He got to the point and handed her the cell phone. “I found this in the yard. I figured you might want it back.”
Her mouth shifted from a smile to a frown, as she reached for it. “I’m sorry. I realized I had lost it when I got here. Thanks for returning it.”
She flashed him another tight smile, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. “Can I give you a coffee? On the house? As a way of thanking you for bringing me my phone?”
Nik glanced up at the board, scanning the offerings then gave her an apologetic look. “Sure, I’ll have a coffee, but I can pay.”
Claire shook her head. “Not a chance. You brought me my phone.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
“No arguments,” Claire said.
“I’d listen to her,” a voice cut in. “She’s one ornery lady.”
Nik turned to the woman who had joined them. She was tall, slim, and her wavy hair was held back in a loose ponytail.
His heart thudded as their eyes met.
The same dark eyes as his looked back at him, the same unevenly arched eyebrows. The same hint of a dimple in one cheek.
And the same stubborn cowlick on her forehead as the one he struggled with.
This had to be his sister.
She stared at him just as he must have been staring at her.
He saw her swallow, her hand coming up to her mouth.
“Hey, Cory,” Nik said, breaking the awkward silence.
“Nik,” was all she could say.
They stood there a moment, the counter a barrier between them.
“Cory, why don’t you go have coffee with your brother,” Claire said, her voice quiet. “It’s quiet here now. I can manage.”
Cory blinked, still staring at Nik. Then she broke her gaze and glanced over at Claire. “I… uh… I guess.”
Nik felt a tremor of unease. He wasn’t sure he was ready for this.
But isn’t that why you are staying here? To see your sister and mother?
Cory glanced once more at Claire who looked at her with sympathy. As if she understood how awkward the moment was. Cory turned around and walked to the back of the coffee shop, disappearing behind a door.
“She’s just going to change,” Claire offered.
Their eyes met and once again Nik felt the unwelcome attraction. Then, Claire blinked and looked past him to someone standing behind him.
“What can I get you, Mark?” she asked.
“Sheryl wants a steeped tea and I’ll have a chai latte. They’re both to go.”
Nik realized he was impeding her customers, so he stepped aside. Mark, a tall, rangy looking man wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots, gave him a cordial grin then pulled his wallet out of his faded pants. He looked like a cowboy.
“You sure you don’t want to stay?” Claire asked.
Mark shook his head as he handed Claire some cash, waving off the change she held out. “We’re on our way to the pediatric specialist.”
“I hope it goes well,” Claire said, tucking the change back in her cash register. “I’ll be praying for you and Sheryl and your baby boy.”
“That means a lot.” Mark took his drinks and as he turned, he met Nik’s eyes. Mark gave him a brief smile then hurried out.
Claire’s comment made him think of his foster mother. She was always praying, too. Always trying to get Nik to do the same. Oh, he went through the motions, but only to please her. He wasn’t big on all that faith stuff. Didn’t help him in the past. He doubted it would help him now.
Then a movement beside him caught his attention - his sister was back.
His sister. The thought still jarred.
“Do you mind if we have coffee here?” she asked, her voice soft, her eyes now averted from him.
"Not at all."
“We can sit over here,” she said, walking around a corner to a secluded table for four, hidden from the rest of the coffee shop. "Few people like this table because it’s too private. Most everyone who comes here wants to chat and be a part of the ambience. I don’t always work here but I’m helping Claire out for today. Her sister is gone. Wedding plans.” She stopped, looking apologetic. “Sorry. Babbling. I’m kind of nervous,” she said.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling the same,” Nik admitted, appreciating her honesty.
He wanted to say more but Claire was beside them holding a tray. “Your usual,” she said, setting a foamy latte in front of Cory. “And coffee for you,” she said to Nik. “Unless, of course, you prefer a latte? Sorry I never asked.”
“Coffee is just fine,” he said.
She set his cup and a plate of squares and cookies on the table.
“Thanks, Claire,” Cory said, flashing a genuine smile this time.
“And it’s on the house, so you two don’t need to fight over who’s paying.”
Nik glanced up at Claire to thank her, catching her gaze. And once again, that distressing attraction returned. He blinked then looked away, dismissing the distraction. He wasn’t allowing himself to get involved with another woman.
“So. Here you are.” Cory cradled her mug with her hands, hunching her shoulders in a defensive gesture as she gave him a delicate smile. “All these years.”
Nik wasn’t sure what to say to that so he nodded, taking a sip of his coffee, his stomach tightening.
“So tell me, how did you find us?” she asked.
“Some lawyer named Matthew McKnight was calling my lawyer. Then this Mathew guy got a hold of me. That’s how I found out where you lived.”
Cory gave him an enigmatic smile. “That Matthew guy is my fiancé.”
“You’re engaged?”
“Yes.” Her smiled turned shy as she looked down at her hand. That’s when he noticed the diamond on her finger. So now he not only had a sister, he had a future brother-in-law.
If he wanted to lay claim to that.
“Well, that’s interesting,” he said, feeling as if he were losing control of the situation.
“It’s exciting.” She took a sip of her latte, looking across the table at him. “And now you’re here.”
“I called your mother for a visit when I arrived but she said she wasn’t feeling well. You were gone.”
Cory’s eyes grew wide, and she lowered her mug with a thunk on the table. “She didn’t want to see you?”
“She said she was sick and that I should come another time. My buddy told me I should have phoned ahead and looking back, I guess that would have been a better idea.”
“She said nothing to me." Cory frowned then gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I should tell you that Mom isn’t that well. She’s been struggling with fibromyalgia the past number of years, though it was getting better once we discovered that Matthew had found you.”
“So why was she avoiding me?”
Cory bit one corner of her lip as if seeking the right words. “We didn’t know you were coming. Matthew had been trying for months to connect with you. We just heard that it might be a possibility, but then, nothing more.”
“I was on a trip and out of phone contact. I had some stuff to deal with and I just needed to get away.” His beloved foster mother, Rebecca had passed away and he needed some space.
For a moment he was tempted to tell her about his life but part of him held back the information. He wasn’t ready yet. He hadn’t been there for her when it happened. She was alone in the house Nik had fixed up for her. After all, she’d done for him, she should not have died alone. He should have been there.
Rebecca was the best mother he’d had and now, all he had left was his biological mother and a sister he didn't know who lived in the same town he had.
“Have you lived long in Sweet Creek?” he continued, wondering if the Baleys knew his mother was here. Was that the reason they kept him hidden in the house? Were they afraid they might lose their meal ticket? “You been here all your life?” He couldn’t bear to think his natural mother had live
d here all along and he had never known.
But Cory shook her head. “No. We moved here for the first time over a year ago. Before that we were… well… were moved all over the place.”
Nik sensed a story hung between the hesitations and the vague words, yet relief sluiced through him. It was sheer coincidence Cory and her mother ended up in Sweet Creek.
“Do you need any refills?” Claire’s voice broke into his thoughts and he jumped.
“I’m good,” he said looking up at her. But her eyes were on Cory, her expression concerned.
“Are you okay?” Claire asked, laying a gentle hand on Cory’s shoulder, then lightly rubbing her back.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just… my brother is… finally here.” Cory’s voice broke and he could see the shimmer of tears. “I’ve thought about you for so many years,” she said turning to him as she swiped at her eyes.
“So you always knew about me?” Nik was surprised.
“From the beginning.” Her voice held a note of melancholy. “When things got tough, I used to dream you’d come swooping into my life to rescue me.”
Things were tough for her?
He wanted to know more, but now was not the time. He had too many things to absorb and think about it.
“Cory and her friend Kelsey had dreams of heroes,” Claire said with a chuckle. “I think, at one time, you were hers until Matthew came along.”
Matthew. Her fiancé and the lawyer who had contacted him.
“Well, I’ve never been anyone’s hero,” he said with a smile.
Claire's bemused look created an unwelcome warmth.
“So, would you be okay with meeting Mom tonight?” Cory asked.
“I guess the question is, would she be okay with meeting me?” Nik replied, dragging his attention back to his sister.
“I’m sure she would. She just needed time to prepare herself.”
“Okay. Then I’ll see you tonight,” Nik said.
Cory nodded and glanced up at Claire. “I’ll be a minute or two yet.”
“Don’t rush. I know you’ve waited for this moment with Nik for a long time.” Claire glanced over at Nik again. “I guess you’ll be around for a while now.”
The edge in her voice seemed at odds with her smile. He thought again of her reaction when he told her about his deal on the house.
She didn’t seem happy about it. At all.
Well, she only had to put up with him for a few months. Then he would be gone.
Chapter 2
“You owe me that money, Tom,” Claire said, fighting the urge to yell as she turned her car onto the road leading to her parents’ place to pick up her dog and daughter. “You know I need it for my down-payment.”
Every time she used her hands-free feature in the car, she felt like she had to shout. Her mother always accused her of sounding angry.
Right now, she was. A bit.
“If I don’t get it I’ll lose my chance to buy my house,” she continued, hoping her cousin’s lackadaisical heart would be moved by her plea.
“Yeah, well, I know that. I’m waiting for some money, too,” he said, heaving out a substantial sigh as if he were even more hard done by the situation than she was.
“Last week you said you’d have the money by tomorrow,” Claire said. Then blew out her own frustrated sigh. ”I should never have sold you that car. Maybe I should come and take it back.”
“Well now, you can’t do that,” Tom said. “You signed that car over fair and square.”
“You not paying me is hardly fair and square.”
“If you need the money so bad, why don’t you borrow it from your mom and dad?”
Claire clenched her hands on the steering wheel of her car, wishing Tom was right in front of her so she could pinch him like she used to whenever he annoyed her. Though right now what he needed was far more than a pinch. More like a punch.
“There’s no way I’m asking my mom and dad to borrow any money,” Claire said. “Not when my cousin is the one who owes me $8000.”
As if she would go to her parents for the money, anyway.
Claire remembered too well the financial feuds her mother and father went through after they moved to this large, expensive home on its large, expensive lot. It seemed like they fought every night.
Though things were better now, money was still tight, much to her mother’s chagrin and her father’s frustration.
“When is the earliest you can pay me?” Claire asked, pretending she hadn’t heard all his excuses.
“I’ll talk to a guy who owes me the money,” Tom said. “I’ll tell him I need it quicker.”
“Give me a date,” Claire insisted.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Tom said. And Claire knew that was all she was getting out of him.
She said goodbye, then called up Devon’s number. While her hands-free system dialed, she pulled a long, slow and steady breath.
She wasn’t above asking God to help her out on this. She knew she would need divine intervention for everything to come together. Devon had never been keen on the agreement Claire had signed with Mrs. Blatchford. And since getting power of attorney over affairs after her stroke, he had let Claire know loud and clear what he thought of their deal.
Not much.
“Hey Claire,” Devon said, sounding extra cheery.
“How’s your mom doing?” she asked. Claire had meant to visit the past couple of months, but life had gotten busy and Calgary wasn’t around the corner.
“She’s doing okay, though it will be a long haul before she’s back to normal.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Claire said. She paused a few seconds, deciding how to move on to the next topic without sounding hardhearted.
“I’m guessing you’re phoning about your agreement with my mother,” Devon said, thankfully bringing up the topic for her.
“You’re exactly right.” Claire slowed as she turned down her parents’ driveway, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. She was cutting things close making phone calls on her way to pick up Emma, but once she got her daughter, she couldn’t have these discussions in front of her. She needed this done as soon as possible.
“What can I do for you?”
Claire bit her lip, realizing that she would be making the same excuses her cousin Tom had just made to her.
“I was wondering if I could ask for an extension,” she said, disliking how desperate she sounded. Too much was on the line for her and she wished it didn’t matter as much as it did. It was hard enough finding a reasonably priced house that she could afford in Sweet Creek. But this wasn’t just any ordinary house, this was her old home. The place she wanted so badly for Emma. The home she hoped to create for her daughter.
And Nik would destroy it if he got it.
The silence that followed her request wasn’t encouraging.
“I know we said I had to come up with the money in the next week,” she continued, hoping he was thinking instead of waiting to find a way to say no. “But I am waiting for my cousin to pay me for the car I sold him. I’ve got two thirds of the down payment together already and once I get that money from him I’ll have it all.” She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, sending up another silent prayer.
“I should tell you I have another offer on the house,” Devon said. “It’s higher than yours, so I don’t have much incentive to give you a break.”
He sounded so reasonable, but behind his words she heard a faint reprimand. Devon knew Claire and his mother were the ones who had agreed on the price. Claire also knew Devon had told his mother it wasn’t enough money. But Mrs. Blatchford insisted, reminding Devon that it was Claire’s childhood home.
“I have a deal with your mother,” Claire said.
“And I’m honoring that deal,” Devon said. “So you don’t have to worry about that. Now I just need you to honor your end of it and we’ll be okay.”
Claire pulled up beside her mother’s small car, fighting the panic ti
ghtening her chest as she tried to think of something to convince Devon to give her some time. But she drew a blank.
“Okay. I’ll get it done. Give my greetings to your mother. I hope to come and visit her in the next couple of weeks.”
“That would be nice,” he said. He then said goodbye and hung up. The dial tone echoed in the car.
Claire turned the engine off and dragged in a long, slow breath as an ache began at the base of her neck. She had no choice. She had to trust that Tom would pay what he owed her.
She thought of Emma playing on that swing set, constantly talking about the bedroom in the house that would be hers once they bought it. This was her childhood home. Claire had a much stronger stake in it than Nik did, who, according to him, only saw it as a business opportunity.
Besides, the house was perfectly situated between her parents’ place and the school. Once Emma was older, she could walk to school. It was close to Claire’s work; it had a large yard with lots of space for Emma to play in.
Ever since she and her parents had moved to this place, Claire missed her old home with its unique cubbies, hidey-holes and the awkward closets her mother always complained about.
She loved the huge, open kitchen that looked out over the yard. But most of all, she loved the deep, oversized bay window in the dining room. On rainy days she would drag her blanket and book and sit on the window seat, curled up to read and watch the rain falling on the yard.
The other reason she wanted the home had more to do with her well-meaning mother dropping vague hints about how different Emma’s childhood was from Claire’s. Living in an apartment, there was no decent yard to play in. Her mother meant to be sympathetic, but it came across as patronizing and judgmental.
Claire tried not to state the obvious — that she was a single mom doing her best. By purchasing second-hand clothing, eating at home, taking Emma places that cost nothing, driving an old beater of a car and living in a crappy but cheap apartment, she’d pulled together most of the down payment herself. Something she was proud of. When she got Lance's sports car after he died, she saw it as divine intervention. She could sell it and get the rest.
A Mother's Heart (Sweet Hearts of Sweet Creek Book 6) Page 3
