The Single Mom's Second Chance

by Jessica Keller

  Evan checked the dirty clothes hamper in Laura’s room before starting the washing machine, then wiped down the vanity in the upstairs bathroom. Stella’s nails clicked on the wooden floor as she shadowed him all over the house.

  “Lie down and relax. You’re home. It’s all safe, Stella-bell.” She pressed her head against his leg as he scratched behind her ear.

  Shelby and Joel had given him enough pet food to make it through the weekend, but come Monday he’d head to a pet supply store and gather the items needed to take care of his new friend, including a nail trimmer. It wasn’t as if he’d planned on bringing a dog home, but after their run together he couldn’t hand her back. Stella was a sweetheart.

  Anyway, Laura was seventeen and would be going to college soon enough. Now that he had grown accustomed to having someone else in the house he didn’t want to face going back to being alone again.

  Evan performed a cursory sweep of the basement area, because Laura and her friends were forever leaving an array of dishes and cups down there. His basement was fully refinished, complete with an air hockey table, foosball table, a few old-school arcade games and plenty of hangout space. Laura referred to the basement as her “domain” and had already informed him that she’d signed him up to host the cast party for the musical after the last show. Thankfully, that wasn’t happening until March.

  With the teamwork challenge out of the way, he could focus on the lesson plan for Sunday school tomorrow.

  Mr. Banks had called Evan with the final fund-raising total. All of the close to $4,200 raised would go to the local organization Food for All. The food bank served the Goose Harbor area and hosted a program that offered daily hot meals to children from low income families.

  He had even shared a laugh with curmudgeonly Mr. Banks over the doughnut eating competition. Evan had signed up for a slot, but Claire had been right; after running, he had a hard time putting up a good fight. Caleb Beck won by a mere two bites, beating a couple of the police officers, including Caleb’s best friend, Miles.

  All in all, it had been a fun day. Well, other than the fact that Claire had seemed...distracted. Was that the correct word? She’d joked with him, but he’d had to drag the good humor out of her. Something was on her mind. More than likely, the upcoming completion of the mayoral race. It came down to what he’d discussed with Kendall yesterday at her wedding—his and Claire’s truce was drawing to a close. After the vote, they’d go back to how it had been a month ago. Acting like the other didn’t exist.

  He didn’t know how he was going to deal with that.

  Evan headed to the kitchen to stow away his piles of junk mail and load the dishwasher. His doorbell rang. It was past seven on a Saturday night. Brice and Kendall were gone on their honeymoon and Laura’s practice ran until nine. He lived in the middle of nowhere on a wide swath of land. But what if it was Andrew? He still believed he’d spotted their missing brother at Brice’s ceremony.

  He wiped his hands on the nearest dishcloth, then went and opened the door.

  Claire Atwood was in tears on his front porch.

  His heart twisted. “What’s wrong?” He reached for her, wanting to draw her out of the cold and maybe, if she was willing, into his arms to comfort her.

  “Don’t. Please.” She hiccuped. Held up her hands to block him. “Just let me get this out without any interruptions.”

  The headlights of her car blazed in twin horizontal beacons at the bottom of his steps. The beams highlighted wispy snow flurrying in haphazard angles. Her engine was still running, the wipers sounding an intermittent click into the dark air. Instrumental music floated out of the open driver’s side door.

  “Claire, you’re freaking me out.” His pulse kicked into high gear as he took in the scene and her pained expression. “Is Alex okay? What’s going on?”

  “Please.” She sniffled. “I just want to say something and leave.”

  “Okay.” Evan braced his hands on either side of his entryway. If he didn’t, he was certain he’d reach for her again, and that didn’t seem to be helping matters. “Go ahead.”

  “If I had married Auden, today would have marked our one-year anniversary.”

  She was crying over Auden? Any hopes Evan had secretly harbored of trying to keep up a friendship with Claire after the election took a quick nosedive. If she was still pining for Pierce, he couldn’t handle that.

  Still, she’d come to him. If she wanted to confide in him about another man, he’d let her. He owed her that much. “Claire—”

  “This is hard enough to say without interruptions.” Her voice wavered, as did her body. She leaned and gripped the railing. “I’ve been thinking about it all day—praying about it. And I’m relieved, Evan. In the end I only feel relief, because I had no business marrying him. I didn’t love him. Not like—” She closed her eyes tightly, shook her head. “It would have been a disservice to both of us.”

  And now he wasn’t following. If she was relieved, why was she crying about their would-have-been anniversary? Evan opened his mouth to ask a question.

  Claire held up her hand. “I’m not finished.” She sucked in a deep breath and continued, “You backed out on our wedding and I held that against you for a long time. I couldn’t see before. I couldn’t understand until I was in the same position.”

  “Claire. No.” He dropped his hold on the door frame and stepped onto the porch. Stella’s nails clicked beside him.

  Claire spoke over him as she backed down the stairs. “I don’t hold it against you anymore. I...I finally get it. I get why you did it.”

  He took a few more steps, ice nipping at the soles of his feet. Why didn’t he ever wear shoes and socks in his house? “Stop.”

  She’d reached the front of her car. “I hope you find love, because you deserve every happiness in life. You’re a good guy. The best guy.”

  Evan’s feet cried for mercy when he reached the stairs. Stella whined, her head wiping between the two. “You can’t say something like that and then not let me talk. Come inside. Please. Come talk to me.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t—” Her hand covered a sob. “I have to... I have to go.”

  “Claire, hold up—”

  Stella barked happily, lurching after Claire. Evan caught the dog’s collar, but the force of her unexpected movement dragged him down into the snow, giving Claire the seconds needed to get into her car and set it into Reverse. He bashed his knee on one of the porch steps on the way down.

  “Claire. Wait!” She couldn’t drop that on him and leave without giving him an opportunity to say something. “Claire!”

  Her car backed down his driveway.

  Hauling himself to his feet, Evan dragged Stella back inside and shoved his feet into the nearest pair of shoes. He fisted his keys on the way out and closed the door. Finding a coat or gloves would have taken too long.

  He took a heartbeat to scan the area. She’d turned left out of his driveway. He owned the property all along the highway on that stretch and the road meandered, following a stream. Evan took off at a sprint, tearing through the forested part of his property. Dampness seeped into his tennis shoes, and his sockless heels rubbed raw with every step. Bare winter branches slashed at his legs, arms and chest, but he ignored their stings and ran harder. He had to make it to the curve by the stop sign before she did.

  Give me speed, Lord. Help me.

  His calves and thighs burned. Between the wedding yesterday and the race this morning, his muscles were begging for respite.

  Not yet.

  Evan pumped his arms and slid down an embankment, almost tumbling over himself. He no longer cared if they had tomorrow or not. Or if Brice would be upset. Or how it would affect his chance at office. He’d apologize to Kendall for breaking his word, but he wouldn’t stay away from Claire any longer.

  No so
oner had he hobbled out of the woods than her car came around the bend. As she slowed to comply with the sign, he skidded onto the road, his palms to her hood as he rounded her car. They made eye contact through her windshield. Tears coursed down her cheeks and her mouth formed an O.

  She started to open her door and step out. “Are you crazy? You could have—”

  Evan stalked toward Claire, grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. His lips claimed hers in a fierce kiss and she answered in kind. He pushed a hand into her hair, knocking her hat onto the top of the car, and drew her body closer with his other hand pressed at the small of her back. He poured twelve years of missing her into the kiss, before finally parting.

  Gasping for breath, he didn’t know if his sprint through the woods had caused his lungs to feel as if they were going to burst, or if it was Claire. Probably Claire. It had always been her, hadn’t it? His chest heaved. Claire pulled him in for a hug and he buried his face against her neck, inhaling the flowery scent that was her.

  She shivered in his arms. Cuddling out in the frigid air was not the best course of action. He stepped back.

  Her hand rose to her lips. “You don’t have a coat. You have to be freezing.”

  “Believe me, I’m not. Not after that.” He used a thumb to lift her chin. “Claire-bear, look at me.” He drank in her watery gaze. “I appreciate what you said back there, but I had to catch you. You don’t get it.”

  “But I do.” She fisted a hand into the excess fabric of his shirt. “It makes sense now.”

  “No, you don’t.” He traced his knuckles along her jawline. Savoring the feel of her soft skin, he slipped his fingers into the red hair he often dreamed about. “And don’t ever tell me you want me to fall for someone else, because it’s not going to happen.” He braced a hand against the roof of the car on either side of her. Leaned closer. “I loved you, Claire. That day I backed out—the biggest regret of my life is letting you go. I don’t want to love someone else—I can’t—because I still love you. I think I always will.”

  She inhaled sharply. “I’m so confused.” Her hands slid down his chest. “None of this is computing.”

  “Let me explain everything.” Maybe once he told her about Sesser’s involvement...they could move on. Despite all the people who didn’t want them to be together, and years of hurt and questioning, was it possible there was a future for them?

  “I have to pick Alex up from Scouts. I’m already late.” She glanced down at her driver’s seat. “I—”

  “We’ll talk. This week. I’m not going anywhere.” He let his hands fall away from her. As much as he wanted to beg her to stay and have a long conversation, she was a mother and needed to be there for her son. Evan wanted to support her in that. The snow was picking up and Alex would worry if she was late.

  Evan pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Tomorrow?”

  She clutched his shirt again and tugged him nearer, closing the small gap between them so she could rest her forehead against his collarbone. “Get in the car. Come with me.”

  “Are you sure?” He wanted to but... “We can’t exactly have that conversation in front of Alex.”

  “I just want you nearby...for a little while longer.”

  He nuzzled his chin into her hair. “All right, let’s go pick up your son.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Her tires fought for traction as she took the next corner at a crawl.

  “The roads are slick.” Claire’s fingers were going white from holding the steering wheel so tightly.

  “Go slow.” Evan’s voice was calm and even. Ever a rock, no matter what was happening. “I’m sure whoever’s running Alex’s meeting will realize about the storm. You’re probably not the only parent delayed.”

  “The house is a minute or two over the town’s border, past the abandoned summer camp, into Shadowbend.”

  “Good thing you came my way. My house is a lot closer to that than your parents’.” He held his hands in front of the heat vents. They passed the old entrance to the former camp. “It looks... Are there lights on in there?”

  The road curved before she could catch a glimpse.

  While she and Evan were outside at the stop sign the snowfall had significantly increased. Five minutes later, they were inching into the winds of a blizzard. She hadn’t noticed how bad the storm had become until they’d climbed into her car and buckled up. That was the problem—when she was around Evan everything else disappeared, including the controlled, logical reasoning she prided herself on.

  Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

  After she began driving, he’d fiddled with the temperature controls and then huddled in the passenger seat. Without a coat on, he had to be numb. Thankfully, he didn’t broach the topic of them, so she could focus her complete attention on the treacherous roadway. Bless him for his restraint. Evan’s personality could be categorized as impulsive, so if he wasn’t talking when she knew he wanted to, he was doing it for her.

  Her wipers beat a warpath at their top speed across her windshield, and still she was having a hard time making out the road.

  Now that the adrenaline rush from their sudden kiss had worn off, Claire fought the pull of embarrassment. She’d begged him to come with her. Not to end the evening yet. Was she so in need of feeling wanted that she’d pull a man into her car? Put that way, she was pathetic. They would pick up Alex and then what?

  But Evan had said he loved her.

  What would she do with that statement? Could Evan truly be in love with her again? Moreover, did she want him to feel that way? Perhaps he didn’t understand his own feelings. Maybe they were both simply attracted to each other, which was fine and well, but that wasn’t love.

  Except...she knew she loved him.

  Sure enough, when they reached the house in Shadowbend there were four other vehicles picking up Scouts. Evan stayed at the car and promised to battle the buildup of snow on the front and back windows while she went in to retrieve Alex. Something so simple, being able to leave the car running on a cold day, but it twisted Claire’s heart. Parenting was easier with two people.

  Inside, Alex handed her a bag and then worked his arms into his heavy coat, performing a shimmy. “Your mom called. No power at the house. She went to a hotel.” He zipped his coat and finally regarded Claire with a quirked eyebrow. “She said you should be better about picking up your phone. She sounded steamy.”

  Claire dropped to her knees to help him step into his boots. “Upset is a better word to use than steamy.”

  “Steamy means more what I want to say. Steam out of her ears.” He moved his fingers to simulate smoke.

  She ushered him out to the car and they told Evan about her mom’s call.

  Evan pivoted to address Alex in the back. “Wanna meet my dog?”

  Alex swung his legs so his feet beat a tapping rhythm against Evan’s seat back. “Since when do you have a dog?”

  “Since today.” Evan grinned with schoolboy excitement. “She’s brown and white like a boxer, but has these blue eyes, and her ears stand up like a husky’s. Long tail.”

  “Sounds cool. I want a dog.” Alex sighed. He folded his arms and glanced toward Claire’s seat. “But she says not in her dad’s house.” The boy perked up. “Did you know a dog’s nose is ten thousand times more powerful than ours?”

  “I love that you know that without looking it up.” Evan beamed with something akin to fatherly pride. “You’re like a walking smartphone.”

  Claire set the car into Drive. “Evan, we can’t impose.”

  “Sure you can.” He gave a thumbs-up to Alex as he turned back to face the front. “My house is closest. And if the power’s out in the Marina Lights subdivision, those people have probably already swarmed the hotels and snatched up every available room. It’s Valentine’s Da
y weekend, so I can’t imagine there were that many rooms left to begin with. Laura’s home,” he added. “I called her while you were inside.”

  “Fine.” Claire flipped on her turn signal in the direction that would take them back to Evan’s. “But only until the storm lets up.”

  * * *

  The storm didn’t let up.

  Evan headed upstairs to put fresh sheets on his bed and make sure the guest bedroom had everything it needed, while Claire stayed with Alex and Laura, who were playing with Stella. Fortunately, he’d been accused of being a neat freak and the charge was true, so his room and the bathroom were already clean and ready for guest use.

  The second his feet hit the stairs Stella bolted to the bottom and yelped, waiting for him.

  Laura smiled up at him. “You sure won her heart quickly. What’d you do? Slip her doggy treats all day?”

  Claire had her back to them as she rinsed a few cups in the sink. “He has that effect on a lot of women.” She spoke softly, probably meaning to say it under her breath, but they all heard.

  Laura pointed at Claire’s back. She mouthed You and her? and waggled her eyebrows, emphasizing her point. The memory of yanking Claire into his arms and kissing her soundly made keeping eye contact with his sister difficult.

  “You’re blushing!” Laura stage-whispered, and did a little hop.

  Thankfully, the whole exchange went over Alex’s head, as he hugged Stella’s neck. “She’s so good. Did you know a group of huskies once saved a town full of sick kids? It was in Alaska. There’s a movie about it. It made me like them a lot. I wish she was my dog.”

  Stella spared him a lick down the side of his face and then went back to anxious prancing as she waited for Evan to reach the bottom of the stairs.

  “Bedrooms are ready. Alex.” Evan pointed. “Guest bedroom is the first door in the hallway on the right. Bathroom’s across from it. There’s an unopened pack of toothbrushes on the counter, so pick one and leave one for your mom. Claire, my room’s set for you. It’s—”

  “I’ll sleep on the couch.” Claire didn’t turn around, but he saw her fingers dig into the edge of the countertop.