After plugging in all the numbers, he straightened and did his best to be conservative on what needed to be replaced and what he could salvage. There was no need to spend money where it wasn’t needed and he wanted Jake to see that he could be trusted to run a job and stay within the budget. Behind him, he heard the front door open and turned.
“Oh, uh…hey,” he said quietly, almost afraid to make eye contact.
Sydney stepped out, partially closing the door behind her, and he wondered where her niece was. Was the kid really old enough to be left alone in the house like this?
Do not even think about asking her if that’s what she did.
“I saw you out here measuring,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “I didn’t think we were doing the porch.”
He clipped the tape measure onto his front pocket. “It wasn’t in the plan, but there are quite a few rotten pieces of wood and I think we can replace those and make sure everything else is tightened up and reinforced. No need to go putting a brand-new staircase up to a porch that is in disrepair, right?”
She nodded, studying him hard.
They stood in silence for a minute. “Was there anything else you wanted to know?” he asked carefully, respectfully. “I need to get to the lumber yard and place some orders. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to get started on the steps.”
“Uh, no. Like I said, I saw you measuring and was just curious.” With a small nod, she turned and walked back into the house, but not before Kyle noticed how weary she looked and how curvy her body still was.
With a groan, he stalked down the steps and up to his truck, all the while reminding himself not to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. And definitely not look at her because he had a feeling that both his eyes and his mouth were going to get him into nothing but trouble where Sydney Albright was concerned.
And there was no way he could let that happen.
Again.
Everyone knew how much he loved to chase after a beautiful woman, but this particular beautiful woman was completely off-limits. Kyle wasn’t looking for a commitment or to visit the past, and he certainly wasn’t looking for an instant family.
And if he could just remember that and keep his focus on the monumental amount of work that needed to be done on the house, he knew he’d be just fine.
With her back pressed against the front door, Sydney let out a long breath.
He didn’t recognize her.
And she wasn’t sure if she was thankful or pissed off.
Back in school, Kyle Jones had been her entire world. Their relationship started when she was a junior in high school and he was a senior. She immediately imagined them getting married, having babies, and living happily ever after.
And it was something she had tried to forget.
Kyle was a jock—your typical big man on campus type—whereas she was more studious and part of the theater group. In her junior year of high school, she played Tinker Bell in the production of Peter Pan. And because of her petite size and her short hair at the time, people had taken to calling her Pixie.
And not always in a cute way.
She remembered being at a party one weekend when a group of obnoxious players from the football team practically taunted her with that damn nickname until she was forced to leave.
And Kyle was part of that group.
But he was the only one to follow her outside and apologize.
And kiss her.
She went home and he went back to the party, and it left her more confused than anything. She had agonized over that night and when she’d gone to school the following Monday, anytime she saw any of the ballplayers or their friends, they would wolf-whistle at her and call her Pixie.
Dumb jocks…
Kyle had put a stop to it less than a week later and asked her out. He still used to use the silly nickname on her, but it became more of an endearment than a tease. Just thinking about it now—remembering when everything was new with them—made her tingle.
The sound of shuffling feet coming down the hall had her straightening. Haley peeked out around the corner and eyed her cautiously. “I thought I heard voices.”
“Oh, uh…yeah. The contractors were here taking measurements and they’re going to start working today.”
“Oh,” Haley said sadly. “I thought…I mean…it sounded like...” She quickly turned away so Sydney couldn’t see her face. It broke her heart because she had a feeling she was looking around and waiting to see if Tracy or Daren were here, and she wished more than anything that she could make that happen for her.
“Hey,” Sydney said, smiling as she walked over to Haley. “I feel like I need waffles as big as my head. You in?”
Nodding, Haley asked, “With chocolate chips?”
“Definitely.” The more carbs and chocolate, the better. “Do we have any whipped cream?”
“I’m not sure. Grandma cleaned out the fridge and got rid of most of the good stuff.”
And she didn’t sound happy about it.
While Sydney lived in Boston, she didn’t get to visit her sister as much as she should have. And most of her interactions with Haley had been during the holidays. But she and Tracy used to talk several times a week and she used to marvel at how fun and outgoing her daughter was.
So far, Sydney hadn’t seen it.
Even though she knew Haley was old enough to understand what had happened, it was clear she was traumatized. Her next order of business now that the work on the house was starting was to look into counseling for her.
And she should probably look into some for herself too.
Together, they made breakfast, and when they sat down at the table, Sydney knew the best thing for them was to start doing things Haley usually did.
And she prayed she wasn’t making a mistake.
“So, what should we do today?” It was their first full day alone together without her parents being there as buffers, and it was time for the two of them to start settling into a routine. School didn’t start for another month, but there had to be something for them to do.
Surely I can handle finding stuff for us to do for a month, right?
Without her own mother here to guide her, she wasn’t sure where to even start, then she remembered finding Tracy’s day planner and how there were gymnastic classes at the local YMCA that Haley joined at the beginning of the summer. Maybe it was time to get back to them. Feeling good about her decision, she went in search of where she put the planner and then quickly found that they could make one today.
Yes!
“So I was thinking,” she began cautiously, “How would you feel about going to the Y today? You know, get back to the gymnastics classes.”
At first Haley looked at her oddly, but then a small smile played at her lips. “Is that…I mean…would that be okay?”
Relief washed over her and she couldn’t help but reach over and hug her. “Are you kidding me? I think it would be totally awesome!”
She still didn’t look entirely convinced. “I guess it would be fun…”
In no time, they were cleaning up the breakfast dishes and getting ready to go. By the time they were in the car and pulling out of the driveway, Sydney was feeling more than a little optimistic. Maybe after gymnastics, they could go to the library and get some books and then grab an early lunch and have a picnic at the beach! So many ideas came to mind and for the first time in a while, she felt good. Happy. Confident that she could handle being Haley’s…guardian. There was no way she could make herself think that she was her mom because…she wasn’t. She couldn’t. She was Aunt Sydney and that was more than okay with her.