Intertwined Hearts Series (4 book collection): (Intertwined Hearts, An Exceptional Twist, Tangled Paths & Grafted Vines)

by Kimi Flores

  Stefen huffed, seemingly offended. “Yeah, you can stay, and no, you won’t cramp my style. I’m working on a sweet girl right now, but this case is kicking my ass, so I can take a break from her until after the holidays.”

  I just shook my head. I wasn’t about to get into it with my cousin again over his womanizing lifestyle, but it still annoyed me. “Fine.”

  “Good. Now can I talk to my sister before she leaves the country with that prick?” I imagined Stefen puffing out his chest. He didn’t even see his own hypocrisy.

  Chapter Nine

  Tutus & Tushies

  Caleb

  I spent the next week trying to process my feelings for Abby, but was still coming up blank. There was no doubt I was attracted to her, but was that enough for me to take such a huge risk?

  I planned to play everything by ear for now because I didn’t want to lead her on if I decided not to act on it. I was concerned about Madison’s growing affection for her, and I couldn’t break my little girl’s heart by starting something I wasn’t even sure I could continue. If Madison wasn’t a factor, I would’ve moved forward with Abby months ago. But she was a factor. A big one, and I had to put her well-being first.

  I hurried my little girl out the front door, holding in a laugh as I watched her run past me to our parked SUV. One of my favorite things about my daughter taking ballet was seeing the way her little tutu bounced up and down, exposing her cute little behind whenever she moved. She’d been taking dance lessons for the past couple years. Grace had insisted, and I didn’t mind, except that all the other little girls’ moms flirted endlessly with me. These were the same moms from Madison’s school, unflatteringly nicknamed the ‘Power Moms’. They walked around school in their power sweat suits with sparkly words on their asses, thick layers of make-up, silicone-filled lips, and never without a latte in hand.

  To most guys, the flirting and innuendoes would be a welcome thing, but I couldn’t stand it. Not only did I think it was inappropriate for married women to flirt with me, but even if they weren’t married, I simply wasn’t interested.

  I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed Madison staring out the window, lost in thought. “You awake there, pumpkin?”

  “Yeah, Daddy, just thinkin’.”

  I smiled at her pronunciation. “Oh? What about?”

  “I just wunnered if I’ll ever have a Mommy that can take me to ballet like my friends, and do girl things, that’s all.” She pursed her lips.

  A stabbing feeling cut into my heart. It still amazed me how easily she could innocently yank such strong emotions out of me. “Honey, would you rather Grammy take you to ballet because she’s a girl?”

  “No, Daddy.” She shook her adorable little head. “I love when you take me. I just wish I had a mommy to take me too.”

  Well, damn. I felt a lump rising in my throat. I wasn’t going to be of any use today. Not that she was trying to hurt my feelings. She was just being an honest kid.

  We pulled up to the dance studio with plenty of time to spare. Leah caught my eye when she stepped out of the white van we’d taken to her cousin’s wedding a week ago. Dressed in a thin long red dress used for dancing, she was struggling to carry a few yoga balls.

  After parking, I jumped out to offer her help. “You need a hand with those?”

  She looked up, flustered. “Oh hey, Caleb. What’re you doing here?” She tried to balance one ball on each hip while holding onto them for dear life.

  I grabbed one, then went back to my car to let Madison out. “My daughter takes ballet here.”

  Madison jumped out, landing her little feet on the asphalt parking lot.

  “Hi, sweetie.” Leah leaned down a little, offering Madison a tiny wave. “Remember me? I’m Miss Abby’s friend, Leah. We had lunch together at the Chowder Festival.”

  A beautiful smile broke out on her tiny face at the mention of Abby’s name. “Of course I member you, silly. Do you take classes here too?”

  Leah snickered. “No, I’m here to help some special friends learn how to exercise while they dance.”

  Madison gave Leah a curious smile. “Are they special because they’re your best friends, like Miss Abby? I have two best friends, Casey and Emily.” She held her interlaced fingers in front of her body, swaying back and forth.

  Leah crouched down. “Well, they are my friends, but they’re special because they have the biggest hearts. Even though they may look or act different on the outside, they each have their own special powers.”

  Surprised glee covered Madison’s face. “Like fairies? I love fairies.”

  “No. These friends have the power to heal other people’s sad hearts because they love everyone no matter what. Most of them have the power to make people think a little harder about what’s really important.”

  Taking in an excited breath, Madison turned to me. “Daddy, can I meet her friends?” She bounced on the balls of her ballet slippers while Leah grinned up at me.

  I was still surprised to find Leah here but if Madison wanted to meet her students, I didn’t see why not. “If it’s okay with Leah, I think it would be fantastic.”

  “Alright, let’s get inside then.” With an extra pep in her step, Leah ushered us into the studio.

  Over the next hour, we’d decided to skip out on Madison’s class and help Leah instead. Watching my little girl interact with children who had special needs was overwhelming. The children in Leah’s class truly did have remarkable powers. One even wore a red cape with her tutu and leotard. They weren’t concerned about how they looked, they just followed Leah’s lead with unbelievable joy spilling from their souls.

  I smiled the entire time. A few had assistants to help, but for the most part, they followed along to the best of their abilities, including a girl bound to her wheelchair. I learned that Leah taught this class once a month, and they held their own recital every year. Madison and I would definitely be participating again.

  After the class was over, we walked into my favorite coffee shop. With Madison at my side and still in her tutu, I scanned the menu, even though I already knew what I was going to order. Why I did that every time, I didn’t know. I was such a boring creature of habit.

  The regular barista, Rachael, took one look at Madison and raced around the corner to snatch her up into a hug. “Well hello, pretty girl. Did you just come from dance class?”

  The only thing that bugged me about going to this coffee shop was knowing Rachael was trying to get to me through Madison, and that never sat well.

  Madison nodded. “We helped my daddy’s friend with her dance class. She teaches super power kids, and she’s really pretty.”

  A crushed look crossed Rachael’s face. I felt somewhat bad that she was making an assumption, but I was also relieved that she thought I might be taken. Hopefully now she’d lay off on the flirting.

  Placing our order, I held Madison in my arms and stood by the pick-up counter. I’d noticed a group of women at one of the small tables when I first walked in, but didn’t realize who they were until now.

  Damn. More of those power moms.

  I heard them whispering and looking in my direction. Great.

  As I grabbed our drinks and headed for the door, I caught some of what they were saying. I put Madison down when we moved around the corner to where the sugar and stir sticks sat. Their volume increased now that I wasn’t visible and it sounded like they were talking about Abby and me.

  “Okay, so then I heard a rumor about them making out just outside the mall. I don’t know if I believe it though. Why would he want her? She’s so homely. If he wanted to explore someone’s mouth, I’d be happy to oblige.” She snorted.

  Knowing for a fact that woman was married, I shook my head, disgusted. Maybe I was mistaken. There was no way they could be talking about Abby.

  Another spoke up. “I don’t believe that, either. He would never go for her. He’s way too hot, and she’s just so—so—plain.”

  Yeah, they were cl
early talking about someone else. Letting it go, I picked up my things and looked down at Madison, who was sucking with all her might, trying to get some of her frozen drink through the straw. I snickered and was just about to head toward the door again when I clearly overheard the next statement.

  “Someone told me they were at the chowder festival together, and her ex-boyfriend showed up with his drop dead gorgeous fiancé, and rubbed it in Abby’s face. Caleb couldn’t keep his eyes off the guy’s fiancé. My source tells me he even asked her out later, in front of Abby. I feel sorry for her. She’s trying to play in a league she just doesn’t qualify to be in.”

  I couldn’t hold back any further. While holding Madison’s hand, I approached the vultures, struggling to rein in my anger. “I’d love to know where you get your information from because that’s not the way I heard it went down,” I simply stated.

  These women pissed me off so much. I couldn’t believe they had driven me to have this confrontation in front of Madison. They wouldn’t dare continue now, though.

  All their mouths dropped open at the same time, their eyes wide on me.

  “Uh.”

  “Er.”

  “Um.”

  That was all I got. I nodded, expecting nothing more. “You should check your facts before you bring your gossip to the table for others to hear. Afternoon.” I tipped my head in a farewell gesture. I normally would’ve added ‘ladies’ to that, but those were no ladies. They were the epitome of catty bitches, and I wanted nothing further to do with them.

  ⁂

  Abby

  Leah sighed for the thirtieth time. “I’m telling you right here, right now, Abby, if you don’t snag this man, someone else is going to. You should’ve seen him with the kids. That smile broke a bunch of hearts. Cynthia was absolutely gaga over him. She kept looking to make sure he was watching her dance. It was the cutest thing. He even let her kiss him on the cheek before she left.”

  I knew my friend was egging me on, to take some form of action.

  Leah was folding clothes while I made dinner, both of us sipping on margaritas. This had become a weekly ritual. She didn’t own a washer or dryer in her small apartment, so she came over and did her laundry at my house.

  I shrugged, still unsure.

  “Well, he isn’t making any moves, so you should go for it,” I said, stirring the pot on my stove.

  As much as that stung, it was true. I felt like we’d shared a moment on the dance floor at the wedding. Then I’d felt so overwhelmed when he was ready to stick up for me in front of the Zuckermans, but I hadn’t heard from him in over a week. He hadn’t even picked Madison up from school. Grace or Robert had.

  Leah rolled her eyes, still sensing my uncertainty. “Oh, please, Abby. He’s totally into you. Plus, he’s too tall for me. I know most women like their men over six feet, but I’m too short for that. You know I prefer mine just under that,” Leah explained as she continued to fold her clothes.

  I pursed my lips to the side. “I catch him staring at my mouth and boobs sometimes, but that’s it.” I glanced down at my ample chest. “I’m used to guys gawking at them.”

  “Girlfriend, I stare at them.” Leah laughed. “They’re just so—out there.”

  “Thanks a lot.” I threw a dish towel at her.

  She giggled, then shook her head. “Well, you may not have caught him staring at the rest of you, but I have, and he knows it. Just wait. It’s coming soon. I can feel it.”

  It was a romantic idea, but I didn’t see it happening. From what I could tell, he was still mourning the loss of his wife, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to give another guy the chance to hurt me.

  ⁂

  Caleb

  “So Daddy, you’re for sure going to come and watch me march in the parade, right?”

  I chuckled, wondering when my daughter had gotten so sassy. Or was that sassy? I’d missed a few events at school lately, so I knew where her question was coming from.

  “Yes, pumpkin. I already told you I’ll be there.” I was exhausted and hadn’t been getting enough sleep, trying to make my deadline. But when Madison got on my nerves just by asking a simple question, I had to do something about it. We’d be hitting the sack as soon as we got home tonight.

  “Then we’re going trick or treating afterward, right?” she asked.

  “When it gets dark, yes.” I clenched my hands, trying not to get irritated. I’d already answered these questions several times. Yep. I needed some sleep.

  “Okay, so Daddy, the parade is at nine. Miss Abby said we go first ‘cause we’re the little guys, and they don’t want the big guys steppin’ on us. So, you have to be there right after we get there.”

  Son of a bitch! I was about to lose it.

  “I’m staying right now,” I said evenly. “I won’t go anywhere until after the parade is over.”

  Hopefully, that would satisfy her. At the school, every parking spot was taken, so I pulled up to the curb. Once we got out, I gave her a last once over. She’d insisted on this costume and now that I was seeing her in it, I didn’t mind the money I’d had to drop.

  “Don’t forget my wings, Daddy.”

  Reaching in to the backseat, I picked up the huge butterfly wings, hoping she wouldn’t knock anyone out with them today. Approaching her from behind, I helped her slide her arms through the elastic bands that held the wings in place.

  “How do I look?” She beamed at me, one tooth missing right in front. She’d lost it a few days ago, and was the most adorable thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

  Smiling softly, I felt that irritation drain right out of me. “You look like the most beautiful butterfly fairy I’ve ever seen. Let me get a picture of you in front of the school.”

  We were on the way when a group of cackling mothers passed us. Un-freaking-believable. The same women from the coffee shop were walking in as a group, wearing revealing garments, each sporting large feathery angel wings and high heels, as though they were about to strut their stuff down the catwalk.

  My eyes narrowed on them. Why the hell were they even dressed up? This was a parade for the students.

  “Look at the pretty angel ladies,” Madison pointed out.

  I couldn’t even fake it. “Uh huh,” I replied, unenthusiastic.

  I positioned her in front of the manmade banner that announced the parade information, turned her around, and took a couple of pictures. Then the bell rang, and Madison ran toward the gate after giving me a peck on the cheek.

  I grinned, watching her skip away, then my gaze froze. Standing at the gate was the second most beautiful person I’d seen today. Abby was wearing a large tutu, tights, short-sleeved leotard, and ballet slippers. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun, and she had a little more make up on than usual, including red lipstick, which I’d never seen her wear before.

  I stared at her for a good couple of minutes before she noticed me.

  She quickly turned away without a smile, or the enticing blush she normally wore when she caught me staring.

  Damn.

  I hadn’t thought about how she might be feeling by my avoidance while I was busy processing everything, and trying to work my deadline. Now, I’d have to try to get her alone to talk for a moment.

  ⁂

  Abby

  Although I figured Caleb would probably come today, I hoped he wouldn’t. I’d already resolved to forget about him and didn’t know what I’d been thinking in the first place. There was no reason for me to have him around, confusing me. Guys broke your heart and didn’t give a second thought about it. Just like my father and Peter had.

  No, I wouldn’t let Caleb do that to me too, no matter how good he looked in those jeans. I bit my lip, thinking about him. Dang it, why did he have to be so scrumptious?

  I regretted wearing this outfit Leah had loaned me. When she had first said ballerina, it’d sounded reasonable. But once I’d slipped this getup on this morning, I realized that not only was the leotard going to be giving me a wedg
ie all day, but the top was super tight. I had to wear one of my smaller bras in order to squash my humongous girls a bit. I had no intention of resembling a porn ballerina.

  Gathering all the kids in their costumes, I caught Madison’s outfit. It was gorgeous but looked like it had probably cost a pretty penny. Caleb would probably do anything that little girl wanted, though. Another reason not to go out with him. He was spoiling her rotten, and she was probably going to grow up to be a selfish brat.

  Yeah, that was it, a strong motive not to pine for this little girl’s daddy, and a powerful incentive not to allow him to hold my heart any longer than he already had.

  Just when I felt certain about my feelings, Madison looked up with her sweet, gap-toothed smile.

  Well dang.

  I would probably give her anything she wanted, too. Maybe Caleb wasn’t so bad.

  After herding the kids out in a single line, we began to head toward the start line. Something shiny caught my eye as the kids approached their assigned area.

  You have got to be kidding me. My eyes took in the Power Moms, all dressed like the popular lingerie models that put on a yearly runway show, wings and all.

  What. The. Hell?

  How was it appropriate for these women to walk around the school like this? Not okay. I spotted Principal Hanson, who wasn’t looking in my direction, then saw Caleb.

  As much as I didn’t want to do it, I called him over.

  He came running almost looking relieved.

  I spoke to him in a low voice, trying to be discreet. “I’m sorry to bug you, but I’ve got to go tell Principal Hanson something. I need to have someone stand here with the children. Do you mind?”

  “Of course not.” He smiled warmly. “I’d be happy to wait here with them.”