The weak morning sun stretched through the window and cast faint shadows across the big oak dining room table. Callum refreshed their coffees and settled into a chair beside Brian. “Not a very kind welcome home, hey?”
Brian grunted and Callum hesitated, then pressed on. “I’m sorry about your condo on top of, well, everything else.” He waved an arm as if to say there weren’t enough words to convey his sympathy. “And about that . . . how are you? Have you come to terms with Mom and Dad now? Are you going to represent her?”
The smell of frying bacon and fresh coffee that seemed so homey moments ago was smothering Brian now, heavy, greasy and laden with obligation to converse. But he didn’t want to talk. Callum had worried he was having an emotional breakdown when he’d decided to go walkabout, and he hadn’t been able to convince him otherwise.
“I’m fine. We all saw it coming. It should’ve happened decades ago, saved us all a lot of grief.”
Callum took a big swallow of coffee. “I don’t know. It was still a shock to me, a sad one. I guess I always hoped they’d figure things out one day and we’d be able to say, ‘Ah, so that’s why they stayed together, so we could learn this or see that.’”
Brian set his mug down too hard, and it clanked against the wooden table. “Well, we did learn something, right?”
“And what’s that?”
“What we knew all along. That it’s unnatural, unhealthy even, for two people to pledge to stay together forever. It just creates collateral damage—or what some people call children.”
Callum shook his head, looking sad. “If that’s what you truly think, that it’s so natural, so unavoidable, for people to go their separate ways, why are you so broken up about it? And don’t think I didn’t notice how you avoided answering my question about being Mom’s lawyer either.”
Brian shoved his chair back from the table and wished he’d taken Jo’s offer to eat at the sunny yellow table in their small personal kitchen, not in this big hall where they hosted the B & B guests’ meals. He’d thought it would be easier for Jo though, and that there’d be other people around, thus saving him from the third degree. And maybe it did save Jo labor, but he’d been wrong about the last bit entirely.
“Also, if you’re so anti-marriage and so vehemently opposed to ‘collateral damage,’ what on earth are you doing dating a woman with kids?”
“I’m not dating Katelyn. There’s nothing going on.”
“Yeah, right. I know your nothings,” Callum went on, disregarding Brian’s body language in the way only a sibling could. “You’re never at a shortage for single girls. This Katelyn person has children. What if there’s still a chance she and the dad could make it work, but you mess it up? Or even if that’s not a possibility, you can’t waltz in and out of a woman’s life when there are kids involved. It’s not fair.”
No, what wasn’t fair was being subjected to Callum’s high horse bullshit. If this was what staying here was going to be like, Brian would rather live in the library park under a bench until he found a new place.
“And deprive a pretty maiden in need of rescue of my significant white knight skills? Besides without a place to live, I need something, or someone, to keep me busy,” Brian joked, throwing Callum’s earlier accusation—that he was a sucker for women with problems—back in his face.
A door clicked behind Brian. Ah, saved by food. He put on a big smile and turned, expecting to see Jo with plates of something delicious. Instead he looked dead into the flushed face of Katelyn Kellerman. She was trembling.
“The kids and I were just coming for breakfast,” she said in a clipped tone, Lacey and Sawyer right on her heels. “Jo invited us.”
Callum looked uncomfortable for a split second and Brian could almost hear his older brother’s thoughts, knowing they matched his own: Shit. She’d heard them.
Then Callum’s host skills took over. He smiled warmly. “Of course, of course. Have a seat. What’ll it be? Waffles or pancakes?”
Katelyn’s eyes narrowed.
Sawyer tugged on Lacey’s purple shirtsleeve. She leaned her head toward him and he whispered in her ear. She grinned and nodded. “Waffles, please!”
Katelyn looked at her children, then back at Callum, shaking her head the tiniest bit. “Waffles would be lovely,” she said.
Brian felt himself nod in sync with Callum. Relief. If she’d heard the conversation, she wasn’t going to make a big deal of it.
“And do you guys like strawberries and whipping cream?” Callum asked.
“Yes, very much,” Lacey announced, and Sawyer nodded like his goal was to make his head fall off his skinny neck.
Then Callum asked them if they liked dogs or swing sets and when he got affirmatives to both, he asked Katelyn’s permission to introduce them to the property’s pets after he let Jo know their breakfast requests.
Katelyn looked unsure, while the kids beamed at her with excited, imploring eyes that suggested they were jumping up and down inside, though they kept still and remained quiet. Weirdly quiet or good kid quiet? It was hard for Brian to know. “I guess that’d be all right,” she finally said. “I’ll enjoy a cup of coffee before we eat.”
They took off without waiting another second, following Callum closely, listening intently to his descriptions of the dogs and what they liked. Just before the door shut behind them, Brian heard Lacey ask if she could go get their dog so it could be friends with the other dogs. The second they were gone, Katelyn stabbed Brian with dagger-eyes.
“Whatever you told your brother about me and my life or who I am to you, I want to be clear—”
“I didn’t tell him anything. I said I just met you, randomly, out of the blue, and that you needed a ride so I gave you one. I explained that our showing up together was all a big coincidence.”
“But he doesn’t believe you?”
“No.” Brian tried to make light of it. “He feels it’s his duty to protect the fairer sex from me.”
“I don’t need protecting. And while I’m grateful for the ride—the ride I know I asked for, after being kind of rude to you—I’m not looking for a ‘white knight.’ I don’t need to be rescued or helped. I don’t need or want a man in my life.”
Brian nodded and cursed the humiliation burning in his cheeks. “Uh, that was a badly timed joke. I was poking fun at Callum, not saying anything serious about you.”
Katelyn’s rosy lips flattened into a thin line, and Brian’s gut churned. Why on earth was he noticing her mouth of all things right now anyway? Maybe Callum’s lectures weren’t totally out to lunch—or maybe this was actually Callum’s fault. Brian hadn’t been thinking of Katelyn much at all, let alone as date potential, until Callum had planted the stupid idea.
“And,” Katelyn continued in an icy whisper, after shooting a glance at the door to make sure they were still alone, “I’m not getting back with my ex, ever. Period. Not that it’s any of your or Callum’s business, but we’ve been legally separated for two years. So yeah, if you and your brother could butt out of my life, I’d really appreciate it.”
Brian hated that something in his stomach dropped at the information that she was separated, not divorced—but he also felt of twinge of defensiveness on Callum’s behalf. “I know how it must seem, but please don’t hold it against me—or Callum. And don’t worry. It’s an older brother thing. If you weren’t around, he’d be giving me dire warnings about something else. He feels I’m incapable of managing my own affairs.”
Katelyn shot him another sharp look.
“Wrong choice of words. No pun intended.” Brian held his hands up as if in surrender—but then he winked. He couldn’t resist.
She almost smiled, then picked up the ceramic pitcher of cream and poured a generous amount into an empty mug.
“I know it sounded like he was being totally judgmental and making some massive assumptions about you, but I promise, he’s a good guy. He won’t bother you or meddle or pry.” Why Brian felt he had to reassure her of that, he wasn’t sure. Her smile deepened though, revealing a dimple, and he realized he’d made a good call.
“Okay,” she said finally. “Sorry. You must think I’m a complete psycho, especially when yesterday would’ve turned into a nightmare in every way if not for your kindness.”
Brian grabbed another generous helping of bacon. “Not at all. And I apologize for the misunderstanding. I know you’re not looking for a rescuer or whatever, and I promise I wasn’t coming on to you—and I won’t. Despite what my family always thinks about me, I’m not a huge womanizer. In fact, I’m thinking of taking a break from dating, period.”
“Really? Why?”
Yes, why? Good question, but perhaps an even better one would be why had he blurted details about his personal life to this stranger?
The door clicked behind him again, and he was rescued.
“Sorry that took me so long,” Jo said, reentering the room. “I was on phone duty—oh, good morning, Katelyn. Callum said you and the kids were ready for breakfast, but I didn’t know if you’d gone outside with them for a few minutes or not.”
Jo set a coffee carafe and a bowl of sliced oranges down in front of them. Her gaze touched on Katelyn, then rested on Brian. A question creased her brow—then quickly smoothed. Not before Brian’s face heated, though. He realized the unspoken observation she’d made. There were almost twenty chairs scattered around the huge table, yet Katelyn had taken the chair next to him and was seated so close their thighs were practically touching. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. There was nothing to explain, but trying to say that would only make it seem like there was.
Katelyn didn’t seem to notice Jo’s scrutiny. “No worries, Jo. I just walked in. In fact, the kids—”
Whatever Katelyn had been about to say about the kids was cut off by their noisy return.
“Mom, mom!” Lacey yelled. “Monster doesn’t totally hate Jo and Callum’s dog, Hoover. He even let him sniff him for a second. And Jo has a sister named Sam, who’s on a holiday, but her dog stays here when she’s away—and Sam’s dog is named Dog!”
Both kids broke into hysterical giggles, showing they thought “Dog” was the most hilarious name for a dog ever—something Brian considered odd since their own couldn’t-hurt-a-flea, mouse-sized mutt went by the unlikely moniker of Monster. He’d never really understood dog people. While they were preoccupied by their mirth, Katelyn stretched her hand out toward Brian’s beneath the table. “Let’s start fresh,” she whispered. “I’ve been weird from the second you met me, but I’d like to be friends. Can we be?”
Brian laughed. This wasn’t necessarily any less weird, but it would be nice to have an uncomplicated friendship for once. He gripped her hand obligingly and they shook on it. “Sounds like a plan. Nice to meet you, pal.”
Katelyn’s gray eyes warmed at his corniness, shining like slate kissed by the sun. Brian grinned back.
A throat cleared behind him. Jo was there, holding out a plate of buttery waffles. Brian hadn’t even noticed his sister-in-law had left and reappeared again. Where was his head?