Family Ties (11 page)

Okay, so what was the problem? He’d had daydreams before. What was the big deal with this one? Taking a deep breath he knew the answer to that question – his little...episode had seemed so real. It seemed like he was there, in the back seat.

Which still didn’t explain why he’d had so much trouble with the seat belt. He could almost see those little fingers trying to push hard enough to release the catch. He could feel how hard he push....

He was definitely losing his mind. It was the only explanation for the sensation of being a little boy sitting in the back seat of a van, struggling to free himself from the seat belt.

Stretching his fingers he was amazed they weren’t still white from the pressure he’d exerted...no the kid in his daydream had exerted.

How could a grown man have an experience like that? And remember it so clearly? It had been so real. So intense. He remembered wanting to hurry out of the van, wanting to be first.

Gray ran his hand through his hair and shook his head before blowing out a breath. None of it made any sense. First nightmares and now day dreams. If he wasn’t careful, who knew what would happen.

Flicking the light switch in the kitchen, Gray pulled his tee shirt over his head as he walked down the hall. The damned thing had been so real.

Later that night, asleep, he begins to dream.

They were all around, pushing and shoving and trying to get around him. Just because he was little, they thought he should be last. Well he’d show them.

“
Mommy, they’re being mean to me.”

“
Greggie’s being a baby. A big fat baby,” the kids taunted. “A big fat crying baby.”

“
Stop it.” Warm arms pulled him close. “If you can’t be nice, I’ll....

Other arms grabbed him. Pulled him. Cold arms. Cold hands. Holding him tight. Pulled him down into the dark.

Held him down. “Sshh, don’t cry, love. Don’t cry. Mama’s here and she loves you.”

“
No. No. Nooooooo.”

As consciousness returned, Gray wiped his fingers across his eyes. The other hand held his twisted pillow against him, his arm wrapped around it so tightly it ached. He sniffed and rubbed his nose, then ran his hand over still damp eyes.

When memories of the nightmare surfaced, he shivered. It had been a nasty one. The cold had gone right through him. Even now he could feel the kid’s terror as he’d been ripped away from ... what? Or who?

He forced his legs to stretch, his shoulders to relax. It was just another dream. Even if it was getting ridiculous.

First daydreams about being at a burger joint and now nightmares about being ripped away. Would it never stop?

He checked the alarm. Two A.M. Way too early to get up, even for him.

Untangling himself from the sheets, he rose and padded to the bathroom. His reflection stared back at him from beneath the harsh lights above the vanity. He looked like death warmed over. Something weird was going on, but it didn’t really matter. Today had shaped up to be a busy one, so he needed to get some sleep.

He downed a glass of water and took a leak then flushed the john. Might as well get some more shut eye. Morning would arrive soon enough.

***

“Andie, do you like Mr. Mills?” Bonnie concentrated on getting the right number of forks from the drawer.

“Sure. He seems to be a nice guy.” She checked out the window for Jamie who was still sitting at the patio table with a book.

“No, do you
like
him. You know. Like a girl likes a guy,” Bonnie asked. Curiosity and a bit of uncertainty shimmered with the deeper question in her eyes.

Her daughter had been aware of the opposite sex for several years, but this was a first.

Andie wiped her hands on a towel. “Well, he seems pleasant enough. I thought it was brave of him to take us out to dinner last night. Although,” she winked at the young girl, “he doesn’t like anyone without manners.”

Rolling her eyes as only a seventeen-year-old girl can, Bonnie closed the drawer with her hip. “You know what I mean.”

“Okay, I’ll be serious. He’s a good looking man. But way off limits.”

Dina ignored her reservations as she came into the kitchen. “Which part is best?”

“Hair or tush?” Bonnie kept pushing.

She’d expected this inquisition sooner or later since both her sister and daughter thought she was overdue for another man in her life.

“His tush? What are you doing checking out the man’s butt?”

“Andie. Everybody looks.” Bonnie’s grown up reply reminded her that her little girl wasn’t so little anymore.

“True.” Andie shrugged. “And it’s fine as long as we don’t touch.” She wagged her finger at her foster-daughter, who groaned.

“As if a hunk-o-rama like him would be interested in me.” She crossed to the dining room, carrying a hand full of table ware.

“I should hope not. You’re too young for him.”

“You’re not.” Dina’s eyes twinkled and she grinned, her eyes bright with amusement. It wasn’t often she was able to put her sister in this position.

“No I’m not. But Gray’s my neighbor. Besides, he’s moving fairly quickly.” As Andie reached for plates in the cupboard she rested her fingers on the shelf. “What do you mean, hunk-o-rama?”

“He’s delicious. Cute. Hunky.”

“About what I thought you meant.” She counted out the plates and pulled out the stack.

“His plans to leave don’t mean you couldn’t get together, does it? He might stay.” Dina could resemble a dog with a bone. A little dog with a big bone.

“He won’t.”

“Whatever. So which do you prefer?”

“So we’re back to the question, are we?” Setting the plates on the cupboard Andie gave the matter some thought. Gray had a great build and sexy, warm eyes. And his silky sable hair cried for a woman’s fingers to mess it.

“His shoulders and arms.”

“Really? Why?”

“There’s something about all those muscles.” She blew a breath through partially closed lips. “Guaranteed appeal.”

“I like his eyes.” Dina had always been a sucker for big brown eyes.

“When did you see them?

“I didn’t but the kid described them to me.” She flicked a hand toward Bonnie.

“Must be an old lady thing,” the younger girl replied, setting the silver on top of the plates and lifting the whole pile. “Maryanne says hair and butt are the only two things worth checking out.”

“What makes her such an expert on men?”

Bonnie set the dishes on the table, lifted one shoulder in a shrug then reached for the place mats. “Everybody says she’s done it.”

Andie caught her breath and held it inside for a moment. Although many teenagers were sexually active at seventeen, she wanted more for Bonnie. “Really?” she asked, her voice as calm as she could will it.

“No one knows for sure. But I don’t think so.”

Andie forced the masher through the potatoes. “How come?”

“She’s one of those people who wants you to think she’s done stuff when she hasn’t. You know? Like talking about meeting Ricky Martin. As if anyone from Calgary has met a superstar like him.”

“Some people are like that, hon,” Dina added, rapidly batting her eyes, “Did I tell you I met Kevin Costner?”

“Only about a hundred times. Although I don’t think seeing him across a restaurant in Banff qualifies as meeting him.”

“He and his band are following me on Twitter, you know.”

Bonnie sighed heavily. “I know. You’ve told me about a hundred times since it happened last week. You do know that it’s his people who are on twitter and not Costner himself, right?”

Dina smiled dreamily. “Perhaps. But who knows?”

Andie took a deep breath determined to hold some detachment for the duration of this conversation. “Is there anything else about her you’re uncomfortable with?”

“When we talk, she talks rough, you know with her language and stuff but I think she’s faking it so we’ll feel like babies.”

“Do you think she’s trying for anything else?”

Silence wafted from the dining room, except for the soft thunk of plates against the placemats. “Nah. She’s just putting on a big show. For the guys, you know.” Bonnie came back into the kitchen and took some glasses from the cupboard. “When they whistle or try to talk, she gives them the cold shoulder and ices them out.” She giggled. “It’s kind of funny to see them slink away. Underneath it all,” the teenager walked back to the other room, “I think she’s kind of lonely.”

Andie took a deep breath. She’d probably make it through this conversation, but they were getting harder. Somehow, loving Bonnie forced all her professional platitudes out the window. Who’d have guessed? Certainly not her during her training and putting all those initials behind her name. She’d been young and certain she had all the answers.

“So you really like his shoulders and arms best?”

“Back to Gray are we?” Obviously Bonnie had something on her mind. “They’re not too shabby.” Memories of being in his arms warmed her cheeks.

“Huh. I’m going to have to check them out next time he’s over.” Bonnie walked toward the fridge.

Dina leaned close. “Are you blushing? You are.” Against Andie’s ear she whispered, “You’re going to have to tell me everything, you know.”

Andie shrugged her off and spoke to Bonnie. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that, young lady.”

“He won’t catch me, don’t worry.”

“I’m not sure you can get away with checking out his anatomy without getting caught.”

“I’ll show you the trick to scoping out a guy without him knowing.”

“Dina!”

“I think we should invite him over to dinner again.” Bonnie took the milk from the fridge. “To say thanks for last night.”

“I’m not sure he’d join us again. His blank kind of glazed look was a good clue he was shell-shocked by the end of the evening.” She scraped the potatoes into a bowl. “I thought he’d have a conniption when Billy ‘accidentally’ dumped his milk on Chloe’s lap.”

“He didn’t? What a stinker.” Dina’d always appreciated the antics of the kids, in a way only a single woman without children could.

“A certain young man is getting too big for his britches.”

“And you love him anyway.”

“I do.”

Dina had never had children and a disastrous first marriage had left her a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of gal.

“All in all, I thought he did a good job of covering his reaction to the kids’ silliness.”

“You should have seen the look on his face when Chloe called me from the carousel to take her pee.” Andie chuckled. “His face turned white, Dina. As white as the...” she glanced around, “as the front of the fridge. Then he blushed. It was kind of cute.”

“So what? Just because the man is most definitely not used to having children around, doesn’t mean he’s not a good candidate. After all, there are not many families as active as yours.”

“Nor many as loud as Chloe.” Bonnie returned to the conversation.

“So where were you when all the excitement was happening?”

Bonnie’s face paled and she blinked a couple of times. “I was at a sleep-over the night before and then Sean picked me up from there and we went for something to eat.”

“How’s your brother doing?”

“Fine.” Her brittle voice sounded near breaking. Bonnie cleared her throat. “He’s fine.”

Without adding anything, she went to the top of the stairs. “Shut off the PlayStation and get washed. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“In a minute. I’m in the middle of a game.”

“Fine, just remember if you’re late you don’t get dessert.” She waited for a theatre’s moment. “Andie made chocolate pudding with bananas.”

Footsteps pounded on the stairs.

Bonnie stepped out of the way and let the tornado fly by on his way to the bathroom. The expression on her face said it all – she might be growing up much too quickly but when it came to Billy, she was always going to be a big sister.

The roar of a motor running in the back yard caught Dina’s attention in mid-stride toward the table.

The ringing cell phone was more important to Bonnie. “Hello.”

Dina opened the back door and peered toward Gray’s. “Andie. Come have a look.”

“Hi Maryanne. Did you see the way Tyler watched Belle today?” Cell pressed to her ear, she disappeared down the hall, her voice trailing behind.

“Look at what?” Andie slid the back door open wider and walked out on the deck.

Her eyes were savoring a feast. Gray was using some noisy machine to dig and plant posts in his back yard, apparently to begin fencing the pool.

Oh my. He was working without a shirt.

Dina waved her hand in front of her face and blew out a breath.

Her sister had the right idea, although Andie’d never admit it publicly. What was it about a man working up a sweat in the sunshine?

She turned to check on Jamie, also watching Gray while he worked. “Do you know what he’s doing?” she asked.