And Then One Day Read online

  “Then there’s going to be all the comments about how I’m too old for her or she’s too young for me or some crap like that.”

  “Dude, it’s six years, not sixty.”

  But Dean wasn’t listening. For almost two weeks he’d been torturing himself with all the things that could go wrong if they went public with their relationship. It was making him crazy and as much as he hated that his brother now knew what was going on, he was kind of relieved to have someone to talk to.

  “And don’t even get me started on Scarlett. Do you think for even a minute that she’s going to be happy about this?”

  “If you’re serious about Courtney and not messing around with her, I would think Scarlett would be fine with it. If anything, you’d probably be her first choice of which brother to date her best friend.”

  He couldn’t help but snort with a bit of disgust at that. “You can’t be serious. Scarlett’s always been protective of Courtney and hasn’t liked any guy she’s dated. I don’t see how I’d suddenly be her first choice.”

  “Neither do I. I was just saying out of me, you, and Kyle, you’d be her top choice. Not out of all the guys in the world.”

  Glaring across the desk, he said, “You’re kind of a dick.”

  With a shrug, Hunter stood. “I’ve been called worse.”

  “Wait, you’re not leaving, are you?”

  Another shrug. “I need to go pick up Eli. Melissa called and said she was going to be working late.”

  “That happen a lot?”

  And that’s when his brother’s cocky smile finally fell. “More than it should,” he admitted. “Hell, I just wish she’d quit jerking Eli and me around. I’m doing this whole co-parenting thing like she wanted, but sometimes it’s like I’m the only parent. Eli’s an afterthought to her and it pisses me off.”

  “So why don’t you do something? Can’t you fight for full custody?”

  “Dean, how would I handle full custody? My schedule is all over the place. I mean, it doesn’t change much, but I do 24-hour shifts and then I’m off for two days and then I’ll pull three 12-hour shifts in a row. How would I take care of Eli? Who would watch him when I’m gone overnight?”

  “Damn. I didn’t think about that. But you know we’d all help out. Dad loves having Eli sleepover.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Look, you don’t have to decide right now, but just…you know…think about it. We’re all here for you.”

  “I just hate that things turned out this way. I look at Scarlett and Mason and I’m just…” He paused and shook his head. “I’m so damn jealous. That’s what I wanted–what I thought Melissa and I were going to have.”

  “Hunt, maybe if you guys went for counseling…”

  “Been there, done that, paid the deductible. A relationship can’t work if only one person is invested. She’s not.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He let out a long breath.

  “So what are you going to do now?”

  “I’m taking it one day at a time. That’s all I can do. My son comes first, and if that means I have to deal with Melissa jerking me around, then that’s what I’ll do.”

  “But how is that good for Eli?” Dean cried, hating how his nephew was stuck in such a crappy situation.

  “Because at least when he’s with Melissa, she takes care of him! A child deserves to have both parents in his life and just because Melissa doesn’t do all the things I wish she did–or just because she doesn’t love me–I know when Eli is with her that she’s physically there with him. I’d rather that than a full-time babysitter.”

  “Are you sure she’s taking care of him? Or is she pushing him off on someone else because she doesn’t feel like being a mother?”

  Hunter’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. “Low blow, Dean.”

  “Again, I’m sorry. I just think you need to be aware that…things may not be what they seem where Melissa is concerned. I know you can’t be there 24/7 to watch, but…just maybe…dig a little and make sure Eli’s safe. That’s all I’m saying.”

  They both went silent for a minute.

  “What are you going to do with Courtney? Is this serious?”

  Damn. He was hoping they’d moved on from that.

  “It’s too soon to tell,” he said evasively. “She’s still talking about moving and I don’t want to be the guy forcing her to stay. And then there’s all the stuff we just talked about. I’m not sure I want to draw that much attention to us. You know I hate that shit. Being the center of attention is totally not my thing.”

  “You’re good at staying in the background,” Hunter said, his voice a little grim. “Maybe it’s about time you focused on you and what makes you happy instead of worrying about the rest of us.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  Hunter walked over and clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Think about it” before he turned and walked out the door.

  He knew he needed to get back to work, knew he couldn’t hide here in the office forever, but the entire conversation with his brother made his head spin.

  And not just the part about him and Courtney.

  Dean was ten when his mother died, but she had been sick for a year before that. As the oldest, it was his job to help out with his siblings. He was old enough to understand what was going on, but Hunter, Kyle, and Scarlett weren’t. Every day he did his best to play games with them and distract them from what was going on and it was something he never outgrew. He wanted to protect them from all the bad things that were happening to their family–to keep them happy and smiling and positive for as long as he could. And after their mother died, he did his best to help everyone overcome their grief–even his father and grandfather. He did it by making sure everything was taken care of–made sure his brothers did their homework and that Scarlett always had someone to read to her. It meant that he didn’t have much of a social life as he became a teenager and even an adult, but…his family always came first.

  To hear Hunter talk about his struggles, it took everything in his power not to go and organize a stakeout to find out if Melissa was taking proper care of Eli. If he found out she wasn’t, Dean wasn’t sure what he’d do. He wasn’t a violent man, but just the thought of something happening to that sweet boy filled him with rage.

  Maybe he could go talk to Hunter’s boss and see if he could possibly cut his brother some slack and give him better hours for a little while. He knew Hunter wouldn’t want to rock the boat, but sometimes you had to.

  And then there was Courtney.

  Always Courtney.

  There was a part of him that was very protective of her too. The thought of her moving away bothered him because he knew it wasn’t something she truly wanted to do. She never came outright and said it, but she said enough about the things she loved here in Magnolia that he knew Raleigh wasn’t going to ever feel like home for her. He wanted to go down to town hall and talk to whatever committee Mason mentioned was scouting for medical practices and tell them to hurry up! Then he wanted to put something in their contracts that Courtney would be guaranteed a job.

  Yeah, that wasn’t practical, but it didn’t mean he didn’t want to do it.

  He wanted to make sure her car was safe for her to drive and to find ways to always keep a smile on her face because…hell, she had a great smile. Her entire face would light up and those gorgeous green eyes would sparkle. He particularly loved it when she smiled at him. It occurred to him just how much she never really did that before the wedding. She always held a part of herself back. But now that he was getting to know her without all the protective walls that she put up around herself, he realized just how much he’d been missing.

  Maybe he wasn’t the guy Scarlett would pick for her best friend, but…so what? It wasn’t her call to make.

  And maybe their age difference wasn’t ideal, but there were plenty of people with way more years between them.

  So where did that leave
them?

  Well, it was Friday night and she asked if they could grab a pizza and go work on Scarlett’s place. She found some tile for the bathroom that she wanted to show him and she had arranged for the dumpster to be delivered.

  That’s how she wanted to spend the weekend, being amateur house flippers.

  Hell, there were worse ways to spend the weekend.

  Still, he kind of liked how she wasn’t as high maintenance as he once thought she was. Oh, he knew she could be, but she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty either. Maybe at some point this weekend he’d bring up his conversation with Hunter and see how she reacts. For all the talking they do, they both seem to do a fine job of avoiding the topic of their relationship.

  And he really hoped it was just because she was as nervous about rocking the boat as he was.

  10

  “Cancel your moving plans! I found the perfect guy for you!”

  Courtney choked on the cupcake she just took a bite out of. “Um…what?”

  Scarlett was smiling from ear to ear. “Yesterday, Mason took me for my doctor’s appointment and the ultrasound tech guy was super cute!”

  “I heard that!” Mason yelled from the other room, but Scarlett just waved him off.

  “Anyway, he was super cute, single, and he lives in New Bern so, you know…not too far away. A forty-five-minute drive, tops! But best of all, I showed him your picture and he gave me his number to give to you! Isn’t that great?”

  “Are you crazy?” she cried. “Why would you show my picture to a complete stranger?”

  “I told you she would be mad!” Mason called out.

  “Oh my God,” Scarlett groaned from her spot on the couch. “I wish I was in the bedroom so I could slam the door on him.”

  “He’s not wrong, Scar,” Courtney said after she took a minute to compose herself. “I am mad! What were you thinking?”

  “That you’re always bitching about how there are no nice guys here in Magnolia that you’re interested in! I thought I was doing a good thing!”

  “I don’t need you acting as some sort of…you know…pimp,” she said wearily. “Look, I get that your heart was in the right place, but…”

  Scarlett reached out and took one of Courtney’s hands in hers. “I don’t want you to go,” she said earnestly. “For so long you’ve been saying how you wanted to meet a great guy who would make you want to stay here.”

  “That’s not quite what I’ve said…”

  “And I know things are rough right now with the job situation and all, but I know that’s going to get worked out. You know you can stay at my place as long as you need and your parents won’t be gone forever, so you have more than enough people who love you who are willing to help out until you get back on your feet.”

  The sound she made was part growl and part groan. “I’m tired of needing help, Scarlett! Everyone else has their shit together and I’m still floundering! It’s bad enough that I can’t find a job; I don’t need you pimping me out to strange guys!”

  “Okay, for starters, Evan was not a strange guy. He was super nice and super cute…”

  “You realize we’re still on our honeymoon, right?” This time Mason walked across the living room on his way to the kitchen, a scowl on his face.

  Scarlett rolled her eyes but kept talking. “I’m telling you…he seemed like a great guy–blonde hair, blue eyes…he totally had the surfer guy look. And he had a great tan!”

  With a quick glimpse at Mason who looked ready to smash something, Courtney sighed. How could she possibly explain that she wasn’t interested in anyone–especially a surfer guy–because she had Dean? No matter how much the two of them danced around the topic, the only thing they seemed to agree on was how they weren’t ready to let Scarlett know.

  But…what if that was the only way to get her off the campaign of finding her the perfect guy?

  “I even scoped him out on Facebook,” Scarlett was saying as she scrolled through her phone. “You know, so you can see for yourself. And if you don’t think he’s good looking, then I’ll let it go.”

  “I can tell you already that I’m not going to find him attractive,” she replied carefully, leaning forward to coax Scarlett to put her phone down.

  “What? Why?”

  “For starters, I’ve never liked blondes. You know that.”

  Shoulders sagging, Scarlett let out a sigh. “I know, but…”

  “And surfers annoy me.”

  “I said he looked like a surfer, not that he surfed.”

  She leveled her friend with a glare. “Look, I get that you want this for me and I love you for it, but…now just isn’t the right time, okay? My car is a mess and I have no idea how I’m going to pay for it. I don’t have a job and pretty soon all the money I put aside for the move will be gone. And then where will I be?”

  “Um, here with people who love you?”

  It was hard to stay mad or even annoyed when she knew this was Scarlett’s way of trying to help.

  “And I love you too, Scar. You know that.” She paused and smiled. “Now if you had said you met the perfect guy and he was the head of human resources in something like…I don’t know…another dental practice or the public health department…”

  “Oh, my gosh! That totally reminds me! Did Hunter talk to you?”

  That was an odd question. “No. Was he supposed to?”

  “Well, yeah. He told me that he heard about a position at public health that might be a good fit for you. I told him you were staying at my old place and I just figured he’d go talk to you.”

  She shook her head even as she willed herself to stay calm. If Hunter went to Scarlett’s place, he’d see a ton of construction debris and would know there was no way anyone could be living there. How was she going to find out if he was there or not? The only solution was to mention it to Dean later and see if he heard anything.

  Crisis averted for now.

  “So I know it’s not in a dental office,” Scarlett went on, “but it’s local and you wouldn’t have to move.”

  “How did Hunter know about it? I’ve been searching for jobs for weeks and haven’t seen anything posted anywhere about it.”

  “I think he said it wasn’t formally put out there yet. You know how he does those fire safety talks at the local businesses? Well, it was his turn to do the talk over at the public health building. He said he was talking to a group of people and someone asked if he knew anyone who might be interested. You should totally talk to Hunter and get the contact info.”

  Nodding, she said, “I definitely will.” Then it occurred to her that maybe she should go talk to Hunter personally and see what he knew rather than involving Dean–especially if she didn’t have to. “Do you happen to know if he’s working today or if he’s off?”

  “No idea. His schedule is always so weird to me. Between the wonky firehouse schedules and the whole co-parenting thing with Melissa, I don’t know how he keeps track of it all.”

  “That’s got to be hard.”

  “I wish he’d find a woman who cared about him and Eli and settle down.” Her eyes went wide for a minute before she schooled her features again. With a discreet clearing of her throat, she asked, “You ever think that Hunter was good-looking?”

  “Oh my God! Stop!” Courtney cried. Grabbing her purse off the floor, she stood. “You’re killing me today. First you want to set me up with a complete stranger and now you want me to marry Hunter? What is going on with you?”

  “What? It’s like I can’t win here! Fix you up with a stranger, and I’m wrong. Fix you up with someone you’ve known practically your entire life, and I’m wrong! Maybe I should ask what’s going on with you? And what’s wrong with Hunter?”

  With another groan, Courtney’s head lolled back before she answered. “There is nothing wrong with Hunter. He’s a great guy! But he’s like a brother to me! There is like zero attraction there.”

  “And what about Kyle?”

  Her heart skipped a
beat. If she was going through all her brothers, that must mean…

  “Nah,” Scarlett said before Courtney could answer. “Kyle’s kind of a doofus and I’d break his arms if he hit on you. I’ve seen the way he is with the women he dates. I don’t want you on the receiving end of that!” She laughed.

  And what about Dean?

  “What about Dean?” Mason asked with a smirk as he walked back through the room. He didn’t stay to hear Scarlett’s response and Courtney was a little curious as to why he would be the one to bring it up.

  Scarlett’s first response was a snort. “Dean? No way. His relationships never last long because he doesn’t put any time into them.”

  Okay, not quite the response she had expected.

  “So why is Hunter okay but not Kyle or Dean?”

  “Do you want to go out with Kyle or Dean?”

  “Could you just maybe answer my question?” Courtney asked with mild annoyance.

  “Hunter’s always been a good guy. Loyal. Faithful. Even when he shouldn’t have been. He and Melissa have been together since forever and I know he takes relationships seriously. The other two?” She shook her head. “Like I said, Kyle’s too much of a player and Dean? Well…he’s too busy taking care of everyone else that he puts zero effort into a relationship. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time he had a girlfriend! And besides, he’s too old for you.”

  “He’s only six years older, Scar. That’s hardly a big difference. Especially at our age!”

  Scarlett’s eyes narrowed and her voice took on that deadly calm tone that Courtney knew was never a good sign. “Wait…have you like…thought about this?”

  “Thought about what?”

  And yeah, her voice totally cracked.

  “Scar, leave Courtney alone,” Mason came back into the room and sat down beside his wife. “No one’s dating your brothers and no one’s going out with strange men who make a living rubbing warming gel over pregnant women’s bellies, so relax.” Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead.

  She took that as her cue to leave.

  With a thankful smile at Mason, she said a quick goodbye and all but ran out the door.