by Brenda Novak
* * *
“What’s wrong?”
At the sound of Eli’s voice, Aiyana glanced up to see her oldest son standing in the doorway of her office. She’d been so deep in thought she hadn’t even heard him approach. “Nothing.”
He came in and closed the door. “Sorry, not buying that. I saw the look on your face when I walked up.”
“I’m worried, I guess.”
“About...”
“Gavin. I admire his sense of duty, the kind of man it makes him. But I fear, in this instance, his honor is leading him down the wrong path.”
“You mean with Heather.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Elijah folded his long body into the chair on the other side of her desk. “You don’t like her.”
“Not a great deal.”
He rocked back. “Whoa! You saying that is like someone else saying they hate her.”
“Stop. I don’t hate her.”
“Do you believe she’s trying to trap him?”
She nibbled at her bottom lip. That was a serious allegation. She didn’t want to go that far for fear of misjudging Heather. “I have no idea, but I believe she’s secretly elated to think she will finally have the man she’s always wanted. She’s gone after Gavin so many times. And he’s tried to like her in return, given the relationship chance after chance. He just doesn’t feel for her what he should feel, and I can’t stand the thought that getting with her might make him unhappy.”
“So what do we do?”
“Is it even our place to get involved? He’s an adult. We have to let him live his life.”
Eli rested his chin on his steepled fingers. “He just asked me when you were going to marry Cal.”
She felt a fresh fissure of alarm. “He did? I wonder why he’s never asked me that question.”
“He doesn’t want to push you.”
“But...”
“I think he’d like to make sure you’re taken care of, so that he can feel free to move on with his life.”
“I didn’t realize I was holding him back.”
“You aren’t. His love for you is. Now that Heather’s pregnant, I bet he’s planning to leave Silver Springs. To pursue his music.”
“If he’s having a baby, wouldn’t he be smarter to stick around here, where he has family? Surely, he’ll want us to be part of the child’s life.”
“I’m guessing he knows he won’t be entirely happy with Heather, and this is how he’s planning to compensate.”
“You’re essentially agreeing with me—at least when it comes to Heather.”
“I am.”
“So do we have a talk with him? Or would that be too intrusive? I’ve never wanted to be overly controlling.”
Eli crossed his ankles. “He won’t listen even if we do. But we could show him another possibility.”
“What does that mean?”
“Gavin never misses Sunday dinner, right?”
Aiyana invited her sons for a meal nearly every Sunday, and those who lived close usually came. They felt comfortable bringing a friend or a date, too. Aiyana liked touching base with her boys, liked providing a big meal where they could talk and laugh and reconnect. She thought it was healthy for her youngest son to have that time with his older brothers, and for her college-age son to return when he felt like making the long drive from San Diego.
She remembered when Eli had brought Cora for the first time, how much she’d liked Cora and what their relationship had turned out to be since... “Of course not. It’s the only time he gets home-cooking.”
“So we can be reasonably confident he’ll be there this Sunday.”
“Not this Sunday. Cal’s got something going in Idaho, a cattle purchase. He’s asked me to fly up with him.”
“Then next weekend.”
“What does this have to do with anything?” she asked.
“Remember Savanna, that pretty neighbor I told you about? I say we make Sunday dinner a week after next a barbecue and swim party and invite her and her two children.”
Aiyana wasn’t convinced Eli had hit on the high-powered solution they needed. “Roger Nowitzke’s coming that weekend. I’ve already invited him for dinner.” She often included various alumni from the school, if they were in town, and she was anxious to see Roger again. He hadn’t been back since he graduated twelve years earlier. Even the boys she hadn’t adopted were sort of like her sons.
“He can be there, too. There’s no reason he can’t.”
“But I’ve never even met Savanna. How can I invite her over?”
Eli jabbed a thumb into his chest. “I’ll do it. Let’s put the two of them together for a few hours of fun, see what happens. I’m telling you, there’s something between them. I could feel it when I was around them.”
“What about Heather and the baby?”
“If he doesn’t love Heather, marrying her won’t change anything. She may think she wants him, that she’ll somehow make him love her. But odds are it’ll end in divorce. That’s what’s troubling you, isn’t it? The fact that it wouldn’t be wise, or even healthy, to enter a marriage the way he feels? She deserves more, and so does he. For that matter, so does the baby.”
Aiyana shook her head. “He’ll never see it that way. He won’t want to give up control over his child’s life. He’s taking his job as that baby’s protector very seriously. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the child, either—his or anyone else’s—and that ties my hands.”
“Not completely. Even if he doesn’t marry Heather, if the baby’s his, we’ll all stay involved.”
“Providing Heather will let us!”
“She will.”
“Gavin won’t take that on faith.”
“Then he’d better be good at resisting temptation,” Eli said, and stood. “He came to work late today, right?”
“Around noon. Why?”
“He’ll probably be staying late to finish up. You go talk to him, delay him if you have to, and I’ll drive out to invite Savanna to the barbecue.”
“I feel guilty for meddling,” Aiyana admitted.
Eli turned back at the door. “We’re not meddling. We’re welcoming someone new into the community. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
He had a point. They were only having a barbecue.
Aiyana straightened the blotter on her desk. “How do we make sure he doesn’t bring Heather?”
“We’ll let him know we’ve invited Savanna. If he brings Heather knowing Savanna will be there, it’ll mean he’s completely committed and doesn’t like Savanna as much as I thought. There’s nothing we can do to save him at that point. But if he doesn’t bring Heather...”
She lifted the bottle of water on her desk as if she was making a toast. “Here’s hoping.”
* * *
Once again, Savanna made dinner in her Crock-Pot. Sweet pork burritos were a family favorite. And she had plenty to share. But she wasn’t sure whether or not to invite Gavin back. She’d been deliberating on that while breaking down the last of the boxes and finishing the cleaning. She didn’t want to make him feel cornered or pressured, as though she was constantly approaching him, but she did want to provide a hot meal if that was something he’d enjoy.
When she heard a knock, she thought it could be him and decided to go ahead and invite him if it was. But when she swung the door wide, she saw Eli and not Gavin on her stoop. “Hi,” she said in surprise.
Gavin’s brother smiled. “Sorry to bother you...”
“No problem. It’s not like I get many visitors. You and Gavin are the only two people I know so far.” She glanced behind him but didn’t see a vehicle—his or Gavin’s.
“Gavin’s not back from the ranch yet,” Eli said, accurat
ely reading the question in her mind. “He should be home soon. While I was waiting for him, I thought I’d walk over and invite you and the kids to a barbecue and swim party a week from this Sunday at New Horizons. My mother and I both live on the ranch, but my mother’s place is larger, and she generally does the cooking for our family get-togethers, so we all go there.”
Savanna hadn’t expected this. “You’re inviting me to eat with your family? Your mother and your wife and...Gavin?”
“Yes. As well as my youngest brother, who goes to New Horizons. Sometimes another of our brothers shows up, too. He goes to San Diego State and can make the drive in about three and a half hours, if traffic isn’t bad.”
“How nice of you.”
“My mother would’ve asked Gavin to invite you, but I was with her when the subject came up, so I figured I’d do the honors, since I’m the first one here. It can be a challenge to acclimate to a new area, and we want you to feel welcome.”
It wasn’t easy for Savanna to get to know anyone, since she wasn’t putting the kids in school until the fall, didn’t have a job and didn’t belong to a church. She felt like she could easily go undiscovered by the community until fall—a relief in one sense but probably not so good in another. Complete isolation had its own drawbacks.
“I hope you’re free that day,” he said.
“I am and I’d love to come.” She’d made good progress moving in, was down to the outside cleanup, and she’d have that squared away by then. She still had plenty of work for contractors, but it would feel good to get out and be with other people—people who hadn’t been part of her life with Gordon and had no preexisting ideas of who she was or should be. “What time?”
“Three? That’ll give the kids a couple of hours to swim during the hottest part of the day.”
“They’ll be so excited. Thank you. And please thank your mother.”
“I will. You can ride to the ranch with Gavin. Or you can drive yourself, if you prefer.” He lifted his phone. “Would you like me to text you the address?”
“Sure.” She gave him her number and watched as he typed the information.
“Cora and I will look forward to seeing you and the kids Sunday after next, then,” he said, and sent it.
She smiled as he gave her a farewell nod and strode off.
“Who was that?” Alia asked as she and Branson came out of his bedroom, where they’d been putting together his train set.
“Gavin’s brother.”
“What’d he want?”
“To invite us to a swim party and barbecue a week from this Sunday. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Alia’s eyes widened. “He has a pool?”
“The party’s at his mother’s house. I’m guessing she does.”
“Yay!” As her children began to dance around, Savanna couldn’t help feeling some anticipation, too. She didn’t have a decent swimsuit—couldn’t remember the last time she’d needed one—so she’d have to check the shops in town, but even that felt exciting.
She was smiling as she went back to finish the last of what she hoped to get done before supper. And she was smiling when her phone buzzed, indicating she had a new message. Since she’d been hoping to hear from Gavin, to have the opportunity to invite him over, she looked down with some anticipation. But as soon as she saw the number on her screen, she felt her smile wilt. It was yet another text from Dorothy.
How dare you cheat on Gordon after all he’s been through! As far as I’m concerned, that’s it. I’m coming for you. You won’t know exactly when, but I’m going to make you sorry. And that’s a promise.
17
Heather studied Scott, trying to gauge whether or not her ex-boyfriend was simply trying to upset her. After staying late at school with another teacher to get ready for a joint project they were planning to do between classes, she’d stopped by his place to pick up the last of her things.
“You’re lying,” she said as they glared at each other in the middle of his living room.
His smug expression undermined her confidence, despite the conviction with which she’d spoken. “You think so? Because I wasn’t the only one at the park. Ask Johnny Coontz. He saw Gavin with those kids, too.”
Johnny worked with Scott and often went to the same park to have lunch, so it made sense. But...
“It couldn’t have been Gavin,” she said. “He was at New Horizons all day.” He’d called her when he was driving home and told her as much. She’d asked how his day had gone, and he’d indicated that it had been nothing out of the ordinary.
“I know who Gavin is!” Scott snapped, incredulous that she’d continue to deny what she’d heard. But he’d misinterpreted her reaction. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe what he said; it was that she didn’t want it to be true. “I spoke to him,” he added. “Saw him and the kids up close.”
“So...what was he doing there?” And why hadn’t he told her about babysitting when she’d asked him what his day had been like?
“I told you! He was helping his new neighbor.” He arched his eyebrows to give his next statement more meaning. “A divorcée who just moved in. He tried to act like it wasn’t anything. But that’s what made me feel like it was. I saw him playing with that little boy and girl, got the impression they mattered to him.”
Heather curled her fingernails into her palms. “Of course they matter to him. Gavin’s good with kids. All kids,” she clarified. But it was difficult not to allow her hand to go to her stomach. She felt nauseous. She’d fought so long and hard to win Gavin’s love, and every time it seemed as though she was finally getting somewhere with him, he slipped through her fingertips again. She couldn’t allow that to happen this time. She was carrying a child, for God’s sake. She did not want to become a strapped and lonely single mother, another cliché. Without someone around to help, she’d hardly be able to leave the house. That wasn’t the future she anticipated for herself.
“If it was completely innocent, why’d he act so weird?” Scott asked.
“For all I know, he didn’t. Anyway, you can quit trying to scare me. It’s not as though Gavin’s up to anything. We’re already back together.”
Scott propped his hands on his hips as he loomed over her. “Does he know that?”
“Of course he does! He said as much,” she insisted. But that wasn’t entirely true. Gavin had said he was willing to try again. He’d also said he wanted to start from the beginning, and he wanted to take it slow. He specifically said they weren’t exclusive. Not yet. Last night when she was over, he hadn’t so much as kissed her. But she knew if she could only get him to quit looking beyond her, they’d be happy together. No one could love him more. He just had to give her the chance to prove it. “Anyway, I’m not going to stand here arguing with you. I’ve got to get my things.”
Scott grabbed her arm as she started toward the laundry room. “Not so fast. I don’t care what Gavin said. He acted like I’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t.”
She jerked out of his grasp. “Stop trying to cause trouble between us!”
“I don’t need to cause trouble. Can’t you see that trouble already exists? He doesn’t want you, Heather,” he said, stabbing a forefinger into her chest. “Not like I do. Why can’t you see that?”
“Stay out of it.” She knocked his hand away. “You don’t know anything about Gavin, and I won’t let you wreck this for me.”
His jaw dropped. “Wreck it for you? You say that as if you set it all up so carefully.”
“That’s crazy!” she said. But it wasn’t entirely crazy, and she feared the lack of conviction in her words made the truth all too apparent. She’d secretly gone off the pill almost three months ago, before Gavin had broken up with her. She’d known he’d marry her if only she could get pregnant. But they’d gotten into that stupid argume
nt about his ex-girlfriend, and he’d broken up with her only a week after she’d stopped taking the pill. She’d had no recourse except to hope she was already carrying his baby—or would soon be carrying someone else’s. She knew the possibility that the baby might be his would be enough to get him to give her one more chance. At least, that was what she’d told herself. Now that the baby was a reality, she was scared she might lose him regardless, especially now that his hot new neighbor had come onto the scene. “How dare you accuse me of something so heinous!” she cried, pouring a bit more effort into her acting.
“You’re telling me you didn’t?” Scott countered.
It felt as though he could suddenly see right through her, as though he’d figured it all out, and that made her uneasy. Always before, he’d been so eager to get with her he’d just kept trying—to replace Gavin in her heart, in her bed and in her future. “Of course I didn’t!”
“You just want what you want, and you don’t care who you tear apart in the process.”
A trickle of guilt made her even more defensive. She’d known from early on that her relationship with Scott wouldn’t last. There’d never been anyone for her except Gavin; there never would be. She’d only gone back to Scott because she’d needed to get pregnant, had to reach for this one final chance...
And now that she had that chance she wasn’t going to let Scott or anyone else get in the way. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I never meant to hurt you.”
He grabbed her arm again. “Why don’t you try saying that like you mean it?”
“I do mean it!” She’d told Gavin that Scott scared her, but that hadn’t been the case until now. She’d merely been looking for an excuse to appear at Gavin’s house, one he’d be particularly sympathetic to. Not that showing up there had improved the situation. She’d imagined their night together going so much better than it had.
