After Lexi left, I made myself a promise: I wouldn’t contact her until Monday.
I went back to the party, heading straight for the grill. Tyler and Declan exchanged a meaningful glance before looking at me.
“Not one word from anyone,” I said as I picked up the fork, placing the corn on the grill and turning the five chicken wings I’d put on it before going inside with Lexi.
Declan glanced at Tyler again. “He didn’t say anything about not talking to each other.”
Tyler held up his hands. “I’m going to withhold my opinion.”
“I won’t,” Luke said. “I like what I see so far.”
“I already gave my opinion on this,” Declan said.
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Can you stop being a lawyer for a minute here?”
“I’m just a concerned brother,” Declan pointed out.
“There is no need to be concerned about me,” I said, loud and clear. “Why don’t we worry about the real problems in the family? Where is Reese, by the way? She wouldn’t say what’s going on, but I’m going to assume things with Malcolm aren’t going well.”
“She left earlier,” Declan replied. “And no, things aren’t going well. Malcolm insists on moving forward with the spa. The Halsey Group has a lot riding on this.”
The Halsey Group was the company Malcolm worked at.
“What the fuck?” I exclaimed. My hackles rose. “Don’t tell Gran. Not until we’re sure of it.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” Declan said.
No one was going to hurt my family. Not my grandmother, not my cousins, no one. I was going to make sure of it.
“Let’s change the topic. Gran’s coming this way,” Luke said. “Don’t look guilty or she’ll know we’re hiding something.”
We’d perfected the art of the poker face over the years, but fooling Gran wasn’t an easy feat. She picked up a chicken wing, glancing around the group.
“Whatever you boys think you’re doing, it’s not working,” she said nonchalantly. “And before you ask how I know you’re hiding something, remember I’ve caught you six scheming since you could barely walk.”
“Gran, cut us some slack,” Luke said.
She took yet another chicken wing. “I will. For now.”
Tyler chuckled. Luke winked at Gran. Declan shook his head.
We hadn’t perfected that poker face as much as I thought.
As soon as Gran headed back to the swing where Paisley was sitting, Tyler said, “Let’s talk about this at the office. We got away once, but I don’t think she’s gonna be so forgiving a second time.”
“Agreed,” I replied, continuing to handle the grill because Tyler deserved a break.
Twenty minutes later, I remembered why it wasn’t a good idea for my brother to have too much time on his hands. He got ideas. I only realized he and Paisley were up to something because they both had smug looks and held their hands behind their back.
“What is this—” I started to say, but before I could finish the sentence, both of them released firecrackers. I burst out laughing so hard I nearly cracked a rib, and so did Declan. Luke was looking with so much pride at the two of them that I wondered if he hadn’t given them the idea in the first place.
Just another day in the Maxwell family.
My family left about two hours later. Paisley and I spent the evening at the lake before turning in for the night.
The next day, I took her to one of the vineyards I owned around Chicago. It was an hour away, not far from where I’d grown up. Maxwell Wineries owned vineyards throughout the country, though there was no need for me to visit them all; I had some very fine vignerons who knew the production process, and we were in contact often.
I always enjoyed being out in the vineyards. They relaxed me, and Paisley loved it too. She considered it a road trip, so I brought her out here every few months.
When we arrived, there was no one working the vineyard because it was Sunday.
“Daddy, the grapes look good. They’re a bit small, though, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are. They’re young like you, honey. Thankfully the storm the other night didn’t damage them.” That was another reason I’d suggested coming out here today. My crew assured me the storm didn’t do any harm, but I wanted to double-check. So far, everything looked good.
For some inexplicable reason, I thought Lexi might enjoy being here with us. I’d been thinking about her constantly since yesterday. Usually, being in a vineyard cleared my mind completely, but I couldn’t shake her.
Paisley walked slowly in front of me, stopping every few steps as we checked the grapes together. I envisioned the day when she would take over Maxwell Wineries, but I’d never tell her that. I didn’t want to burden her with any expectations or pressure. My dad always told us that we could do whatever we wanted, that he didn’t expect us to want to work at Maxwell Bookstores. Dad had stepped into his father’s shoes without having had a chance to figure out what he wanted. He didn’t want the same for us, and I respected him for it.
“Dad, can we come here during the harvest?” she asked once we sat down on a bench next to the vineyard’s entrance. Paisley was taking out one of the peanut butter sandwiches I’d put in her backpack.
“Sure. We’ll find a weekend.” Depending on the weather, the harvest could begin as early as the end of August. It typically started later, though, and ended mid-October.
My phone beeped with an incoming message while Paisley ate her sandwich. I instantly tensed when I noticed the sender.
Nora.
Nora: Not sure I’ll be able to take Paisley on vacation this year. Thought you’d want to know so you can prepare her. I MIGHT be able to, but there’s a possibility I’ll have to take a rain check.
I ground my teeth, not even bothering to reply. She was taking a rain check from Paisley’s whole life.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?” she asked, and I quickly schooled my features.
“Your mom says she might have too much work to go on vacation.” I said this in a gentle tone, keeping any accusations out of it.
Paisley was silent for a few seconds before saying, “At least she’s coming for my birthday.”
“Yes, she is.”
Paisley considered her birthday the most important day of the year, which might be because a few years ago it became the unofficial Yes-day. But birthday parties had always been legendary in my family growing up, and I liked continuing the tradition with my daughter.
She was suspiciously silent as she continued eating her sandwich.
“Paisley, everything okay?” I asked.
She looked up at me, frowning, as if carefully considering every word.
“Daddy, wouldn’t it be nice if a lady was here with us?”
I blinked, jerking my head back. That was not where I thought this conversation was going.
“Maybe.”
“I can find you a nice lady. The blonde one from the beach last year wasn’t too nice.”
I had no comeback for that. I’d always been careful to keep my dating life completely off my daughter’s radar, but last year she’d met one of my dates through a mishap. We’d all ended up on the same beach, and I’d introduced them. Elizabeth, my date, had spoken to Paisley as if she were three years old, and at the end of it told me kids weren’t really her thing. Obviously, I never called her back.
“You don’t have to find me anyone, Paisley.”
My thoughts went straight to Lexi.
I’ve already found one.
“We could all go out and have fun.”
“Are you saying I’m not fun?” I winked at her.
“Not always.” The smile she gave me was sheepish.
“What? Of course I’m always fun.”
“Prove it.” She stood up, a challenge on her face—my little competitive girl. I knew exactly what she was after.
“I’ll chase you to the top of the hill. I bet I’m still faster.”
“No, I am. Just wait and see.” With a giggle, she turned on her heels and started running. I gave her a few seconds before chasing after her.
“I told you I’m faster!” Paisley exclaimed seconds before she reached the fence.
I purposefully let her win because I liked playing this game with her. It made her smile from ear to ear. That grin had me wrapped around her little finger ever since she was a few months old.
“Who isn’t fun now?” I challenged, blocking her way, shifting my weight from one leg to the other and holding my arms wide to my sides.
Paisley giggled, holding her arms clenched to her sides. But when she glanced behind my back, probably to plan her escape, she let her guard down a bit, and I seized my opportunity. I went directly for her armpits, tickling her. She shrieked with laughter. “Okay, okay. You’re fun, Dad.”
I straightened up instantly, letting my hands drop. My daughter calling me Dad instead of Daddy was the equivalent of a parent calling their child by their first and middle name. I knew it was time to end the game.
I held my palms up in defense, and she gave me yet another toothy grin.
“What do you want to do? Go back to Chicago? Gran says she’s expecting us for dinner, but I don’t think she’ll mind if we show up earlier.”
“We can go now,” she said.
On the drive back to the city, I kept mulling over our conversation. Ever since the divorce, I’d split my time between my daughter, my family, and Maxwell Wineries. I’d blocked out everything else. It had been as much a self-defense mechanism as a survival instinct. But Lexi was fun and sexy and made me laugh without even trying. And I wasn’t going to let go of that.
I wanted Lexi.
I needed her.
We arrived at Gran’s one hour later. After parking the car, I noticed the screen of my phone lit up with a message. I intended to ignore it, thinking it might be Nora again, but Lexi’s name caught my attention.
Lexi: Hi! So I have an ear infection and I feel awful. I’m not sure I can make it tomorrow. And also… I think it might be a good idea for you to reach out to one of the others you interviewed for the job.
