Page 136 of The Maxwell Brothers
“You’re different today than last time.”
“You mean even cockier? I was holding back before.”
I burst out laughing. “Were you?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say cocky. You’re confident.” I came to that realization sometime between him offering to bring the kids here and seeing him in the pool. “That’s different. But you’re…daring.”
He smirked. “And I’mstillholding back when it comes to that.”
I laughed, and he added, “You're having fun, aren't you?”
“Yeah, it's a great day, and look at them. They're just so happy, which makes me happy.”
He glanced at me with an intense gaze, but it was different than before. “The program you benefited from as a kid was this same one?”
“No, but it was very similar. I started working here right after college, and my sister too.”
“I didn’t know you worked together.”
I nodded. “We even share an office. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Your parents must be proud of you.”
I sighed. “They both passed away, but I think they would be.”
He dipped his head. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Daddy passed away when I was six. He was working for the railroad and had an accident. My mom was so devastated. She didn’t even have time to mourn him properly.”
“Why?”
“Because we started having financial problems right away. The bank took our house because Mom couldn’t afford the mortgage. We moved into a tiny, run-down apartment in a shady neighborhood, and she had to take on a second and third job. She always felt so guilty for not being home. We had to make up stories so the neighbors wouldn’t call child services.”
He frowned. “Why would they even consider doing that?”
“Because we were home alone a lot. A couple times, they did contact them, and I convinced my sister we were playing hide-and-seek and had to stay hidden in the apartment and not answer the door. But eventually they did find out, and after that, they constantly checked on us, even threatened to take us away from Mom.”
Tyler looked stunned.
“Um, sorry. Too much information. I miss my parents a lot, so once I start talking about them, it’s hard to stop.” He didn’t need to hear about all that.
“You don’t have to stop. I’m interested in you, Kendra.”
Whoa…
“Yes I do, because you’ve got to go back to the kids. I don’t know what makes Tim more excited, that you brought them to a pool or that you’re here with them.” I looked at the kids, then back to Tyler. “Go on, go back to them. Tim’s been looking at you this whole time. They’ll treasure this forever. When I was part of the program, they took us to watchCinderellaonce. It was so magical. I still remember the whole day.”
“You’re the most fascinating person I’ve ever met.”
“I don’t believe that,” I said playfully.
“Actually, you are, and I’m more than happy to prove it to you. In fact, I’m eager to. You’re real, Kendra. I miss that in people. It’s a quality I only see in my family and the team these days.”
I blinked, at a loss for what to say, but Tim saved me from having to reply.
“Tyyyyyyyyyyyler, come back in the pool, please.”
