Kyle almost choked on his champagne. “Ugh…you are not asking me to set you up with anyone. Just…no.”
“Why not? It’s not a big deal. You have a very active social life, surely you’ve met older women who might be looking to go out with someone like me.”
“Someone like…? What is happening right now?”
“What? What’s the matter?”
He knew his eyes were pretty much bugging out, and Kyle looked around frantically for someone to save him from this conversation. But no one was paying any attention to them, and if they weren’t at a formal event, he seriously would have considered throwing something at either Dean or Hunter to get their attention.
Letting out a long breath, he said, “I thought you’d gone out for coffee a few times with…with…” Damn, what was her name? “Rose! Yeah, I thought you’d gone out with Rose a few times. What happened there?”
“Happened? Um…nothing. We went out a few times for coffee, but…I don’t think she’s interested in me.”
“Why? Did you ever ask her out on a real date? Like dinner or something?”
“No, but…I thought she was just being friendly. You know…like a friend.”
“Well, wouldn’t you like to find out if she’s interested? She’s here tonight. Maybe go and ask her to dance.”
“Oh,” Domenic said, “I don’t know. I just thought…”
“Look, I think it’s great that you want to start dating again. If you ask me, you should have done it a long time ago. But maybe your friends–you know, people your own age–can fix you up with someone.”
His father made a non-committal sound before asking, “What about one of those apps? You know, the kind where you swipe or something.”
Now he really needed someone over here to help him out because there was no way he was going to have the talk about what swiping on a dating app meant. Scanning the room again, he spotted his boss Jake talking to Pastor Steve. The only one to catch his eye, however, was the pastor.
And if that’s not an answer to a prayer, nothing is.
Waving, he was relieved when they both began walking toward them. Kyle took a long drink of his champagne and waited. They all shook hands as they said hello.
“Well, Domenic, Kyle, how are you both doing?” Steve asked with a friendly smile. “It’s been a big year for your family, hasn’t it?”
“That it has,” his father replied.
“You must be very proud. Your family is growing and everyone looks so happy.”
Nodding, Domenic said, “I am and they are. It does my heart good to see them all settling down and starting families.”
“Well,” Steve said, grinning at Kyle. “Not all of them.”
Ugh…why did I think this was a better idea?
With a bit of a forced smile, he said, “So how about you, Pastor Steve? What’s new and exciting with you?”
Luckily, he took the change of subject in style. “Well, let’s see…oh, Shelby and Sam are expecting a baby!”
Of course they are…
“That’s wonderful news!” Domenic said. “Congratulations! First grandbabies are always exciting!” Then he smiled at Jake. “And you’ve got a new baby, as well, right?”
“Yes, sir. This is mine and Mallory’s first big outing since Emma was born.”
Kyle tuned out while they talked about the wonders of children and grandchildren and he wished he was anywhere but here. Everywhere he looked, people were laughing and smiling and having a great time, and all he could think about was when he could leave. Maybe once dessert was served, he’d go out to The Sand Bar for some drinks and maybe see who was hanging out or maybe even drive down the coast a bit and see if any of the other clubs looked promising.
“So Jake and I were just talking about an upcoming project that might interest you, Kyle,” Steve was saying, interrupting his thoughts.
“Oh?”
“Do you happen to remember the Albright family?”
His heart literally stopped. He was certain of it.
“The name sounds familiar, but…” he choked out, desperately wishing he’d walked away sooner.
“Of course you remember them, Kyle,” his father said, smacking Kyle on the back of the head. “You dated their daughter Sydney for two years in high school! What’s the matter with you?”
Right now? The possibility of having a heart attack.
“Yes,” Steve said, remembering. “Their younger daughter–Sydney–was a year behind you in school and their older daughter Tracy was a year ahead,” Steve went on. “Anyway, they all lived here in Magnolia up until a few years ago. Dan and Lisa retired down in Florida, Sydney went away to school and is working up in Boston, and Tracy married Daren Trager. They had been living down in Georgia but recently moved back and bought a house here in town.”
“O-kay…”
“Last month, Tracy and Daren were killed in a car accident. You remember the one where the car went off the bridge?”
Everyone remembered it, Kyle thought. It was right here on the edge of town. He remembered seeing the news reports on TV and reading about it in the newspaper. It was incredibly sad. He’d gone to the funeral and paid his respects–from a distance. He had been a little too afraid to go and talk to Sydney because of the way things had ended between them.
“Wait…they had a kid, right? A daughter?” Kyle asked, suddenly unsure what the reports said happened to the child.
Steve nodded somberly. “Fortunately, Haley wasn’t in the car with them. They had gone out on a date night.” He shook his head. “It was a bit of a mad scramble because Daren doesn’t have any family left–only child and his parents had him later in life–and all of Tracy’s family was out of state. Haley was sleeping at a friend’s house and was able to stay with them until Dan, Lisa, and Sydney were able to get here.”
Kyle took another sip of his drink before asking, “Definitely a tragedy, but…what does this have to do with me?”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Steve said with a small laugh. “Sydney has decided to move here. She’s Haley’s guardian. She’s going to move into their home and raise her niece here in Magnolia.”
“I’m still not seeing…”
Jake was the one to respond. “Daren and Tracy had just purchased their home a few months ago. It’s located on Sound Drive, down near the end. Older home. They were very excited about renovations. Apparently, they got an excellent deal on the house because it needed so much work.”
Okay, now it was all beginning to make sense.
“So Coleman’s going to do the work?”
Jake nodded. He was the owner of the largest construction company in the region and it made sense that he’d be involved.
“I had planned on talking to you about it on Monday,” Jake said, giving Steve a quick glance. “But…maybe it’s the kind of project that you’d like to take the lead on.”
“Me?” he asked incredulously.
Steve just smiled serenely. “I just wanted you to have a little backstory so you’d take it into consideration. Right now, Sydney needs all the help she can get. Losing her sister, becoming a full-time caregiver to her niece, moving, finding a new job, and dealing with a home that needs a considerable amount of work is a lot for anyone to take on.” He smiled again. “Just…promise you’ll think about it.” Then he congratulated Domenic again and nodded to both Jake and Kyle before walking away.
“That’s the kind of story that just breaks your heart and makes you thankful for all the good we’ve got in our lives, doesn’t it?” his father asked.
Jake nodded solemnly. “We can talk about this on Monday, Kyle. I didn’t expect Steve to bring it up in the middle of the party.”
“Just…just tell me now.”
With a frown, Jake straightened. “The church is raising funds to help with the renovations Sydney is going to need to do on the house. I went over there on Thursday and checked it all out, and…it’s kind of a mess.”
“Damn.”
/> “Yeah. I know.” He paused. “It’s not just cosmetic, it’s everything. Whatever it was that Tracy and Daren paid for that house, I think it was too much because it’s a lot of work. I know Daren was kind of handy and he started a few things, but we’re looking at plumbing, electrical…hell, I wish we could just gut the place, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Is it even safe for her to be living there? And with a kid?”
“It’s not ideal, but now that we know exactly what the issues are, we’re going to do what we can to get things fixed as soon as possible. The plumbing and electric had to come first.”
He nodded. “Right.”
“Luckily, both those guys were willing to donate their time and only charged for materials. The church already had enough money in their fund to cover that.”
“Okay. Great.”
Jake took a moment and looked around the room, waving to someone and smiling, and Kyle felt like he was more confused than he was a few minutes ago.
“Um…Jake?”
Facing him, his boss gave a grim smile. “Do you remember Ezekiel Coleman?”
“You mean the guy who started Coleman Construction? Founding member of Magnolia Sound? Um…yeah.”
“He was also my mentor. He spent his life working to make this town everything it is today and always strived to help the people in the community. I want to follow that example.”
He nodded again and figured there was a point to this story.
“The thing is, I don’t have the funding behind me that Zeke did. If it were up to me, I’d cover the cost of all the work Sydney needs. I’m going to do what I can, but…I need someone I can trust to be there every day to make sure the work is getting done and getting done right.” He paused. “I’d like you to take on that position, Kyle.”
“Seriously? Me? Why?”
“You’ve been with me for a while now and I can see you’re ready to take on more responsibility. I haven’t had any jobs come in that I felt were a good fit for you to start training as a foreman on, but I think this could be it.”
“Holy shit! That’s amazing! Thank you! I…I really wanted to talk to you about moving up, but…I don’t know, I didn’t want to overstep or anything.”
Jake smiled. “You’re a great worker, Kyle, and I know you’ve helped out with some home renovation work with all of your siblings’ homes, so…I figured this would be a good project for you.” Then he paused.
“But…?”
“But…it’s going to be different from most of the jobs you’ve worked on.”
“In what way?”
“We need to be mindful of Sydney and Haley. They’re going to be living in the middle of a construction zone, and…well…things are already a little overwhelming for them. So there may be days when you aren’t going to get everything done that needs to be or you’re going to have to re-think the order of what you wanted to do.”
“So…they’re seriously going to be living there while we’re working?” he asked incredulously. Part of him had been hoping to not have to work closely with Sydney. Clearing his throat, he went on, “Are we sure that’s a good thing? Maybe you can talk her into staying somewhere else.”
Jake shook his head. “Not going to happen.”
“But…that just means the job is going to take longer. I would think she’d want us in and out as quickly as possible.”
“It’s a delicate situation and one that we’re going to have to just…go with the flow. Once we pass the inspections for the electrical and plumbing, you’re going to go in and start on the rest. You think you’re up for it?”
“Um…”
Chuckling softly, Jake shook his head. “I would have thought you’d be more excited about this. I know it’s not a big commercial construction job, but…”
“You heard my dad before. Sydney and I have a history, and…well…let’s just say things didn’t end great.”
“Oh.”
And he figured honesty was the best policy with his boss. Especially on this. “It was years ago but…I guess I don’t know if I’m the guy she’s going to want working with her.”
Understanding dawned on Jake’s face. “I appreciate you sharing that with me.” He let out a long breath. “How about this, we stick to this plan and see how it all goes. If Sydney’s really uncomfortable with you, I’ll have to put someone else on the job. But if nothing goes wrong…”
“I’m willing to try.”
“Good man.”
If one more thing goes wrong…
Looking around the room, Sydney wanted to cry.
There were holes in all the walls, there was dust everywhere, and no matter how much she tried to tell herself that it was all going to be okay, she was finding it hard to believe it.
They were down to one functioning bathroom while the plumber finished working on the pipes, and the power had been shut off all morning so the electrician could do his thing. They weren’t supposed to be here on the same day, but it just happened to work out that way. And as much as she appreciated them being there on a Saturday, she longed for a little peace and quiet so she could simply think.
“If you want us to stay…” Beside her, her mother was dusting and taking in the mess around them. “You know your father and I don’t mind helping out. Or maybe you and Haley should just come home with us until things settle down.”
Things were never going to settle down, she thought. It wasn’t possible. No matter how optimistic she usually was, even she knew when to wave the white flag.
“Your mother’s right, Syd,” her father chimed in. “Maybe we should come home with us for a month and then–hopefully–the house will be a little more…livable.”
It was a conversation they’d had almost daily since the accident. And as much as Sydney knew there was some real merit to their offer, the practical side of her reasoned how she needed to deal with the situation and not run from it. It didn’t matter if they went to Florida for a month, her sister and Daren were still going to be gone, and their daughter was still going to be without her parents. Right now, this house was the only thing that was familiar to her. How could she possibly take that away from her too?
That was why she packed up everything she had to move back to Magnolia Sound. It would be too much to put Haley through such a significant upheaval. The only time she seemed okay was when she was in his own room and surrounded by her own things.
At twelve, she was already a mass of pre-teen emotion and old enough to understand everything that was going on. Losing her parents was devastating, and that was after having to move away from all of her friends in Georgia only months before. So if that meant moving her life around to help her niece adjust better, that’s what she was going to do.
It’s what she knew her sister would want her to do.
At the familiar sting of tears, Sydney turned away from her parents and pretended to busy herself with folding the afghan that lay over the sofa. “We’ve talked about this,” she said, proud of the fact that her voice was steady. “Haley and I are going to be fine. This is like a little adventure and we’re going to get through it.” She smoothed the blanket out. “Besides, your bungalow hardly has enough room for all of us.”
“At the time, we were excited to downsize,” her mother said, fluffing one of the sofa cushions. “And it really is the perfect size for just the two of us. We didn’t think about the possibility of anyone moving back in with us.”
“No one’s moving in with you,” Sydney replied wearily. Seriously, they’d had this discussion so many times, she could practically recite it. “The community has been wonderful and Haley and I are going to be just fine.” She paused. “There are going to be days where it’s going to be harder than others, but…we’ll make it work.”
“I spoke to Pastor Steve,” her father said. “And he said that if there are times when the work here is too much, he can always make arrangements for you and Haley to stay with some people from the church.”
She s
miled and tried to remember that he thought he was being helpful. “Dad, I’m hardly a stranger here. I grew up in this town and still have a lot of friends who live here. I’m telling you, it’s going to be fine.”
And maybe if she kept saying it out loud, she’d eventually believe it.
“Still, if you can’t find a place to stay with a friend in a pinch, don’t forget to call the church,” he commented.
Rather than argue how it wasn’t going to be necessary, she simply nodded. “I won’t forget. Thanks, Dad.” Reaching over, she hugged him. All around them, lights came back on and appliances began to hum. “Oh, thank God.” Pulling back, she smiled. “See that? One thing fixed!”
“Sydney, it’s not just the power…”
But she wasn’t willing to listen to another lecture. “If we don’t get moving, you’re going to miss your flight. Is everything in the car?”
Within minutes, she was standing in the driveway with her arm around her niece and waving goodbye. Haley rested her head on her shoulder and she could hear her sniffling. She had cried as her parents had gotten into the car and said goodbye. She had been expecting it. Doing everything she could to comfort her, she had let her cry, and it had nearly killed her to see her parents crying as well. The whole damn situation wasn’t fair, and unfortunately, there wasn’t anything any of them could do to change it. Hell, most days Sydney either woke up and cried or would cry herself to sleep. It was all she could do, and she prayed that one day it would start to get better.
But clearly today wasn’t that day.
“Hey,” she said softly. “How about we go inside and have some lunch?”
“I’m not hungry,” Haley murmured before turning and running back inside, slamming the door behind her.
Turning toward the house, Sydney looked up at it and sighed. This was her life now. This was her home. It wasn’t a place she would have chosen, but…she would stay here for at least a couple of years and make it the kind of place Tracy wanted for her daughter. It was the least she could do.
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