First Kiss at Christmas by Lee Tobin McClain
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ON MONDAYEVENING, Sylvie dished up Big Bobby’s favorite pasta and handed him a plateful. She was back in Filmore, and it was as if she’d never left. Cooking for Bobby had always been one of her main sources of joy. The man was the perfect audience. He definitely loved to eat.
She wasn’t sure how he’d been managing without her. Possibly, eating less healthily. He’d gained so much weight in the past year—he was well over three hundred pounds now, which was way too much even at his height—and she’d been alarmed at how out of breath he’d gotten when he’d carried her bag upstairs.
He’d changed. Just three weeks away was enough time to make that obvious.
Thing was, she’d changed, too. Not physically but mentally, maybe even spiritually. She wasn’t the sweet, content, compliant woman who’d gone on a fool’s errand a few weeks ago.
“It’s good to have you home,” Big Bobby said between bites. “Been eating too much takeout. Restaurant food doesn’t live up to this.”
“Glad you like it. Salad?” She held up the bowl, even though she knew in advance what he’d say.
“Nah. You know me. I’ll fill up on the good stuff instead.”
She served herself—more salad, less pasta—and then spoke up. “You know, you should start eating healthier. You’re not getting any younger.”
“I’m as young at heart as my young girlfriend,” he said, winking at her.
She smiled back. It was a running joke with his friends that he’d robbed the cradle. He was thirty years older than she was, a difference that had seemed fine when she’d gotten together with him. She’d been desperate, and he’d been kind. A father figure, something she’d never had before. As for him, he liked having a younger woman on his arm.
Things felt different now. She could see that they had less in common; he wanted to stay home or sit in a bar drinking with friends. She liked to get outside and walk, and to her own surprise, she’d been enjoying church and community activities in the short time she’d been in Pleasant Shores. No way would Bobby join her in any of that.
They ate quietly for a few minutes, and Sylvie looked around the dining room. It was small; the whole place was small, a little ranch, but cozy on this December night. The good smells of bread and marinara filled the air, and the house was warm from the heat of the gas fireplace.
“Sure is nice to be in a house instead of a motel room,” she said, just making conversation. That part was true; she’d started going a little stir crazy at the Chesapeake Motor Lodge. If she stayed in Pleasant Shores, she needed to start looking for an apartment.
If she stayed. That was the thought that had been dancing around the edge of her consciousness throughout the day, and throughout the drive.
Going to Pleasant Shores had catalyzed her. All those hours in the motel room alone, the walks along the bay, the reading for the book discussion group, the friends she’d started to make, even the church services—and the pastor—had made her take a second look at her life in Filmore. She wasn’t sure it was even possible to change, but she did want to try.
At the same time, she owed Big Bobby so much. Not only had he saved her from the streets, but he’d taught her what love was, really. She’d grown up not knowing a man could treat a woman well.
They’d been together for eight years, since she was twenty-four. That was a lot of history. It wouldn’t be easy for either of them to let go.
He wiped his mouth and looked at her with eyes that were still piercing. “Had another visit from Little Bobby,” he said. “He’s worried and I am, too. What have you learned about that little boy?”
“I think he’s fine,” she said as nerves attacked her stomach. “He’s just living his life. Settling in, from the looks of things. Getting to know other kids.”
“And he remembers nothing about that day his mom was shot. Right?”
She pushed her own plate away, half-empty. “I just don’t know.” On the spot, she decided she wasn’t going to tell Bobby what Kayla had said, that Jax had seen his mother on the ground. “And since he seems to kind of recognize me, I can’t ask him what he remembers. Just the fact that it’s me asking could spark memories better left alone.”
“Wait a minute. He definitely recognized you?” Bobby’s bushy eyebrows drew together.
“I’m not sure.” She leaned back in her chair, sipped wine. “When he first saw me, he stared in a funny way. I’ve caught him doing it again a couple of times.”
“He hasn’t said anything?”
“No. Well...” She hesitated. “He did say I was in his bad dream.”
“Not good.” Bobby’s eyebrows lifted and little beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He sighed, shook his head. “I want out of this life, Syl. I’m too old for it.”
She was glad for the change of subject. “There’s nothing wrong with leaving your work to the next generation. Take it easy.” She’d been encouraging that for the past year, as the strains of his wrong-side-of-the-law lifestyle had started to show on him.
“The younger guys, they have no morality. No sense of honor.”
Sylvia pressed her lips together to keep from saying you’re not exactly a choirboy. At least, that was the word around Filmore, though Sylvie had never heard anything specific about him being violent toward anyone.
She did know for sure that he’d hurt people terribly due to his prominence in the local drug trade.
His eyes were vague now, unfocused. “I don’t need more on my conscience.” He seemed to be somewhere else, thinking of something painful.
Maybe a lot of things.
She carried their plates into the kitchen and brought back a glass of his favorite after-dinner wine. When he saw it, he smiled and scooted back from the table. “Give me a hand standing up,” he said, and she braced herself and helped him pull himself out of his chair. He picked up the glass of port and made his way over to his big double recliner. “Come here, girl,” he said. “Sit with me. I’ve missed you.”
So she climbed in beside him and he put his arms around her. He’d been like that since they’d first gotten together, giving her the sort of warm affection she’d never known. Back then, of course, he’d wanted more than cuddling, and she’d given it to him, out of gratitude and, eventually, out of love.
Lately, it was more about companionship than passion.
Which wasn’t nothing.
“I want you to talk to the child,” he said finally. “It’s important we know what he knows. Find out for sure he doesn’t remember any details of that day, and you can come home.”
You can come home. The thought of that sent confusion through her. She didn’t want to come home. Did she? Did she want this to be her home, and Big Bobby to be her man?
Just like Big Bobby, she was starting to want out of the life she’d made for herself.
He brushed back her hair and kissed her a little, and she felt...if not romantic love, then some other kind. She really did care for the man. He was the closest thing to family that she had.
“Family is family,” he said.
His words were an eerie echo to her thoughts. “What do you mean?”
He looked up at the ceiling and slowly shook his head. “I have to take care of my son.”
“Why are you thinking about Little Bobby now?” A terrible suspicion gripped her. “Is he the one who shot Jax’s mom?”
He was quiet for a long moment. Then: “It’s way too complicated. You don’t want to know.”
Her heart pounded so hard he could probably hear it. “Why did he—whoever did it—why did they shoot her?”
“Stupidity,” he said. “Leave it at that. Like I said, you don’t want to know.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” Because if she knew, she’d have to report it to the police. Would have to tell Tony what she suspected his nephew had seen, how she’d happened to hear the gunshot while walking in Big Bobby’s neighborhood and rushed there to find a little boy crying beside a car, had gotten him to recite his address, had taken him home. Revealing all that would cause chaos to break loose, both in Pleasant Shores and in Filmore.
Best to stay on the surface, to not try to figure it all out. She lay her head against Big Bobby’s shoulder and closed her eyes. With the gas fire sending its warmth into the room, the television on low, and Big Bobby’s arms enfolding her, she felt embraced by the familiar.
Her life here was so much better than what she’d grown up with, what she’d experienced as a young woman on the streets. As Big Bobby’s woman, she’d been safe. She’d thought it was the most a girl like her would ever get, and maybe it was.
Except she’d experienced something new in Pleasant Shores. A community. A different kind of man. The opportunity for some kind of adventure.
There, where people hadn’t known her past, she’d started to make real friends.
She wanted to go that in direction, she was pretty sure. But how could she leave Big Bobby, in his age and infirmity?
On the other hand, how could she stay with a man who still worked to get drugs into the hands of addicts, who might even know his son had killed someone and was trying to protect him?
Her heart felt tugged in two directions. Part of growing older and getting perspective, she guessed. With every door that opened to you as an adult, another one closed.
She burrowed deeper into Bobby’s embrace and stroked his arm, her eyes filling with tears.
It felt like goodbye.
“I DON’TMINDat all,” Kayla said Tuesday morning as she walked in the door at Victory Cottage. And she didn’t. Just seeing Tony’s smile made her nerve endings tingle.
Then she looked around at the scattered toys, shoes, and jackets in the living room, and her eyes widened. Tony hadn’t seemed like the messy type. “Rough morning?”
“Very.” Tony’s mouth quirked to the side in a wry expression. “Paddington didn’t sleep real well, and that means that Jax and I didn’t, either.”
“I’m sure he’ll get better,” Kayla soothed. “Just like kids, a big change probably makes dogs feel discombobulated.” She hung her purse and jacket on a hook by the door.
“Let’s hope.” Tony looked around the room and sighed. “When he started chewing on shoes, I realized I need more dog stuff. Toys and chew treats and a tie-out. I really appreciate your coming over to stay with them while I run to the pet store.”
Paddington came running into the room, followed by Jax. The big dog banged into an end table, and the lamp on top of it tilted.
Tony caught the lamp before it could crash to the floor and then put a restraining hand in front of Jax, who was making another round through the room. “Whoa, buddy, slow down. Paddington still needs time to get the lay of the land.”
“Seems like he’s already started on that,” Kayla said. Indeed, the big dog seemed to mostly have a sense of where the furniture was. He sniffed around the couch and coffee table. “Seems like he’s comfortable with Jax, too. He must be used to kid shenanigans.”
“I think so, but he needs to rest, as well. Give him a break, Jax, okay?”
“Okay,” Jax agreed. He climbed into a chair, his eyes following Paddington’s every move.
“You listen to Miss Kayla while I’m gone, too.” Tony ran a hand through hair that it looked like he hadn’t had time to comb. “I’ll just grab my stuff and take off. Back in an hour, I hope.”
“Take your time.” Kayla walked over to the dog, who’d sat down beside the couch, panting. “Hey, Paddington, how’s it going?” She rubbed his back and sides, and his fluffy, white-tipped tail wagged.
Tony snapped his fingers. “That’s what else I need. I’m going to get another brush. The one we were using didn’t make much of a dent.”
“I helped brush him,” Jax said proudly. He scooted over to sit on the other side of the dog. “I love him so much.”
His obvious joy put a lump in Kayla’s throat.
As he walked out the door, Tony paused and smiled back at her. “You can’t know how much I appreciate this, Kayla. You’re a good sport.”
“Glad to do it.” I’d be glad to do anything for you and Jax.
Oh, brother. She was getting way too emotional for her own good.
Jax, of course, quickly distracted her from her thoughts. He tugged Kayla into the kitchen, Paddington trotting behind, and showed her the big bowls they were using as food and water dishes. “He likes to eat and drink a lot!” Jax explained.
As if to illustrate the truth of that, Paddington drank heartily, then turned and trotted away, his whole muzzle dripping water.
Kayla grabbed a paper towel and wiped the floor, even though she had a feeling it was a losing battle. “How’d he learn where his food and water dishes are already?”
“Cuz he’s so smart!” Jax bounced up and down. “He’s big and smart and he’s my dog!”
Again, Kayla’s throat tightened. It was good to see Jax so happy.
There was a knock on the front door. Paddington woofed.
“See, he’s a guard dog!” Jax said as he ran to open it.
Kayla followed, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up for some reason she didn’t understand. When she saw Norleen and Rhianna standing on the front porch looking in, she got it. Her middle school experiences had given her a sixth sense about mean girls. She probably needed to get rid of that, now that she was an adult.
As she reached the door, she wondered why Norleen was dropping in at Tony’s place.
“Guess what, I got a dog!” Jax shouted. “Come see, come see!”
Kayla’s heart plummeted. “Hi, Rhianna,” she said to the little girl, who was already rushing across the room to Jax and Paddington. And then, with considerably less enthusiasm, “Hi, Norleen.”
The woman came in, her gaze sweeping the room. “Where’s Tony?”
“He’s out buying dog supplies. He and Jax brought Paddington home yesterday.”
The big dog was sniffing Rhianna.
“Come see him, Mom!” the girl said.
Norleen crossed the room and gingerly petted Paddington’s head. “What’s wrong with his eyes?”
“He’s mostly blind. His family gave him away and that’s how we got him.” Jax wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck and hugged him fiercely.
“Gentle,” Kayla reminded him.
As soon as Jax released Paddington, the big dog moved closer to Norleen, panting up at her, twin strands of drool hanging down from either side of his mouth. Norleen, who was wearing tight black pants made of something that looked like leather, wrinkled her nose and stepped back, but not before he’d gotten a little drool on them.
Score, Paddington.
“Come on and see his stuff,” Jax said to Rhianna. “He has a hu-u-u-uge dish, and he’s gonna have lots of new toys.”
After Kayla had ascertained that the dog was fine with Rhianna—who in any case was less rough than Jax—she sat down on the sofa. She had the feeling this visit was unexpected, because otherwise, why had Tony called her to come babysit Jax and Paddington? Why hadn’t he just had Norleen do it, if he knew she was coming over?
On the other hand, maybe Norleen and Tony were on a drop-in basis with each other. “Is Tony expecting you?” she asked. “He’ll be back in an hour, he said.”
Norleen perched on the edge of a chair, tapping the toe of her high-heeled boot. “I’ll wait. We had lunch plans, but you know how absentminded men can be. He probably forgot all about it.”
“Uh-huh.” Was Norleen telling the truth? Kayla had never experienced Tony as absentminded. At any rate, she wasn’t going to offer Norleen a beverage or anything, since this wasn’t her house. If she and Tony were so close, let her get it herself.
“You’re looking really cute,” Norleen said. “More grown up all the time.”
Kayla felt somehow insulted. “Is that a compliment?”
The kids came back into the room, the dog following. Just looking at them lowered Kayla’s blood pressure.
“Of course it’s a compliment! You look great. It’s like you got some style.”
Kayla looked down at her Christmas sweater and faded jeans. “I guess?”
“I mean, back in middle school, you never wore anything that wasn’t three sizes too big.”
“I was trying to cover my brace, you know that,” she said. “Jax! No pulling Paddington’s tail.”
“Sorry.” He let go and went back to rubbing Paddington’s side.
Norleen was biting her lip. “Look, I know I teased you some about the brace. I’m sorry.”
“You teased me some?” Her voice rose to a squeak, and heat flashed through Kayla’s body as she stared at the woman. “Actually, you made my life completely miserable. That’s why I changed schools.”
Norleen’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no, I don’t think I did anything that bad. A couple of jokes.”
“That’s not how I remember it,” Kayla said. “You had names for me, and you got your friends to trip me so you could laugh about how hard it was for me to get up.”
Norleen’s face flushed. “You were always so sensitive.”
Kayla’s eyes narrowed as she studied Norleen, trying to remember. Was that true? Had she been oversensitive?
Or was Norleen trying to justify her own bad behavior? After all, who tripped a kid with a back brace? It would practically be a federal offense these days.
“Anyway,” Norleen said, picking at a perfectly manicured fingernail, “it wasn’t me so much as the boys who teased you.”
An image of a whole crowd of kids laughing at a lunch table flashed onto Kayla’s mental screen. Norleen had definitely been in the group. “Not true. You were in on it.”
“You make it sound like a conspiracy. I might’ve said a few things, but I never meant to make you feel bad.”
Could that be true? Doubtful, but Kayla waved a hand. “It’s all in the past. And the teasing made me focus more on my schoolwork, so there’s that.”
“You did well. You have a great career.” Norleen frowned at the floor. “I wish I could’ve gone to college.”
That bit sounded honest, and fit what Mom had said about Norleen. And, following Mom’s example, Kayla ought to be kind. “What would you have studied in college? It’s never too late, you know.”
“I always liked math and accounting.” She lifted her hands, palms up. “But I’ve forgotten everything I knew. I’m a mom and I can’t afford college now, anyway.”
“There are programs for women like you. Special scholarships for returning students, stuff like that.”
“With my grades?” Norleen sighed. “I don’t think so. My program is to find myself a rich husband.”
“Oh.” Did women still do that? “Uh...any prospects?”
Norleen laughed. “Yeah. We’re sitting in his living room.”
That remark twisted Kayla’s stomach. Be nice,she reminded herself. “Is Tony rich?”
“No, but he’ll get there. He’s educated, and he works hard. He could support me and Rhianna. Believe me, I found that out right away.”
Kayla was pretty sure Tony’s counseling degree wasn’t going to make him a millionaire, but it wasn’t her place to disillusion Norleen.
Paddington flopped down on his side, panting, and Jax and Rhianna lay between his front paws and back paws, side by side, heads on his belly.
“Oh, I have to take a picture of that. It’s adorable!” Norleen pulled out her phone and snapped several photos. “I love how well they get along. And if Tony and I got together...well, they’d be wonderful siblings, and I could stay home and take care of them.”
Getting ahead of yourself much? But maybe she wasn’t. She’d made herself at home in Tony’s place and appeared quite confident.
But Tony had kissed Kayla, not Norleen.
Or maybe he’d kissed both of them. Maybe he’d acted sweet and tender to Norleen, just as he had to Kayla.
Maybe that was why he’d been so awkward after their kiss. And why, this morning, he’d called her a good sport.
She was the good sport, and Norleen was the prospective girlfriend. At least, that was how it usually went for Kayla.
Funny, Kayla had felt so confident when she’d tried on clothes with Amber and Erica. Their admiration and praise seemed to have sunk in.
Now, in Norleen’s company, her confidence had slipped away. Maybe it hadn’t really been there to begin with.
“So...how come you’re here?” Norleen asked now. “Did Tony need a babysitter or something?”
“Exactly,” Kayla said. No use pretending there was more to their relationship. “He needed someone to watch Jax and the dog while he ran out for supplies.”
“Well, that was real sweet of you to do it,” she said. “I’m here now, though, so if you want to go ahead and leave, I’m sure you have a lot to do.”
Seriously? “I agreed to stay until he came home.”
Norleen shrugged. “Whatever you say.” She walked over to the door and picked up a soft-sided cooler. “I brought lunch for us and the kids. I’ll just go get it ready.”
No question who was the “us” she was referring to. Kayla’s heart plummeted. If Norleen was on a “make yourself at home in the kitchen” basis with Tony, then Kayla had no business interfering.
Jax would love to have a sister to play with. And a mother figure. And Tony would have a super attractive woman on his arm.
Kayla was still pretty sure Norleen wasn’t a very nice person. She’d admitted she wanted to use Tony for his money. But Kayla couldn’t tell him that. It would sound like sour grapes.
Tony banged through the front door, arms full of bags. Kayla hurried to help him.
“Don’t say it,” he said, grinning. “I went a little overboard.”
“Do you think?” There were dog toys overflowing from one of the bags, treats of various sorts from another.
“Uncle Tony brought toys!” Jax ran over to his uncle and started rummaging through the bags. “Here, Paddington, catch!” He rolled a big stuffed ball, made to look like a bowling ball, toward the dog.
Kayla was about to correct him—Paddington couldn’t see a ball—but then she heard the bell inside it. Paddington lifted his head, listened, and started sniffing.
“The saleslady said we should show him the ball, maybe even put a little food inside, so he could hear and smell it,” Tony explained, showing Jax the little hole where you could put a treat.
Rhianna came from the kitchen. “Mommy made us lunch,” she announced.
Tony blinked. “Norleen and Rhianna are here?”
Norleen came out. “We sure are. And I made sandwiches for all of us. Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.”
“I am hungry,” Tony said doubtfully. “And I didn’t fix Jax much breakfast. He probably is, too.”
“I love peanut butter. Can Paddington have some?” That was Jax.
“Come on,” Rhianna said, beckoning. “Mommy set the table!”
Norleen came out. “Lunch is served,” she cried merrily.
Kayla had never felt more like a fifth wheel. “So long, I have to go,” she said. She wasn’t even sure anyone noticed when she left.
LATE TUESDAYNIGHT, Tony followed his new acquaintances, Isaac Roberts, William Gross, and Evan Stone, into the Waterman’s Bar.
The place was crowded and loud. Strings of old-fashioned, multicolored Christmas lights crisscrossed the ceiling, alongside silver foil icicles. Inflated Santas stood in two corners, and signs painted with dubious Christmas statements—“Be Naughty, Save Santa the Trip” and “Don’t Call Me a Ho Ho Ho”—decorated the walls. The crowd, mostly men in flannel shirts and jeans, seemed to favor draft beer.
They snagged seats at the corner of the bar and ordered a pitcher. Evan asked for a glass of soda.
It was Evan who’d invited Tony to come out deer spotting with them. Since Jax was having a sleepover with Davey, Tony was at loose ends and that was why he’d agreed to go. Surprisingly, it had been kind of fun.
“Did you see that last buck?” Isaac asked. He and William had been in one truck while Evan and Tony had been in another.
“We saw him.” Evan raised an eyebrow. “Even I was tempted to take a shot.” Hunting deer at night was against the law, and after this experience of deer spotting, Tony could see why. The large spotlights mounted on the tops of the trucks made the deer freeze, constituting an unsportsmanlike advantage.
“I never thought much about the ‘deer in headlights’ saying until now.” Tony lifted a foamy glass and drank deep.
“First time deer spotting, huh?” Isaac, who owned the town’s hardware store, asked the question.
“Yeah.” Tony had known of the practice back in Filmore, but there, illegal shots would definitely have been taken. Probably because someone needed venison to feed their family.
“Gonna make some mighty fine hunting.” Isaac tipped back his chair. “Not that I have time to do it. The hardware business is booming.”
“This close to Christmas?”
“Sure. We’ve got all the last-minute gifts you need. Get your lady a snowblower and she’ll be yours forever.”
William snorted. “Even Bisky wouldn’t look kindly on a snowblower. Now, a new outboard for the boat, maybe.”
“Gonna be a while before she’s back out on the water full time,” Evan said. “When’s the baby due? January?”
William nodded, smiling into his beer.
“You ready to be a dad?” Isaac asked William, and then broke off. “Sorry, man.”
“No problem.” That puzzled Tony, and it must have shown on his face. Both Evan and Isaac looked uncomfortable.
“I’ve already been a dad,” William explained. “I lost my teenage daughter three years ago. She was shot by an intruder.” He looked into his beer like he could see sad memories there.
“Wow. I’m sorry for your loss.” Tony shook his head. “That just sucks.”
“Yep.” William let out a sigh and straightened his shoulders. “I’ll never forget Jenna or, really, get over it. But I’m pretty excited about the new baby coming along.”
The guys at the other end of the bar shouted at the TV, something apparently happening in the game, which provided a good shift of focus. Tony wouldn’t mind talking to William sometime about how he’d gotten through such a devastating loss, but now wasn’t the time.
Drinking and listening to the men around him, Tony tried to forget the things on his mind. Jax, he reminded himself, was safely settled at Paul and Amber’s, as was Paddington. Jax had agreed to the overnight if he could take his dog, and Paul and Amber had been okay with it. Paddington and Sarge had gotten along fine, and the boys had been ecstatic. Amber had moved a few fragile items onto higher shelves in anticipation of running boys and dogs.
So Tony could rest easy and relax in regards to Jax and the dog.
Kayla, though, was another matter. He couldn’t get her out of his mind.
She ran hot and cold. Hot, for sure, during their kiss. But then she’d told him he needn’t take it seriously, implying that she didn’t. She’d been friendly and companionable helping with Jax and the dog earlier, but then she’d disappeared with barely a goodbye.
Tony didn’t understand, but it was for the best that she wasn’t serious about him. That way, he wouldn’t be tempted to get involved in her life only to skulk out of it when he inevitably let her down. He knew he wasn’t the right man for her. She deserved someone better, much better.
Especially since getting involved, and then having to break it off when things went south, would hurt Jax, too.
In fact, he should probably start seeing less of her now, even as friends, since Jax was getting so attached.
Who are you kidding? You’re attached, too.
Determinedly, he focused on the conversations around him. He played a couple games of pool and had a second beer. Soon, the married guys, Isaac and William, headed home.
“One last drink?” Evan asked. “Nobody’s waiting at home for me.”
“Me, either.” He’d already told the guys about Jax’s sleepover.
They left the pool table and found seats at the bar. “So what’s on your mind?” Evan asked.
Tony held up his mug to the bartender, raised two fingers.
“Coke for me,” Evan called. “I don’t drink,” he added to Tony. “And I’ll ask again: what’s on your mind?”
“What do you mean?” he asked Evan as the bartender brought over their drinks.
Evan shrugged. “Maybe I’m mistaken,” he said. “Seemed like you weren’t all there tonight. You worried about your boy?”
“A little.” Tony shoved a ten at the bartender and waved away the change. “Plus the fact that I don’t understand women.”
“Who does?” Evan chuckled. “I assume you’re talking about Kayla the preschool teacher.”
So it was obvious. Great. “She was real friendly yesterday, did me a favor helping with Jax and the dog. And then she disappeared, and she’s not answering my texts. Well, text,” he amended. He hadn’t wanted to harass her by sending more than one.
“What happened in between the friendly and the cold?”
Tony thought. “I came home, and Norleen had dropped by with lunch. Plenty for all of us, but Kayla ducked out. Barely said goodbye.”
Evan sipped beer. “That Norleen is a piece of work. She made me want to run for the hills, and you, too. Why should Kayla be any different?”
“I don’t know. I just thought women were more, you know, understanding.” Wasn’t Kayla a friend of Norleen’s? They’d gone to school together, at any rate.
“Understanding of a rival? I don’t think so.” Evan sipped beer.
“A rival for what?”
“For you, dude.” Evan smiled, his forehead wrinkling. “Are you dense?”
“I guess I am,” Tony said slowly. “I used to do okay with women, but that was...before. Why would either of them be interested in a guy like me? I even told Kayla how I screwed up back home. She doesn’t want anything more than friendship.”
“That so?”
“I think so.” And it was an uncomfortable subject with a guy he didn’t know well. “Speaking of Norleen, I was hoping you’d kind of take her off my hands. You seemed to be getting along fine at Crabby Christmas.”
Evan shrugged. “She’s pretty. But she wants to replace her wedding ring ASAP, and I’m not the marrying kind.”
“I hear ya.” They sat awhile longer, watched some rerun football game that was on, and nursed their drinks while some of the men around them got plastered.
Finally, they left and walked up the docks to where they’d left their cars. The wind off the water was cold, and the moon flashed in and out from behind clouds. Tony drew a breath of the bay air he was starting to appreciate. “I never used to think I was the marrying kind, either,” Tony said. “I’ve made it this far and stayed single. But lately...I’m having a different attitude.”
“It’s the kid,” Evan said right away.
Was it? “I mean, it’s not like I need a woman to help me raise him or something. I just...” He shrugged. “The bar scene and girl-of-the-week game was getting old, even before I had the responsibility of Jax.”
“I don’t deny that.” Evan reached his car. “Plus it’s Christmas. Hallmark movies and all.” He unlocked his car. “If I don’t see you, enjoy your Christmas.”
Tony waved and drove home, thinking about the uncomfortable reality that he’d enjoy his Christmas more if Kayla were involved.