A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay, #3)

“Yes, he would be too old for her then.”

“You know what I mean.”

She did and she was torn. While she appreciated that Steven was the kind of man who looked out for his mother, she wasn’t comfortable talking about her father this way. “Dad’s not a bad person. He’s actually really nice and caring. Despite the divorce, he and my mom stayed friends. We spent holidays together.”

“I’m sorry. Zoe, I mean that. I don’t want to upset you. I’m just worried about my mom. Can that be okay?”

She nodded. She liked Steven and she didn’t want to mess things up by being weird. Her father did have a reputation. She would have to think about what she wanted to do. Talk to him or maybe talk to Pam. Or maybe just mind her own business.

“It’s okay.” She smiled. “I promise.”

*

Jen had never planned to make Easter dinner a big deal, but somehow, in the past couple years, that was exactly what it had become. The morning started quietly enough, with an Easter egg hunt for Jack in the backyard. As young as he was, he didn’t exactly understand what he was looking for, but he seemed happy enough to pick up the toddler-sized plastic eggs they’d left on the grass for him.

After that, the three of them had gone to church. Jen didn’t get there as often as she would like, but she enjoyed Easter morning services the best. There was so much hope in the message. A promise for a happy future. The ever-present tightness in her chest seemed to ease just a little.

But once they were home, all bets were off. The family dinner had somehow grown until it was of near-Thanksgiving proportions. There were the three of them, plus Kirk’s partner, Lucas, and whatever bimbo he was dating, Steven, who was bringing Zoe, and her mom. Only Pam had called a couple of days ago to say she was bringing Miguel.

Jen was still processing that snippet of information. She told herself the two of them must be just friends, but she couldn’t help wondering if they were actually...dating.

“How can I help?” Kirk asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Do you think my mom and Miguel are dating?”

He took a step back. “No way. I’m not having that conversation. If you want to know, you need to ask her. Speculation will only lead to trouble.”

His adamant tone and the hint of fear in his eyes made her laugh. “Why are you so rattled?”

“I’m not getting in the middle of family stuff. I know better.”

“Fair enough. What I need from you is to take care of Jack. I’m going to get cooking.” She pointed to where their son sat at his small table. He’d already eaten most of his lunch and was now playing with some seeded cucumber slices.

She would be busy all afternoon. She had the menu prepared—lots of easy appetizers, followed by a sweet corn chowder she’d made in the Crock-Pot. The ham was ready to go into the roaster. Her mom was bringing over scalloped potatoes. There would be a couple of salads and then Junior’s Easter Cheesecake she’d ordered from QVC.

Dinner was at five and guests were to arrive about three-thirty. She’d already figured out what serving dishes to use—they were mostly the ones her mom had always put out for her holiday meals—but she still had to set the table, get out the wine, finish up the cooking and not have a panic attack today. Other than that, she was good.

“Anything else?” Kirk asked.

“Taking care of Jack is the most important thing. I’ll work faster if he’s not underfoot.”

“Lucas and Caitlyn will be by about two. Maybe she can help if you need more hands in the kitchen.”

Jen held in a scream. There was no point in complaining that Lucas and his girlfriend were arriving an hour and a half early. Kirk would simply look confused and explain Lucas wasn’t any trouble. If only that were true.

“I doubt Kaylee is up for holiday cooking,” she said instead.

“Caitlyn.”

“Whatever.”

She saw no reason to learn their names. From what she could tell, the women in Lucas’s life were ever-changing. Next week there would be a new one.

Her husband moved close and wrapped his arms around her. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She appreciated the question and the hug. While things weren’t perfect between them, they were slowly getting better. Kirk was happy that she’d gone looking at day cares. She was grateful that he would take care of Jack while she got the dinner ready. They were working together as a team. They still weren’t doing it, but this was hardly the time to worry about that.

She ushered her two guys out of the kitchen and went to work. While thin slices of French bread toasted as the base for her assorted crostini, she set the table. She prepared the chopped salad with the idea she would add the dressing right before they ate. Zoe was bringing a Waldorf salad. She got the ham in the roaster and started dicing tomatoes for her take on a Caprese topping for the crostini when she heard Kirk calling her. A quick glance at the clock told her it was early, even for Lucas. Which meant he had probably just arrived.

She went out front. Sure enough, the sleek Mercedes had just pulled into their driveway.

“How on earth does he afford that?” she asked. “It has to cost more than he makes in a year.” She knew because Steven had paid a crazy amount for his Mercedes SUV and it was nowhere near as expensive as a convertible.

Kirk picked up Jack. “I thought you knew. Lucas has family money. He doesn’t need to work. He could walk away from his job anytime he wanted.”

“What?”

But it was too late to get answers. Lucas was already out of his car.

As per usual, he was dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and cowboy boots. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. His guest stepped out. Kaylee, um, Caitlyn, had on a dress the size of a handkerchief and spike heels. She was a pretty brunette—all Lucas’s women were attractive—and was carrying a bouquet of lilies.