Always My Hero

by Jennifer DeCuir

  While he searched, he let his mind wander. He ought to be thinking about the offer on the store. Instead, his mother’s words came back to him. She and his dad had known he and Bree had feelings for each other. Doyle and Luke had said roughly the same thing. But they’d been so careful, neither of them acknowledging it for fear of hurting Haley. Surely if she’d known, she would never have married him. Right? Because who would voluntarily play second fiddle to another woman? Unless they had an ulterior motive?

  He left the doors to the storage room propped open in case Haley needed to call for him. So he made little sound as he wheeled the dolly loaded with boxes out to the main aisle of the store. Haley was no longer puttering in front of the seed display. He checked behind the counter and still came up empty.

  His mother had been worried about Haley stealing from the register. Could she have skipped that and gone straight to the safe? Ryan left the dolly in the middle of the store and headed for the office. Haley sat in his father’s old office chair, eyes glued to the offer on the store. She looked up when he coughed from the doorway, eyes bright with excitement.

  “This is freaking amazing! You guys are set for life.”

  “If we take it.” Ryan strode forward, snatching the paper off the desk and shoving it in a drawer with a slam, before turning a glare on his ex-wife. “I’ll kindly thank you not to poke your nose into things that are none of your concern.” He nodded toward the door, wordlessly telling her to get her butt back to work.

  Squeezing the bridge of his nose, he followed after her. He looked back once, wondering if he ought to move the buyer’s offer from the drawer in his dad’s desk. The man had very little in the way of security. In fact, the deed to the friggin’ store was in the same drawer. Later. He’d deal with it later.

  It had seemed like such a good idea, earlier that morning. Hire Haley to run the hardware store. If she were earning a salary, she could pay back her parents, her creditors, anyone who might be in line to get back a little of what she owed them. Then, eventually, she could get her own place. Now he wasn’t so sure. Doubt reached up to trace its icy fingers along the back of his neck. Ryan ran a finger inside his shirt collar.

  “God, why wouldn’t you? It’s not like you want to run the family hardware store for the rest of your life. You’ve got a condo back in California, don’t you? You’ve got a job waiting for you.”

  He didn’t quite know where she was going with this line of questioning, but he didn’t like it. He hauled a box off the dolly and carried it down the center aisle, turning left when he reached the aisle where light bulbs were shelved.

  “Why do you care what I’m leaving behind in California, Hal? I’m here now. I had figured it for a temporary thing, but now I’m thinking of staying. And you’re flat broke, or so you would lead me to believe. So that means you’re here for the duration too. Right?”

  When she didn’t respond immediately, Ryan looked over his shoulder. Haley looked longingly back at the office. She had no plans to stay in town and earn an honest living. She was still looking for a way to become that next reality TV star. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

  Haley was expecting him to go back to his old place in So Cal. She was counting on the fact that, because she was Wesley’s mom, somehow that earned her the right to tag along. Free room and board here in Scallop Shores was not what she was after, ultimately. She needed to be back where the action was. Oh, the poor deluded woman.

  “I need you to grab the rest of the boxes off the dolly, then you can wheel it back out to the storage room. It’s taking up too much room out here.”

  “You want me to lift boxes? They’re humongous! I could—”

  “Chip a nail? Yeah, ain’t gonna lie. It could happen. But they’re light bulbs. The boxes are a lot lighter than they look. Thanks, babe. You’re a doll.” Ryan pasted on a fake grin and nodded toward the cart.

  She did as he asked, surprisingly. But just before she turned to wheel the dolly to the back room she tried again.

  “So you’re considering it. Selling the store?”

  “It’s a hell of a deal. We’d be crazy not to at least think about it. But, Hal, you need to understand something. Whether the sale of the store goes through or not, Wes and I are staying here. I’m giving up the condo. I’m not going back to California.”

  Wow. It was the first time he’d actually said the words out loud. But it didn’t make them less true. If he couldn’t get the teaching position, he’d find something else. If they sold the hardware store to this mystery buyer, that just gave him a little breathing room to find a job he’d be happy with.

  Haley didn’t say anything, but he could tell by the way her lips were pursed that she was working something out in her head. He was probably going to regret asking, but if he was going to trust her enough to run this store in his absence, however temporarily, he had to know what he was getting himself into.

  Stocking the shelf as quickly as he could, Ryan broke down the cardboard boxes and carried them to the back room to dispose of later. Haley was sitting on the empty cart, staring off into space. Keeping an ear out for the bell above the door, he sat down beside her on the cart.

  “What is it you’re looking for, Hal? You don’t want me. You don’t want Wes. What would make you happy? What would fulfill your dream?”

  She looked away.

  “You’ll laugh at me.”

  “I’d never laugh at you. I want to support you. You need money? Is that it? You want to go back to So Cal and make it as an actress? But what if it never happens, Haley? At what point do you decide ‘enough is enough’ and just do what makes you happy?”

  “That does make me happy! I’m a good actress. It’s what I know.”

  “Then get yourself financially stable so you can get back out there and grab your dream. Make those producers fight over you.”

  “Easier said than done, I’m afraid.” She still refused to make eye contact.

  “No one said it would be easy, babe. We’re talking sacrifices here. No more mani/pedis. No more living beyond your means. Scrimp and save. You’re a smart woman. You can do it.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” Haley finally looked at him, suspicion narrowing her eyes to slits.

  “Because I made a lot of mistakes and still I learned that it wasn’t too late to find love and start my life over. I believe the same can happen for you.”

  “What could you possibly have in common with a nerdy bookworm?” She stuck out her bottom lip.

  One would think she’d hate to keep being beaten over the head with the fact that he’d found love with someone else. But if she was going to ask it again, he would tell her again.

  “More than I could have ever realized. And finding new ones every day.”

  “I believe I just found my motivation to get back out to LA as soon as I can.” Haley rolled her eyes and made sounds as though she were about to hack up a hairball.

  “You’re welcome.”

  He should have gone easy on her. After all, she was having a harder time connecting with Wesley than he was. Haley had no clue that Harry Potter (and the multitude of other characters Wesley brought up at every opportunity) was part of a book. She thought Wesley was talking about his little friends at school. Which caused the boy an endless fit of giggles. And the fact that the mix-up was bringing father and son closer together—major bonus.

  Ryan laughed as Haley stood up in a huff, her ridiculously high heels clacking on the cement floor as she hurried back toward the front of the store. He had a soft spot for his stubborn-as-hell ex-wife. The woman insisted on learning life’s lessons the hard way.

  Chapter 14

  “So letting her live rent-free in your apartment with you and Wes wasn’t enough, you had to hire her on to work with you all day, too?” Bree bit the side of her cheek, frustration causing her to speak her mind.

  She wanted to take back the words as soon as she’d uttered them. Now she sounded like a shrew. It wasn’t as i
f she didn’t trust Ryan not to fall for whatever tricks Haley hid up her sleeves. It was his ex she didn’t trust.

  They were supposed to be enjoying some quiet alone time but Bree was so consumed with guilt after her talk with Haley, and that was turning her into a real bitch. She had to tell him about the baby. And now was as good a time as any. Ryan pushed himself off the couch.

  “No, that’s not it at all. I hired her to work the store for me, not with me.” He palmed the top of his head as he turned in a circle, coming to rest in front of her, a sheepish grin making him look like the boy she’d fallen in love with back in high school.

  “Geez, guess you haven’t developed the ability to read minds yet, huh? I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on that I forgot I haven’t told you all of it.”

  He sat back down beside her, pulling her hands into his lap and squeezing them excitedly. She stared at him blankly.

  “We got an offer on the store. A big one. Wait. That came after. It’s been a hell of a day! I have so much to catch you up on. First, there’s a position open at the high school.”

  His words were tripping off his tongue so fast that Bree found herself leaning in to catch it all. She felt like they were playing some sort of game, only he’d never explained the rules.

  “You want to be a teacher? Since when?” Confusing, but she could work with that. The part that seemed to be leaching through was that he wanted to stay in Scallop Shores.

  “Not just a teacher, a Phys Ed teacher. And football coach. Coach Danvers is retiring this year. They’re looking for a replacement. My mom heard.”

  God bless Anne Pettridge!

  “Do you have the credits? Don’t you have to be certified to teach in Maine?”

  “That’s what I intend to do while Haley is running the hardware store.”

  “And the offer on the store? Where does that come in?”

  “Oh yeah. So I put it on the market just to see, you know? We weren’t sure if it would generate any interest. I don’t even know if I can get Dad to agree to a sale. It’s his baby, you understand.

  “But my Realtor comes in yesterday with this crazy-ass offer for the entire store—everything, as is. Says the guy fully intends to leave it as a hardware store. This kind of money … my parents would want for nothing, Bree.”

  “So the job you hired Haley for might only be temporary?”

  “Well, he could keep her on for as long as she needed the job, potentially. But, ultimately, it would be temporary. She doesn’t plan on staying in Scallop Shores.”

  Thank the Lord!

  “When does she leave?”

  Dammit! She just couldn’t keep the bitchy to herself tonight. But instead of calling her out on her royal cattiness, Ryan chuckled. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her gently.

  “Hey, thanks for going out of your way to be nice to her. I know it can’t be easy.”

  You can say that again!

  “So, you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?” he prompted.

  “Hmm?” Had she actually started this conversation? No, she wasn’t ready.

  Tugging her hands from Ryan before he could notice the sweaty palms, Bree swallowed nervously. Now or never. He deserved to know. She had to have faith that he’d see her “lie of omission” as a way of protecting him. Gripping her thighs to give her hands something to do, she looked him in the eye and began.

  “There is something you don’t know about that night we spent together, that summer.”

  Her nerves were already so fried that the hesitant knock sounding on the front door nearly unseated her. She was pretty sure she’d squealed. Ryan gave her a funny look and stood up to answer the door. Bree was right behind him.

  Wesley stood on the doormat, head down, shuffling from one foot to the other.

  “I know I wasn’t supposed to bother you unless it was an emergency, but I kinda had no choice.”

  “Buddy, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Is your mom hurt?” Ryan pulled his son through the door, stepping out to look toward his own apartment.

  “Dad, she’s clueless. Please tell me that woman is not really my mother. My mother would be smarter, more like ... Bree.” Wesley gave her a shy smile as he pushed his glasses up.

  Pressing her fingers to her lips, Bree blinked rapidly. Her heart felt like it filled her entire chest cavity. God how she loved this kid!

  “What happened, Wes? Where is your mother?”

  “She went out. Said she had to meet a friend. Dad, she told me to go to my room and get my copy of Goodnight Moon and bring it over here, to see if you or Bree would read it to me. Goodnight Moon, Dad!” Wesley threw up his arms in disgust and pushed past them to flop down on the living room couch.

  “I’ve got to say, I’m impressed she even knew that title. I bet if she hadn’t taken off so quickly, she might even have been able to read it to you herself.” With the look of adoration Wesley was currently giving her, Bree refused to wipe the smartass smile from her face.

  “She was supposed to be babysitting.” Ryan shook his head in consternation. “I mean, she was spending time with you. What was so important that she had to leave?”

  “I dunno. I was telling her about the different houses at Hogwarts. I thought we could try to figure out which one she would have been sorted into. But she was busy putting makeup on and she kept changing out of a black dress and putting a red one on and then switching back again. It was really weird.”

  Haley was going on a date? So much for her empty threats to steal Ryan back for herself. Things just got interesting.

  “She had no right to leave you like that! I’m going to call her, tell her to get her butt back here.” Ryan’s features were set in a hard line as he reached in his back pocket for his cell phone.

  Bree rested a hand on his arm. She didn’t say a word, just waited for him to look at her. Haley was a grown woman. She’d do whatever she pleased. Ryan sighed, nodding slightly before leaning in to kiss her on the forehead.

  “I vote we pretend that freak lady is not my mother and she does not live with us.” Sensing that his mom was clearly in trouble, Wesley was pushing his boundaries.

  “And what would Harry Potter have to say about that? The Dursleys were his family and look how they treated him? I think it’s always best to treat family with kindness and respect, don’t you?” Bree merely lifted a brow but by the way the smile fell off the boy’s face, she knew her message had been received loud and clear.

  “Hey, bud, what do you say you sort Bree and I into our houses?” Ryan joined his son on the couch, rubbing his knuckles on the top of his blond head. Wesley giggled, trying to duck away from his dad’s reach.

  “We need a sorting hat.”

  “Oh! I’ve got one!” She really did. Bree had found it on eBay a couple of years ago and brought it to the library whenever she set up a Harry Potter event—which was at least twice a year.

  “Of course you do,” Ryan teased as she raced off to get it.

  She returned to find them in a tickle match on the couch, Wesley’s skinny arms and legs flopping around as he howled in laughter and then gasped for air.

  “You better not make him pee on my couch,” she jokingly admonished.

  “Yeah, Dad. Don’t pee on her couch.” Wesley dug his way under Ryan’s armpit and really got him good.

  Hugging the Sorting Hat to her chest, Bree watched father and son playing. She felt happy. Haley gave this up, not once but twice. Bree didn’t know what could be more important than the love of family.

  “Hey, this calls for some popcorn. I’ll be right back.” She ducked into the kitchen to fix a late-evening snack.

  Humming the theme song to Jeopardy, Bree moved from cupboard to microwave to cupboard. She gathered supplies, started the popcorn going and located a bowl big enough for sharing. She debated mixing up a pitcher of lemonade and let out a squawk when Ryan’s big arms wrapped around her from behind.

  “Sorry the evening didn’t end up going l
ike we’d planned.” He nudged a lock of hair away from the side of her neck with his nose and kissed her once, twice, three times.

  “S’ok. Really.” Had the popping started? She was finding it hard to concentrate.

  “We’ll talk about that night another time, all right?”

  That night? Oh! Right.

  “You really looked like you had something you wanted to get off your chest and I’m all about honesty and talking things out.”

  Thank God he couldn’t see her face the way he was holding her from behind. The guilt and shame she felt for not telling him about the miscarriage was surely on display for the world to see.

  “Soon, Ryan. We’ll talk soon.”

  • • •

  Dade’s Grocery was a Scallop Shores landmark, and hadn’t changed a bit in the years that Ryan had been gone. He waved to Mable Sweeney, the head cashier. The woman had been there his entire life.

  “Well, if it isn’t our hometown hero,” she gushed.

  He smiled, even while gritting his teeth. The urge to argue the title was becoming less and less of a compulsion.

  “You know Haley was in not too long ago. Funniest thing. She bought a whole bunch of those scratch tickets. Scratched ’em all off right at the next counter too.”

  “Yeah? She win big?” Ryan rolled his eyes. Leave it to his ex-wife to waste her money on lotto tickets when she was supposed to be working on saving it.

  “No, actually. And darned if she wasn’t upset about it. Asked me if I could spot her another twenty. Figured she’d just waste it on more tickets so I told her I didn’t have any cash on me. She stormed out.”

  “She’s been a little stressed out lately, Mrs. Sweeney. Sorry about that.”

  Okay, so she was probably looking for easy cash. The stubborn woman did not understand the concept of earning an honest living. And he really didn’t understand where this had all come from. It wasn’t like Haley’s parents had spoiled her terribly. They were simple folks. She’d been one of four kids, so money was more of a struggle than a surplus in their household.