by Lori Foster
She blinked up at him. “Number one?”
Yeah, throwing that out there hadn’t been the smoothest move. He didn’t want her to think he placed himself above Jack, so he clarified. “When something comes up. When you need someone.” He brushed snowflakes away from her hair. “Especially when you need a helping hand. I want to be the person you think to call first.”
It crushed him when her eyes went glassy and she swallowed heavily. “I’m sorry—”
“Please stop saying that, honey.” Royce kissed her again, light and easy. “Please.”
That earned a choked laugh and a shaky nod. “Okay. May I say thank you?”
“Not for this.” It dawned on him that her nose was cherry red and her car wasn’t running. “You turned it off?” She had to be freezing.
“On top of causing a flat and forgetting my phone cord, I didn’t think to fill her up before leaving.”
He hated the embarrassed, guilty note in her tone. God knew she’d carried an emotional burden when it came to her mother. It was enough to throw off anyone. “Deer take everyone by surprise, so the flat isn’t on you.”
“I still should have been better prepared.”
“Pretty sure you had other things on your mind. Come on.” He led her to his car and got her inside. “Stay warm in here while I get the tire changed, okay? Then I’ll see if you have enough gas to make it to the next station.”
“I think I will. That’s why I turned off the engine, to conserve fuel.”
“Good thinking.” He moved his mouth over hers one last time before saying, “Maris wants to hear from you, so feel free to use my charger.” He pointed out the white cord dangling from his dash.
She jumped on it like it was salvation. “Thank goodness. It’s crazy how lost I felt without my phone.”
He never wanted her to feel that way again, not if he could help it. “Sit tight. This won’t take too long.”
* * *
While Royce changed the tire, Joy texted Maris. You got Jack okay?
Yup. Playing with Daron & Chaos.
Thank you for doing this.
You’re not mad about Royce? :)
Joy laughed at the smiley face that somehow managed to look hopeful. Not mad. Grateful, she texted back.
::High five::
So...you & Daron?
I’m flippin’ addicted.
Joy could almost hear Maris’s voice. Yay!
Catch up when you get here. Don’t worry!
Joy replied with a thumbs-up emoji.
No, she wouldn’t worry about Jack...but she couldn’t keep her thoughts from veering to the big decisions that loomed ahead.
What she needed was a distraction, so she leaned forward to watch Royce. In the headlight beams from his car, she saw him working the jack. A minute later he sat back on his haunches, frowned, then stood and went to the back of his own car.
He returned carrying a funny-looking tool. If she had any lady-balls at all, she’d get out there with him to observe the whole process.
But seriously, why should they both get cold and snow-covered?
Not that he looked cold. He just looked very masculine and actually...sexy.
One day when it wasn’t snowing and freezing cold, she’d ask him to teach her how to change a tire, so she could truly be self-sufficient. Didn’t have to be today, though.
Not when she’d already learned more than she’d expected.
* * *
Joy’s emergency spare was a joke and he didn’t trust it, so Royce followed close behind her as she drove to the next exit where they found a gas station and she filled the tank. Luckily, the gas attendant also knew a nearby place to get a tire.
Once they arrived there a few minutes later, he’d tried to convince Joy to get a complimentary cup of hot chocolate while he dealt with everything.
Apparently allowing him to change the tire was as far as she’d go in relying on him.
At least for now.
He watched her as she ordered the tire for her car, saw her nod at the technician and ask how long it would take.
Royce wanted to know how the meeting with her parents had gone, but didn’t want to ask her in the tire station, not when she already looked so very fragile.
Whatever had happened, it had taken its toll on her.
Getting each of them a hot chocolate, they went to a small waiting room with a plastic-covered couch and a television turned low.
Joy first used her phone, talking quickly with Maris, explaining their progress and giving a guess on when they’d return before sinking into the seat. She smiled when he handed her the chocolate. “Mmm, thank you.”
Royce watched her sip, and saw that her hands were shaking. “Have you eaten?”
“Not since breakfast, but Maris says food will be waiting when we get to the camp store. Coop and Phoenix dropped in, too, so Chaos is playing with their dog, Sugar, and Jack is...”
Her voice faded off.
“Jack is what?” he asked gently.
“Having the time of his life.” Her smile trembled, and she swallowed heavily. “They really are family to him, you know? I don’t think I totally grasped it before, but a lot of things are clearer to me now.”
What she felt for him—was that clear, too? Royce hoped so.
She sipped the cocoa again, holding the foam cup in both hands. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m grateful for you, for this.” She gestured at the station. “Thank you for coming out in this weather, for changing my tire and...and waiting here with me.”
“Here with you is where I want to be. I mean that. You and Jack are both important to me.”
She gave him another heartbreaking smile. “Maris said that Phoenix and Coop brought down a big pot of stew. They thought Baxter and Ridley would be joining them, but Ridley is miserable with a cold so she stayed home with Baxter pampering her.”
Royce let her switch topics without complaint. There’d be plenty of time for him to tell her how much she meant to him. “My guess is that Baxter is good at pampering.”
“He adores Ridley, so I’m sure you’re right. With her pregnant, he’s especially attentive—too much so, Ridley sometimes complains, but I can tell she loves it.”
“Because she loves him.”
Eyes averted, Joy nodded. “Maris baked bread to go with the stew while Daron looked over the dogs and Jack.” Her next smile was a little more carefree. “She said that Jack tried to sketch Daron with the dogs, but the dogs didn’t cooperate.”
“That’s where a photograph can come in handy.” Royce wouldn’t mind showing Jack how to use photography to help him capture a moving object. Because his mother had done her best to train him, Royce could even explain the technique of showing motion. He couldn’t execute it, but he could describe it.
“Maris said Daron tried to corral them—and lost, and it was so funny she heard Jack laughing all the way in the kitchen.”
Royce was enjoying the intimate chat so much he almost regretted it when the technician came into the waiting room a while later to let Joy know her car was done.
By the time they got out of there and drove the rest of the way to Cooper’s Charm, the sun had set and the security lights were on. Joy parked in her usual spot near her apartment, so Royce parked beside her.
Hand in hand, each of them silent, they walked down to Summer’s End. The wind off the lake was extra chilly, but it also felt clean and crisp.
“I want to talk,” Joy whispered.
His gut clenched at the way she said that with such dark foreboding. “All right.”
Briefly resting her head on his shoulder, she added, “I want to see Jack first, though. Are you in a rush?”
He’d sit up all night with her if that’s what she needed. “I’m here as long as you want me.” If she wanted
him for the rest of her life, he wouldn’t mind at all.
The second they stepped inside, Jack looked up from his seat on the floor with the dogs. “Mom!” He ran to greet Joy with an enthusiastic hug, both dogs chasing and yapping at his heels. Talking ninety miles a minute, Jack told her about his awesome day, which, typical of little kids, didn’t include any worry for his mother who’d been stuck on the side of the road with a flat.
While Jack chattered on, Royce scooped up Chaos and accepted his adoration, including lots of tongue swipes and wiggling.
Because Sugar was caught up in Chaos’s enthusiasm, Royce gave Coop’s dog some attention, too.
Even while stroking the dogs, Royce noticed that Joy clutched Jack a little tighter, a little longer, than usual.
He met Coop’s gaze and knew others had noticed, as well.
These people cared about Joy. As she’d said, they were family, closer family than her own could currently claim.
As casual as he could, Coop said, “Glad you’re both back. No problems?”
Knowing Maris had surely updated everyone, Royce said only, “None at all, except we’re both hungry.” The stew did sound good, but it was Joy he worried about. She needed to eat and she wouldn’t appreciate being singled out.
Maris, who’d been sitting with Phoenix and Coop, her gaze fixed on Joy, stood with her empty bowl. “Grab seats and get comfortable. I’ll bring it out to you.”
Daron called Jack over, saying, “Now that Sugar knows a few tricks, let’s see if we can teach Chaos.”
Excited by the prospect, Jack squirmed out of his mother’s arms and was off again in a flash. Sugar followed, which meant Chaos was frantic to do the same. Smiling, Royce put the dog back on his feet and watched him scamper away.
“It’s nice,” Joy whispered, “seeing Jack so animated.”
“He’s a happy, healthy, well-adjusted boy.” Because she was such an amazing mom.
Her breath shuddered in. “Yes. He really is.”
Sensing there were emotions at play that he didn’t understand, Royce put his arm around her. “Let’s grab a seat.”
It spoke volumes to her exhaustion that she allowed him to lead her away. Before she slid into a booth, he helped her out of her coat, and removed his own. While watching Jack, she rubbed her cold hands together. They were in the seating area with her son, Daron and Maris, Coop and Phoenix, but because they’d sat apart they had a touch of privacy.
With his pinky, Royce eased back a tendril of hair, tucking it behind her ear. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, her lips chapped, her mascara a little smudged. And she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “You okay?”
She nodded, but then murmured, “My grandmother left me a sizable inheritance.”
It was more her inflection than the words that gave him pause. “Oh?”
Maris coasted in with a tray holding two bowls of stew, hot slices of bread with a bowl of butter and glasses of tea. She kept her gaze trained on Joy. Probably for the same reason Royce had difficulty looking away.
She saw Joy’s vulnerability.
“Dig in while it’s hot,” Maris said with false brightness. “There’s more if you want it.”
Joy had already picked up her spoon when she said, “I’m famished, but I didn’t mean to have you waiting on me.”
“Don’t piss me off, Joy.” Maris gave her a brief but fierce hug. “If our situations were reversed, you’d do the same.”
“I would try,” Joy said, “but you’re really good at making people feel pampered.”
Maris preened comically. “It’s my calling. Now eat.”
“It smells delicious.” Louder so that Phoenix would hear, Joy said, “Thank you for the stew. I didn’t have time to eat today and this will be perfect.”
Phoenix turned in her seat to see her. “My pleasure. Hope you enjoy it.”
Joy took a bite, and said, “Mmm. Nirvana.”
With a smile, Phoenix nodded and turned back to her husband.
Holding the now-empty tray, Maris hesitated. “Everything go okay?”
“Overall, yes.” Joy sighed. “I had a few surprises at the meeting. Good ones, I guess.”
“You aren’t sure?” Maris asked.
Joy shook her head. “Want to get together in the morning? Right now I’m beat, but I can update you then.”
“Club meetings start directly after school drop-off.”
Royce had no idea what that meant, but Joy laughed. “I’ll be there.” She reached out to take her friend’s hand. “Everything went okay with you?”
“Jack is a doll.”
“Uh-huh,” Joy said knowingly. “But I meant with Daron. We haven’t talked much this week, not since...you know.”
Royce was starting to feel like an interloper, but he liked seeing Joy like this, teasing a friend. “Maybe I should—”
Maris waved him back into his seat, then glanced at Daron. “He’s good with Jack. And animals. And people in general, so yeah, other than him being too freaking perfect, everything is great.” Her gaze went to Royce, which prompted him to show a lot of interest in his stew. He couldn’t quite suppress his smile, though.
“Tomorrow,” Maris said. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Or,” Royce offered, “I could find somewhere else to be for a few minutes.”
Maris patted his shoulder. “If we got started, it’d take longer than that and you two need to eat.” She winked at Joy and rejoined Phoenix and Coop.
Royce waited, but when Joy didn’t say anything, he prompted, “You got an inheritance?”
“With a stipulation.” Holding a warm hunk of fresh buttered bread, she added with a strange detachment, “All I’d need to do is reunite with my family.”
A bribe? Was that the reason for her upset? “By sizable, you mean...?”
“Half a mil.” Her mouth pinched as she stated that astronomical sum. “My mother said she’d double it if I moved back.”
His lungs seemed to empty of air. Royce couldn’t take it in. Joy would be financially set? And her mother wanted her to move back, as in...leave the park?
Well, obviously a million dollars would give her better options than being a recreation director at an RV resort.
Where did that leave them?
Misunderstanding his expression, Joy shook her head. “Believe me, that’s chump change for my family. I have no idea why my grandmother decided to use it as a lure, though I’m certain she meant well.”
“Joy...” Tension gathered at the base of his skull. He wanted to hold her tight and ask her not to go, but had he missed his chance? Would it even be right to put her in that spot now?
“If I return to them,” Joy said, “they’d probably expect me to live by their standards, their rules.”
That would make her miserable. Royce tried to sound neutral when he asked, “Can you do that?”
“No. Definitely not.”
He didn’t feel relief, because regardless of what Joy said, he sensed her indecision. He couldn’t remark on it, so instead he sat quietly, his thoughts in turmoil as they ate.
Would he really lose her—on the very day he realized that he loved her?
* * *
Joy literally devoured the food. Few people knew it, but she ate more when stressed, and tonight she felt more stressed than she had since before Jack was born.
No, she couldn’t live with her parents’ expectations. But was it fair to keep them from Jack? Was her father right? Could she control the situation to somehow have the best of both worlds?
If she reconciled with them—and honestly, she already had with her father—she could offer Jack the best of schools. He’d receive, in moderation, all the luxuries she’d grown up with, the things she’d been accustomed to and had taken for granted.
T
he things she better understood now.
Yet they were poor replacements for love and affection, attention and guidance.
Would Jack grow to resent her later in life when he learned what he could have had, what she’d deliberately kept from him?
Worse, would access to those things change him?
Joy shook her head, more to shake off the old disturbing memories of who she used to be, more than in any type of denial.
Royce sat back, and it felt like a retreat, as if he’d pulled away. “What will you do?”
There was something in his low voice, something she didn’t understand. “I’m going to refuse.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
The gruff sound she made was part hurt, more disbelief. Speaking in a hushed whisper, she asked, “You think I should expose Jack to people who would hand him the world while not caring about him, about who he is as a person? Without any love?”
“Is that what it would be?”
“Yes.” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, and now the others looked at her with concern. Joy swallowed, trying to clear the anger and hurt from her throat. Anger directed not at Royce, but at the situation. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
Of course he said that. He was so damn nice all the time, and she was...a mess. One little hiccup in her life and she was ready to fall apart.
Yeah, she was such an independent woman.
She wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all her mother.
Her eyes grew damp, forcing her to blink fast and take deep breaths. Her lips trembled, and no matter how she tried to control herself, Joy knew she was losing the battle with her emotions.
On a gulping breath, she choked, “I can’t cry here. Not where Jack will see me.”
“Come on.” Royce stood, gently catching her elbow and drawing her up.
If he hugged her now, she’d lose it. She’d already fought it off for so long any sign of sympathy would turn her into a sobbing mess in seconds.
“Outside,” he whispered. “We’ll walk along the shore.”
