Taking a Chance on the Single Dad

by Sue MacKay

  Mum gave a tired chuckle. ‘I’d be surprised if she hadn’t.’

  ‘You all right?” Brenna asked. It wasn’t like Mum to sound so flat, though they were going to the island for the third anniversary of her father’s death, so it was to be expected. ‘Apart from the obvious,’ she added.

  ‘Think I’m coming down with a cold. Nothing major. How was the weekend? Get lots of amazing photos?’

  ‘I’m hoping they’re good. I haven’t downloaded them yet. It was so late when I got back last night I just crashed into bed. The weather was perfect, and the snow excellent. Plus, the kids were amazing in their determination to do well.’ Not mentioning how she’d nearly slammed into a boulder while concentrating on getting the best picture of the race leader on a downhill section. Her mum would have fifty fits.

  The most caring woman, she’d always been there for Brenna from the day she and Dad had got together, not once making her feel any different from the two girls who’d come along later. She’d been very lucky, if she didn’t think about her birth mother.

  ‘Guess who I saw today?’ Oh, bugger. Now she’d gone and set herself up for a lecture. But she had to tell someone, to get it off her chest, out of her head, and who better than Mum?

  ‘Hunter Ford.’

  ‘What? You knew he was in town and didn’t tell me?’ Her jaw tensed, and her fingers were claws.

  ‘No, but I’ve only ever known you to speak like someone’s got a rope drawn tight around your throat when you’re thinking about Hunter. Oh, honey, I’m sorry it was Hunter. You don’t need all that hurt rearing its head again.’

  I talk differently when thinking about Hunter? Since when? Probably for the last six years.

  ‘You’re right. I don’t. But it gets worse. He’s working at the rescue base for a month.’

  ‘You really have annoyed someone out there.’ Mum sighed. ‘How are you? It must be hard after all these years. Has he changed much?’

  I’m coping. If I ignore the images floating before my eyes.

  Brenna sipped her now lukewarm soup. ‘Older, more worn, otherwise still Hunter as far as I can tell.’ Until she knew more, she wasn’t mentioning the mystery of who the ‘we’ was.

  ‘Maybe you can get rid of that grandfather clock now he’s here.’

  Brenna gasped. What? Just turn up on his doorstep with a gift she bought more than six years ago? Hardly. ‘Better go. I’ve got hundreds of photos to sort through and send to the school.’ She regretted saying anything about Hunter. Though it had to come out sometime. As did the clock. Why had Mum kept it for so long for her, knowing Hunter was never coming back? She wondered how Hunter would react if he ever got to see the damned clock.

  Why did you come back, Hunter?

  Life had suddenly become a roller-coaster ride of emotions, none of which made a lot of sense. Why couldn’t she just accept he’d once devastated her, and she wanted nothing more to do with him?

  Because I’m still attracted to him.

  And wasn’t that the dumbest thought she’d had in years? Attractive or not, he’d hurt her big time and could do it again. Get a grip, be tough. Act the part if necessary. ‘I’ll see you Friday, Mum.’

  ‘Okay, honey. Take care.’ The phone clicked off with no parting shot about how to handle Hunter. Showed how tired her mother was.

  But take care. Of what? It wasn’t as though Hunter was going to feature in her life again. Other than working on the choppers with her for a few weeks. Too many weeks. One would’ve been more than enough. Hopefully Kevin would roster him with Carl later on. Why would he do that?

  Because I need him to.

  But if she wasn’t going to get all hot and wound up over Hunter then it didn’t matter if they worked together.

  Plugging the lead from her camera into the computer, Brenna clicked on the icon to begin the download of the weekend’s photos. And while she waited she clicked on ‘Pictures’ and scrolled back beyond six years.

  Her and Hunter in Stanley Park with his dog.

  Hunter lying on her couch sound asleep after a hectic night in the ED.

  Her in a bikini on the beach just down the road, her windsurfing board at her side.

  Hunter smiling at her as though she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He’d always said she was. Yeah, and then he’d left her.

  Click. The screen filled with images of snow and mountains and teenaged skiers wearing bright red and white outfits.

  Her head remained full of images of Hunter. Smiling, laughing, sad, tired. These pictures were stored in her memory; pictures she’d forgotten, or deliberately pushed away. Why had she transferred those real photos onto her new computer? She hadn’t kept more than a few of Shane when they’d separated last year, yet there were hundreds of Hunter. Pictures that she’d not looked at once since a month after he’d left town and she’d known the only way forward was to stop torturing herself over them.

  ‘Poppy,’ she called as she shoved up from her office chair. ‘Walkies.’ Selecting which photos to send to the coach could wait. She needed fresh air.

  Poppy lifted her head from her paws and flicked her tail up and down on the carpet, before leaping to her feet and doing her customary circles around Brenna’s legs. It was never too late for her to go walking.

  Outside the wind whipped around the house.

  Brenna shrugged into her puffer jacket and pulled on gloves. Poppy nudged her thigh and waited patiently for her lead to be clicked into place. ‘It’s not going to be much fun, Pops, but you need the exercise and I need to clear my head.’

  It worked. By the time Brenna returned home Poppy was soaked, requiring a good towelling. Then, after a large bowl of food, the Lab snuggled into her big soft cushion for the night, and Brenna reheated her soup before sitting down to concentrate on the skiing photos, selecting the best, editing, chopping and making up a portfolio to send to the school’s sports coach. By the time she climbed into bed she was exhausted, and soon unconscious.

  When her favourite song romped into her brain at four forty-five she took Poppy for another walk. ‘At least you’ll be dry this time.’ Rubbing her pet between her ears, they headed out onto the road to do eight blocks before returning to get ready for the day.

  Another day squashed into the helicopter with Hunter sharing the same space, the same air. Twelve hours of being polite and not too nosy, while wanting to know every last thing that had happened to him in the intervening years.

  Hunter, Hunter, Hunter. Why did you come back to my turf? Canada’s a huge country, yet you’ve landed splat in the middle of Kitsilano. I don’t get it.

  Apart from the fact he’d said it was the area he knew and had been happy in, and where his closest friend now lived. Four weeks, minus one day. Somehow, they’d manage to survive. They had to. Hunter wasn’t going to make her regret going into her favourite job every day.

  Tossing her bag onto the passenger seat of her car, she got in and turned the ignition. Grrr. The engine coughed and died. What the heck? She tried again, same result. Dead. She flicked the light switch and swore. She hadn’t turned them off last night. How hadn’t she noticed they were on when she’d got out of the car? Too busy thinking about Hunter, that’s how. Go on, blame the man. If he hadn’t come to town, she’d be on her way to work right now.

  Grabbing her phone, she pressed the button for Kevin. ‘Sorry, I’m going to be late. Flat battery. I’ll call a cab. Hopefully they won’t be too long getting here at this hour.’

  ‘Give Hunter a buzz. He’s staying not far from you.’

  ‘I don’t have his number.’ She didn’t want it. Might be too tempting to ring him in the quiet times. ‘A cab’s just fine.’

  ‘I’ll ring Hunter for you. Does he know where you live?’

  Arguing wasn’t going to get her anywhere, and she did need to get to work on time in case the
re was a call out. ‘Tell him my dad’s old place. He’ll know it.’ Unless his memory was shot to pieces, which was highly unlikely. He’d know she didn’t mean the house Mum and Dad had owned together. ‘He might’ve left already,’ she added hopefully. Hunter was always on time for everything, even to the dentist. But she was talking to herself.

  Kevin obviously had better things to do than shoot the breeze with a grumpy woman at this hour. Who wouldn’t? By most people’s standards it was early for anything more than coffee, toast and driving to work with rock music in the background. Slamming the car door shut, she stomped down to the kerb to wait, trying to ignore the unease churning in her stomach. If only this wasn’t happening.

  Almost immediately headlights lit up the street. A four-wheel drive cruised to a halt beside her and Hunter stuck his head out the window. ‘I hear you need a lift.’

  ‘Thanks.’ There were definitely butterflies batting around in her belly. Unbelievable. His second day on the job and he was picking her up, and she was falling apart. She’d had no intention of ever inviting him onto her street, let alone near her house. That was too close, too laden with memories. Yet here he was, a knight in a shining black four-wheel drive. Too close and laden with those memories. Like the one where she’d ogled his biceps and flat abs because he’d worn only jeans cut off at the knees as he’d mowed the lawns for her dad.

  ‘You going to stand there all morning?’

  Good idea. Ducking around the vehicle, she got in, saying, ‘I should phone Roadside Assist.’ She’d been too busy thinking about Hunter to do it before.

  ‘You left a key with someone for them?’

  ‘No, I could hardy go knocking on a neighbour’s door at this hour. And before you ask, there isn’t a spare under the door mat.’

  ‘I’ve got a battery charger in the back. I’ll deal to your car after work.’

  That was the last thing she wanted. But what were her options? ‘I’ll see.’ Inside the warm vehicle she buckled in and tried not to breathe aftershave spice.

  He didn’t blink at her terse reply. ‘You forget to turn the lights off last night?’

  ‘Yep.’ She shook her head at her stupidity.

  ‘Lucky I’m staying close by.’ Was that a smile lifting the corner of his mouth? But, then, Hunter did like helping people out of a fix. Like the time she’d locked herself out of the house when she’d had the book group coming. They’d only known each other a week, though they’d begun knowing each other very well, and yet Hunter had left the pub where he’d been having a drink with his mates and raced around to lever the door open.

  ‘Yes.’ She should stop being grumpy. It wasn’t his fault Kevin had asked him to swing by and pick her up. It was his fault her head was heavy and full of memories she no longer had use for. ‘You can’t have been far away when Kevin called.’

  ‘I was running late, so now I’ve got an excuse.’

  ‘You? Late? Um, hello. You are Hunter Ford, right? The guy I used to know was always at the airport watching the flight before his leave for the same destination?’ A chuckle rolled up her throat. She swallowed it.

  ‘Says she who liked to swan in at the very last second.’ Hunter flicked her a smile.

  ‘These days I prefer early and prepared.’ She was not falling into that smile.

  ‘I was saying goodbye to my son. I hate leaving him. Especially while everything’s new and strange. Though Jess says it’s me with the hang-ups, and that Dylan’s settling in like he’s meant to be here.’

  Jess and Dylan. The whole family package. Nice. Her shoulders dropped and her arms tightened against her sides. ‘How old is your boy?’ Might as well get it out of the way.

  ‘Four last month. He’s started preschool in Kitsilano with one of Dave’s kids.’

  He didn’t seem to mind her questions, so she kept going. ‘You said the idea of coming back here kept you going over the years, but why?’

  Hunter slowed for a red light, accelerated away when it changed to green. His fingers were gripping the steering wheel, his face no longer as relaxed. ‘Seemed like a plan to have at the ready, something to look forward to.’

  A mind-your-own-business answer. ‘We all need those,’ she muttered. Not that she had any at the moment, her life being in cruise mode with lots going on to keep her busy and out of trouble. So, Jess. What was she like? How long had they been together? Were they married? Yes, they would be. Hunter used to say he wanted to marry the woman he loved, not live in a relationship without all the legal trimmings. That woman used to be her. Why bring her to Kitsilano when that had been where they’d been so happy? ‘You and Jess been married long?’ Dylan was four. She and Hunter had broken up six years ago. She’d been replaced quick smart.

  ‘Are we what?’ Abrupt laughter filled the four-wheel drive.

  ‘Concentrate on the road, will you?’ she snapped, not sure what his response meant.

  Hunter drove straight and true in the outside lane. ‘Jess is Dave’s wife. Not mine,’ he added through gritted teeth.

  ‘Oh.’ So where was Dylan’s mother? She was not asking. Not now when Hunter looked like he wanted to strangle her. Over an obvious question? He’d brought Jess’s name up in the first place. Or was it the wife word that turned his mood from friendly to sour? Not asking that either. Brenna reached into her jacket pocket to retrieve her phone. No new messages. Great. Now what? Talk about the weather. Always a safe subject. Or she could go with shutting up.

  ‘Dylan’s mother and I were married for a couple of years, but it was a fail. Always going to be, I guess, since the only thing we had in common was Dylan, and I love him to bits, but he couldn’t keep us happy with each other.’ This was more like the Hunter she remembered. Not reticent with his words. ‘Not that it was his role to.’

  Now her heart ached for him. Reaching across, she touched his arm, felt him tense under her palm and quickly withdrew. ‘I’m so sorry. That must be hard to deal with. So did Dylan’s mum move to Vancouver too?’ As in separately. If she’d moved first, he’d have come so he could spend time with his son, wouldn’t he?

  ‘No.’

  Brenna waited for more. Got nothing. Back to being the taciturn Hunter she didn’t know. ‘So, you’re a full-time dad.’

  ‘Evie died in a car crash after we’d split up. She’d dropped Dylan off so he could spend the night with me, and on the way back to town she crossed the road into the path of an oncoming truck and trailer unit. She didn’t stand a chance. The police believe she was texting at the time.’

  I think I prefer it when he doesn’t talk so much. This was awful.

  ‘Hell, Hunter, how did you cope? That’s...’ She paused. ‘I don’t know what to say really.’

  ‘Don’t even try. It’s all been said, often, and none of it helps.’ He pulled into the car park at the rescue base, hauled the brake on, turned the ignition off and slowly turned to face her. ‘We were never in love. Evie fell pregnant soon after we met, and we decided to give it a go for the baby’s sake. Bad idea. We got on better when we lived separately, and Dylan was happier.’

  There was a whole load of self-blame resonating in his words, even when he hadn’t been in the car and apparently not texting with Evie. No surprise there. It was who he was. A man who believed he had to stand up and help people, not destroy them in any way.

  He destroyed me by standing by his parents.

  Yes, and she’d survived, made a comeback, been with a man for nearly two years, got engaged, then unengaged. At least she wasn’t so naïve any more. Nudging open her door, she said, ‘I hope the move works out for you and your boy, Hunter.’ Surprisingly she did. Once he left this job and took up his permanent one, she’d be absolutely fine with it.

  * * *

  Why had he gone and spilled his guts? Hunter shivered in the chilly air. While it was good to have the facts about Evie and Dylan out of the way, h
e hadn’t needed to say half as much as he had. Or had he? Had he been trying to show Brenna that he hadn’t fallen in love with another woman after he’d left her? But he’d noticed the sudden tightening of her hands on her thighs when he’d said how old Dylan was. She’d done the sums.

  What he hadn’t told her was that he’d hooked up with Evie because he’d been desperate for some warmth and kindness in his life, something to temporarily fill the gaping hole that only Brenna could fix. And would never get the chance to. He’d deliberately set out to put Brenna out of his life.

  Yet here he was, encroaching in her work zone, and in her neighbourhood. Yesterday, spending time working together, being crammed into the back of the chopper or sitting in the tearoom, had rammed it home to him that he hadn’t got over her as much as he’d thought. If at all.

  The attraction that had seen them falling into bed the first time they’d gone on a date seemed to have been lying in waiting for the match that had fired his libido into a frenzy yesterday. A frenzy that could not get a look in. He and Brenna were long over. She’d have a man in her life, and when Bren did anything, she did it with everything she had, including loving.

  Sadness, or jealousy, or longing, or some blasted emotion grabbed him, squeezed so tight he stepped towards his vehicle, needing to race away some place that didn’t palpate with Brenna vibes. So much for returning to the one location he’d ever been completely and utterly happy. But Kamloops was no longer an option.

  His boy was not getting tied up in the fiasco that was his parents’ marriage and their inability to stand on their own two feet and help each other—when he wasn’t available—for everything from snow on the lawn to the mailman being late. Plus, Mum had already begun telling Dylan about his grandfather’s strange thinking and how there were voices in his head, and how Dylan had to be strong for them. Enough was enough.

  ‘You standing out here all day?’ Brenna called from where she held the outside door open.

  Good idea. ‘What’s for breakfast?’ He’d snaffled some buns from Jess’s pantry when she’d been filling the kettle.