Together With You (10 page)

S
hortly after ten o'clock, Ryan walked into the house with his black blazer slung over his shoulder. The silence reminded him of those nights before Penny came to live with him, when he dated frequently and did as he pleased. On a night like this, he might have poured himself a drink and indulged in a cigarette. He certainly wouldn't have rushed through dinner with Dr. Evelyn Donnelly, but that's what he'd done in his hurry to get home to Carly.

The house was dark except for the stove light in the kitchen and the golden glow of a single lamp in the family room. Approaching quietly, he spotted her curled on the couch and sound asleep, her arm around a white bed pillow. He needed to wake her, but the simple beauty of a woman sleeping struck him as something to be enjoyed, even revered. An ocean breeze filtered through the open window and lifted a wisp of her hair. When it brushed her cheek, she wrinkled her nose, moistened her lips, and settled back into her dreams.

“Carly?” He raised his hand to shake her awake but stopped. If he touched her in such a personal way, he'd remember and want
to do it again. When she didn't respond, he lifted a throw blanket off the recliner. They could talk in the morning.

As he unfolded the fleece blanket, her eyelids fluttered open, and she rolled to her side. When she saw him, she bolted upright. “Oh dear! I fell sound asleep.”

“You must have needed it,” he said. “Sorry to keep you so late.”

She shook her head as if to jar loose the cobwebs, then she patted the couch next to her. “Sit. I have to tell you what happened with Eric.”

“I've been wondering.”

She pointed to a cardboard box under the flat-screen TV. It resembled a fish tank, which in a way it was. Blue and silver spray paint sparkled on the inside, plastic plants stuck up from the sand-covered bottom, and the fish from the museum dangled from the top, including a snarling great white shark.

Carly stifled a yawn. “Eric made that today.”

Ryan was impressed, both that Eric had ventured out of his room and his attention to detail. Maybe the museum trip was more successful than he realized. “He did a great job.”

“Penny thought so, too. She wanted the shark, so she took it.”

As Carly described the quarrel, Ryan wondered if his kids would ever get along, let alone love one another. When she told him about the picture on Facebook, he let out a chest-deep groan. “That's awful. It's bullying. It's just—”

“It's wrong.” She laid her hand on his forearm. “Eric knows it and he's sorry. He already took the picture down.”

“Good.” The warmth of her hand soaked through his shirt sleeve to his skin, filling him with a volatile brew of hope for himself, the longing to be understood, and the certainty that Carly was the answer to bringing his family together. She had an almost mystical gift when it came to understanding his kids. And him.

“I gave him a choice,” Carly said. “I told him he could tell you, or I would. ” She paused, maybe to soften her words. “Right now, he's
struggling to understand the changes in his life, and he's thirteen to boot.”

Ryan grimaced. “It's a rough age.”

“It was for me, too,” she admitted. “But it's also an amazing age, because we learn so much. Eric's expecting you to talk to him about the picture incident. The good news is that I believe he's truly sorry. He was angry and reacted. The bad news is that he's angry about so many things.”

Ryan glanced at the shark staring at him with its lifeless eyes. “I'll talk to him tonight. I don't think Denise would ever check Eric's Facebook, but it's the kind of thing that would have her calling attorneys.”

“That reminds me.” Carly winced a bit. “She called your cell phone around seven.”

“I saw it.”

“When you didn't call back, she called the house and I picked up. We talked a long time about Penny, but I could tell she wanted to hear even more.”

“She can't get enough.” Ryan appreciated Denise's dedication, but he felt like a bug under a microscope.

“I think she's lonely.”

So did Ryan. “Thanks for talking to her.”

“It was nice for me, too. The more I know about Penny, the better. Denise has her baby book. Did you know that?”

A baby book,
the thing Heather kept for each of the boys, though Kyle's was more complete. The books were full of first smiles, first words, first teeth, and dozens of moments Ryan didn't recall, though Heather had included him as much as she could.

“I didn't know that,” he said to Carly.

“Someday Penny will treasure it. From what Denise told me, it's all she has left of her mother. Jenna took a lot of pictures, but they were on her phone, and that was destroyed in the accident. There wasn't much in the apartment, just a few framed photographs of the two of them. Denise has those, too.”

“Maybe I should ask her for one. Penny rarely mentions her mother. It worries me.”

“Me too.”

“At least she hasn't run off lately.”

“She's doing great. But there's one more thing I want to talk to you about.”

“Just one?”

“Actually more.” She disarmed him with a twinkle in her eyes. “To tell the truth, I have a whole list of things for you.”

“Have at it,” he said, meaning it. With Carly he no longer expected criticism.

“First, Penny's room.”

“What's wrong with it?”

“Everything.” Her nose wrinkled, a sign she was about to say something he didn't want to hear. “I know you tried to make it nice for her, but it's too stimulating.”

“I can see that now.” Six months ago, he'd hired a decorator to make it a little girl's paradise. When the woman finished, it had reminded Ryan of a box of new crayons—bright, busy, and full of choices. An abundance of shelves held dolls, games, art supplies, picture books, and educational toys. “What do you suggest?”

“Simplicity. Order. I'd like to redo it—new paint, new bedding, and new curtains. The furniture's fine, but everything else needs to be evaluated from Penny's perspective.”

“Go for it.”

Victory won, she gave a little fist pump. “This'll be fun.”

“I'll help,” Ryan offered. “Moving furniture, painting, whatever you need.”

“Thanks, but I thought I'd make it a day project and recruit the boys. It'll keep them busy, and it's a chance to be big and strong while I bark orders at them. It's preparation for marriage.”

Ryan laughed. “Good plan.”

With her eyes twinkling, she laced her hands in her lap. “It also brings up the other thing I want to tell you. It's about Kyle.”

Kyle was a good kid, the one who made normal mistakes. Ryan relaxed a bit. “What's up?”

“I think he has a girlfriend.”

So much for relaxing. A first girlfriend was something to enjoy, a first date, a first kiss. But teenagers got carried away and made mistakes. Ryan raked his hand through his hair and groaned.

Carly laughed. “I hope you've talked with him about girls.”

Her earnest eyes drilled into his, and he wondered just how far apart they were when it came to love and relationships. He knew she was a Christian, but what exactly did that mean? Hands off until marriage? No one he knew lived that way, but he had to admit, there was a time for self-control. Kyle was way too young for that step to adulthood, especially if it led to a teen pregnancy.

Ryan needed to have a serious conversation with his son, but what did he say?
Don't do what I did?
He couldn't, not when he and Heather had slept together before marriage and Kyle was the result. Did he hand the boy a box of condoms the way his own father had done? Ryan came from a world where adults chose their own moralities. Kyle was only fifteen, but his body was maturing even faster than his brain. He'd be a man soon, and Eric was right behind him, Eric who lived like a vampire and stole candy bars by accident.

“Ryan?”

“Sorry.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “The whole subject gives me a headache.”

“I know you'll handle things with Kyle,” she said with far more confidence than he felt. “His girlfriend's name is Taylor Robertson. You haven't met her yet, but I did at the last practice. Her twin brother is on Kyle's team. Her mom's nice and so is her dad, though I suspect he has a shotgun in his trunk to scare away boys.”

“Good.”

Carly laughed. “My dad had one of those.”

“Did it work?” He really wanted to know. “How many boys did he scare away from you?”

“A few.” She blushed a little, then scooted to the edge of the couch. Looking down at the carpet, she wiggled her feet into a pair of flip-flops with daisies on top. “I better go.”

Stay. Tell me about those boyfriends.
Kyle wasn't the only male who had to fight his impulses. So did Ryan, and right now he wanted to enjoy the heady mix of peace and longing only Carly could inspire. Maybe it was her Kentucky roots that made her so easy to be with, or the fact that she was eight years younger and less scarred by life. Ryan was far wiser in the ways of the world, but he admired Carly's country wisdom. With her help, maybe he could cross off the toughest item on the SOS list.

“I need a favor,” he said, touching her elbow to keep her on the couch.

Her toes stopped at the edge of her flip-flops. “What is it?”

“I have a list of things I want to do as a family, things that I hope will bring the four of us together.” He felt silly confessing, but this was Carly, who didn't judge him for his failures. “I call it the SOS list. That stands for Sink or Swim.”

“Or Save Our Souls,” she said, sounding wistful. “What's on it?”

“Things like go to Kyle's games and do something with Eric.” He elaborated on the museum trip, including how they sat apart. “I'm pretty sure it was a bust.”

“Oh, but you're wrong! That trip was a
huge
success!”

“I don't see it.”

“That's because you're thinking like an adult, not a thirteen-year-old boy.” She laced her hands over her knees. “Kids at that age need their parents, but they don't want them to stand too close. You were there for Eric. That's what matters.”

He puffed up a little. “I guess so.”

“What else is on the list?”

He named a few more things, like going for ice cream and taking Penny to the park down the street. Mentally he added
Meet Kyle's girlfriend and her parents,
a normal step all parents took. “I can handle most of it. In fact, it's been fun.”

“Like at Kyle's game.”

“Exactly.” He hadn't missed a game since that day. “By the way, I ordered four tickets for a Dodgers-Reds game in July. Want to go?”

“You bet.”

Her smile pleased him a little too much, but the favor he needed to ask humbled him. “Ordering tickets is easy compared to the one thing I can't seem to pull off.”

“What is it?”

“Sitting down to a family dinner and everyone enjoying it.”

She tipped her head. “That shouldn't be too hard.”

“It's harder than you think. I tried, and it was awful. If you can stay late one day and have dinner with us, it might help.”

When she didn't answer, Ryan followed her gaze across the room to Eric's cardboard box, where the shark was hanging by a thread. Her expression held a touch of fear as she faced him. “You're trying hard, aren't you?”

“Very.”

“Just keep at it. It takes time.”

“I don't have time.” The boys had been with him for six weeks. The summer was racing by. “I could really use your help.”

“You don't need me. This list is for you and your kids.”

“But—”

“Ryan, I'm right on this.”

His name on her lips sounded both sweet and bitter, and he wondered why a simple meal posed a threat to her. “Stay. Just this once.”

She started to stand but stopped on the edge of the sofa. “Let's compromise. Name the day and I'll cook something for the four of you.”

“That would be great.” But it wasn't enough. He wanted Carly to share the meal, but convincing her to stay would have to wait for a more relaxed time. “How about next Tuesday?”

She tapped a finger on her knee. “That should work. Kyle doesn't have practice that day. Denise won't be visiting until later in the month, so Penny will be here. I'll make sure Eric knows, too.”

“So what's on the menu?”

“That's a surprise.”

“A hint?”

“Nope.” After giving him a stern look, she shoved to her feet. “I need to go home.”

Standing with her, he glanced at his watch. They'd talked for almost an hour. “It's late. Spend the night in the nanny room.”

“I can't. My cat's waiting.”

He knew a lame excuse when he heard one. “I thought cats could stay alone now and then.”

“She's been alone all day.”

Ryan worried about Carly driving home, but he had no right to pressure her. She was a competent, independent woman. Even so, he waited while she fetched her purse from the nanny room, then walked her to her car. He didn't have to do it. She was an employee, a member of the household in a formal way, but a masculine caring, a timeless urge to protect her, took root in his chest and refused to budge.

“See you in the morning,” Carly said as she slipped into the driver's seat.

He closed the door and watched her pull out of the driveway. The hush of night descended on him. The sky seemed blacker and the stars more distant, and as he headed to the house, he thought of Carly's head on the pillow on the couch and gave in to a wave of loneliness. He considered sneaking a cigarette, but he needed to speak with Eric. Disciplined as always, Ryan climbed the stairs one at a time. He reached Kyle's room first, saw the door open a
crack, and heard Kyle murmur something, presumably into his phone. “I like you too, Taylor . . . a lot.”