Hey Sunshine (31 page)

“What’s up?” I asked, coming in and taking a seat on the old couch across from the desk.

“How’s Annabelle?” Routine ice breaker.

“She’s fine. I have to go get her at school in a little bit,” I said, indicating that I couldn’t stay long.

“Of course,” she nodded.

We sat looking at each other awkwardly for a moment, and then she sighed. “I owe you an apology about Fox. He’s not like J.D., not at all, and I see that now.”

“Thank you,” I said, knowing how hard it was for her to admit she was wrong. “I appreciate that.”

“You have to understand, Avery,” she continued. “It’s the hardest thing in the world to watch your beautiful, headstrong, independent daughter make choices that you don’t agree with. I can’t stand to see you hurt or struggling. And so I have opinions.”

“Lots of them,” I remarked dryly.

“Lots of them,” she agreed. “You’ll understand when Annabelle is older.”

I groaned. “Luckily that’s a long time from now.” I couldn’t even imagine Annabelle as a teen, much less a full-grown, sassy adult. I wondered how long she would still want to wear a princess crown everywhere she went.

Her smile turned a little wistful. “It’ll go by in a flash.”

I checked my watch. “I have to go, Mom. Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

I ran out the door to where my car was parked out back, pausing to see if I could catch a glimpse of Fox through one of the upstairs windows. He was scheduled for the dinner shift tonight, and I was kind of surprised that he hadn’t come down earlier before I finished my last tables.

I was unlocking the sedan when a big, shiny, black SUV pulled into the lot and Fox hopped out of the backseat.
What the hell?
He waved to whoever was still inside and turned to jog up the stairs to his apartment, when he saw me standing there staring.

“Hey!” he called, heading in my direction.

“Hey yourself,” I said warily. Who was in that SUV? It looked like a chauffeured car. And why was Fox wearing a collared shirt and very expensive-looking slacks?

He bent his head to kiss me, and for a couple seconds I forgot all of my questions. I stepped closer into his warmth and wrapped my arms around his waist. He even smelled different, less like the cedarwood and more like a cologne I didn’t recognize.

“Glad I caught you,” he said, pulling away slightly. “Want me to come by after work with pie?”

“I’m not sure,” I said in what I hoped was a flippant tone. I thought I might die from curiosity right on the spot, but I was determined to see if he mentioned the large elephant lurking in our conversation.

He took a step back and surveyed me for a second, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning against my car. “Do you have something you’d like to ask me?”

“What? No. Why?” I didn’t sound casual at all, more like slightly frenzied and accusatory, but I tried to play it off.

“My family is in town, Avery.”

His family?
Suddenly, everything clicked. His family. That explained the car, and the nice clothes, and maybe even the cologne. “Your family?”

“Yes, my mother and Lucas. We had lunch in Midland. They showed up unexpectedly this morning.”

I exhaled. Maybe I was still a little gun-shy due to extraneous circumstances. “You didn’t know they were coming?”

“Not a clue. Savannah Miller typically does what she wants, when she wants.” His words were spoken with a great deal of affection toward their subject, and suddenly I couldn’t wait to meet her.

Fox read my mind because his next words were exactly what I wanted to hear. “I want you to meet them, maybe dinner tomorrow night? They’re staying in Midland for a few days.”

I quickly ran through my schedule in my head. “I’d love to meet them, Fox. Tomorrow is fine.”

“Great. We’ll bring Annabelle too, okay? My mother insisted on meeting you both.”

“She did?” I asked, surprised.
What had Fox told her about me, about us?
A warm feeling settled into my chest.

“Of course she did.” He bent forward again, capturing my lips with his own and sending a chill down my back. “I’ll see you later. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I got into my car and watched as he turned and ran up the back stairs to his apartment.

I was going to meet Fox’s family.

I was going to meet
Fox’s family
.

I whipped out my cell phone and dialed. “Heather? I’m picking you up in half an hour. We’re going shopping.”

* * *

I gripped Fox’s arm tightly with one hand and Annabelle’s little fingers in my other as we navigated the stairs to the lobby of the Midland hotel. While I was absolutely certain it wasn’t the nicest hotel in which Savannah and Lucas had ever stayed, it was definitely the most luxurious that Midland had to offer.

We were dining in the hotel’s restaurant tonight, and I was especially looking forward to sitting under the beautiful stained-glass lamps and trying their signature martini. I practically knew the menu by heart already because “Most Organized” and her best friend Google had stayed up late last night doing research in order to be extra prepared.

My stomach fluttered with nervous butterflies as the waiter led us to our table and I got my first glimpse of Fox’s mom and brother. Savannah left her seat and came around to the front of the table as we approached, her chic black dress swaying gently as she moved. I saw that she had Fox’s exact eyes, almost too green to be real, and his blond hair, although hers was a bit more highlighted and fell to her collarbone in pretty waves.

“Hello, son,” she said, smiling warmly as she turned a cheek to accept Fox’s kiss.

Lucas came up behind her, and for a moment I was struck by the resemblance between him and Fox. Lucas had darker blond hair and hazel eyes, but they both had the height and the broad shoulders. I was sure that every woman in the restaurant was looking our way, and probably a few of the men too.

“Mom, Lucas, this is Avery and Annabelle Kent.”

“Avery, it’s wonderful to finally meet you,” Savannah said, taking my hand in both of hers.

Her genuineness put me instantly at ease.
So, so different from my interactions with the Dempseys
, I thought.

“It’s a pleasure Avery, Annabelle,” Lucas said in his deep voice that was so like Fox’s.

“I’m so happy to meet you both as well,” I said. “This is my daughter, Annabelle.”

“Well, hello, Annabelle! That is a beautiful dress,” Savannah told her.

“Thank you very much,” Annabelle said. She tugged on my hand. “Fox’s mama is pretty!”

“I love her immediately,” Savannah laughed. “Shall we sit?”

We ordered drinks and appetizers while Savannah told us all about her Dallas exhibit. I learned a little more about what Lucas did also, as his company provided security services for Savannah’s travel and the ground transportation of her paintings during the tour.

“Mom won’t put them on a plane,” he explained dryly, and Fox half-laughed, half-coughed into his drink.

“They want to crate them haphazardly and shove them down into the bowels of the aircraft,” Savannah said disgustedly. “I can’t allow it.”

“You’re the boss.” Lucas’ half smile around his glass was so like Fox’s when he took a sip of his scotch.

Fox snickered but Savannah ignored him. From what I knew of Fox, I assumed she was used to the constant banter between her sons.

“I wish you could come to Dallas so we could spend Thanksgiving together,” she said, changing the subject beautifully. “Beckett said you’re all working that day, though?”

It threw me for a minute to hear her refer to him by his first name but I recovered quickly. “Yes, every year we do a free meal at the diner for anyone who doesn’t have a place to go.”

My parents had started that tradition when they first took over the restaurant, and it was my favorite day of the year. Typically we got a lot of young ranch hands, the occasional group of oil riggers, some elderly folk, and often a few families that were having a rough time. Throughout the day, our regulars would trickle in with extra food from their own tables – someone always “accidentally” made a double batch of biscuits or too many pumpkin pies – and it turned into a real party atmosphere with kids running around and everyone laughing and talking.

This year, my dad and Fox were planning to cook eight huge turkeys, and they’d been talking strategy for the past few days. No matter where we ended up next year, I knew I’d come back for Thanksgiving at The Kitchen. It wouldn’t be the same anywhere else.

“That’s a wonderful thing your family does,” Savannah remarked. “I miss those intimate things about a small town.”

“My mother is from Washington state,” Fox told me. “Up near Vancouver.”

“Very rainy and cold, but I loved it,” she said, a faraway look in her eye. “After I met Carter, we traveled all over, but the Pacific Northwest still calls to me. Of course, I’m spoiled and used to the beautiful California weather now!”

I smiled at her as I tidied Annabelle’s area at the table. She was quiet as a mouse, chewing on a breadstick and listening to us talk while scribbling away in her coloring books contentedly. I smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head. When I sat back in my chair, I saw Fox looking at me, an odd expression on his face. I raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled at me, a new smile I hadn’t seen before, almost a cross between proud and wistful.

Savannah didn’t seem like she missed much, and I could tell that she definitely noticed our exchange. I felt Fox’s hand slide onto my thigh under the table, just high enough to make me wish it was even higher. I would never get enough of that man, never ever.

“So you’re cooking now,” she said to Fox with a sly grin.

“Is it so unbelievable?” he laughed.

Lucas smirked. “It is to me.”

“Not at all.” Savannah speared Lucas with a stern look, but the amused expression on his face didn’t falter. “He can do anything he sets his mind to, Avery, and he has. Early admission to UCLA, top of his class in paramedic training, Hotshot crew leader at a young age…” she trailed off.

Fox looked around the room uncomfortably and I didn’t know what to say. We didn’t discuss his firefighting career much these days and it suddenly felt like the most important thing in the world.
What was he thinking? What were his plans? Did they include us?

Annabelle picked that minute to break the ice as she piped up and asked when our food would arrive.

“Soon, baby,” I told her. “Have another breadstick.”

“Tell us about graduate school, Avery. It sounds terribly exciting.” Savannah changed the subject again with ease.

“Well,” I began. “I applied to NYU and now I’m just waiting for their response.”

“Waiting is horrible, but you’ll love New York. How fun, to be young in that city! Have you ever been?” she asked.

“No,” I said. “Not yet. I was planning on taking a trip out there once I got my acceptance.”

“It’s one of the greatest places in the world,” she said. “We loved traveling there when the boys were young. There’s always plenty to see. Of course, there’s the garbage and the traffic and the noise, but that’s all part of what makes it New York City.” Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“It sounds amazing,” I agreed. And a little overwhelming, but in a good way.

“Lucas has offices in New York, so I still find myself there frequently. Did you know that?” she asked me.

“No,” I said slowly.

Fox and Lucas exchanged an indecipherable look that piqued my curiosity, but neither of them said anything. Suddenly Fox’s enthusiasm about my potential enrollment at NYU made a little more sense.

“Carter – their father – and I visit him and then stay in Manhattan for the weekend. There’s always something to do – galleries, shopping, theatre. I know you’ll be busy with your studies but you have to find time to enjoy the city.”

“I will,” I assured her.

“Good,” she said, satisfied. “By the way, Beckett – your father is sorry to have missed you. He couldn’t get away from his consulting work.”

“Yes, the General sends his regards,” Lucas said wryly, and Fox laughed even as Savannah shushed him good-naturedly.

Waiters appeared and presented our plates with a flourish. The food was delicious, and Annabelle ate all of her chicken and even a bit of her veggie medley, so I promised her we’d have dessert.

* * *

I was halfway through my cheesecake when Savannah cleared her throat and all four of us looked over to her.

“Beckett,” she started. “I had an interesting thing happen the other day.”

Lucas’ body language immediately changed and suddenly he looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Fox raised an eyebrow at her as he took a bite of cake. “Oh?”

“Yes, I got a call from McDaniels and Sloane. Apparently they’ve been trying to contact you, and after no luck they got a bit worried.”

I glanced quickly from Fox to Savannah to Lucas, trying to read between the lines of their conversation. I wasn’t sure who McDaniels or Sloane was but I could guess. Not many people were referred to by last name only, so I assumed they were former colleagues of Fox.

“I told them not to worry, that I’d just spoken with you and you were fine,” she continued. “I gave them your phone number again to be sure, but they said they’d already left messages.”

Fox pushed his plate of cake away. “Thanks,” he said shortly, but without heat.

Savannah said nothing, just studied him as she stirred her cappuccino. I got the distinct impression that Fox knew exactly which unreturned messages she was referring to, but neither of them planned to elaborate on the issue.

“Of course,” she said finally.

Lucas signaled the waiter and there was a heavily silent moment while our coffees were refilled and no one said anything. Fox changed the subject, another impeccably smooth transition that must’ve been spoon fed to him as a child, and we began discussing the driving conditions between here and Dallas like the previous awkward conversation never occurred.

My mind was in overdrive even as I nodded and smiled.
Why would Fox be avoiding talking to his friends? Wouldn’t he want to stay connected, especially if he was planning to return?