“Uncle Hunter, Uncle Hunter,” Zoey called as she ran through the house. “Mommy made us breakfast.”
Hunter sat at his desk that he’d relocated to the living room when he’d moved Vivian and Zoey in. He’d gotten up early and had started working on designs for Faith’s outdoor sanctuary. He sat back as the little girl came running around the corner, her dark hair flying behind her. Joy swelled his heart as she jumped into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“She made waffles,” Zoey said, beaming up at him. Her dark eyes sparkled with happiness, something he hadn’t seen much of since Craig had passed.
“It looks like you’re excited about that,” he said, wrapping her in his arms as he stood and carried her into the kitchen.
Vivian, who was dressed up in a fashionable tailored suit, was wearing an apron and standing at the table, filling two coffee cups. The table was set, and each plate had a waffle already placed in the middle. She’d also made bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.
Hunter placed Zoey in a chair and stared at Vivian in surprise. “You cooked up a storm.”
“Of course I did. Zoey needs fuel before school, so I made enough for everyone.” She smiled serenely and sat next to her daughter.
Hunter glanced around at the elaborate spread, wondering if she’d cooked like this before Craig’s accident. He’d stayed with them for five months in Las Vegas and hadn’t seen her do more than make grilled cheese. Hunter had been the one who’d cooked for them. It had been the least he could do while she dealt with the loss of her husband.
“Thanks.” He sat and tucked in, eating a double helping of everything. Construction burned a lot of calories, and he had room to spare. After he decimated everything on his plate, he leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee. “This was great. Thanks, Viv.”
“You’re very welcome.” She leaned over to Zoey and said, “Go get your backpack, sweetie. It’s almost time to leave for school.”
Zoey slid out of her chair and ran into the bedroom she shared with her mother.
Vivian smoothed her dark hair back and sent Hunter a contented smile. “It feels good to be cooking for my family again. I haven’t felt this normal in months.”
“That’s… good.” He hadn’t missed her words, my family. She was including him in that tidy little picture, not just Zoey, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that. He was well aware that she’d like to start a relationship with him and have him step right into Craig’s shoes, but while Hunter was more than willing to do whatever it took to care for them, he was never going to hook up with Vivian again. A romantic relationship was the last thing he wanted with her. There was a reason they’d broken up all those years ago. He chose to ignore her insinuation and said, “You look nice. Are you job hunting today?”
She set her cup on the table and nodded. “I feel overdressed, but it’s either this or a skirt, and there’s snow in the forecast. I don’t want to get caught walking around town with bare legs.”
“Snow?” he asked, already turning to glance out the window. The day was drizzly and gray with just a peek of the sun spilling over his immaculate lawn.
“Just a dusting, but still. I didn’t want to risk it.” She stood up and started to clear the table.
He reached over and lightly grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Relax. I’ve got cleanup. It’s the least I can do.”
Her expression mellowed, and he was reminded of why he’d been attracted to her all those years ago. There was a softness she kept hidden underneath her tough shell that only a select few ever got to see. When she revealed it, she had the ability to make a man feel like he was her world. Only he also remembered that she’d used that ability to manipulate him into doing things he didn’t want to do. She’d wanted him to go to work for a corporation and invest in her father’s business. She’d had no respect for his desire to be a self-employed general contractor. In fact, he’d always gotten the impression she thought his job was beneath her.
Craig Chambers had been the perfect husband for her. He’d gone to work in her father’s software company as an account manager in sales. By all accounts, he’d been good at it, but then her father’s company ran into trouble, and he’d had to sell. Craig was laid off in the process, and ten months later he was gone due to the accident.
It had been a rough time for their family, and between living off their savings and the hospital bills after Craig died, Vivian had been left with nothing but the equity in their house. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to start over. He just hoped she’d be ready to move on sooner rather than later.
Because whatever she thought she wanted with him, what she had to offer wasn’t the kind of relationship he wanted. He wanted a partner who accepted him as he was and supported his dreams without judgement. Vivian wasn’t that woman. She’d always long for more, even if she convinced herself she was happy with a simple life. He just hoped when she moved on that she’d stay close by so he could be in Zoey’s life.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “See, we make a good team.”
He let go of her hand and without saying a word and went to work on the dishes.
“Uncle Hunter,” Zoey said, tugging on his hand. “You have to come in and see my new class. It’s amazing!”
Hunter chuckled and let the little girl drag him into the school. It was Zoey’s second day, and she loved it. It was different than her Las Vegas school, since the one in Keating Hollow also had a curriculum for learning how to control one’s magic. That wasn’t the case in most places, but since Keating Hollow was a town that was settled by witches over a hundred years ago, it was a tradition that hadn’t been phased out by budget cuts or politics.
“Zoey!” A petite little girl with brown curls ran up to her and grabbed her other hand.
“Hi, Daisy. This is my uncle Hunter,” Zoey said, pointing to him.
“Hello,” the little girl said politely. She quickly turned to Zoey. “You’re late. We need to hurry or we’re going to miss it!”
“It’s the lighting of the school Christmas tree!” Zoey called over her shoulder as the two ran off to the open space in the center of the school.
Hunter chuckled as he followed along behind them, loving that she’d already made a friend. If Zoey managed to settle in painlessly, it was less likely that Vivian would move her again in the short term.
School children were lined up in a circle around a massive blue spruce Christmas tree. Four teachers stood nearby, wands in their hands.
Wands? Since when did the Keating Hollow witches use wands? He heard the clatter of high heels behind him and turned to find Vivian doing her catwalk impersonation down the hallway toward him. She didn’t look like anyone who lived or worked in Keating Hollow. She was far too made up. From the sexy suit, to the heels, to the make-up, she was about ten beauty steps ahead of everyone else. Yes, she was gorgeous, but she also looked like she was trying too hard.
“Did you know this school uses wands? Isn’t that a little dangerous for kids?” he asked her when she came to a stop beside him. Wands carried power and ancient spells. The last thing the kids needed was another child unleashing a power spell he or she had no skill to control.
“It’s just for show and to help them concentrate. Don’t worry, I already asked about them. No one is going to turn Zoey into a unicorn. Although she might actually like that,” Vivian said with a chuckle.
Hunter crossed his arms over his chest and watched as the four teachers waved their wands and in unison said, “From the gifts of our elements, we ask that the gods bless us with the trimming of the tree.”
The students all repeated the phrase.
Silence filled the chilled air. It was so quiet Hunter was half positive that a teacher had cast a charm over the kids. But then a bird chirped, and the teachers started waving their wands around. A bottle of water rose in the air and tilted, and water started to pour out. Before it could reach the ground one of the teachers flicked her wrist, and the water rose into the air, separated, and reformed into two dozen icicles. Another flick of the wrist and the icicles each found a place on the tree. Each teacher used their element to decorate the tree, and in no time, the tree was filled with magical flames flickering on white candles, blooming poinsettias that had no need to be watered, and miniature fake swans that had become animated and were now perched on the branches.
The kids squealed and cheered as they were herded to their classrooms. Zoey ran over to Hunter and Vivian, gave them each a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then ran back to her classmates, who were already filing into a nearby classroom.
Hunter placed a hand on the small of Vivian’s back and guided her toward the school entrance. “She seems to love it here.”
Vivian nodded. “At least that’s one thing that’s going right.”
“Mr. and Mrs. McCormick!” the woman Hunter recognized as the principal called and hurried over to them.
“We’re not—” Hunter started to say that they weren’t married and that in fact, Vivian and Zoey didn’t share his last name, but Vivian cut him off.
“Hello, Janice. The tree lighting was perfect,” Vivian said.
“Thank you. It’s a favorite every year. I just wanted to tell you both how much we love having Zoey. She’s a delightful child. She’s already made fast friends with Daisy, the daughter of Noel Townsend. Good people the Townsends.” She grinned at Hunter. “But you already know that, right? I heard you’re doing work for Lin. Such a great guy.”
“Yes, he is,” Hunter said.
“Anyway. I have to run. Let us know if there’s anything we can do to make the settling-in process smoother for Zoey.” The principal waved her fingers at them and strode off.
“That was certainly nice,” Vivian said as they walked back out to his truck.
Hunter was quiet as he held the door open for her. The interaction had disturbed him. Why had the principal called them Mr. and Mrs. McCormick? He continued to stew about the interaction as he put the truck in gear and headed to the heart of the town. Finally, he couldn’t stand it and just asked her. “Viv, why does the principal think we’re married?”
“Oh, that.” She waved an unconcerned hand. “When I filled out Zoey’s paperwork, I used your last name. I figured it would just be easier than changing it later.”
He pulled the truck into a parking spot on Main Street and stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about? Why would you do that?”
“You know why,” she said, impatiently. “Come on, Hunter. Give me a break, will you? I’m just trying to do the right thing.”
“By erasing Craig completely?” he roared and then shot out of the truck, needing the fresh air to cool his temper. Craig didn’t deserve what she was doing to him. He’d been Zoey’s father for seven years of her life. She couldn’t just erase that because it made life easier for her.
“Hunter, please,” she said, standing beside the truck with her arms crossed over her chest in a protective stance. “This is hard enough as it is. I was just trying to… I don’t know. It seemed like the right thing to do. We’re sort of like a family now. And if we just give it time…” Her voice wobbled, and she glanced away, but not before he noticed the tears in her eyes.
He let out a frustrated sigh and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Walking over to her, he used two fingers to lift her face so that she was looking up at him. “Viv, you can’t just change things like that. Don’t you think it’s too confusing for Zoey? She’s been a Chambers her entire life. She can’t just switch to McCormick out of nowhere.”
“She’s happy to be a McCormick,” Viv said as a single tear rolled down her face. “Craig would understand.”
Hunter highly doubted that. In fact, he was fairly certain his friend was rolling in his grave right at that moment. A sharp stab of pain sluiced through him even as his heart seemed to swell with the idea. He couldn’t let her do this. It wasn’t fair to Craig or Zoey.
“Vivian, listen, you have to go back to the school and make sure they know that Zoey’s last name is Chambers. It’s her legal name, and we aren’t married, nor will we ever be. You have to stop thinking you can will things into existence.”
“Why are you fighting this?” she asked, her eyes searching his in earnest. “Craig is gone. You aren’t betraying him, and Zoey deserves to have a father.”
Hunter ground his teeth together, praying for patience. “Zoey has a father!” he said through clenched teeth, wanting to shake her. “You know I’m committed to her, that I’m not going anywhere, but Craig deserves to live in her memory and you’re trying to erase him. I won’t let you do it.”
“I’m not trying to erase him,” she said very quietly. “I’m just trying to do the right thing for my daughter.”
“So am I,” he said, closing his eyes, trying to regain control. “But you have to stop forcing this, Vivian. You and me, we’re never going to end up together the way you want us to. I’m not… it’s just not what I’m looking for.”
“You mean I’m not what you’re looking for,” she said with a huff of irritation.
It was true, but he hadn’t wanted to come out and just say it like that. Finally, he opted for the truth. “I’m sorry, Viv. The fact is that I’m interested in someone else.”
“It’s Faith, isn’t it? The pretty blonde you were talking to at the bookstore. She owns the spa, doesn’t she?” Her words were matter-of-fact, void of emotion.
He didn’t even acknowledge her question. Instead, he bent down and kissed her softly on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Viv. Please talk to the school so there aren’t any more miscommunications. I have to get to work.” He climbed back into his truck, rolled down the window, and said, “Call me if you need a ride home later.”
She glared at him. “Don’t worry about us. I’ll figure something out.”
“Okay. Offer stands,” he called, pretending she wasn’t trying to burn holes in his skull. Then he took off down the road, heading to Lincoln Townsend’s farm.