“Nope.” He grinned at her. “And that’s fine with me. Besides, exactly when is this going to end? When will your mom stop being a threat?”
Jan’s heart raced. She hadn’t really given much thought to that. The immediate danger was her sole focus.
“Maybe, if she’s really changed, she’ll see how happy and safe Seth is, and be able to accept that he’s fine with me – eventually. I don’t expect you to put your life on hold indefinitely.”
They had to wait until the waiter set their plates in front of them, but then Bo looked steadily into her eyes. “I would and will do anything for you to keep Seth. And you and I have spent a lot of time together during the past year or so anyway. I’m just extending it by asking you to include my friends. They’ll like you. Don’t worry. They already do, just because of how much you helped Seth.”
“So, are we talking about me sitting with the women at the ballgames?” She could do that.
“That would be nice, but I’d like to let you all get to know each other a little better. Logan and Emily are having a cookout at their house Sunday evening. Will you go with me? Seth can stay with Mrs. Harper, can’t he? Your mom will think we’re on a real date, and it’ll give us a chance to fit into each other’s worlds a little more. It’s a win-win situation.”
“What will we tell Seth?”
“That’s where you sitting with the other women tomorrow morning comes in. If Seth sees you with them, we can tell him you’ve made new friends, and you’re going with me to spend time with them. He’s old enough to understand you need some adult companionship.” Bo had obviously given this some thought.
“This just seems to be getting a little too complicated.” She couldn’t help but worry. “I’m afraid we’re digging ourselves deeper into something we’re going to have trouble climbing back out of.”
“It’s all for Seth,” he reminded her. “Anyway, what’s the worst that could come out of going with me Sunday evening? You come away with new friends that include a mental health therapist and two attorneys? That can’t hurt.”
He was right.
“Okay.”
They spent the remainder of her lunchtime with Bo sharing anecdotes about his friends, helping Jan see they were ordinary people like him—and her. She felt much better about his plans as he walked her back into the unit.
Then, with all seven residents and Lance watching, Bo pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. Samuel was hooting and Leonard whistling when he finally released her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he softly told her before he turned and left.
It wasn’t until Jan turned and looked into Lance’s hurt eyes that she wondered why Bo kissed her so passionately right there of all places.
Bo caught himself humming again as he hammered the nails to hold the knotty pine paneling in place on his biggest spare bedroom’s wall. It had been a good morning.
It was a good thing the Ramblers played so poorly, though, or they would have mopped the floor with the Slammers. Bo could barely keep his mind on the game. He kept checking the bleachers, where Jan was sitting with Emily, Abby, and the rest of the Slammers’ women. His heart lightened when he saw her laughing with them. She seemed to fit right in. And Seth sat where he always did—right behind the dugout. He had barely given his aunt a second glance. Bo was pretty sure their plans for the next evening were going to be fine.
He was just starting to pick up another sheet of paneling when his newly installed doorbell rang. Wondering who would be visiting him on a Saturday afternoon, he laid the wood back down and walked to the front door. He was surprised to see Vanessa Tate standing there.
“Can I come in, Bo, or is your house not safe enough for visitors yet?” She displayed her usual friendly manner.
He swung the door open wider. “You can come in. I should be ready to move in within a month. Just watch where you step, though. I’ve got tools layin’ around everywhere.”
She walked in and surveyed the arched opening that stood between the foyer and large living room. “You’re really going to have a nice home,” she commented.
“Thanks.” He couldn’t imagine why she was there. On a Saturday afternoon. He was his usual blunt self. “What are you doing here, Vanessa? I don’t have custody of Seth, so I know you don’t have to make unannounced visits to check on me.”
He could see the concern in her eyes. “Is there somewhere we can sit, Bo?”
“I have a couple of chairs in the dining room. They’re not very comfortable, but I guess we can sit in there.” He led her into the freshly painted, light blue room with a large window taking up most of the back wall. They each sat in an old, hard-backed dining room chair.
“I feel like you and I are friends,” Vanessa started off. “So I’m here as a friend.”
“Okay.”
“I understand you’ve met Patsy Edwards?” Bo nodded. “She called me yesterday. It seems she’s concerned. She’s very happy that you and her daughter are in love and raising Seth together, but she wants to know what will happen if you two split up. She’s worried, since you two haven’t made a real commitment.”
Bo’s stomach dropped.
“When did you and Jan fall in love?” Vanessa gently asked.
Bo met her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“It wouldn’t have been about the same time Patsy showed up in Jan’s life and gave Jan reason to be afraid she might take Seth away from her, would it?”
“Maybe,” he admitted. Then he decided he just needed to find out once and for all. “Could she do that? Could Jan’s mother take Seth away from her?”
Vanessa sighed. “This is off the record, Bo. I’m speaking as your friend, here, not Seth’s caseworker. Okay?”
“I understand.”
“Then, yes. Patsy Edwards has been investigated and found trustworthy. And she is Seth’s grandmother. Jan is a twenty-three year old aunt, working to support both her and her nephew. Mrs. Edwards is independently wealthy, so not only could she provide Seth with a more financially stable home environment, she could be home with him when he’s not at school. That’s something Jan just can’t do.” Bo could hear the compassion in her voice. At least he knew whose side she was really on, whether it did them any good or not.
“Is there anything I can do to help Jan?” he asked. “I mean besides be her boyfriend and act as a parent for Seth.”
Vanessa looked right into his eyes. “Patsy’s main concerns are her daughter’s age and the stability of her relationship with you. If the two of you break up, she’s unsure if Seth would still receive the care he needs. Right now, your being together is keeping her somewhat content, but I’m not sure how long it will be until she decides it’s not enough.”
Bo was confused. “What do you mean by not enough?”
Her eyes didn’t waver. “It’s too bad Jan isn’t married. If she had a husband, she would be providing something Patsy has no way of competing with. All the money in the world can’t compete with a two-parent household and family.”
“If she had a husband…”
“If Jan had a husband,” Vanessa repeated. “Just think about it.”
She stood up and walked toward the door. As she approached it, she turned back to face Bo, who was still sitting on his chair.
“Bo, I was never here, and we never had this discussion, do you understand? I could lose my job over this.”
Bo numbly nodded. He was vaguely aware Vanessa had left. If Jan had a husband…
Jan looked at her denim capris and blue T-shirt. Bo told her to dress casually since it was a cookout. She dressed similarly to what the other women had been wearing at the game the day before.
At least she didn’t feel like she was being paraded in front of a bunch of strangers. Emily Taylor and Abby Michaels had gone out of their way to welcome her into their group. Emily was a beautiful woman with her long, brown hair and lovely hazel eyes.
Abby was a small force to be reckoned with, no taller th
an Jan, and sporting bright blue eyes and a head full of blonde curls. She had gone right out onto the field after the game and inserted herself between Brody and a gaggle of women trying to talk to him. It had gone a long way toward clearing them out when he grabbed Abby and kissed her so thoroughly Jan felt herself blush. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, he and Abby made a striking couple.
Joni Rennard, Colton’s wife, had red hair and the mouth that went with it. She was soft-spoken one minute, and then screaming at the umpire the next. She managed Rivets, a clothing store Jan had window shopped at many times. She always settled for the local discount store, though, not being able to afford anything else. Jan didn’t care as long as she kept good clothes on Seth. Joni told her to be sure and let her know if she wanted to shop at Rivets, though. She could take advantage of Joni’s substantial employee discount.
Cooper Grayson’s fiancée, Marie, was like the brown-haired version of Abby, although she was much calmer. Of course, Jan had no idea how Marie might act if her boyfriend was the man being mobbed.
The last woman she met was Lisa Newman, Matt’s wife. She was a remarkably pretty African-American woman with a little boy, almost two years old, and he was a doll. When Lisa hadn’t been chasing Henry, she was cheering her husband on.
While she didn’t really have time for any in-depth discussions during the game, Jan felt like she was well enough acquainted with them to enjoy herself at Logan and Emily’s cookout.
The only thing she was nervous about was her decision regarding Seth. Since he was extremely disappointed that his aunt was spending the evening with the Slammers—it hadn’t mattered that the women would be there—Patsy asked Jan in private if she might be able to take him out for pizza and a movie.
Jan’s first instinct was to insist he go to Mrs. Harper’s as she had planned, but then she thought of Seth. He and her mother were really close, and it didn’t look like that was going to change anytime soon. Maybe Jan needed to pick which battles to fight. Letting her mother treat Seth to an evening out just didn’t seem that major in the grand scheme of things.
So, after a solemn promise from her mother to have Seth home and in bed by ten-thirty, she gave in. The tears of joy her mother shed made Jan feel a little better. She felt her heart softening toward this new woman, who used to be an awful mother, every time she saw her with Seth.
The two of them had left a few minutes earlier, and Bo should be there to pick Jan up any minute.
The doorbell rang. When she answered it, she found Bo standing there in a pair of carpenter jeans and navy blue T-shirt.
“Am I dressed okay?” she nervously asked him.
His eyes swept from her head to her toes before returning to her face. A strange expression vanished from his face as quickly as it had appeared. “You look perfect for a cookout. Is Seth already at Mrs. Harper’s?”
She shook her head. “I decided to let Mother take him out. They’re just going to have pizza and go to a movie.”
He held the storm door open for her and pulled the inside one closed, checking to make sure it locked.
“Are you really okay with that?” His brows were furrowed with concern.
Walking beside him, she suddenly needed to hear him tell her it was okay. “I hope I did the right thing, Bo. She seems to be completely different from the way she used to be, and she’s been so good with Seth so far. I mean, do you think I’m foolish for letting her take him this evening?”
Bo reached over and took her hand in his. “Not when she could take him away from us for good, Jan. If the state people trust her enough to consider giving her full custody, I’d say we have to trust her enough to let her take him out for pizza and a movie. It’s like you have to know which battles are worth fighting.”
Jan scooted around in front of him and impulsively hugged him. “Thank you. I needed to hear you say that so much.”
He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. “Anytime.” He lowered his face and softly kissed her lips. “Just practicing,” he explained when she gave him a puzzled look. Then his lips found hers again. Jan felt this kiss in every molecule of her being, and when he finally pulled away, he studied her face for what seemed like minutes. Jan was just about ready to ask if she had a zit when he appeared to realize what he was doing.
“We’d better get going or there won’t be any food left.” The Bo she knew was back. However, he didn’t let go of her hand until she was climbing into his truck. Then he chuckled. “I’m gonna have to start carryin’ a stepladder for you.”
“Don’t call me short,” she warned. “Like I tell Seth all the time, I’m vertically challenged.”
They joked about her height and his size, then speculated about how tall Seth was going to get, while he drove to the Taylors’ home. She was surprised when they pulled into the driveway of a house that looked like the ones she used to draw. It was a storybook house.
“Everybody’ll be in the backyard,” Bo said after he opened her door. As she started to scramble out of the truck, he grinned and grabbed her around the waist to lift her up and lower her to the ground. “I’ll just be your elevator.”
“Thanks, I guess.” She couldn’t help but return his easy smile.
He took her hand again and led her around the garage to the backyard, where it looked like everybody else was already in attendance.
“I’m so glad you came!” Emily greeted her. “Come over here with us while we set the food out. Logan and Mason are about ready to take up the hamburgers.” She pulled Jan away from Bo and led her to where the other women were unwrapping and uncovering food.
“Should I have brought something?” Jan hadn’t even thought about bringing food to share.
Emily laughed. “Not tonight. You’re our newbie. We never ask a newbie to try and fix enough of anything for this crew.”
Lisa Newman nodded. “Wait until you see these guys eat. I bet Logan and Mason have grilled at least twenty pounds of hamburger, and there won’t be a bite left.”
“We women always get our plates fixed first because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t get any food.” Joni made the wry observation.
“That’s the truth,” Marie agreed.
“You can come help me carry the cups and plates out if you’d like,” Emily invited.
Jan followed her into the most perfect kitchen she had ever seen. “Wow.”
Emily looked around. “I know. Can you believe Logan designed and built this because he liked it? It’s my dream kitchen.”
“It’s every woman’s dream kitchen,” Jan stated.
“Not mine!” Abby declared, having come from another part of the house. “My dream kitchen has Brody standing in the middle of it, wearing nothing but his smile!”
Emily groaned. “Give it a rest. Are you two ever going to set a date?”
“As a matter of fact, we’re planning a spring wedding. We haven’t chosen the exact date, but it’s going to be sometime in April. So there.”
Jan enjoyed listening to the friends’ easy banter.
“I’m going to get the ice while we’re in here.” Emily began filling a large container from the dispenser on the huge refrigerator. While it was filling, she cast a speculative look at Jan. “So, how are things between you and Bo?”
“It’s okay. I know what you all must think of me, forcing Bo to give up Liz and act like my boyfriend. He’s being very kind to help me keep Seth.” Jan just wanted it out in the open.
Emily and Abby both looked flabbergasted. It was Abby who spoke.
“Jan, Emily and I had our own little celebration when we found out Bo broke things off with that witch. She was bad news.”
“And you didn’t force Bo to do anything. He’s a grown man who makes his own decisions. He didn’t do anything he didn’t want to.” Emily seemed confident of her statement. “I’ve never seen him as content as he has been the past few days. I think he may really care about you.”
Jan felt her face warm as she blushed. “He cares about Se
th. A lot. He’s only doing this so I don’t lose him. And so he doesn’t lose Seth.”
“Whatever you say.” Abby smiled knowingly.
Before Jan could once more set her new friend straight, Emily turned to face her, a serious look on the pretty woman’s face. “Just a piece of friendly advice. Watch out for Liz Zimmers. She fights dirty. She ‘helped’ Logan size my engagement ring, and I know as far as Logan was concerned, it was all for me.” Emily’s eyes darkened. “But I saw her face when she helped him, and again on the day he gave me my ring. She wanted me to think he was cheating, and I’m pretty sure if she had her way, he would have been. Even though she was dating Bo at the time and knew Logan loved me, she only thought of what she wanted. If she thinks there’s a way she can hurt you or Bo, she’ll use it. Just be careful. Stay away from the woman.”
Abby’s curls bounced as she nodded. “I saw her in the restaurant with Logan that day. Looking back, it was easy to see he wasn’t interested in her, but she was definitely puttin’ it out there for him. Em’s right. Don’t let her anywhere close to you or Bo.”
Jan didn’t know what to say. She and Bo weren’t really a couple, but he had broken up with Liz—for Seth. “Liz doesn’t like Seth. She wouldn’t try to hurt him, would she?” she softly asked.
Emily sadly nodded. “In a heartbeat. Especially if she thought it would hurt you and Bo in the process.”
“Oh.” Had she and Bo made even more trouble for Seth than they were trying to save him from?
“Let’s forget about the wicked witch!” Abby dusted her hands off. “Our men are out back waiting for food and beverages. I say let’s go give them what they want. And if Brody just happens to want a little extra dessert, we might have to slip off…”
“Doesn’t she make you sick?” Emily asked Jan, laughing.
Jan pushed the thought of Liz Zimmers out of her mind. She would deal with her if, and when, she became a problem. There was no sense looking for trouble.
An hour or so later, after everybody was finally finished eating, they were sitting in chairs, talking and laughing. Jan got up and walked over to throw her empty cup away. When she walked back past Bo, he reached out and grabbed her.
Just Practicing (Hearts for Ransom Book 2) Page 9
