Kait sent her a watery smile. “Owen is family, Robin. Between the two of us, we’ll figure out how to make a home for him.”
Those words had Robin crying again. She reached for Kait’s hand. “As I’ve said many times, you’re a friend in a million.”
“Takes one to know one.” Kait pointed to the clock on the wall. “You better get going. You know how bad traffic can be at this time of day.”
An hour later, Robin was on the interstate heading south. There was no point in trying to reach Wade. He had a habit of turning off his phone when he was working. When he got around to calling, she’d fill him in on the situation. She spared a fleeting thought to his reaction. There was no doubt he’d be surprised by this turn of events.
Images from the past floated through Robin’s mind. Some of them brought smiles; others brought tears. She and Piper had met when they shared a third-floor bedroom in a group home. Neither had been thrilled with the arrangement. On the surface they were polar opposites. Robin had been shy and introverted. Piper had been a social butterfly and something of a troublemaker. After weeks of bickering over everything from closet space to how the room should be divided, they’d come to realize they had more in common than they thought. They were just two mixed-up, misfit teenagers trying to find their place in the world.
* * * * *
Reece escorted Lisa Hayward, the twenty-something interviewer from Jacksonville Today, out of the hangar and across the tarmac to the security gate. She was apologizing (for the third time) about rescheduling their meeting to today. He assured her it was fine. Her confession that she’d only started this job a few months earlier was unnecessary. It was obvious she was still wet behind the ears as a journalist. Reece had no problem with that. Everyone had to start somewhere. His only real complaint was her annoying habit of playing with her hair. It had quickly gone from distracting to irritating.
Sylvie was the villain of this particular piece. She hadn’t told him about Lisa’s arrival until it was too late for him to find an excuse to disappear. He’d spent most of the last hour thinking of creative ways to get his revenge.
“The article will be in next month’s edition,” Lisa was saying. “I’ll send you a proof copy before it goes live.”
“I appreciate that,” Reece said. “I’ve had some bad experiences with the press.”
She blushed and then flipped back her hair for the umpteenth time. “We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here. Take care, Lisa.”
With a timid smile and wave, she passed through the gate.
Sylvie returned from her errands twenty minutes later. After putting away her purse, she breezed into Reece’s office carrying a shopping bag.
“How did the interview go?” she asked with a coy smile.
He picked up a pencil and twirled it between his fingers. “Badly. I sent her home in tears.”
“That’ll be the day. You would never take out your frustration with me on an innocent party.”
“Frustration doesn’t begin to cover it. You know I hate that sort of thing.”
“Which is why it’s good for you to do it every now and then. You can’t permanently avoid unpleasant things.” She sat the bag on his desk. “Here’s your reward.”
He had a suspicion about the contents. It was confirmed when he reached inside and pulled out a striped box with the words Truly Scrumptious printed on the top. It was a fitting end to a week spent doing everything in his power to stop thinking about Robin. He wasn’t accustomed to failure, nor did he like the feeling of being at the mercy of something he couldn’t control.
“What did you get today?” he asked more lightly than he felt.
“Espresso chocolate cupcakes with mocha ganache filling. Robin wasn’t there. Kait said she had a family emergency.”
Reece forgot his irritation with the interview. “I hope it isn’t anything too serious.”
“Me, too.” Sylvie flipped opened the box and helped herself to a cupcake. “I can’t believe Robin is dating Wade.”
For many reasons, most of them bordering on selfish, Reece wished Robin and Wade had never met. “Why can’t you believe it?”
She licked icing off her fingers before answering. “They seem all wrong for each other.”
As much as he wanted to agree, he couldn’t deny the results of his own observation. “I spent several hours with them last weekend. I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.”
“It’s not something you can see with your eyes. It’s a feeling that comes from my impressions of them as people. Robin is energetic and bubbly. She’s always thinking of others. Her job is an extension of that. She loves creating things that make her customers happy. Wade is a man on a mission. He’s all about making his mark on the scientific world. His work defines him. I would even go so far as to say it consumes him. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like his wife and kids would always be secondary. A woman needs to know she comes first. It’s the key to her happiness.”
Reece wished Sylvie would talk about something else. He didn’t want to think about the ripple effect of Robin becoming Wade’s wife. It would be impossible to avoid contact with her. If he couldn’t get his feelings about her under control, this could be a long term complication.
“I’m consumed with my job. I guess that means I won’t make a good husband, either.”
“You’re not consumed. You’re dedicated. There’s a difference. Excuse the analogy, but you’re like a plane in a holding pattern. You’re sort of…biding your time, waiting to land. When the right woman comes along, she’ll become the most important thing in your life.”
Sylvie wasn’t wrong. Reece would willingly make room in his life for someone. Unfortunately, the one he thought was right for the part was already taken.
Chapter Seven
Tears filled Robin’s eyes as she turned into the driveway of Piper and Daniel’s house. Her blurred gaze passed over the swing hanging from the tree in the front yard, the flowers blooming in the window boxes and the welcome wreath on the door. It all looked so normal. There was nothing to indicate how irrevocably everything had changed. It was like enjoying a beautiful view and then realizing it’s just a façade.
Daniel’s sister must have been watching for her arrival. The front door opened as Robin emerged from the car. She felt the weight of Barb’s unblinking stare as she followed the sidewalk leading to the door. When she mounted the steps of the portico, she forced a cordial smile to her lips.
“Hello. I’m Robin Parker.”
“I’m Barb,” she said, stepping aside so Robin could come in. “My husband took Owen to the park so we could talk.”
Robin was glad Owen wasn’t around. If the vibes she was picking up were any indication, this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
Barb led the way to the living room. Robin avoided looking at anything except the figure in front of her. The goal was to avoid getting emotional. The best way to handle confrontation is to stay composed.
Her companion sat down in Daniel’s recliner. Robin opted for the couch.