What Happens Between Friends

by Beth Andrews

  “God help her.” Maddie glanced through the door’s window, her white summer dress like a beacon in the dim light. “We’re heading out before Mom can give us something more to do.”

  “We waited until Nonna went into the living room and then snuck out,” Bree whispered excitedly, her hand on Zoe’s head. “Poppa kept watch.”

  James pulled her down beside him and put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re taking your lives in your hands doing that.”

  “Desperate times, my friend,” Maddie said. “You know how she gets after a party.”

  “Crazy,” Bree said solemnly.

  He squeezed her. “That’s my girl.”

  “When I told her I’d come back in the morning to run the vacuum, I thought her head was going to explode. And that I would have to clean that up, too.” Maddie shook her head. “I think this school thing really has her freaked out.”

  “She’ll work through it.”

  “I know. But it’s tough when she’s the one we can always trust to be practical and responsible. Well, other than you, that is.”

  “You make practicality and responsibility sound like negative traits.”

  “Did I?” she asked sweetly. “So sorry.”

  She wasn’t. She was rarely sorry, even when she knew damn well she was to blame. And there wasn’t much sweet about her, either. Growing up with three older brothers had made her tough as nails. Her stubbornness, competiveness and bordering-on-obsessive need to prove she was equal to the men in her family in every way was due to the prickly, pugnacious personality she’d been born with.

  Was it any wonder they all adored her?

  Maddie tugged Bree to her feet. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s get out of here before Nonna realizes we’ve escaped.” When James stood as well, Maddie hugged him. “Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks.”

  She stepped back and Bree moved into his arms. “Happy birthday, Uncle James.”

  He held her close. She was a shorter, rounder version of her mother with her tanned skin, dark hair and heavy eyebrows. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, surprised to realize she now reached the middle of his chest.

  When the hell did that happen? How did it happen?

  It seemed like just yesterday she’d had pigtails and a wide, empty space in her smile where her two front teeth used to be. Those teeth had long ago come in, and she’d traded in the pigtails for a supershort pixie cut that accentuated the fullness of her face. But that would change soon, too. She’d get taller. Thin out. Grow up.

  But she still smelled like a little girl, like clean sweat and baby powder. She still hugged him fiercely as if she never wanted to let go.

  Love for her swamped him and he hoped she never did let go.

  “Hey,” he said, leaning away so he could look down into her pretty face. “How about on Tuesday we go to that new bakery that opened up downtown?”

  She stepped back, sent her mom a worried look. “Tuesday?”

  “That’s the first day of school, right?” He pulled out his phone. He could have sworn he’d made a note that school started on the twenty-fourth.

  “Yes,” she said slowly, sidling closer to Maddie, “that’s the first day, but—”

  “Or we can stick with Rix’s Diner if that’s what you’d prefer. What?” he asked when he realized they were both staring at him, Bree rubbing her eyebrow, a sure sign she was upset or nervous.

  Standing behind her daughter, Maddie placed both hands on Bree’s shoulders. “Actually, Neil is coming into town Monday night so he can be here for Bree’s first day of seventh grade.”

  Neil Pettit, NHL star and original Hometown Boy Done Good, was also Bree’s father.

  “Okay,” he said. “What does that—”

  “He wants to take her out,” Maddie said softly. “He wants to take us both out. You know, start a new tradition.”

  A new tradition.

  Ever since Bree was a precocious, chubby three-year-old preschooler, James had taken her out to breakfast on the first day of school. Every year. It was their tradition, one he’d thought meant as much to her as it did to him.

  “We could do something else, Uncle James,” Bree blurted. “The two of us. Like, start a new tradition.”

  She looked so worried, he couldn’t even get angry she was throwing him a bone. Besides, she was just a kid. A sweet, quiet kid who’d had his heart from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her as a squalling, red-faced infant. Her entire life he’d done his best to be there for her, to fill the void Neil had left when he’d walked out on Maddie twelve years ago.

  James had given her time and attention and, in the rare instances she needed it, discipline. For eleven years he’d been the biggest male influence in her life. Had been more of a father to her than her real dad.

  Until two months ago when Neil had returned to Shady Grove and decided to be a part of his daughter’s life full-time—or as close to it as possible when Neil played for the Seattle Knights and spent half his time on the other side of the country. Though he still had over two years left before his contract with the Knights was up, he’d made his desire to be traded to an East Coast team sooner rather than later clear. It was only a matter of time, and getting the right offer from another team, before the Knights let him go. But even though Neil wasn’t with Bree on a day-to-day basis, the results were the same. He was Bree’s number-one guy now.

  Leaving James to be demoted to favorite uncle.

  Change happened. James accepted it, rolled with it.

  But that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  “Sure,” he said, trying to smile. To reassure her. “We can do something different. You pick.”

  “Do I have to decide right now?”

  She loved to weigh her options, to take her time and think things through before making any decision, whether it was what kind of ice cream to order or what she thought of the latest book she read. She sure as hell hadn’t gotten that from her mother.

  “No hurry,” he said. “You just let me know whenever you’re ready.”

  “Why don’t you wait for me in the truck?” Maddie asked, giving Bree a gentle nudge toward the steps. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Good night,” Bree told him.

  “’Night.”

  As soon as Bree was out of earshot, Maddie turned to him. “James, I—”

  “It’s fine, Maddie. I’m glad Bree is spending more time with her father.”

  He almost meant it, too.

  Sure, he wanted what was best for his niece, and Neil was showing that he could step up and be the kind of attentive, loving father Bree needed. But it changed things.

  It changed how much time Bree spent with James, how involved he was in her life.

  Not that he could complain about it or even let it get him angry or upset. A good guy, wasn’t that what Sadie had labeled him? She wasn’t the only one. Usually, he took it as a compliment; he liked being the kind of man people could turn to, someone they could trust. But there were times when doing the right thing was annoying as hell.

  The good not only died young, but they also didn’t get so much as a day off from other people’s expectations. Not even on their freaking birthday.

  “Thanks,” Maddie whispered. “Really. I know not everyone agrees with me and Neil getting back together, so your support means a lot to me.”

  “I’ve always got your back,” he told her. “No matter what.”

  It was what big brothers did. Even if he wasn’t sure support was the right word for how he felt about her reuniting with her high school boyfriend, the man who’d gotten her pregnant at sixteen and left to pursue a professional hockey career.

  But, unlike Leo—who’d never liked Neil—James was keeping his opinions to himself. He would sit back
and let events unfold, as he always did. And if things went bad, he would be there to pick up the pieces.

  “I appreciate that,” Maddie said, giving him another hug.

  He sat in the chair, Zoe by his side as they watched Maddie drive down the long, winding driveway and across the street to her own house.

  The door opened, but he didn’t turn, didn’t need to see who was there. He easily recognized the sound of her step, the light, citrusy scent of her perfume.

  “I hope you’re not still pouting,” Sadie said, sitting at the end of his chair.

  “I don’t pout.”

  “No? Well, your bottom lip said otherwise.” She took the water from him, sipped. Laid her hand on his knee. “It’s only a game, James.”

  Swinging his legs around so they sat side by side, so her hand fell away from his leg, he grabbed his water. “I realize that.”

  Though having her wipe the pool table with him was humiliating.

  But he hadn’t pouted, damn it.

  “It really shouldn’t bother you so much to lose to me. You know no one beats me at eight ball.”

  “That’s why no one else will play you,” he reminded her. Not once they learned she’d spent a couple of months in Vegas making her living as a pool shark.

  She sighed, as if the entire world was against poor, little ol’ her. “I know. It’s not fun. I’m just glad I can always count on you.”

  That went without saying.

  Sadie braced her weight on her arms behind her and tipped her face up. Eyes shut, she inhaled deeply, her full breasts rising and falling under her silky tank top.

  His throat dried. His fingers twitched with the need to stroke the long line of her throat, to flick over the pulse beating at the base of her neck. Even when she was still, there was an energy about her, like an electrical current, one pulsating with life.

  It called to him, had always called to him, pulling him in, daring him to touch, to feel that zing coursing through his blood, just once.

  Tearing his gaze from her, he held his water between his knees, stared at the floor. But he could feel her next to him, the brush of her leg against his outer thigh, the shifting of the seat when she stretched, arching her back. Could hear her soft breathing, the low, melodic tune she hummed softly.

  He’d sought her out tonight. He hadn’t wanted to, but it seemed no matter where he was, what he was doing, who he was talking to, he couldn’t stop from seeking out the sound of her laugh, the sight of her light brown hair. She was like a butterfly in her bright, colorful clothes, in how she fluttered from a conversation with his grandfather about how to make a foolproof marinara sauce to entertaining a group with tales about tending bar in the French Quarter to coaxing his seven-year-old nephew to dance.

  She captivated him. He wondered if he would ever get free.

  “You ready to go?” he asked, his voice gruff.

  She sat up. “Sure.”

  They walked down the driveway and rounded the front of the house.

  “It’s good to be home,” Sadie said as they crossed toward the garage, her tone soft. Hesitant. “But the best part about being home is being with you. I just...I wanted you to know that,” she said quietly.

  She sped up, leaving him to gape at her as she went into the garage for the stray dog.

  He wasn’t sure what that had been about, wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  It’s good to be home.

  He’d never heard her admit that before. Never would have believed that she could actually mean it. But even it was true, it was only temporary. Everything with her was temporary. Her jobs, her relationships, her goals and dreams—they changed based on her whims, on where she was living and who her friends were at any given moment. She may be glad to be in Shady Grove, but she wouldn’t stay.

  Her leaving was the only reliable thing about her.

  * * *

  SADIE PADDED INTO James’s kitchen, Elvis at her heels, the wood floor cool under her bare feet. She flipped on the pendent lights over the center island and crossed to the refrigerator.

  Good Lord, even the inside of his fridge was immaculate and so organized it could be in an appliance commercial, with a place for everything and everything in its damned place. Well, she thought, helping herself to a Golden Delicious apple, at least she didn’t have to worry about catching some deadly disease by eating his food.

  Unlike when she spent the night with Doug, her last boyfriend.

  She was glad to be rid of him and all those penicillin samples he grew in his refrigerator.

  She just wished she’d been the one to end things.

  Washing the apple, she looked out the window at James’s side yard. When she’d first seen his house, she’d been surprised. Not by the workmanship; she’d expect nothing less than the best from him and Montesano Construction. No, what had shocked her was that instead of a traditional, two-story house with an attached garage—and the same boring floor plan as half the houses in town—he’d gone with a log home design.

  Guess even lifelong friends could surprise each other every now and again.

  And, yes, he’d explained how his house combined contemporary design with waterfront, coastal and cottage elements and blah, blah, blah. Biting into the apple, she leaned against the counter. All she knew was that it was gorgeous, with vaulted ceilings, dozens of tall, narrow windows and a stone fireplace. A house that reflected well James’s love for rich woods, deep colors and simple furnishings.

  The first floor consisted of a master suite, a small bathroom and laundry room and a country-style kitchen that opened into a huge great room. Upstairs, a loft overlooked the great room with a bedroom on each side, along with another bathroom. In the kitchen, he’d chosen wide, rough-hewn pine beams for the ceiling, narrower boards for the floor. Whitewashed, glass-front cupboards and slate-gray counters.

  He had a good eye, she thought as she opened an upper cabinet and took out a jar of peanut butter and a box of crackers. At least architecturally. When it came to interior design, he still had a lot to learn.

  It was like you were in a plywood box—wood, wood and more wood.

  If this was her place, she’d switch things up. Add some color and visual interest with a tile design on the center island, fill the cupboards with thick, white ceramic dishware. She munched on a cracker, her eyes narrowed as she studied the room. A throw rug under the high-back wooden stools and a window treatment for softness, both with hints of burgundy...maybe even yellow for warmth.

  Yeah, she thought, eating another cracker, that’s what she’d do. She’d turn this boring, bland house into a warm and welcoming home.

  The cracker tasted like sawdust. Her scalp prickled with unease. With a sense of foreboding.

  The sense that she was missing something by not having a place like that for herself.

  Which was ridiculous. She didn’t want a home. Not a permanent one, anyway. Roots were well and good for her mom and sister—they didn’t mind being stuck in the same town, surrounded by the same people, doing the same things over and over again. Day after day. Year after year.

  You might be able to have both roots and wings, but you couldn’t fly, couldn’t have true freedom with your feet planted in the ground.

  That’s what she had, she assured herself, digging a spoon out of the utensil drawer before taking her food into the great room. Freedom. Choices. The ability to take off for new adventures or opportunities whenever the mood struck her.

  The ease of leaving behind a crappy apartment, friends who were barely more than acquaintances and men she’d never really loved anyway when things went belly-up.

  “Things always go belly-up,” she whispered to Elvis as she settled onto the couch.

  With a sigh that was made up of more oh-woe-is-me than any self-respecting, independent woman
should experience, she curled her legs under her.

  The moon shone through the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows and cast dappled shadows across the braided rug in the middle of the room. Like the kitchen, this room, too, was a study in browns—plush leather couch and two armchairs the color of chocolate, russet-and-tan oval braided rug, oak coffee and end tables.

  The man really needed some color in his life.

  Built-in shelves filled with books and framed photos lined both sides of the fireplace and a large, flat-screen TV hung on the opposite wall. When they had gotten to his house after the party, James had helped her give Elvis a bath before calling it a night. Though she was exhausted, Sadie had tossed and turned for hours on the comfy double bed in the guest room upstairs.

  “What are you doing up?”

  She squeaked and almost dropped her spoon. Sticking it into the peanut butter, she glared at James. “You about gave me a heart attack, sneaking up on me in that ninja way of yours.”

  “Please tell me I’m sleepwalking,” he said from his bedroom’s doorway, his deep voice gravelly, Zoe at his side, “and you’re not really eating my peanut butter straight from the jar.”

  “I’m not really eating your peanut butter from the jar,” she said around the spoon in her mouth. “You’re sleepwalking. It’s all just a dream. A horrible, horrible dream.”

  James crossed to the floor lamp and turned it on—the better to illuminate his adorable scowl. He was so cute, trying to be all stern and angry with her.

  Thank God that would never happen. He was too sweet, too even-tempered and well, too dang nice to lose his cool, much less get mad at her.

  He towered over her. “If you let that dog lick the spoon then put it back in there I’m tossing you both out.”

  He seemed...bigger somehow. Broader. His faded Pittsburgh Pirates T-shirt clung to his shoulders, his sweatpants hung low on his flat stomach. He should have looked harmless, funny with his dark hair sticking up on one side, his eyes heavy with sleep.

  Her breath shouldn’t be stuck in her throat just from looking at him. She shouldn’t want to smooth his hair, keep her hand there to run her fingers through the strands.