“Now you tell me. I should’ve checked out the other team. So you’re saying, as ballplayers go, you stink? Your father-in-law wasn’t quite as forthright.”
“Well, we have a lot of old geezers. They formed this team ages ago. The younger men can’t really kick them off. What can I say—other than that they have incredible longevity?” He grinned. “I consider that a plus. And it is only a game.”
“But I sense that winning’s important.” A mischievous light entered Joel’s eyes. “Seeing how pious you all are, I doubt you’d consider bringing in a ringer.”
Grant glanced toward the women and drew Joel aside. “Who do you have in mind?”
“I’ve got a good friend, a former frat brother, who plays for the Atlanta Braves farm team.”
A schoolboy grin lit Grant Hopewell’s face. “Wouldn’t I love to pull that off.”
“Love to what?” Sylvie asked, walking up to the men. Her sister, too, walked over. Dory swung her son up into her arms.
“Oh, nothing,” Grant inserted quickly. “We were discussing the Labor Day weekend. I’ll get back to you, Joel, if I may?”
“Sure, no problem. I’m usually home day or night.”
Dory, who swayed with her sleepy son, smoothly asked, “So you work at home, Joel? What kind of work do you do?”
Rianne flung back her head. “Daddy draws pictures and puts them on the ’puter,” she said, punctuating that statement with another huge yawn.
Because Joel didn’t want to get into the specifics, especially now, he lifted her into his arms. “Sorry to break this up, but it appears we’ve both got tired kids. Time to take them home. I’ve stayed far longer than I originally planned.”
“Mom’s fault,” Sylvie noted sourly. “But thanks, Joel. If you hadn’t stuck around, Grant and Dory would’ve had to drive out of their way to take me home. They live on the opposite side of town.”
“I’m happy to do it,” Joel said, lowering his voice because he saw that Rianne had already fallen asleep on his shoulder.
Talk fell off then. Grant hoisted Kendra into his arms, and the four adults shut off the lights. Dory and Grant didn’t wait while Sylvie locked the building, but headed for their car immediately.
“They’re nice people,” Joel murmured, turning to Sylvie as they navigated the dark steps. “If I didn’t have my arms full, I’d offer to carry your dress and those two boxes. I hope they’re nowhere near as heavy as Rianne. She’s fifty pounds of deadweight when she zonks out like this.”
“I’ve draped the dress bag over one arm. And the boxes don’t weigh much at all. Rianne seemed to enjoy herself. I saw her with the Martin twins. Another time she was deep in conversation with Holly Johnson and her sister. They’re good kids. It’s lucky Rianne’s not shy.”
“No, she’s not that.” Joel uttered a chuckle that was half despair. “Her mother climbed all over me before we moved here. Lynn thinks kids should be seen and not heard.” Joel buckled Rianne into her booster and propped her head on a neck pillow before he gently closed the door. “Lynn, my ex, is a former foreign correspondent recently promoted to TV news anchor. The station threw her a party to celebrate. To make a long story short, she got mad at me for letting Rianne wear jeans to her party. She also said that I let her interact too freely with adults. But I didn’t happen to have any friends who had kids.”
Taking Sylvie’s load, Joel set her boxes on the floor by the middle row of seats, hung her dress on the hook, then held Sylvie’s door. He continued to speak after climbing in himself and starting the car. “You asked earlier why I changed my mind and came to the wedding of people I didn’t know. It’s because your sister said there’d be other kids. I want Rianne to make friends.”
“I had no right to take you to task.” Sylvie averted her eyes. “I just get so tired of everyone trying to fix me up. Here’s a good example—Mother sending my date home. I’m not upset. I’d rather ride with you than Buddy, but—”
“That’s a relief,” Joel cut in. “I’m afraid I agree with your dad. Buddy’s a weird dude. Tell me he has another name. That his parents didn’t name him Buddy.”
“Jarvis the fourth.” Sylvie leaned back against the headrest. “I feel sorry for Buddy. His mother is a control freak, and his dad thinks money fixes everything.”
“I guess that explains a lot,” Joel muttered. “He seems dedicated to his job. But if your dad’s right, he’s not all that good at it. Probably because he’s obnoxious.”
“I agree. Obnoxious and antisocial. I think that’s his real problem. But I can say for sure I’m not the person to rehabilitate Buddy.”
Joel tossed off a hearty laugh. So hearty, he glanced in the rearview mirror to see if he’d awakened Rianne. He hadn’t. “Out of curiosity, why did you agree to go out with such a jerk?”
Sylvie rolled her head toward Joel. “Carline caught me at a weak moment.”
“It appears you have a lot of those where your family’s concerned.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to give in.” She faced front again. “My family’s great, don’t get me wrong. Here I am, giving you a mistaken impression, just like Dory accused. They have this fatal flaw. They want everyone—friend or relative—to be half of a couple. A married couple.”
Joel debated asking the next question, but decided to go for it. “You’re against marriage? Isn’t that hard, given your business?”
“It’s a long story, and we’re too near home for me to go into it. Suffice it to say, I don’t want to date every unattached male they stumble across.”
“Like Buddy, you mean? And the other guy your dad brought up. Mr. Mercedes.”
“Chet.” She sucked in a deep breath.
“Your dad didn’t seem to get what you were saying, about Chet being gay.”
Her eyes swung in Joel’s direction. “I tried to get Dad to understand that Chet’s not available without spelling it out. Chet’s company services accounts in and around Briarwood. This is a conservative town. So are Chet’s parents from the sound of it. I really don’t want the poor man losing business on my account.”
“Your secret, or rather his, is safe with me.” Joel pressed a hand to his heart. “Obviously your family needs a lesson in screening prospects better.”
She swung at his arm. “You love razzing me. Well, laugh now, neighbor. They have you in their sights. Prepare yourself to be inundated with invitations to their various homes—where I’ll just happen to be invited separately but on the same nights. Oh, it won’t stop there. Joel, you have no idea. I’ve seen Mom and her wedding vigilantes launch numerous campaigns to marry people off. And guess what? Those very people are all ensconced in wedded bliss. Most are either pushing baby carriages or preparing to buy them.”
“Hey, are you familiar with insulation R factors?”
“Yes. Grant owns a construction firm. He’s almost as enthusiastic over his field as Buddy is about the stock market.”
“I possess an insulation factor stretching to infinity when it comes to people setting me up, Sylvie.”
“Wow! Do R factors go to infinity? I think the most I’ve heard of is thirty.”
“New methods let builders blow loose insulation to any depth these days.” He flashed a grin, giving her time to digest that fact as he swung into her driveway. She came to life when his headlights reflected off her front window.
“So I can quit worrying about you?”
“Yep. I’m immune. Divorced dads are even more targeted by well-meaning friends than single women are, Sylvie.”
She opened her car door and watched Joel leap out and hurry to assist her. It reiterated what she’d told Dory. Joel was nice. And with the exception of her dad and her sister’s husbands, Sylvie hadn’t met a lot of men who still opened car doors for women.
Joel also collected her dress and the boxes. Sylvie tried to take the lot, but he shook his head. “I’ll carry them to the house for you. You didn’t leave a porch light on. You’d better use my car lights to find y
our house key.”
“The light by the front door is burned out. I keep forgetting to buy one. It’s an odd size and I have to get it at a hardware store. I still have Oscar—hear him? I’m counting on burglars not wanting to go up against a dog with a bark as deep as his. If they knew what a soft touch he is, I wouldn’t be so confident.”
“I’m afraid after the brute knocked me in the lake, I can’t agree he’s soft.”
“Well, he’s rambunctious. Let me just grab hold of his collar, Joel, and we’ll avoid the risk of having him knock either of us flat.”
“Why don’t you own a dog? I’d think a woman living alone this far out of town would want the protection.” He waited on a lower step, keeping one eye on Rianne sleeping in the backseat as Sylvie unlocked her door and made a successful grab for Oscar’s collar in spite of his leaping up to lick her face.
“I had a springer spaniel named Corky that I got as a pup. The few years I spent in New York City, my folks kept him. Otherwise we were inseparable. I know he died a happy old man, but it’s hard for me to think of replacing him. I have a friend who has a springer due to whelp soon. I groom her dogs, and she’s offered me pick of the litter. I may get one. I haven’t decided.” She indicated that Joel should set the boxes inside her door and hang the dress bag over a nearby chair.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad, Sylvie.”
Sylvie nodded as she flicked on the hall light. “I know. Corky’s been gone awhile. I should get past it.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s more the fact that he died right before I moved home. I had a lot to deal with then, anyway, and his death was...the crowning blow.”
Her eyes remained troubled. Remote. Joel wished he’d left well enough alone. Why had he ever mentioned her lack of a pet? “Will you be okay? I, uh, can’t continue to let my car run with Rianne inside.”
“Of course! I’ll be fine. Really!” Sylvie patted Oscar’s bobbing head. “Weddings...take a lot out of me. This one was doubly hard. Kay’s my best friend. Her former mother-in-law turned Kay’s first wedding into a circus. The man she married was a bigger jerk than... Well, he humiliated her in so many ways. I wanted this day to make up for everything she’d endured. I think it came off okay. Didn’t it?”
“I’m not a wedding expert,” Joel mumbled. “But it was as nice or nicer than any wedding I’ve been to in Atlanta, some of them larger and probably more costly. There I go.” He shook his head. “I’ve got no idea how much a wedding like this one costs.”
Her mouth curved in a rosebud smile. “You’re kind, anyway, for giving me that vote of confidence. I won’t keep you any longer, Joel. Good night. I...do appreciate your staying to the bitter end.”
She’d made it plain that she wanted him to leave, so Joel did. Before he did something really stupid—like kiss her. He had absolutely no reason in the world to kiss Sylvie Shea good-night. He’d been her taxi service, nothing more. So why did he have an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms?
Joel recognized that he wanted to wipe away some undefinable sorrow lingering in her big hazel eyes. He clenched his fists, then forced them to relax. As he turned, she stood, still framed in the doorway. They didn’t exchange so much as a wave.
He refused to glance her way again, and instead concentrated on backing straight out of her drive until he could pull into his. Nor did he rush to unbuckle Rianne from her child seat. He lamented how the other day she’d asked him to get rid of the seat. Some states had a mandatory six-year or sixty-pound requirement regarding child safety seats; he hadn’t checked North Carolina’s. But in a week Rianne would meet the age requirement. His baby, a baby no more.
Joel pondered her imminent birthday. Even that didn’t completely take his mind off the woman he’d just taken home. Sylvie was his likeliest source of addresses for the girls Rianne had met tonight. Tomorrow he’d order her cake and buy party invitations.
Mounting the steps to his porch, Joel called himself all kinds of a fool, but at the last minute he looked over at Sylvie’s house. From this vantage point, a portion of her place was visible, including her front door. By now, of course, he was sure she’d gone inside. But, no. She’d waited, apparently until he’d given in to a masculine need to look back. Slowly, she lifted a hand. He’d hardly call it a wave. More of a see-you-later gesture. After that, she hastily yanked Oscar inside and closed them both off from Joel’s view.
He was pleased but also disgruntled to think he’d acted so predictably. Flipping on the living room lights, he carried his daughter up to her room.
Rianne roused when he placed her on the bed and rummaged for her nightgown. Behind him she said in a sleepy voice, “I love weddings, Daddy. Tonight I had the most fun ever. Did you know Kendra says Sylvie is her auntie? Auntie Sylvie, she calls her.” The girl pronounced the au as ah. “Kendra has lots of aunties. Do I?”
“No. I have no sisters. Neither does your mom, snooks. You don’t have uncles, either.” He just didn’t consider his father’s other son a relative. “Mom and I are only children.” He helped Rianne remove her nice dress. As he hung it up in the closet, she dived into the nightie. Her hair ribbons had already fallen out somewhere along the way. Maybe Freda Poulson wasn’t an authority on bows, after all.
“Kendra’s auntie Carline is gonna have a baby. Sylvie’s taking Kendra to buy the baby a present tomorrow. Kendra asked me to go, too. Will that be okay? And will you give me money to buy the baby something?”
Joel tucked her in and smoothed back her flyaway hair. “Did Sylvie invite you to go along, or was this Kendra’s idea?”
Rianne pouted a bit. “Kendra’s. But I want to get the baby something. They know it’s a boy and his name is gonna be Keenan Jeffery Manchester. Kendra gets to hold him after he’s born. She said maybe sometime I can hold him.” Rianne started to cry. “But prob’ly not if I don’t buy him a present.”
Joel didn’t know how their conversation had disintegrated so fast. “I never said you couldn’t buy the baby a gift. Sweetheart, Kendra shouldn’t make an offer like that without first asking her mother or her aunt Sylvie.”
“Auntie, Daddy. You didn’t say it right.”
“Excuse me. It’s late, baby. Go to sleep now. I’ll ask Sylvie tomorrow if it’s a real shopping trip. Otherwise, you and I will go and shop for party invitations. Who has a birthday coming up soon?”
“Me! Oh, Daddy, can I have a party? I want to invite Kendra, Nikki, Nola, Holly and maybe Ashleigh. But she’s in third grade, so maybe she won’t wanna come.”
“Tomorrow. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Joel blew raspberries against her neck and kissed her forehead. “G’night. Sleep tight.” He left the room, taking care to keep the door ajar so she could see a bathroom light. It was a pact they’d made at the time of the move.
Joel went straight from there to his office. The first email he opened was from his editor. Les liked the idea of the new character and the sample strips Joel had emailed. He said he’d start running the strip immediately, and further promised a contract by overnight express. He wanted enough strips to run for twenty-six weeks.
Now Joel worried whether he had enough material. He pulled up the previous attachment to take another look at the frames he’d already sent in. Two weeks’ worth, and he liked to stay four weeks ahead of production.
His phone rang. Late as it was, Joel walked over to check the readout. He was surprised to see his neighbor’s name. Was something wrong at Sylvie’s?
Heart tripping faster, he snatched up the receiver on the fourth ring. “Sylvie? What’s wrong? Do you need anything?”
Following a lengthy pause, she said, “For a minute I thought you were psychic. Then I realized you must have caller ID.”
“Yes. So, you’re okay?”
“I am. I found a message on my answering machine from Dory. On the way home, Kendra told her mom she’d invited Rianne to go baby-gift shopping with us. Did Rianne happen to bring it up, or is this Kendra’s pipe dream?”
&nbs
p; “Rianne did tell me. She’s unbelievably excited. I kinda figured the girls concocted this idea on their own.”
“Well, I’d love for Rianne to join us. Dory’s leaving Roy with our folks. She and I planned to take Kendra to hit the bigger stores in Asheville. But we’ll be gone past lunch, into the afternoon. As well, I don’t want you to think we’d expect her to buy Carline’s baby a gift.”
Joel thought how disappointed Rianne would be if he said no. “You’re sure it’s all right with you and Dory? I mean, kids have to learn they need to consult with adults before making grandiose plans. As far as a baby gift goes, Rianne’s dying to buy a gift for this baby-to-be that already has a name.”
“Carline and Jeff aren’t anxious to greet their new son or anything.” There was a smile in Sylvie’s voice. “Joel, Kendra will be thrilled to have someone nearer her age on the trip. She plays with the Martin twins a lot, but it’s often two against one. She spends a lot of time hanging out with adults, too. I remember you said that about Rianne.”
“What you said about the Martin twins jogged my mind. Rianne’s birthday is coming up soon. I hadn’t planned on a party or anything, but...based on her meeting so many kids at the wedding, would I be presumptuous in sending them invitations to a small gathering? It’ll be Rianne’s first party. In Atlanta, kids at her private preschool and kindergarten were scattered all over the city. Most of them were gone on a last family trip before the start of school, so we skipped doing a party. Her birthday’s the week before Labor Day.”
“Here in Briarwood she’s in luck. Since most families are involved in the weekend festival, just about everyone’s in town. And no, it’s not out of line. Kids love parties. Plus, it’ll be a great chance for you to meet the parents of her new friends.”
“I’ll make myself a note to get invitations mailed out tomorrow, if I could get the addresses from you.”
“Sure. About tomorrow. Dory and I would like to be on the road by nine. She’s driving and they’ll pick me up. That’s not too early for Rianne, is it? Oh, and let her wear shorts or pants. Comfortable stuff. Especially shoes.”
The Hope Dress Page 14
