Devin inched his black truck forward in the trailing line of cars headed to the front of the middle school. As he flipped down the visor, blocking out most of the morning sun, he stifled a yawn.
Carly sat beside him in the front passenger seat of the crew cab, munching on cinnamon French toast sticks while texting on her phone.
Yesterday she’d stayed after school for a club meeting. Lauren had had to work late and couldn’t pick her up, so he’d taken his daughter to his place for the night. At GreatStore, while they’d been shopping for the items to make spaghetti for dinner, she’d put the box of toast sticks into the basket.
Lauren was a health nut and wouldn’t approve of Carly eating what she deemed the equivalent of junk food first thing in the morning. But from the way the thirteen-year-old was gobbling the toast sticks, she’d needed a break from the choices of muesli, quinoa, raisin bran, or Greek yogurt with fruit for breakfast.
But he had fed her a balanced meal last night. Spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad. Carly had sliced up the vegetables for the salad, and he’d made everything else. While they’d prepared the meal, she’d talked to him about her homework. One of her last assignments of the school year was to write an essay on a social issue affecting teens. She hadn’t chosen a topic yet.
The impact of social media on mental health, peer pressure, bullying, addiction... While he was proud of her knowledge on those subjects, their conversation had made him acutely aware of the things she was facing at her young age.
Despite questioning his and Lauren’s parental wisdom at almost every turn, Carly was staying on the right path, choosing independence and responsibility instead of caving to the wrong influences. He was proud of her.
It was hard to believe that soon she would finish eighth grade. And that coming fall, when he drove her to school, he would have to drop her off on the other end of the campus at the high school entrance.
Carly caught him looking at her, and teen wariness reflected on her face. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what?” he said.
“Like you’re wondering about me.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
Carly’s silent raised brow before she turned her attention back to her phone conveyed her answer.
Moments later, they were at the designated drop-off zone.
She grabbed her backpack from the floor. “Bye, Dad.”
Not wanting to embarrass her by making a “big deal” about the quick kiss she gave him on the cheek before she got out, he held back a grin until after he’d driven off.
Next stop was the Saddle & Spur Roadhouse to pick up the pastries and sandwiches he’d ordered from the restaurant. He and his staff were putting together the Sunday edition that was due to the printer, and they would be tied to the office until the late afternoon. An endless supply of food and coffee was a must.
As he exited the school’s campus, he turned up the radio. The last song he and Bea had danced to under the gazebo played through the speakers.
Maybe he should reach out to her again? But when he had, she’d said she was okay, and hearing from him now could be an unwanted distraction. After all, Bea was in the midst of preparing for the rescheduled grand opening.
He’d been debating whether he should show up for it as the anonymous critic. Giving an unbiased review of the café would be a challenge for him now. Especially since he felt guilty about her not knowing he’d written the review. In hindsight, he should have insisted on telling Bea up front, but letting go of everything and spending one carefree night together had been too hard to walk away from...and so had the morning after.
But if he’d left like he’d intended right after his shower, things would have ended with the two of them remembering how much they’d enjoyed being together, instead of worrying about possible life-altering changes.
His phone rang through the car’s speaker system. But it wasn’t Bea. He answered the call.
“Hey, Lauren.”
“Hi, Devin. Are you on your way to work?”
“Not yet. I just dropped Carly off at school. I have to pick up some takeout before I head to the office. But before I forget—Carly and I went shopping last night, and she picked out some clothes. The bags are in the car with me. Do you mind if I let myself into the garage so I can drop them off before I head to the Saddle and Spur?”
“Actually, I’m still at home. I was hoping you might be able to stop by this morning so we could talk. Do you have a few minutes?”
Lauren sounded a little off. Was something going on with Carly?
Devin headed for the busy four-lane road just outside of town. “Be there in twenty minutes.”
He arrived at Lauren and Carly’s house a short time later and backed into the driveway.
When they’d all moved to Texas, the three-bedroom house with wood floors, high ceilings, and a loft over the garage had been their perfect dream home. And Carly loved her space. Over the years, she’d helped paint the walls in her new favorite color of the moment ever since she’d been able to use a paint brush and not make too much of a mess. After the divorce, it had made sense for him to move into a smaller place and his ex-wife and daughter remain there.
As he walked up the stone path carrying the shopping bags with Carly’s new things, Lauren opened the front door. She was dressed for work in a gray blouse, slacks and heels.
He left the bags in the entryway, then followed her to the kitchen. Devin sat on a stool on the living room side of the beige granite island.
Lauren selected two glasses from an upper cabinet. “Orange juice good?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
She took a container out of the refrigerator, poured him a glass, then spooned up some quinoa from a pot on the stove into a bowl. She set both in front of him.
He wasn’t into quinoa, and Lauren knew that. Yeah, something was definitely off. Devin nudged the bowl aside. “So what’s up?”
Lauren took her time pouring a glass of orange juice for herself. “Last night at work, there was a conference call with the higher-ups in the company. They announced that they’re downsizing.”
Was she at risk of losing her job? As a claims-department supervisor at an insurance company, she’d been climbing the ranks to a management position. He could only imagine how Lauren felt after receiving the bad news.
But her company, located in the next town over, wasn’t the only one making big changes. In fact, the paper was publishing an article in the upcoming edition about the economic impact caused by the unexpected exodus of businesses from the area.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know this is something you hadn’t anticipated.”
“No.” She released a dry chuckle. “It definitely came out of the blue.”
Luckily the house was already paid off and so was Lauren’s car. As far as he knew, food, utilities, and incidentals were her main concerns.
“If you’re worried about paying the bills, don’t be. If you lose your job, I can cover expenses here until you find another one. Just let me know how much you need.”
“Actually, they offered me a lateral promotion with a raise.” Lauren carefully put down her still-full glass. “I can stay here in my new position...or I can go to Dallas or Corpus Christi.”
She’d mentioned all three opportunities. That meant she was weighing all the options. “What did you decide?”
“I chose Corpus Christi. I start there in three months.”
She was moving? This was sudden, but it wasn’t an unmanageable situation.
Devin took a sip of orange juice and a moment to collect his thoughts. “Okay. Not a problem. Carly has volleyball camp and some volunteer activities lined up for the summer. I can adjust my schedule. I guess the big question is what do you want to do with the house? If it comes down to it, I could sell my place, and that way Carly could stay put.”
Lauren gave him a baffled look. “Carly’s not staying here, Devin. She’s coming with me. Of course, you’ll see her. We’ll have to work out weekend visits and which holidays she’ll spend with you.”
“Hold on. Her friends are here. She’s been with some of them since grade school, and all they’ve ever talked about is attending high school together. And she’s planning to try out for the freshman volleyball team or maybe taking up cheerleading again.” He met her stare with a hard one of his own. “You can’t just yank her away from all of that. This is her home.”
“I’m not yanking her away from anything.” Lauren shook her head. “She’ll still be in contact with her friends. And she can join the volleyball team or the cheerleading squad at her new school in Corpus Christi. In fact, their volleyball team has made the regional or state championships for the past five years.”
“Her new school. So you’ve already made up your mind. Don’t I have a say in it? And what about what Carly wants? Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“Of course what Carly wants counts.” Lauren threw up her hands. “But we have to be realistic. All those activities she wants to get involved in—if she stays here, who’s going to take her back and forth to them? You say you’re going to adjust your schedule, but how long will that last? You barely have time for her now.”
Irritation prickled over him as he stood. “That’s not true.”
“How much time has she spent holed up with you in your office because you’re working? Or babysitting another puppy you volunteered to foster while you’re working? Or tagging along with you on researching a story you’re writing? Even the father-daughter-meal outings you take her on are work related. Carly knows you’re reviewing the restaurant.”
“How?” he demanded. “Because you told her?”
“No. Carly’s the one who told me. She started noticing a review from the ‘anonymous’ restaurant critic appeared in your paper right after she went to the place with you. And you don’t have to worry about her telling anyone. She thinks your little secret is exciting.”
Carly keeping his secret was the last thing he was worried about. He was worried about losing his daughter. “I can’t change the past, Lauren, but if Carly was living with me, there wouldn’t be any scheduling problems. I would make it work.”
His ex crossed her arms over her chest. “And if you can’t, then what? According to our agreement, she’s supposed to spend two weeks and two weekends a month with you. That hardly ever happens.”
“You make it sound like Carly isn’t my priority.”
“She is—along with running the newspaper and chasing the next headline story.”
Déjà vu hit with her last comment. It was a near repeat to what Lauren used to say during their arguments before they’d decided to get a divorce.
From the look on Lauren’s face, the same realization had crossed her mind. “I don’t want to fight about this. I just want what’s best for our daughter.”
“And so do I.” Devin released a measured breath. “But we won’t be able to decide what’s best for her if we’re dragging our past into it. We have to consider all sides of this decision. And that includes exploring the possibility of her staying here with me.”
“You’re right...we have to work this out for Carly’s sake. She shouldn’t see us divided on this. We also need to work out our differences before we approach her about what’s going on.”
“I agree. This is our problem, not hers.” Grimness entered his tone. “It upsets her when we’re not getting along. The last thing we should do is stress her out.”
“At least we’re on the same page about that, but as far as the rest...” Lauren uncrossed her arms. Her expression shifted from stubbornness to resignation. “There’s only one way for us to solve things.”
Devin drove into the parking lot of the Saddle & Spur Roadhouse. As he pulled into a vacant spot, his earlier conversation with Lauren, along with her accusations, played through his mind.
He couldn’t imagine not having Carly in Chatelaine and only seeing her on weekends or select holidays. And yes, according to the agreement they had now, despite equal custody, she often didn’t spend the two weeks and two weekends a month with him. But that wasn’t because he didn’t want her with him.
They knew Carly saw Lauren’s place as home. And that made sense considering the three of them had once lived there as a family. They’d adopted a three weeks there, one week at his place schedule, and everyone had been happy. But if their daughter wanted to spend a few extra days or weekends in one place or another or wanted to pop by to see him, neither he nor Lauren objected.
His ex-wife throwing in the informal agreement change like it was a negative was more than just a little unfair considering they’d made the adjustment for a good reason. And she shouldn’t have just sprung her decision on him. But the fact that she already had a high school picked out for Carly made Devin wonder if this move to Corpus Christi had been in the works for a while.
Yes, she had a right to excel in her career, but when it came to their daughter’s welfare, it was a joint effort, not a singular one. And as far as him being able to balance his work schedule and look after Carly, he already had the perfect blueprint on that. His father had done it while raising him as a single parent.
Outside the truck, Devin locked it with the key fob and headed toward the restaurant. At least he and Lauren agreed on one thing. Just like they had with their divorce and the original custody agreement, they were using a mediator to reach an amicable decision.
As he walked past a four-door sedan to the left, he did a double take. Bea...
She was just about to open the driver’s side door when her gaze met his. “Devin...hi.”
“Hello.” He walked over to her.
Dressed in black jeans, a white blouse, and a short tan jacket, her appearance was casual yet professional. And she looked pretty as usual.
Standing in front of each other, she seemed as unsure as he felt about how they should greet each other. They leaned in at the same time for a hug.
He breathed in her light floral fragrance, and any awkwardness he’d felt before melted away. Familiarity and sense of rightness replaced it, tempting him into holding her a bit longer.
They released each other.
Meeting her gaze, Devin debated what to say. He couldn’t ask if she’d taken a pregnancy test yet. “How are you?”
“Good, but busy.” Bea’s smile curved up her mouth, but it didn’t light up her face. Adjusting the purse strap on her shoulder, she looked at the restaurant. “The owner here has some extra tray racks he wants to get rid of. He called to see if I was interested in them. They’re practically brand new.”
“So are you interested in them?”
“Yes. We need them. Some of ours were...lost.” As she looked up at him, uncertainty briefly shadowed her face, and she looked just as lost. “I should go.” She headed back to her car. “See you, Devin.”
“Bye, Bea.”
He hadn’t known her long at all, but he could sense something was off with her. Was he just picking up on the stress she was under with the café, or was it something else?
His phone rang. It was Quinn. She and Charles were probably wondering where he was.
Turning toward the Saddle & Spur, he answered the call.
“Devin, wait...” Bea called out. “I’m pregnant.”