Chapter Ten
That night, after tucking Skye in bed, Hailey took the remaining craft supplies off the kitchen table in the guesthouse and tucked them away in a cabinet. When she finished, she sat down with the four freshly painted sets of wooden nesting dolls. Each said something about its creator.
Delinda chose to draw cats of various colors. She’d chosen a traditional style, and the result rivaled the quality of any Hailey had ever seen in a store.
Michael attempted to paint Star Wars characters with hilarious results. They all ended up looking vaguely like who he said they were. Everyone had fun guessing, and he didn’t seem to mind when they guessed wrong.
Hailey found a design for robots that made Skye laugh, so she did her best to re-create them. They weren’t perfect, but Skye was playing with them even before they’d dried and that was good enough for Hailey.
Skye had stared at her unpainted wooden dolls for a long time before snapping her fingers and saying, “I’ll do it by age. Delinda, you’re the oldest, so you’ll be the biggest.” She’d looked at Hailey, then Michael. “Then Michael, right? Or are you older than he is, Auntie Hailey?”
Hailey had ruffled her hair. “I’ll get you for that.”
Skye was already choosing her paint while she answered, “Bring it on.”
Delinda’s delighted laugh surprised them all. “Oh, Hailey, we’re in trouble.”
With a cheeky smile, Skye had replied, “You’re the ones who wanted me to speak—”
“Yes, we did, and hearing you joke again makes me so happy.”
Skye had looked up from painting, suddenly serious. “I make you happy, Auntie Hailey?”
“You do, sweetie. Happy. Sad. On our best days and our worst day—I’m always grateful for you.”
Skye had held up the tiniest of her nesting dolls. It was still blank. “If you ever have a baby of your own, will you love me more because you knew me first? Or will you love it more than me because it will really be yours?”
Michael had cleared his throat.
Delinda had remained surprisingly silent.
Hailey had stood, then bent down so she was eye to eye with her niece. “There is no more or less when it comes to love. I love you, and if I ever have a baby I will love it, too.”
“What if you don’t have enough love?”
Not caring that they still had an audience, Hailey pulled Skye in for a hug. “When you look up at the stars, can you see them all?”
“No,” Skye said softly.
“But you know there’s more of them than you can see, right?”
“Yeah, everyone knows that.”
“Well, that’s what your father would have told you about love if he were here. He and your mom loved you more than you could ever measure. I love you the same way. And if I ever do have a baby, that’s what I hope you’ll feel because it doesn’t matter how we came together—we’re family.”
Skye had looked across at Delinda. “I changed my mind. I hope she has a baby. I hope she has a hundred babies. I want a big family.”
“Easy there, Tiger.” Hailey laughed. “I’m a long way from getting married and thinking about babies.”
“The important thing is that Skye would be okay if you did meet someone,” Delinda had asserted.
Hailey was beginning to think Delinda might be hoping something would develop between her and Spencer. If she was, Hailey wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, it was sweet and could be taken as a compliment. On the other hand, not everything worked out the way people hoped and it was pressure Hailey wasn’t prepared for.
Alone in the guesthouse kitchen, Hailey picked up Skye’s tiny piece that now had a face and a baby bottle drawn on its side. She didn’t dream about having a baby of her own—not anymore. Any desire she’d ever had had taken a backseat, along with so much else, as Hailey had gone into survival mode.
Things are finally stable. Shouldn’t that be enough for me?
Her phone buzzed with a text message. You up?
Spencer.
H: Yes.
S: Busy?
She could have said yes. She could have also said she was too tired to talk, but the truth was she wanted to hear his voice before she went to bed. No, Skye is asleep.
Her phone rang and she answered it on the first ring. “Hey,” he said in a deep tone that always sent her heart racing.
“Hey, yourself.”
“How was your day?” he asked even though he’d spent the day with her.
“Better than expected.”
“Mine, too. What did you end up doing with Skye?”
Her gut reaction was to wonder if he was asking to be polite or if he really cared. I’ll never find my way back to happy if I second-guess everything everyone says. “We had craft night.”
“What did you make?”
“Russian nesting dolls.”
“And here I was picturing finger paint and Play-Doh.”
She laughed. “Skye’s seven and she’s bright. She likes a challenge.”
“Me, too.”
A flush warmed Hailey’s cheeks, and she closed her hand around the baby nesting doll she was still holding. At any other time in her life flirting with him would have been exciting. There was too much to consider to let go and enjoy it now. “If it were as simple as just you and me—”
“I know, but I won’t pretend I’m not interested in more. You and I have always been real with each other.”
Now. I have to tell him now. “Spencer, there’s something you need to know.”
“Auntie Hailey? Who are you talking to?” Skye asked from the kitchen doorway.
“A friend,” Hailey answered quickly. “Go back to bed.”
Skye walked into the kitchen instead and sat down next to Hailey. “Is it a boy?”
“I shouldn’t have called so late,” Spencer said.
“It’s okay.” Hailey tried to keep a stern face as she said, “Even if my phone rings, she knows she should be in bed.”
“What’s his name?” Skye asked. It was hard to be upset with her when she propped her face up on her hands and smiled.
“Skye, I’m having an adult conversation—”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
Spencer laughed. “She sounds terrified of you.”
Yeah. I’m still working out a few things. “Skye Hannah Tiverton, get your butt out of this kitchen and back in bed.”
Skye stood with a huff. “Fine, but we’ll talk about this tomorrow. If you want to date someone, I want to meet him. What if I don’t like him?”
“I’m not dating anyone.” Hailey sighed. “I’m not talking about this right now. Bed.”
I did push her to start speaking again. She remembered her sister-in-law, Erin, once joking about how excited she’d been for Skye to start walking until she realized how fast that meant she could get into trouble. I finally get why that’s so painfully funny.
“Will you read me a story? You know I can’t fall asleep without one.”
That had started with Ryan. He’d always said it was his favorite time of day with her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Can you read the part where he meets the lion?” Skye asked at the door.
“Yes. Go.” Hailey nodded, and Skye scooted out of the room. “I need to go so I can tuck her back in bed. Looks like I’ll be reading Billy and the Lion for a third time tonight.”
“That was my favorite series when I was her age.”
Hailey’s breath caught in her throat. Was that why Delinda had given Skye the book? Because she knew children in general loved it or because she wants—No, now I’m starting to sound paranoid. “I’ll have to look for more of them. She can’t get enough of it.” Which Hailey had taken as a good sign since before that book Skye had only wanted to hear stories her father had read to her.
“I looked up to Billy like a superhero, but better. He didn’t have powers, but he saved that lion from everything imaginable. Whenever I was afraid of something, I reminded myself that a scrawny kid could save a lion if he was brave enough.”
“And look what you accomplished with that philosophy.” Had Delinda instilled confidence in him? If so, things couldn’t have always been bad between them.
She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “All thanks to Billy. Who knew?”
Delinda did. There has to be a way to bring the two of them back together.
“Auntie Hailey?” Skye called out from her bedroom.
“Coming. Good night, Spencer,” Hailey said reluctantly. Being with Spencer had always been good, but this time there was more.
“Hailey?”
“Yes?”
“Tomorrow morning I will be sitting next to my phone asking myself if I should call you. We’ve always been honest with each other. Do you want me to?”
Hailey blinked several times before answering. He wasn’t asking to sleep with her. He wasn’t pushing to meet Skye. He just wanted to talk. Did she have to deny herself even that? “I do.”
“Then I will. Good night, Hailey.”
Hailey hung up and went into Skye’s room. There were aspects of Spencer that hadn’t changed over time. Even when they’d both been inexperienced, it had been good because he’d asked her what she liked. He did care back then. He cares now.
I wish that made any of this easier.
“Auntie Hailey, are you okay?”
“What? Oh yes.” Composing herself, Hailey climbed up onto Skye’s bed and sat down beside her. “I’m not reading the whole book. It’s late.”
“Just a few pages,” Skye said as she snuggled against Hailey’s side. “Start where Billy gets lost.”
“Please.”
“Please start where Billy gets lost.”
Hailey hugged her. “Okay, but just to the end of the chapter.”
“Unless you want to read more. I’d be okay with that.”
Looking down into her niece’s pleading eyes, Hailey felt her resolve crumble. What was more important than this? “What if I start from the beginning and we see how far we get?”
Skye snuggled closer. “Keep reading even if I close my eyes. Promise?”
“I promise.” Hailey gave Skye a kiss on the forehead and reached for the book. As she started to read a story she practically knew by heart now, her mind wandered back to Spencer. He was also not a stranger to loss. When she came to the part of the story where Billy came across a roaring lion in a net, she wondered who had read the story to Spencer when he was Skye’s age.
Had they connected with the story, also? A timid lion, trapped and dangerous but impossible to walk away from. Complicated, just like life.
Skye fell asleep halfway through the book, but Hailey stayed and finished it. She tucked it beneath the pillow before climbing down. Before she turned off the light, she looked up at where Skye was sleeping.
I’m not afraid anymore, Skye. We can do this.
Monday morning Spencer smiled at his secretary as he walked past her desk. He hummed as he answered his e-mails and planned for his meetings. He felt good—better than he had in a long, long time.
He was still smiling when Lisa knocked on his door. “There’s a Mr. Kyees here to see you.”
“Send him in.”
Spencer stood and met his old college friend halfway. They shook hands vigorously. “Thanks for coming by, Kyle.”
“You said it was important.”
Spencer motioned for Kyle to sit. “It is.” Spencer could have gone to Kyle’s office, but he’d learned early that the one with the desk had the perceived power. He implemented the technique in business, but he’d learned it from his family. Want control of a situation? Be the one who summons, not the one who is summoned.
“Is it about the next update? I heard it was on schedule.”
“This is a personal matter.”
Kyle took a seat. “One that couldn’t be handled over the phone? It must be important.”
“It is.” Spencer stood in front of his desk. “Do you have any openings in your purchasing department?”
“I might. I’d have to check with that department. Why?”
Perfect. Spencer folded his arms across his chest. “There’s someone I want you to hire. The position not only has to pay well, but you need to keep all mention of me out of it. I want her to think she got the job on her own.”