“Riverá? What the hell are you doing here?” Keith Hanson, his neighbor to the left, strolled up behind him on the porch and slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you, buddy. Are you just visiting, or are you back to stay?”
“I’m
hoping
to stay.”
“When I saw the SUV in your driveway, I thought someone might be breaking in.”
“Thanks for keeping an eye on the place.” Nick looked at him sideways. “Hey, you used to have a spare key to our house. Did Samantha give you or Jenny a replacement that fits the new locks?”
“Sorry, I don’t think so.” Keith stroked Chewie’s back. “I see you got yourself a dog.”
“Something Sam isn’t going to be happy about”. In fact, she would probably have a meltdown that would make Chernobyl seem like a big weenie roast.
Keith chuckled, leaning against the railing. “He’s an interesting looking specimen.”
“Go ahead, say it. He’s butt-ugly. I adopted him because I figured no one else would. Anyway, what’re you doing home during the day?”
“I guess Sam didn’t tell you. I was laid off four months ago.” Keith sighed. “Rick DeLuca and Bill Sutton are out of work, too. The economy is killing us. And with the unemployment rate what it is, finding a job is practically impossible.”
It wasn’t just the economy. The lightening-speed advancement in digital technology and the Internet’s explosion had rendered a multitude of traditional occupations nearly obsolete. His three friends, with whom he’d shared duty in Redemption’s volunteer fire department, all had families to support, which made their unemployment especially difficult. More likely than not, his neighbors, who had all be cut from middle management positions at large companies, would have to think about major career changes.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nick said. “How’s Bill handling it?” Their mutual friend and his wife had lost their oldest daughter, Leah, to a tragic automobile accident only a year and a half ago. “Are he and Ginny doing better?”
“Yeah. Jake talked Bill into going for marital counseling, but I don’t think they can afford it now.”
“I’ll let you know if I hear of any openings you’re qualified for.” He glanced across the road toward Jake Manion’s sprawling ranch-style house. “So what else has been happening in the neighborhood?”
Keith’s gaze followed his. “Did Samantha tell you Jake’s son, Alex, knocked up his girlfriend and married her this past summer?”
“
No way
.” And his
almost-a-shrink
neighbor had the nerve to give Sam advice about raising their daughter? “That must be tough for Alex,” Nick said, recalling how terrified he’d been when Sam had told him she was pregnant, and how his career plans had changed almost overnight. “What about his football scholarship? Jake must’ve blown a fuse.”
“Oh, Alex is still starting at Penn State. Jake isn’t making it too easy for them, but the kids are managing.”
“Good.” He sighed, wishing he and Sam had had that kind of support system.
“That’s not the juiciest part of the story, though,” Keith continued. “Jake just married Alex’s mother-in-law. There was a huge scandal this past summer with the school board. But that’s a long story best told over a cold six-pack.”
“Right.” They sounded like a couple of old women gossiping. “How’re Jen and the boys?”
His friend’s mouth stretched into a tight smile. “Good.”
“Don’t bullshit me,
mi amigo
. Your expression says it’s anything but good.”
“Jenny’s flipping out that we might be forced to move. We’re fighting constantly.”
Keith’s dental hygienist wife was over a decade younger than him, and their twins, Austin and Aiden were only five—or, at least, they had been when Nick moved to California. He supposed they would be about six now.
“She’s still working though, right?” he asked, stepping down off the porch.
“Yes, thank God.” Keith followed him onto the front lawn. “She was able to switch to full-time since I’m here for the boys after school. I’m going loony.”
Nick looked down at the ankle high grass. After being cooped up in a stuffy apartment for over a year, he’d been looking forward to some yard work in the fresh air. Nonetheless, his neighbor needed the money, and there was no way Keith would take a handout. The house sat on an oversized lot and had numerous large trees to maneuver around, so a fair price for the job would provide a hefty chunk of change for his neighbor’s family—although it would leave Nick’s pockets a lot lighter.
Even so, Jen and Keith had been there for his family when Dani became ill. They’d donated dozens of hours organizing a marrow donor registry drive, signing up half the town with the hope of finding a suitable match for his daughter. Just because the search had been unsuccessful, it didn’t diminish the huge sacrifice they’d made.
“If you’re that bored, how’d you like to pick up some extra cash mowing my lawn and getting rid of the leaves this fall?”
“Hell, yeah. I’ll get right on after the twins leave for school tomorrow. But how’s your brother going to feel about me stealing his job?”
Nick’s stomach clenched. When he’d moved out the previous summer, Sam and Dani had shared that chore. “Justin’s been cutting the grass?”
“Since last spring. He also hauls the garbage to the road twice a week.”
He could understand his brother helping Sam with the lawn, but they had an extra large trash can on wheels that even Dani was capable of moving without breaking a sweat.
“At first, Jenny and I thought maybe Justin had something going on with your ex, but then she started dating Dani’s doctor.”
“Yeah. So I’ve heard.”
“Do I detect a note of displeasure in your voice?” Keith grinned at him.
Not just a note—an entire symphony. Nick changed the subject, jerking his head toward the new house on the right. “What do you know about the McMansion?”
“Oh, that’s right. You haven’t met Steve and Tim yet, have you?”
“Should I assume Steve isn’t short for Stephanie?”
“Yup.”
The neighboring town of New Hope had a large gay and lesbian population, so the news that a homosexual couple had built the house next door wasn’t out of the ordinary. What did surprise him, however, was his ex-wife’s failure to mention their new neighbors had already moved in or that Justin might be attempting to rekindle the romance that had ended fifteen years ago after Nick got his brother’s girlfriend pregnant.
Evidently, a lot more had changed in the last year than simply the color of their house.
~*~
Dani unloaded her locker, shoving books into her backpack, and smiled at Haley. “Do you think, if I accidentally leave my Spanish book here tonight, I could convince my teacher to excuse me from taking the quiz tomorrow?”
“More likely your mom will drag you back here at midnight and talk the janitor into letting you pick it up.” Her friend laughed.
“True.” Dani bent to stuff the heavy textbook into the purple backpack at her feet.
As she straightened, hands covered her eyes while their undeniably male owner plastered his muscular body against her back and whispered, “Guess who?”
A violent shiver shot through her. Mitts that big could only belong to one guy. “Hey, Ryan.” She spun to face him. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to tell you I got a set of wheels.”
“Cool. What kind?” Haley asked.
“Well, the car’s kinda old,” he admitted, clearly embarrassed by his vehicle’s age. He stared at the floor and mumbled, “It’s a ’91 Toyota Celica.”
“That’s great!” Dani smiled. “Pretty soon it’ll be a classic and worth a bundle.”
Ryan’s neon blue gaze shot up to meet hers, making her stomach do a little flip-flop. “What do you know about classic cars?”
“Plenty. My dad and I used to go to a lot of antique car shows.” As well as baseball games and concerts. She flinched at the bang of a nearby locker slamming shut. “He used to work at a restoration shop while he saved up to go on the road with his band.”
“Your dad’s a musician?”
“Not since I was born.” According to her Uncle Justin, her father had been really talented and a bit of a bad-ass before he married her mom. “But he still plays his guitar for fun.”
“I’m in a band. We’ve booked a bunch of high school dances in the area. You think your dad might listen to us sometime and give us a few pointers?”
“Get in line,” she muttered, zipping her backpack.
“Her father lives in California,” Haley explained.
Dani closed her locker. “I’d love to hear you, though.”
“Maybe sometime you can come to one of my gigs.” He paused to clear his throat. “I, umm, I was thinking you might like a ride home today. We can drop Haley off on the way.”
Haley grinned, bouncing up and down behind his back, her thumbs turned up.
Terrific. Dani had been forbidden to ride with anyone other than a parent. She’d already pushed her luck going to the bowling alley with Allison last week and then lying about her friend’s mother driving. If she was caught, she would be in trouble with a capital T. Still, if she turned Ryan down, he might not offer again.
Oh, what the heck. Her mom was at work. She’d never know. “Sounds great.”
“I’ll get my car and pick the two of you up at the curb.” He waved, heading for the door.
“Can you believe it?” Haley pummeled Dani’s shoulder. “Ryan asked you out!”
“No, he didn’t. He simply offered to take us home.”
“Wait. He will,” Haley predicted and then glanced at her sideways. “So are you gonna tell him about your leukem—”
“Shhh!” Dani glanced around the hallway to see if anyone had been listening.
After she’d finally finished her maintenance chemo last spring, her parents had agreed, if she remained in remission, she could start high school that fall. Only a few kids, who remembered her from elementary school, knew she’d been sick. She’d sworn them all to secrecy and told everyone else she’d been traveling with her parents. It wasn’t a complete lie. They’d traveled constantly—to and from her doctor’s appointments in Princeton.
“I’m not telling anyone and neither are you,” Dani whispered, heading toward Haley’s locker. “If it gets out I have cancer, everyone will treat me like I have AIDS or something.”
“Had,” Haley corrected, bobbing and weaving to avoid the herd of oncoming students.
“I can still relapse. I’ve only been off chemo for five months.” She didn’t dare become too optimistic, or she’d never be able to handle it if she got sick again. She’d done enough research to know she couldn’t do the Snoopy-dance until she’d maintained a continuous remission for five years. Even then, her leukemia still had a small chance of returning. Only when she made her ten-year milestone would she finally be considered cured.
For now, she had to live for the moment.
~*~
Nick peered through the window in the door to Sam’s preschool classroom. She leaned over a child-sized table, helping one of her students cut a piece of orange construction paper into the shape of a leaf. The little boy looked a lot like Michael might have. Dark hair like his, blue eyes like Sam’s.
His chest tightened. How could a merciful God limit a woman who cherished kids as much as Sammy did to only one child? And, worse, threaten that child’s life with a terminal illness?
Sam chuckled at something the toddler said. She had the best smile.
As she straightened and arched her spine to rub the small of her back, her chest thrust out, causing him to nearly choke on his tongue. Damn! Her breasts had practically doubled in size.
Okay,
doubled
was a big exaggeration, however, she could never squeeze them into the 32B cup bras she’d worn a year ago
Not that this was a bad thing. He’d always had a weakness for Sam’s breasts, but he’d enjoyed them most during the year she’d nursed Dani. He’d loved watching her feed their daughter.
Was that how she’d spent the extra money he’d been sending her every month? On implants so that wife-poaching S.O.B., Chase, would have a bigger handful to squeeze?
No. Nick immediately shook his head. She would never become that vain or desperate.
He jerked his gaze to her face, and dread uncoiled in his stomach like a viper preparing to strike. Her face seemed fuller and softer too, like when she’d been pregnant with their son.
After losing Michael, Nick had suggested adoption, but Sam had argued that an unrelated sibling couldn’t help Dani if she needed a bone marrow transplant in the future. His wife had insisted that, if she could save their daughter’s life with a high-risk pregnancy, she was more than willing to take her chances.
That had been easy for her to say since she hadn’t had to watch herself go into convulsions and nearly die. Nick winced from the lump in his throat the memory always caused. Sammy had no idea how the death of their son had devastated him. She’d been unconscious and spared Nick’s nightmare. He’d been forced to choose between staying by her side or watching their baby fight for his life in the NICU.
By the time she’d had to deal with their tragedy, Nick had been way beyond tears.
As he studied the gentle swell of her bottom, his fly tightened. Sammy had always had a knockout figure—especially the first few months she was pregnant.
And now....whoa.
He’d strangle Adam Chase if he’d put her health in jeopardy.
Nick swallowed the sour taste of fear and rolled his gaze toward the ceiling. What the hell was wrong with him?
The woman he loved could be carrying another man’s child in a potentially dangerous pregnancy, and all his body would let him think about was seeing her naked again.
Preferably as soon as possible.
If nothing else, their separation had allowed him to concentrate on something other than sex. Whereas, during his marriage—and, okay, before it too—merely being in the same room with Sam was enough to muddle his thinking and make
El Capitán
snap to attention. He’d thought approaching middle age had tamed the unruly soldier in his jeans.
Apparently not.
Turning away, he stomped down the hall to walk off his hard-on. He’d be damned if he’d kick off his reunion with Sam by advertising how much he still ached for her.