Michael had that anxious look on his face again. “Mrs. Westerly probably should have asked you—”
“Yes, she should have. Who’s here? Who is she introducing Skye to?”
Just then a small herd of children squeezed by Michael and burst down the steps. One of them, a boy who looked about Skye’s age, stopped right in front of Hailey and called over his shoulder, “False alarm. It’s just some lady.”
The group turned in unison and stampeded back into the house.
Real panic rose within Hailey. She and the therapist had plans to introduce children back into Skye’s life. It had to be done carefully so as not to traumatize her. “Where’s Skye?” Hailey asked in a high pitch.
“She’s inside,” Michael said. “If I might be so bold as to suggest—”
Hailey pushed past Michael. “Please don’t tell me what to do or not to do when it comes to my niece. I need to see Skye. Oh my God, this must be overwhelming for her. Delinda has to realize that she can’t keep pushing her.” Rushing through the house, Hailey called out to her niece again and again. She didn’t answer, and Hailey crossed the rest of the foyer in a run.
She spotted Skye darting out the back door with several other children and chasing after them. They looked as if they were playing some sort of tag game in and around a large stone chess set. She called out to her again, but Skye didn’t hear her.
“It’s good to see her playing with other children, isn’t it?” Mrs. Holihen asked as she joined Hailey.
“Yes,” Hailey answered automatically, but she was still full of adrenaline and worry. “You should have called me when they arrived.”
Mrs. Holihen’s mouth rounded in surprise. “I thought you knew.”
“I didn’t,” Hailey said abruptly. Skye turned toward the house, saw her, and waved before joining in another wild race with the children. Her laughter carried across the lawn and confused Hailey even more. Of course she wanted Skye to be happy, but the situation felt out of control. Hailey didn’t know if she should be thrilled or angry with Delinda . . . again. “Who are those children?”
“They attend Sterling Waters, a private school, right here in town. They’re in camp this time of year, so Mrs. Westerly suggested that meeting them might get Skye interested in attending the school in the fall. How amazing for you to have an employer who is also like a guardian angel for your niece. Their connection is heartwarming.”
“Yes, heartwarming,” Hailey echoed. And scary. “So the camp moved over here for the day? Just like that?”
Mrs. Holihen smiled. “Mrs. Westerly had me call the headmaster yesterday and ask if any second graders would like a quick field trip to her house. I’ve never seen any faculty fall all over themselves to make something happen. From what I understand, every single parent at that school would love for their child to be friends with Mrs. Westerly’s great-grandchild.”
“Great-grandchild? You know we’re not related to her.”
“I do, but it seems that Mrs. Westerly and Skye like pretending you are. From the way doors fly open at the mere mention of her name, I would love it if Mrs. Westerly adopted me.” Mrs. Holihen’s humor was lost on Hailey.
Hailey brought shaking hands to her cheeks. Skye was still laughing and playing with the other children. Why do I feel like I should grab her and run?
Is it selfishness? Do I resent that Delinda is succeeding where I failed?
No, it’s not that.
I’m right to be worried. This is all happening too fast, and it could end. I don’t want Skye to get hurt.
Hailey’s phone rang in her purse, but she didn’t answer it. Her attention was on her niece. She was ready to intervene at the first sign of distress.
“There you are,” Delinda said from the doorway. A tall, stocky Italian man who looked to be in his late sixties accompanied her. “Hailey Tiverton, meet one of my dearest friends—Alessandro Andrade.”
Hailey held out her hand to shake his.
The man smiled warmly, then pulled her to him for a bone-crushing hug that lifted her off her feet. “Good to meet you.” He was a lot stronger than he looked.
Once released, Hailey lowered her hand and caught her breath. “You, too.”
Delinda beamed. “You beat the ponies. Skye said she adores them, so I’m having some brought out for her to meet. Two of the girls she is playing with board theirs at a farm in Sterlington. Horses give girls confidence and will provide her a hobby. I’m excited to see the selection today. My riding days are over, but I have many fond memories of my childhood pony, Cinnamon.”
“No,” Hailey said weakly, then repeated herself in a firmer tone. “No pony.”
Delinda turned and looked back toward the front door of the house. “Michael is waving for me to come, so they must be arriving now.” Her smile was bright, and she briefly took Hailey’s hand in hers. “My heart is racing like it did when I chose my own pony. I didn’t think I’d ever feel this excited about anything again. Thank you. I can’t wait to see which one she chooses.” With that, Delinda turned and walked briskly back into the house.
Momentarily forgetting the older man at her side, Hailey searched the crowd of children for her niece. Skye was standing with another little girl laughing about something, laughing just as joyously as Skye had before her parents had died. Relief battled with self-doubt and guilt.
This isn’t our life. It’s a dream that could crash and burn on the whim of my employer. I need to put a stop to it.
But how can I when Skye is finally looking like herself again? Do I have a right to take this away from her?
I didn’t put that smile on her face. I was the reason she wasn’t talking. Was I also the reason she wasn’t healing? I keep thinking I know what’s best for her, but do I? Maybe I’m doing everything wrong. Ryan, maybe you entrusted your daughter to the wrong person. Hailey wiped a stray tear from her cheek and sniffed loudly. I’m trying, Ryan. What would you do?
Alessandro cleared his throat beside her. “Would it help if I spoke to Delinda?”
With a shaky, indrawn breath, Hailey said, “No, but thank you. I’ll talk to her.”
“She means well.”
“I know.”
“Delinda has been a second mother to me. It’s good to see her excited and happy again.”
Watching Skye play, Hailey chose her words carefully. “Delinda is amazingly generous.” I know being here feels good, but this isn’t our life. I don’t want to deny her a moment of this dream, but what happens if we have to wake up and go home?
“She likes you, and she doesn’t like many people.”
Hailey hugged an arm to her stomach. “She said as much, but I don’t agree. She has a soft heart under all that tough talk.”
Alessandro’s voice deepened with emotion. “That she does. I was worried when I heard you were here, but now I understand.”
“Really? Sometimes I’m not so sure I do.”
Without warning, Hailey flew forward and would have tumbled down the stairs had Alessandro not caught her arm. A flurry of apologetic children encircled them, then rushed down the steps, calling out that there were ponies in the driveway.
Skye ran up the steps and came to a skidding halt in front of Hailey. “Delinda is getting me a pony. A pony, Auntie Hailey. Can you believe it? She said I can take riding lessons.” There must have been something in Hailey’s expression because Skye’s smile wavered. “Please don’t say no.”
“Ponies need—” Hell, I’ve never had a pony, but I know we can’t afford one.
“Delinda said I could.”
“Delinda does not make the decisions for our family.”
The previously sweet, withdrawn Skye stomped her foot and said, “I’m getting a pony.” She glared at Hailey and ran past her into the house.
And just like that, Hailey was thrown a new worry—one worse than the fear that their time there might end suddenly: Who will we become if we stay?
How did Skye go from withdrawn and fragile to out
spoken and bratty?
Delinda.
No. That’s not fair. Coming here was my decision. How it plays out is on me as well. I’ll talk to Delinda and explain to her that she absolutely can’t make any decisions when it comes to Skye without consulting me.
A month ago I would have done anything, promised anything, just for the chance to hear her voice again. Coming here brought the old Skye back to life.
At what cost? I can’t let her begin to think that money equates to happiness. Our family has never obsessed over material things. Ryan wouldn’t want his daughter to. No pony.
On the other hand, the pony would give her a connection to the other girls. She has lost so much. How can I even consider taking something else from her?
The aunt in me wants to spoil her and celebrate all the good I’ve seen in her.
Ryan gave me custody of her, though, because he knew I would love her as if she were my own daughter. I’m a better person because Ryan challenged me to be one. He supported me when I needed him most, but then he made sure I was strong enough to stand on my own. As much as I want Skye to be happy, what am I teaching her if I say yes? How much do we accept from Delinda? Where’s the line? “I don’t know what to do.”
In a deep, sympathetic tone, Alessandro said, “I have one daughter, and she has given me all of these gray hairs.” He touched her shoulder gently. “My advice, even though you haven’t asked for it, is: Pick your battles. You’ve already lost this one, but regroup. There’s a chance you may win the next.”
Shaking her head, Hailey laughed without humor. “I thought I knew what I was doing, but now I wonder if I’m doing anything right.”
“I remember that feeling, but it passes. Have faith in yourself. My daughter now has children of her own, and I am able to enjoy watching her fumble through the process. It’s not easy for anyone, but love goes a long way to smooth out the mistakes we make.”
I just hope my greatest mistake wasn’t in coming here. “I know Delinda means well, but—”
“She is as giddy and excited as your niece. You could take that from her, but do you want to?”
The image of Skye stomping her foot returned. She definitely needed to be reined in. How do I do that without being the killer of all joy? “Tell me it gets easier.”
“It doesn’t, but I would do every stage all over again if I could. Come, let’s go see which pony you’re adding to your family.” They started walking, and he asked, “Is your back cold?”
Only when he said it did Hailey realize part of it was. Her hand automatically sought the source. Ice cream—a nice blob of it was smeared into the back of her shirt. “Perfect. Just perfect.”
Alessandro chuckled. “Children—a blessing and a bane. Go change, and I’ll stall the equine adoption process until you return.”
With a nod, Hailey sprinted down the steps and across the lawn to the guesthouse. She rushed to her bedroom and pulled her shirt over her head, then dropped it in the bathtub. She had just finished pulling on a new shirt when her phone rang. It’s probably a zoo calling to announce the delivery of lions or fucking unicorns.
She answered her phone while striding out of her bedroom. “Hello?”
“Hailey, it’s Spencer.”
She froze. “Hi.” She almost asked him how he got her number, but decided it didn’t matter.
“I haven’t been able to concentrate since I saw you.”
What was the proper response to that? “I’m sorry?” she said in a joking tone.
“Don’t be.” His voice lowered to a deep purr. “Dinner tomorrow night—six o’clock. Tell me where to pick you up.”
“No.”
“Thursday, then.”
She hesitated. Yes . . . No. What am I thinking? Of course I can’t see him. “I can’t.”
“Lunch, then.”
She chuckled nervously. Spencer had never lacked in confidence. It was what had drawn her to him in the beginning. If he cared what anyone thought of him, it hadn’t been his college classmates.
And in the end—not even me.
After not hearing from him for so long it should have been easy to turn him down, but it wasn’t. The boy had become a man who knew what he wanted and, for the moment at least, that appeared to be her. We always did have bad timing. “It wasn’t the time of day that was the issue.”
“There are things we never talked about—things we should have.”
Some of her frustration with Delinda and Skye spilled over into her response. “I’m allowed to say no. It doesn’t make me a bad person. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want everyone to be happy. Sometimes no is the right answer. Of course I want to agree to everything. Who wouldn’t? But where does it all lead? I can’t just throw caution to the wind and fill my life with ponies and ex-boyfriends and think there won’t be consequences.” She stopped to take a breath and groaned. Yeah.
“Consequences?” he asked slowly.
“We don’t have anything left to say to each other, Spencer. It’s too late.” She walked to the front of the guesthouse and watched Skye being led up and down the long driveway on a white pony with a long flowing mane and tail. The exhilaration on her face mirrored Delinda’s. “We can’t always do what we want and think there won’t be a price for it later.”
“You asked me if I ever cared about you. I did, Sunshine. I still do.”
Tears welled in Hailey’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “It wasn’t all you, Spencer. When my father died, I kind of crumbled.”
“I should have been there for you.”
“Maybe you would have been if I’d been able to tell you what I needed, but I didn’t know how. All I knew was that I needed to feel safe again.”
“Is that why you jumped right into another relationship?”
“I did what?”
“I saw you with him—the guy you left me for. You were all over him.”
“What guy?”
“Tall with curly hair and glasses.”
“Greg? You saw me with Greg? He was my brother’s friend.”
Spencer growled. “He looked pretty damn friendly toward you when I saw you with him.”
“Honestly, I don’t remember. But he did try to cheer me up when I first moved in with Ryan.” Like every other man besides Spencer, he’d faded away, unimportant and easily forgotten.
“Did you date him?”
“No, he asked me out, but—” But I was in love with you and devastated when you didn’t come for me. “So that’s why I never heard from you again? You saw me with Greg, and that was it? You were done?”
“You said we were over.”
Tears filled Hailey’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter, I guess.”
He sighed harshly. “It does. I was jealous as hell when I saw you with him. The idea of another man touching you made me—still makes me—” He swore. “I thought you had moved on.”
The emotion in his voice dissolved the years away. For just a moment she was a young woman hearing her boyfriend open up in a way he never had.
No. He’s not mine anymore. I’m not his. We’re just two people who had something a long time ago. Love came when neither of us was ready for it. “I went home to be with my brother because I didn’t feel like I had anyone else.”
He swore again. “Meet me tomorrow.”
It would never be the same. Not to mention how dangerous it is to even consider starting something with Spencer while working for his grandmother. “It’s hard for me to get away right now. My employer—”
“Lunch. Everyone is allowed one. Tell me where you work, and I’ll pick you up.”
“No. Don’t come here.” Oh, God, why does it feel so good to know he wants to see me?
“I’m not giving up. Not this time.”
Yep, that’s why. Spencer 2.0 is everything I liked about the earlier version and more. Saying yes would be so easy, but then what?
Saying no was impossible.
Delinda wasn’t the only one who was lonely. Hailey couldn
’t remember the last time she’d done something for herself. Her social life had come to an abrupt halt when she’d taken Skye in. Meeting Spencer for one lunch didn’t need to lead to anything else. It can’t. I’ll have to be clear about that. “One lunch. It wouldn’t be a date.”
He chuckled softly. “Just two people meeting for old times’ sake.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember Mangiarelli’s Pizza?”
No fair. He’d chosen their old college hangout. “I don’t,” she lied.
“Really? Luckily, it’s on Yelp with directions. I’ll see you there at noon.”
“Noon,” she echoed breathlessly.
“Hailey?”
“Uh-huh?” Her head was spinning.
“I’m glad you said yes. See you tomorrow.”
After he hung up, she sat on the couch in the living room and took several deep breaths. I was going to ask Delinda why she’d sent me to Braintree and arranged for me to meet him, but now I can’t. All she’d have to do is ask me one question, and I’d crack and tell her everything.
What had Alessandro said? “Pick your battles.”
Hailey pushed herself off the couch and headed out of the guesthouse and over to the driveway where Delinda and Skye were fawning over an all-white pony. They looked up at her approach, and both expressions became guarded.
The children were standing around in a loose circle, seemingly equally excited about Skye’s choice. I can’t say no.
But I have to say something.
“Skye, come here.” Skye looked from the pony to Delinda, beseeching her to intervene. Delinda opened her mouth to say something, but Hailey didn’t give her a chance to. “Now, Skye.”
Reluctantly, Skye stepped away from the group and over to Hailey. Hailey took her by the hand and led her just far enough away that the others wouldn’t hear, then bent down so her face was level with Skye’s. “I love you more than you will ever know. I want you to be happy, Skye, but you know your behavior earlier was not appropriate.”
Skye glared at her, defensive and angry. Hailey didn’t back down even though it broke her heart to see her niece look at her that way. Eventually, Skye blinked and looked down. “I really want the pony, Auntie Hailey.”