AFTER SUCCESSFULLY COOKING DINNER, Kelly was given a free pass from having to clean up. She got to sit with her feet up in the family room while Donovan and the kids cleared the table, loaded the dishwasher and put things away.
“I could get used to this,” she said with her hands behind her head. “Can you come over every night and clean up my kitchen, Avery?”
“No! You have to come here,” Avery said with a giggle.
Kelly noticed the way Donovan stilled at the kitchen sink where he was hand washing some pots and pans. He was the king of mixed messages. One minute, he’d seem happy to have her there and the next, it was like he couldn’t get her out fast enough.
“I really don’t need to sit here like a princess,” Kelly said. “I can cook and clean.”
“You can switch with me,” Graham said, holding out the dish towel he was using to dry what Donovan washed. “I’ll be a princess.”
“Graham!” Avery was exasperated. “You can’t be a princess! You’re a boy.”
“Fine, I’ll be a prince then. I’ll be whatever gets to sit on the couch and not do chores.”
Donovan flicked some suds at him. “You’ll finish drying the dishes and accept your fate as faithful servant instead.”
“See, I knew you thought of us as slaves. That’s probably the only reason you agreed to take us in. Free child labor.”
“Really, dude?” Donovan sounded displeased. “Don’t go there with me. Especially in front of your sister.”
“What’s child labor?” Avery asked. Her little face scrunched up.
Kelly felt bad she had unintentionally started this whole conversation. She popped up and took the dish towel from Graham. “Child labor means kid jobs, like chores. Something lots of kids have to do,” she said, looking pointedly at Graham. “It is far from a crime to ask kids to help with chores. My mom called it being a ‘contributing member of the family,’ so Graham is going to help you and I am going to help Uncle Donovan.”
“I like that you’re part of our family,” Avery said, skipping over to the table to grab the drinking glasses.
Kelly opened her mouth and closed it again, unsettled by how it made her feel to be included that way. She liked it, even though it clearly made Donovan uncomfortable. His jaw was clenched so tight, it had to be painful.
“She’s not part of our family, Avery. Uncle Donovan works for her. He’s her bodyguard.”
Avery scowled at her older brother. “She can be part of our family if she wants to.”
“That’s so sweet, Avery. I am very fortunate to be a friend of your family.” She hoped that would put the conversation to rest.
“The only way grown-ups become part of someone else’s family is if they get married,” Donovan said, snapping out of his stupor. “Kelly and I are not getting married. You have to be in love with someone to marry them. We are not in love. Does that make sense?”
“You could be,” Avery said so plainly as if it was that simple.
“No, we can’t,” Donovan said crisply. “I don’t feel in love with her. I like her. She’s a nice person. She can be our friend, but I don’t love her. I never will. Okay? Is that clear?”
Kelly’s stomach was in knots and her face was burning hot. He was crystal clear. He was never going to be in love with her. There was no chance. Not the slightest bit of doubt in his voice. No mixed messages here. Kelly knew exactly where she stood and, if she really thought about it, was glad for it. She wasn’t in love with Donovan. Sure, he ticked off a lot of the perfect-guy boxes but not all of them.
“I love you,” Avery said, wrapping her arms around Kelly’s waist and giving her a big hug.
A giant lump of emotion was lodged in her throat. She swallowed it down. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Okay, you two are off duty. Kelly and I will finish up and then we need to do some work in the basement. Graham, you are in charge of watching your sister.”
“Are you doing more self-defense? Can I come down and learn some more moves, too?” Graham asked. He was almost as excited about that as he had been about eating dinner.
“No, I need you to watch your sister.”
“She can come down, too. She can learn self-defense, too. She’s a girl. She needs it.”
Donovan was having none of it. “You and your sister will stay up here. This is not up for discussion.”
“Why? You let me come down there last time. This isn’t fair,” Graham complained.
Donovan ignored him as he plunged his hands back in the soapy water and began washing the last of the dishes. Kelly gave Graham a sympathetic smile.
“You don’t even get why I want to learn some things because you don’t even care.”
Donovan rinsed the last pot. He had said the discussion was over and he obviously meant it.
Kelly couldn’t let that go, however. “What is happening that makes you feel like you need to learn how to defend yourself? Is something going on at school?”
“He doesn’t care, so it doesn’t matter.”
Donovan gripped the edges of the sink and bowed his head. “I ask you every day how things are at school and you never want to talk about it. Don’t act like I don’t care when it’s you who chooses to leave me in the dark.”
Graham rolled his eyes and took off for his bedroom. Kelly felt sick. There was something going on at school, a reason Graham felt like he needed to learn self-defense. It wasn’t her place to interfere, but she also understood that there was a breakdown in communication between uncle and nephew.
She hung up the dish towel and followed Graham upstairs. “Wait,” she said when she got the top. “What’s going on at school?”
“Do you know how hard it is to start at a new school as a sophomore? Everyone at the school has known each other since they were five. No one cares about the new kid. I’m nothing but a punchline, someone for them to throw insults at because I don’t matter.”
“That’s not okay, Graham. You need to tell someone at school.”
“Oh, so I can be the new kid who also rats on everyone? That will make me super popular.”
Kelly understood how hard it was for kids Graham’s age to stand up for themselves, to get help from the adults. Her heart hurt thinking about how much this boy had been through only to have no friends at school to support him.
“I’m so sorry you have to deal with jerks. That’s the last thing you should have to worry about. Please tell me there are some nice kids at your school. They can’t all be heartless.”
Graham pressed his back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. “That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“You wanted to talk to me?” There was no way she could hide her surprise. She sat down next to him in the hall.
“I wanted your opinion because you’re...a girl. Well, you’re not a girl, you’re a grown-up, but you were a girl when you were younger.”
“I get it. I’m a female. You’re looking for a female perspective on something?”
He sighed and nodded his head. “If a girl always waits for a boy after a certain class so they can walk together, is it possible that means she likes him more than a friend or is he just overthinking things?”
Kelly’s faith in Graham’s generation was renewed. There was a girl. “Well, does she wait for him because they have the same class next period?”
“No, but the rooms are near each other.”
“Does she talk to him any other time?”
“She comes to his locker sometimes and tells him funny things that happened to her. They also have chemistry together.”
Kelly tried not to smile too big at the double entendre. “I would say she definitely likes him.”
“But they also have the same lunch period and she sits with the guys from his math class who hate the boy and love to make his life as terrible as possible. At lunch, she pretends she doesn’t even know him. She says nothing when the jerks she sits with say or do mean things.”
All the faith that had been renewed a few seconds ago was suddenly lost again. Peer pressure stank. “She could still like you, Graham. She just hasn’t found the courage to stand up to those guys yet. Bullies get away with so much because people are afraid to stand up to them.”
“That’s why I want to learn some self-defense. I want to be able to stand up to them when they get in my face. I want to be able to get away from them when they think they can push me around because I’m not as big as they are. I hate being so short and weak. My dad was huge and so strong. My uncle is a beast. Why am I such a wimp?”
“You aren’t a wimp. You’re fifteen. You’re still growing. You’ll probably still be growing when you’re in college.”
“A lot of good that will do me over the next two years of high school.”
Kelly playfully ruffled his hair. “Don’t be so dramatic. You could grow a bunch of inches over the summer. You never know. Fortunately, you come from good stock. You’re bound to be just as big and strong as your dad and uncle.”
“What do I do about the girl?”
“You have to decide what you want. Are you happy with the way things are or do you want more? If you’re content being her friend when it’s convenient for her, then leave it alone. If you want to be treated better than that, maybe it’s time you call her out. Does she want to be your friend or not? Don’t let her pick and choose when she acts like it and when she doesn’t.”
“She could choose to not be my friend at all.”
“That’s unfortunately true.” Kelly said a silent prayer that this mystery girl would not let Graham down. “That’s why you need to think about it carefully. I’m sure it’s nice to have someone be nice to you some of the time. Maybe that’s better than having no one be nice all of the time.”
“I’m going to think about it. Thanks for listening,” Graham said, his voice thick. “I miss my mom so much sometimes. She was the only one who got me.”
Tears welled in Kelly’s eyes. She wiped them away before they could fall down her cheeks. Donovan might not ever love her, but Kelly was quickly falling in love with his family.
DONOVAN STOOD IN the stairwell with a pain in his chest he hadn’t felt since the day his sister died. Listening to Graham spill his heart out to Kelly was almost too much.
He had planned to ask Kelly to mind her business and leave Graham alone to have his temper tantrum. He had no idea what the boy was going through at school. How isolated he felt. It explained a lot about why he was avoiding certain classes and why he hated school in general. Donovan had not made things better by ignoring his outbursts. There was a reason Graham was so passionate about things.
Donovan couldn’t deny he also felt a bit jealous. Envious that Graham would open up to a practical stranger instead of him. Kelly had been to the house three times and she somehow managed to get Graham to tell her what had been going on the last six months at school.
Doubt once again clouded his thoughts. Why had Jessica asked him to take care of these kids? He wasn’t good at it. He’d been struggling to gain Graham’s trust and to curb Avery’s insta-attachment to anyone who showed her some attention. Today was a perfect example of how miserably he was failing.
Pushing all that negativity down, he climbed to the top of the stairs. Kelly’s head turned and her gaze met his. She nudged Graham and nodded in Donovan’s direction.
“Why don’t we all go to the basement to practice a couple new moves,” Donovan said, hoping for a positive response.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Kelly said. “Will you come down with us?”
“You were eavesdropping?” Graham accused.
Donovan exhaled a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to fight. Can we not fight?”
“Aren’t you tired of fighting with him?” Kelly asked Graham. “He wants to help. Let him.”
Graham pulled his knees up to his chest and hid his face. Kelly stood up and held out a hand.
“Come on. Come with us,” she said.
Graham took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. “I probably should come and make sure you’re paying attention. I don’t want that stalker to ever hurt you.”
Kelly looked like she was about to burst into tears. She pulled him in for a hug. Jealousy crept back up and Donovan had to work hard to squash it. He needed to appreciate that Graham was connecting to someone, someone kind and with honorable intentions. He was a good kid with a big heart. In the midst of all his pain, he was able to show compassion for someone else.
In the basement, Donovan reviewed the moves he’d taught them the other day. Kelly remembered them perfectly. She smiled proudly when he complimented her.
“Let’s practice a couple attack moves. But I want to remind both of you, the smartest—”
“The smartest thing to do is to get away,” Kelly and Graham said at the same time.
Donovan was glad they were both paying attention. “These are things I only want you to use as a last resort. Only if there is nothing else you can do to get away.”
“We got it,” Graham said.
“Watch this, guys,” Avery said from the other side of the room. Everyone turned their attention to the seven-year-old with the jump rope. She skipped rope four times before getting tangled up.
They all clapped for her and Donovan encouraged her to keep practicing. His focus returned to the teaching.
“I don’t want to get a call from the school next week, saying you’re in trouble for breaking some kid’s nose,” he said to Graham.
The teen responded with bravado. “Only if he takes the first swing.”
“Showing you this stuff is not me condoning fighting,” Donovan clarified. “This is for her more than it’s for you. She needs to know this stuff. You have other options even if they aren’t cool.”
“I’m not a rat.”
“No one said you have to be a rat, but there are people at school who can help you if you’re being bullied. People like Mrs. Mitchell.”
“I’m not telling the guidance counselor,” Graham said gruffly.
“Maybe we should save this conversation for later,” Kelly interrupted. “I think Graham gets that you are not okay with him fighting. Right?”
Her cool head was frustratingly admirable. She had this knack for saying the right thing at the right time. Especially when Donovan’s emotions were getting the best of him. Maybe there were some things he could learn from her.
“Do you remember the vulnerable spots on a body?” Donovan asked.
Kelly didn’t flinch. “Eyes, nose, knees, legs, ears, throat and groin.” When she noticed his surprise, she added, “Being stuck in my apartment for hours on end leads to lots of study time.”
Donovan explained those were the places she wanted to strike if she needed to in order to get away. “Come over here by the punching bag and show me how you would hit it.”
Kelly ran a hand along her braid. She may have been confident about where to hit, but she wasn’t as sure of the how. She made a fist and cracked her knuckles with the other hand. Turning her body at an angle, she jabbed at the bag like she was trying to fluff a pillow.
Donovan suppressed a smile. “Okay, if you punch someone like that the only thing that’s going to happen is you are going to hurt yourself.”
She frowned. “I always got good feedback in my cardio kickboxing class from the instructor.”
Cardio kickboxing was not the same as self-defense. At least Donovan knew now that he had some reteaching to do. Kelly would have to unlearn a bunch of bad habits she got from her fitness class.
He had Kelly show him her punching fist. He held on to her wrist and flipped her fist over. “Number one, never tuck your thumb into your fist. That’s a sure way to break your thumb. Number two, sometimes your fists aren’t the best weapon. Fingers in the eyes, an elbow to the throat, stomping on his foot with the heel of your foot—these strikes can hurt much more than a punch to the face.”
Kelly practiced on the punching bag while Graham looked on. Donovan needed to come up with a way to help Graham feel more confident without encouraging him to fight at school.
“How would you feel about doing some lifting with me a few times a week? I could set you up with a schedule and we could work on building muscle the right way.”
“Yeah? You’d let me use your stuff?”
“As long as I was here to supervise you. Yes.”
“That would be awesome.”
Donovan loved the sound of that. “Awesome” from a teenager was much better than “lame.”
“You know, your dad wanted to become a personal trainer once he got discharged. He was obsessed with working out. That’s how he got so big. He worked for it.” And worked and worked.
Kelly wasn’t very focused on her attacks. “Graham’s dad was in the military?”
“He was,” Donovan answered. “The only reason he met my sister was because we were really good friends.” He had loved Oliver like a brother, so it only made sense that he should become his brother by marriage.
“It’s nice that you were close to him as well as your sister,” Kelly said.
“Could Daddy jump rope?” Avery asked from the other side.
“He could jump rope really fast.” Ollie was larger than life. He had boundless amounts of energy like Avery, but he had a bit of a stubborn streak like Graham, as well. As much as the kids reminded Donovan of his sister daily, they equally made him think of his dear friend.
“He sounds like a cool guy. Kind of like some kids I know,” Kelly said. She threw some playful punches at Graham until he smiled.
Jessica would be disappointed in Donovan for letting Kelly be around the kids so much if he had no intention of developing this relationship further, but Ollie would have been ticked off. He would have liked Kelly so much, he would have stopped at nothing to get Donovan to like her, too. Ollie had a thing for matchmaking. He was always setting Donovan up with women he thought were perfect for him.
Watching her make Graham laugh, Donovan wondered if Ollie was enjoying this because there was no shaking these feelings she stirred up inside of him.