by Nan Dixon
Josh shuffled into his bedroom and Nathan guided Issy into the bottom bunk, pulling the blankets around her chin. “You’re snug as a lightning bug.”
Please don’t let her have nightmares from the fireworks.
“I want a book.” Josh pointed.
The kid could read better than he could, but Nathan picked up a well-loved book and opened the page to the marker. He stumbled through the story.
Josh closed his eyes. Issy drifted off.
He’d put himself to sleep, listening to his crappy reading.
Relieved they were both asleep, Nathan turned off the light. The night-light glowed from the corner.
He propped the door open in case Issy had a nightmare. He should have put a Pull-Up on her. Lately, they’d stopped using them. But she’d just had a screaming jag over fireworks.
He flipped the television on, searching for a movie. And found Independence Day. Appropriate.
Laughter erupted from the ballroom terrace. He stared over at the partiers. Sparklers wove patterns in the dark. They didn’t sound like they were going home anytime soon.
He checked on the kids. Then he got a beer from his fridge. It was a holiday. He could have a couple of beers—well this might be his third or fourth, but he’d spread them throughout the day. Before Issy, he would have gone through a case on a holiday.
The cold brew soothed as it slipped down his throat. He stepped out onto the small landing, leaving the door open. Over the hum of the movie, fireworks exploded. Bright gold and white showers flickered above the trees. Firecrackers popped somewhere. He leaned on the railing and stared at the ballroom. Go away. Let Cheryl come home. To me.
Everyone around him was hooking up—permanently. At least, all the Fitzgerald sisters. Abby and Gray were married. Dolley and Liam lived together. Daniel and Bess’s wedding was coming up fast. He smiled. As best man, he would be in charge of the bachelor party.
Bess would castrate him if he got strippers. The woman was strong and could probably do it. And his brother would hold him down.
He could ask Gray for ideas. He was a groomsman and pretty classy. Nathan leaned over and stared at Gray and Abby’s carriage house. Light gleamed from a window. He’d check with Gray about planning the party.
Back inside, he watched the movie. After a long day of sun, surf and chasing kids, the beer had him nodding off.
He jerked awake. Listened for the kids. All quiet. Will Smith dragged an alien across the sand on the television screen. Footsteps rattled on the stairs. A smile cracked his face. Cheryl.
His knees clicked as he stood. He opened the door. She jumped back, setting her hand on her chest. “Hi.”
He pulled her into a hug. “Hi back atcha.”
She was stiff for a few minutes, then melted. He loved the way her body fit with his.
“How was the wedding?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. He angled her face and brushed a kiss on her upturned lips.
She sighed. How could one of her sighs make him feel ten feet tall?
He eased his tongue into her mouth, savoring her. Until she stiffened and nudged him back.
Hell. She’d remembered Josh.
He brushed one more kiss on her lips. “I missed you tonight.”
“I wish I could have been with you, but the wedding was fun. Very...patriotic.”
“I saw the guests swinging sparklers.” He led her to the sofa.
“Oh. I should check on—”
“Josh is fine,” he interrupted.
She settled into his shoulder. “Thanks for including him in your family party. I’m glad he didn’t have to hang around the B and B.”
“He had fun.” Maybe not with Nathan, but Josh loved being around Mr. Dan. “He caught a red fish. He’s expecting you to make a feast with it. It’s in your fridge.”
“Do I have to clean it?” She shuddered. “I know how. I just don’t like to.”
He nuzzled her neck. “What would you do for me if I cleaned it for you?”
She turned into his body and grazed her lips along his chin. “I might think of something.”
“Sexual favors?”
“Sexual favors?” Her voice sounded weird. Goose bumps covered her arms. “Um. Maybe.”
“You okay?”
“Just a long day.” She leaned her head against his chest. “But the bride and groom loved the wedding cake I made.”
There was something off about her enthusiasm. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She pulled away from him. “What time did Josh go down?”
“Late. About ten.”
“Wow.”
“Issy’s asleep in the bottom bunk.” He pulled her ponytail out and combed his fingers through her hair. “Want to fool around?”
She groaned as he massaged her scalp. “Want to. Can’t.”
He knelt, slipped off her shoes and massaged the balls of her feet.
She arched her back. He tried not to watch the way her shirt pulled around her breasts. His body was hoping for more of her tonight.
Then she went wet-noodle limp. “Oh. Oh, my.”
He chuckled. “You like that?”
“Yes. No one’s ever massaged my feet.” She groaned. “If you do this every night, I might work on those sexual favors.”
She’d never had a foot massage? “But you were married,” he blurted out.
The tension sprang back into her muscles. “It wasn’t something Brad did.”
He wanted to kick his own ass. “Well, I don’t mind giving you one.”
He worked his fingers until they ached, not wanting to stop touching her.
“That was amazing.” Her foot slipped out of his hands. “But I need sleep.”
Here’s your hat. There’s the door. “Do you want me to take Issy home?”
“She’s fine.”
He caught her hand and pulled her to her feet and into a hug. If she’d been a wet noodle before, now she was a stiff board. What was going on? He tried to keep it easy. “I’ll lock up behind me.”
He bent to brush a kiss on her lips. Her head turned and his lips landed on her cheek.
“Night,” she muttered.
Was she done with him already?
After locking the door, he slumped against the hallway wall. What had he done wrong?
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHERYL SIPPED HER coffee and grimaced.
She rarely made coffee, but the apartment had a coffeemaker. She’d hoped the caffeine jolt would help her figure out what to do about the video.
She tapped her finger on the mug. If the Fitzgeralds or the Foresters saw that awful thing, she would die. Would anyone believe it wasn’t her? Her stomach burned. She tipped the mug into the sink. The coffee wouldn’t do her any good if it made her sick.
As much as she hated the thought, she needed to see the video again.
The last time her hair had been that long was after Brad died. They’d lived with Levi. She shuddered. He must have taken pictures of her sleeping and had them superimposed on the actress’s face in the video. Could he have done this from prison? Was he J Smith?
To clear her mind, she pulled out the makings for oatmeal pancakes. It was the only recipe her grandmother had passed down to her.
Life would have been better if she’d grown up with Grandma. From what she remembered, her grandmother had loved her, but she’d died when Cheryl was nine.
After pulling the ingredients together, she threw bacon into her cast-iron pan. It was Saturday. She would invite Nathan and Issy to join them.
Maybe she shouldn’t. If something happened and this video came out, she didn’t want to see the disgust on Nathan’s face. He’d been kind last night and she’d pushed him away.
Josh came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning to you.”
“I smell bacon.” He yawned.
“And oatmeal pancakes,” she said. “I thought we’d have our own Fourth of July celebration.”
“Okay.” He didn’t have any enthusiasm. There were pink dabs on his legs and ankles.
“Did something bite you?”
“I dunno.” He scratched his tummy. “Bess put stuff on me.”
She’d never seen him so tired. What had he gotten into? “Why don’t you brush your teeth, shower and get dressed?”
“Issy’s in my room.”
“You can dress in the bathroom.”
“’Kay.”
She started turning the bacon, but a soft knock at the back door interrupted her. Hurrying over, she flipped the lock and rushed back to the pan. “Come on in.”
Should she tell Nathan about the video? No. He had enough to worry about with his daughter. He didn’t need to take on her problems, too.
“Did everyone sleep all right?” Nathan wrapped his arms around her and brushed a kiss on her neck.
Since the shower was still running, she gave herself a minute to enjoy his hug. With his arms around her, she could forget about everything else. “The kids didn’t make a peep.”
“I was worried Issy would have another nightmare. She freaked out during the fireworks.”
“Oh, no.”
“I got her calmed down. But she jumped at every explosion.”
She turned to look at him. “How did you and Josh do?”
“He had fun with the family.” He exhaled. “I don’t know why he hates me. I’m trying. I just...” He raised his hands and let them drop to his thighs.
“I’d hoped things would get better.” She flipped the bacon.
“You and me both.”
“Josh is itchy. What did he get into?”
“We weren’t sure.” Nathan pulled out plates. “Both he and Issy were scratching and didn’t eat much. We thought maybe sand fleas.”
“Ouch.”
“I didn’t see any bites. We put on calamine.” He stroked her back. “I missed you yesterday.”
She set the tongs down and kissed him. And longed for more. But she still had to deal with Levi’s foulness and Josh’s dislike.
Nathan brushed back her hair and touched the circles under her eyes. “Didn’t get much sleep?”
She tried to joke it off. “Are you saying I look old and tired?”
“Just tired.” He smoothed his thumb between her eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
“I tossed and turned last night.” She flipped the bacon, even though it didn’t need turning. “I shouldn’t have sampled the wedding cake. I can’t eat sweets that late.”
He headed to the coffeemaker. “Mind if I...?” He waved his hand.
“Go ahead.” At least it wouldn’t go to waste.
“You don’t usually make coffee.” He took a sip. “And this is good coffee.”
“I only like the smell.” She pulled out the griddle.
“You’ve got a lot of food here.” He leaned against the counter. “Need help eating it?”
“Are you inviting yourself to breakfast?” She kept her tone playful, but maybe she should put some distance between them. If Nathan saw the awful video, he might push her away.
“Am I invited?” Nathan asked.
“You and Issy are invited. It’s my famous oatmeal pancakes.”
“Need help with breakfast?” he offered.
“You could set the table and check on Issy.”
She flipped another strip and stared into the pan. “Can I borrow your computer again?”
“Sure. Didn’t finish your paper?”
“No.” She hated lying, but she had to watch the video again.
For Josh’s sake, she had to stop letting people take advantage of her. That meant figuring out what to do about Levi’s blackmail.
* * *
“HEY, SLEEPYHEAD.” NATHAN rubbed Issy’s shoulder. “It’s breakfast time. Pancakes.”
He hadn’t tried his hand at pancakes yet. Life would be simpler if poor Issy had two parents who lived together. Then each parent could focus on their strengths. Cooking definitely wasn’t his. He needed to find Heather—not that he wanted to co-parent with her, but he was still drawing a blank locating her.
He wouldn’t mind parenting with Cheryl.
Issy opened her eyes and shook her head. Nathan put a hand on her back. Was she warm? “Come on, let’s get you up.”
Thank goodness the bed was dry. He took her into the steamy bathroom. “On the pot, kiddo.”
Josh was at the table by the time they entered the kitchen. But the boy cradled his chin on his hand.
“I must have kept them up too late. They’re exhausted,” he whispered.
Cheryl set a plate of pancakes on the table. “They slept in, though.”
She brushed Josh’s hair back. “You’re a little warm.”
They both put bacon and pancakes on the kids’ plates, cut everything and added syrup. “Eat up.”
Nathan dug in. “These are great.”
The kids barely moved.
“Come on, Josh.” Cheryl picked up his fork and fed him. “These are your favorite.”
Nathan did the same with Issy. It was like the kids were zoned out. He rubbed his neck. “Maybe they had too much sun yesterday.”
Cheryl looked at Issy and then Josh. “No one’s sunburned.”
“And I made sure they drank plenty of water.”
Issy gave up after eating half a pancake. Josh didn’t each much more than that. He asked, “Can I watch TV?”
“Sure.” Cheryl chewed her nail. “Take Issy with you.”
Josh held out his hand. He and Issy made a sweet picture as they walked into the other room.
“Do you think they’re okay?” Cheryl asked.
“I have no idea.” He had so much to learn about kids.
“I don’t understand.” Cheryl picked up plates and scraped the remains into the garbage. “Josh always eats at least four pancakes.”
“Maybe they should take it easy this morning. Issy and I are going to my parents’ house this afternoon.” He stacked juice glasses in the dishwasher. “Mom wants a quiet picnic at the house. She invited you and Josh.”
“Maybe.”
“You needed to use my computer?” He pointed to the laptop on the counter.
Cheryl looked at the computer like it was evil. With a sigh, she flipped open the screen. “You should have a password.”
“Not me. You know...” He tapped the side of his head and circled his finger.
“What?” She frowned.
“My brain doesn’t work right.”
Her mouth dropped open. “That’s not true. You just learn differently.”
“Right.” He didn’t need a pep talk.
“Stop tearing yourself down.” She pointed a finger at him. “You’re talented. Other people can’t create what you do. Can’t love your little girl the way you do. Can’t draw the way you do.”
Now it was his mouth that dropped open. “No one has ever stood up for me.”
“Your family loves you.”
“Yeah.” But they hadn’t stood up for him. He’d been angry at the unfairness of his world and burned too many bridges. “I may not have earned the right to have my family defend me.”
“Well, they should. And if they didn’t, that’s on them. Not you.”
“You’re good to me.” He pulled her out of the chair and pressed his lips to hers. “For me.”
She stiffened, then relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I think we should tell the kids,” he whispered, holding her close. “Tell Josh.”
“I know you do.” She took a deep breath. “I want to wait.”
“Mom?” Josh called. “Can I have a glass of water?”
“Sure.” She eased away and pulled two glasses out of the cupboard. “Maybe they both need water.”
“I’ll take it in.” He needed space. Otherwise he would press Cheryl for more than she was willing to give. She was the first woman he wanted to be with and she wouldn’t tell her son about them.
“I’ll finish this.” She waved her hand at the computer. “Then we can see how the kids are before deciding on the picnic.”
She stared at the laptop like it was a snake ready to strike.
Something was off. He released a breath. That was his world. Something was always half a bubble off plumb.
“How’s it going?” he asked the kids, handing them the glasses.
“I feel funny.” Josh rubbed his back against the sofa. “Issy does, too.”
Nathan leaned forward. “What did she say?”
“Not words.” Josh squirmed.
Nathan moved to Issy. “You’re not feeling well?”
She shook her head. That could mean anything. He checked her ankles. She had dried dots of pink from the calamine lotion. He checked Josh. Was his skin red?
“Did anything sting you when you went swimming?” he asked. Jellyfish?
Josh and Issy shook their heads. Nathan pushed back Issy’s hair. She might be a little warm.
The pancakes sat like rocks in his stomach. Had he screwed up yesterday? “Let me know if you feel worse.”
She nodded but focused on the television. Josh shrugged. Of course.
Nathan headed back to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. Cheryl stared at the computer screen, her hand over her mouth. All the color had drained from her face and her freckles stood out like brown paint on her pale skin.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her head jerked up. She looked back at the screen, clicking off whatever had horrified her. “Let me just send this last note.”
Her fingers flew over the keyboard. Then she clicked everything closed and shut the laptop. “Done.”
