“If this is about Ruby, if she’s been getting in your way when you’re trying to work, just say the word and I’ll find something else for her to do.”
“You have a boy, right? Dark-haired, same eyes as you? I’ve seen him in the street.”
“Yeah, Ben. Why? What’s happened?”
“I just saw him at the local shops.”
Joe frowned. “He’s supposed to be at school.”
“I figured.” She hesitated a moment, unsure how he was going to take her next bit of news. “I think he was shoplifting.”
“What?” He straightened, took a step forward.
She held up a hand, all too familiar with his temper. “Before you start turning green and busting out of your clothes, you might want to hear me out.”
She could tell he didn’t like the reference but he nodded to signal she should continue.
“He was with a couple of older kids, and it looked like they were using him as their mule, if you know what I mean. That’s why I figured you ought to know, since maybe he wasn’t doing it because he wanted to do it but because he felt like he had to to make friends.”
If she hadn’t been looking into his face she would have missed the flash of pain in his eyes. She would have only seen the way his body tensed and heard the anger in his voice.
“How long ago was this? Where were they? Can you show me?” He was already striding for the door.
“They’re long gone by now. They were splitting up the booty when I left them ten minutes ago. They’ve probably gone to the mall to play video games or to some kid’s house where there are no parents home.” She could see her words sink in. Some of the urgency went out of him. He turned to face her, ran a hand through his hair.
“Bloody hell.”
“Yeah, well.” She looked away from the confusion and concern on his face. “I thought you’d want to know.”
“Thanks.” He made an effort to pull himself together. “I appreciate you taking the time. Especially considering I haven’t exactly given you a lot of reasons to want to be a good neighbor.”
“It’s no big deal.”
His blue eyes were searching as he looked at her. “It’s a big deal to me. My kids are all I have.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Apparently she could only handle this man when he was having a go at her. Fill his mouth with civilized conversation and take away his frown and she was reduced to shrugging and discomfort.
She made a show of checking her watch. “I really should get back to the workshop. Good luck with it.”
“Let me know next time you’re in and I’ll shout you a meal.”
“Sure.” There was no way she’d ever take him up on the offer, but he didn’t need to know that.
She got all the way to the door before her conscience bit her. She could only imagine how tough it was bringing up two kids solo, trying to be mother and father to them, trying to anticipate and manage all the little things that could go wrong in life.
Her steps slowed and she closed her eyes and made an impatient noise. Then she swiveled and marched back to his office.
He was leaning against his desk again, head lowered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. For a crazy moment she had to fight the urge to go to him and put her arms around him and draw his head onto her shoulder. As though he wanted her sympathy. He’d probably charge her with assault, given their track record.
She cleared her throat and his head came up. “I have this friend. He’s a cop. I’m sure if I asked him, he’d be happy to come around and have a little chat with Ben. If you wanted go down that route, that is.”
He stared at her and she suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious. She was about to apologize for interfering when he spoke up.
“I was just sitting here racking my brains for ways to handle this.”
“I always remember the police making a pretty strong impression when I was a kid.”
His mouth quirked a little and she realized he’d almost smiled. A minor miracle.
“Me, too.”
She pulled her cell phone from her pocket. “Give me a second and I’ll see what I can line up.”
Andrew answered on the second ring and she filled him in briefly before handing the phone over to Joe. She watched as he added a few details then confirmed his address and a time for Andrew to visit that evening.
Joe eyed her curiously when he handed the phone back. “He obviously thinks a lot of you.”
“We went to school together. And I helped him rebuild his 1970 Capri a few years back.”
“Ah.”
Her phone was warm from where he’d held it. She slid it into her pocket then shifted her weight awkwardly. “I’m sure Andrew’s visit will nip this in the bud. If Ben’s anything like Ruby, he’s a good kid.”
“Despite having me for a father.” He was utterly deadpan, but she was almost certain he was joking.
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” she said.
His gaze instantly dropped to her mouth. “Ruby tells me you’re restoring an old Triumph.”
The comment came from so far out of left field it took her a moment to realize what he was doing: making small talk.
“Um, yeah. It’s a Thunderbird, 1955.”
“Original electrics?”
She narrowed her eyes. “They were redone in the seventies. You know your bikes.”
He shrugged. “I had a few growing up. Always wanted a Thunderbird. Anyway, I’m holding you up.” He offered her his hand.
As usual, hers were covered with grease and oil and she showed them to him. “Occupational hazard, sorry.”
“I don’t mind a bit of dirt.”
She smiled, couldn’t help herself.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Ruby said almost exactly the same thing when I first met her.”
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “A chip off the old block.”
All of a sudden she was struggling to form a reply. He looked utterly different with a smile on his face. Younger, lighter—and so attractive she had trouble breathing properly.
Yeah, right. Like you hadn’t noticed before.
But she hadn’t. Not consciously, anyway. Men simply hadn’t been on her agenda. Certainly Joe hadn’t been.
He offered his hand again and this time she had no choice but to take it. His hand was bigger than hers—no small feat, since she wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet.
She pulled her hand free as soon as she could and shoved it into her pocket. She jerked her head toward the door. “Gotta go.”
He nodded and she hustled out. She didn’t slow her pace until she was outside, breathing in the cool spring air. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the fast thump-thump of her heart against her breastbone.
Crazy. She had no business getting flushed and flustered over her new neighbor. And over a handshake, for Pete’s sake. For starters, she didn’t even like the guy. And beyond that, she was months, perhaps years off being ready to date again after what Lucas and her sister had done to her.
She let out a bark of laughter as she registered her own thoughts. As if Joe Lawson wanted anything to do with her. As if dating him was even an option.
Absurd. Utterly, completely absurd.
Telling herself she was relieved, Hannah headed back to work, her small moment of madness forgotten. Almost.
CHAPTER FIVE
JOE KEPT AN EYE on the clock that night, watching the minutes tick toward six. Ruby was next door, hanging out with Hannah again. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, and how much of his discomfort came from his inability to deal with his attraction to his new neighbor. A lot, he suspected.
When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, he glanced to where Ben was doing homework at the kitchen table. “Would you mind getting that, mate?”
Ben had been quiet all night. Joe put it down to guilt or maybe fear. But the truth was he had no idea, and he hated that most of all.
Joe w
aited until Ben had left the room before moving to the kitchen doorway, one ear cocked to hear what was happening at the front of the house. He heard the door open, then the sound of a man’s voice. He couldn’t quite make out the words, but there was no missing the high note of fear in Ben’s voice when he announced that he would go find his dad. Joe crossed to the fridge and collected two beers. Ben appeared in the kitchen, his face ashen.
“The police are here. They want to talk to you,” Ben said. His hands were trembling.
Joe laid a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.
Ben nodded quickly. “I might go finish my homework in my room.”
“Why don’t you hang around here for a minute?”
Ben swallowed audibly. Joe steered him toward the front door. Hannah’s police buddy stood on the doorstep, resplendent in full uniform. Joe offered his hand.
“Joe Lawson. I appreciate you coming around like this.”
“Andrew Bower. And like I said, it’s not a problem. I owe Hannah, big-time.”
The other man was tall and athletic looking with dark blond hair. Joe guessed he was in his early thirties, maybe a little younger. Ben was looking from the policeman to his father with dawning understanding. Joe met his son’s eyes.
“Why don’t we all go into the kitchen?”
He led the way and slid a beer in front of Andrew.
“You’re off duty, right?”
“On my way home,” Andrew confirmed as he twisted off the cap.
Ben stood between them, rigid with fear. Joe put his hand on his son’s shoulder again. “I know what happened today at the corner store. You and I are going to talk more about how that all came to pass. But I asked Constable Bowers if he wouldn’t mind having a word with you about how the law treats shoplifters.”
Ben swallowed again. He hung his head, then sniffed mightily. After a long moment, Ben lifted his head. Joe was proud of the way his boy squared his shoulders.
“Okay,” Ben said. He couldn’t quite look the policeman in the eye, but he drew up a chair at the kitchen table and sat dutifully.
“So, Ben, I thought it might be good if we talked about Mr. Balas,” Andrew said.
Ben’s forehead wrinkled. “Who’s he?”
“He’s the man who owns the corner shop. He and his family moved here from India ten years ago because they wanted better opportunities for their children. The whole family works in the store and lives in the house out the back.
“They work every night and every day. And every time someone steals from them, they have to work a little harder and a little longer.”
Ben shifted uncomfortably.
“I’m guessing you probably didn’t think about them when you were stealing all that chocolate?” Andrew said.
Ben shook his head.
“That’s the thing about stealing. About most crimes, actually. Most of the time, you’re hurting someone else. A lot of people don’t take the time to think about that.”
Joe could see Ben was really listening to what the policeman was saying.
Over the next half hour Hannah’s friend shared what happened to shoplifters when they got caught, and the kind of trouble he’d seen other kids get into. After the policeman had gone, Joe talked some more with his son. It became clear that Ben had been having trouble making friends at his new school and he’d fallen in with the older kids because they were the only ones who’d shown any interest in him.
“Now I know why,” Ben said darkly as he sat at the kitchen table. He looked up at Joe, trepidation in his gaze. “Are you going to ground me? Take away my Nintendo?”
“No. I think it might be best if we leave it up to Mr. Balas to decide how he wants you to make this up to him.”
Ben’s face went chalk-white. “No. No way. I’ll do anything, anything you want, but not that,” Ben said, blinking rapidly.
“Ben…”
“He’ll think I’m a no-good thief, Dad,” Ben said, the words wrung out of him.
Joe took his son’s hand. “I’ll go with you, okay? We’ll do it together. But you need to face up to what you did.”
For a moment Ben struggled with tears. Then he took a deep breath and sniffed. “Okay. Can I go to my room now?”
“Sure, matey.”
Joe was sure Ben was going to his room to shed the tears he couldn’t let himself cry in front of his father.
For a moment, he was besieged by doubts. Every word, every decision was a minefield. He had no idea if he was helping steer his son in the right direction or scarring him for life.
He missed the support and reassurance of having Beth to talk things over with. The reality was, however, Beth was gone. He’d wasted enough time willing it to be otherwise. He needed to get on with living his life.
He pushed to his feet and crossed to the front door. It was time for Ruby to come in for dinner. He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his shirt before he realized what he was doing—primping for Hannah Napier.
Stupid. And completely pointless, for so many reasons he couldn’t even be bothered enumerating them.
He could hear Ruby chattering away as he entered the Napiers’ garage. She was telling Hannah about the dog they’d had when she was younger and he could hear Hannah laughing.
“Time to come in for dinner, Rubes,” he said.
Ruby’s expression instantly became mulish. “But we’re not finished yet. We’ve only pulled apart one wheel.”
He saw they’d been working on the Thunderbird, the disassembled pieces laid out on an old sheet.
“I’m sure it can wait. We need to get you fed and washed and into bed.”
Ruby opened her mouth to protest but Hannah beat her to it.
“I’m about to call it quits, anyway. We’ve done more than enough for one night.”
She met his eyes and he saw the question in them. He nodded slightly to indicate things had gone well with her friend.
“Why don’t you head inside and set the table?” he said to Ruby.
She moaned some more before finally saying good-night to Hannah. Joe waited till she’d gone beyond hearing range before speaking.
“Andrew was great. Thanks for arranging for him to come over. Ben and I had a good talk.”
Hannah smiled. “I suppose Ben’s grounded for the rest of his natural life?”
“Nope. I’m taking him to apologize to Mr. Balas tomorrow. Mr. Balas can decide how he wants Ben to make it up to him.”
She winced. “Ouch. That’s gonna sting. But he’s never going to forget it, either.”
She squatted to place another piece of the bike on the sheet. Her jeans pulled tight across her thighs and he had to work hard not to stare. She had great legs. Firm and strong looking.
He looked away.
“I meant what I said about letting me know the next time you’re at the pub. I’ll shout you dinner,” he said, mostly because he didn’t know what else to say. Certainly not any of the entirely inappropriate things that were suddenly floating around his head.
She stood, shrugging dismissively, a gesture he was becoming increasingly familiar with. He remembered the fierce, protective look in her eyes in the family portrait in her mother’s foyer. He bet she was the kind of person who struggled to let anyone do anything for her while bending over backward to help other people out.
He pointed a finger at her. “You’re going to eat that dinner.”
“Yeah? Who’s going to make me? You and whose army?”
A smile was tugging at her mouth. He wondered how those plump lips would feel beneath his. They looked so damned soft…
“Don’t forget, I have a secret weapon,” he said.
She raised an eyebrow in silent question.
“Ruby. I bet you wouldn’t say no if she asked.” He was aware that he sounded more than a little smug and that he was starting to enjoy himself.
“A child. You’d be willing to stoop that low?”
“Hell, yeah. When there’s a point of honor at
stake.”
They both grinned at his twisted logic. A wariness came into her eyes after a few seconds, however, and she dropped her gaze to the rag in her hand.
“I’d better start cleaning up.” She glanced around, almost as though she’d rather look anywhere else than at him.
“I’d better make sure Ruby isn’t trying to cook again. Last time it was not pretty.”
He raised his hand in farewell and she nodded an acknowledgment before turning away and starting to load tools into a rolling tool chest.
He walked slowly back to the house. If he were a younger man, with less weighing him down…But he wasn’t. He definitely wasn’t.
AFTER DINNER, BEN WENT to his room to finish his homework and Joe ran Ruby a bath. As usual, he had to go roust her out after half an hour.
She was splashing happily when he entered the bathroom. She’d molded her hair into a bubbly bouffant on top of her head and was singing to herself as she made shapes in the strawberry-scented bath foam.
He smiled. At least he still had a few more years before he had to worry about shoplifting, surliness and silence where she was concerned.
“How you doing in here?”
“Good. You should try some of this strawberry bubble bath, Daddy. It smells good enough to eat.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure if strawberry is really me, sweetheart.”
Ruby shrugged with one shoulder, the gesture oddly familiar. Then he realized she’d stolen it from Hannah.
As though she could read his mind, Ruby suddenly piped up. “Daddy, do you think Hannah’s pretty?” She watched him from beneath her eyelashes, trying to appear disinterested in his answer.
“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it,” he lied.
“Do you think she would like to dress up and have fun?”
Joe had a feeling he knew where this was leading. And though he thought it was sweet—if disconcerting—that his daughter was trying her hand at matchmaking, he wasn’t about to encourage it. Even if he had just been wondering what it would be like to kiss his prickly next-door neighbor.
Home for the Holidays Page 6
