A Forever Kind of Guy: The Braddock Brotherhood, Book 2 (12 page)

She closed the refrigerator and nodded. “Yes, you can go out and see Ray. But only for a minute. I’m making dinner.”

Fletcher barely waited for her to finish her sentence. He tugged the door open and was out like a shot, banging it behind him. He’d become eerily tuned to Ray’s movements, seeming to know when Ray was home, when he was away, and when he was nearby but technically unavailable, working in the shop behind the duplex.

Fletcher knew Ray’s vehicle and sensed the moment it turned into the driveway. Ray had asked for and obtained her permission to have Fletcher come over for a little while each day, usually when Ray arrived back to his half of the duplex in the late afternoon. He’d bring Fletcher home after they shared a snack and watched cartoons or sports.

Hayley had decided to make breakfast, which was one of Fletcher’s favorite things to have for dinner. Scrambled eggs and toast and fruit. It was easy and nutritious, Fletcher liked it, and more often than not she could rescue the eggs and toast before they burned.

She had the eggs cracked and beaten, a skillet on the stove and bread in the toaster when the door opened and Ray appeared with Fletcher on his shoulders. Fletcher was hanging onto Ray’s hair for dear life, but he looked happy. Or as happy as he ever looked. Ray ducked down to make sure Fletcher cleared the door with room to spare, then swung him down and set him on his feet.

Hayley had a hard time containing her own reaction to Ray. The ripple ran through her, and she was afraid she was grinning at him stupidly as he approached the counter. She had to remind herself to breathe. She greeted him with a throaty “Hi” that had nothing to do with trying to flirt with him and everything to do with having trouble getting the word out.

“Hi yourself. What have you been up to?”

“Oh, nothing much.” She gestured in the general vicinity of the kitchen counter. “The usual.”

“Got an invitation to Molly’s birthday, I see.”

“Oh yes.” Of course Ray would be invited to his niece’s party. “It was sweet of her to think of Fletcher.”

“You’re going, aren’t you?”

“Probably. I haven’t given it much thought.”

“You can ride with me,” Ray told her. “We can leave whenever you want.”

Hayley raised an eyebrow. “Planning on using me as an excuse to duck out early?”

Ray had the grace to look uncomfortable. “Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m crazy about Molly.”

“But?”

“But nothing.”

“Mm-hmm.” Hayley recalled the evening Ray had returned from dinner with his brother and his wife. What had he said then? That it was sometimes hard to be around people who were happy. Something like that.

The truth was she’d feel much more comfortable going to Molly’s party with someone she knew. The only person she knew, in fact, other than Molly herself.

“I’d be happy to ride with you. I’ll make you a deal. You leave whenever I want to and I’ll leave whenever you want. Whichever comes first.”

Ray grinned and offered his hand. They shook. “Deal.”

But even after they shook hands, he held onto hers. Hayley let him, liking the pressure of his callused palm against hers, her smaller hand disappearing inside his masculine one.

“Want to stay for eggs and toast?”

Ray peered over her shoulder. “That all you got?”

Hayley tugged her hand away from his, feeling defensive. “It’s something Fletcher likes.” She opened the refrigerator again to retrieve the eggs and butter. Ray was right behind her, preventing her from closing it.

“Come on. You’ve got lots more stuff in here.” He began rummaging through the drawers and shelves, helping himself to various items. “Ham. Cheese. Celery. Onion. You got any green pepper?”

“No.”

Hayley set her items on the counter and stood back watching him, her lower lip in danger of protruding like Fletcher’s sometimes did.

Oblivious, Ray continued to raid her refrigerator, stacking items in one arm as he went. “No problem. You’ve got a tomato. And mushrooms.”

He backed out, his arms full, and closed the door. It was only when he turned and saw Hayley’s expression that he managed to look chagrined. “Uh oh. I’m taking over again, aren’t I? Want me to leave?”

Hayley glanced away, looking out the sliding door to the backyard, trying to formulate an answer, trying to analyze what she was feeling. Her sense of inadequacy bubbled to the surface. Tears swam in her eyes, frustrating her.

“Sometimes I feel like nothing I ever do is good enough.” She couldn’t look at Ray.

He set everything on the counter and came toward her. Before she could move or block him, he’d wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his warmth. One hand moved up, burying itself in her hair, pressing her head to his chest. She didn’t fight him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”

She shook her head. “It isn’t you.”

“You said eggs and I thought omelet. I make a hell of an omelet.”

Hayley smiled against the softness of his shirt. She breathed in the scent of him, trying to identify what he smelled like. Like a hardworking guy, she supposed, who spent a lot of time around freshly cut wood. Then there was an underlying essence of something else, something summery that reminded her of recently mowed grass. “Liar. You were thinking, ‘If I make the omelet, I won’t have to eat Hayley’s burnt eggs’.”

“Okay. That too.”

She heard the smile in his voice. Everything was okay.

For the moment.

They broke apart. “I don’t suppose you’re going to trust me with the toast, either.”

He pretended to consider this. “That depends.”

He glanced at the ceiling.

“On what?” Hayley followed his gaze.

“Have you checked the batteries in that smoke alarm since you moved in?”

She balled her fist and socked him in the arm. “Isn’t that the landlord’s responsibility?”

A half hour later, the three of them sat down to a meal of omelets, toast and fruit.

“I have no idea what to get Molly,” Hayley said. “I barely know her.”

“She’s a pretty down-to-earth kid. She won’t expect much.”

Hayley didn’t believe that, but she let it slide. “I have to bring some kind of gift.”

Ray swallowed a bite of toast. “You don’t have to buy her anything. I’m not.”

“You’re not getting her anything?”

“I’m taking her fishing.”

“Fishing? That’s her gift? An eight-year-old girl?”

“She loves it. Plus, she loves spending quality time with her favorite uncle.”

“You’ve done this before, then?”

“Twice. When she turned five and six.”

“What about seven?”

Ray concentrated on slicing off another bite of omelet and sliding it onto his fork. “I missed her seventh birthday.”

“Oh.” Sensing his discomfort, Hayley concentrated on her own food. Ray’s omelet was delicious. He’d carefully left out everything Fletcher disliked in one section. The boy happily devoured only eggs, cheese and ham.

After a bit, Ray said, “You can give her something but you don’t have to buy her anything.”

“What are you suggesting I give her? Cooking lessons?”

Ray chuckled. “I think her stepmother’s got that covered. There must be something else you’re good at.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m an aging cheerleader and a college drop-out. My talents are pretty limited.”

Ray snapped his fingers. “That’s it.”

“What’s it?”

“Cheerleading.”

Hayley stared at him.

“Give her a gift certificate for a private cheerleading class. For her and a few of her friends. Won’t cost you a dime and she’ll love it.”

“You think?”

“She’s a girl. Little girls are into stuff like that, aren’t they?”

Hayley considered the idea. “I could show them how to make pompoms out of tissue paper.”

“Perfect!”

“If you’re sure…”

Ray lifted his glass of orange juice toward her as if toasting the idea. “I’m sure.”

Even with Ray’s stamp of approval on the cheerleading class gift idea, Hayley was nervous about attending the party. Although Fletcher was strapped into the back seat of Ray’s SUV, it had the feel of a date.

She hadn’t imagined Ray’s sweeping gaze of approval when she’d opened the door to him earlier. She was dressed casually in a short cotton skirt, sleeveless top and sandals. It promised to be another hot, sultry day in northern Florida, so she’d swept her hair up in a clip and kept makeup to a minimum. Ray’s gaze told her everything she needed to know. She looked good.

In minutes, Ray parked on the street near a small bungalow, and they approached the door. Molly herself answered their knock. She launched herself at Ray. He hugged her and gave her a loud smacking kiss on the cheek, which made her giggle with delight. “Hi, Hayley. Hi, Fletcher.”

In seconds they were surrounded by other people. A rather large brown dog inserted himself into the mix, tail wagging, tongue lolling, his entire body wiggling with excitement. He gravitated toward Fletcher, sniffing him and swiping his tongue along Fletcher’s arm. Fletcher responded by stroking the dog’s back, clearly delighted by the dog’s interest in him.

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” A woman, who was apparently Ray’s mother, enveloped him in a hug that lasted long enough for Ray’s twin to introduce not only himself, but his father as well.

Hayley shook hands with both of them and introduced Fletcher. Rick was a slightly shorter, sturdier version of his brother, exactly as Hayley remembered. And the resemblance to their father, Ken, was clearly evident, although his dark hair had a few gray highlights. A curvy brunette appeared, drying her hands on a dish towel.

“There you are,” Rick said, sliding an arm around her waist. “This is Hayley Christopher and Fletcher. My wife, Kaylee.”

Kaylee shook Hayley’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” She bent forward to put herself on eye level with Fletcher, who was still cozied up to the dog. “Hi there, Fletcher. I’m Kaylee. I’m glad you could come.” She rubbed a hand along the top of the dog’s head. “I see you’ve made friends with Brutus.”

Fletcher eyed her silently. She straightened. The dog nuzzled closer to Fletcher and sniffed his neck. Fletcher’s eyes widened, but he didn’t shy away. Molly took Fletcher’s hand. “Come on, Fletcher. We’ve got a Slip ’N Slide out back. Come on, Brutus.” The dog bounded along after them, nails tap-tapping on the terrazzo floor.

Ray’s mother finally let go of him, and Ray introduced her to Hayley. Hayley couldn’t help but notice Lena Braddock was a bit teary-eyed. Once Ray’s father had a chance to greet him as well, they all congregated around the table on the lanai where they could watch the children play in the backyard.

“I didn’t expect you guys to be here,” Ray said, including both his parents in the statement. Meanwhile, he gave a Rick a reproachful glance.

Rick spread his hand in an I-had-nothing-to-do-with-this gesture. “Hey, I was as surprised as you are. They showed up without warning an hour ago.”

“We came to surprise Molly,” Ken informed them. “Surprising you two was an added bonus.” He winked at Lena.

“How long are you staying?” Ray asked.

“Only for the weekend,” Lena told him. “We were thinking maybe we could do a cookout or something tomorrow.”

“Sure,” he agreed.

“Can I get anyone something to drink?” Kaylee asked. She hadn’t taken a seat and neither had Rick. The doorbell chimed from inside.

“I’ll get that,” Rick informed the group.

Kaylee went inside to get refreshments. “I’ll help you,” Hayley offered, only too glad to escape the surreptitious gazes of Ray’s parents. Inside, another couple had arrived with their daughter, Hannah, who looked to be Molly’s age. Right behind them came Roscoe and a teenage girl. Introductions were made. The couple moved onto the lanai, and the two girls dashed outside to join Molly and Fletcher. Although Roscoe’s daughter, Jasmine, was the oldest child at the party, she seemed as excited as the others.

“So,” Hayley ventured, as she helped Kaylee pour drinks, “a surprise visit from the in-laws, huh?”

Kaylee grinned. “More like a shock. I’ve only met them once—at our wedding. But we talk on the phone fairly often. They moved to Tucson a while back, but they’re meeting some friends in Key West for a fishing trip next week. They’re nice people.”

“I thought Ray’s mom was never going to let go of him.”

“Well.” Kaylee hesitated. “They worry about him. Plus, they haven’t seen him in like a year, I think.” She lowered her voice. “I don’t know if you know this, but his wife passed away a couple of years ago.”

Hayley nodded.

“He went through a pretty rough patch there for a while from what I gather, but he seems to be doing okay now, if you ask me. Of course, I only met him a few weeks ago.”

“Me too.”

Before Hayley could ask anything else, Kaylee picked up her tray. Hayley followed with a second tray laden with drinks and a bowl of chips and dip.

This is how it’s supposed to be
, Hayley thought wistfully an hour later.
Family.
She’d had plenty of time to observe the Braddock clan. Rick and Ray seemed to read each other’s minds half the time, exchanging glances when comments about some of their previous escapades were made by one or the other of their parents.

Lena and Ken Braddock operated as a unit. After thirty-five years together, Hayley was pretty sure they were reading each other’s minds as well. Kaylee had integrated herself into the unit, her connection to Rick so strong it was almost visible to the naked eye.

Again Hayley had the feeling of being encased in a plastic bubble, separated from the close knit group, remembering her own pathetic family life, such as it was. A mother more interested in a good time, mired down in alcoholism and substance abuse. An unknown and absentee father. Her grandmother and aunt, who picked up as much of the slack as possible in raising her.

The first time Hayley had ever felt as if she might be part of a real family was when Trey took her home for Christmas to meet his parents. The senior Christophers adored their son, and if Hayley made him happy, they could make room for her in their lives as well. Though an only child, Trey had lots of aunts and uncles and cousins, and they all gathered under one roof for the holidays. That had been the best, most memorable Christmas of her life, for Trey had given her an engagement ring in front of everyone. She’d been so damn happy. Even now, with so much water under the bridge, she still wondered what had happened. Why couldn’t she have made it last? Where had she gone wrong?