Page 37 of Return to You

“He was coming to meetings a few times a week up until the incident at The Snack Shack. Since then, it’s just too hard for him.”

Kade half-listened as she talked about the dinners she brings to his dad and how she makes sure he’s taking his medication until she got called away. They said a quick goodbye and he left in a fog of confusion.

His dad was sober? The simple explanation, considering the timeline, was that getting sick had been the catalyst. But that wasn’t tracking with Kade. The man he knew would’ve just doubled down. He would’ve drunk himself into his grave. It didn’t make any sense.

A breeze swayed the trees, causing the leaves to rustle above his head as he stepped into the cool spring evening. He stood on the steps of the hall and took a deep breath as he looked out over the lake and took a moment to regroup. The moon shimmered across the surface of the water and a sense of peace came over him as he watched people go about their evening in the downtown district that lined the north end of the lake.

Coming home had not gone as expected. Some of it had gone better than expected, like how fast Ali had forgiven him. But some of it had gone worse than he’d expected, too. Like the intense build of his feelings for her. He wasn’t sure how he would classify this new information about his dad, but it certainly wouldn’t be “as expected.” He’d written the man off years ago. Did it matter that he was sober now?

He was lost in thought when a flash of color caught his attention across the street. It was Ali. She was wearing a long, orange dress that reminded him of his favorite ice cream treat when he was a kid. An Orange Creamsicle. Just like when he was younger, his mouth watered and his tongue longed to lick it.

His fantasy of doing just that was cut short when he saw her hugging a man: Keaton Savage. Jealousy sucker-punched Kade in the gut as he watched the two of them greet each other. He hated not being the man that was on the receiving end of Ali’s smile. She looked so happy to see him. They turned and walked into Santino’s, out of sight.

A meeting?

Now Savage’s’ stolen glances at Ali during KJ’s class and at the barbeque made a lot more sense. They must be secretly dating. Or semi-secretly, he guessed, since they did seem to be out in public. But he hadn’t picked up on it at the barbeque nor had he heard anyone around town gossiping about it, which struck him as odd.

He stared at the double doors the two had entered as they closed and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. They were together. Laughing. Talking. Probably doing things other than laughing and talking.

Kade was tempted to go in and order take-out just to spy, but he knew that was crossing a line.

This is for the best, he told himself.

Ali deserved someone that was worthy of her. A good guy. And from what Kade knew of him, Keaton Savage was a good guy. He saw them being seated through the floor to ceiling windows and watched as the waitress walked away. They both stared at one another for a beat before Keaton said something and they both cracked up. Ali was laughing so hard her head fell back and her hands covered her stomach. They looked like a couple. A happy couple.

Kade’s heart felt like it was a piñata being pummeled by major league hitters as he headed down the steps two at a time and threw his leg over his bike. As the engine roared to life, he clicked his helmet into place and couldn’t help but glance once more at the woman he loved. The woman he could never have.

It’s for the best.

14

“Would you like to order or did you need still a few more minutes?” Stacy Timmons, the twins’ former babysitter, asked for the third time.

Ali glanced down at her phone. Mrs. D was a no show. She and Keaton had been at the restaurant for over twenty minutes now and there was still no sign of the woman who had called the meeting. Ali was starting to worry.

“I think we need a couple of minutes,” Keaton told her once again.

“Oh, okay, just let me know if you need anything,” She smiled at him and then turned and sashayed toward the kitchen.

Ali noticed that there was an extra twinkle in Stacy’s eyes every time she spoke to Keaton. At first, she thought it was cute that “little Stacy” had a crush. But then she remembered that “little Stacy” had just graduated from Penn State. They weren’t that far apart in age but for some reason Ali perpetually saw the boys’ old babysitter as a brace-faced teenager.

But the reality was the twins were teenagers now. Before too long they would be in high school. The world had kept going but Ali had been in a holding pattern.

It felt like she’d been sleepwalking through the past year and half of her life and was only now waking up.

“Are you okay?” Concern colored Keaton’s expression.

“Oh, yeah.” Ali was a pro at wiping away any trace of sadness from her face. KJ might be loud, rebellious, and inconsiderate but he could also be extremely sensitive and if he thought she was upset, he would get upset. “I was just wondering where Mrs. D was. I’m going to call her.”

Ali picked up her phone and saw a text from the woman in question.

I won’t be able to make it. You two go on without me. I expect a full report on Tuesday.

Ali’s brow furrowed and she turned her phone so Keaton could see it.

After reading it, his eyes met hers. “What’s Tuesday?”

“Knitting club.” She stared at the text again and then looked up at him. “Do you have any idea what we are supposed to go on with? She said something about the budget and the upcoming season but no specifics.”

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