Lakeside Family

by Lisa Jordan

  “Sugar Pie, we’ve been talking about you from the moment you graced this place with those chocolate eyes and a smile that could light up a city.”

  “I want to pay her mortgage for a couple of months. I don’t have her bank information. I doubt I can waltz in there and hand the teller a bag of money to put in Josie’s account.”

  “Josie does her own deposits, but the tellers know me. I could make a deposit for you. How much of our conversation did you hear?”

  “Enough to know she needs to make a payment by five, or it will be considered late.”

  “Well, then, we have no time to waste. Whip out that big ole white knight checkbook of yours.” Agnes held out a hand, her rings glinting in the overhead lights.

  “Thanks, Agnes. I appreciate this.”

  “Handsome, you’re the miracle Josie’s been praying for. She just doesn’t know it yet. You’re a hero.”

  Hardly.

  He didn’t deserve her praise. “This is nothing compared to what I should’ve been doing all of these years.”

  “Oh, posh, wasn’t your fault your mama didn’t do right by you. What’s important is you’re here now. And you’re helping. Just don’t break their hearts.”

  “Agnes, I promise you—the last thing I want to do is hurt either one of them.”

  Less than a minute later, Josie pushed through the kitchen door. Spying him, she stopped. “Nick, you’re still here.”

  “Your powers of observation could land you a prime spot on the police force.”

  “Hilarious. Don’t give up your day job.”

  Nick grimaced. He had forgotten about his job. Dr. Clark’s caustic words echoed inside his head. After the years of dedication he gave them, when he needed their support, he received threats about his job instead. Losing his job wasn’t an option. He had Ross to care for. And now Hannah. Finding another position would be tougher due to budget cutbacks.

  However, if he did lose his job, he wouldn’t have to make a long commute almost daily to see Hannah or Ross. Or Josie. If he was honest, he’d admit he wanted to see her just as much. Now if only he could convince her to give him a second chance.

  *

  Three hundred lousy dollars was going to stand in the way of everything she needed right now. Hopefully she could reason with Burt.

  With her heart sinking closer to her toes with every step, Josie pulled open the heavy glass door to the Shelby Lake Federal Bank. She crossed the patterned carpet, past the red velvet-roped waiting lines, and up three steps to Burt Sutter’s office.

  A quick glance at her watch showed she had ten minutes before the bank closed for the day. She knocked on Burt’s open door.

  Burt looked away from his computer and smiled. He stood, buttoned the top button to his suit jacket, covering his middle-aged paunch, and gestured toward one of the maroon upholstered chairs. “Good afternoon, Josie. Have a seat. What can I do for you?”

  She perched on the edge of the seat and tried not to be distracted by the shine glistening off his dome ringed with a ruffle of dark hair. Looking over his shoulder, she focused on the Little League trophies lining the credenza behind Burt’s desk. She took a deep breath and massaged the ache in her stomach. “I need to talk about my mortgage, Burt.”

  “Sure, how can I help?” He picked up a small bowl of wrapped peppermint hard candies and offered them to her. “Want one?”

  Josie took a piece of candy—not because she wanted one, but because it gave her something to do with her hands.

  “I know you said I couldn’t have an extension.” She unzipped the bank bag in her hand and withdrew wrapped bundles of cash. “Here’s a partial payment. I’ll have the rest by next week. I can’t afford to lose my business, Burt. Not now. Not with Hannah…”

  Burt moved out of his chair and circled around his desk. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Josie, you must be working too hard or something.”

  She fought to keep from shrugging his hand away. “What do you mean?”

  “Your mortgage payment has been paid.” He gave her one of those “bless your heart” smiles that Agnes saved for her duh moments.

  “No, it hasn’t.” What was he talking about? She untwisted

  the plastic wrapping on the candy.

  “Yes, it has. I looked at your account just a few minutes ago.” Burt returned to his computer and clicked a few keys.

  “There must be some mistake, Burt, because I haven’t been in yet today.” She popped the candy in her mouth, and was instantly reminded of Christmas.

  He shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the screen. “Well, someone has because your account is definitely up to date and paid for April and May, as well.”

  “That’s impossible. Are you sure you’re not looking at someone else’s account?” She fiddled with the zipper on her bank bag, trying to keep her fingers from trembling. It had to be a bank error. Or someone had access to her accounts.

  Burt clicked another button on his keyboard. Within seconds, the printer spit out a sheet of paper. He grabbed it and handed it to her.

  Josie looked over the paper and nearly choked on the candy. Definitely her account. Where did the five grand come from? Her money tree withered about the same time Hannah was diagnosed with leukemia. “Are you sure one of the tellers didn’t deposit someone else’s money in my account by mistake?”

  “Excuse me a minute. I’ll see if I can find the deposit slip.” Whistling, Burt left his office, leaving behind a faint cloud of Aqua Velva.

  Josie gnawed on her bottom lip and stared at the numbers on the paper. This didn’t make any sense.

  Burt returned a few minutes later, holding a deposit slip in his hand. “Josie, Cindy said Agnes stopped by about fifteen minutes ago with a large deposit for your account. She used one of your slips, so Cindy assumed you had sent her to make the deposit.”

  Chapter Nine

  The second Josie’s heart had softened against Nick, he pulled a stunt that proved he couldn’t be trusted.

  Hearing the doorbell, Josie gripped the countertop until her knuckles whitened. An hour wasn’t enough time to get over his deception.

  Hannah was excited to hear Nick was coming over. Josie had been looking forward to seeing him, too. But that was before she found about his sneaky, underhanded meddling into her business.

  “Mom, Nick’s here.”

  Josie turned to see Hannah pulling Nick into the kitchen by the hand. Nick balanced two pizza boxes. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Where would you like these pizzas?” He smiled. But she wouldn’t be sucked in by that grin.

  “You pick, Nick. You’re great at deciding what’s best.”

  Nick’s brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Josie’s gaze swung to meet her daughter’s. “Sweetie, run upstairs and tell Nonno it’s almost dinnertime and then go wash your hands, please.”

  As soon as she was sure Hannah was out of earshot, Josie planted her hands on her hips and glared at Nick. “How dare you stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong!”

  “You’re mad.” Nick set the pizzas on the island and then leaned a shoulder against the refrigerator.

  “How very astute, Professor.” Josie nudged him out of the way to open the refrigerator. She pulled out the salad she threw together after she came home. Tearing lettuce did little to soothe her spirit, even when she pretended those leaves were Nick’s neck.

  “And sarcastic.”

  She slammed the salad bowl on the island. “What gave you the right to inquire about my financial information? That’s private information. And none of your business.”

  She hated the relief she’d felt after prying the truth from Agnes. It wasn’t a bank error. But Nick knowing about her financial situation bugged her more than she wanted to admit.

  “I was just trying to help.”

  “I didn’t ask for your help.” Opening the dishwasher, she searched for the salad tongs. Not findin
g them, she closed it and hunted through the drawers, opening and closing without even seeing what lay inside.

  Nick pried her fingers off the drawer pull and laced them with his. “That’s the thing—you don’t ask for anyone’s help.”

  Josie jerked her hand away. “This was none of your business.”

  His jaw tightened. Over his shoulder, he pointed a thumb toward the kitchen doorway. “That child who just left this room? She is my business.”

  “Are you saying I can’t take care of my own daughter?”

  “Our daughter, Josie. You need to remember I’m a part of her life now.”

  “You didn’t know she existed until I told you.”

  Nick gripped Josie’s shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “How many times are you going to throw that in my face? She’s still my responsibility. And if you lose your business, her medical insurance is in jeopardy. That puts her health at risk. And are you willing for that to happen because of your stubborn pride?”

  “This has nothing to do with pride.” She pushed away from him and stared out the kitchen window. “You had no right to stick your nose in where it didn’t belong.”

  “Would you listen to yourself? This has everything to do with pride, Josie. You’re so bent on doing everything for yourself that your nose is out of joint because I stepped in to help. What’s the big deal?”

  She gritted her teeth and glared at him. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

  “No, because you think you have to carry every burden by yourself.” Gentling his voice, Nick rubbed a thumb and forefinger across his eyes. “You’re not a pack mule, Josie. When are you going to look around and see how much people care about you? They want to help, but you’re too stubborn to let them. You know, it’s a sort of selfishness when someone isn’t willing to let others have the joy of returning the gift of help and love.”

  “Oh, so now I’m selfish. I’m responsible for my own business. And you’re a great one to talk about pride. You just want to gallop in on your white horse and save the day.” Why couldn’t he understand she couldn’t count on anyone but herself? Otherwise, she’d end up disappointed. She couldn’t really trust anyone. Not when it counted.

  Josie pulled four glasses out of the cupboard and set them on the counter.

  “You’re right, but I’m jointly responsible for Hannah.” Nick grabbed the glasses and pressed them under the ice dispenser. “I’m not walking away once this donor business is finished. Like it or not, you will have to deal with me for the rest of her life. Consider the bump in your account back payment on child support.”

  “I’ve provided for Hannah for the past nine years.” She filled three glasses with tea, then grabbed the dishcloth to wipe up the condensation off the counter from the pitcher of tea.

  “Woman, are you crazy? No one is questioning your parenting skills. You’ve done a terrific job.” Nick swept an arm over the kitchen. “Look at this house—it’s beautiful, welcoming and a real home, thanks to you. Hannah is well mannered, cared for and loved, thanks to you. I had nothing to do with any of that. But don’t you see—I’m here to help. You just have to let me.”

  “You don’t understand.” How could she tell him she couldn’t lose Hannah? If she loosened her grip, then things would spiral out of control.

  “What’s to understand? When was the last time you had a full eight hours of sleep? When was the last time you shopped for yourself, or had a girl’s day out where your mind didn’t focus on Hannah or the coffeehouse?”

  Her energy drained from her body, leaving her feeling as limp as the wet dishrag in her hand. “Okay, so maybe you’re right.” She hated admitting that. “But you have no idea how I felt when I walked into the bank with a partial payment, ready to face Burt, only to learn my mortgage had been paid for the next three months.”

  Nick closed the gap between them and put his hands on her shoulders. “Josie, be honest. When you learned your mortgage had been paid for the next three months, what was your gut reaction?”

  “There must’ve been some mistake. It was too good to be true.” She refused to let his scent beckon her to come closer.

  “And when you learned it wasn’t?”

  “Confusion about where the money could’ve come from—with a little relief. For once in my life, I had a cushion. I didn’t have to worry.”

  “Good. Go with that feeling for now. You have enough to be concerned about without stressing about your mortgage. Come on, you know I’m right.” A thread of pleading in Nick’s voice nearly unraveled Josie’s reserve.

  Her shoulders sagged as she gave in and pressed her forehead against his warm chest, gripping the edges of his leather jacket. “Why didn’t you just come to me? Instead of involving Agnes and going behind my back?”

  His arms circled her, kneading the muscles at the base of her neck. “Then we would’ve had this argument at the coffee shop, and you would’ve missed your deadline. I twisted Agnes’s arm to help me.”

  Josie scoffed, but smiled. “I don’t think you had to twist very hard.”

  Nick tilted Josie’s chin to meet her eyes. “She loves you and just wants to see things go a little easier for you.”

  “I just don’t want to be indebted to anyone.” She pulled her gaze away from those eyes and removed plates from the cabinet by the sink.

  “Look, I’m sorry I went behind your back. I wanted to help. This is not a loan. Don’t even think about paying it back. Consider it back pay for child support or something. I need to do more to help out. Maybe we should get papers drawn up or something. A man doesn’t walk out on family.”

  “Is that what this is really about, Nick?” She’d been so stupid. “Trying to buy your daughter? Don’t even think about trying to take her from me.” Her fingers gripped the plates. “I will fight you with everything I have. I’m the one who raised her, clothed her, fed her, rocked her, comforted her—”

  “Josie, get a grip, would you? Relax. I’m not taking her from you. She belongs here. You’re a great mother. I’m not trying to disrupt her system, but I will help out financially, whether you like it or not.”

  He’d already proved he could go behind her back. Josie sighed and rubbed a hand over her forehead. “Fine. Then start a college fund. But don’t buy her affection with expensive gifts. I can’t compete with that. We’ve lived within a budget for years, and I like to think she’s appreciative of what she has.”

  “Of course. And you have to promise to stop being so bullheaded and ask for help. Also, let me know if she needs medication or something that her insurance doesn’t cover.”

  “Are you two done arguing yet? Nonno and I are hungry,” Hannah said from the kitchen doorway.

  Josie spun around to see Nonno standing behind Hannah with his hands on her shoulders. Hannah shifted from foot to foot. Her floral floppy hat shadowed her face, but Josie recognized the pouty lip her daughter had been perfecting since she was a toddler.

  Josie’s heart spiraled to the floor. So much for that Mother of the Year award. “We weren’t arguing.”

  Hannah closed her hands into fists and stamped her foot. “I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.” Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re fighting because of me. I hate being sick. I’m ruining everything.” She turned and rushed away from the kitchen.

  Josie shoved the plates at Nick. “I need to go after her.”

  Nick set them on the counter next to the pizza boxes. “Let me have a shot.”

  Josie looked at him. “But…” She was the mom. The one who kissed away tears, bandaged boo-boos and made her daughter’s world right again. Except she hadn’t been doing that great of a job lately.

  “Please.”

  Nonno shuffled into the kitchen and touched Josie’s elbow. “Cara, he is good man. Let him be part of her life. Let him see parenting is more than presents and pizza.”

  *

  Mr. Peretti’s approval gave Nick the hefty dose of courage he needed as he took the carpeted stairs two at a
time. At least someone in Josie’s family was in his corner.

  Nick hesitated a second at Hannah’s partially closed door. What was he doing? He didn’t know how to parent. What would he say to his daughter? Josie should be in his place.

  Blowing out a breath, he knocked on Hannah’s door before pushing it open. He took in the white walls and pale purple curtains that contrasted with the plush deep purple carpet, white furniture and enough stuffed animals to outfit a pretend zoo. The nebulizer on her nightstand and the misting humidifier reminded him this wasn’t a typical girl’s bedroom. And his daughter was anything but typical. But he was more than fine with that.

  Hannah lay sprawled across her purple comforter printed with white daises.

  “Can I come in?”

  She turned onto her side, dislodging her hat, and shrugged. “I guess.”

  The milky paleness of her face highlighted the bruises under her eyes. Nick’s gut burned as he walked to the bed and sat on the edge. “I’m sorry you heard that. Your mom is mad because I did something behind her back.”

  “Yeah, I heard.” Hannah pointed to the vent in the floor. “My room is over the kitchen. Not the best place for a private conversation. Store it away for future knowledge.”

  His kid had smarts.

  Nick pushed himself off the bed and sauntered over to a matching white bookcase. He stooped in front of the books and read the titles on the spines. “You like to read.”

  “Yeah.”

  He pulled a Nancy Drew book off the shelf and leafed through it, remembering the Hardy Boys books he borrowed from the library when he was about her age. The scent of paper soothed the ragged edges around his nerves. “What’s your favorite?”

  Hannah scooted off the bed and reached over his shoulder to grab a tattered book with a bunny on the cover. She handed it to him. “The Velveteen Rabbit.”

  He took the book and traced the bunny’s ears on the cover. “Why’s that?”