Ian slammed the door of his car and strode toward the farmhouse, wet gravel crunching beneath black leather shoes. If Robin wouldn’t see reason, maybe her friend would. Maybe Bethany could convince her to stop fighting what would surely become a losing battle.
He stepped onto the porch. The front door swung open and Evan clomped out in his work boots, holding a coffee mug to his mouth in one hand and a small wooden birdhouse in his other. He stopped short and eyed Ian over the top of the mug. “What are you doing here?”
Ian ran his hand down the front of his shirt, thankful he’d dried out since standing in the rain. “I was hoping to speak with Bethany.”
“What do you have to say to my wife?”
“I wanted to talk to her about doing some work for McKay Development and Construction. We’re always looking for talented architects.” And he needed to figure out why Robin was so desperate to hold onto a building.
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
Ian’s hackles rose. “Excuse me?”
“There’s something you should know about Bethany. She’s loyal and she loves Robin. They’re closer than most sisters.”
“What does Robin have to do with it?”
“You’re a smart guy, Ian. I don’t appreciate you playing dumb. Especially on my front porch.” Evan took a sip of his coffee. “I let you stay here for the picnic because I wasn’t going to cause a scene in front of my nephew, who, for whatever reason, seems to like you. But don’t mistake my family’s politeness. Our allegiance lies with Robin. We don’t want your condominiums.”
“Amanda doesn’t seem to think they’re a bad idea.”
Evan’s posture didn’t change, but his knuckles whitened over the handle on his mug. “My sister is friendly. And young and impulsive. But she loves Robin like the rest of us. When it comes to choosing sides, don’t think it’ll be yours. The same goes with a lot of people in this town.”
“I’m not trying to turn your wife against Robin, Mr. Price. I’d just like to speak with her, if that’s okay with you.”
Evan studied him for a drawn-out moment, then pushed the front door open with his foot. Beside the couch, Elyse rocked in a swing, reaching her pudgy, dimpled hand toward the rotating mobile overhead. She had a fuzzy bear beside her and a tiny pink sock dangled from her toes. Ian looked away from the perfect picture the baby painted.
Bethany sat cross-legged on the sofa, a pencil tucked behind her ear and a laptop opened in front of her on the coffee table. Evan bent over his wife and whispered something. She eyed Ian through the opened door with one part curiosity and two parts suspicion. “We can talk on the porch,” she said.
Ian wanted to laugh. Would he defile their home by entering it? He swallowed the retort and waited for the couple to step out into the soupy air.
“I’m going to take this over to Amanda.” Evan held up the birdhouse and kissed Bethany full on the lips.
Ian blinked down at the faded welcome mat. His parents were exactly the same, forever reminding him of the mess that had been his own marriage. Bethany ran her hand through her hair and watched Evan go. When he climbed inside his old Bronco and pulled down the gravel drive, she folded her arms. “What can I do for you?”
She had an edge to her. Something professional. Or maybe reserved. She looked more informed, more savvy than the other town folk. As if she’d seen more of the world than the rest of them. “I looked through the portfolio on your website. You’re very talented.”
“Thank you.”
“McKay Corporation is always looking for architects with an innovative vision. We’d love to have you do some work for us.”
She crooked an eyebrow.
“Whatever your husband thinks, this isn’t about choosing sides. You could be a stranger, no connection whatsoever to Robin and her café, and I’d still make you an offer.”
“But I’m not a stranger, and I am connected to Robin and her café. So my answer is obviously no.”
“Fine, then. What about after this all blows over? Could I contact you then?”
“That depends on how everything plays out.”
“Can I have your business card, at least?”
She stood there, deliberating, then went inside and returned with a small white card.
He tucked it in his back pocket and held out his own. “Here.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Just take it.”
She took the card between her fingers.
“You and Robin seem close.”
“We are.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“You just did.”
He smiled. Bethany had spunk. “What is it with Robin and that café? Why is it so important to her?”
“It’s not really my story to tell.”
“Look, Bethany, despite what you and your husband believe, I don’t want to bulldoze Robin’s dreams to the ground. In fact, I tried to make her an offer today that would solve both of our problems, only she refused.” More than refused. She acted as if his offer flat-out scared her. “I’m a little baffled by it.”
“What was your offer?”
“First-floor condo space so she could keep her café.”
Bethany’s face softened.
“I understand her concern about One Life, but could you talk to her? Help her see reason? Otherwise, she’s going to sink right alongside that ministry.” Ian rubbed the back of his neck, a vision of a weeping Robin stuck on repeat in his mind. A familiar feeling of helplessness pressed against him. He was scrambling to fix things, only he couldn’t do it. He could never do it. “This is the best I can do. It’s this, or nothing.”
“What I say won’t make much of a difference.”
“I think you’re underestimating yourself. She values your opinion.”
“Ian, you’re underestimating what that café means.”
“Tell me what it means, then.”
She scratched her elbow and peeked over her shoulder, toward the living room, where baby Elyse was swinging off into nap-time oblivion. “Willow Tree was a dream they shared.”
“They?”
Bethany looked at him, as if waiting for something to click.
“Oh.” They.
“We built that café while she was pregnant with Caleb, right after she lost Micah. We renovated it from the ground up. Ripped out walls, put new ones in. Painted. Reconstructed the staircase. You name it, we did it. The project brought Robin back to life.”
Ian bowed his head. How could he compete with that?
“That building means a lot more to her than brick and wood. It holds four years’ worth of memories, most of which include Caleb.”
He scuffed his shoe against the floorboard. Why did his heart have to twist for a woman he hardly knew?
“These condominiums of yours. Are they really that important?”
The question echoed inside of him. As much as he hated the answer, he couldn’t bat it away. He might have failed in his personal life, but he had yet to fail in his corporate one. These condominiums were Ian’s chance to do something right. He could save the employees of McKay Development and Construction from unemployment. Make Dad proud and prove that he wasn’t a quitter. Ian couldn’t walk away. Not even for a woman he didn’t want to hurt.
The house was quiet. Robin had taken Caleb to the theater to watch a Mickey Mouse throwback playing through next week. Amanda relished the silence. She loved Caleb, but living with a three-year-old didn’t give her many moments of calm. It was good in a lot of ways. He didn’t give her a chance to pout or sulk, not when there were trains to play with and forts to build and bad guys to fight.
His energy forced her to hurdle the pain Jason left behind, but sometimes she wondered if the hurdling had drawn out the grief. Sometimes she wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to let herself experience it in the beginning—like a Band-Aid torn off quickly. A burst of intense pain that stung and went away. That had to be better than this slow peel of heartache she experienced now. Her rush to forget had left her with a residual sadness she couldn’t quite shake.
Jason’s latest e-mail only made it worse.
She crept into the two-car garage, crawled onto the hood of her Honda, and stood on her tiptoes. Batting away cobwebs, she pulled a fishing pole and a dusty tackle box down from the rafters, brought both inside, and got to work untangling the fishing line—an attempt to distract herself from the computer. She would not open her e-mail. She already reread Jason’s reply at least a dozen times and every time she did, she wanted to smack herself with a pillow. Or something harder.
He wasn’t coming back. As much as she searched for clues, he never alluded to that in his e-mail. He was in Nairobi and he missed her, but not enough to come home and propose and promise her the forever she used to think he’d promise. So what was she doing? She had no desire to spend her life in Africa. He hadn’t even asked her. She tied a small weight on the fishing wire and brought the pole outside.
As a kid, tagging along with four older brothers meant spending a lot of time with a fishing pole in hand. Lately, she craved the mindless activity of casting out a line and waiting for something to bite. Perhaps she should teach Caleb. He’d probably scare away the fish with his dinosaur growls and constant motion, but at least she’d be out of the house. Amanda brought the pole back and cast out into the wet lawn when a familiar Bronco grumbled into the driveway.
Evan parked his car and hopped out. “Catch anything?”
He pulled out a small, cardinal-red birdhouse from the front seat. “I come bearing gifts.”
She reeled in the line and cast out into the yard again. “You finally finished, huh?”
“It only took me two months.” He stopped in front of her and held it up.
She traded—one slightly worn fishing pole for one gorgeous homemade birdhouse—then twirled it around to examine the creation. So far, Robin had let Amanda hang three different ones in various trees throughout the yard. She wondered if she could get away with a fourth. “It’s beautiful, Ev. Thank you.”
“Thank you. Not all accountants accept birdhouses as payment. It’s kind of a weird fetish, but I’ll go with it.” He reeled in her line and examined the pole. “It’s been a long time since I went fishing.”
“I was thinking I’d take Caleb to the creek behind your farm.” She set the birdhouse on the front stoop and took back the pole. “What are the chances we’ll catch something other than floating bark?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he scratched at the scruff on his jaw and stared at a squirrel chattering beneath a forsythia bush. Not a good sign. That look was Evan-speak for “I’m about to give you a lecture.”
“Why’d you invite Ian to the picnic?”
And there it was. “Because he’s cute and because I like him.”
“The guy’s a developer.”
“Sheesh, Ev, you’re such a bigot. Not all developers are evil, you know.”
“They are if they’re trying to tear down Robin’s café.”
She rolled her eyes. Sometimes having older brothers could be such a pain. Especially when said older brother wanted to reprimand her for something she was already regretting. Inviting Ian to the picnic hadn’t been her brightest move. “So what? You came over to lecture me?”
“No, I came over to give you your birdhouse. I wasn’t planning on lecturing you until Ian McKay showed up on my front porch, asking Bethany if she’d like to do business with him.”
“Seriously?”
“The only reason he knows to ask is because you invited him to our picnic and started yapping about all the buildings Bethany renovated downtown.”
She cast the line toward the squirrel. The weight dropped in the bush and the critter scurried away. “She can thank me for the referral later.”
“This isn’t a joke, Amanda.”
“I’m not laughing, Evan.” Thunder rumbled in the distance. The forecast called for spotty showers throughout the day. She reeled in the line quickly, picked up the birdhouse and went inside. She didn’t want to get wet. And maybe Evan wouldn’t follow. She wiped her bare feet on the rug and set the birdhouse on the couch beside her laptop. The one she wasn’t going to open.
“It was a tactless move,” he said, stepping in behind her.
“Tactless?”
“Yes, tactless. So was inviting Kyle.”
Her muscles tightened. “He likes Robin. Sue me for wanting to give the man a second chance.”
“She doesn’t want you throwing men at her feet.”
“I didn’t throw anyone. And even if I did have the strength to pick up a full-grown man and throw him at Robin’s feet, she would step right over the guy. In case you haven’t noticed, big brother, she avoids men like the plague. I think they scare her.”
“Robin’s not afraid of men.”
Now she did laugh. “I swear, you are blind. Did you not see her at the picnic? Her avoidance of Kyle bordered on artistic. I almost started clapping.”
“Would you be serious?”
Amanda propped the fishing pole against the sofa table. “Okay, fine. You want to get serious? Let’s get serious. I’ve been living in this house for two years and I’m officially creeped out by that picture of my brother.” She pointed to the framed photograph from Robin and Micah’s wedding perched on the mantle. “There’s one in Caleb’s room too.”
“Your point?”
“My point, Evan, is that Micah died when Caleb was a baby bean.”
“So you think she should forget about our brother? Pretend he never existed?”
“I didn’t say that. Please don’t put words in my mouth.”
“Caleb deserves to know his father.”
“Caleb deserves to have a father.”
“He has me.”
Her heart softened. “You’re just an uncle, Ev. A really great uncle. But you have a farm to run and a wife and a kid and, judging by the way you and Bethany look at each other all the time, more on the way. You can’t be Caleb’s father. No matter how hard you try.”
“So according to you, Robin’s obligated to get married so Caleb can have a dad?”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“This whole conversation is stupid.”
She crossed her arms, probably to keep herself from picking up the birdhouse and chucking it at Evan’s head. “You started it.”
Evan glared.
Amanda eyed her computer. Maybe it would be better if she chucked that at her brother’s head. Two birds, one stone.
“Robin’s going to need your support on Thursday,” he said.
“She’ll have it.”
“I hope so.” Evan pushed open the door and walked to his car.
She stomped over and stuck her head outside. “Thanks for the birdhouse, jerk!”
He threw a dismissive wave over his shoulder. She gritted her teeth as he reversed out of the drive. She wanted to take his birdhouse and throw it out the window. She wanted Evan and Robin to let go of the past. She wanted Jason and her dying dreams to combust into flames and float away like ash.
That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
She plopped onto the couch and did the one thing she promised she wouldn’t do. She opened her laptop, let out a long, defeated breath, and reread Jason’s words.