by Ali Parker
Luckily, she was too busy with Paisley.
“Here,” she said. “I’ll cut, and you eat.”
“I can do it!” Paisley insisted.
“Pea,” I warned.
Paisley sank back in her chair. Crossing her arms, she poked out her bottom lip and glared into the corner.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” she said.
I rose halfway out of my chair, ready to excuse myself and Paisley, but Candice beat me to it.
“Do you wanna see my old room?” she asked. “Dinner is almost over anyway.”
“Yeah!” Paisley jumped out of her seat.
Candice glanced at me. “That okay?” she asked.
I nodded. Candice took Paisley’s hand and slipped out of the dining room, leaving me alone with Deborah and Leslie.
Glancing at Leslie, I saw that her eyes still held that same, suspicious glint from before. I smiled confidently and looked back at my plate.
Silence enveloped us until I couldn’t take it anymore. Clearing my throat, I laid my fork over my plate and turned to Leslie.
“So,” I said. “Candice tells me you’ve recently started working with her.”
“Yeah.” Leslie nodded. “It’s been great.”
“Leslie is new to the workforce,” Deborah said pointedly.
“Not new,” Leslie snapped.
Deborah rolled her eyes over to me. “She’s not like you, Ryan. She hasn’t had to want for much. Hard work is something foreign to my youngest daughter.”
Leslie glared at her mother, but when her eyes snapped to me, something else was etched in the lines of her face. It was no longer suspicion. A bold mistrust flew from her eyes and buried itself in my chest.
Just as Candice and Paisley returned, Leslie’s eyes darkened. Her lips pulled into a thin line as she sat forward in her chair, poised to pounce.
“It’s strange,” she said casually. She waved her hand between me and Deborah. “This may sound crazy, but do you two know each other?”
Chapter 28
Candice
Paisley and I raced across the hall. Falling back, I let her win and watched as a triumphant look glistened in her eyes. She pumped her fist in the air and bounced on her feet.
“I win!” she yelled.
“You did.” I laughed and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “So, what did you think of my old room?”
Paisley frowned. “It’s kind of old.”
“Old?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yeah.” Paisley shrugged. “It looks like an old person would live there. Like maybe my Grandma or something.”
“You know what?” I said, chuckling softly. “You’re right. It does kind of look like that, huh?”
“Totally.” Paisley nodded wisely and then darted down the stairs.
I hurried after her, my steps light. I’d been dreading this dinner since I first invited Ryan. I was sure my mother would ruin everything about our new relationship, but I was wrong. She was great with Ryan and Paisley. Warm and inviting. The exact opposite of everything I knew her to be.
Paisley waited for me at the foot of the stairs, grinning up as I bounced over the last step. Grinning, she took my hand and pulled me back through the living room.
I could see Ryan, Mom, and Leslie sitting at the dining room table. Even from where I sat, I recognized that look in my sister’s eyes.
She was getting ready to start trouble.
“It’s strange,” she said casually. Paisley and I walked up just as Leslie waved her hand between Mom and Ryan. “This may sound crazy, but do you two know each other?”
“What?” Mom laughed easily. “Of course not.”
“Why would you think that?” I asked, stepping into the dining room with Paisley’s hand wrapped in mine.
Leslie shrugged. “No reason,” she said. “They just seem really comfortable together.”
“That’s just Ryan.” I smiled and stood behind him. “He’s comfortable with everyone.”
Tilting his head back, Ryan smiled up at me. I leaned over, pressing my lips swiftly against his. The kiss lasted only a second, but it stirred a deep desire inside me.
Pulling away, I cleared my throat and moved to sit beside him.
“Speaking of which,” I said, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.
“There’s a banquet coming up,” I said. “For work.”
Mom jumped in quickly. “The anniversary banquet?”
“Yes.” I shot her a warning look, and she fell silent. “Anyway, Ryan, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?”
Ryan’s green eyes darted to the side. Following his gaze, I saw Paisley standing in the corner. She shuffled her feet and examined a painting on the wall.
I reached for Ryan’s hand and smiled. I knew he was wondering if Paisley would be able to come too.
“It’s not really a kid thing,” I said apologetically. “I know it might be hard to get a sitter.”
“It’s not hard!” Paisley called out. “Daddy leaves me with Uncle Max all the time.”
“It’s not all the time,” Ryan said quickly. Looking at me, he added, “It’s not. Just when I have to work.”
Laughing, I ducked my head and peered at him from beneath my eyelashes, anxiously awaiting his answer.
I hadn’t intended to invite him tonight, especially not in front of my mom and little sister. But when I saw Ryan sitting there, I couldn’t help myself. The question just spilled from my lips without my permission.
“Yes,” he finally said. “Of course, I’ll go.”
“Great.” I kissed him again before turning to my mom. “There you go, Mom. You can relax. I have a date now.”
Mom laughed easily, but Ryan shifted nervously beside me. Leslie’s eyes surveyed his every move, never blinking.
I frowned and looked between them, wondering what I’d missed when I went upstairs.
“I should get the dessert,” Mom said, already rising out of her chair.
“You sit,” I said quickly. I jumped to my feet. “Leslie and I will get it. Right, Les?”
Leslie blinked. She looked at me questioningly. I widened my eyes and jerked my head toward the kitchen.
“Sure,” she said.
She followed me into the kitchen and went straight to the oven. Pulling it open, she grabbed an oven mitt and inched the pan out slowly. As she placed it on the counter, I stomped over to her impatiently.
“What?” she demanded.
“What’s with the death glare?” I snapped. “I saw you looking at Ryan. What’s the deal? You don’t like him?”
Leslie sighed and shook her head. She touched the top of the cake with the tip of her finger. Sure it was done, she flipped the pan over onto a serving platter.
“Leslie,” I hissed.
“Fine.” She dropped the pan into the sink and rounded on me. “It’s not that I don’t like him, okay? He seems great.”
“Then, what?”
“Something’s off,” Leslie said. “I can’t place it, okay? Something doesn’t feel right.”
Blinking, I waited for her to continue. She didn’t. Instead, she turned back to the cake and arranged it on the center of the platter. When she was sure it was perfect, she lifted the platter off the counter and turned on her toe.
“Come on,” she said. “Mom will kill us if we let this thing get cold.”
“Mom can wait,” I began, but I fell silent immediately.
Mom suddenly appeared in the doorway, her eyes shifting from me to Leslie. We both looked at the floors as if we’d been caught doing something wrong.
“What’s taking so long?” Mom asked.
“Nothing.” I cleared my throat. “Just making sure it’s perfect.”
“It should be.” Mom chuckled and took the platter from Leslie. “I’ve been making this cake longer than either of you have been alive.”
Shooting Leslie a dark look, I followed Mom back into t
he dining room, a pit forming in my stomach.
***
“Why is it so hot?” Paisley asked, eyeing her cake with suspicion.
“It’s the type of cake,” I explained. “It’s supposed to be served fresh out of the oven.”
“Oh.”
Paisley dug her fork into the cake with a frown. Steam rippled off it as she lifted it to her mouth.
“Blow on it, Pea,” Ryan warned.
We all watched as Paisley took her first bite. Her eyes flickered closed and a soft moan of happiness echoed through the dining room. Laughing, we all sat back and enjoyed the sight of Paisley shoveling the cake into her mouth, barely chewing between bites.
“I want that for my next birthday!” Paisley announced.
“That good, huh?” Ryan asked.
“So yummy!”
My mom took a small bow, waving her hand dramatically through the air. Everyone chuckled and lapsed into an easy silence as we ate our dessert.
Paisley, being the first one finished, got restless within seconds. She shifted in her seat, her eyes darting around the room for something to do. My mom picked up on her discomfort and got quickly to her feet.
“Come with me.” She held her hand out for Paisley to take. “I think I have something you can play with while we finish up.”
“Okay!”
Paisley jumped off her chair and took Mom’s hand. Together, they made their way through the living room into Mom’s office. I watched them go with a smile.
“This is going so much better than I expected,” I said, more to myself than Ryan.
“You think?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah.” Leslie nodded. “Mom hasn’t interrogated you yet. That’s a huge win.”
Ryan glanced at Leslie with a cautious smile. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who noticed her less than warm feeling toward him earlier.
As we joked about Mom, though, Leslie seemed to relax. Her eyes lost a little of their animosity each time she looked at Ryan, and by the time Mom reappeared, they were almost friendly toward each other.
“Where’s Paisley?” I asked, glancing nervously over Mom’s shoulder.
“In the sunroom,” Mom said. “I set her up with some crayons and paper. She’s drawing each of us a picture.”
“Thank you,” Ryan said. “I know she can be a bit excitable sometimes.”
“She’s an angel,” Mom assured him.
Ryan smiled his thanks. He held my hand while we each nibbled on our cake and listened to Mom tell us the story of how she’d discovered the recipe.
“I was in Tuscany,” she said, a faraway look in her eye. “When my best friend practically shoved me into this tiny restaurant because she saw a man she just had to have.”
I’d heard the story a thousand times before, so I let my mind drift as she spoke. Her voice lulled me into a kind of stupor as I imagined having dinners just like this for months to come, maybe even years.
Mom’s story ended, and we all laughed lightly to appease her. She loved being the center of attention.
“I should go check on Paisley,” Ryan said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Can I?” I asked.
Ryan stopped, surprised, and sank back onto the chair with a smile. I squeezed his hand and hurried across the living room. Gliding down the hall, I found Paisley sitting on the floor of my mother’s sunroom, her feet kicked up behind her and a yellow crayon clutched between her fingers.
“What are you drawing?” I asked.
“Nothing really.” Paisley scribbled yellow across the page. “Daddy calls it abstract, but Uncle Max says it’s just messy.”
“Well, I like it,” I said firmly. “Whatever it’s called.”
Paisley smiled and finished up her picture. I leaned back against the wall and watched her. This was the exact place I’d colored countless pictures during my childhood. Something about seeing Paisley there lying on the floor, happy and content, felt right.
“Do you think there’s more cake?” Paisley asked suddenly.
Laughing, I got to my feet and held out my hand. “Let’s go find out,” I said.
Paisley jumped up, and we darted back down the hall. The door to my mother’s study was open. It caught my eyes as we passed. Remembering the crayons in the sunroom, I pulled gently on Paisley’s arm to stop her.
“Hey,” I said. “Run back to the sunroom and get those crayons, okay? We should put them up before we forget.”
“Okay!”
She was barely gone a minute. She pressed the crayons into my palm and bounced on her toes while I slid inside Mom’s office.
Her bottom desk drawer was still open. I hurried over and dumped the crayons inside, pushing it closed with my foot as I straightened up. I took a step toward the door when a half-hidden picture on Mom’s desk stopped me.
My eyes fell on a pair of familiar green eyes I would have known anywhere.
Frowning, I leaned over the desk and cleared away a few papers. With the picture in plain sight, there was no mistaking it. It was Ryan.
“Why does she have a picture of Ryan?” I asked softly.
Sinking into her chair, I reached for the picture with a shaking hand. My fingers closed around it, and I lifted it slowly to my face.
Ryan smiled up at me from the photograph. My stomach tightened as I slowly turned the picture over.
On the back was a list of Ryan’s attributes. Athletic. Kind-hearted. Gentle and Nurturing. Complimentary. “The perfect man to build your confidence.”
Everything inside of me was screaming.
It didn’t make sense. None of this made any sense.
“Candice?” Paisley called from the hall. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah!” I called back, wiping a tear from my cheek. “Yeah, kiddo, I’m coming.”
Shoving the picture beneath a few loose papers, I got to my feet and hurried across the room. I pulled the door closed with a snap.
Paisley stood in the hall waiting for me. She grinned and reached for my hand. I was numb as she pulled me back to the dining room.
Chapter 29
Ryan
Paisley bounced over to me, hopping into my lap and silently begging for a bite of my dessert. Her green eyes blinked up at me, wide and full of puppy-dog like enthusiasm.
“Not a chance,” I teased. “You already ate yours. This is mine.”
“No fair!” Paisley pouted. “You got a bigger piece.”
Deborah cleared her throat. “Now, young lady,” she said, her tone serious. “If you’re sweet to your daddy, I may just pack up an extra piece for you to take home.”
Paisley sat up straight. “Really?”
“Only if it’s okay with you, Ryan.” Deborah inclined her head to me.
“Of course.” I laughed. “Pea, what do you say to Mrs. Smart?”
“Thank you!”
Laughing, I looked over my shoulder to see Candice standing in the doorway. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“Hey, you.” I held my hand out for her.
She shook her head and turned away. With a frown, I lifted Paisley off my lap and stood up. I set her down on the seat and joined Candice in the doorway.
Touching her arm gently, I whispered, “Did something happen?”
“Nope.” Candice didn’t look at me. “Just not feeling well all of a sudden.”
“Was it the dessert?” I asked, worried.
Candice shrugged. “Doubt it.”
We didn’t get a chance to talk anymore before Leslie waltzed over to join us. She eyed me closely, that same annoyingly suspicious look on her face, before turning to her sister.
“I think we need more wine,” she said firmly. “You?”
“Yes.” Candice didn’t hesitate. Grabbing Leslie’s hand, she pulled her into the kitchen without another word.
Deborah watched them leave, her frown mirroring my own. We exchanged a look, both wondering the same thing.
I cleared my thro
at and hurried over to sit beside Paisley. She yawned widely, her arms stretching out on either side of her.
“Getting tired?” I asked, ruffling her hair.
“Yes.” Paisley yawned again. “But I don’t want to leave yet.”
“You can come back another time,” Deborah said. “Whenever you want.”
Paisley beamed. “Will you have animal crackers again?”
“Paisley,” I warned. “You know better.”
“It’s fine.” Deborah laughed. “I like a girl who knows what she wants. Yes, Paisley, I’ll make sure to keep a supply of animal crackers around just for you.”
“Thanks!”
Paisley inched her way off the chair, yawning again and stumbling to the side.
“Whoa.” I laughed and scooped her into my arms. “We should get going. Thank you for dinner, Deborah.”
“My pleasure.”
Carrying Paisley, I slid into the kitchen where Candice and Leslie were whispering in the corner. While I watched, Candice took a long sip of her wine and closed her eyes. Leslie said something to her that I couldn’t hear, but from the look on her face, I knew it wasn’t good.
“Hey.” I stepped forward. Two pairs of eyes snapped to my face. “I should probably get Paisley home. She’s half-asleep over here.”
“Sure.” Candice set her wine glass on the counter. “Let’s go.”
She breezed through the room without saying goodbye to her sister. I followed quickly, more confused than ever.
Candice waved to her mother. “We’re leaving. Thanks, Mom.”
“Bye, honey!”
Deborah’s eyes met mine. She nodded conspiratorially as I slipped through the front door. My stomach twisted with guilt. Candice was already to the car by the time I turned around.
“Is everything okay?” I asked as I put Paisley in the backseat.
Candice didn’t look at me. “Fine.”
“Okay.”
I waited for her to say something else, anything else, but she didn’t. With a sigh, I pulled on my seat belt and eased onto the street.
The ride back to Candice’s place was silent. Paisley drifted in and out of sleep, her eyes blinking heavily as the city lights sped past.
