One Step Away (Hazel Green Book 2)

by Cindy Kirk

  “Absolutely.”

  “I learned something new about you today.”

  She returned his smile and resumed walking. “Anyway, this child, who I’ll refer to as Avery, which is—”

  “Not his or her real name,” Leo supplied.

  “Exactly. Well, Avery lives in a functional but dysfunctional household.”

  “There’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one.”

  Normally, his light teasing tone would have made Nell smile. But Avery’s situation hit too close to home. “Both parents are in the home. The dad is willing to go along with the minor’s request, but the mother is blocking it.”

  Nell pressed her lips together.

  “Where does that leave Avery?”

  “Among other factors, emancipation being granted rests on both parents giving their approval.” Nell thought of her mother. Not only would Gloria never have agreed, she’d have made Nell’s life miserable because she’d made the attempt.

  “What do you think about this spot?”

  Nell blinked and realized they were at the Green. Or nearly there. The area Leo pointed to was far enough off the path to be private. Most of those who’d come for the performance were seated closer to the stage.

  The sound checks could be heard clearly, which meant they shouldn’t have difficulty hearing the actors. Best of all, they were high enough to have an unobstructed view of the temporary stage. “I say we’ve got a winner.”

  Nell followed Leo across the grass and waited until he’d spread the blanket on the ground. Though her thoughts remained on Avery, she put aside her anger with the injustices in the child welfare system.

  By shifting the focus to where they would sit, Leo had told her he was done with the discussion. Which was odd. Nell couldn’t recall the last time he’d cut short a conversation.

  After lifting a hand in greeting to a woman Nell recognized as being on the school board, Leo returned his attention to her. “Is there anything you can do to help Avery?”

  Well, Nell thought, apparently he was still interested. “I’m not sure. I don’t give up easily, even when the fight is uphill with twenty-pound weights strapped to each ankle.”

  “That’s one of the things I like about you, Nell.” He grinned. “You don’t cut your losses and run. You’re a scrapper.”

  She pulled a snack bag of green grapes from her purse and held it out to him. “Sometimes running is the only option.”

  Leo took a stem holding three or four grapes, broke off one and put it into his mouth. “Think Avery will run away?”

  Nell thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think so, although it’s impossible to say for certain.”

  Leo munched on the grape. “Is what’s going on at home something a counselor at school could help with? I know several of the counselors personally. I could speak—”

  “No.” Nell raised a hand and shook her head. “Thank you for offering, but what’s going on is of a sensitive nature. I’m not sure the student will want it shared with anyone.”

  Leo’s expression turned grave, his eyes searching hers. “Abuse?”

  “Not physical or sexual, if that’s what you’re asking. That would need to be reported.” Nell blew out a breath. “It’s psychological.”

  Some people, Nell thought, should never be parents. She wondered if she fell into that category. She certainly hadn’t had good role models.

  “Situations like this make me realize how lucky I am to have the parents I do.” Leo popped another grape into his mouth.

  It was a perfect segue. Nell was still considering the best way to help Avery. Because she was bound by confidentiality, she couldn’t give Leo any more information. In fact, she’d probably already given him more details than she should.

  Now, they could move on to another topic. She reminded herself that this was her chance to find out more about Leo.

  Nell reached into the bag of grapes, but the stem of the small grouping must have been wrapped around the others, because the rest tumbled out, rolling not on the blanket, but onto the ground.

  “Oh, darn.”

  “No worries.” Leo helped her put the grapes back into the bag, then held up the two remaining ones on his stem. “We can share.”

  The warmth in his eyes brought back memories of Stanley. Her last con had begun in the high school cafeteria when she’d deliberately dropped her lunch tray in front of him. Stanley had, of course, scurried to help her pick up the contents. Showing her vulnerability had been a way to gain his trust more quickly.

  Her classmate had already known she was smart and popular.

  Credibility before vulnerability.

  A lesson learned at her mother’s knee. How to Use People for Your Own Gain 101.

  The friendship she’d been ordered to forge had seemed innocent enough. Gloria hadn’t told her how she planned to use Stanley, although Nell had known the boy was destined to play a role in one of her mother’s schemes.

  For several months, Nell had fostered a friendly relationship. As she was the popular senior and Stan a geeky junior, he’d been all for it.

  Nell hadn’t known then that the scheme Gloria had mapped out involving Stanley would ultimately lead her to take off and leave her little brother behind. If only she’d seen that her mother was spiraling out control.

  “Nell.” Leo’s hand touched her arm. “It really is no big deal. If you’re hungry, we can grab something at one of the food trucks.”

  Nell shoved memories of Stanley Britten aside.

  “Good conversation and a grape are all I need.” She smiled and plucked one of the grapes still dangling from his fingers. “Oh, and this.”

  Impulsively, she kissed him on the mouth.

  He grinned. “What was that for?”

  “You shared your grapes.”

  His eyes danced with merriment. “I wish I had a dozen.”

  “I like grapes.”

  “I like kisses more.”

  The silly banter made her laugh.

  He studied her for a long moment, a smile hovering on the edges of his lips. “You know, I enjoy dating you.”

  She brought the grape to her mouth and let her tongue swirl around it before taking it into her mouth.

  His eyes darkened. But when he leaned forward to kiss her, she turned her head at the last second and gestured. “Isn’t that your niece?”

  Leo abruptly sat back. A second later, he called out, “Sophie.”

  The eleven-year-old had hair the color of winter wheat, and her eyes reminded Nell of violets.

  She and Leo were standing by the time the girl made her way across the grass to their blanket. “Hi, Uncle Leo.”

  Leo gestured to Nell. “This is Nell Ambrose. Nell, this is my niece, Sophie.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Sophie.”

  The girl nodded. A tiny frown furrowed her brow as she studied the grapes covered in grass and dirt in the plastic bag.

  Nell lifted her hands and offered a rueful smile. “I thought I was pulling out one, and the whole bunch dropped on the ground.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of the girl’s lips. “That’s happened to me, too.”

  Sophie turned to her uncle. “Daddy didn’t tell me you’d be here.”

  Leo glanced around as if expecting Wells to suddenly appear. “Where’s your father?”

  “At home.” Sophie shrugged. “He’s not much for these kinds of things.”

  “Sit with us.” Leo gestured to the blanket. “There’s plenty of room, and the view is great.”

  “I would, but my friend Taylor is down there.” Sophie pointed to an area thick with lawn chairs near the stage. “Her parents brought a chair for me.”

  “Maybe next time.” Leo offered a reassuring smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

  The girl inclined her head.

  “I assume you’ll be helping your dad get the cottage ready for Grandma and Grandpa’s visit.”

  The child’s face brightened. “Will you be th
ere, too?”

  “Of course.” Leo gave her a wink. “Maybe we can slip off and bring pizza back for the others like we did last year.”

  Her smile blossomed, wide and full now, showing a mouthful of braces. “I’d like that very much.”

  He and Nell didn’t sit until Sophie had reached her seat.

  “She seems like a nice girl.”

  “Sophie is a sweetheart.” Leo expelled a breath. “She reminds me so much of my sister.”

  There was a beat of silence.

  “The sister who died in the helicopter crash.”

  “Yes, Kit died in the same crash that killed Danielle, Wells’s wife.” Leo’s gaze shifted to a nearby tree, where a large bird cawed for no apparent reason. “Why is it starlings always sound as if they’re shouting obscenities at you?”

  Nell let her gaze linger on the beady-eyed bird with the shiny black feathers. “I kind of like the in-your-face attitude.”

  He grinned. “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  There was no time for further discussion, because Much Ado About Nothing began. Lost in the performance, Nell barely noticed when Leo took her hand.

  She identified with Beatrice, who despised love. Not that Nell despised love, but the thought of opening her heart fully to someone else was incredibly scary. She slanted a glance at Leo, who must have sensed her eyes on him.

  He smiled and brought the hand he held to his lips before resting their entwined fingers back on the soft, plaid blanket.

  Returning her attention to the play, Nell was intrigued by the way Beatrice and Benedick teased and insulted each other and denied they would ever marry anyone, much less each other.

  Nell tightened her fingers around Leo’s hand. She’d never thought that marriage could be in the cards for her. But something told her if it was, she wouldn’t have to look far to find the perfect man.

  After the performance ended, Leo wasn’t in a hurry to take Nell home. They were strolling in the historic district when a man walking in the other direction bumped him.

  “Sorry,” the guy murmured, intent on continuing on his way.

  The stranger would have been out of sight in seconds if Nell’s hand hadn’t closed around his arm.

  “Hey,” the guy protested, attempting to jerk free.

  “Give it back.” Nell’s eyes were as hard and cold as her voice.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” The man, skinny as a snake and with a pock-marked face, cast an imploring glance at Leo. “Tell her to let me go, man.”

  Surprisingly, they weren’t drawing much attention, as the man kept his voice low.

  Puzzled, Leo inclined his head. “Nell?”

  Her gaze didn’t leave the man’s face. Her fingers must have dug in a little deeper, because the guy yelped.

  “You’re hurting me,” he whined.

  “Nell.” Leo set his hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on?”

  “Give him back his wallet,” Nell ordered. “Or I’ll have someone get the police and—”

  “Okay, okay.” With his free hand, the man did a few gyrations, then pulled Leo’s wallet from inside the camo jacket he wore and shoved it into his hand. “I found it on the ground.”

  “You slipped it out of his pocket when you bumped him.” Nell released her hold. “I’m going to give your description to the police, just to make sure that you don’t happen to find any other wallets.”

  Before she’d finished speaking, the man had disappeared into the crowd.

  “I didn’t even feel him take it.” Leo gazed down at his wallet, then at Nell. “How did you know?”

  She shrugged. “I guess my attention was on him at just the right time.”

  “Definitely the right time for me.” He slipped the wallet back into his pocket. “Thank you.”

  “My actions were a bit self-serving.”

  “How so?”

  “Now you have money to buy me an ice cream at Lily Belle’s.”

  Minutes later, Leo held the door open to an ice cream shop that appeared to have been plucked out of the past and dropped into the twenty-first century. Red upholstered swivel barstools lined the counter. There was an onyx soda fountain from the 1893 World’s Fair and a tin ceiling of richly patterned tiles with an eye-catching cornice.

  But this store also embraced modern sensibilities. While Lily Belle’s appealed to those who loved real ice cream sodas and sarsaparillas, it also provided a wide variety of vegan and organic selections.

  Instead of taking a seat at the bar or one of the small, round ice cream tables, they stood in line and walked out seconds later with their cones.

  Nell licked the mound of maple bacon and smiled.

  Leo, who’d ordered the strawberry ice cream that the shop was known for, lifted a brow. “How is it?”

  “It’s really good.” This time, she took a bite.

  “What does it taste like?”

  She thought for a moment. “Like a pancake. Actually, like the maple syrup you pour on the pancake. The bacon adds a nice crunch.” Nell held out her cone. “Try it.”

  His mouth close over the top. “You’re right. It’s good.”

  “It’s the salty surprise.” Her tongue swirled around the top of her cone, and his mouth went dry.

  Her eyes twinkled as if she realized exactly where his mind had gone.

  Leo could have cheered when they made it to the edge of the historic district and the crowds thinned. Being jostled and unable to speak with Nell were two negatives about the popularity of this area.

  Still, Leo felt pretty good about the direction the date was taking when he spotted Dixon and Liz coming toward them.

  He slanted a sideways glance at Nell and found her studying the couple with a curious intentness.

  “Liz. Dixon.” Leo’s tone gave no indication of his feelings.

  Dixon’s gaze shifted between him and Nell. What Leo thought of as a politician’s smile lifted the man’s lips as he held out a hand. “Leo. Good to see you.”

  When Dixon turned to Nell, she was already speaking to Liz and telling her about the ice cream flavor.

  “Where are you two headed?” Dixon asked.

  “Just taking a walk.” Leo kept his tone equally offhand. “We went to see Shakespeare on the Green. If you have a chance to see a performance, I’d recommend it.”

  Before Dixon could speak, Leo continued, “I didn’t realize you and Liz were dating.”

  “We’re not.” Dixon shot a fond smile in the woman’s direction. “Liz wanted to pick my brain about some investments.”

  “That’s right. Investments are your business.” While Leo, or either of his brothers, could have given Liz advice, he had the feeling Liz’s interest in Dixon was more personal than professional.

  Liz shifted her attention from Nell to him and Dixon. “Please don’t say he’s been telling you one of those perfectly awful financial planner jokes.”

  Before Leo could reply, Nell piped up. “I want to hear one.”

  “Oh, Nell.” Liz put her hand on Nell’s shoulder. “You are so going to regret saying that.”

  “Let’s hear it.” Leo resisted the urge to add, And make it quick.

  With a confident smile, Dixon began, “What’s another name for a long-term investment?”

  “No idea,” Nell said.

  Dixon smiled. “A failed short-term investment.”

  Nell’s groan brought a smile to Dixon’s lips.

  “They’re all bad,” Liz confided. She might have said more, but her watch dinged. “Oops. I hate to rush, but I need to get home.”

  That’s all it took. In less than a minute, Dixon and Liz had turned a corner and were out of sight.

  “You never know who you will run into.” Nell tossed the rest of her cone in a nearby trash can.

  Without either of them saying a word, they continued walking.

  “I know he’s your friend, but I don’t fully trust him.”

  “Dixon is okay.”

&nbs
p; As much as Leo would have liked to take the conversation in another direction, the closeness he sensed between Nell and the financial planner had him pressing for more. “You said you knew him back in college.”

  Nell nodded and slipped her arm through his.

  “How did you meet?”

  “Meet?” Nell inclined her head and appeared to consider the question. “I don’t recall the exact moment. It feels as if I’ve always known him.”

  “There’s a certain…something—I’m not quite sure how to describe it—between the two of you.”

  “Are you saying we’re both snarky?” Her lips curved in a teasing smile. “While I’ll admit we share the same sense of humor, I would never, ever regale you with bad lawyer jokes.”

  Leo laughed, but immediately steered the conversation back to Dixon. “I’m surprised you two never dated.”

  “Never crossed my mind.” Nell wrinkled her nose. “I think of Dixon more as a brother. Trust me, I’ve never had any romantic feelings toward him.”

  “I believe you.”

  “Good. Because it’s the truth.”

  Leo wondered what kinds of men she’d found appealing in the past. “Have you had many boyfriends? Has there been anyone you cared about?”

  Though that slight smile remained fixed on her lips, the slight widening of her eyes told him the question surprised her.

  “I’ve dated some, but like I said before, I’ve never let anyone get close.” Nell’s blue eyes pinned him. “Is there anyone special in your past?”

  “One.” The pain that had once tied his heart in knots when he thought of Heather was barely a twinge.

  They’d reached the lake near the edge of town. Leo motioned to a bench and waited for Nell to sit before dropping down beside her. In the distance, a group composed of mostly seniors followed the movements of a tai chi instructor.

  “What happened?” Nell shifted toward him, giving him her full attention.

  Leo hesitated. Talking about Heather, a woman he’d once loved, felt uncomfortable, like a shoe that had once fit but no longer did.

  “I don’t mean to pry. It’s just that you told me part of the reason you date someone is to get to know them better.”

  Leo knew she wouldn’t press further. He could make some excuse or even change the subject and she wouldn’t call him on it.