Lindsay! Sandy straightened and turned toward her daughter. Lindsay stared down at the two of them. The girl's face paled. 'Mom?' she repeated, louder this time. 'You said you were going to be at the grocery store, but you were with Kyle, weren't you?' Her voice rose to a shriek. 'I hate you. I'll hate you forever.' She turned and ran back inside; the front door slammed shut behind her.
Chapter 12
'Lindsay,' Sandy called. She threw down her helmet and raced after her daughter.
'Wait,' Kyle yelled. He secured the kickstand and jerked off his helmet, then took off after her. He caught her on the stairs. 'I want to talk to her, too,' he said.
'This isn't your problem.'
'I'm the one she has a crush on.'
'I'm her mother.'
They paused by the front door. Kyle waited. He didn't want to walk away from this. Lindsay was important to him. He knew how she was feeling; he'd been there himself. 'I'm not leaving,' he said.
Sandy sighed. 'Suit yourself, but I'm warning you, it could get ugly. Lindsay has never been shy about saying what she's thinking.'
She opened the front door and started across the foyer. Nichole saw them from the family room and got up. 'Mommy, I had the best time at camp today. I want to go back tomorrow and the next day.' Her green eyes sparkled with excitement. 'I even made you something.' She glanced past her mother toward him. 'Hi, Kyle.'
'Hey, kitten.'
She dimpled.
Sandy looked at her daughter. 'Honey, Lindsay's really upset and we have to go talk to her right now. But as soon as we're done, I want you to tell me everything about your day, okay?'
'Sure.' Nichole plopped down on the sofa. 'I'll wait.'
Kyle was surprised. He'd expected her to get upset at being ignored. 'You've got some great kids,' he said as they started up the stairs.
'They all know I'll keep my promise to listen. They don't like waiting, but they're old enough to stop making a fuss about it.' She winced. As they neared the second-floor landing, they could hear Lindsay's harsh sobs.
Kyle swore. 'The kid sounds like her heart is breaking.'
'It is.'
He grimaced. It wasn't fair. Growing up was tough on everyone. He had a fleeting thought that this wasn't his problem, that he could bolt and no one would blame him. Instead, he forced himself to keep climbing the stairs. Lindsay needed him, and whether she knew it or not, so did Sandy.
Lindsay's door was closed. Sandy knocked.
'Lindsay, Kyle and I want to come in.'
'No! Go away.' Her voice was thick with tears. Kyle felt a sharp pain in his gut. The kid was really suffering.
Sandy opened the door and stepped inside. Lindsay lay on her bed, curled up and facing the window. Her long brown hair streamed over the pillow.
'Lindsay, we never meant to hurt you,' Sandy said.
The preteen didn't move.
Sandy looked at Kyle helplessly. He held up his hands, indicating he didn't know what to say, either. This was way out of his league.
Sandy moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. Before she could touch her daughter, Lindsay rolled toward her. 'No,' she said loudly. 'Don't sit down, don't say anything. I don't want to hear it.' He face was flushed, her eyes red from crying.
Sandy stood up slowly. 'Lindsay.'
'No. I saw you, Mom. How could you? It was disgusting.' Her mouth twisted. Her gaze shifted to Kyle. 'You don't really like her, do you? You don't think she's pretty. She's old and never does anything but yell at us to do our chores and be responsible. You're not like that. You're fun, Kyle. You don't like her. You can't.'
Tears flowed from her eyes. Her voice caught. 'I'll never forgive you. Never.'
Kyle moved closer to the bed. Lindsay stared at him for a moment. The raw pain in her gaze made him flinch. 'Lindsay, you've got to understand.'
'No, I don't,' she said, turning her back on him. 'I hate you, too. Go away.'
'I can't.' He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hands on her shoulders. She jerked away. He tried again and this time she let him touch her. After a few minutes, he drew her close, turning her so she was pressed against him, her head leaning against his chest.
She continued to cry. He could feel the moisture of her tears as they dampened his T-shirt, and the sobs shaking her slight body. Sandy stood beside the bed with her hands balled into fists. She was hurting, too. He didn't know how to comfort them both.
'I know how you feel,' he said to Lindsay.
'No, you don't.'
'Yeah, I do. I had a crush on someone once.' He stared at the top of her head, then rested his hand on her hair. 'I was fourteen. She never knew I was alive.'
Lindsay sniffed and looked up at him. 'Really?'
He nodded. 'She was an older woman and dating one of my brothers.'
'What happened?'
He cupped her chin and brushed the tears from her face. 'I tried to tell her how I felt, but she didn't listen. She was polite and friendly, but she wasn't interested in me. Basically, she shut me down big time.'
Brown eyes widened with curiosity. 'Did it hurt?'
'Like someone had reached inside and ripped my heart out. It hurt bad.'
Lindsay nodded and stared at the bedspread. 'I know,' she whispered. 'What happened after that?'
He shrugged. 'She left for college and I eventually got over it.' He smoothed her hair away from her face. 'You will, too. Because you don't really want me for a boyfriend, Lindsay. For one thing, I'm way too old. For another…' He paused.
Sandy had stood silently beside the bed listening as he talked. He didn't want to look at her and find out what she was thinking. After all, she was the one he'd had that crush on sixteen years ago. He figured he could easily go another sixteen years without her finding out the truth. He wondered what she would say if she knew. He wondered how mad she was going to be with what he was about to tell her daughter.
'What?' Lindsay asked.
'You want me to help fill the hole your dad's death has left in your life.' When she would have turned away, he held her close. 'Listen to me, Lindsay. If you think about it, you'll know I'm right. You were always doing things with him. You and he had a very special relationship. It's only natural that you would miss that. Then you met me. I remind you a little of your dad. I'm fun to be with, I don't take things as seriously as your mom. But you felt guilty and disloyal. You think the only person who can be a father figure in your life is your father. You didn't know what to think, so it was easier to pretend you had a crush on me.'
Her mouth opened, but she didn't speak. 'It's okay,' he told her. 'You can have more than one adult male in your life acting like a dad. You'll always love your father the most, and that's how it should be. That doesn't mean I can't give you a little advice from time to time.' He scowled. 'Especially when you start dating. I plan to look those young men over very carefully, Lindsay Walker, so don't expect to bring home any biker types.'
Her eyes filled with tears, but this time she was smiling. She flung herself at him and squeezed hard. He hugged her back.
'Are we gonna be all right?' he asked.
She nodded, but didn't let go. He risked a glance at Sandy. She was staring at him as if she'd never seen him before.
'How'd you know all that?' Sandy asked.
