke’s soft laughter broke the silence. “We were supposed to spend Christmas in the Florida Keys one year. But bad weather and diverted flights stranded us in Idaho. We ended up in a one-bedroom cabin with a woodstove burner, no TV and a deck of playing cards. I still remember snowshoeing to the general store for supplies since they had no rental cars available.”
“We can relate.” Dan cut into his steak, appreciating the too-hot plate and the fun memory. “On one of our road trips, our grandma stole all the condiments from the restaurant tables—the small jams, syrups, individual butters. Then we got stuck in a massive pileup on the interstate for over ten hours. Mom gave us crackers and syrup in desperation to stop us from whining about starving to death.”
“I forgot about that one.” Jason separated his vegetables from his pork chop.
His brother had never liked his foods comingling on his plate. The tension inside Dan receded—he was pleased some things hadn’t changed.
Jason continued, “I was going to say every one of Dad’s shortcuts. Mom would never say we were lost, only that we were having an adventure.”
“We never did make it to any place that we originally set out for.” Dan smiled at the wonder in his own voice. Their parents really had created the best memories for their kids. He wanted Ben to have the same.
Brooke leaned toward him. “Where did you stay?”
“We slept at campsites we stumbled upon or motels. Sometimes even the truck.” Dan slid into the memory: blankets piled up past the truck windows. Jason on one side of the bench seat, Dan on the other. On those nights, Dan had stared at the stars until he’d fallen asleep, content and happy and secure. Everything he’d always wanted Ben to feel with him.
“I wonder if Dad remembers telling us that sleeping in the truck was rodeo-style camping.” Jason looked at Brooke and Valerie, laughing. “Dad liked to tell us if we slept in the truck, we could get on the road early and not miss anything on our way to our next destination.”
“Mom always bought something from every little town.” Dan wished their mom was there now to open a jar of honey and insist Dan sample the best thing ever. “She’d claim it was the absolute best fudge, barbecue sauce, honey or pie she’d ever tasted. Until we came upon the next town with more pies, honey and fudge, and those became the best things ever.”
“I wasn’t asking for your horrible vacation memories.” Exasperation dimmed Valerie’s smile, dismay stole the lyrical notes from her voice. Valerie waved over the waiter to refill the water glasses as if everyone needed to pause and refresh.
Brooke accepted the bread basket and Valerie’s advice to dip the bread in the steak sauce for an exceptional bite. Brooke said, “These are good memories.”
“You cannot be serious.” Valerie positioned her fork and knife properly on her plate to signal she was finished eating and wanted to quit this part of their conversation. “We definitely aren’t putting Ben through any of that.”
“Why not?” Brooke asked. “Sometimes the unexpected is wonderful and life-changing in a good way.”
“Or it is unpleasant and dreadful.” Valerie pointed at Dan. “You never liked the unexpected. You always wanted everything planned out in advance, in detail.”
“I still prefer that.” He still had a job and commitments that tied him down. Picking up and flying to any international destination still wasn’t feasible or practical. Dan eyed Valerie. “Are you telling me that you make plans now, too?”
Jason choked on his sip of water. “Never.”
“That isn’t true.” Valerie brushed the bread crumbs into a pile, then into her hand. “I have a very good one for Ben.”
Dan frowned. When did Valerie decide to make plans for her son? Making plans for Ben sounded eerily close to a parent’s job. Like Dan’s job. The one he’d accepted for them both when Valerie had refused to come home and then signed the divorce papers. “That isn’t your job.”
Valerie set down her wineglass swiftly, but with grace. “It is if Ben is vacationing with me.”
Brooke rested her hand on Dan’s leg, her voice even. “What is your plan, Valerie?”
“To live life rather than endure it.” Valerie’s expression softened, and her inner joy returned, lighting up her face. “We could tour medieval castles in England. Watch the centuries-old changing of the guard in London. Explore the science museum in Amsterdam and bike around the historic city. Discover new Dutch foods like stroopwafel and kroket. Meet new people and learn about new cultures.”
Dan searched for a snag. Ben liked bike riding and science, and would most likely enjoy an ancient castle with a torture chamber. Dan wanted to hate Valerie’s plan. Instead it was the extra thought Valerie had put into vacationing with Ben that he disliked. “If you do all that now, what do you do next summer and the one after that?”
Valerie perked right up at that. “You travel to a new place. Make new memories.”
“Sounds expensive and extravagant.” He’d finally discovered the catch. Not everyone enjoyed a life bankrolled by a trust fund like Valerie’s. Yet even that money was limited. How much longer could Valerie afford to travel the world? Her own mother had been forced to go back to work after the death of Valerie’s dad to keep their home. Dan wasn’t certain Luann had the extra money to continuously refill Valerie’s trust fund. “There’s also college to save for.”
“Life is meant to be experienced now, while we can.” Sadness filtered across Valerie’s face.
Ten years had passed and still Valerie hadn’t seemed to accept her father’s passing. How long could Valerie run from it? Dan glanced at Brooke. Was she still grieving her late husband?
Valerie added, “Jason agrees with me.”
“College trumps
everything,” Jason said. “You don’t want Ben to graduate with even more debt.”
“I’ve never even used my degree. You haven’t needed the one you never finished.” Valerie adjusted the ends of her scarf as if aligning her argument. “Look at what we’ve done. We’re both fine.”
“You have the benefit of a trust fund. Normal people don’t get those.” Jason tossed his napkin on top of his plate, his tone defensive. “I was lucky at the poker table more than once. Again, not normal.”
“You’re saying we aren’t normal.” Valerie laughed. “Thank goodness for that.”
“This lifestyle is not normal,” Jason said.
“We never wanted to be like everyone else,” Valerie argued.
“Well, now I’m thinking it might not be such a bad thing.” Jason spoke as if to himself, not the entire table.
Yet the weariness in his brother’s tone reached Dan and he wanted to help.
“This is the life I have always wanted.” Valerie commanded the table’s attention. She handed their plates to the waiter and accepted the dessert menus in exchange. “I won’t apologize.”
“No one is asking you to.” Brooke took the dessert menu from Valerie. “We all have different lifestyles. Dan wants different things for Ben.”
“Dan wants Ben to be just like him.” Frustration pushed a blush across Valerie’s face. “Ben will end up stuck in place. In a rut. Afraid to step out of his comfort zone. Afraid to take a risk. Just like his father.”
“Children change things. Being a parent changes things.” A headache threatened, or maybe it was the hammering of their same argument resurfacing. “If you tried being a full-time parent, then you might understand.”
“I understand you’re refusing to let Ben travel with his own mother.” Valerie set her hands on the table and stared at Dan. “I understand we’ll need to take this up with a judge in court.”
The headache exploded across his temple. Dan couldn’t contain the frustration. “You can’t be serious.”
“Very.” Valerie nodded. “While we’re there, I’m asking for joint custody.”
“Why?” That came from Jason. Confusion bracketed the one word.
“Then I won’t need Dan’s permission. Just a power of attorney from a judge to get Ben a passport.” Valerie stood up. “I’m not as flighty and reckless as I look.”
Jason coughed and cleared his throat with a long sip of water.
But Valerie was still as impulsive as ever.
Brooke asked, “You’re willing to go to court over a passport?”
The surprise in her voice comforted Dan. He wasn’t the only one caught off guard.
“It’s about more than that,” Valerie argued. “If Dan can’t see that now, maybe the judge can help him.”
“This will certainly leave some lasting memories.” Bitterness poured through Dan’s voice, unavoidable and unstoppable.
“I’m trying to make sure Ben lives life to the fullest.” Valerie swung her coat over her shoulders. “We’re going to give ourselves indigestion and ruin a lovely meal if we continue this now.”
Too late. Dan started to rise.
“You stay, Dan, and enjoy dessert with Brooke. You can share more childhood memories.” Valerie waved him back into his seat. “Jason will cover the bill.”
Jason caught up to their waiter and disappeared, leaving Dan’s objection unheard. That headache rolled down Dan’s neck and squeezed into his shoulders. He and Valerie had skipped court during their divorce. Surely she wouldn’t want to go now.
The headache pulsed and throbbed. All Dan really knew for certain was that Valerie was still unpredictable. And seemingly absent of any doubt. The last time he’d tried to call Valerie’s bluff, he’d ended up a divorced, single parent.
Dan shifted, prepared to apologize to Brooke and leave.
Brooke sat beside him, studying the dessert menu as if it was her last meal. As if Valerie’s throw down of the court battle and abrupt departure hadn’t given her sweet tooth a cavity.
Brooke closed the dessert menu and glanced at him. “I see no reason to pass over bread pudding with caramel-rum sauce.”
“I’ve always preferred molten-lava cake,” he said.
She never flinched. Simply ordered both desserts, then smiled at Dan. “We’ll have both and try to change each other’s minds.”
Her smile dared Dan not to like her dessert challenge.
But Valerie’s mind was the one Dan should be changing. He shouldn’t be lingering over dessert with Brooke. After all, this was not some quaint date.
His ex-wife had just brought the family drama to the dinner table and spread it out like a feast for everyone to pick at. Dan hadn’t stopped Valerie.
He should stop whatever it was between him and Brooke. Change their dessert orders to take-out. They could retreat to their own places with their own desserts.
Instead he picked up the extra spoon and dipped it into Brooke’s bread pudding.
Challenge accepted.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BROOKE WALKED TOWARD the picnic-table area. Runners, strollers and bikers crossed over the lake bridge. Families gathered for pictures. A painter adjusted her easel on the shore. In the distance dogs barked and radios played. Best of all, the park blocked the street noise.
“What am I supposed to do when Valerie gets here?” Ben kicked off his tennis shoes and pulled a pair of soccer cleats from his bag. “She doesn’t like sports.”
“How do you know that?” Brooke shaded her eyes and looked at the lake.
One Saturday two years into her marriage, she and Phillip had rented a rowboat like the ones skimming across the glassy water now. Brooke had filled that afternoon with laughter and exercise, not business calls and budget discussions.
Always be present in the moment, Brooke. Another piece of advice from her therapy sessions. She’d been present that day on the lake.
Now she stood in the park again. In a new moment. With new people. The best she could offer was to be present now. Especially for Ben.
“She never asks me about soccer.” Ben rummaged around inside his bag. “She never asks me about anything, really.”
Brooke kept her gaze trained on the lake. But the disappointment in Ben’s voice tugged at her. She added her other hand to shade her eyes, rather than hug Ben. She’d been trained to remain impartial. To assist parties in understanding each other’s sides. She couldn’t take sides. That wouldn’t bring harmony between Ben and his mother. “Maybe Valerie doesn’t know what to ask you. She never got into sports or had a brother or sister growing up.”
Ben stretched his legs out and tapped his shin guards. “But she had Dad and Uncle Jason. They could tell her.”
“They could.” Brooke shifted her gaze to the two men setting up cones for a soccer goal on the grass. Dan and Jason appeared to be tentatively trying to repair their relationship. Valerie and Dan weren’t anywhere close to that.
As for Brooke and Dan, last evening they’d shared dessert, childhood stories and a closeness Brooke hadn’t experienced in a long while. She’d returned to the apartment not feeling guilty about her time with Dan. Only disappointed the night had ended. She’d fallen asleep eager to see what the new day brought.
The hope and possibilities in her dreams crowded out her nightmares. She hadn’t believed she’d feel like this ever again. Hadn’t wanted to feel again. Reminding herself to appreciate it for what it was—only a moment with Dan—she promised to not get ahead of herself.
She pulled her gaze away from Dan and glanced at Ben. “Why don’t you find common ground with your mother instead of looking for differences?”
Ben rubbed the back of his hand beneath his nose. “Like how Uncle Jason and I both like soccer a lot.”
“Yes, like that.” The same way she and Dan had agreed four bites of the
decadent lava cake was more than enough to satisfy the most intense chocolate craving. Or that the rum sauce was the critical ingredient for the bread pudding but could’ve been eaten by itself. Or that butter pecan was the best flavor of ice cream.
“Okay.” Ben stood up and hugged her around the waist.
Brooke had time to wrap her arms around Ben yet not hold on. Ben’s embrace was tight and quick. Then he sprinted off to join Wesley, his dad and his uncle on the makeshift soccer field. And left Brooke scrambling to hold on to the unexpected affection.
Nichole stepped beside Brooke. “I knew Ben for over a year before I even got a partial hug.”
“I’m his grandpa, so hugs come with the title.” Rick laughed and paused on the other side of Brooke. “But he likes you, Brooke.”
She liked him, too. Ben had brought her fresh bagels that morning, then extended his cheerful greeting to Luna and Cupid. He’d softened his tone for Rex yet showered the dog with even more love. The adoration was mutual between Ben and her pets. Ben was hard not to like, the same as his father. Not that she liked Dan too much. Spending time with Dan made her feel better. Made her want to enjoy life again. Nothing more. “Ben is just in an awkward place with his mom home.”
“You also haven’t pressured him to like her or spend time with her.” Rick picked up Ben’s soccer bag.
“He’s old enough to make up his own mind.” Just as Brooke was old enough to recognize the signs of falling in love. None of which she had. Because Dan was only a friend. “But I bet Ben will like Valerie if he gives her a chance.”
“I want to not like her, but the woman makes it impossible in person.” Nichole tucked a strand of her light brown hair up into her bun, which looked more like a poorly constructed bird’s nest. Pieces of her hair stuck out at odd angles while others drooped against her neck, already giving up before the wind could knock her hair loose.
“Dan says that’s her superpower.” Brooke liked Valerie, too.
Valerie had inquired about food allergies before dinner. Attended to the table with more precision and concern than the waiters. Beyond that, Valerie was passionate about wanting to share her love of history and new cultures with Ben. Valerie was trying. She’d put thought into her ideas. Brooke couldn’t fault her for that.
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