“Not yet, I saw Maeve and she said that Brodie—” Martha stopped herself, realizing too late who she was talking to.
“Brodie what?” Emmett frowned.
“He’s gone away,” Zoey filled him in.
“Cookies and Cream Dream and a Mudslide!” Ren came back carrying huge milkshakes that Maeve suddenly didn’t have the stomach for.
Logan narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Where’s Brodie gone? We’re meant to be playing golf tomorrow.”
Zoey shrugged, sipping her Cookies and Cream Dream through the curly straw.
Emmett had to sit down.
Ren said, “You all right, Emmett?”
He took his hat off and blew out a long breath. “I’m fine,” he muttered. Then shaking his head, added tight-lipped, “That darn boy!”
To which Maeve said sharply, “Emmett!” and made big warning eyes in Zoey’s direction.
That made Emmett pause, and for a moment, Maeve understood Brodie’s fear of the man. But then, as if realizing his actions, Emmett sat up straighter and said vaguely, “I’m sure he’ll?—”
Logan cut in. “He’ll be back soon. I’ll give him a call.”
Zoey was overly focused on her milkshake.
Martha made apologetic eyes at Maeve and then said, “I’ll go order at the counter.” She tapped Emmett on the shoulder as she went and he heaved himself out of the chair, picking up the grocery bags as he followed her.
Logan seemed to be assessing the situation, watching his dad walk away.
Bella hovered. “Do you need any help or anything, Maeve? I’m off tomorrow, if Zoey wants to come and hang out with me and the horses?”
“Oh, yeah!” Zoey perked up.
Maeve smiled. “That would be awesome. Thanks, Bella.”
Logan turned back to the table. “So you’re coming to us tomorrow, Zoey?”
Zoey nodded, eyes smiling.
“We’ll have to think of some pretty special things to do, won’t we?” Logan said to Bella.
“Absolutely,” Bella agreed. “We’ll have a great day. But for now we’ll leave you to your milkshakes.”
Logan gazed at the Mudslide longingly and said, “I might have to get one of my own!”
When they were alone again, Zoey said, “Mom, is Brodie gonna come back?”
Maeve had taken a sugary sip of her triple-chocolate milkshake. She wiped her mouth and said, “He’ll be back.”
“Do you promise?”
Maeve looked across at her daughter who was staring at her, big brown eyes unblinking.
She saw Brodie so clearly in Zoey’s face. In the trusting, openness of her expression, in the hint of the dimples when she was being serious that made her look like she was still trying not to laugh, in the way she tilted her head to one side with a question and her messy brown hair fell forward over her eye.
Maeve thought of being ashamed of the picture of the three of them, of her parents seeing it. Of what they would think. Of what people would think. Seeing it had taken her back to believing that her night with Brodie was a mistake, when actually, from that one time she’d let go of control, had come the most wonderful, precious thing in her life.
But she’d been so busy thinking of it as a failure, something to be atoned for, that she couldn’t see that. In the same way, Brodie was so fearful of his own father’s opinion of him, that he failed to see what he had here. All these people—this family—looking out for him.
