Something was different about Gavin. He was always even-tempered—chill, as her students would say—but today he looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. Aiyana couldn’t help watching him curiously once she met him at his truck to help carry in the sandwiches and drinks.
“What’s up with you?” she asked as they arranged everything in the teacher’s lounge on two long tables covered with butcher paper. The teachers would be arriving in a few minutes. He’d gotten back later than she’d expected. But they were alone for now, so she was hoping to get whatever it was out of him before she had to turn her attention back to work.
“Nothing,” he said, but his lips curved into a grin he couldn’t seem to hold back.
“It’s definitely something,” she insisted. “What’s going on?” She sat up taller as an idea struck her—a possible answer to her own question. “Oh, my gosh! Are you and Savanna going to have another baby?”
“No.” He lifted a hand to stop that guess right away. “We’re done having kids, Mom. No more for us.”
“But Alia and Branson are getting older—Branson will be a teenager before we know it—and they’ve been such a big help with Crew. Alia told me she would love to have a little sister.” Savanna had had two children from a previous marriage when she moved to town, and since she and Gavin had been married, they’d added one more to the family.
“Three kids is a lot in this day and age,” he said.
“Three is nothing,” she argued. “I can’t imagine having anything less than eight.”
He chuckled as he slung an arm loosely around her shoulders and pecked her cheek. “Because you’re Superwoman,” he said. “There aren’t many people who can do what you do. We’re not even going to try.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere—except it won’t throw me off the scent.” She eyed him shrewdly. “What are you so happy about?”
He glanced at the door as if he was afraid the teachers were about to barge through it.
“We still have ten minutes,” she told him, indicating the clock on the far wall. “You can do a lot of talking in ten minutes,” she added playfully.
He laughed again. “I’m just excited to think Seth might be able to overcome the funk he’s been in since Shiloh died.”
“That’s exciting to me, too, but that’s a pretty general statement. What are you referring to? Tia? Did I miss something?” Lord knew she’d been watching the two of them at breakfast, had definitely noticed how Seth’s eyes had followed Tia whenever they were in the same room and how protective he was of her. He’d texted before he’d brought her over to tell them not to even mention the movie, her career or the accident. He’d been very careful to lay the groundwork so she could feel comfortable and welcome.
“I can’t say too much,” Gavin said with a scowl.
“Why not?”
“Because...”
“Then, you do know something I don’t.”
His long-suffering expression suggested he couldn’t fend her off. “Yes, it is Tia, okay? I suspect Seth might like her more than just a friend. That’s all.”
A thrill shot through her. “Really?”
“Don’t take it too far,” he warned. “I’m not sure. Just seeing the right signs.”
When Seth had asked if he could bring Tia to breakfast, Aiyana had wondered if there might be something between them. But she was almost too afraid to hope. She’d been so terribly worried about this son in particular. He had such a distrust of love, and since Shiloh had died, he’d seemed to be absolutely convinced the love she’d offered was the only love he’d ever find—at least that he could rely on. “I won’t say a word to anyone,” she said. “But...what makes you think so?”
“He’s been so morose the past three years. So hard to reach. Most of the time I could hardly even get him to respond to my texts or calls.”
“It’s been that way for all of us,” Aiyana reminded him ruefully.
“But now—” Gavin’s smile returned “—he’s happier. I feel like... I feel like he’s healing and beginning to come around.”
“And you think Tia might be the reason?” Aiyana couldn’t help going right back to that. She liked Tia, thought she might be perfect for Seth. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high, not without sufficient reason, and it seemed as though Gavin could provide that reason. He was certainly acting as though he’d seen or heard something.
“I do.”
“Why? Did he say something to you about her?”
“Not specifically. But—” he started to laugh “—let’s just say it was pretty...apparent.”
Aiyana grabbed his arm but lowered her voice. “Are you hinting that he might be sleeping with her?”
Gavin’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t say that.”
It was Aiyana’s turn to start laughing. “You didn’t have to.”
Some of the teachers started wandering in. Gavin shot her a disgruntled look to let her know he wasn’t pleased she’d gotten so much out of him and left. He had a lot to do around campus, and he was so good to step up and get it done.
For the next forty minutes, Aiyana was too preoccupied to be able to concentrate on anything besides the events they were planning at the school. But after the meeting ended, and she was sitting alone in the room, she felt lighter than air as she texted Gavin.
Thank you, son.
For what? came his response.
For Aiyana, there simply couldn’t be a better Christmas present than Seth finding love and happiness again. For giving me hope, she wrote back.
He didn’t ask her to clarify. It’d been almost an hour since they’d spoken about Seth and Tia, but he understood, because all he sent back was a winking emoji.
“Lunch is ready,” Seth heard Tia call as soon as he stepped out of the shower.
After he pulled on some jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, he went into the kitchen to find that she’d made avocado toast, squeezed some of the oranges from the pile he’d picked and put on some coffee. He was still hungry, despite the cereal he’d eaten when Gavin came over, and the toast was exceptionally good the way she made it, with pesto as a base and hot pepper flakes on top. It was such a simple thing, this breakfast after a night of great sex, and yet it was so fulfilling. Somehow, he’d forgotten how gratifying it was to share a meal with someone he enjoyed.
Or maybe he hadn’t forgotten. He’d just thought he’d never enjoy anyone as much Shiloh.
Guilt flared up immediately, but that didn’t seem to matter. As he ate, images from last night kept cycling through his brain. It was almost impossible to get those hours with Tia, naked in his arms, out of his head. But he was glad she didn’t mention it. They made small talk instead, which felt much safer. She asked how it’d gone with his brother, and he said that Gavin would be cool about everything and took the time to explain why he had stopped by. He didn’t want the conversation to become awkward. One night was a random encounter. A second night was...
He refused to finish that thought. Two nights said something more. That was all.
“But even if Lois wants to help Kouretas, how can she do that?” Tia asked, once she knew about the meeting Gavin had witnessed at the coffee shop. “It’s not like she can call me up and ask me to meet somewhere Kouretas can ambush me. She doesn’t even know me.”
“She knows me.”
“You think she’ll try to get you to buzz her in and then hold the gate for him or something?”
“No, he doesn’t need her for that. It wouldn’t be hard to jump the fence. I’m guessing she’ll try to invite me over for dinner one night—under the pretext of talking through what’s going on between us or something else—so that I’ll leave you here alone.”
Tia drew her coffee closer to her. “You really believe your mother-in-law would do that? I mean...I get why she might not be happy to see another woman living in the house with you. She’s probably concerned that could change everything, make you less attentive to them, but—”
“Desperate people do desperate things,” he broke in.
“They need money that badly?”
“Apparently.” He took a drink of his juice. “Maybe I should take away Kouretas’s power by giving the Iveys the money they want,” he mused.
Tia wrinkled her nose. “No. I don’t want you paying his gambling debts—not for my sake, anyway. He needs to get help with the addiction. Otherwise, you’ll just enable him.”
“But it would be the easiest and quickest way to outmaneuver Kouretas.”
“It would also be the most expensive way. I can’t afford it, and I won’t let you do it for me. Besides, you don’t know that’ll solve the problem. If they’re that down on their luck, they could always go for the money he’s offering, too. Besides, thanks to Gavin, we don’t need to go in that direction. Now that we know they’re in contact, we’ll be prepared.”
Seth couldn’t help feeling as though the Iveys had let him down again, but he supposed he shouldn’t have expected much more from Lois and Graham. His relationship with them might’ve begun to feel sincere right before Shiloh died, but it had fallen apart immediately after. He’d blamed himself for that; he’d withdrawn from everyone. But maybe things would’ve fallen apart, anyway. He was seeing a side of them he’d never seen before. The only good thing about having Shiloh gone was that she didn’t have to see it, too.
The buzzer sounded. Someone was at the front gate.
Tia immediately began to worry her bottom her lip. “Oh, boy. What’s going on now? We know that can’t be anyone in your family. They just walk in.” She smiled to let him know she was joking, and he couldn’t help smiling in return. Gavin strolling into the office had to have been embarrassing for her.
“We’ll see,” he said and got up to answer.
When Tia followed him, he gestured at the stairway. “You might want to get upstairs while you can.”
She seemed reluctant to leave him. “I hate that I’m causing so much trouble.”
“You’re not causing trouble. They are.”
He waited until she was out of sight before pressing the button to respond to their guest. “Hello?”
An older, gravelly voice came back to him. “This is Officer Crocker with the Silver Springs Police Department. I’m responding to a complaint we received yesterday. Are you the owner of the property?”
“The owner is Maxi Cohen, who’s out of town.” Seth suspected they already knew that. “I’m staying here in his absence—with his permission.”
“And you are...”
“Seth Turner.”
“Aiyana’s son.”
Everyone knew his mother. “Yes.”
“Do you have a moment that I could speak with you?”
Seth could tell that wasn’t as optional as it sounded. “Of course. I’ll meet you at the gate.”
Once he let go of the button, he turned to see Tia standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at him. “Should I go out with you?” she asked.
He grabbed a coat from the closet a few feet away. “No, I’ve got it.”
“What are you going to tell him?” she called as he opened the door.
“The truth.”
“Okay.” She lifted her phone to show him she had it with her. “If you need me for anything, just text me, and I’ll come out.”
“If I need you for anything, we’ll come in,” he said wryly and stepped into a blustery, wintry afternoon.
Tia waited anxiously for Seth to return to the house. When it took longer than she thought it should, she went from room to room, looking for a window that might give her a view of what was going on and finally found one in the music room. If she stood on a chair, she could see the back of Seth’s head and shoulders: greenery blocked everything else except part of the police officer who was with him, a shorter gentleman with gray hair and a stockier build.
Sadly, she couldn’t see well enough to be able to figure out what was going on. But she kept her eyes pinned to the scene. Would Seth bring him in? Would she need to corroborate the story of what happened with Kouretas?
She assumed the answer to that question was yes when she saw Seth reluctantly let the officer through the gate.
She wished she could cover her scars but refrained, because it would make the situation plain. Once the officer saw the damage to her face, maybe he could understand why there might be someone out to snap a picture for the tabloids and how that person might push Seth to the point of breaking a camera.
The sound of the door opening and closing echoed up to her. “Tia?” Seth called. “Can you come down for a moment?”
Quickly pulling her hair into a ponytail, so the officer could get a good look despite her insecurities, she took a deep breath and walked down to the entryway, where both men were waiting for her.
“Tia, this is Officer Crocker,” Seth said. “Ray Kouretas has filed a complaint over what happened yesterday when he blocked our driveway.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tia said.
The officer’s expression grew sympathetic when he saw her damaged cheek. “I’m sorry to hear about your accident,” he said. Fortunately, he sounded sincere.
“Thank you.”
“Would you mind telling me what happened when you encountered Mr. Kouretas at the gate yesterday?”
“Not at all.” She told him how they’d come home to find that they couldn’t get back onto the property, how Seth had asked Kouretas to leave but Kouretas refused, and how Seth had knocked the camera from his hands when Kouretas pulled it out and started snapping pictures, anyway.
“That doesn’t sound like much of an assault,” he said.
“Like I told you, I didn’t touch him, just the camera,” Seth said.
“Is that true?” Officer Crocker asked Tia.
“Absolutely,” she replied.
He nodded. “Mr. Kouretas made it sound much worse, but I can’t imagine anything will come of it, although he could always try to make a case in civil court.”
“I’d be fine with that,” Seth told him. “If he shows up and wins, I’ll buy him a new camera. I was going to do that anyway, but now that he’s involved the police, I think I’ll wait to see if he can make me.”
“That’s up to you. Thanks for your time.” He pivoted to leave but turned back before opening the door. “Ms. Beckett?”
“Yes?”
“My daughter’s a huge fan.” He seemed slightly embarrassed as he added, “Would you mind giving me your autograph?”
“Not at all,” she said and accepted the pad and pen he pulled from his shirt pocket.
“I’m sorry that Mr. Kouretas is being such a nuisance,” he said as she scribbled her name. “I’ll warn him that he’d better not step foot on the property and make it clear that he can’t block your driveway. But according to the law, what the eye can see, the camera can photograph. It’s all part of the First Amendment. So if you’re in a public place, or you can be seen from a public place, there won’t be anything I can do.”
“I understand.”
“I’m going to put this down as a civil dispute,” he said as he slid the pad and pen she returned to him back into his pocket. “Nothing serious has happened yet. But I wanted to stop by because I’d hate to see this escalate into someone getting hurt.”
“That won’t happen,” Tia assured him.
“As long as he doesn’t cause a problem, there won’t be one,” Seth clarified.
Officer Crocker arched an eyebrow at this response. “I love your mother, son. Everyone does. But you’ve been in enough trouble to last a lifetime. Let’s not ruin her Christmas, okay?”
“That’s the last thing I want to do,” Seth said. “But there’s no way I’m going to let Kouretas get a picture of Tia before she’s ready to let that happen.”
Crocker rested his hands on his gear belt. “Sounds to me like you’re itching for a fight, and I can tell you that’s not the right attitude—”
“I’ll make sure there’s no more trouble,” Tia quickly interceded. Officer Crocker had no idea how angry Seth was at the world. If she had her guess, he’d welcome the chance to stand up for something and fight, as long as he could feel justified. He hadn’t been able to defend himself from those who’d hurt him so badly as a child, and he couldn’t allow himself to react to the Iveys as he probably wanted to since he met Shiloh. Feeling as though his hands were always tied would only add to his frustration.
Still somewhat skeptical, Crocker looked from her to Seth but finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll let you get back to your afternoon.”
When Seth made no move, Tia thanked him and showed him out.
“Lot of help he was,” Seth grumbled after he was gone.
“There’s nothing he can do,” she said. “He’s willing to let bygones be bygones with the camera incident. That’s what matters. We don’t want to give the police any reason to side with Kouretas.”
“That isn’t what I’m concerned about.”
She studied the hard set to Seth’s jaw. “Then, what are you concerned about?”
He seemed restless as well as angry. “I wasn’t there to protect Shiloh. I didn’t see the threat,” he said. “But I see this one.”