Her Unlikely Family (14 page)

Of course, it didn't matter now. Lisa wouldn't be allowed to see Brian again. She would be lucky to have another date during the next century.

Noises carried through the back door.

Dear God, be with me today as I have to carry out Lisa's grounding. And God, please keep her safe. Make her smart. Use this time to convince her to stay away from alcohol and from kids who drink it.

She opened the back door. “I'm ready.”

His watch alarm sounded. “Wow, you're good.”

“I need to feed the cat, then we can go.”

“Josie mentioned a stray.”

“Yeah, she showed up about the time I did. A scruffy, scrawny thing.”

The cat must have heard Lisa pop the can open. It came running up the stairs onto the deck and rubbed against Lisa all the way to its dish. “Looks healthy now.”

Lisa plopped the can of food into the bowl, then rubbed the cat. “She's beautiful after lots of TLC. I want to keep her, but Josie's allergic. So she's letting me feed her outside.”

“Have you named her?”

“Not yet. I wasn't sure she'd stick around.”

It hurt to hear the insecurity in her voice. “What about when you leave here?”

She shrugged, scratched behind the cat's ears. “Don't know.”

One more issue to deal with when he and Lisa left Gatlinburg. “Let's get going.”

Once she finished, they locked up and got in his car. She wouldn't look at him. He didn't force conversation at this point. He would save that for later, after she'd had time to think about her poor decision last night.

When they arrived at the diner, she tried to slink into the kitchen.

“Oh, no you don't. You're going to eat a good breakfast before you start your shift—which you will complete, by the way, even if you have to make up your missed breakfast hours another day.”

She sighed.

“Here.” He pointed at the table. “Josie, could you bring Lisa some breakfast, please?”

“Coming right up.” She smiled, but it wasn't the warm greeting he'd expected. Well, he had Lisa to worry about right now.

Lisa slouched in the booth. “All I really need is coffee to help me wake up.”

“You'll perk up with some food,” he said.

Josie carried over a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk. Then she hurried over to the grill, where she scooped scrambled eggs onto a plate of fruit. She placed it in front of his niece. “Here you go, Lisa, honey. Did you get enough sleep?”

Lisa tried not to look at Michael accusingly, but he could see the frustration. “Yes, but I could use some caffeine. I'm sorry I'm late to work.”

“It's okay. I let Bud know what happened.” She patted Lisa on the shoulder. “Eat up.” Then she hurried away to take another order.

Josie checked on Lisa occasionally, but she spent time between customers chatting with the construction guys. She didn't seem to want to talk this morning and seemed to be avoiding him. Surely she didn't think their embrace was a mistake. All he wanted was more of the same.

Maybe long-term.

What was he thinking? Because surely he was crazy if he thought he and Josie could have some sort of relationship other than the time they had together right now.

Why not? Why can't we?

Because one of them would have to give up so much. She, her dream of owning the diner, and Bud. He, the bank and his family. Because his hypothetical situation—where his family didn't need him—would never happen.

“Uncle Michael, I'm sorry about last night. Really sorry.”

He put his hand over Lisa's. “I forgive you. But do you understand how serious I am about not drinking and driving? We lost your mother that way. I don't want to lose you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. Her lip trembled. “You're right. I promise I'll be more careful. And responsible.”

“Thank you.” He sipped the coffee Josie had quietly brought him. After last night, he didn't want to tell Lisa he'd decided to have her live with him. Not until he was certain he'd made the right decision. Until he knew she would cooperate, that he would be able to keep her under control. And safe. “I've decided to stay around a little longer, to give you time to feel comfortable about leaving with me. I'm going to try to rent a house near Josie's.”

“But your work…”

“As long as everything goes smoothly with your uncle Gary, I'll be fine staying with you a while longer.”

“I guess I don't deserve this.”

“Of course you do. You're my…niece. You're family. And I want to make sure you're ready to leave before we go back to Charleston.” He patted her arm. “Now get to work before Bud fires you.”

“Okay. I'll see you later.”

“I'll tell you what. Josie's working a double today, so why don't we go hiking this afternoon?”

“Kind of like boot camp?”

He smiled at her. “Something like that.”

Once Lisa had gone to the kitchen, Michael watched Josie as she continued to ignore him. Enough was enough. He wouldn't let her ignore what they'd shared. Even if it was only temporary.

He stalked toward her. “Excuse me.” He tapped her on the shoulder. “Could we go for a quick walk?”

“No,” Josie said. “I'm working.”

“Bud,” he called. “Could you spare Josie for a few minutes?”

She glared at Michael. “I can't—”

“That's up to Josie,” Bud said. “But we can do without her for a half hour now that Lisa is here.”

Josie went with him grudgingly, only to keep from making a scene. Once outside and down the street a ways, she stopped dead in her tracks. “How dare you manhandle me into taking a break.”

“I didn't—” He took her hands. “What's wrong, Josie?”

She snatched them back to her sides, trying to find the words to describe the horrible fear that had struck her last night after he'd left.

“Speechless, huh? That's a first,” he teased.

“Okay. You asked for it.” She stuffed some hair back up into her ponytail. “I'm freaking out over last night.”

“Not over Lisa, I take it.”

“Well, I freaked over that, too. But I'm talking about us. Me and you.”

“Over one hug?”

“It was more than just a hug between friends, Mike, in case you didn't notice.”

He stepped closer. “Believe me. I noticed.”

She moved back the same distance he had moved forward. “You know good and well it was much more than a hug or holding hands. There seem to be feelings developing.”

“That's funny. I sure couldn't tell by the way you were acting this morning.”

She looked away, then forced herself to maintain eye contact. “I guess I've got ‘morning after' guilt.”

Laughter roared out of him. “I love your humor. And the way you tell it like it is.”

Wasn't that just like him, to hit her right in the spot where she was vulnerable? The spot inside her that wanted to live loud and be allowed to be herself. She'd found a man who could appreciate those very qualities in her that had isolated her so many times.

The temptation to launch herself into his arms was like jet engines strapped to her feet.

He'll be a different person in Charleston.

Yep. Put him back in the bank, in the community, in his family, and he'd be the same man who'd walked into the diner exactly one week before.

No one changed that much in one week. Not for good anyway.

“Mike, you're only fascinated with me because I'm different from the women you've typically dated.”

“You can say that again.”

She laughed even though she didn't want to. “See, you're learning to speak your mind, too.”

“I admit it is kind of nice. Can you teach me more?”

“You want to be a big mouth?”

“I want to be spontaneous.” He pulled her closer. “Teach me to have more fun, Josie. I enjoyed last night so much.”

As long as he was going to be in town, she could do that for him. Couldn't she?

Hard as it was, she managed to push him away. “Sure. Lisa and I can teach you to have fun.” But she wouldn't let her heart get involved. She couldn't afford to.

They could make it work. As long as she could forget any crazy notions she'd had for long-term. They could enjoy each other's company and then say goodbye.

 

Michael spent the morning filling out a three-month lease agreement, the minimum he could get. But even if he only needed it a week, it would be worth every penny. He could afford to take the loss.

He then went about securing enough furniture to survive for a short while and buying a few groceries. Luckily, the house near Josie had all the appliances he would need—refrigerator and washer and dryer. The range would probably be an untouched bonus. Wal-Mart provided a microwave, linens, paper products, cleaning products and toiletries.

He felt as if he were setting up a college dorm room.

By the time he got sheets put on the bed—straight out of the package and as stiff as a nicely starched shirt—he barely made it on time to pick up Lisa.

She fell asleep in the car during the short drive to Josie's house. He woke her as he passed his new house.

“Lisa, wake up. I want to show you something.”

She opened her eyes, but appeared addled. “What is it?”

“That house right there.” He pointed. “I rented it today. I'll get you a key.”

“Oh, okay. Am I going to live there, too?”

He couldn't tell whether she wanted to or not. “You're going to stay with Josie for now. But if you decide you'd like to move across the street, just let me know. We might be able to work something out.”

She rubbed her hand over her eyes. “I'm cool with that.”

Once they were at Josie's house, Lisa went to wash her face and change clothes. When she came out, she looked young and scrubbed clean, like a kid right out of the bathtub.

“So are you ready to hit the national park?” he asked.

“Sure. And I'll even give you time to buy some boots this time.”

 

Michael's new heavy-duty hiking boots squeezed his toes a tad, but he felt prepared for anything.

Lisa eyed her own new boots. “Thanks, again, Uncle Michael. I've wanted some like these for a long time.”

“You're welcome.” The most amazing part to him was that she'd had him buy himself a pair that matched hers.

He locked the car and slung the new backpack over his shoulder.

“You're such a Boy Scout.” Lisa snorted a laugh. “A ton of supplies for a measly hike on a trail blazed by tourists of every age.”

“Hey, my motto really is to be prepared.” Especially when alone with his niece who would most likely blaze her own trails throughout life.

Just like Josie.

He had to laugh at his lack of preparedness when it came to Josie, though. Including his failure to protect his heart.

He and Lisa headed up the worn path not far behind some other hikers. But it didn't take five minutes for Lisa to point the way down a rocky slope. “These boots are made for hiking,” she sang. “Not meandering.”

With no other choice, he started out after her. “Okay. At least I brought my cell phone in case we get lost.”

“Good luck getting a signal.”

They made their way through overgrown vines and underbrush. He followed her, checking a compass every so often.

“Oh, good. There's a stream up ahead,” she said. “I'm getting a blister on my heel.”

“And I, the Boy Scout, have a bandage.”

“I guess I'll have to quit teasing you if you'll give me one.”

He sat on the grassy incline and watched her peel off one boot and sock, then stick that foot into the icy water.

It was hard to believe this was the same girl who had hiked at the river only days before.

She smiled at him and his heart lurched. “You look so much like your mom,” he said.

She lifted her foot out of the water and stood on the other like a stork. “Do I really? 'Cause she was, like, really pretty in old pictures.”

“She was really pretty. And so are you.”

Lisa stood on both legs once again. “Tell me something about her. Something good.”

The good memories were so buried in the more recent bad memories that it took him a minute to reprogram his musings.

Forget the alcohol and drugs, Michael. Find Patricia.