A Decent Proposal (9 page)

“You're working, too,” her father pointed out, ignoring the question.

“But my job is different. It's more flexible. And fun.”

“This is an awesome place, Mr. McKnight.”

“Call me Tom.”

“Yes, sir. I mean Tom,” Liam said.

Syd knew her father and knew by the expression on his face that he was struggling with something. Part of it could be that she hadn't told him Burke had a child.

Finally he said to the boy, “Would you like a soda, Liam?”

“Dad,” she interjected, “I don't know if soda is the best drink—” The warning look in his eyes made her stop talking. Funny how he could still do that even though she was all grown up.

“It won't hurt him. You used to have one almost every day after school.”

“Sydney got to come here when she was a kid?” Liam's tone said that had to be on a par with going to an amusement park. When her father nodded, he said, “Cool.”

“So, Liam, would you like something to drink?”

“That would be awesome.”

“Okay. Let's go to my office.”

After they left, she started a visual inspection beneath the hood of the car. She checked the drive and serpentine belts. They looked loose and would need adjustment so she turned her attention to the tension pulleys.

She could do this in her sleep and her mind wandered while she worked. Something about the little boy tugged at her heart. He was the spitting image of Burke—brown hair, blue eyes and a smile that would melt a woman's heart. In about ten years he was going to be pretty hard for girls to resist.

The fact that he favored his father gave her a sense of poetic justice on Burke's behalf. It would have been so wrong for this boy to take after the woman who'd walked out and didn't fight for custody.

The same woman who had made Burke anti-marriage and children. That was just a darn shame because the man had a lot to offer a woman.

In hindsight, she realized it probably wasn't the smartest move to go see him, but her car kind of steered its way over. When it was time for the next service on her vehicle, she'd be sure to check that out. Curiosity was annoying and inconvenient, but also a powerful motivator. After not hearing from him, she just had to find out how things were going and it was a good thing she had. They'd barely walked out of Burke's office and the kid's hostile attitude disappeared. Maybe the two Holden men being stuck with each other for a while was a blessing in disguise, forcing them to work through their issues.

Behind her she heard footsteps and voices. As the older man and young boy walked toward her, she smiled. Her dad had a way with kids and Liam looked completely comfortable, chatting away as if he'd known Tom McKnight for years instead of minutes. He had a soda in one hand and two small cars in the other.

“Where'd you get those?” she asked, nodding at the toys.

“One was Alex's and the other Ben's. The boys used to play with them here when your mother needed the afternoon for errands or just some time off to recharge her battery.” He smiled at the pun.

“I'm surprised you still have them,” she said, a lump in her throat.

Her dad shrugged. “I just found them in a drawer.”

Right, and she was the princess of an exotic foreign country. The man didn't like clutter and cleaned out on a regular basis. He'd kept these two toy cars for sentimental reasons and she loved him for it.

“You're a big softie.”

Liam looked up at her. “Your dad said you didn't like toy cars. You wanted to play with the real thing.”

“That's true,” she confirmed. “Do you like cars, Liam?”

“Yeah.” He glanced up at her father, the beginnings of hero worship in his eyes. “Tom said he would let me look at an engine. And touch it.”

“That old one out back that you used to practice on when you were a kid,” her dad clarified. “A little hands-on experience.”

There was no reason to keep that old hunk of metal except as another sentimental gesture. With a heart that soft, no wonder he'd grieved the loss of his wife for so long.

She crouched down in front of Liam. “Is that what you want to do?”

“Yeah.” Blue eyes so like his father's were bright with excitement.

“Okay.” She should have thought of that. Rookie mistake. Pulling the rag from her back pocket, she started to wipe her hands. “I'll take you back there—”

“No need. Finish what you're doing. I'll take him.” His eyes twinkled. “I miss having a young apprentice.”

She said it again. “You're just a big softie.”

“If that information gets around, I'll know who spread the rumor,” he teased. “And I'll deny everything.”

“I've got a news flash for you, big guy.” Syd stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “It's not a secret.”

“Remind me to have a word with your brothers about that.” He dropped a big hand on the small shoulder. “Come along, Liam.”

“Do we need tools or anything?” Liam's expression was full of awe, with a dash of excitement mixed in for good measure. “Sydney has a whole bunch of them in that big red box with the wheels on it.”

“No tools yet,” her dad explained. “At first you just have to look and learn the names of everything.”

“Will you teach me?”

“Sure.”

The two walked around the service bay building and disappeared. The sight of her father taking the young boy under his wing brought back so many memories of hanging out here when she was little. Either school had been out and there was no child care. Or the babysitter got sick. Whatever the reason, when she had no place to go and no one to keep an eye on her she'd come to McKnight Automotive. Her father was her hero and she'd wanted to do what he did.

Until now it had never occurred to her how complicated raising a little girl without a mother could be. When her brothers were little, her mother had been around. Losing her when his daughter was born had to have been so hard on her dad. Harder than Syd could even imagine. Bringing a new baby into the world should have been a happy event, but when you lost the love of your life that would leave a mark on the soul.

The realization made her more determined than ever to make sure her dad got his second chance at happiness. If that required a little subterfuge then so be it.

Whatever the circumstances, being a single parent was a lot harder than she'd ever thought and Burke was struggling with it. She'd been lucky to live in Blackwater Lake, where neighbors stepped in to lend a hand.

He wasn't staying, but he was here now. And she would help him.

Chapter Nine

A
few days after meeting Liam and bringing him to work, Sydney got a call from Burke. The good news was the kid was finally in school. The bad news: there was an emergency. Burke was tied up in a permit meeting, an emergency of his own. He asked if there was any way she could pick up the boy, and promised to get away as soon as possible. Although she would have done it anyway, the worry and stress in his voice made her feel sorry for him and convinced her to help out.

She let her dad know what was going on and headed over to Blackwater Lake Elementary, which was about ten minutes beyond the garage on the north side of town. After parking in the lot, she headed up the sidewalk, past the flagpole and into the office at the front of the school.

It hadn't changed much since she'd been a student there. Blue industrial-strength carpet, pale yellow walls and the tall information desk that didn't seem quite as tall as it had when she'd been a student here.

Liam was sitting on the orange plastic seat of a chair against the wall. Another boy was there, too, with a chair between them. He was about the same age and looked familiar.

“May I help you?” There was a middle-aged woman standing behind the desk.

“Yes. I'm Sydney McKnight. I'm the emergency contact for Liam Holden.”

“I talked to his father.” The woman nodded. “There's been an incident—”

The office door opened behind her and Syd turned to see who it was. Violet walked in, looked at the boys, then noticed Syd standing there. She came over to the desk.

“Hi, Cheryl. I got a call about Todd.”

“Yes. I was just about to explain the situation to Sydney.”

“Why?”

“She's the emergency contact for the other boy involved. Burke Holden is his father.”

“The multibazillionaire who's building the resort?”

“That's the one,” Cheryl confirmed. “Anyway, Todd and Liam were fighting at recess. Blackwater Lake Elementary has a zero-tolerance policy about that sort of thing.”

“Did Todd start it?” Violet asked.

Before the woman could answer Sydney said, “Doesn't matter. They both get sent home.”

“That's right,” the woman confirmed.

Violet looked surprised. “How did you know?”

“Because I'm sure things haven't changed and I have brothers. I bet your sisters never got sent home for fighting on the playground.”

“You'd win that bet.” She turned to glance at her son. “This is a new experience for me.”

“The boys can come back tomorrow,” Cheryl said. “And hopefully with the time to think about this, their attitudes will have improved.”

“So we're finished here?” Syd asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” She turned to Liam, who didn't appear especially combative. He looked small, a little scared and a lot sorry. “Let's go, kiddo.”

Violet walked over to her blond, blue-eyed son. “Come on, Todd.”

The boys picked up their backpacks and the four of them walked outside.

When they got to the sidewalk beside the flagpole, Syd put her hand on Liam's shoulder and stopped. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“No.”

Violet coughed and Syd didn't dare look at her because she knew that was an attempt to cover a laugh. Syd had walked right into that one. Of course he didn't
want
to tell her what went on.

“It's almost lunchtime.” Violet was checking her watch. “What do you say we sort this out over burgers and fries at the diner? I have to tell my boss why I'll be a little late for my shift anyway.”

“Why?” Syd asked.

The other woman looked at her son. “I didn't plan on needing child care this early in the day. When I'm working, a high school girl comes over and is there to meet the kids when they get home from school. She gets them snacks and supervises homework until Charlie gets off work.”

“I see.”

She thought over the idea of lunch and remembered once asking her dad why he always took her brothers out to eat when they were in trouble. His answer: he had them for at least an hour and they had to talk. Usually he got useful information. The wisdom of it had never been clear to her until now.

“Okay,” she said to Violet. “The diner it is.”

They separated and took their respective vehicles into town and parked in the rear lot behind the Grizzly Bear Diner. After going inside Violet arranged for a table then talked to Michelle Crawford about her predicament. Syd texted Burke that she had Liam and let him know where they were. In a few minutes Violet joined them at a booth in the back and took the vacant seat beside her son.

“I have the best boss in the world.”

“She has three grown sons,” Syd pointed out wryly. “I guess it's all sorted out?”

“Yeah. I can keep Todd here with me for the lunch shift, then run him home when the sitter's there.”

“I'm not a baby.” Todd's tone was defensive and resentful.

“You're right,” his mom said. “And your dad and I have raised you to use words. Hitting someone is never okay.”

“Dad said I should defend myself if someone is picking on me.”

Syd stared at Liam. She didn't know him well but he seemed like a sweet kid going through a difficult time, not a bully. “Were you picking on Todd?”

“No.” The single word was defensive and resentful. The two boys were obstinate and hostile.

“Hi, Vi.” The waitress—her name tag said Carla—came over to the table to take their orders. “What can I get you?”

When asked what they wanted the boys both lifted their shoulders in a shrug. Syd and Violet exchanged a glance then agreed on two Mama Bear combos and two Bear Cub combos that consisted of chicken nuggets, fries and a soft drink.

When they were alone again Violet said, “Liam is new in town, Todd. In Blackwater Lake we make people feel welcome.”

“I wasn't mean,” he protested.

Syd had a feeling any blame for the altercation could be shared equally and in the spirit of peace negotiations it might be best not to single either of them out.

“You know,” she said, “sometimes stuff just happens and gets out of hand. I think the school sends everyone involved home to think about it and figure out how to handle things differently in the future.” She glanced at Violet, who nodded slightly.

“Sydney's right. This was a learning experience that you didn't have to get sitting at a desk in the classroom. A teachable moment.”

“Does that mean we have homework?” Todd's expression was supposed to be innocent, but smacked of nine-year-old sarcasm.

Liam snickered. “That was a good one.”

And the tension was broken. Todd pulled a couple of superhero action figures from his backpack, which seemed to surprise his mother—the toys probably shouldn't have been taken to school. A talk for another time. The boys each took a figure and started fake fighting with them, reaching across the table.

“I see the potential spilling hazards of this,” Violet said. “But I don't have the heart to break this up. They're getting along. Talking.”

“Like us.” Syd smiled.

“Yeah. Who'd have thought?”

“You know I realized something after you brought your car into the shop.” Syd unrolled silverware from her paper napkin and checked out the boys who were paying no attention to the adults. Still, she lowered her voice. “I was never in love with Charlie. We became a habit, not a couple.”

“How do you know?” Violet looked surprised at the admission. “It's been ten years. Maybe you're just over it?”

She shook her head. “Memories came back when we talked. And a little while ago outside school I knew you were trying not to laugh when I asked if Liam
wanted
to tell me what happened. It hit me. After you guys left, I missed you. I was mourning the loss of my best friend.”

There were tears in Violet's eyes when she reached across the table to grab Syd's hand. “I missed you, too.”

“I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you moved back. I look forward to having my best friend around again.”

“I look forward to that, too.”

The food came then and they all dug in. With the air cleared all around, it seemed everyone was ravenous. A weight lifted from Syd's shoulders that might not have if she hadn't been Burke's emergency contact. This lunch was a good move, for her and Violet and the boys, too. Not unexpectedly, they finished first.

“Mom, I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Me, too,” Liam said.

Syd and Violet slid from the booth, letting the boys out. One of them said, “Race you,” and the two took off.

“I was going to tell them no water fights,” Syd said, “but I didn't want to give them any ideas.”

“You have good mom instincts.” Violet dragged a French fry through ketchup.

“I consider that a compliment. It has to be said that you handled this thing at school really well. No freaking out or overreacting. So calm and common sense.”

“Thanks.” Vi got a look on her face, a tell that personal questions were coming. “So, you're the emergency contact for Burke Holden's son.”

“Yeah.”

“C'mon, Syd. Give. Details. What's the story?”

“We're friends.” She shrugged. “He asked, and like you told Todd, folks in Blackwater Lake try to make newcomers feel welcome.”

“I know you, Syd.” Violet's eyes narrowed. “There's something you're not saying.”

There were a lot of things she wasn't saying and didn't plan to. It was tempting to talk to her friend and share everything like she used to. But in this situation she couldn't. Not that Violet would spill the beans, but it could get awkward for her. Syd didn't want to put their newly repaired friendship in jeopardy.

Before she could answer, she saw Burke enter the diner, look around and head in her direction. He stopped at the end of their booth and she thought her heart would jump right out of her chest. This was unexpected and she was really happy to see him. Too happy for her peace of mind.

“I got here as soon as I could. What happened? Where's Liam?”

“In the restroom,” Syd said. Then she proceeded to explain about the fight and the fact that the boys had worked out their differences. There was nothing to worry about.

“I'm really sorry to involve you, Syd,” he said. “And Violet, I apologize if my son caused you any trouble. It won't happen again.”

She laughed. “I appreciate that, but I won't hold you to it. Kids are unpredictable. On the upside, stuff blows over pretty quickly. Don't worry about this.”

“That's very generous of you.” He looked at Syd. “When I made you my emergency contact, I never dreamed that I'd really have to take you up on it. Liam will have consequences for this behavior, I assure you. I'm thinking in terms of grounding him for the rest of his life.”

“I think a father-son talk might do more good,” she suggested. “He's been yanked out of his comfort zone and is probably reacting to that. Besides, he and Todd seem to have made peace.”

“And dare I say it?” Violet asked. “Maybe a friendship is budding?”

“That would be great.” He looked at each of them. “As a gesture of goodwill, I took care of the lunch check.”

“Very generous of
you.
Have you eaten yet?” Violet's tone was full of questions that had nothing to do with his lunch and everything to do with Syd and any relationship she might have with the handsome hotshot businessman. When he shook his head, she said, “Please join us. But before you do, it has to be said that the boys have been in the bathroom longer than seems necessary. We need a man to go in there and make sure there are no water fights going on.”

“I can do that.” He smiled at each of them. “Back in a minute.”

“He's cute,” Violet commented when he was out of earshot. “How did you meet him?”

“He brought his car in to the shop for an oil change.” That was absolutely true. “And then things took off from there.”

And how.

Burke had said he liked her and would have gotten around to dating her on his own. Maybe that was the truth. Maybe it wasn't. But they were after different things from a relationship. He didn't want more children and that was a deal breaker for her. As far as she could see, there was no way to negotiate a compromise.

As far as she was concerned it would be better if he stuck to her proposal. That would be the decent thing to do.

* * *

On the drive back to work Syd had some time to think. Violet deeply regretted the way she'd handled falling in love with Charlie—she really was sorry about not being honest with Syd right from the start. Making peace with Violet was a relief and that realization made the burden of deceiving her father even more troublesome.

She pulled in to the automotive lot and parked her car, then went straight to the main office, where her dad was behind his flat-topped metal desk doing computer work. Before she could say anything, he glanced up and something about his expression reminded her of being sixteen years old and waiting for a boy to pick her up. He was troubled about something.

“How did things work out with Liam?” Tom's voice was soft and even, as if he was trying too hard to appear unconcerned.

“He's suspended from school for the rest of the day. Fighting.” She slid her hands into the pockets of her work pants. “Coincidentally, the other boy involved was Violet's son, Todd. We took them to lunch. Violet's idea, actually. But I remembered how you used to do that with Alex and Ben when they were in some kind of trouble.”

She was talking too much, a sure sign of being nervous. It wasn't easy, but she forced herself to shut up.

Even her compliment didn't coax a smile from her father. “That's good it all worked out.”

“What's wrong, Dad?” When he opened his mouth to protest, she held up her hand to stop what she knew was coming. “Save it. I know when something's bothering you, so get it off your chest.”