Maggie leaned forward in her desk chair with her hands threaded through her hair at the temples and her elbows resting on the wooden desk surface. She eyed the closed door to her office and allowed herself to scream silently. Aaahh. She was about ready to tear her hair out. It was a little over a week until Dahlia’s wedding and her friend kept changing the final attendee count. She’d expected there to be some issues when catering a wedding, but not this many. She took a deep breath and shuffled through the wedding reception paperwork until she found the menu that Garrett and Dahlia had decided on.

With the current food order, she’d need to rework some of the entrees and make the buffet portions slightly smaller to accommodate the last-minute changes. There was a slight chance that her supplier might be able to get her extra food on short notice so she wouldn’t have to decrease the portion sizes. She fired off an e-mail to the supplier and crossed her fingers.

Her cell phone lit up and vibrated across the desk.

“Hello?” she asked without viewing the caller.

“Hi, honey!”

Her mother sounded more excited than Maggie had heard her in years. “What’s up?” She used a pen to circle some of the dinner selections on the menu, only half listening to her mother’s babbles.

“So we leave tomorrow for our big adventure,” she said gleefully.

She had Maggie’s full attention now.

“I’m sorry, did you say you were going somewhere? Tomorrow?” She usually babysat Alex when Maggie worked nights. Where would she find another babysitter on such short notice?

“Yes. We’re finally taking a cruise. Mary Ellen Schultz, you know, my friend from church? Well, she found a fantastic last-minute deal on a cruise to the Caribbean and your dad and I are going to join them. We fly out to Florida tomorrow and the ship leaves on Saturday.”

Maggie pulled the phone away from her face and stared at it for a moment before pressing it back to her ear.

“Oh, but don’t worry. I worked it out with the neighbor’s girl. She’s on winter break from college already and she’s happy to babysit Alex when you need her. I know this is kind of last minute, so we’ll cover the cost of hiring her.”

Maggie didn’t know what to say. Her parents were incredibly generous to help so much with Alex and they did need a vacation. They hadn’t been anywhere in years, and a Caribbean vacation sounded amazing. But what did they know about this girl from next door? She hadn’t left Alex alone with a stranger before.

“Have you known the babysitter for long? I’m just not sure about leaving Alex with someone I’ve never met.” She chewed on the end of her pen.

“I’ve known Stacey and her family for years. She used to babysit all the little kids in the neighborhood before she went away to college. Do you want to come over and meet her tonight?”

She checked her schedule. She could fit in a meeting when she picked up Alex from her parents’ house that night. “Sure, I can interview her when I get Alex from you. Can you check if that’s okay with her?”

“Of course. Honey, you know we wouldn’t leave Alex with just anyone. Stacey’s a good girl.” Her mother squealed. “And we’re so excited about this trip. Can you imagine getting out of this dreary weather and sunbathing in December? I can’t wait.”

“It sounds lovely.” She gazed out the window. The skies were gray and rain drizzled onto the pavement in the café’s back parking lot. “I’d love to go somewhere warm.”

“Your father even said he’d buy a new bathing suit. He hasn’t bought any new clothes in a decade.”

Maggie smiled. Her father was a cheapskate and always insisted his clothes were fine. He must be really excited if he was buying something new. “I hope you have a wonderful time. Do you need me to feed your cats or anything?”

“Yes, I was hoping you could take care of them and bring in the mail. Maybe you could come in the morning and evening to feed them?”

“I can do that. I’ll make sure everything is good at your house. Just have fun.” An e-mail popped up on her screen. “Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”

“See you later,” her mother sang out.

Some of her mother’s excitement carried over to Maggie and she felt her lips spread into a joyful smile. It was good to hear her mother so happy. She clicked on the new e-mail. Yes! Her supplier said the changes were no problem. Now she wouldn’t have to cut the portion sizes or disappoint her friend. She opened her office door to the kitchen and listened for a moment. The normal sounds of her staff cooking for the lunch rush were the only thing she heard. The smell of meatloaf wafted into the small space, making her stomach rumble. Everything seemed to be running smoothly today at the café. Things were looking up.

Her phone rang again—probably her mother with more cruise details. With a smile on her face, she picked up the phone and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Price. This is Sue from the office at Bluebonnet Lake Elementary.”

Maggie’s heart dropped to her knees. Why was someone from Alex’s school calling her?

“Is Alex okay? What happened?”

“Oh, I’m sorry to have worried you. Alex is fine.” Sue paused. “I’m actually calling because he has been having some behavioral issues on the playground. He’s been rather aggressive with some of his friends. Today, I had to separate him from some of the other boys because he tackled them during what was supposed to be a friendly flag football game.”

“Oh.” Her mind raced. What was going on with him?

“You don’t need to come and pick him up today, but if this behavior continues, we may need to discuss a behavioral discipline plan.”

“Of course,” Maggie said automatically. “And I’ll be sure to discuss it with him this evening.”

“I’m sure it will all work out fine. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can be of help.”

“Thank you.” She hung up the phone. Her feeling of elation over the supplier’s e-mail had been replaced with dread. She managed to hang on for the rest of her shift, but couldn’t help worrying about Alex for the rest of the day.

That evening, she let herself into her parents’ house and almost tripped over three suitcases lined up by the door. Her mother met her in the entrance hall and she relayed what the school had told her.

“He’s getting into trouble at school?” Her mom looked puzzled. “That doesn’t sound like Alex.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m going to talk with him when we get home.”

“Well, good luck.” Alex ran past her, out the door, and her mom raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “He was fine earlier.”

When they got home, Maggie asked Alex to sit down on the couch. “So I got a call from school today.” She eyed her son.

Alex squirmed on his seat cushion and played with his shirt to avoid looking at her.

“Do you want to tell me why you tackled your friend?” Maggie searched his face.

He sighed. “Max teased me about not having a dad, so I pushed him. I didn’t want to tell Ms. Sue the real reason, so I said it was because we were playing touch football and I got too rough.” A tear slipped out the corner of his eye.

Maggie moved to sit next to Alex and wrapped her arm around him. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry that boy teased you. That wasn’t right of him to do that. You know, you do have a dad, and he’d have given anything to be here with you right now. He loved you so much.” She kissed the top of his head. “But next time someone says something like that, either walk away or tell the teacher instead of pushing him, okay?”

He nodded and she sent him off to get ready for bed. When he had brushed his teeth and put his pajamas on, she read a chapter with him of the novel they were reading and kissed him on the forehead. “Goodnight, sweetie.”

He closed his eyes. She waited outside his door until she heard him softly snoring.

Alex had never complained too much about not having a dad, but she’d known it would come up at some point. Now she had to figure out how to make things better for him. He needed a man in his life. Having Jake around was a good start, but she still didn’t think she could count on him to stick around.

* * *

The next day, things seemed better with Alex. Of course, he’d only been at school for part of a day since then, but still—there hadn’t been any more phone calls from the administrative staff. Chalk that up in the win column. Her parents had left already to catch a plane from Seattle to Miami to board their cruise on Saturday, so this would be the first evening that Alex spent with a babysitter.

She’d met Stacey, and had actually liked her. Things were going her way.

That was, until Stacey called to say she’d caught the flu and wouldn’t be able to babysit that night.

“I’m really sorry, Mrs. Price.” She coughed. “I’ve never been this sick in my life. It hit me like a freight train this morning. I must have caught something on the airplane coming home from college.”

What was she supposed to say to that? Stacey obviously felt bad. “It’s okay, I’ll figure something out. I hope you feel better. Get some rest.”

School would be dismissed in a few hours and she was out a babysitter. She didn’t want to bother Jake. He’d started his new job the day before and probably had a lot going on. She called everyone she could think of first and then reluctantly dialed her brother-in-law when she ran out of other options.

* * *

“Tonight?” Jake asked. Maggie had called him at the last minute to ask if he could babysit that night. Not that he minded.

“Yeah, the babysitter canceled. She’s sick and my parents are out of town. Can you do it?” Maggie sighed through the phone. “I know you just started your new job, and I wouldn’t ask otherwise, but I’m out of options.”

He wasn’t sure whether to be happy that she’d thought to ask him, or offended that he was her last resort.

“I worked a morning shift today, so I’m actually home now. I’d love to see Alex. He owes me a rematch of Mario Kart.”

“Great.” The relief in her voice was evident. “He’s done with school at three thirty. Do you know how to get to his school?”

“I do. I’ll be there to pick him up.” He set his phone back on the nightstand and looked around. Maggie was finally accepting him in Alex’s life and he was settling down in Candle Beach. His little room at the B&B wasn’t going to cut it much longer. He wanted somewhere where he could make a meal or play his music without fear of waking up the neighbor. And with his savings and the low housing costs in Candle Beach, he should be able to afford something decent. That was something Candle Beach had over living in the big city. There may not be much nightlife, but at least he could afford a home.

He still hadn’t heard anything from the government about the Border Patrol job, but it didn’t really matter. At this point, he was committed to staying in town and he looked forward to getting involved in small-town life.

* * *

Alex was ecstatic to see Jake when he picked him up from school. He jumped up and down and tugged at Jake’s arm.

“Uncle Jake, can I introduce you to my friends?” He yanked on Jake’s hand, not giving him an option to say no. He allowed his nephew to pull him over to where a group of young boys stood. Their moms were grouped next to them, chattering away to each other.

“This is my Uncle Jake,” Alex said proudly to his friends. “He was in the Army and went to Iraq.”

The boys stared at him like Alex had told them that his uncle had invented the Nerf gun.

“Whoa,” a tall, towheaded boy said. “Did you shoot anyone?”

Jake smiled. Kids always asked him that question. “Well...”

The curious kid’s mother overheard and approached Jake. “I’m sorry, sir, he’s pretty blunt. You don’t have to answer him.” She cocked her head to the side. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you a relative of Alex’s?”

“I’m his uncle. I just moved to town after getting out of the Army.”

She appraised him from head to toe and gave him a thousand-watt smile. “Well, thank you for your service. If you need someone to show you around town, let me know.”

He smiled at her and took Alex’s hand. He never knew what to say when people thanked him for his military service. While he was proud of what he’d done, it seemed strange to be thanked by a stranger for doing your job.

After they were half a block away from the elementary school, Alex turned to Jake and said, “That was so cool. Max is always bragging about his dad being a scientist, but being in the Army is even better.”

“Your dad was in the Army too, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” Alex frowned. “But I never really got to know him. He died when I was a baby. I wish he was here so Max wouldn’t make fun of me for not having a dad.”

Jake’s throat tightened. Did Maggie know how much Alex missed having a father present in his life?

He stopped and knelt on the ground in front of Alex. He looked his nephew straight in the eye. “Your dad would have loved you so much. Correction, he did love you. He used to call me and tell me all the cute things you did as a baby.” The boy’s face had crumpled and tears streamed down his cheeks. Jake hugged him. “If you ever need me, I’ll be there for you.”

Alex turned his face up, a glimmer of hope stretching across his face. “You promise?”

“Promise.”

“Hey,” Alex whispered. “Do you want to see my friends and my secret hiding place?”

“Uh, sure.” What kind of hiding place could a little kid possibly have?

Alex led him to a dilapidated white house a few blocks away. The windows were boarded up on the main floor, and the upstairs windows had been broken. A chain-link fence surrounded the property. It probably looked like an interesting place to a little kid, but to him it just looked dangerous.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to play here, buddy.”

“All my friends do. Don’t tell Mom though. She’d get upset.” He rested his backpack against the fence and pulled at a broken section to allow entrance to the backyard. “See? It’s easy to get in here.”

Jake stared at the kid’s backpack, its bright colors a stark contrast to the run-down house’s dirty, flaking exterior.

He got down to Alex’s level. “I don’t want you playing here anymore.” He pointed to the sagging porch steps. “Do you see those steps over there? Anyone walking on them could go through the wood at any time. This place is rotting and needs to be torn down.” He looked Alex directly in the eye.

“Yes, sir,” Alex mumbled, his face crestfallen. “We don’t come here very often anyways.”

“Good. I’m just getting to know you and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jake grabbed his hand and led him down the street to Maggie’s apartment. He used the key she’d left under the mat to unlock the door. When she got home, he needed to give her a lecture about safety. This may be a small town, but two days at the police department had taught him that even Candle Beach sometimes had problems.

He helped Alex with a short math assignment and then they turned on Mario Kart.

Alex screwed up his face in concentration as he veered from side to side in sync with his race car. “I’m winning, I’m winning,” he shrieked.

Jake had to hide his smile. He’d been playing with only one hand as a handicap.

Alex’s car soared across the finish line.

“Good job! I guess you are the master of Mario Kart.” He put down his controller and gave Alex a high five, and a smile stretched across his nephew’s face.

Then Jake stood and stretched. “I’m going to the kitchen for something to drink. Do you want anything? A glass of milk?”

“No, thanks.” Alex was captivated by the highlights reel of their recent race.

Jake filled a glass with ice water from the fridge and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. The little boy looked so much like Brian had as a child. He thought again about how much Brian would have loved seeing his son grow up. Any man would be proud to have a kid as special as Alex. Or, for that matter, to be married to Maggie. His brother had been lucky to have them in his life, if only for such a short time.

He himself had felt such joy being in their lives since he arrived in town. From the moment he’d seen Maggie again, he’d known he was physically attracted to her, and that attraction had grown to include mental and emotional components as well. He’d never felt this way before. Maggie seemed reluctant to consider him as anything other than Brian’s older brother, but he thought she may be warming to him.

His eyes caught on Maggie and Brian’s wedding photo on the end table by the kitchen. Both his brother and Maggie wore huge smiles as they stared into each other’s eyes, consumed by their love for each other.

What would Brian think if he were to ask Maggie out on a date? Would he be upset? He glanced back to Alex. His brother had asked him to help with his wife and son, but he probably hadn’t intended for them to be romantically involved. Was he moving in on Brian’s family? Trying to take what should have been his brother’s?

He shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. Brian was gone and nothing could bring him back and make his little family whole again. Jake needed to look towards the future, and what he saw there was a chance at happiness for Maggie, Alex, and himself.