“So would sleeping over at Janie’s. So if you guys want the house to yourselves or whatever, just let me know, and I’ll make arrangements so I can be out of your way.”
Kyle and Sydney exchanged glances again, and something about Haley’s comment seemed…off.
“Haley, sweetheart,” Sydney said, reaching over and resting her hand over her niece’s. “You’re not in our way.”
Another snort. “Right.”
Sydney looked over at Kyle helplessly.
“Hales,” Kyle began cautiously. “This is all my fault so…I’m sorry. It’s not a big deal.” Pausing, he took a drink of his sweet tea. “How about we go do that indoor skydiving thing people have been talking about? There’s one about an hour from here. We can go on Saturday and make a day of it. What do you think?”
Haley looked between the two of them before her gaze narrowed on Kyle. “Why would you want to do that? It’s hardly the same as the two of you going on some romantic date.”
He shrugged. “So? It would still be awesome.”
Dropping her fork with a dramatic sigh, Haley frowned. Elbows on the table, she continued to study him. “Dude, I’m not stupid. I get that you and Aunt Syd are dating even though neither of you has said anything.”
Mimicking her pose, he said, “Oh, yeah? What makes you so sure we’re dating?”
Sydney was about to interrupt, but it was clear the two of them had some sort of battle of wills going on.
“Dude, you’re here like…all the time.”
“I’m working on the house,” he reasoned.
Haley looked around before facing him again. “You’re not working now. You’re eating dinner with us. Again.”
“And that proves we’re dating?” He made a ridiculous noise and waved her off. “Your aunt and I are old friends, and to be honest, I can’t cook so…she’s taking pity on me.” Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest.
“That’s totally lame. What did you do for food before you started working here?” she challenged.
“I’d mooch off my brothers and their wives or girlfriends,” he replied easily. “Or my dad. Oh, and my grandfather owns a pub here in town so I’d go there too. And, of course, there’s always takeout. So you see, it’s all completely plausible.”
“Plausible? Seriously?”
“Um, guys,” Sydney finally said because this wasn’t getting anyone anywhere.
No one was listening.
“I already told you I’m not a baby, so just tell me the truth, okay?” Haley demanded as she met Kyle’s gaze.
“Okay,” he said with a curt nod. “You were right. Your aunt and I are dating. We dated a long time ago, and now that she’s back here in Magnolia, we’re dating again.”
Haley finally looked over at Sydney. “You used to date him?”
Sydney nodded. “Yes. Back when I was in high school.”
That seemed to appease her a bit. “So that was like…what…twenty years ago?”
“Hey! I’m not that old!” Sydney said, unsure of whether she was offended or disappointed that her niece was bad at math.
“Sorry.”
They were all silent for a moment before Kyle spoke. “So here’s the thing, Hales. I love hanging out here with the both of you, but every once in a while, I’d like to take your aunt out for dinner or for a movie or something. But you have to know it has nothing to do with us not wanting to hang with you.” He paused. “This is just something grownups do. They occasionally go out on date nights.”
Sydney knew the effect those words would have the minute Kyle said them, and there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop it.
“My parents were having a date night the night they died,” Haley said quietly before she shoved away from the table and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her.
With a muttered curse, Kyle stood and went to go after her but Sydney stopped him. “I wasn’t even thinking, Syd,” he said apologetically. “I need to go apologize.”
But she shook her head. “I think I need to handle this.” Standing, she sighed. “You should probably go. This is going to take a while.”
“I’m not leaving,” he said firmly. “I’ll wait out here or I’ll work on something, but I’m not going anywhere.”
She didn’t have it in her to argue, so with a curt nod, she went and knocked on Haley’s door and was thankful when she reached for the knob that it wasn’t locked. “Hey,” she said softly, and her heart broke when she spotted her niece curled up on her bed. Quietly, Sydney shut the door and sat down on the corner of the bed. It took several minutes before she felt strong enough to speak. “Want to talk about it?”
Haley shook her head.
“I’m not going to force you to talk,” she began carefully. “Just like I’m not going to force you to go anywhere you don’t want to go. What Kyle suggested was…well…we were just being selfish, and for that, I am so sorry. You are my number one priority, Haley, and that means taking care of you is more important to me than anything.”
With a sniffle, her niece rolled over and blinked up at her with wet eyes. “But…”
“No buts,” Sydney responded softly. “I’m here for you no matter what.” She paused. “Of course, there are going to be times when you’ll want to go and sleep at a friend’s house or maybe you’ll go down to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but beyond that, this is where I’ll be.”
Haley sat up slowly, wiping at her eyes. “But…why?”
The uncertainty in her niece’s voice nearly broke her heart. “Because I love you and want you to be happy, that’s why.”
Haley straightened. “What about Kyle?”
Good question.
“Kyle completely understands and agrees that you are the most important person here right now.”
Haley seemed to consider her words for a long moment. “It’s okay, Aunt Syd. I know you’re only here because my mom and dad put it in their will that you’d be the one to get me.” She looked down at her hands that were twisting in her lap. “You already had to give up your house and your job to come here because of me. It’s not fair that you should have to give up your boyfriend too.”
Somewhere in the distance, Sydney heard the front door close and then the sound of Kyle’s truck starting up.
So much for him waiting around…
Clearly having heard the same thing, Haley sighed. “See? I made him leave.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Shifting closer, she wrapped her arm around her and hugged her close. “Don’t worry about Kyle. I told him to go. It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s just…” Another sigh. “Mom always used to say how important it was to go out on date nights with Dad, that it was something they needed to do. But now when I think about it…if they didn’t go out that night…” She started crying in earnest again and Sydney had never felt more helpless. Her own tears started to fall, and the two of them simply clung to each other for several minutes.