by Ines Saint
She put her head on her knees. It shouldn’t hurt this much to wonder. The ache inside her spread, leaving the truth no place to hide.
She was falling for Dan. But realizing that didn’t make anything plain and simple.
Emily sat next to her on the workbench. “Hey, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice gentle.
Holly dragged her head up. “Nothing. I’m tired, that’s all.” “Friday was a long night, wasn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, stiffening.
Emily turned to meet her eyes, concern clearly lined in her features. “I went to your place late Friday, to see if you wanted to see a new band that was playing at Huffy’s, but you weren’t home. Dan’s car was next door. You weren’t at Huffy’s. I tried not to let my imagination run away from me, until I saw you fluttering around this morning, all aglow and talking about couples who were eternally hot for each other—” Emily reached for Holly’s hand. “But then Jenny came in. And the look on your face both times she mentioned Dan . . . what’s going on, hon?”
Holly gave her head a small shake and sighed. “Something did happen on Friday, and now the idea of Dan and Jenny makes me so ill, I want to throw up.”
Emily shifted to look at Holly head-on. “Because you’re jumping to conclusions! Jenny smelled his cologne. That’s it. That’s all you really know about Saturday. Dan cares about you. Anyone can see it. Do you think I could’ve forgiven him if I hadn’t?”
“That’s not it. You don’t understand. I don’t want to feel this way. I’m too old for this crap.”
“Come on, Holly. You know you’re not too old to find love again, if that’s what this is. You have to give it a chance and find out. Talk to him about Jenny. Find out how he feels about whatever it is that happened between you two.”
The word love made her flinch. “No. I’m not good for him. And that makes him not good for me.” Holly exhaled, long and slow. She got up, walked to the table, and began putting things back where they belonged. “I thought I could push that aside and just enjoy this thing between us until he left, but I was wrong. I can’t.” God, she was stupid. She should’ve known she was in over her head. Now she was left feeling like a pathetic schoolgirl instead of the capable woman she was.
Emily watched her from beneath a wrinkled brow. “What makes you think you aren’t good for each other?”
Holly looked down at the bottle of clary sage oil in her hand, the one she’d used to make Dan’s cologne. “I get him now . . . but he’ll never get me. I deserve someone who does this time around.”
“Emily?” Candy came in, squinting at a paper in her hand. “I have a question about this order . . .”
Holly mechanically went about finishing her tasks for the week until it was time to pick up Ella.
When she spotted the two men waiting on a bench in the backyard, Ella screamed, and Holly’s heart stopped pumping blood to her brain for a good five seconds.
“Daddy! Grandpa!” Ella shouted, over and over again, as she ran into her father’s arms.
“Dad? Ben? What—what are you doing here? Is anything wrong?”
Ben hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “I got a last-minute leave and flew home yesterday. Doug and I decided to come up and surprise Ella. But don’t worry, we’ve booked a room. I know I didn’t give you any warning.”
“No! Don’t stay at a hotel. You can both stay here.” Ella was so excited, Holly couldn’t help but be happy. “It’s a nice surprise.”
Dan waited outside the Tudor on Manor Row. It was cold and he didn’t have a key. Why did he always have to be so damn early? He had agreed to meet his brothers there at five so Sam could lay out his final vision for the entire street. He wanted Dan’s input before Dan left, and it was the only afternoon that week when they were all free.
His phone vibrated and he looked at the screen to see a text from Jenny.
Went 2 c Holly 2 get signature scent made. Very cool. Told her how much I liked yours. Maybe you’ll get a discount on your next .
Dan ran a hand through his hair and began pacing the length of the sidewalk in front of the Tudor. So Jenny had gotten a scent made because she’d liked the way his smelled. No big deal.
Only, if that was what she told Holly, what would Holly think?
He hadn’t called her all weekend because he couldn’t think of anything to say. Was that bad? He stared at the sidewalk as if it held the answer. It didn’t. Only Holly did.
Sam and Johnny drove up just as Dan was making his way to his car.
“Hey,” Johnny greeted him as he climbed down.
“Hey. Uh—I’ve gotta go, I’ll meet up with you guys later and you can fill me in.”
“Where are you going?” Sam asked, coming around.
“I need to talk to Holly,” he replied, distracted.
“Why?” Johnny asked. Sam blocked his way.
Dan blew out a breath. “It’s complicated. I just need to set something straight, that’s all.”
“What?” Johnny asked. Dan tried to sidestep Sam, but he blocked him again.
“It’s none of your friggin’ business.”
Surprised at his outburst, his brothers backed off. “No need to get emotional,” Johnny called after him.
Holly wouldn’t take what happened between them on Friday lightly. He should’ve called, if only to say . . . what?
Thanks? This was new territory for him. Hadn’t Sam told him to put his cards on the table? He didn’t even know what cards he was holding.
Well, he hadn’t called. But right now, Holly needed to know that there was nothing but friendship going on between him and Jenny. Just in case. What he didn’t know was what he’d say if she asked him what was going on between the two of them. He groaned. How had he become entangled in this?
On a whim, he stopped by the Gypsy Café for some dessert. He’d explain his friendship with Jenny and if Holly asked him where the two of them were heading, he’d offer her something sweet and give her a kiss. That was an answer of sorts.
“Dan!” Rosa kissed his cheek. “Did you come by to talk a bit? I’ll get you some coffee and fruitcake.”
“Actually, I need some dessert to go—but I’ll come by tomorrow for a visit.” He offered her a quick smile.
“I’ll hold you to that! Now, what dessert would you like?” Rosa asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Pie, cake, pastry . . . ?”
“Pie.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t know.”
Rosa folded her arms across her chest and studied him a little too closely. She looked more like a salsa dance instructor than a meddling bakery owner. “Okay. How about we start with who or what it’s for.”
Dan grinned. “Sure. I’ll let you know right after you tell me all about the Roswell aliens you worked with over at the base.”
“Who is it for, Dan?” Rosa drew her perfect eyebrows together and pursed her full lips. He’d seen this look of fierce determination before.
“It’s for Holly.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“I want to thank her for helping out with the house.”
It wasn’t a lie. It was a small part of the truth.
Rosa‘s expression softened one moment and the next she blew out a breath. “Listen to me, Dan. I know you and Holly have been spending time together and I have to admit it concerns me. But—” She held up a hand. “You two are adults and I know when to mind my own business. All you have to do is tell me why you really want to get her a pie and I will decide if I want to help you pick the perfect one.”
Dan bit back a smile. This was what she called minding her own business? Shaking his head, he looked into her eyes, remembering he’d never been able to fool Rosa. “Here it is. I’ve found that I like spending time with Holly, and with Ella. Right now, I don’t want to stop spending time with her, or them. Holly doesn’t think she has time for anything, but we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well
with the time she has, so who knows? I don’t want anyone to get hurt, though.”
Rosa tilted her head. “And what does this have to do with dessert?”
Dan scratched the side of his head. This was damn uncomfortable, but it helped him sort things out. “I think Holly might think I’m seeing someone else, which I’m not. I want to explain things to her, but I don’t know where to start, or where it will all lead. I thought something sweet might break the ice and minimize tension.”
The older woman nodded, pleased. “Crabapple pie,” she declared. “Holly loves it and she knows what it means.”
“What does it mean?”
“Ruby says it means working through things.”
Dan mirrored Rosa’s amused look. “What was her reasoning?”
“Crabapples are sour, but when you add sugar, vanilla, and cream, it all works out and becomes a very rich experience.”
As usual, Ruby’s odd reasoning made sense in a way he couldn’t explain. “I’ll take two pieces of crabapple pie.”
“Two pieces would mean one for you and one for her. That implies intimacy. You don’t want to make that intimate gesture if you’re unsure of what comes next, do you?”
“Then three pieces. One for me, one for Holly, and one for Ella.”
“So now the pie will be more of a family affair—”
“I’ll take the whole pie. We can share it with the entire neighborhood.” Dan paid and was about to leave, wondering how he’d let himself be suckered into ordering more than he’d wanted, when a thought struck him. “I don’t know what to do after breaking the ice. I’ve never been in a situation like this, and I don’t want half the town hunting me down if Holly and I decide to try something and it doesn’t work out.”
Rosa grinned. “First of all, I’m not sure Holly will agree to anything. She hasn’t gone out on a single date in the last five years. If she happens to agree to something with you, we won’t kill you if you do things right. Maybe you can suggest going out on a few formal dates, and that Ella doesn’t need to know you’re getting to know each other that way unless or until things become clear.”
“That sounds smart.”
“I’m a smart lady.”
Dan looked down at his pie and smirked. “I already figured that out.”
Rosa flashed a brilliant smile and she looked so happy and so at home, it made him wonder. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
Her smile disappeared and she folded her arms across her chest again. “As long as it doesn’t have to do with aliens.”
Dan laughed. “No. I was just wondering if you ever miss Puerto Rico . . . and why you decided to stay here.”
Rosa sighed. “I miss my island and I love it with all my heart. But home is a funny thing. Some people never have to leave. Others have to leave it for good to find themselves, and still others have to go back to find what’s missing. I need to go back every once in a while because a part of me will always be there, but I found myself here. Does that answer your question?”
Dan told her it did.
He parked in his driveway and walked over to Holly’s apartment. He was about to round the corner when a door closed out back, shoes stomped on cement, and multiple voices carried to Dan.
“Dang, it’s cold,” a man’s voice said.
“You need to bundle up, Daddy.” Ella laughed.
Daddy? Dan dropped the pie. It wasn’t raining, but Dan felt as if he’d been soaked to the bone.
“I like the cold, it can be invigorating. And just when I get tired of it, another season begins,” Holly said.
“Invigorating? Cold is just cold,” a gruff voice replied. Ella rounded the corner first. “Uncle Dan!” she shouted when she noticed him. He took a step toward her and something crunched beneath his foot. The pie.
Ella ran up to him and hugged him. Two unhappy men and a stunned Holly came into view next.
The younger of the two, a blond, brawny, clean-cut guy he guessed was Ella’s father, sized him up. “Ella,” he called out, his voice authoritative. Ella smiled at Dan, but skipped back to her father’s side. The older man frowned.
“Hi, Dan,” Holly called out, her voice tight, her demeanor a little too cheerful. “Look! I had a surprise waiting for me when I got home today. This is my father, Doug Bell, and this is Ella’s father, Ben Butler. Guys, this is our neighbor, Dan. Well, temporary neighbor, that is. He’s fixing up the house next door to sell it. He’s Sam and Johnny’s brother,” she said to Ben.
Temporary neighbor?
The men exchanged stiff greetings and handshakes, and Holly asked, “Were you coming to see me about something?”
“Yes.” Dan took a step and blocked the ruined pie, hoping no one would look to the ground and see it.
“Can it wait?”
Dan knew he should say yes, but if he didn’t speak to her now, he didn’t know when he’d have the chance again, not when her father and her ex were there. Plus they were both glaring at him and he would not be intimidated. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. If anything, he was trying to make things right. “It’ll only take five minutes.”
Holly frowned. She handed her car keys to her ex and said, “I won’t be long. You can go back inside if you’d like, or you can warm up the car.”
Holly followed him inside the Craftsman. The moment he shut the door behind her he said, “Jenny and I are friends. I wanted you to know that. That’s all.”
“Friends? Right. And what are we, Dan?”
Like a true idiot, Dan was speechless, even though he’d anticipated the question. Why had he gone and dropped the pie? Now would’ve been the moment to hand it over.
“We’re friends, too, right?” She scoffed. “So I know what you do with your friends. But don’t worry, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I never expected anything from you going forward anyway.”
“Right. You’re my friend,” he repeated, biting the inside of his cheek. “A friend who spends the night with me, but doesn’t bother to tell me her ex is coming to town.”
Holly’s eyes looked as if they were about to shoot fire. “Like you give a damn!”
“What if I do?”
Holly put her hands over her eyes. “What do you mean, what if? Do you or don’t you? What do you feel, Dan?”
Dan shook his head, not knowing what he’d gotten himself into. “Why do you want to know? You just said you don’t expect anything from me.”
She dropped her hands and let out a harsh laugh. “You don’t know if you care, do you? I’ll save you the trouble of figuring it out. If you have to think so hard about whether or not you care about someone, you don’t. No, I didn’t expect or want anything to come of us, but I did hope you cared.”
Holly turned to leave, but Dan grabbed her arm. “That’s not what I meant, and you’re not one to talk. You introduce me as a temporary neighbor and you say you don’t want anything to come of us, yet you act upset about Jenny and you want me to care. You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“Acting nuts!”
“I’m perfectly sane! You’re the one not making sense!” Holly shook her arm free and left, her steps unsteady. The only two men she’d ever been with had just met. Neither had been happy, and Holly was confused, not crazy.
Holly forced herself to smile at her father and Ben, got into the driver’s seat, and went off to find some dinner. She had not been expecting company.
Pitiful creature that she was, she wanted to impress her father with the local food offerings. He loved Thai. “Dad, there’s this Thai place I know you’ll love. It’s in downtown Dayton’s Oregon District, and you’ll be able to see some beautiful historic houses along the way.” Her father wasn’t into historic houses, of course, but these would impress anyone.
“I think Ben would like a good old-fashioned steak,” her father said.
“Then I’ll take you to Pine Club. It’s an American steak house, and it’s near the Univ
ersity of Dayton. You’ll be able to see where Mom went to school. It has some lovely buildings.”
Ben, who’d been quiet for a while, said, “That sounds good. I’d love to see where your mom went to school. How old is the university?”
Holly shot him a grateful smile. “It’s over a hundred and fifty years old.”
Holly’s father softened. “Your mother loved her alma mater. I’d like to see it.”
Part of her wanted to tell him that he should’ve seen it with her mother before she’d died, if he knew she loved it so much, but she knew her father thought he’d have a lifetime with her mother, and her mother hadn’t wanted to come back, either.
Once they were seated, Holly’s father went to find a restroom, Ella colored her kid’s menu, and Ben leaned in to talk to Holly as if he didn’t want Ella to hear. “Who’s Dan?” he asked.
“He’s the guy who owns the house next door.”
“Just the guy who owns the house next door? I know I’m being unreasonable, but I hate seeing Ella hugging another man like that.”
Holly offered him a lopsided smile. “Ella and I have lots of friends here, and they’re all very fond of her. I’m careful, though, Ben. The only people I ever leave her with are Emily and Grandma. But I’d probably feel the same way if Ella lived with you and I had to stand there and watch her hug a woman I didn’t know.”
Ben’s expression became even more serious. “Now that you mention that—I have some news.”
Holly stiffened. “News?”
Ben backed away. “But now’s probably not a good time.”
Holly grabbed his hand. “Don’t mind me. I’m just feeling a little tense. I’m glad you’re here, but I wasn’t expecting you. You can tell me your news.” Her words sounded rushed to her own ears.
“All right, let’s get that waiter here and order. I’m hungry.” Holly’s dad sat down, interrupting them.
All through dinner, the four chatted about Ella and school, Holly’s father and stepmom’s trips and cruises, and Ben’s adventures in other countries. But something was being left unsaid by both her father and Ben. Holly could tell. It was hanging in the air, preventing a natural conversation.
