Dream (Rosewood Bay Series Book 4) Read online

  Her father was a gambler at heart, having never been able to give up any game he thought he could win. The problem was, he thought he could win them all, usually lost, and ended up deep in debt. After his last escapade, Andi had moved out of her father’s house, she and Nicky finding their own place.

  She was lucky. An older couple, looking to keep their home, had leased their house to Andi. She had a beautiful place to live and she didn’t have to worry whether her father was out all night or taking money she left lying around.

  “Mom!” Nicky tossed the cards on the table and rose from his seat. Her boy had grown so much, he was tall and lanky, long arms and legs, with her dark brown hair. There wasn’t much of his father in him, not in looks and definitely not in bullying personality, and she’d always been glad about that.

  “Hi, Nicky. Hi, Dad.” She smiled at them both, unwilling to get into an argument with her father over the cards.

  “What did Mr. Davenport want to meet about?” Nicky asked.

  She reached out to ruffle the top of his head, then thought better of it. He was getting too old for her spontaneous, baby-like touches, as he called them. He’d always be her baby, not that he wanted to hear that.

  “Mr. Davenport wanted to talk about your reading,” she said carefully.

  “Ugh. I hate it,” he muttered.

  “And he thinks he knows why. Let’s talk about it over dinner, but just know Kyle – I mean Mr. Davenport – thinks he can help you feel better about it.” She smiled at him in reassurance. “Are you ready to go home?”

  “He finished his homework,” her dad said.

  “Great! So you’ll have free time,” she told Nicky. “Ready to go?”

  “Hi, sis!” Kane joined them, wiping his hand on a rag as he entered from the garage. He’d been her rock for as long as she’d let him be.

  “Hi! How are you?” she asked.

  “Couldn’t be better. About to go home to my wife.”

  Andi rolled her eyes playfully. Her brother and his wife were all about PDA and she was happy for them. Growing up, Halley’s life hadn’t been easy, and it had taken meeting and falling in love with Kane for her to open up to people in general. And her brother had finally found the right woman for him. She wasn’t jealous. She’d accepted the fact that she’d made some very wrong choices in her life and was just grateful that Billy had found another woman to focus on and no longer cared about his family at all.

  He’d met a wealthy woman who had been vacationing in Rosewood Bay for the summer, someone who could finance his spending. He’d been only too happy to give Andi full custody of Nicky and relinquish all responsibilities in life. She was spared from his domineering ways and his temper and that’s all she cared about.

  She wasn’t interested in another man taking control of her life in any way.

  * * *

  Because Andi worked during the day and couldn’t be at school to volunteer, she liked to participate in evening PTA events. At least then, Nicky would still know she was interested in what was important to him. Tonight was an ice cream social to bring the kids together for a fun night and raise money for a new school playground at the same time.

  She changed into a pair of jeans and a white tee shirt, and she and Nicky arrived at the school gym early to help with the setup. Her friend Georgia Hannity greeted her in front of the ice cream table. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry tubs sat on the table ready to be served to the kids.

  Georgia was the head of the PTA and a genuinely warm person. Added to that, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she was gorgeous. She was easy to like.

  “Hey!” Georgia pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

  Andi smiled. “It’s good to see you, too.”

  “Where’s Mark?” Nicky asked of his friend who was the same age.

  “He’s helping his dad hang streamers.” Georgia pointed to the back of the room, where her husband, Rick, stood on a ladder, attaching paper streamers and curling them and taping them to the wall.

  “You are lucky to have a man who helps not only around the house but around school,” Andi said with a smile as Nicky ran off to see his friend.

  “He’s a keeper,” Georgia agreed. “Speaking of keepers, have you seen the kids’ teacher?” She fanned herself with her hand. “Mr. Davenport is hot.”

  A slow flush crawled up Andi’s face at the mention of Kyle’s name. “He’s good-looking,” she agreed. And that was putting it mildly.

  Georgia leaned in close. “Rumor has it he’s single.”

  “He is. And I grew up with him,” Andi admitted, because Georgia and her husband were recent transplants to Rosewood Bay and hadn’t gone to school with them back in the day.

  “So you’re friends? Or more? Because you should know every single mom is interested in getting to know him, in the Biblical sense.” Georgia had always been a direct, get-right-to-the-point kind of woman.

  Jealousy trickled through her at the thought of him with other women, which was ridiculous considering the nonexistent state of their relationship and the fact that, other than their one meeting, she hadn’t seen him in years.

  She really didn’t want to talk about Kyle. She wanted to talk about Kyle and her even less. “How have you been?” she asked her friend, changing the subject.

  “Fine if you count the stomach virus that went through our house last week.” Georgia made an ugh face followed by a gagging sound.

  Andi nodded in understanding. “Nicky came down with it, gave it to me, and I missed two days of work.”

  “But we’re all healthy now, right?”

  Andi held up a hand and crossed her fingers. “Here’s hoping it stays that way.” Every parent walking into the room could relate to that, she thought. “What can I do to help?”

  Georgia glanced around the room. “Care to scoop ice cream?” she finally asked.

  “Whatever you need.” Andi positioned herself behind the table and picked up a scooper.

  Soon after, Georgia announced the ice cream station was open and the line began to form. Andi worked for thirty minutes, digging the metal scooper into the hard ice cream and serving the kids, until someone came by to take over. Her hands were sticky and cold, her shirt covered in stains, but the children were high on sugar and happy, which was all that mattered.

  She headed to the bathroom to wash up, weaving her way through the kids who had drifted into the hall. One look at the line outside the kids’ lavatory and the memory of the tiny bathrooms had her detouring to the ladies’ adult lounge near the main office, where she could have privacy and five minutes of quiet before she returned to the gym.

  Once in the bathroom, she washed her hands with soapy water, removing the sticky ice cream. Though her shirt needed a good cleaning, there was nothing she could do about it now. She dried her hands and walked out of the women’s lounge, bumping into a hard male body.

  “Whoa,” a familiar voice said, grasping her forearms at the same time.

  “I’m so sorry.” She grabbed on to Kyle to steady herself, her hands holding on to firm muscles that flexed beneath her palms.

  He smelled of a woodsy cologne that assaulted her senses and made her hyperaware of him as a desirable man, and it had been a long time since that had happened.

  She immediately released him, stepping back. “I didn’t think anyone else was on this side of the school.”

  “I had to grab something from my classroom.”

  “Are you here for the ice cream social?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I promised the kids I would stop by.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at his dedication. “I know Nicky will be thrilled to see you. You’re his favorite teacher.”

  “That’s good to know.” An adorable dimple appeared in one cheek as he held back a grin. “Looks like you’ve been working hard,” he said, his gaze falling to her chocolate- and strawberry-stained tee shirt, her nipples immediately hardening beneath his gaze and, she realized as she glanced
down, totally visible thanks to her white tee shirt.

  She met his gaze, her face on fire, just as he reached out to touch her and then drew his hand back and frowned.

  “Ready to go back to the gym?” he asked, voice curt, obviously not pleased with himself for noticing her in that way. He clearly didn’t want to spend any more time talking to her.

  But considering her son was in his class and they were bound to randomly run into each other, she didn’t want to let him make things awkward between them.

  “Before we go, I have something I want to tell you,” she said.

  “About Nicky?”

  She shook her head. “No. About us.”

  “There’s nothing to say.” He turned to walk away and she grasped his arm, unprepared for the rush of heat she experienced from touching him again.

  “It’s going to be a long year if we can’t get beyond the past.”

  His scowl was distinctly unfriendly. “What do you want, Andi? To exchange confidences and be best friends again? You made damned sure that’s not going to happen. Go away and don’t call me again was pretty clear, even over a decade later.”

  She winced at the memory. Billy had been standing by her side when she’d called Kyle, his hand on her arm, the subtle twist of pain making it all too clear what he’d do to her and to Kyle if she didn’t end the friendship and sever their close connection.

  “But you’re right,” he said before she could come up with a reply. “We have to deal with each other and the least I can do is be civil. How is Nicky dealing with our meetings after school? Does he feel singled out?” he asked, sounding concerned when it came to her son.

  It wasn’t the friendship they’d once had, but he was back to being nice and she’d take it as a baby step.

  “He actually likes the attention. I think knowing he’s doing something to tackle the reading problem is helping him emotionally, too.”

  “Good. That’s one hurdle down.”

  “It is,” she agreed. “How do you like teaching here?” she asked.

  A slow smile spread across his face, the first genuine one she’d seen from him, and it highlighted how good-looking he was. Sexy, with those golden-brown eyes and chiseled features.

  “I love it. The kids are great, I’m back by the beach, and my family is nearby. I really can’t ask for more.”

  “I’m glad,” she murmured. She’d gotten what she wanted, a return to a peaceful conversation. She wouldn’t push for more. “And now we can walk back to the gym.”

  Without waiting for an answer, she started walking down the hall. He immediately caught up with her, matching her stride. “How have you been?” he asked, almost begrudgingly.

  She smiled a little inside. “Good. Very busy. I used to work two jobs, the flower shop and as a hostess at the Blue Wall, but I got a promotion at the day job, which enabled me to quit and be home weekend nights for Nicky. That was about a year ago. Things have settled down since then. It’s all good.” Without major stress, since her ex no longer lived in town and all she had to worry about was normal, day-to-day living.

  They reached the hallway outside the gym, where a parent was shouting for the kids to get back inside the main room. Kyle immediately stepped up to help herd the children and they responded to him, shuffling inside.

  Nicky ran up to her and Kyle was already long gone, talking to a woman who stood way too close for her to be a colleague. Andi ignored the pinch of jealousy she felt watching another female paying attention to Kyle. She didn’t have a hold on him. Didn’t want one, she reminded herself.

  But she was also very aware that he was the first man she’d had any kind of physical or emotional response to in what felt like forever, and that made her nervous. Because she’d promised herself after Billy left that she wouldn’t fall for another guy’s good looks and charm – even if that man had once been her best friend.

  Chapter Two

  Kyle gave a lot of thought to what Andi had said about them treating each other civilly and with respect. Total forgiveness was a long way off, but he could drop the attitude when they were together. Which made it a lot easier when, for his mother’s birthday, he stopped by the flower shop during his lunch hour to order a bouquet for his mom for her birthday.

  He walked in, taking in the plants hanging from the ceiling and the colorful flowers set up around the shop. He didn’t immediately see anyone in the store, until he looked left and caught sight of Andi standing on a ladder, watering a hanging plant. She wore a pair of tight jeans that molded to her long legs and sexy ass, drawing and keeping his attention there.

  He gritted his teeth, reminding himself being civil didn’t include being attracted to her, and called out. “Hi!”

  She turned, holding on to the sides of the ladder. “Oh! Hello.” She carefully climbed down, putting the watering can aside on the counter. “What brings you by?” she asked, greeting him with a smile.

  “It’s my mom’s birthday. I wanted to send a bouquet of flowers.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. How is she doing?”

  “She’s good. She healed nicely from her fall,” he said.

  She leaned forward on the counter. “I was sorry to hear about her accident. I’m glad she’s better. She must be thrilled to have you back home.”

  He met her gaze, realizing that, yeah, he could do civil. It wasn’t as difficult as he had thought.

  And he couldn’t help but smile at the memory of his mother’s reaction to his phone call that he was moving back. She’d screamed loud enough to pierce his eardrum and yelled for his father to pick up the phone. “I’d say it made her year.”

  “I always liked your mom,” Andi said. “And she’s always been sweet to me every time we run into each other.”

  Ever since they were kids, his mother always had a soft spot for Andi, who’d lost her mom to ovarian cancer when she was seventeen, though she’d been sick long before that. Kyle’s mom had been like a second mother to her, stepping up when her mom was too sick to do things. And though he and Andi had parted ways, he’d never given his mother the details as to why they were no longer friends, not wanting to interfere in their relationship.

  “What are her favorite colors?” she asked.

  “She loves everything bright and cheerful.”

  “I can arrange something she’ll love. No worries. Would you like them delivered or will you pick them up?”

  “Delivery is fine… if you deliver on Saturdays?”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. My delivery boy is scheduled to work.” She pulled out an order form and handwrote the information, including his mother’s address for delivery.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, removing his credit card, and while she rang up the sale, he handwrote the card, signing it from him and his brother. After she input the information and charged him, he signed and finished the transaction.

  “How did you end up working here?” he asked, continuing on in the friendly vein. She’d mentioned once holding down two jobs, which couldn’t have been easy for her while raising Nicky. He figured her family must have pitched in a lot to help her out.

  She paused before handing him his receipt. “I didn’t work when I was married. Billy didn’t like– He wanted his wife at home.”

  He frowned at her admission but he wasn’t surprised. Billy had always been a possessive son of a bitch. Kyle had seen much less of Andi once she started seeing the jock football player.

  “After he left, I needed a job and Wendy Orr, the owner, needed an employee.” She shrugged at the simplicity of the answer. “It was minimum wage but it was work. I certainly didn’t have experience or credentials for anything else. And like I mentioned, I used to be a hostess at the Blue Wall on the weekends.”

  “That must have been hard, holding down two jobs.”

  She nodded. “It was. But Kane was a great babysitter. My dad, too. You do what you have to do to get by.”

  He heard the tiredness in her voice, and the
notion that she was worn down by life hit him hard, though he admired her work ethic and dedication to her son, something her ex-husband obviously didn’t share. Given Billy’s controlling nature, Kyle was surprised the man had bailed on his family. Then again, he’d always been lazy and maybe commitment and responsibility had been too much for him. He’d left Andi to work two jobs and raise his child. Stupid, selfish bastard.

  “Nicky is lucky to have you,” he said.

  Her eyes lit up at the mention of her son. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

  And that was her most redeeming quality, he thought. He knew what it was like to have a loving mother and had seen the results of children who hadn’t been as fortunate. Despite coming from a broken home, Nicky wouldn’t fall through the cracks.

  Someone walked into the shop, making him realize they’d been having a personal, revealing conversation. Two old friends catching up and it surprised him how much he liked it.

  “I should get going.” He rapped his knuckles on the counter. “Thanks for the flowers.”

  “You’re welcome. And Kyle, talking to you was… nice.”

  He inclined his head, unable to deny that it had been.

  * * *

  Andi watched Kyle leave, her gaze on his sexy ass in his tailored pants, shocked that she was even noticing such a thing. Even more surprised she hadn’t been able to take her gaze off where a lock of his hair fell across his forehead as he talked to her, her fingers itching to sweep it back. Was his hair as soft as it looked? And why was she wondering? What was going on with her?

  “Hello, Andrea.”

  Andi blinked at the sound of her name and turned to the next customer, Edna Martin, a sweet older woman who came in weekly for flowers to put on her beloved husband’s grave. Andi already knew Mrs. Martin from her father. She’d been a customer at the garage and she’d been coming to buy a bouquet for as long as Andi had worked at In Bloom. She was sweet and endearing, and Andi had a hunch she knew more about her life, thanks to her dad’s propensity for gossip, than she was comfortable with others knowing. But her father and Mrs. Martin’s husband had been good friends and the older woman had a good heart.