Your Hand in Mine (Blackbird Series Book 2)

by Lily Foster

  Garth comes in and sits beside me, tickling James’s belly. “He is a month ahead of schedule for doing this, though. I looked it up online. You gonna rule the gridiron like your daddy did in high school, little man?”

  “Oh, lordy,” I tease. “Are you about to go all Glory Days on me right now?” I start humming Bruce’s tune.

  “Don’t listen to her,” he says to James. “She was just a cheerleader.”

  “Ooh, burn. I am so not offended right now, but nice try.” I look to Sienna. “Have you seen anyone from school recently?”

  Garth reaches for James so I hand him over. “Are you asking if we’ve seen Tyler?”

  “No. I was legit asking if you’ve seen any of our old friends. But since you brought him up, how’s he doing?”

  “I actually think he’s turned a corner. His Uncle Paul—”

  “The one who worked on the oil rig in Texas?”

  He nods. “Still does, but he’s back home for a bit…Think he was furloughed. Anyway, he’s a recovering alcoholic and he’s been steering Tyler in a better direction.” He looks up to Sienna and something passes between them before he adds, “He’s been going to Gambler’s Anonymous meetings. Just got his one-month keychain.”

  “His what?”

  “It’ a twelve-step program just like AA. They give out sobriety chips to mark milestones, and I guess GA runs kind of similar.”

  “Wow.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, fighting off this sudden urge I have to cry. I’m so sad for Tyler but happy for him at the same time. “That’s good,” I tell Garth.

  “And he stopped drinking…Not that I ever thought he had a problem with it. Guess it’s just easier to slip up when you’ve got a buzz on or you’re in the bars watching Monday Night Football or whatever.”

  “What about—”

  Sienna finishes my thought for me. “Lila?”

  Garth smiles. “He finally wised up and dumped her ass.” Looking to Sienna wide-eyed, he corrects himself, “I meant to say he dumped her butt, didn’t I, James?”

  “He still asks about you, Sky. But it’s different now…Just like he truly wants to know if you’re all right.” Sienna looks to gauge my reaction before adding, “He seems genuinely happy when I tell him you’re doing well.”

  I let that sink in for a minute. “Maybe we’re forever connected to the important people from our past. I mean, I don’t ever see me and Tyler getting back together again, but I know I’ll still think about him from time to time and he’ll always have a place in my heart.”

  “I agree with you.” Sienna perks up again because, you know, Sally Sunshine just can’t help it. “Oh! Garth and Mr. Roberts installed the stone a few days ago. It came out so great!”

  “It’s adequate, baby, and that’ll have to be good enough for now. Once I get better at it I’ll make two stones to replace it.”

  “I’m sure you did a great job, Garth. And when Sienna told me about the design I kind of liked the idea of one stone for the two of them.”

  “I only did that because it was cheaper. I intend to replace it.”

  “Do you want to go see it now?”

  I shake my head and smile at Sienna. “I’d rather wait until Sunday.”

  She understands.

  “That’s nice, Leo giving you two weeks off after finals.”

  “He’s away with Olivia anyway so it just worked out. Are you guys sure I won’t be in the way?”

  “Not a chance!” The two of them say it at the exact same time and then laugh.

  “Where did they go?” my sister asks.

  “Florida. Leo’s parents retired down there. I think they’re older so they don’t travel up north much anymore. He takes her down to see them a couple of times a year. The four of them are hitting Disney World for a few days this time.”

  Sienna’s eyes light up. “I cannot wait to take James to Disney!”

  “Just say the word, baby. I’ll book us a trip whenever you want.”

  I’m about to tell Garth that’s it’s wildly expensive and that they can’t afford it. Hell, they can’t even afford the park tickets, let alone a hotel and the gas money they’ll need to drive to Florida. But it’s not my place and I know that, so I take a different angle instead. “James won’t even know where he is now. I’d wait until he’s five or six and he’s gotten the chance to see a few of the movies.”

  “You’re probably right,” my sister says, and her eyes tell me she’s grateful to me for not bursting Garth’s bubble.

  “And,” I tell Garth smiling, “like it or not, I’m coming along, so you have to wait until I at least finish school next year.”

  He holds James’s hand up for a high-five. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Leo

  I let out a breath once Skylar takes off for the night, even though the sight of her walking out my front door leaves me feeling more disappointed than relieved.

  The entire time we were in Florida I was stressing out over what it would be like when I saw her again, but today went well. It wasn’t awkward, the conversation wasn’t strained, I got a ton of work done on a project I started with Ed, and I even got around to opening the pool.

  When they came back from the park and saw me skimming the water, Olivia started jumping up and down like a lunatic. She spent more time in the pool down at my parents’ condo than anywhere else.

  I still don’t trust her around the water, but I feel better knowing Skylar will be the one supervising her rather than Maureen. Nope, try as I might, I cannot picture Maureen sprinting out to the backyard and executing a swan dive to save someone in distress.

  “Your friend…Grace? She said you used to be a lifeguard. Is that true or was she pulling my leg?”

  “Grace wasn’t teasing about that. I worked as a lifeguard for two summers.” She turns to Olivia. “You know what that means, Libs? Swim lessons starting tomorrow.”

  “I know how to swim. Right, Daddy?”

  “You were doing pretty good at Grammy and Grampy’s, but remember what I said?”

  She nods. “I gotta be expert before I can go in the water alone.”

  Skylar tosses in, “I’d also say you have to be at least eight years old before you can go in alone. Got it?” Olivia nods her head. “And this will be fun! I’ll teach you how to swim freestyle like a crocodile, breast stroke like a sea turtle, and to swim on your back like an otter.”

  “I can do that!” she says with pride. “Daddy teached me how to float on my back.”

  “He taught you how to float? That’s great!”

  It’s not lost on me the way Skylar takes every single moment and turns it into an opportunity to teach Olivia something. She never corrects her language, just models the proper way to say the word. Come to think of it, she never makes people feel like they’re doing wrong, just shows them through her words and her actions how to do it better.

  By the end of the week I realize she’s been schooling me, too. Skylar’s been the consummate professional. You’d never know anything went down between us just a few weeks ago. She’s moved past it. Either that or she’s a damn good actress.

  Maybe Skylar is an expert at compartmentalizing her life. Maybe she’s put me in a box marked not happening and moved on. If she has then kudos to her. Lord knows I’ve been trying to do just that and failing miserably.

  She leaves right after the three of us eat dinner together on Friday night. I should be glad things are getting back to normal, that’s what I keep telling myself, but the house feels so quiet and empty every time she walks out the door.

  “Did you learn anything new today, Libby?”

  “Hmm...” She does this cute thing now where she puts a finger on her chin whenever she’s thinking. “I floated like the otters…Oh, and I paddled like a doggy to safety swim.” She shows me how she raises her head high while paddling her hands in quick strokes.

  I noticed before that Skylar used zip ties to fasten the floaty noodles I keep in th
e shed onto each stair railing, giving Olivia something to reach for in case she ever finds herself struggling in the water.

  “Were you able to swim to the noodles?”

  “Yep!”

  “That’s great.”

  “Daddy, I want a purple lavender bathing suit like Skylar.”

  “You don’t like the suits Grammy bought you in Disney?”

  She shrugs even though she was out of her mind happy with those suits just a week ago. “I like Skylar’s better.”

  Skylar took Olivia shopping with her the morning after I opened the pool. She didn’t bring any bathing suits from home, she said, and figured she needed a few new ones for the season.

  The suit Olivia is referring to is a favorite of mine, too. It’s about as simple as it gets, a one-piece with straps that criss-cross over her back. It’s not too low cut in the front or high cut on the bottom. It’s actually modest compared to what you see on the beaches these days, but she looks like a goddess in it.

  Long legs, posture as straight as a ballet dancer’s, the subtle curves of her hips and breasts. I had to look away when I first caught sight of her coming out the pool, rendered stupid from one look at that body with her long hair dripping wet down her back.

  Olivia tugs on the hem of my shirt as if to say: Uh, hello, earth to Dad.

  “I can ask Skylar to help me look online for a kid-sized one that looks like it, ok?” When she nods, I go back to loading the dishwasher but there’s a knock on the door.

  “Max?”

  “Hey! Haven’t seen you since you got back and we were just in the neighborhood for happy hour at that new craft brewery on Shady. Figured we’d pop in.”

  We includes Max, Nadia and Lexi the lawyer. He called me a few days ago, and when I told him I was busy getting the pool opened he mentioned a barbecue referencing the girls like we’re a foursome. I blew him off, so right now he’s being an annoying prick, otherwise known as his idea of being helpful.

  He walks past me. “Hi, Libby.”

  “Hi, Max,” she answers, fist bumping my friend like they’re best buds. “Who’s that?”

  “This,” he pulls Nadia in close, “is my girlfriend, Nadia, and this beautiful lady is Lexi, a friend of your dad’s.”

  Olivia looks to me. “You got a girlfriend?”

  I shoot Max a look. “Lexi is a friend of mine.” I walk over and give her a total bro hug, like with no bodily contact whatsoever, then introduce her to my baby. “Lexi, this is my daughter, Olivia.”

  “Oh my God, aren’t you so cute!” Olivia smiles at Lexi while simultaneously managing to look confused. I want to tell Libs: I feel you because I don’t know what the hell is going on either.

  Lexi takes a seat at the table and starts peppering Olivia with questions. And while I’m engaged in a half-hearted conversation with Max and Nadia, I hear my daughter reference Skylar in nearly every response she gives. Who gave you that beautiful bracelet? Skylar. Look at these adorable blond curls! You’re so lucky! I want brown hair likes Skylar’s. This goes on for a few more exchanges before Lexi abandons Olivia and walks over to us laughing. “Who is this Skylar she keeps talking about?”

  I answer, “Her babysitter,” at the same time Olivia pipes up and says, “She’s my special person.”

  Lexi keeps smiling but her words come out sounding sarcastic when she says, “She must be really special.”

  Max pokes his head into the refrigerator. “So, are you going to offer us a drink?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I answer, even though I really want to tell the three of them to beat it. You can’t drop by unannounced on parents with little kids. It screws up the whole nighttime routine. But Max doesn’t know this and neither do the girls. “I have this IPA,” I nudge him out of the way and show them one of the bottles, “or Bud.”

  I look up at the clock as I open the bottles, and seeing as it’s only seven o’clock, I know Olivia won’t shut it down for the night just yet. Skylar’s been teaching her the basics of time and numbers, and while Libs doesn’t have anything close to a clear understanding of it, she does know that an eight on the digital clock means bath, book and bedtime, while seven means: Don’t even think about trying to put me to bed.

  Two hours later Olivia is hopped up on the cookies Max keeps passing her way, even though I’ve told him to knock it off twice. She’s putting on a show fueled by sugar now, dancing around the living room and singing along to the soundtrack of Oklahoma. Yep, Skylar’s introduced her to the world of musical theater. Meanwhile, the three party crashers are happy and tipsy, egging Olivia on.

  When she starts belting out O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A at the top of her lungs with the letters out of order for the third time in a row, I cut her off. “Olivia, that’s it. It’s past your bedtime. Say goodnight to everyone and let’s go upstairs.”

  “Nooo!” Nadia and Lexi whine in unison. Lexi says, “C’mere, Olivia,” and grabs my daughter in a hug while smiling up at me. “Let her stay up. She’s so adorable.”

  I’ve been nursing this one beer all night, so I’m not finding Lexi’s act one bit cute or amusing. “Nope. Libs will be a crank tomorrow if she doesn’t get her sleep.”

  “I won’t be a crank!”

  Forget using her indoor voice to protest, that shrill squawk is a voice I’m well-acquainted with and one that fills me with dread. Yep, she’s on the verge of a meltdown.

  I hoist Olivia over my shoulder as she starts to cry and rain blows down on my back with her tiny fists.

  “Aw,” Lexi pouts as Max grabs another round of beers from the fridge and leads them out onto the back deck. “Goodnight, Libs,” she calls after us, and the nickname sounds so wrong coming from her.

  Don’t call her that, I want to yell back. You don’t even know her.

  I’m just reaching the top of the stairs when there’s a knock on the door. What now? I’m tempted to ignore it when the knocking starts up again, loud and persistent.

  “What’s up, Mr. Carey?”

  Rob is the most irritating guy on my block. The only irritating guy, really. I like the rest of my neighbors, and we all kind of feel the same way about Rob. He’s the one who not so subtly lets you know if you’re grass is getting too long or if your paint is starting to chip. His house is pristine, and his lush green lawn looks like he cuts each individual blade with a scissors to ensure uniformity. He’s that guy.

  He’s got his serious face on while I’m probably sporting a look that says: Spit it out and then be on your way. I’ve got a feisty little girl trying to wiggle her way out of my hold while screaming, “Put me down!” so I’m running low on patience at the moment.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything, but this is the third night in a row.” What the hell is he talking about? I take a step closer to the door to look around my property, to see that my garbage cans are put away and nothing’s amiss. “That car that’s always parked outside of your house?” He’s barely able to hide his distaste when he says the word car, so I automatically know he’s referring to Skylar’s rusty old ride.

  “What about it?”

  “It’s been parked at the end of the street for the past three nights in a row.” When I don’t respond right away he gets testy. “Last night I walked down to check if it was still there at midnight and there was someone sleeping in the backseat! We’re not running a homeless shelter on the block now, are we, Leo?”

  What a dick. “Not that I know of, Rob.” Shaking my head, I add, “Go home, I’ll look into it.”

  I don’t trust that my nosy neighbor will go home, though. In fact, I’m kind of shocked that he hasn’t just gone ahead and called the police already.

  What to do? I think about bringing Libs along with me, but I’m not really sure what it is that I’m dealing with. Instead I walk her out to the deck and commit the worst parenting crime imaginable: giving in.

  “Max, can you watch her for a second?”

  “We’ve got her,” Lexi offers, but when she opens her arms, Libby snubs her a
nd goes to take Max’s hand.

  “Do not go near the pool, Olivia. I’ll be right back.”

  “Everything all right?” Max asks.

  I nod. “Be back in five.”

  I can see Skylar’s car at the top of the hill. She’s taken care to park it under a tree and away from any streetlights. She wants to stay out of sight.

  What the hell is going on?

  The inside of the car is illuminated from the glow her phone is giving off. She doesn’t see me approaching so she startles when I tap on the window.

  She takes a deep breath and then starts the car so she can lower the window. She’s back to cool as a cucumber Skylar, but now it’s not too hard to see past the mask she wears.

  “Hey.” She says it like there’s nothing peculiar about this situation, as if camping out in her car is no biggie.

  I make an effort to be quiet and gentle when I ask, “What are you doing?”

  “Just reading,” she says before lowering her head, and I can tell from her breathing and the way her shoulders move up and down that she’s crying.

  “Hey, hey…” I go to the other side of the car and get into the passenger seat. “Tell me what’s going on.” She doesn’t answer, so I reach over to touch her cheek, careful and slow, and turn her to face me. “You can talk to me.”

  It takes her a few seconds and a few shaky breaths before she says anything. “I rented a summer sublet. I didn’t know the girl personally…It was like a friend of a friend of a friend thing. The place is a dump. I mean, I knew that from the outset, but there are people coming and going all day and all night. It’s like a twenty-four-hour house party. And the people are…”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know…Older? Weird? Sketchy is the word I’d use, I guess.”

  “So you haven’t been sleeping there?”

  “I did the first couple of nights, but I was awake most of the time. My bedroom is on the first floor, so it’s not like I can escape the noise. And then some guy, a friend of Holly’s boyfriend came knocking on my door the last night I was there. I met him the day before I drove home when I went to drop off the rent.” She lowers her head. “Let’s just say I knew from that first impression that I shouldn’t open my door.”