When he’d given her the details, he added, “But don’t worry. I’m going to get a nurse to stay with Pops while I’m at work. I can get two if I need to since my hours will be so long.”
He braced himself, for her argument. But she surprised him.
“I can take care of that, honey. I have someone in mind,” her voice sounded downright giddy.
“Okay, just let me know where to send the check.”
“Oh no. Leonard and I will handle this. You’ve been generous enough giving us this amazing honeymoon.”
He would have insisted, but Leonard Harrington was a very successful real estate mogul, and Marco knew he would be happy to do it. He would be happy to do anything that made his new bride happy. The man had been head over heels in love with Marco’s mom when they were in high school, but he’d been too shy to tell her. Now that he was with her, he treated his mom like royalty, which was exactly what she deserved.
They decided that his mom and Leonard would drop Pops off before heading to the airport. He’d planned on meeting them at the airport but with this new development that would be impossible.
“Okay, text me when you guys get in town, and I’ll meet you at the house.”
“Sounds good, sweetie. Love you!” his mom exclaimed with bubbling excitement. She was happier than he’d ever heard her. She was so excited to go to Europe. And if she was happy, he was happy.
“Love you, too.”
Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he turned to head right back inside the station and give Evan and Jake his decision. This was exactly what he needed to get things back on track.
Chapter 12
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“I know that I’m going to forget something,” Sydney repeated for the fifth time as she rolled her jeans so she could fit more in her suitcase. “I always forget something.”
“How long are you going for?” Devon asked as she surveyed the clothes that were strewn over Sydney’s bed.
“Three weeks.”
“And you leave tomorrow?”
“Yep. Before dawn.” Sydney still couldn’t believe that she was doing this. She wasn’t sure if she was in denial or what.
“You know what’s sad, you taking this job is probably going to be a vacation for you. You’ll have one person to take care of instead of three, and I doubt Pops is as much work as my kids.”
As much as she loved her niece and nephew, she had to agree with her sister; they were a lot to keep up with. “It’s not work when it’s family.”
“Yes, it is! You’ve done so much for the kids and me.” Devon picked up a shirt and folded it as she sniffed back tears that Sydney saw forming in her sister’s eyes. “You’ve sacrificed a year of your life for me, for the kidlets. But, we’re good now. I’m good now. I promise.”
“I know you are.” There had been moments over the past year that she hadn’t been sure that would be the case.
Fourteen months, six days, and about seven hours ago, Sydney got the call that everyone dreads. The one that turns your life inside out because the person that you love the most in this world is hurt or sick or worse. In this case, the call was that her sister had been involved in a hit and run. Devon was hit by a car as she was crossing the street after teaching her yoga class.
Thankfully, a few of the women in her class had seen the entire thing and called 911. When they were unable to reach Devon’s husband, now ex-husband, they called Sydney, who was listed as her in-case-of-emergency contact on her employee paperwork.
By the time she got to the hospital, her sister had to be placed in a medically-induced coma because of intracranial pressure. Devon spent three days in that coma until the swelling of her brain decreased. It was the longest three days of Sydney’s life. She’d felt so scared and helpless.
Over the months that followed the accident, a lot changed in both of their lives. Devon had three surgeries that first month. The scariest of which was the spinal fusion due to fractured vertebrae. She’d also had a metal rod put in her hip and a surgery to repair to her jaw.
The second month, Sydney got back together with Simon. They’d reconnected when he operated on Devon’s jaw. Then they got engaged. And then they broke off the engagement.
Then her sister’s marriage fell apart. Paulo filed for divorce and moved his pregnant girlfriend into the back house.
Soon after, Devon was able to move back to Sunset Canyon while she waited for the divorce to go through and her alimony and child support to kick in. When their parents left for Europe, they’d put the house in Devon’s name. She’d used it as a rental property. Fortunately the tenants lease was up at the same time she was well enough to make the move, so she and the kidlets moved into her Sunset Canyon home. Sydney moved with them, temporarily, to help out while Devon recovered. She’d been confined to a wheelchair for four months. However, even once her sister was able to walk and drive, Sydney hadn’t been ready to leave.
Money was tight, so she’d gotten part-time work at the nursing home that was connected to the rehabilitation facility that Devon went to. She worked graveyard so she could be around for the kids and take Devon to therapy and doctors’ appointments during the day. It hadn’t been ideal, but she’d made it work.
But now, Devon was back. And not just physically. Over the past month or so, Sydney had seen her sister again. The accident and divorce had taken a huge emotional toll on Devon, and she’d become a shell of herself.
Little by little, though, Sydney had witnessed the light come back. The spark that made Devon, Devon. She was herself again. She was even planning to open her own Yoga studio once the divorce and custody was worked out and her loser ex started paying the money he owed her. Her practice had helped her heal not only physically, but emotionally as well and she wanted to help other people. She’d found a space, looked into insurance and was coming up with a marketing plan.
Sydney was so proud of her sister. Life had knocked her down and she’d gotten back up.
“I know you’re good.” Sydney sighed. “I just worry.”
“Well, you don’t have to. Paulo is going to take them next week, and you’ll be back home before they are.”
“I know.” Sydney nodded. The kids being with their dad was the only reason she’d even considered taking the job.
Well, that and the money. It was triple what she made at the nursing home, and that was the base pay. The overtime, which she was told there was going to be, was twice that. That’s six times what she made at the Sunset Rehabilitation Villas.
When Sydney got the call from her supervisor and he told her that she’d been requested by name for in-home care, she’d assumed it was Mrs. Linley. She was an old woman who was very set in her ways and was convinced that no one except Sydney could make her morning tea.
But when she was told it would involve travel, she realized she’d assumed wrong. Mrs. Linley refused to leave the five-block radius around her home, which thankfully, the nursing home was located within.
Then, she heard where she would be traveling to and her guessing game ended.
Hope Falls.
There was only one person that she knew that had any connection to Hope Falls. She’d barely even been able to breathe as she’d listened to the details of the assignment.
Robyn, Marco’s mom, was going to go on her honeymoon and Pops, who required in-home care, was going to be staying with Marco. Robyn had seen her at the rehab facility several times when she was taking Pops in for his treatment and she was there with Devon. They’d caught up and she knew that Sydney was working at the nursing home. She’d told her manager that she’d asked for Sydney specifically because she’d always had a good rapport with Pops when she’d been a volunteer at Sunset Memorial.
Every time she visited him, a wide smile would spread across Pops’ face and his booming voice would announce, “There she is. My favorite candy striper!”
Then, without fail, Marco and Robyn would patiently explain to him that that was not a term that was used a
nymore.
When they weren’t looking, Pops would wink at Sydney, signaling that he was doing it because he thought it was funny that they explained it every time. It was one of their many inside jokes.
Pops had always held a special place in Sydney’s heart, and she hoped the feeling was mutual. But as much as she cared about Pops, her knee-jerk response was no.
No way. No how. No thank you.
She couldn’t live in Marco’s house, even if it were only for three weeks and even if he were gone most of the time. He’d completely blown her off after their night together. She’d Facebook messaged him the next day, asking about Pops and he’d responded with a short. He’s fine.
That was it.
She’d tried not to take it personally; she told herself that he might be upset about Pops and was just dealing with it by shutting down.
So, she’d followed up a week later, and his response had been just as curt. She’d asked about Pops again and that time he’d responded with a total of two sentences and four words: He’s home. He’s fine.
That’s when she took it personally.
While her supervisor was still pitching the job, she opened her mouth to turn it down, but then she heard how much it paid.
The past year had taken a financial toll as well. Her sister’s divorce dragged on and on, and Devon had been too weak and hurt to put up a fight. Sydney had had to step in to help with things. Sydney had been out of work for six months after the accident and drained her meager savings.
This paycheck could put her back on track.
Through the rest of the phone conversation, she’d panicked inside, but she knew she couldn’t turn down the money.
“Do you think you’ll see Karina Black or Kyle Austen Reed?” Devon clapped her hands excitedly.
Devon and Sydney had been huge fans of Karina Black since her debut album came out. And Kyle Austen Reed was Devon’s “Hall Pass” when she was married. It was well known that both celebrities lived in the small town of Hope Falls.
“Maybe.” Sydney was way more concerned about the person she was sure she was going to see.
“Do you think Marco knows them?” her sister asked.
“I don’t know.”
“He didn’t talk about them at the reunion?”
Sydney shook her head. “Nope.”
“And you’re going to be staying at his house, right?”
“Yep.” She nodded, trying to keep her expression blank.
Sydney told her older sister most things, but she’d kept the time she’d spent with Marco to herself. It was personal. Private. Plus, she’d had enough to fill her sister in on. Things like finding out Simon cheated on her and him showing up and proposing.
“I always thought you two were going to end up together.”
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “That will never happen.”
Oops. The second she said it she realized that she might’ve protested too much.
“Was he an a-hole at the reunion or something? I mean you guys danced together, right?”
“How do you know that?” Sydney’s head snapped up.
Devon gave her a seriously look. “It’s Sunset Canyon. I heard it from three people the week that we moved back.”
“Oh, right.” The rumor mill in a small town was always churning.
“I meant to ask you about it, but I was kind of dealing with my own stuff.”
“What do you mean?” Sydney asked as if she had no idea what her sister could possibly be referring to. “Your life has been all rainbows and unicorns.”
“That’s true,” Devon laughed and was distracted momentarily, but then she was right back. “So what happened? Was he an f-face?”
“F-face?” That was a new one, and Sydney would have sworn under oath that she’d heard all of her sister’s creative non-curse-word-curse-words at this point.
“Wow.” Devon’s eyes narrowed to a squint. “You are really trying to avoid answering me.”
“I am not.” It was a childish retort, but she spent her days hanging out with children, so…
Her sister crossed her arms. “What did he do?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, then what did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“What happened between you two?”
“Nothing,” Sydney repeated, opting to keep her humiliation to herself. Her love life had enough scandal thanks to Simon, so she didn’t need to pile on a one-night-stand blow-off to the mix.
Devon pushed a pile of clothes out of the way and lowered onto Sydney’s bed. “So, let me get this straight. Marco Reyes makes a big show of shunning Avery—”
“He didn’t make a big show,” Sydney clarified.
Her sister ignored her. “He pulls you out on the dance floor. You don’t even make it one song before you two hightail it out of the reunion, never to return and nothing happened?”
“Is there a spy network I’m not aware of that you are connected to?”
“Yeah, it’s called the rumor mill of Sunset Canyon.” Devon sat up taller. “So, nothing happened?”
Sydney could feel her sister’s truth-detection stare baring down on her, but she didn’t say a word. She knew that if she opened her mouth, she’d end up cracking. She might be able to keep a secret from her sister if Devon didn’t know anything about it, but once she started digging, Sydney knew she’d fold like a cheap suit.
“Momma, she pinched me!” Pauly ran in, holding out his arm in evidence.
Isabella was right behind him, screaming her defense. “I did not!”
Yep. It sounded a lot like the defense she’d just used.
“Did too!”
Thank you, kidlets, Sydney closed her eyes with relief. She’d never been so happy for an interruption in her life.
“Okay, okay,” Devon said calmly. “Let’s take this to the courtroom.”
The courtroom, AKA the laundry room, had two plastic chairs that both the kids sat in and told their side of whatever disagreement they were having. They both got thirty seconds to plead their case. The judge, either Sydney or Devon, would interrogate each child, and then the verdict and sentence were carried out.
All decisions were final, and time-outs were to be served without back talk.
Devon had come up with it during the months that she’d spent in bed and on the couch during her recovery. She’d watched Judge Judy, Divorce Court, The People’s Court, Judge Mathis and even Hot Bench and decided to implement the format in her parenting. She’d ordered a judge’s robe and gavel from Amazon to make it more “official.”
Sydney had been skeptical at first, but she had to admit, the conflict resolution tool worked like a charm on her niece and nephew. It had drastically cut down on the amount of screaming and arguing between the kidlets.
They enjoyed having their day in court, and they appreciated being heard. They also got a kick out of the fact that she and Devon took their judicial role so seriously. They didn’t just dress up, they even used courtroom terms. They’d call the court to order, name the case, and have the kids swear on a Bible before testifying. Half the time they got a confession without having to cross-examine because the kiddos were scared to lie under oath.
Her sister stood. On her way out of the room, she stopped and gave Sydney the stink eye. “For the record, I don’t believe you. I know something happened.”
“Good thing I’m not the one on trial,” she called out as the kids dragged their mom out of the room.
She looked down at her suitcase and wished she had a crystal ball that could tell her what was in store for her.
Would Marco act like nothing had happened between them?
Or worse, would he ignore her, answering her in clipped responses like he had in their texts?
Or worst of all, would he not be alone? Would he be in a serious relationship? Would he be living with that person? Would she be subjected to witnessing their true love and PDA?
It didn’t matter. She’d keep her head down, do
her job, and walk away with her bank account healthier and her life just a little bit more on track than it had been before.
Three weeks. People had been through worse. Her sister had been through worse.
Sydney had her health. She had her sister. She had her niece and nephew. That was what was important. Those were the people that mattered.
Not Marco Reyes.
She looked at the clock. She had sixteen hours to make herself believe that.
Chapter 13
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The doorbell rang in quick succession, and Marco picked up his pace as he went down the stairs. He’d been in his bedroom closet on a mission for his mom. She’d texted about ten minutes ago saying that they were close and asked if she could borrow his travel pillow because she forgot hers.
As he made it down the last few steps, he could see his family on the porch through the glass side panels that flanked his front door. His mom stood smiling from ear to ear behind Pops, who sat in his wheelchair with his oxygen tank. He was the one with his finger pressed to the doorbell. Each year that passed he grew less and less patient. Leonard was making his way up the walk with bags, suitcases, and a small ice chest. He looked more loaded down than a pack mule.
Lady met him at the door, stretching her front paws out in front of her, her butt lifted high in the air as she yawned, totally unfazed at the repetitive sound that indicated guests were here.
“Stay,” he said out of habit more than anything else. She’d never once tried to make a great escape or jump on guests.
Lady was the antithesis of a guard dog. She never alerted him to visitors arriving and she also slept through packages being left at his door. Unless there was the possibility of a tasty treat, she had zero interest in anyone or anything if she were napping. Which she did eight to ten hours out of the day. However, she took food motivation to an entirely new level.
Before the door swung even halfway open, he heard Pops’ deep voice, “There’s my girl. My pretty Lady.”
Always one to eat up a compliment, Lady sat and lifted her head wearing a knowing little doggie grin like she thought she was the Mona Lisa posing for Leonardo da Vinci. Never in a million years had he met a dog that loved to be admired and hear how pretty she was as much as Lady did. She also loved looking in mirrors. She’d sit for hours staring at the pretty doggie in the mirror.
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