Holding Out for a Hero (Baytown Heroes #9)

Chapter 16

16

Brad had barely entered his parents' house when Carol walked toward him, her gait faster than normal. With practiced restraint, he forced his body to still instead of hurry to her, mindful of her insistence on independence. She was adamant she needed to walk as much as anyone, determined to navigate the world on her own terms.

Her arms encircled him, and he wrapped her tightly in his embrace. Breathing her in always calmed him. Regardless of the challenges she faced, her unwavering spirit never failed to uplift him. “So what’s the celebratory dinner invite for?”

She leaned back and grinned, her slightly wonky smile causing his heart to expand since the first time she’d beamed it his way. He was five when she was born, and so excited about a sibling he didn’t care if it was a girl. But she didn’t move like other babies he’d seen. Her arms and legs jerked, and her face would sometimes contort. He’d learned the words cerebral palsy early on, and his parents let him help with her exercises to strengthen her muscles.

But most of all, he loved that her eyes would follow him, and she’d wave excitedly when he entered the room. He wondered when she’d smile at him, but his parents warned him that it would happen eventually. “When she’s ready, she’ll smile at us,” his mom used to say.

Then one day, he made faces while playing on the floor. Her eyes widened before her lips moved upward, one side higher than the other. It was a wonky smile, but to a now-six-year-old brother, it was the most special sight he’d seen. And for the next twenty-five years, her smile never failed to make the worst day better and a great day even more memorable.

Now that his dad was retired, his parents decided to move to Baytown so they could enjoy being closer to him. His mom worked from home, and his dad was already volunteering at the Methodist church and the American Legion. Carol bloomed where she was planted. She’d had a small apartment in Delaware but gladly moved back in with her parents when they moved. He figured she would get her own place once she was more acclimated to the area. Only after I check it out first.

“I have a sur-prise.”

He looked over her shoulder to see his parents walking into the foyer, smiling as well. Looking back down, he said, “I’m all ears.”

“I got a job.”

He blinked, trying not to jerk in surprise. It wasn’t the idea that she would work that shocked him—she’d worked in high school and while at community college. Of course, that was after he’d checked out the places and made a few visits while in his deputy uniform to ensure the bosses and coworkers knew her brother was in law enforcement. But his parents and Carol had only moved to the Shore a month ago, and he’d had no idea she was searching for work so soon.

“I didn’t realize you were looking, Sis,” he said. “I could have checked out any of the places you were considering applying to.” He ignored the chuckle his father tried to cover up and focused on Carol’s narrowed eyes.

“I don’t need you to check out a place for me, Brad. I’m able to find a job my-self and de-termin-ing if it’s a good fit.”

“I know that, but you all just moved here. It’s not like in Delaware, where you had a lot of experience with some of the different stores and restaurants.”

Carol’s face scrunched, and he recognized the signs that she was about to argue.

His mom stepped in. “Come on, everyone. Dinner is ready, and I don’t want it to get cold.”

He decided to go along with the situation and not ply Carol with more questions. He had to admit, it was nice to see her so excited. Dinner was just as he always experienced with his family—sharing, laughter, and discussions. His dad asked about the carjackings, and he gave them all the information he could. He was thankful the house they bought had a two-car garage, but he reminded them always to lock their car doors when they were out somewhere.

Reaching over to pat his stomach at the end of the roast beef meal, Carol said, “You can’t possibly have room for dessert.”

“Seriously, Sis? When have you ever known me to pass up Mom’s dessert?”

She stood and said, “I’ll get des-sert, but it’s not Mom’s. Then tell you about my new job.” She walked to the counter, where she picked up a bright blue box with purple writing across the top. Once set on the table, Brad stared at the large writing on the box, declaring it was from Bess's Bakery. Inside, he discovered bread pudding with caramel sauce. That was a treat he hadn’t experienced yet but knew it would be delicious.

“You and Mom stopped by the bakery today?” he asked, wondering if his voice sounded as nonchalant as he had hoped.

“Not on-ly stopped by, but met Bess. She’s so nice. She said she knew you.” Carol’s gaze stayed pinned on him.

He stared at the boxed dessert, avoiding eye contact with the others. “Yeah, I know her.”

“Are you friends?”

His head jerked upward. “Well, um… what did she say we were?”

Carol and his mom shared a look, causing a trickle of sweat to bead on the side of his forehead. He couldn’t imagine Bess would have said anything crazy about him to his mom and sister. But then, if she didn’t realize who she was talking to, she might’ve told them exactly what she’d thought about him.

“She did say you were friends,” his mom replied, staring at him curiously. “Any reason you thought she might not?”

“No, no. She’s a very nice person.”

“Her sister was the one who was in the news a few weeks ago, wasn’t she?” his dad asked. “The one who was shot by that crazy woman?”

“Yes, she was. But she’s recuperating well. She’s actually with Aaron Bergstrom.”

“Oh, how lovely,” his mom said. “Aaron seems like such a nice man.”

When his parents moved to town last month, Brad had asked a few of his friends to help out. Aaron, Sam, Hunter, and a few others dropped by to assist.

As Carol placed a piece of bread pudding and an extra dollop of caramel sauce on his plate, she casually said, “Not only is Bess going to be a friend of mine, too, but she’s going to be my new boss.”

Brad’s fork halted on its way to his mouth, and his eyes widened at his sister’s statement. "You’re going to work at the bakery?”

“She hired me to be her book-kee-per. She’ll let me train to work in the kitchen. And she’ll let me work out front, too.”

Brad’s shock at his sister’s pronouncement had his heart pounding. But seeing the light in Carol’s eyes, he knew whatever reason Bess had offered his sister a job, she’d make a good boss. As difficult as their past had been, it certainly wasn’t to gain points with him or because of him, for that matter.

“Was there no other place you wanted to work?” he asked out of curiosity.

His mother sighed. “We went around to a number of the shops or restaurants, but…” She let the rest of her thoughts slide.

Carol had no problem filling in the rest of the information. “I’m sure it’s be-cause they didn’t want to have to deal with me. Some peo-ple will always see a disa-bili-ty instead of an abili-ty.”

Red clouded Brad’s vision at her words. Carol’s speech became more halting when her emotions were racing. When they were younger, he’d defended his sister plenty of times when a bully would try to taunt her movements and speech. Most of the kids and teens were great with her, but by then, he was big enough to chase off anyone who didn’t see his sister for who she was and all she could do. Now, he wondered about Bess as his curiosity piqued. “And Bess?”

“We met in the afternoon, just before she was ready to close. Carol wasn’t looking for a job from her,” his mom explained. “We just thought a lovely cup of coffee and a treat would be a good way to ease the job-hunting frustration.”

Carol’s face glowed as she talked. “Bess served us and then talked to us for a long time. She asked about my stu-dies and what I hoped to do. She said she wan-ted more help in her shop, in-cluding book-kee-ping. She asked if I was interes-ted. She was so nice. She didn’t worry about any-thing other than if I could do the job.”

Brad was struck by how others saw Bess. She was not only beautiful, funny, and smart but thinking about how she was with Belinda, he knew she was fiercely loyal.

His friends had nothing but the best things to say about Bess, and as popular as her shop was, he assumed she was well-loved in the community. The only reason we were fighting was our misunderstanding. Suddenly, it struck him that one of the main reasons he’d decided not to pursue a relationship with Bess was that he was uncertain how she might respond to Carol, having not had positive experiences in the past with the women he introduced to her.

“What are you thin-king?” Carol asked. “You have a crin-kle between your brows.”

He looked up to see her and his parents staring at him, questions on their faces. “Oh, nothing, really. Tell me more about your new job.”

“I will go three days a week and take care of all her books. When that is finished, then she will let me work in the kitchen. And when they need help, I can work behind the coun-ter. I told her that han-dling the large coffee machine would take prac-tice, and she said that was fine. She said to let her know of any a-ccommo-dations I might need, and she was glad to have me be part of Bess's Ba-kery family.”

It had been a while since he’d seen Carol so excited, and warmth oozed through him like the caramel he’d abandoned as they talked. Now, taking a bite, he groaned at the deliciousness sliding over his taste buds. Suddenly, the memories of his kisses with Bess filled his mind, causing him to stifle the next groan that threatened to cross his lips.

When it was time to say good night, he kissed his mom’s cheek and the top of Carol’s head, then shook his dad’s hand. The two men walked over to his SUV as the women headed back inside the house.

“Is there something you need, Dad?”

“No, not really, Brad. But, inside, there was a look on your face when you found out who Carol would be working for. I didn’t get a negative vibe from you, but is there something we need to know?”

Shaking his head, he rubbed his hand over his beard. “No, Dad. Honestly. Bess is a good woman, and I have no doubt that she’ll be a good boss and friend to Carol.”

“But…” His dad pursued, letting the prod dangle in the air.

He chuckled. “I met her last summer, and then we parted not on the best of terms. Misunderstanding. Miscommunication. Misconception. You know… just the stupid shit that happens between people. We avoided each other after that. Then with the murder case which placed her sister in danger, I was around her again. We cleared the air, which was a good thing to do, so it’s all good. It won’t be awkward.”

“Of course, I haven’t met her, but your mom and Carol have done nothing but talk about her all afternoon. I was beginning to think she was too good to be true. If she held her own against you, then she has some backbone.”

He barked out a laugh. “Oh, hell, Dad, believe me, she’s got backbone. She’s a red-headed, quick-tempered, free spirit who’s funny as hell when she’s not making me crazy. And she’s as loyal as they come. Carol will be fine there.”

His dad clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, that's good to hear.” He started to walk back to the house, then stopped and turned. “You know, Son. Now that the air is clear between the two of you, maybe you can start anew because your eyes tell me you’ve got feelings there. You might want to see if she does, too.”

Brad snorted as he opened his SUV door. “Who knew you’d try to be a matchmaker?”

“Just want to see my kids safe and happy. With you as a detective, I don’t have much control over your safety, so I’ll focus my energy on making sure you’re happy.”

They smiled at each other before Brad climbed inside and started the engine. As he drove toward his apartment, he passed the strip mall and spied the light on in Bess's apartment. Without thinking his actions through, he suddenly turned into the parking lot and parked next to her vehicle. BeBe. Christ, she named her car. He snorted, then with his hands still on the wheel, warred with himself. What the fuck am I doing?

Finally, resolve hit him in the gut, and he threw his door open and hastened to the outer door. He pressed the intercom before he changed his mind, torn between wanting her to answer and wanting her not to be home.

“Yes?”

Just hearing her voice made him release a breath, finally admitting to himself that he wanted her to be home. “Bess, it’s Brad. Can we talk? Can I come up?”

“Um… sure. Yeah, sure.”

The buzzer sounded, and he pulled the door open. Taking the stairs two at a time, he arrived at her door in a few seconds. He lifted his hand to knock when the door swung open. There she was… her makeup-free face staring up at him, looking more beautiful than ever. Her outfit was just as jarring as he’d seen before. Bright pink T-shirt emblazoned with the words Baking Is Cheaper Than Therapy across the chest. His gaze dropped to her legs, finding them covered in long, blue flannel pajama bottoms with green starfish all over them. Her toes were bare, but her toenails were painted in purple polish. With her hair piled in a bun that was more falling down than staying up, she presented a picture of everything he’d come to realize about her. Bess was simply who she was… no pretending. No prevaricating. Just one hundred percent pure Bess.

“Brad?”

Her soft voice cut through his musing. “Yes, sorry. Um, is it too late to talk?”

She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “Are you here to complain that I hired your sister? Because if you are, you can just?—”

“No,” he rushed, throwing his hands up in defense. “Not at all. I… I wanted to thank you.”

Her mouth hung open as she continued to stare for seconds, which made time seem to crawl by before she finally pulled her lips inward while still peering up at him. Without a word, she stepped backward and nodded. Grinning, he followed her inside.