Reid joined him on the court, where Brandon schooled him on all things basketball.
They were in the middle of a game, his shirt covered in sweat, when Caroline arrived. She still wore pants and a jacket that indicated she hadn’t made it home. She waved when he caught her eye, then sat on one of the bleachers, her back straight and attention focused on the court.
He jogged up to her at the break and plopped down with a grin. “You came.”
“Sure.” She wrinkled her nose in that adorable way she had. “And you smell.”
He pulled his shirt out and made a show of sniffing. “Just the manly smell of an athlete.”
“Eau de stinky.”
“You love it.”
“I love you. There’s a difference.”
“Difference without a distinction.”
“Says the guy who smells.”
“How’d your day end?”
“It was fine.” She glanced away before returning her focus to him. What had snagged her attention? “But it’s all boring law stuff. Nothing to bother you with.”
“I’ve always enjoyed your stories.” While he might not have the law degree, he appreciated the look into her world and days.
“Quit swooning, Lancaster, and get back on the court.” Reid’s words held a joking quality, but Brandon didn’t appreciate the interruption.
“We good?”
She pasted on a smile and it almost reached her eyes. “Absolutely.”
“Grab ice cream after?”
“Can’t.” She glanced at her watch. “In fact, I should go now.” She brushed her hands along the outside of her jacket lapels. “I haven’t made it home yet. Tomorrow’s another early day.”
As she pecked him on the cheek, then stood and left, he had the feeling something was off. No idea what, just a sense she was holding back.
Chapter 15
It was almost midnight when Brandon returned to Almost Home. The lights in the group homes were out except for one shining from the Stones’ suite at the back of their cottage. Little Ellie must be keeping Jeff or Alaina up. He didn’t envy them juggling her along with the six children who lived in their cottage. Those kids would someday appreciate the love Alaina liberally poured out on them and the firm hand Jeff kept while also giving them experiences their own parents hadn’t.
It took a special heart to lavish a parent’s care and concern on children who weren’t biologically yours and were entrusted to you only for a season, but Brandon had seen over and over how it had a positive impact on the kids. The Almost Home house parents played a key role in the children’s long-term success.
Usually the physical activity of a basketball game released the building pressure on Brandon to comply with the state’s yet-to-be-settled requirements. Instead, the pressure had intensified rather than released in spite of almost two hours of shooting up and down the court. Moreover, his knees felt creaky. Proof he needed more nights like this to stay limber.
Brandon frowned as he scanned the parking lot in front of the lodge.
It was unusual that the lights were out.
They were on a timer and should have come on automatically. He pulled into the slot closest to his small apartment inside the lodge. The light over his parking spot had been lit last night. It was bright enough that he’d been grateful for the blackout blinds Caroline had helped him select. They’d spent an entertaining hour discussing why certain curtains would work (solid, plaid, manly) and others wouldn’t (lace, frilly, pink). He was ready to live with sunlight streaming unhindered through his windows, but she’d kept it fun.
When he stepped from his car and came around to the front, he saw a pile of shattered glass at his feet.
He bit back a choice word at the idea of how much work it would take to clean that up so kids running around with bare feet didn’t end up with shards in their toes. Then he turned on his cell phone’s flashlight and pointed it at the lamp. Where the bulb should have been was a ragged edge of glass still attached to the base. Exactly what he needed. An excuse to climb a tall ladder and play with electricity. He’d add it to his list of things to take care of in the morning, along with figuring out which kid decided to throw a rock at the bulb and not tell anyone about the damage.
Right now he needed a shower and sleep.
Tomorrow he’d clean up the glass and then set up a time to meet with his house parents.
* * *
Caroline tossed and turned in her bed, the sheets tangling around her knees. Her friends were so sure they knew the right thing for her to do—so easy when you only spoke the words and didn’t have to follow up with action. How many times had she done the same to them without realizing it?
Usually she spent the dinners laughing until her sides hurt and tears rolled down her cheeks. Tonight had been different. She didn’t like having their attention focused on her. She didn’t like being the recipient of advice.
She glanced at her alarm clock again and groaned. Only seven minutes since the last time she looked. The night would last forever at this rate, and she’d be exhausted in the morning. What a great way to go into a workday. She grabbed her phone from its charging pad and pulled up messages. Would Brandon still be awake?
Though she’d made it to the basketball game, she was still reeling from the dinner’s pointed advice. She’d felt Brandon’s gaze as she escaped their short conversation made awkward by the hangover of her friends’ suggestions. For all she knew, he was still at the gym. The games could go until the facility closed.
With a few clicks she texted Brandon.
You up?
She waited, wishing it wasn’t so late. She wanted to hear his voice. Have him tell her she was right and okay. That they didn’t have to talk about her job to be right and okay. She wanted to share the good the company was doing and talk through what was in the pipeline. Sharing any of that could put him in a difficult position though.
She watched for the little winking balls to let her know he was responding.
Midnight wasn’t usually too late, but he’d been as distracted as she was.
She sighed and started texting another message.
Sorry I’ve been a distracted girlfriend lately. And when you need one. Forgive me?
She set the phone back on the pad. He’d respond when he could, but maybe he was getting the sleep she needed. At least one of them should.
After another fifteen minutes alternating between squeezing her eyes shut and grabbing her phone to check for a response, Caroline thrust her duvet from her body and climbed out of bed. She turned on the hallway light and took the few steps to her kitchen. Then she filled her electric teakettle and with a flick of the switch turned it on. She pulled her tea caddy across the counter and sifted through several tea bags before deciding on a lavender lemon combination. Hopefully it would help soothe her mind into sleep. She needed the rest more than her body acknowledged. She pushed the caddy back in place and then straightened the trivet she’d decorated at a paint-your-own-pottery place.
She grabbed her Smile, y'all mug, which Jaime had given her as something of a gag gift while they’d been roommates, and filled it with the boiling water. Caroline had never really excelled at bouncing out of bed with a wide smile. It took a cup of coffee to get her going. Tonight it looked like it would take a mug of tea to calm her thoughts. She carried it to her couch and sank onto the cushions while holding the cup’s warmth and inhaling the soothing aroma. While she loved the speed of the kettle, it heated the water too hot to sip.
As she waited, Caroline tried to center her thoughts. She needed to settle in her heart and mind what she was going to do about work. She considered that Savannah was right—she could not continue to live in this tension between who she wanted to be with Brandon and how she was acting right now. She shifted a throw pillow until it fit the small of her back and tucked her feet under her. She wanted to share the excitement and questions about what had happened with Patrick Robbins but couldn’t. She needed to do what she
was hired to do—provide legal guardrails for the company. The fact that she even had to ask what was right unnerved her.
She knew better.
She did.
Her phone buzzed, and Caroline settled her mug on the edge of the square coffee table before grabbing the device.
The screen was lit with an incoming text, but she sighed when she realized it wasn’t from Brandon.
Have something I’d like to discuss. I may be crazy, but you’re the best person to evaluate.
The message from Anna didn’t make sense.
??? I’m up now if you need to talk. I’m also happy to come to you tomorrow.
Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be up. I wouldn’t have texted if I’d thought. Can I blame Jilly brain? Now get some sleep.
Seems you need it more.
Tell that to my peanut. There was a pause, then Anna continued. Seriously, get some sleep. You’ll have to get some for me too. The girl is tap-dancing inside me.
Some of us wonder if we’ll ever experience that sensation, you know.
You will. In the right time with the right man . . .
A minute later the blinking dots reappeared.
On second thought can you meet for lunch tomorrow? I have a window at eleven.
Sure.
After they set the time and place, Caroline opened her Bible app to the Psalms. Reading a few of them might calm her mind enough to rest. She needed that even more now that her thoughts buzzed with what was keeping Anna awake and reaching out.
* * *
Thursday, May 20
Brandon stared at his phone as morning sun streamed through his window. Frodo hopped on the bed and walked from the foot of it up his legs to his chest. Then the cat plopped down and began purring, effectively covering the phone with his furry body. Brandon chuckled as he began rubbing under the cat’s chin. “Guess you wanted some attention, huh, boy?”
The cat’s eyes closed to slits as he amped up his rumbling purr, then arched his neck to give Brandon better access.
After a minute Frodo stood and stretched each of his legs, one at a time. Then he meowed before jumping off the bed. “All right. I’ll get your breakfast in a minute.”
He needed to get outside and spend some time with the younger boys who weren’t in school, because Thursday was the day he freed the house moms to do whatever they needed or wanted. He’d heard Caroline call it self-care. It was a perfect day to put the boys to work outside, help them learn the value of hard labor and how it made you feel about yourself. He’d begin exploring who’d knocked out the light. Wouldn’t be the first time an errant ball had shattered something.
He grabbed his phone and sat on the edge of his double bed reading the text from last night.
Forgive me?
Reading the words burdened his heart. Caroline had done nothing to forgive. Instead, he was the one who made her feel like she’d done something. The text symbolized what felt like a growing distance between them, and he wasn’t sure what had started it.
He should reply and say all was good, yet the words would mean little. She already believed something about what was going on, and it wouldn’t be easy dislodging that and replacing it with the truth.
This would take some thought. He shoved the phone in his pocket.
He needed to feel strong in one area of his life. Relationship. Work. Somewhere. He hadn’t even won the basketball game last night. Sure, it was only a pickup game with friends, but the way they pounded up and down the court until his shirt was soaked with sweat, it always felt like more.
His head dropped back against his headboard with a thud. Ouch. He rubbed the back of his head. Maybe he should have bought the fabric-covered one rather than a basic wood frame.
God?
It was the only word he could squeeze out. He hoped God could interpret everything that was packed into that three-letter word.
His thoughts jumbled, so it was time to move. To do something he could control. If only for a minute.
Frodo strutted back to the bed. “Mwrrr.”
“Time to feed you.” After he took Frodo to the kitchenette area of his apartment and filled the food bowl, he fixed a cup of coffee and sat at the bar.
Then he sent a text to the five sets of house parents, asking for a quick meeting in the early afternoon. When he walked down the stairs from his apartment, carrying his protein shake filled with kale and other green things, Alaina Stone stood in the foyer, her infant daughter strapped to her chest somehow. Four little boys ran in circles around her.
“Hey, Alaina. Hope you didn’t wait long.”
“Nope.” She didn’t meet his gaze as she continued to marshal the boys. “I’m not sure why, but these kids have hummingbird energy this morning.”
“At least it’s a great day to get them outside. Fresh air for a couple hours will wear them out.”
“One can hope.” She saluted him. “They are yours. And Lexi’s having a tea party with Roselyn and her girls. Lexi declared this morning she’s had enough of smelly boys and doesn’t want to come back until the other girl returns.”
Brandon chuckled as he imagined the little girl placing her hands on her hips and stomping her foot. “Tell her I hope Bethany is back soon too.”
“I will.” She paused at the door. “Jeff and I should be at the meeting.” She finally met his gaze. “We never wanted to leave.”
“I know. I may have found a way so you won’t have to.”
Her lips tipped up on one side. “I hope so.”
Brandon turned his attention to the boys as the door closed behind her. “Who’s ready to have some fun?”
“Me!” The boys yelled over each other at a decibel level that left him wincing.
“All right, you rascally young men. Outside.” He opened the door and then let them troop out in front of him.
Ranging in age from a tall five to a chubby eight, the foursome looked like they belonged with Peter Pan’s lost boys. Evan’s tennis shoes had a hole in the toe. Hadn’t Brandon recently replaced them? And Luke’s sweatshirt sleeves were an inch too short. Good thing summer was on the way. Brandon ruffled the top of Zeke’s tight black curls as he walked out the door.
“To the shed.”
Zeke and Luke turned it into a race, which worked great until Evan stumbled and fell hard on a knee and his lower lip began to tremble. Brandon picked him up, dusted off his knee, then patted him on the back. “You okay?”
The little boy sniffled before nodding. Gabriel watched from a distance. Slightly older than Zeke and Luke at eight, he hadn’t joined in the race, instead choosing to lag a couple of steps behind Brandon. “You all right, Gabriel?”
“Sure.” The boy didn’t meet his gaze, as if his shoelaces were super interesting.
“All right.”
A minute later Brandon handed out child-sized rakes and gloves to the boys. Zeke, Evan, and Luke took them and immediately started using the rakes as swords, while Gabriel just looked at his. Then his big blue eyes looked up at Brandon. “Is she coming home, Mr. Brandon?”
“She?” Brandon swallowed hard. “You mean Bethany?”
The boy nodded as he worried his lower lip between his teeth.
“I’m praying she will.” He put an arm around the young man. “Do you understand why you can’t see her?”
“This isn’t the first time.” Those few words contained a fountain of knowledge that no eight-year-old boy should carry.
“Youch!” Luke rammed into Zeke and the boys went tumbling. “Say you’re sorry.”
“For what?” Zeke grappled on top of Luke.
“For hitting Evan.”
“It’s what swords do.” The seven-year-old spoke as if he had years of experience in swordplay.
Brandon separated the two. “All right. Let’s get to work.” He met Gabriel’s gaze. “All right?”
The boy nodded and soon they all called out to each other and vied for his attention as he set them to work along a sidewalk between the p
layground and two of the cabins. As the time slid by with the sun warming his face, Brandon felt the tightness in his gut loosen even as his shoulders and legs felt the strain of the physical activity. As he helped the boys, he worked on a mental outline of what he wanted to say to his employees.
“Mr. Brandon?” Evan stood in front of him, a pout on his pale face.
“Yep.”
“Zeke won’t let me pull the weeds.”
Zeke, crouching near the pansies and petunias, huffed with seven-year-old wisdom. “Only ’cause he already pulled out two of the tulips.” The boy pointed to the evidence along the sidewalk. “I’ve got to protect Miss Caroline’s flowers.”
“I didn’t mean nothing.” Evan’s lower lip pushed out even farther.
Brandon crouched in front of him. “When we’re done, you and I can cut a bouquet for her.”
“Okay.” The boy traipsed back to his rake, and Brandon smiled.
It was a brilliant idea because it gave him an excuse to drive into town and see her. He shouldn’t need an excuse, but the boys soon had a handful of flowers picked.
“Nice work, men.”
They puffed their little chests out.
Evan reluctantly surrendered his crumpled pansies. “Can I come?”
This was a solo assignment. “Not this time, soldier.”
“Take a picture?”
“Sure.” Brandon ruffled his hair.
Yes, his day was looking up, and it had everything to do with seeing the woman he loved.
Chapter 16
Even as she kept an eye on the clock, anticipating her lunch with Anna, Caroline spent the morning working on a patent application. Her gaze would dart to her phone, and when she didn’t see a text from Brandon, she would force herself to return to work even as she hoped he wasn’t mad. The details required for the patent were enough to make her wish she’d paid more attention in her science classes. Fortunately, Praecursoria kept an expert IP attorney on retainer to complete the nitty-gritty aspects of the application. Her task was to compile the information in as perfect a format as she could to give him a head start, which lowered Praecursoria’s overall cost.
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