The Friends We Keep (Mischief Bay)

by Susan Mallery

  Eric had dated her and proposed, but she’d never felt he was swept away. And then he’d left.

  “I didn’t sleep with anyone, either,” she said, her voice light.

  His dark gaze stayed on her face. “You always do that. It’s interesting. Whenever we start to talk about something intimate, you try to shift the focus.”

  She started to protest that she didn’t, but she knew he was right. “I get scared,” she admitted, then wished she hadn’t. Why did they have to talk about this?

  “Do you know why?”

  She shook her head.

  “Maybe I can help with that.” He glanced toward Tyler, then back at her. “I like you, Nicole. I’m hoping you like me, too, and that we can get to know each other better. If there’s a little naked in all that, then hey. I’m in.”

  She wanted to run. To bolt for safety. Because there was something about Jairus that terrified her. Or maybe it wasn’t him at all. Maybe it was how she felt when she was around him.

  Because she’d never been scared about Eric. Not until her marriage was falling apart. But that fear had been about the unknown, not the man.

  “This is hard for me,” she admitted. “Being with a man. Trusting a man.”

  He looked at her. “Is it any man or is it me?”

  An interesting question. “Both. Dating anyone would be difficult, but you add a special element that confuses me.” She swallowed, then forced herself to say the words. “Because I, um, like you.”

  “I like you, too.” He sighed. “But let’s just admit it. Mostly, it’s the celebrity thing, right? Me and Brad. Fame sucks.”

  She burst out laughing. He touched the tip of her nose.

  “Have a little faith. I’m a good guy.”

  “That part, I know.” She glanced at Tyler, then back at him. “Listen, I have a strange invitation.”

  “Are there costumes? Because I love a good costume party.”

  “Where you always go as Brad, I’m sure. No, it’s a screening for a movie. My ex’s movie.”

  “Eric invited you?”

  “Uh-huh. I think I want to go. I don’t know much about the story, so it will be a surprise to us both. If you’re interested in being my date.”

  “I am.”

  She casually rested her hand on his arm. “Me, too,” she said. “In all of it.”

  * * *

  The sound of happy children filled the backyard. Hayley smiled as she watched the elaborate game of tag that had everyone laughing. The sun was high in the sky, the temperature warm. In an hour or so Rob would set up the Slip ’N Slide on the lawn. Lunch was going to be hot dogs grilled on the barbecue.

  In addition to her sister’s kids, Hayley had offered to take Tyler, Kenzie and Kennedy for the day, figuring six wasn’t that different than three. After lunch, when everyone was tired of playing outside, they were going to take on a craft project. She’d found a couple online and had bought the supplies. Then they would play outside again and finish the afternoon with a movie.

  The visit was going well. Morgan had dropped everyone off after school yesterday. Hayley had gotten the three of them settled in their temporary room, then they’d gone to the POP for a couple of hours until Rob got off work. They’d had dinner out at The Slice Is Right.

  Hayley had to admit that while her sister might be a bitch, she knew how to teach her children manners. All three of them were incredibly well behaved. They’d ended the evening playing simple board games. No matter how old she got, a rousing couple of rounds of Candyland were always fun.

  Now she watched her husband walk out of the house. Rob was so handsome, she thought, enjoying the sight of his broad shoulders and easy smile. He winked when he saw her.

  “Have they found any of them?” he asked.

  He’d hidden a couple dozen old Easter eggs all around the yard early that morning. They held silly things, like plastic rings, stickers and marbles. Just fun prizes the kids would like.

  “Not yet. I’m going to say something soon.”

  The children continued to race around the yard.

  He moved closer and put his arm around her. “I forgot to thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “I took your advice with my customer. The one who lost her husband. You said she might be looking for attention, rather than trying to make my life miserable. So I started calling her after her appointment, to make sure everything was okay. Then I followed up the next day.” He flashed her a smile. “Ever since that, she’s been sweet as pie and not coming back with made-up problems.”

  “I’m glad the advice worked for you.”

  She spoke automatically, which was good, because her mind was elsewhere. If she were to count the number of times her husband had put his arm around her, it would probably be in the thousands. But this time was different. This time she was hyperaware of his body close to hers, of the heat of him and how he’d slept next to her last night.

  Nothing had happened, but she’d enjoyed listening to him breathe while he slept.

  She was, she acknowledged, healing.

  Rob released her. “Okay. Time to let the wild things know there are prizes.”

  He clapped to get everyone’s attention, then told the kids about the Easter eggs. Immediately the game stopped and the search began.

  She watched Rob help the twins find eggs. He was so good with all the children, she thought. So patient and loving. A great husband. She’d been lucky to fall in love with him and have him love her back. More than lucky. Blessed.

  Kennedy ran up to her with several stickers in her hand. “Look what I found.”

  “Those are very cool,” Hayley told her.

  “I know.” The five-year-old hugged her. “You’re the best, Auntie Hayley. I love you.”

  Hayley hugged her back. “I love you, too.”

  She’d meant the words. She did love the twins, and Morgan’s kids and her friends and Rob most of all. Which meant that however damaged her heart might be, it wasn’t, in fact, broken beyond repair. There was hope. And if she was very lucky, there was a happy future with her husband.

  * * *

  Gabby waited patiently in the parking lot. Right on time, a half-dozen or so teenage girls walked out of the building. Two more followed, a teenage boy in tow. Two minutes later, she spotted Makayla.

  She walked directly to the car, her head slightly bent, her shoulders slumped. Gabby drew in a breath as she wondered what on earth she could say to make an impossible situation better.

  “How was your parenting class?” she asked as the teen settled next to her in the car and put on her seat belt.

  “Okay. We learned about how to tell if our baby’s sick.”

  “That must have been a little scary.”

  “It was.” Makayla shrugged. “Heather’s boyfriend dumped her. He’s going into the army or something.” Her mouth twisted. “They were like engaged. He asked for the ring back. He told her he might want to give it to someone better.” Tears filled her eyes. “He got her pregnant and he’s acting like it’s all her fault, you know? It’s not fair.”

  Gabby squeezed the teen’s arm. “I’m sorry. Boys can be idiots.”

  “Yeah, they can.” She wiped away the tears. “I’m not crying over Boyd, you know. He’s not worth it. He’s a total shit head and I hate him. I’ll hate him forever.”

  Gabby wondered if she should tell Makayla that kind of thinking wouldn’t get her anywhere. But a part of her wondered if hating Boyd was kind of a good thing. At least it gave her something to focus on for the moment. Over time, the teen would have to figure out a strategy but for now, maybe having an enemy wasn’t so bad.

  “I hate him, too,” Gabby admitted. “Because of how he hurt you.”

  Makayla surprised her by smiling
. “Then he’s in trouble, because you’re really strong.”

  An unexpected compliment, Gabby thought, as she signaled and then pulled out of the parking lot.

  They didn’t talk as they drove home. Gabby kept listening for the familiar notes that indicated her stepdaughter had a text. Lately, her phone had been far too silent. Gabby wasn’t sure about the balance between supportive and interfering, so she didn’t ask too many question, but from what she could tell, most of Makayla’s friends had drifted away. She wasn’t hanging out with them after school or making plans on the weekend. There weren’t any phone calls, no giggling conversations.

  Cecelia and the twins were at the table coloring when they got home. Boomer raced over to greet them, circling and moaning as if they’d been gone five years instead of a couple of hours. Gabby had a feeling his enthusiasm had a lot more to do with dinner than with missing them.

  “How’s it going?” she asked as she placed her handbag on the kitchen desk, then bent down to kiss and tickle her daughters.

  “Mommy! Look what I did.” Kennedy held up her picture. The princess was an interesting shade of green, with a purple dress and red trees in the background.

  “Beautiful.”

  Kenzie smiled at her. “Hi, Mommy.”

  “Hey, sweetie.”

  Kenzie’s picture was done in traditional colors and there was some kind of pattern drawn on the skirt. That girl was going to have a career in fashion or the arts, Gabby thought.

  “Everything went great,” Cecelia said as she rose. “You have the best-behaved twins I know.”

  Gabby grinned, knowing that hers were the only twins Cecelia sat for. “Thanks. We’re working on it.”

  Makayla gave a halfhearted wave. The twins were having none of that. They rushed to her and hugged her tight.

  “We missed you,” Kennedy told her. “Every minute.”

  “I missed you munchkins, too.”

  As they embraced, Gabby saw the fabric momentarily pulled tight across the teen’s belly. She was getting bigger by the day, she thought. There was a child growing inside her. A child that would one day be a baby.

  That fact was no longer as startling as it had been. No longer as upsetting. She and Andrew still had their fragile truce. They were getting along, talking, making love, but they hadn’t figured out what to do when the baby was born.

  Gabby paid Cecelia, then glanced at the clock. It was nearly five. The casserole she’d prepped for dinner still needed a few ingredients added, then twenty minutes in the oven. But she also had to make cookies for the classroom tomorrow. Not just any cookies, but healthy, nut-free, low sugar, yet delicious cookies for twenty five-year-olds and their teacher. There was laundry and about four hours of work. She’d gotten up at five to start her day and figured she would be lucky if she got to bed before midnight. Sleep? Yeah, that was for someone else.

  “Okay,” she began. “We need a plan. I’m going to start the laundry, make sure we have what we need to make the cookies, then get dinner cooking.” As she spoke, she turned on the oven. “How does that sound?”

  “I can sort the laundry.” Makayla’s mouth twisted as she spoke. “I did all my homework at lunch and I don’t have any tests to study for.”

  There was a lot of information in those two sentences. First, that Makayla was not hanging out with her friends at lunch anymore. Gabby had suspected as much, but her heart ached when the information was confirmed. Second, her offer to help was a bit of a surprise. She wanted to ask if the teen knew how to sort laundry, then decided it didn’t matter.

  “That would be so great,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll help, too,” Kennedy added.

  Kenzie nodded.

  Which meant chaos, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Gabby pointed them in the direction of the laundry room. She collected pet dishes and opened cans. Jasmine materialized and wound her way around Gabby’s legs.

  Once the pets were fed, Gabby returned to the cookie prep. She had flour and—

  A sharp cry cut through the relative quiet. Makayla. Horrifying thoughts of a miscarriage had Gabby running through the kitchen to the laundry room. Kennedy met her halfway.

  “Mommy, Mommy, it’s Makayla!”

  Gabby had enough time to brace herself for blood. She rounded the corner and saw the teen curled up on the floor. Her phone was next to her and Kenzie was crouched close, stroking her hair.

  “What happened?” Gabby demanded. “Are you bleeding? Cramping?”

  Makayla turned a tear-soaked face toward her. She slowly shook her head and pointed to her phone.

  Gabby picked it up. There was a text message. Her relief that Makayla was hearing from at least a few of her friends disappeared when she read the message. It was from Candace.

  I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’ve come to the conclusion I can’t deal with you right now. You’re a chronic disappointment and I simply don’t have time for all the drama you’ve created. I will not be picking you up this weekend.

  The cold words cut like a knife. Gabby couldn’t begin to imagine what Candace’s text had done to the teen. No Boyd, no friends and now no mother. Words were useless. Not that it mattered. Honest to God, what was there to say? “Your mother is a bitch” wouldn’t be helpful, despite the obvious truth.

  Not sure what else to do, she sank onto the floor and pulled the teen against her. Makayla went willingly, then wrapped her arms around her, as if she would never let go. The twins joined in, the two little girls holding on to their sister. Makayla shook with her sobs. Gabby rocked her gently, but didn’t bother saying everything was going to be fine. What was the point in that? They both knew it wasn’t.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Andrew paced the length of his study. “I can’t describe how much I loathe and despise that woman. Makayla is her daughter. No one wants her to be pregnant, but she is. We have to take care of her. To bail on her like that...”

  He moved with controlled fury. With another man, Gabby might worry that he would throw something, but that wasn’t Andrew’s way.

  “I know what you’re thinking and you can’t have her arrested,” Gabby said flatly.

  “I know that.”

  “I’m serious, Andrew. This makes her a shitty person, but it’s not illegal.”

  “She’s violating the parenting plan. I could take her to court for that.”

  “Yes, and then what? She’d be ordered to spend more time with Makayla. How does that help? The problem isn’t the time, it’s that she doesn’t want to deal with this. She’s abdicated any responsibility. Worse, she’s hurt her daughter. You think I don’t want to bitch-slap her? I do.”

  Gabby thought about all the teen had been through. “I’ll admit Makayla and I haven’t always had the greatest relationship, but this is different. She’s scared. Boyd is gone, her friends have abandoned her. She only has us and we have to be there for her. But does Candace care about that? Of course not. She only cares about herself. I’m sorry, Andrew, but you made a sucky choice when you picked her.”

  Her husband stared at her for several seconds before crossing the office, grabbing her and pulling her close.

  “I did,” he said as he kissed the top of her head. “But I made up for it when I found you. Just so we’re clear, I’m never letting you go. You’re amazing.”

  Gabby let his love wash over her and give her strength. They would figure this out, she told herself. Get through all of it.

  “I feel so bad for her,” she admitted. “The hits keep on coming. Candace’s timing really sucks.”

  “Because it’s all about her,” he said. “Damn that woman.”

  She stayed where she was for about a minute, then drew back. “I’m sorry, but I have work to do.”

  Andrew frowned. “You’ve br
ought home work every night this week.”

  “I know. It’s just the load is incredible and with me working only twenty hours a week, I can’t possibly get it done.”

  “Gabby, they hired you part-time but you’re putting in full-time hours.”

  Something she was very aware of. “I know and I’m concerned, too. What I haven’t figured out is how much of my struggle is them piling it on and how much of it is me being slow because I was out of the workforce for so long. Until I find that line, I’m not going to complain.”

  “They’re taking advantage of you.”

  “Maybe.”

  Right now that was the least of her problems. More important to her was how much she didn’t like her job. Had she lost her work ethic or was the job really not what she wanted to do? Hard questions considering how long she’d been imagining herself back at the office. She’d wanted this and now that she had it, she hated everything about it.

  But to complain about it seemed wrong. She was so lucky, not to have to work if she didn’t want to. She could do anything and sadly, she had no idea what she wanted.

  “Don’t wait up,” she told her husband. “I’ll be a few hours. And I’ll check on Makayla before I go to bed. In case she can’t sleep.”

  He kissed her again, this time on the mouth. She drew back reluctantly and headed for the makeshift office she’d set up in a corner of the family room. Her back hurt and she was exhausted, but those files weren’t going to read themselves.

  It was for the greater good, she told herself, although at this moment, she had no idea what the greater good might be.

  * * *

  Nicole told herself that she looked fine, that she had a handsome date and everything would be perfectly okay. Except for the handsome date part, she wasn’t sure how much of it she believed. Going to your ex-husband’s movie premiere was an event designed to get nerves quivering and stomachs roiling. She’d made herself eat because she’d known that no food wasn’t a good thing. But the protein drink she’d forced down an hour ago now sat like an unhappy rock, low in her belly.