Keeping Her Close

by Carol Ross

  As a kid, Kyle had worshipped his dad. Reverence, he’d only realized too late, that his dad hadn’t earned. At least, he hadn’t deserved quite so much of Kyle’s undying devotion. Certainly not at the expense of his mom and sister. Since he’d come to Pacific Cove, his mom acted like he’d been a perfect son who’d never done a thing wrong. His attempts to establish a relationship with Mia were mostly discouraging, a kind of “one step forward, two steps back” kind of thing. And he knew Nora felt the strain of playing peacekeeper between her children. While he struggled to shake the guilt of not being a better son and brother, Nora’s enthusiasm somehow made Kyle feel worse. Bottom line, he felt like he deserved some of Mia’s scorn and didn’t deserve his mom’s devotion. Bringing Harper into the middle of it felt...overwhelming.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Harper asked from the passenger seat as they neared Mia’s house.

  “With what?” Kyle asked.

  “With me meeting your family.”

  Were his thoughts so easy to read or was she just being polite? “Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?” he hedged.

  “Well, you didn’t exactly invite me. Your mom did. At the time, I said yes because I could tell you didn’t want me to go and I thought it might annoy you if I did. Plus, I was curious. I still am.”

  Kyle grinned at her honesty. “That was before. If I seem edgy, it’s not because of you.” He sighed. “My relationship with my family is complicated.”

  “How so?”

  Kyle pulled into Mia and Jay’s driveway and parked behind Levi’s car.

  “It’s too much to tell in the two minutes it’ll take us to walk inside the house. Suffice it to say that my sister doesn’t like me very much, and I don’t blame her.” Opening the door, he got out, giving a startled Harper no time to ask her customary questions.

  She’d insisted on detouring into town for flowers, so Kyle retrieved them from the backseat and walked toward the porch.

  Rushing ahead of him, Harper leaped onto the first tread and turned so they were closer in height. “Wait a sec.”

  Kyle stepped right up to her. The fact did not escape him that all he had to do was lean forward a few inches and he could finally taste her lips.

  Just before his gaze drifted down, she caught it with hers, and whispered, “Why are we here if your sister doesn’t like you? After meeting her, I gotta be honest and say I find that hard to believe.”

  Leaning in so his mouth was beside her ear, he closed his eyes and took a second to enjoy the enticing flowery scent of her, before whispering, “Because I’m hoping to eventually change her mind.”

  “Oh.” With a little shudder, she breathed out the word and Kyle knew it had nothing to do with his response and everything to do with their close proximity. “Kyle...?”

  But he wasn’t going to kiss her on his sister’s porch. He shouldn’t be thinking about kissing her at all. Bobbing his head to the left where the porch led to a walkway, he said, “That way.”

  Exhaling an “Okay,” she turned around. They followed the path that led to the back deck. With the sun shining and Laney grilling salmon, Kyle knew that’s where his family would be congregating.

  “Hey!” Levi called from the deck chair. Setting aside the book in his hand, he stood. “You guys made it.”

  An apron-clad Laney was in front of the grill where a whole salmon filleted in two sizzled over the hot coals. At Levi’s words, she pivoted and faced them. “Harper, hi! Nice to see you again. You look so pretty. I love your top.” Leave it to Laney to make Harper feel welcome. Pointing the oversize spatula at Levi who’d moved closer, she made introductions. “Harper, this is my brother, Levi. Levi, this is Uncle Kyle’s friend Harper.”

  Harper greeted them both and shook Levi’s hand.

  “Uncle Kyle,” Laney said with a disappointed sigh. “You, on the other hand, are a pig.” She added a headshake as if disgusted by the sight of him. “You really need to start working out. That was a sorry display at yoga the other night. You almost turned that soaring pigeon into a crash-landed turkey buzzard. Humiliating.”

  “Well, you’re ugly and not very bright. But it’s nice that you try hard.”

  Laney laughed and punched him in the shoulder with her free hand. These newest members of his extended family Kyle adored. There was no regrettable history to cloud the future, and he intended to keep it that way. He was also grateful for the buffer they created between him and Mia.

  Kyle turned and patted the spot. “Quick, Laney, I think there’s a mosquito on my shoulder. I felt it trying to bite me. Do you see it?”

  “Funny,” Laney said flatly. “I’ll have you know I can now bench-press my body weight.”

  “All eighty pounds of it,” Levi quipped.

  Laney punched him, too.

  “Ouch!”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” she said. “And there’s more where that came from.”

  Kyle had to laugh at his skinny, six-foot-tall niece who looked way more like a supermodel than a tough girl. Woe to the men of her future who would undoubtedly underestimate her.

  “Seriously, Laney,” Kyle said. “It was a good punch. I’ll probably have a bruise.” He held out a fist.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed and bumped it with her own.

  Kyle explained to Harper, “Laney is a sure-thing for a volleyball scholarship. The only question is which university? She’s been working out to ensure the best offer.”

  “That, and so that I stay injury free. Thank you again for all the help, Uncle Kyle. That workout plan you made for me is doing the job. I’ve already gained an inch on my vertical leap.”

  “Which universities are you leaning toward?” Harper asked.

  Kyle left Harper visiting with the teens and stepped through the slider into the house to see if he could help in the kitchen. And promptly stopped in his tracks when he heard his mom say his name. The voices were coming from the kitchen and the response, presumably from Mia, was incomprehensible.

  He distinctly heard Nora’s rejoinder, “All I’m saying is that you could try a little harder, be more supportive.”

  Mia’s voice went louder, “I know, Mom. I could. It’s just that it’s hard for me. He hasn’t been around for years—by his own choice. Which he freely admits. But now he’s here acting like an enthusiastic part of the family and I’m supposed to just ignore the fact that he’s never wanted to be around me, which he also admits. And now he’s going to take off again. I don’t think it’s—”

  “But, Mia, honey,” Nora interrupted, “you just said it, he’s here now and—”

  Kyle didn’t want to hear the rest. He didn’t know how to deal with Mia’s disapproval anymore. He’d hoped that by spending time in Pacific Cove, they could find a way to bridge the gap between them. Maybe he needed to accept that the kind of relationship he hoped for wasn’t possible. Regardless, his mom did not need to defend him.

  Stepping into the kitchen, he said, “Hey, guys.”

  “Kyle, hi!” Nora said brightly even as her expression flickered with concern, no doubt wondering how much he’d overheard.

  “Hi, Mom. Mia, you won’t need to worry about me hanging around much longer. My new job with Dahlia starts in a month, and like you said, things will go back to being like they were when I was in the military. You’ll hardly ever have to see me.”

  Mia looked shocked. “Kyle, that’s not at all what I meant.”

  “Salmon’s ready!” Laney’s voice called through the house.

  “Maybe not,” Kyle said, not bothering to keep the resignation from his tone. “But that’s what I heard, and it’ll undoubtedly be easier for you that way.” He turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen.

  * * *

  FOR MOST OF Harper’s life, she’d been a family of two. Her mom had died when she was four, and while she couldn’t possibl
y love her dad any more than she did, she’d always been fascinated with big families. As a little girl, she’d longed for a sister or brother. Several of each would have been ideal in her mind.

  Levi explained that there were six kids in their brood. “So, we were born in sets of two. Jay and our older sister, Josie, have the same dad. Then me and Laney—same dad. And we have a little brother and sister, Dean and Delilah...” Levi nodded and shook one finger. “I can see you’re picking up on this quickly. Presumably, to make it easier for her to remember, our mom named us so that the first letter of our names matches the first letter of our corresponding dads’ names. For example, Laney and I share the same father. That’s Lyle.”

  “Wow.” A million questions swirled through Harper’s mind. As she tried to decide which ones were polite to ask, Levi saved her from having to choose by answering a few of them.

  “Our mom is on her fifth marriage. She has a mental illness, a personality disorder, and last year she relinquished custody of us to Jay and Josie. They’ve raised us anyway, but family court made it official. Jay kept Laney and me, so he’s our legal guardian. Sometimes I call him dad just to freak him out. Josie has Dean and Delilah. She’s married to Craig. They’ll be here soon, and you’ll get to meet them, too. Oh, and we all call Kyle ‘Uncle Kyle’ because we like him and are thrilled to have a real uncle. Well, some of us have biological uncles who we never see so we don’t count them.”

  “All right, then.” Harper nodded. “I’m good with faces. This will be fun.”

  No sooner had she uttered the declaration than a little boy and girl came running around the side of the house, followed by a woman who looked like Jay’s brown-haired, green-eyed twin. Introductions were made, and Harper felt incredibly welcome. She knew that she and Kyle were a source of speculation, but Kyle handled it well, calling her a friend and explaining that he knew her dad without mentioning his name. No one pegged her for David Bellaire’s daughter, but she felt sure that if anyone would, it would be Levi.

  Laney learned she was a photographer and asked for her advice on the pictures they’d posted on the Lucky Cats website. Harper learned that Mia had started the cat rescue organization with the goal to reduce the feral cat population. In addition to sterilizing strays, they also gave them medical treatment and rehabilitated them for adoption. Harper was honest about the photos, explaining how different light and composition might help. One black-and-white cat looked so thin and sickly Harper despaired of her ever being adopted.

  Everyone seemed to adore Kyle, and Harper speculated that the “complicated” part he’d mentioned must go back further than the built-in family Mia had gained via her marriage to Jay.

  It wasn’t long before the interaction between Kyle and Mia added proof to her theory. Compared to the dynamic among Jay’s siblings, Harper would never have guessed Kyle and Mia were brother and sister. They barely spoke to each other and when they did it was with excessive politeness. This was all very strange. When Harper met Mia at yoga class, she’d seemed excited that Kyle was coming to dinner. But now Mia seemed tense and edgy and totally unlike the woman she’d met. Kyle was stiff and uncomfortable—a state she was all too familiar with—but his comment when they’d arrived told Harper that he cared very much for his sister. And the vibe between them didn’t feel like dislike as much as... She didn’t know, but Harper felt an inexplicable determination to get to the bottom of it.

  Her chance came sooner than expected. After dinner, the kids recruited Kyle for a game of soccer on the beach. Jay headed down with them to light a fire as s’mores were on the menu for dessert. Harper volunteered to help clean up, and soon she found herself alone in the kitchen with Mia.

  Harper rinsed the silverware and began loading the dishwasher. “Kyle said you guys didn’t grow up here?”

  “No, we didn’t.” Mia spooned leftover salad into a smaller container. “I’m sure he mentioned that Bill, his dad, who I thought was my biological father but was in reality my stepdad—although I didn’t learn that until last year—was career navy.”

  What! “Mmm-hmm,” she answered because he had told her the navy part.

  “We moved often, but usually we lived near the ocean. The beach was one part of my childhood that I did like, so when I graduated from veterinary school, I came here. My mentor had started a practice in Pacific Cove, and he offered me a partnership. I jumped at the chance. Bill had passed away, and Mom always loved living by the ocean, too. She generously helped me with the down payment for this house and moved in with me.”

  Harper plugged the sink to start washing the dishes that wouldn’t fit inside the dishwasher. “I don’t blame you for choosing this place. I’ve only been here a few months, but I love Pacific Cove. My dad and I used to vacation here when I was little.”

  Mia was working on stowing the uneaten portion of potatoes au gratin. Harper was surprised there was any of the delicious dish left.

  Mia said, “Kyle seems to like it, too.”

  “He does,” Harper agreed.

  “So, you two know each other through your dad? Is he in the military?”

  “Yes, and no, he’s not. My dad’s a businessman in Seattle.” Harper didn’t mention the scientist part for fear it would give her away.

  “Any chance you could get my brother to abandon his Dahlia fixation and stay here in Pacific Cove?”

  Okay. Those were not the words of a sister who disliked her brother. “Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of influence. We’re not... We’re just friends.” At least, Harper thought they were headed toward a friendship. Even though there’d been a few moments where it felt like it could be more. Like earlier on the porch...

  “Is that his idea or yours?”

  “Um, both, I guess.” Harper needed to change the course of this conversation before Mia asked something that forced her to lie outright. She was attracted to Kyle in ways that she’d never felt before, ways that she’d never felt about any other friend before. Or any more-than-friend, for that matter. But attraction didn’t make a relationship or mean that you should even entertain the idea of one. So, yeah, stop entertaining, Harper. “You don’t like the idea of Kyle working for Dahlia?”

  Mia scoffed. “No. That work is dangerous. I don’t know why... I understand him putting his life at risk for our country, but to do it for money? I don’t get it. Do you know that his best friend was killed last year while he was working for Dahlia?”

  “I did. I do know about that. But from what I understand, Owen wasn’t on the job when he was killed. It was a car accident.”

  Mia made a skeptical sound. “Maybe not. But there have been plenty of other employees who have been. And he was in that danger zone because of Dahlia. I know Kyle will be making a lot of money, but that’s never been important to him. Obviously. You know him.”

  She was right, of course; he was trading one high-risk occupation for another. Why was he taking the job? Harper thought about his old beat-up pickup, his casual wardrobe and his decided lack of expensive gadgets. Even more telling, he’d never asked Harper about her wealth. He didn’t seem to be motivated by money like Owen. The more important takeaway here was that Mia sounded like a protective big sister who cared very much for her baby brother. So, what exactly was the problem between them? Harper needed to think about this.

  “How did you and Jay meet?”

  “A plane crash.”

  “A whatty-what?” Soapy serving bowl in hand, Harper swiveled toward Mia, sudsy water flying. “Oops.” A bubble drifted up toward the window above the sink. “Sorry, but did you say plane crash?”

  Mia grinned. Towel in hand, she reached over and swiped at the mess on the countertop. “Yes, my mom and I were traveling in a small plane that crashed into the ocean. Jay was the flight mechanic with the Coast Guard crew who rescued us. One look into those green eyes and I was hypnotized. Of course, Mom was injured, and I was in shock, so
it could have been that.”

  “Wow. That is super romantic-dangerous, terrifying meet-cute aside.”

  “Yeah.” The word floated out on a laugh. “If you knew me better, you’d realize just how romantic. I would have lost a lot of money betting that I’d never fall in love with a guy in the military.”

  “Even though that’s what your stepdad and your brother chose?”

  “That’s precisely why I don’t like it. As a kid, I hated moving around all the time, changing schools, always being the new girl. We never had a home or even a hometown. It was hard. How the navy came first in our life. I hated—” Mia cut herself off.

  Harper silently willed her not to stop. She could sense she was close to getting some answers here.

  “I’m sorry. Get me talking about my childhood and I’ll go on for ages. Even though I’ve learned that a lot of my feelings are tied to the way Bill treated me and not the military itself. And I still don’t understand why Kyle is trading the military for a job that’s so similar.”

  “I take it your stepdad was not a nice man?” Harper couldn’t stand the thought of a man who would mistreat Nora or Mia or Kyle. The idea of any dad who was unkind to his children made her heart hurt. Was this why Kyle didn’t want to talk about his family? This image of their life was so different from the one she’d formed based on the snippets she’d gleaned from Kyle. He’d seemed to recall his dad fondly when they’d discussed him in Astoria.

  “Oh, he was a very nice man,” Mia said, and waited a beat before adding, “To my mom and Kyle.”

  Oh, no. Harper didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be!” Mia reached out and gave her forearm a quick squeeze. “That sounded a little dramatic, I think.” She added a chuckle. “I swear, I’m not normally one to discuss this with people I don’t know. You’re so easy to talk to. But now that I brought it up, and because you and Kyle are friends, you should know that he has a different perspective. As he should. His perspective is different because his experience was different. Bill wasn’t mean to me or anything. He was just...nothing. He didn’t want me, and he didn’t love me. He tolerated me because he loved my mom. And my mom loved me. She was the best mom ever and did her best to make up for it but...like I said, I only learned that he wasn’t my real dad last year, and I’m still dealing with it all. But I grew up thinking my dad didn’t like me. But Kyle was his son, and he adored him.”