get to the lumber yard and place some orders. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to get started on the steps.”
“Uh, no. Like I said, I saw you measuring and was just curious.” With a small nod, she turned and walked back into the house, but not before Kyle noticed how weary she looked and how curvy her body still was.
With a groan, he stalked down the steps and up to his truck, all the while reminding himself not to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. And definitely not look at her because he had a feeling that both his eyes and his mouth were going to get him into nothing but trouble where Sydney Albright was concerned.
And there was no way he could let that happen.
Again.
Everyone knew how much he loved to chase after a beautiful woman, but this particular beautiful woman was completely off-limits. Kyle wasn’t looking for a commitment or to visit the past, and he certainly wasn’t looking for an instant family.
And if he could just remember that and keep his focus on the monumental amount of work that needed to be done on the house, he knew he’d be just fine.
With her back pressed against the front door, Sydney let out a long breath.
He didn’t recognize her.
And she wasn’t sure if she was thankful or pissed off.
Back in school, Kyle Jones had been her entire world. Their relationship started when she was a junior in high school and he was a senior. She immediately imagined them getting married, having babies, and living happily ever after.
And it was something she had tried to forget.
Kyle was a jock—your typical big man on campus type—whereas she was more studious and part of the theater group. In her junior year of high school, she played Tinker Bell in the production of Peter Pan. And because of her petite size and her short hair at the time, people had taken to calling her Pixie.
And not always in a cute way.
She remembered being at a party one weekend when a group of obnoxious players from the football team practically taunted her with that damn nickname until she was forced to leave.
And Kyle was part of that group.
But he was the only one to follow her outside and apologize.
And kiss her.
She went home and he went back to the party, and it left her more confused than anything. She had agonized over that night and when she’d gone to school the following Monday, anytime she saw any of the ballplayers or their friends, they would wolf-whistle at her and call her Pixie.
Dumb jocks…
Kyle had put a stop to it less than a week later and asked her out. He still used to use the silly nickname on her, but it became more of an endearment than a tease. Just thinking about it now—remembering when everything was new with them—made her tingle.
The sound of shuffling feet coming down the hall had her straightening. Haley peeked out around the corner and eyed her cautiously. “I thought I heard voices.”
“Oh, uh…yeah. The contractors were here taking measurements and they’re going to start working today.”
“Oh,” Haley said sadly. “I thought…I mean…it sounded like...” She quickly turned away so Sydney couldn’t see her face. It broke her heart because she had a feeling she was looking around and waiting to see if Tracy or Daren were here, and she wished more than anything that she could make that happen for her.
“Hey,” Sydney said, smiling as she walked over to Haley. “I feel like I need waffles as big as my head. You in?”
Nodding, Haley asked, “With chocolate chips?”
“Definitely.” The more carbs and chocolate, the better. “Do we have any whipped cream?”
“I’m not sure. Grandma cleaned out the fridge and got rid of most of the good stuff.”
And she didn’t sound happy about it.
While Sydney lived in Boston, she didn’t get to visit her sister as much as she should have. And most of her interactions with Haley had been during the holidays. But she and Tracy used to talk several times a week and she used to marvel at how fun and outgoing her daughter was.
So far, Sydney hadn’t seen it.
Even though she knew Haley was old enough to understand what had happened, it was clear she was traumatized. Her next order of business now that the work on the house was starting was to look into counseling for her.
And she should probably look into some for herself too.