The Single Dad Next Door

by Jessica Keller

  Shelby dropped down to sit on the floor near Maggie’s feet. “She didn’t leave it to you in her will?”

  Maggie shook her head. “She left it to her nephew Kellen Ashby. He’s living in her cottage and he can get rid of me at any time.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t have much in my savings, I’m afraid. I was stupid. I never thought about the future and kept donating my money, thinking that was what God would want me to do, since I didn’t have many expenses. Now I have nowhere to go.” She shifted. “I’m so angry with God, you know? I’ve always done everything right. When other people were having fun I stayed back to take care of my family. When other people were dating, I chose to be responsible. But what has that gotten me? Nothing. I’m alone. I have no home. No money.” Her voice broke.

  “You have us.” Shelby placed her hand on Maggie’s knee.

  “Thanks.” Maggie shrugged, feeling restless. She’d taken her friendships for granted along the way, too, hadn’t she? She made eye contact with each woman and saw the truth—she could have shared all of this with them years ago and they would have shared her burden with her. “That means a lot. You have no idea. But I still have to face losing everything. I’m so sick of hoping for a different story for my life, you know?”

  Paige let go of her hand to offer a side hug. “I wish you would have spoken up a long time ago, but thank you for telling us now.” She sat back but made sure she held Maggie’s gaze. “If you need a place to live, Caleb and I have a spare bedroom. It’s yours anytime you want it for however long you need it. You know he considers you his sister and won’t mind if you crash with us.”

  “My apartment is only a studio, but you’re welcome to squeeze in, too.” Shelby smiled. “I’d love a roommate.”

  “Now, now, Shelby.” Maggie laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “You’ll be getting married soon and that’ll be roommate enough, I think.”

  Shelby blushed. “We’re not engaged. Joel and I haven’t even been together that long.”

  The night dissolved into chitchat from there. On Maggie’s way out of the church, Jenna caught up to her.

  “Thank you for being brave and sharing all that.” Jenna fell into step beside her.

  Maggie laid Ida’s Bible in the basket on her bicycle and entered the combination on her lock. “I don’t know why I hid it for so long.”

  “We hide things because of shame. Even if it’s not our fault. I know I do.”

  “I’m glad you’re back in Goose Harbor.” Maggie walked the bike to the street.

  Jenna pursed her lips. “I’m learning to be glad about it. But hey, that’s not why I followed you out. When you get home do me a favor and do an online search for Kellen Ashby, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Glad for the old-time lamps that lit the streets at night, Maggie headed home. The notes of a guitar met her as she bumped up the uneven driveway. Kellen and his girls sat out on the front porch of the cottage singing together.

  It was Kellen’s voice that cut through the still night air and worked its way into her heart.

  “Lord, I want to know You. More so every day. To trust You, resting in Your promises. I know in Your hands I’ll be okay.”

  Did she believe the words they were singing?

  “Maggie!” Skylar’s voice broke the song. “Dad says we have to go to bed. Can I have a good-night hug?”

  “Sure thing.” She might have a beef with Kellen, but she wouldn’t take it out on Skylar and Ruthy.

  The girls trotted across the yard, meeting her halfway. They wrapped their arms around her waist, making it impossible to keep walking. Maggie leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of each of their heads.

  “Would you tuck me in?” Ruthy whispered. The sweet longing in her voice broke Maggie’s heart.

  “I will, sweetheart. As long as it’s okay with your father.”

  “Of course it’s okay.” Kellen stood two feet away, hands in his pockets and a guitar slung across his back. Looking like a model for a CD cover.

  They all headed into the cottage. Skylar and Ruthy buzzed around the small rooms like happy little bees as they brushed their teeth and had one more glass of water. The kittens, Pete and Repeat, pranced around her feet no matter where she walked. She finally scooped up the little black kitten—Pete—and carried him into the girls’ bedroom. Maggie helped tucked Skylar and Ruthy into their beds and then Kellen offered her his hand so they could all pray together. Maggie left Pete cuddled next to Skylar on her pillow.

  Afterward, Maggie made a beeline for the front door as she and Kellen left the girls’ bedroom.

  “Wait up.” Kellen caught her arm. “Are you all right, Maggie?”

  If she’d been honest with her girlfriends, she could start being honest with him, too. After tucking in Skylar and Ruthy and praying together, she felt so safe and wanted. Perhaps that was the problem when it came to the Ashbys.

  Unable to meet his eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t think I can ever help you put them to bed again.”

  He lifted his eyebrows in a welcome gesture, inviting her to continue.

  “It hurts too much.” Maggie clutched at the fabric near her heart. “I’ve always wanted this. Children, a hus—family. And I can’t have it. That hurts.”

  In the narrow hallway, Kellen stepped forward and cupped her elbows. “Why can’t you have it?”

  Afraid to speak, she shook her head.

  “You’d make a loving mother and be the best wife a man could imagine having. Don’t ever give up hope, Maggie.” He pulled her into a hug. “God has amazing things planned for you. I know it,” he whispered close to her ear.

  Taken by surprise, Maggie stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed. She’d been so young when her father passed away and had therefore spent her life hugging only women. When women hugged, it was like being enveloped in warmth. Even the fit ones had softness to them.

  Hugging a man was entirely different. Maggie wrapped her hands around Kellen and pressed her palms into his back. He was solid and steady. His heartbeat close to her ear. For a minute, it felt as though she could hand over all her troubles to him and he’d be able to shoulder them.

  If only he wasn’t part of her troubles.

  She pushed out of his hold. “Well, have a good night.”

  He followed her to the front door and stood in the doorway as she made her way across the yard. Would things be awkward between them now?

  Back in the inn, she got ready for bed. Going through her usual routine, she checked all the locks and turned off all the lights. A glimmer from the office caught her attention and she checked to see what it was. Kellen had left the computer on.

  She grinned and lowered herself into the computer chair. Shaking the mouse brought the computer screen back to life with a search engine open. Hadn’t Jenna told her to look Kellen up online? Why not?

  Maggie typed in his name and pressed Enter.

  Instantly thousands of results came up. Pictures of Kellen walking on a red carpet. Photos of him onstage with a microphone in his hand. He had been some big deal in the music world. Snaggletooth Lions? She’d never heard of the band, but then again, Maggie only listened to her local Christian station, and from the look of the concerts in the images, Kellen’s band hadn’t been the praise-and-worship sort.

  She clicked on an image to make it bigger. Kellen grinned in a three-piece suit, and a size-zero Barbie hung on his arm. Was that Cynthia? A bio caught her eye and she gasped. He was almost six years younger than Maggie was.

  Catching her hand halfway up to fix her hair, Maggie froze. What must Kellen think of her? Plain Jane Maggie, who hardly ever wore makeup, didn’t own a pair of heels and had no clue how to tame her curls. Only minutes ago she’d clung to him like a lifeline. She’d even imagined herself fitting in to their ready-made fami
ly. Foolish. Kellen could never care for someone like her when he had shared the company of Hollywood’s finest.

  Maggie hit the minimize button and retreated to her bedroom. He’d told her he managed a restaurant. Had that all been a lie? More important—how long would he actually stay in Goose Harbor? Based on the pictures she’d just viewed, Kellen could never be happy staying in Goose Harbor long term. Not if he was used to a life of glitz and glamor. Goose Harbor would become boring for him and he’d have to leave eventually. Just like Alan.

  A guy used to models on his arm couldn’t make a life here. He had to be fixing up the inn in order to sell it.

  She was about to lose her home for good.

  Surprisingly the thought of Kellen leaving suddenly bothered her more.

  Chapter Nine

  “Yes. It’ll be completely doable to merge the two remodeling plans and go with a modern, yet family-friendly one.” Sandra bustled past Kellen in the inn’s upstairs hallway, furiously typing away on the tablet that forever rested in her hand. Did the sophisticated designer ever put the contraption down? She didn’t seem the type.

  One more reason Kellen preferred Maggie to any other woman. Maggie didn’t even own a smartphone. Let alone a tablet or any sort of technology that she carried around with her at all times. While doing so would probably bode better for the inn, he wouldn’t ask her to change that about her personality. Not when it was a trait he found so attractive.

  Kellen glanced out the rounded windows in the sitting area on the second level. Maggie worked out in the front yard, cultivating one of her many gardens. Every now and then she’d rock back on her feet and joke around with Skylar and Ruthy, who were playing nearby. Tending things came easily to Maggie, whether it was plants or people’s spirits. She was gifted at caring and seeing needs.

  He’d stopped wondering if she had manipulated his aunt after their first trip to the beach together. No, he couldn’t believe that about her now. In fact, Maggie wasn’t trying to get on his good side at all, and that was what she’d be focused on if she wanted to use him.

  Kellen rubbed his hand over his mouth, hiding a chuckle. The woman showed no fear when she wanted to go toe-to-toe with him about something. While he would welcome her support, it was comforting to know Maggie wasn’t going to smile and say yes to everything he said in order to get something from him.

  They hadn’t revisited their talk after tucking the girls in the other night, but the conversation had played over and over every day in Kellen’s mind. Maggie would make a great mother and wife. Any man worth his salt could see that. Why hadn’t a man noticed those qualities in Maggie yet and shown her she was worth being cherished and pursued? If only he could turn back the clock, Kellen could have been a better man in his youth.

  He could have been worthy of her.

  If he made a move—would she accept him? He ran his hand down his face, blowing out air.

  Probably not after she found out about his days with the Snaggletooth Lions, and he’d have to come clean at some point.

  “Okay.” Sandra still looked down at her tablet. “Let’s run over a few of the changes that we’re sure about. Follow me.”

  Kellen allowed himself one last glance out the window at the three females visiting and laughing together. Just maybe Maggie could accept him as is. He’d told her to hope. Was it time to follow his own advice?

  After signing the tablet for Sandra and scheduling a time to start the demo, he spent the rest of the day in his office calling guests and rescheduling some of them. Noise from the kitchen made it hard to hear some of his phone conversations. At some point during the day, Maggie and his girls had stopped gardening and had moved to making a ruckus in the kitchen.

  Kellen swiveled in his chair. He needed to accommodate the eight-week period of construction that Sandra said it would take to transform the interior of the inn. The outside would remain the same for now. He’d consider expanding only if the inn launched well.

  Once the construction crew knocked down a few walls upstairs, there would be fewer guest rooms, but each room would be larger and the upgrades would mean he could charge more. Heated bathroom floors in all rooms, two rooms would now boast full kitchens, and a grand suite with all the trimmings would be the crowning piece of the West Oaks Inn. They’d call it a honeymoon suite and charge a bit more. People bought in to that sort of thing.

  Skylar tromped past his office on her way back to the kitchen.

  “Hey, Sky, want to help me color on some walls?” He scooped up a few fat permanent markers and made his way to the kitchen. The girls would get a kick out of being allowed to draw on the walls the construction crews were going to remove.

  Sitting on the island counter, Ruthy grinned at him while she stirred what looked like chocolate-chip cookie dough. “We’re making something special, Daddy.”

  “I can see that.”

  Flour powdered the counter and spilled onto the floor. There were little footprints from Skylar stepping in the stuff and running around the island. Ruthy snagged a handful of chocolate chips and popped them into her mouth.

  “Looks like you missed a spot.” Kellen crossed the kitchen and dragged his finger through the flour. He dotted it on Ruthy’s nose. “Ah. There. Perfect.”

  Skylar bounded forward, wrapping her arms around his legs. “Get me, too, Dad!”

  “Oh, you, too, huh?” He dusted his hands together, making it snow flour down onto her.

  She squealed and darted around him.

  “Oh, you can’t get away that easily.” Kellen stuck his hands back in the flour piles again and advanced after Skylar. She dashed behind Maggie. Tugging on Maggie, Skylar used her as a human shield.

  Resting her hands on Skylar’s arms, which were snug around her waist, Maggie surveyed the disaster in the kitchen as if she were seeing it for the first time. “I’m really sorry about this mess, Kellen. I know you like things more organized and orderly.”

  “I don’t mind.” He stalked forward and pointed at Skylar, who had peeked out from behind Maggie.

  Skylar screamed and ducked behind her again. “Save me, Maggie!”

  “I’m surprised.” Maggie leaned to block the giggling girl. “Because not all that long ago this sort of thing used to bother you a lot.”

  He shrugged, coming closer. “It doesn’t anymore. I’m learning to enjoy moments like these. That’s something you taught me.” Then he tossed his voice so Skylar knew he was talking to her. “You can’t hide there forever.”

  “I can.”

  “Or I could just go after Maggie. What do you think, girls?” He waved his floured hands.

  Maggie’s eyes grew wide. “You wouldn’t.”

  Kellen lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, wouldn’t I?”

  “Get her, Daddy!” Ruthy drummed her feet against the cabinets.

  Maggie shrieked as he advanced. She brought her arms up to block her face, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her snug against his chest. Skylar made a break for it, but he already had his victim. Maggie’s wide smile let him know her struggling wasn’t real. He breathed deeply—Skylar had been right; Maggie always smelled like cinnamon. Which made Kellen remember his mother’s cooking growing up. Maggie smelled like home. He leaned closer, their foreheads almost touching. Kiss her.

  Maggie lightly pushed against his chest and he let her go, smearing flour all over her forearms in the process.

  Her eyes went wide. “Kellen Ashby!”

  “That’s my name.”

  She dusted off her arms as she tried to hide the obvious grin tugging at the corner of her lips. “If I knew your middle name I’d use it right now.”

  “Wyatt. But don’t tell anyone.” He went back for more flour and then dotted her nose and both cheeks. He made a big show of stepping back to assess his work as his daughters giggled beh
ind them. “Huh. I should have become an artist. You’re a masterpiece, if I do say so myself.”

  Maggie grabbed a dish towel and swatted him. “Funny. I thought musicians were considered artists.”

  Kellen froze.

  The good mood he’d been in disappeared quickly like a crowd at an outdoor venue during a sudden rainstorm. How long had she known? Since the beginning? After everything, was he still such a bad judge of character? He’d never be able to trust his read on people again. If Maggie had been aware the whole time, why hadn’t she mentioned it before now?

  Shoulder muscles going stiff, he turned his back to Maggie and flipped the handle for the faucet. Shoving his hands under the ice-cold water, he let the sensation break through his thoughts so he could form words.

  Kellen gripped the edge of the sink and closed his eyes. “How long have you known?”

  “Oh, about your band? Only since last Thursday. Sorry I didn’t recognize you before—I’m not up to speed with what’s current in music.”

  Last Thursday.

  Kellen did the math in his head.

  Right, that would be the day she’d all but confessed to him that she wanted to be part of his family. An uncomfortable feeling sliced through his gut. Betrayal. She’d used him. Played him just like Cynthia. But worse, his girls were involved. And more than he cared to admit, his heart had been involved, too. Hadn’t he almost just kissed her?

  He pressed on the bridge of his nose. “Sky, Ruthy, it’s time to head home.”

  “It’s still early...”

  “But the cookies...”

  “No buts. We’re going home.” Kellen moved to scoop Ruthy up off the counter while still keeping his back to Maggie.

  Maggie put her hand on his arm. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “Actually—” he grabbed the door handle and started to leave “—you said exactly what I needed to hear.”

  No use waiting for a response. With Ruthy snug in one arm he took Skylar’s hand in the other and headed back home. There would be no more evening hangout sessions with Maggie going forward.