Rhett by Margaret McHeyzer

 

 

 

The front door opens, and I crane my neck to see which one of my boys is coming home. “Hey, Mom,” Rhett calls. He’s home from his date already?

“Hi, Elise,” Dani says.

My eyes are drawn to two things. One, they’re holding hands, and two, Rhett’s jeans and hair are wet. “What on earth happened to you?” I ask quickly noticing Dani’s dry. “Hello, sweetheart,” I say to Dani. She timidly smiles and looks down to where their fingers are linked together.

“Nothing much.” Rhett shrugs.

I look at Dani. “No use in me asking him. What happened?”

Her eyes widen as she stands beside him nearly speechless. “We were going to have lunch, and this car ran off the road and plowed into the water. Rhett didn’t hesitate. He ran down there, took his t-shirt and shoes off and jumped into the water to help the man who was driving,” Dani’s voice shakes as she recaps what happened.

“What? Are you okay?” I ask as I step forward to hold Rhett’s shoulders, checking him out in case he’s hurt.

“I’m fine, Mom.”

“It truly was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” Dani says. “I don’t know how he stayed so composed, because I was standing there, unable to speak or move. You should’ve seen him, Elise, he truly is something else.”

I smile proudly as I take a step back and fold my arms over my chest. “That’s my boy.”

Rhett lowers his eyes, as the tips of his ears turn pink. “It was nothing.” He’s always hated being the center of attention. Even when he was a little kid and he’d come home with straight As, he’d never boast or even tell us. Patrick and I would have to drag it out of him.

“You got the guy out of the car?”

“Yeah,” he says nonchalantly. “Worked on him until the paramedics got there. They ended up getting a heartbeat.”

“With a huge thanks to you,” Dani says.

Rhett shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “I’m gonna take a quick shower. I won’t be long.” He leans over and gives Dani a peck on the cheek. Oh, wow! I didn’t realize they were together yet.

“Okay,” Dani responds. She looks at him like he’s the sun and she’s a sunflower, desperate for his warmth to find her. Rhett pulls away, and I notice how he looks back over his shoulder at Dani and smiles widely. I knew he liked her, but I didn’t realize precisely how much he liked it.

“Would you like a coffee, or a cold drink, Dani?” I offer as I walk into the kitchen to make myself a coffee.

“A coffee would be great, please.”

She follows me, and sits on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter. “Sounds like you both had an interesting day,” I say.

“You have no idea.” She nervously chuckles. “I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. Rhett’s instincts and training just took over. He was amazing.” She rakes her hand through her hair, and repeats, “Amazing.”

“He’s a good man, Dani.” She remains quiet for a moment as I make the coffees. “Did he show you the photo I took of the both of you at his birthday?”

“Yeah, he did. It’s a really nice picture.”

“It’s my favorite one of the night. Cream?” I ask as I turn to look at her.

“No, thanks. Just black for me.” I hand Dani her coffee, and lean up against the cupboards as I nestle the warm cup between my hands and take a sip. “How are your parents, Dani? I haven’t seen them in what feels like ages.” Her shoulders tense when I mention her parents. What’s going on there?

“They’re...they’re good,” she stutters.

Hmmm. Something isn’t sitting well with me about her reaction. “Yeah? You should invite them around for dinner one night.”

“Yeah, I will. But I’m not sure when they’ll be able to make it. Dad has a job that takes him out of town quite a lot, and Mom goes with him.”

“You’re on your own at home?”

Her cheeks become pink, and she picks her cup up, taking a long sip. I can’t help but notice the slight wobble in her hands. Dani places the cup on the counter and offers me a tense smile. “Only when they’re away. But I’ll definitely let them know to come around for dinner when I speak to them tonight.”

Yeah, something is off about this. “Rhett tells me you’re working over in Hope River and in Faith Haven?”

“Yeah, I run the café for Elle while she’s home with Ezra. She’ll be back soon, but she said she’ll only be back for a few hours a day at first. And I’m a waitress over at The Narrow Table, where Serena used to work.”

“Two jobs? Well done. Do you enjoy it?”

“I really like Elle’s Café. The Narrow Table is fine, but it’s a different atmosphere from the café. The café is more intimate and personable, and I know nearly everyone who comes through the doors. The restaurant is alright, I guess, but I enjoy its faster pace. I’d like to learn business management, but I think I’ll only learn what I can glean on the job.”

“You could go to college and get a degree.”

Her lips turn down as her shoulders shift forward. “I’m afraid college isn’t in the cards for me.”

“Why not?”

“Mom and Dad wouldn’t be able to pay for it. It’s okay though, because I’m still learning things. Maybe one day in a few years I’ll be able to go.” There are so many alarm bells ringing for me. Although I want to push her to find out more, I’m afraid she’ll shut down entirely.

I look toward the back of the house where Rhett’s room is. Dani stares blankly at the countertop, clearly thinking about something that’s bothering her. “I heard Rhett was being an ass to you?”

“I overreacted, I was being a drama llama,” she responds. “Rhett’s,” she pauses to think of what to say. “He did nothing wrong.”

“He told me he was being an ass, and let me tell you, he’s got that in him. Just in case you’re wondering, I did write the note.” I smile, and Dani chuckles. “But, he has a good heart, and when he finds something he cares for, he protects it with his life.” Wrinkles form on her forehead. “Like his relationship with Pen.” Dani exhales while her face softens.

“Those two are inseparable. For the longest time we all thought they’d end up together. Let me tell you though, they’re closer than siblings and there’s no romance there.” God, I hope she understands that Pen and Rhett will never be anything more than best friends. “I can only imagine how their relationship looks to other people. Pen is completely in love with Dane, even though they split up and get back together again every other week.”

“They do?” Dani asks.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve never seen Pen look at Rhett with anything but a sisterly love. And as far as Rhett, he’s never looked at her the way he looks at you.”

Dani lifts her gaze. Her eyes sparkle with happiness, her smile is genuinely ecstatic. “You think he looks at me as more than just a friend?” she meekly asks.

“Oh, sweetheart, he’s never looked at anyone the way he does you. When I say never, I mean never.”

“What’s going on?” Rhett asks as he approaches us.

I avert my attention to Dani. She’s looking at him with so much love. I can sense the emotions these two have for each other. There’s a clear spark of desire between them. Rhett stands behind Dani and places his hand possessively on her back. She peers up at him and smiles. “Nothing,” Dani replies as she stares at him.

“You sure?” he asks as he leans down, and kisses her forehead. A flutter of hope vibrates through my stomach as I watch how they are with one another. Although they’re both young, I know in my gut they’re meant to be together. Hmm, maybe a long engagement for these two. Maybe a short one? Whatever they want, I’m here to support them. “Mom,” Rhett says dragging me out of my blissful fantasy of all my boys happily married with their perfect mates.

“What?”

“I said, we’re getting pizza for dinner.”

“Remember you’re working tomorrow,” I remind him.

“You didn’t let me finish. I was saying, we’re getting pizza for dinner but it’ll be an early night because I have work tomorrow. What do you want?”

“I’m not in the mood for pizza. You order for yourselves. I’m heading over to Vi and Richard’s for dinner.”

“You sure?” Dani asks, concerned. “I can leave if you like.” She turns to Rhett. “Do you mind taking me home?”

“No, no, no!” I reply. “I was going to go out anyway. Please, you stay.” Hang on, if I go, they’ll get their sexy times on. I’m not naive, I know Rhett’s had sexy times before, but maybe I should stay and have a chat with him about his relationship with Dani. If he’s serious about her, maybe sexy times so soon might not be such a good idea.

“Mom, you don’t have to go. Honestly, it’ll be an early night.”

“Both Rhett and I have to be up early in the morning for work,” Dani adds, trying to convince me to stay.

Ah, clearly there will be no sexy times tonight. I’ve committed to not being here now, and I can’t go back on it. “I’ve already told them I was coming for dinner.”

“You can always cancel and stay with us,” Rhett says. He rubs his hand slowly down Dani’s back, then wraps his arm around her shoulders and hugs her. I notice how much she likes that. Her entire body sparks alive whenever Rhett touches her.

“Anyway, I’m going to get ready. Oh, and before I forget, not tomorrow night because the boys will be working, but the night after, it’s family dinner and you’re invited,” I say to Dani.

“Family dinner?” she asks looking rather confused.

“Yeah. Family dinner. We do it like once a week or once every two weeks. Looks like you’re coming,” Rhett replies. He looks to me, a huge smirk on his face. He gives me a quick wink.

“I am?”

“You are.” I rinse my cup, and place it in the dishwasher before heading into my room. I close the door, then sit on the edge of my bed.

I like Dani. She’ll fit into our family quite nicely. She and Rhett just make sense. Now I need to figure out what’s going on with her parents. A mother’s intuition is always right. Just like I know something’s going on with Dean and Joanne. I’ll dig around and find out, because let’s face it, the FBI has nothing compared to a mother’s instinct about her children.