He headed for home and tried to ignore the way his pulse sped up at the thought of seeing Lynn tomorrow.
Chapter Three
Lynn kicked herself all day Saturday morning for agreeing to watch Mia during the wedding. Well, for that, but even more so for accepting Nathan’s invitation to join them for dinner tonight. Seriously, who crashes a family dinner like that? She could hardly act normal around Nathan during the short periods she saw him at Little Lambs, what made her think she could keep her cool in a more laid-back setting? The last thing she needed was for Nathan to realize she had some silly schoolgirl crush on him.
Lynn groaned and flopped onto the couch she’d been pacing around for the last half hour. So she’d agreed in a moment of weakness. She could still back out, right? She’d text Nathan and tell him she got home and realized she already had something going on that Saturday of the wedding. Laundry and a good book counted, right?
No, he’d already mentioned that he knew it was last minute asking her as it was. She couldn’t back out now, not without putting him in a bind. She sighed. “I’m pathetic.”
As if in answer, the kitten jumped lightly onto the couch and curled up on Lynn’s chest with a meow.
Lynn ran her hand along his back as he nuzzled her chin with his nose. “Seriously, has my life boiled down to lying here in my house talking to a cat without a name?” Only the sound of his purrs responded. He stared at her with his blue eyes as though he understood every single word she said.
Sharon was right. Lynn needed to get a life. She should probably name the cat, too, while she was at it. “How about Ninja?” The kitten sneezed, and it looked like he shook his head. Lynn chuckled. “Okay, not Ninja. Hmmm…” A regular name like Smoky or Stormy didn’t seem to fit.
She went to her laptop, brought up her favorite search engine, and typed in, “Popular names for Siamese cats.”
One of the first results said it included the top two hundred names. Surely she could narrow it down from there. But when she scanned through the first list of names for male Siamese cats, her gaze immediately zeroed in on the name Nathan.
And why shouldn’t the name of the guy she was thinking about way too often appear on a Siamese cat website?
Lynn glanced at the kitten as he strolled into the room. “I’m not naming you Nathan.”
She scrolled through the list of suggested names and stopped. “What about Thai?”
The kitten just sat and watched her as though he were waiting for her to do something more interesting.
The more Lynn thought about it, the more she liked it. “Thai. I think it fits.” She turned back to the computer and shifted in the chair. “Good, now that we have that figured out, I guess we’d better make some lunch.”
That decision made, she warmed up leftovers from the night before and settled down to watch some of her favorite shows on television to help pass the time.
That evening, as she followed the GPS directions to Nathan’s brother’s house, Lynn again wished there were some way she could get out of this whole arrangement. Unless little Mia screamed bloody murder at seeing Lynn tonight, there was little Lynn could do.
She rubbed one sweaty palm against her jeans before gripping the steering wheel with it and wiping the other palm.
On second thought, it was one dinner. How bad could it be? Okay, it was one dinner with the guy she’d secretly liked for months. But she’d kept those feelings to herself this long, what was one more night? Or even one more week or month? No one else had to know.
Her stomach clenched in response. No matter how convinced her mind was of that fact, her heart wasn’t so sure. She’d be lucky if she could eat a bite the way she felt right now.
Lynn followed the prompts from her phone as she entered a neighborhood and finally parked at the curb in front a one-story brick house. She double checked the address before grabbing the tray of brownies in the passenger seat. She stepped out of her car and walking up the paved path from the sidewalk to the red front door.
Please, God, at least let me have the right house.
She’d just raised a hand to knock when the door opened. Lynn looked up into Nathan’s piercing blue eyes and swallowed hard.
“Hey, you find the place okay?”
“I did.” Lynn waited until Nathan stood back. She went inside and paused while her eyes adjusted to the change in light.
“Everyone’s out back. Chess is grilling steaks—his specialty—and we should be set to eat before too long.” Nathan reached for her brownies. “I can take those and put them in the kitchen.”
“Sure.” She relinquished the baked goods. Part of her wanted to wish she’d baked something herself. But yeah, no. Store-bought brownies were as good as it got for her. When he returned, she glanced at the front door and almost wishing she could make a run for it. “I really don’t want to intrude…”
“Believe it or not, I remember how weird it was walking through my brother’s door back before I knew everyone last year. Trust me, if they could welcome me with open arms, you’ll be fine.” He winked at her. “Come on, let me introduce you.”
So he hadn’t known his brother before last year? Interesting.
He led the way through the house to the back door, and Lynn followed reluctantly. Don’t let any of them recognize me.
As they stepped into the large backyard, four sets of eyes watched her along with little Mia who was being held in a woman’s arms. It took the little one a few moments to realize who Lynn was before she grinned with delight and stretched her arms out.
Normally Lynn wouldn’t hesitate to take the baby, but she had no idea who was holding her. She knew that Nathan was a single dad, but what if Mia’s mom was still in the picture?
The woman stood from the bench of a picnic table she’d been sitting on and stretched out a hand. “Hi. You must be Lynn.” When Mia continued to reach for Lynn, the woman relinquished the baby. “I’m Brooke.”
Ah, Nathan’s future sister-in-law. Okay, that made Lynn feel a little better. She shook Brooke’s hand with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you.” She tickled Mia’s arm and got a giggle in response. “Hey, bug. I’ll bet it’s weird seeing me here, isn’t it?”
Other than that first confused look, Mia acted as though it was the most natural thing in the world to have Lynn there with everyone else. She seemed content to stay in Lynn’s arms, so Lynn settled the baby on her hip. “Your house is beautiful.” The backyard was shaded by several large trees.
Brooke grinned. “Thank you.” She nodded toward the tiny back porch. “Chess promised to build a larger deck before too long. Once he does, I’ll look forward to planting a bunch of flowers.” She snagged one of the guys and pulled him over. “Speaking of which, this is my fiancé, Chess.”
With the exception of some subtle similarities in facial features, Chess looked nothing like his brother. He smiled, his hazel eyes sparkling. “We’re happy to have you here, Lynn. We appreciate your taking care of that little munchkin during the wedding.”
So far, no one had shown any hint of recognition. Lynn’s shoulders relaxed a little. “I’m happy to.” She shifted some of the baby’s light hair out of her eyes and secured it behind her ear. “Congratulations to the both of you.”
Chess looped an arm around Brooke’s waist and kissed her soundly on the lips. Brooke looked at him lovingly as she tucked herself into his shoulder.
Nathan returned with the other two people there. “And this is Joel and Anna. Guys, this is Lynn.”
Lynn shook each of their hands. Between the wedding bands they both wore, and the way Joel was holding Anna’s hand in his, it was clear they were married.
It would seem Lynn and Nathan were the only single adults in the group. Nice.
Lynn cleared her throat, thankful for the distraction of Mia in her arms. “So everyone’s in the wedding party?”
Chess nodded. “Nathan’s my best man, and Anna is Brooke’s maid of honor.”
“And Joel,” Brooke b
egan, “will be giving me away.” She smiled before turning for the back door. “I’m going to go see if everything else is ready.”
“I’ll help,” Anna said and disappeared after her.
Chess pointed to the grill. “It shouldn’t be long before we’re ready to eat. I’ll go check on the steaks.”
Lynn looked from Nathan to Joel and back. Should she offer to go inside and help the other women? Mia laid her head on Lynn’s shoulder as though she had nowhere else in the world she’d rather be. Lynn’s heart turned over in her chest.
“You’re right,” Joel said. “Mia will be just fine with Lynn.”
Lynn patted the baby’s back. “So how do you two know each other?”
“That’s a long story.” Joel exchanged a look with Nathan that Lynn couldn’t quite read. “I consider Chess and Brooke to be my brother and sister by choice. And this guy,” he jabbed a thumb at Nathan, “was the buy two, get one free.”
Nathan gave Joel a good natured shove and laughed. He reached for Mia. “I’m going to go change this girl’s diaper before it’s time to eat.” He tossed Lynn a smile. “You do enough of that during the week. Grab a seat and relax.”
With that, he was gone.
Lynn awkwardly slipped her hands into her pockets. Joel moved a lawn chair forward a bit and motioned to it before sitting down in another one. Lynn joined him.
“This is a great place. The backyard is amazing.”
Joel nodded. “We all lived in Quintin until this last October. Brooke got an apartment a few blocks from here. Once she and Chess became engaged, they found this house. Now he lives here and once they’re married, she’ll move in and let the apartment go.”
“That’s awesome. And you and Anna plan to stay in Quintin?”
“We do. We own a diner there.” Joel looked up when the back door opened and both women came back through with bowls of mashed potatoes and corn, and a pitcher with gravy.
“Perfect timing.” Chess approached with a platter full of steaks. “I was thinking we could eat out here if there are no objections.”
Everyone placed food on the large picnic table nearby. Despite her nerves, Lynn’s stomach growled. “Everything looks great.” She glanced at the door as Nathan and Mia appeared. Nathan gave his daughter a kiss on the head that had Lynn suppressing a sigh. When Nathan put a hand to her back and escorted her to the table, finally taking a seat next to her, Lynn’s pulse went into overdrive. She grasped the glass of ice water in hopes the cool surface would keep her emotions from painting themselves all over her face.
~*~
Nathan passed the corn to Lynn. Conversation around the table was just as spirited as it always was when the gang got together for dinner. Still, Lynn seemed unusually quiet. She smiled and answered questions when asked directly, but she never really jumped in on her own. He wondered if she was always this shy and found himself curious as to what topics would inspire her to speak up more.
He used a spoon to try and control the amount of mashed potatoes on his young daughter’s face but quickly gave up. “Chess, I’m going to have to borrow your bathtub to clean this kiddo up before I can head home.”
That brought a round of laughter as Mia fisted more mashed potatoes and put them into her mouth, completely oblivious to the attention of the adults around her.
Brooke addressed Lynn from the other side of the table. “How long have you worked at the daycare, Lynn?”
Lynn wiped her hands off on a napkin before answering. “Right at two years.” She smiled at Mia. “It keeps me on my toes.”
“I can imagine.” Chess took a drink of his soda. “We watch my niece one day a week, and she about wears us out.”
When Nathan kicked him under the table, Chess laughed. “I’m kidding. I wish we had a way to keep her more often.” His eyes softened as he looked at Mia. “Seriously, though, hats off to anyone who can wrangle a whole room full of kids and live to tell the tale.”
Lynn shrugged. “I grew up helping with my little sister and volunteering in the nursery at church.”
That sentence snagged Nathan’s attention. If Lynn grew up in church, was she still religious? While Nathan didn’t go to church nearly as often as he should, there was no doubt how often God had guided his life. He was also surprised by the news that she had family. He’d had the impression she was on her own. “Where does your sister live?”
Lynn’s smile fell, but she tried to hide it by reaching for her drink. “I’m not really in touch with my family anymore.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice. To Lynn’s credit, she pulled herself together, managed another smile, and changed the subject. “I thought I’d drive by the church on my way home. After Nathan told me where it was, I looked it up online. It’s beautiful.”
Her segue was effective and had the ladies talking about wedding details for the remainder of the meal. Her ability to skirt around the question had Nathan curious about her family and her past. There was a lot he didn’t know about Lynn, and it surprised him how much he’d like to change that.
Lynn was the first woman he’d been interested in since Mia’s mother, and he wasn’t entirely sure whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he focused on visiting with everyone. After a while they all had dessert, and then people started to go their separate ways.
Brooke offered to give Mia a bath. Nathan handed her over and then walked Lynn out to her car.
“I’m glad you came. I think Mia was excited to see you. She’ll do just fine with you at the wedding.”
Lynn nodded. “I think it’ll work out, too.” She tilted her head toward the house. “Your family seems great. I had no idea you’d only just met your brother last year.” Her voice was thick with curiosity, but to her credit, she didn’t push with more questions.
Nathan never minded sharing how things had worked out. “Chess pretty much took care of me when I was a baby. When I was three—and he was eight—we entered the foster care system. It’s a long story, but a couple adopted me, and Chess and I got separated. I was too young to search for him, and he had no idea about the adoption, so it took a while for us to find each other again. But once we did, I didn’t hesitate to move up here so we could be closer to family.”
“Wow, it sounds like something straight out of a movie. I’m glad you guys reconnected again.”
“Me, too.” He paused, watching her closely. “So what’s up with your family? Why aren’t you in touch?” Yeah, he was being pushy. And the guarded look in her eyes told him she wasn’t likely to open up to him. Not now, anyway.
Lynn gave a subtle shrug. “Let’s just say I’m a huge disappointment. The one thing my father didn’t want me to pursue in life was my dream. I chose to follow that, and it left me all but disowned. And my sister…” Moisture gathered in her eyes. “She has Down syndrome along with some other special needs and still lives with them. So when I lost my parents, I lost her, too.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He couldn’t imagine Lynn doing anything that would be worthy of a parent disowning her. The thought of it made him angry. He watched Lynn as she folded her arms in front of her like a shield between her and the world. His heart went out to her. “I know what it’s like to be alone.” He motioned to the house. “We all do. We’ve had periods in our lives where we didn’t know if we’d ever find a family. But God brought us together.” Nathan put a hand on her arm and wondered whether her skin was that warm, or if his hands were cold. “I have no doubt that He has a plan in mind for you, too.”
She shrugged again. “I hope so.” Lynn smiled then as her cheeks turned pink. “I really didn’t mean to get into all of that. Thank you again for the invitation to join you all for dinner. I enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad, so did I. I guess I’ll see you on Monday?”
“I’ll see you then.” She raised a hand. “Bye, Nathan.”
“Bye, Lynn.” He watched until she’d gotten in her car and it rounded the corner.
&nb
sp; There was something about the beguiling woman with those vulnerable hazel eyes. She needed someone, and heaven help him, he wanted to be there for her.
“Alright, God. I have no idea if this is just me potentially making a mess of things, or if some of this is Your idea.” Either way, he was glad he’d asked Lynn to care for Mia during the wedding. Truth be told, he’d enjoyed spending extra time with her and was already looking forward to seeing her again on Monday.
Chapter Four
Lynn spent the rest of the weekend thinking about her dinner with Nathan’s family. By the time Monday morning came around, she had no idea what to expect from Nathan. Would he act like he normally did, as though she hadn’t had dinner with him at all? Or would things be different? Did she want things to be different?
Even Lynn knew she was way overthinking everything. But she couldn’t help the way her heart hiccupped when Nathan came in with Mia on Monday. He waved at her with a smile, signed in, and then lifted Mia up.
“She smells a lot better today than she did last time.” His blue eyes sparkled with humor.
Mia reached for Lynn, and she took the baby. “Yes, she does.” Lynn chuckled. “Thank you again for inviting me on Saturday. It was a relief knowing that Mia won’t freak out on me when I show up at the church.”
“Truthfully? I think she’s just as comfortable with you as she is with Chess, Brooke, and the others.”
Something flashed across Nathan’s face, but Lynn couldn’t quite decipher its meaning before it’d disappeared. Nathan studied Lynn for a moment before shifting his gaze back to his daughter. “You be good for Miss Lynn. I’ll see you in a while.” He kissed the baby’s cheek and smiled. “Thanks, Lynn. I hope you both have a great day.”
“You, too, Nathan.”
With one last look behind him, Nathan left the daycare center.
“It’s you and me, bug.” Lynn cuddled Mia close and took her into the nursery. “You ready to go play?”
Starting Anew (Life Unexpected Book 3) Page 3