Dylan's Daddy Dilemma (The Colorado Fosters Book 04) (7 page)

“I hope this doesn’t come off as rude,” she said, “but what is it you want to talk about?”

“Before we can fully explain, I need to drag a promise from my brother,” Haley said. “Well, you, too, but it’s Dylan I’m most concerned with, since it involves keeping a secret.”

“Since when am I a blabbermouth?” Dylan asked, sounding somewhat insulted. “I’ve kept plenty of secrets for you in the past, Haley. More than our brothers, I’m sure.”

“You’re not a blabbermouth,” Haley confirmed. “But this is really important, and there can’t be any gray areas. None. So that means you can’t tell anyone what you’re about to hear, even if you disagree with our reasons. And I need you to promise.”

“Depends,” Dylan said, his voice holding notes of concern. “Is this a good thing?”

“Now, it shouldn’t matter one way or the other,” Gavin said. “Because you should know we wouldn’t ask you to stay hush on something that could hurt anyone. But for the record, we think it’s rather good. And we hope you’ll feel the same.”

“Well, that’s an easy enough promise to make, then,” Dylan said. “So, yeah, I promise.”

“Thank you!” Haley grinned. “Chelsea?”

“Um. Sure, I promise not to tell anyone.” Really, though, who
would
she tell?

“That’s what we needed to hear, so I think we’re all set.” Haley reached for Gavin’s hand and inhaled a deep breath. “Gavin and I have decided to throw a surprise wedding. Next month. Here, outside if the weather cooperates, and it will be small. We’ll invite everyone for a barbecue and then when they’re here, we’ll announce that we’re getting married instead.”

Dylan’s jaw dropped open. “A surprise wedding? Oh...wait a minute. This is what you were all secretive about last night, isn’t it? That thing you said I wouldn’t find exciting? Because my sister getting married? Kind of exciting.”

“Yes. And sorry about that, but you have this annoying way of getting into people’s heads.” Haley grinned at her brother. “Now that you know, what do you think?”

“I’m happy for you two, without a doubt.”

“But?” Haley said. “I know you have a
but
hidden there somewhere.”

“
However
, I think the surprise factor could potentially hurt our parents’ feelings,” Dylan said. “You’re their only daughter, Haley. Mom will want to shop for the dress with you, help with whatever plans need to be made. Dad will want to help foot the cost, if not the whole shebang. Why not have a wedding everyone can be a part of from the get-go?”

“I’m wearing Mom’s wedding dress, supposing I can find it easy enough, so there won’t be any dress shopping,” Haley said quickly. “And we don’t want Dad to pay for anything.”

“There won’t be much to pay for,” Gavin said, taking over the conversation. “The guest list is small, minimizing the cost of food and drink. Our venue is here, so that’s free, and we just don’t want a lot of fuss. We want a simple, fun celebration.”

“Okay, but why can’t you have all of that and let the family in on the news? Everyone will be fine with whatever you two want,” Dylan said. “You know that’s true.”

“It is true, but weddings have a habit of getting out of control, of becoming a lot more about the presentation and the...the frills, I guess. Our wedding is going to be about what
we’re
grateful for, and we want to share that with our family and friends,” Haley said, her tone emphatic. “Our decision is set. But it would mean the world to have your support.”

“You have that, in spades,” Dylan said instantly. “And I’ll help however I can.”

Haley leaped off of Gavin’s lap and held her arms out to her brother. He stood and crushed her into a hug. When they separated, she said, “Thank you, big brother.”

Chelsea watched and listened with interest, but couldn’t understand what any of this had to do with her or why Haley and Gavin had decided to bring her into the discussion. Refraining from glancing at her watch again, she said, “Congratulations! I’m also happy for you two. And I hope the wedding is beautiful. Now, though, I need to—”

“Hold on. We’re not done,” Gavin said. “Now we can get to the part that involves you.”

Returning to Gavin’s lap, Haley grinned at Chelsea. “Dylan mentioned that you’re in need of a job, and we’d like to offer you one. Temporary to start. And because we’d need you to be here while we’re on our honeymoon, room and board. We can’t pay a lot, but—”

“Wait a minute...what?” This came from Dylan, but his question and confused tone expressed Chelsea’s thoughts and feelings perfectly.

A job offer, room and board,
and
a small salary? It seemed too good to be true.

“It’s simple,” Gavin said. “There’s a lot of work and planning to do for the camp before the first group of boys arrives in June. Unless we have someone here who can deal with the administrative necessities as they come up, we won’t be able to have a honeymoon.”

“But this isn’t only about the wedding,” Haley said. “Beginning in October, the number of campers will increase. This means stricter guidelines, which means more paperwork, more fund-raising needs, more...everything. I need an extra set of hands, period. We just want to be sure we have the right fit. So, what we’re offering is a temporary, part-time position to begin, but with the possibility of becoming full-time and permanent. Assuming all goes well.”

At those words, Chelsea sat up a little straighter. Oh, Lord, this could be her saving grace.

“Got it,” Dylan said, his voice sharp. “I understand the necessities, but I don’t know if offering the position to Chelsea so fast is well thought out. She...that is, she could be a...I don’t know, a nefarious diamond-and-gold-nugget thief, on the lam. Or an ax murderer!” He cringed. “Perhaps not either of those, but I think you’re jumping the gun.”

“Diamond-and-gold-nugget thief?” Haley grinned in pure delight. “Are you on the lam, Chelsea? Or do you go around murdering innocent folks with big, bad axes?”

“Nope. I only murder guilty folks, and my ax is rather dainty and small.” She gave Dylan a dirty look. What was with him? One second he was trying to throw money at her, and the next he was throwing her under the bus. “I’m neither a thief nor an ax-wielding serial killer, and if I was on the lam, I’d go somewhere warm. With a beach.”

Dylan swiped his hand over his forehead. “That was rude. My sister offered you her home and she tends to—in the past, I mean—wear her heart on her sleeve. I overreacted.”

“Out of protection and concern.” This was a response that Chelsea understood. Finally. “Maybe what you meant to say is that my résumé and references should be considered before an employment offer is made? That would be a logical sequence of events, would it not?”

“Ah, yeah. That would be logical.”

“But see, this is why you came into our lives at the perfect moment,” Haley said to Chelsea. “The wedding isn’t until mid-May, which is weeks and weeks away. By the time we leave for our honeymoon, you’ll be up to speed on the necessities, and as a bonus, you won’t require child care. We think it’s an ideal solution all the way around.”

The theme song from
The Twilight Zone
played in Chelsea’s head. Was this fate or blind, dumb luck, or something else entirely? She didn’t know. This could be—no, it was—exactly what she and Henry needed. Their chance at a brand-new fresh start.

“I would love to say yes.” Chelsea spoke quickly, before Dylan could declare her a bank robber, as well. She understood his prior response, but she
needed
this to happen. “
If
you feel the same after reviewing my résumé and references. If not, we’ll just agree this isn’t the right fit.”

“Sounds like a deal to me,” Gavin said. “Dylan?”

“Not my call, but that...ah...seems reasonable.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s see your résumé,” Haley said as she stood. “Because the sooner we get this settled, the sooner I can show you to your bedrooms!”

This was really happening. A job and a home—Chelsea looked over to the fireplace’s mantel, to the framed photographs, and a sense of belonging, of family, filled her heart. Nope, not her family, but maybe this job, here with Gavin and Haley, would help her in far greater measures than any other job ever would. Maybe fate had a hand in this, after all.

“Chelsea?” Dylan’s voice pulled her back to the present, to him. “What bag is your résumé in? I’ll go out to the car and grab it for you.”

“Oh. Um.” She shook her head to clear her thoughts and focused on Dylan. He looked better now. Not nearly as stressed. Maybe he’d already gotten over his qualms? She hoped so. “It’s in the outside pocket of the purple suitcase. The upright. In a file folder. But I can get it.”

“Nah, stay here and chat with Gavin and Haley. Find out more about the job.”

She nodded and watched as he left the room. If she was here due to fate, then Dylan stood in the center of it all. Because none of this would have happened without him. He’d found her in her car. He’d offered her and Henry a safe haven for the night. He’d convinced her to come here today. He’d tried to lend her money, not once but twice. And he... Oh. Wow.

Last night, he’d offered to talk to his family about scrounging up some temporary work she could do for them. He’d even brought up the possibility of finding somewhere better than a cheap motel for Henry and her to sleep. She’d said no, firmly and decisively, yet suddenly, this perfect job offer from
his sister
presented itself, which miraculously included room and board.

Chelsea’s heart dropped. She should’ve clued in to this immediately.

Dylan and his Good Samaritan nature had orchestrated this entire thing. This had to be his doing...except, well, he’d truly seemed uncomfortable when Haley had mentioned the opportunity, and his reaction had definitely fallen on the bizarre side. Was that a show, put on for her benefit? Chelsea didn’t know, couldn’t know, for sure, but...darn it, that seemed more likely than fate bringing her here, to him and to this house, to this job.

Fate had never been so kind to her before, so why in the hell would it start now?

She didn’t need charity. Well, maybe in this exact moment she did, but she didn’t want it and she didn’t see how she could accept. Unless...she just went along with it, for now. She’d do the best job she could, more than enough to prove her worth—because she really believed Gavin and Haley were planning on hiring
someone
—and when the gig ended, she’d move on.

By then, she’d be in a stronger position financially, would likely have located a place for her and Henry to call home, and hopefully, permanent employment, as well.

Maybe Foster kindness had brought her this opportunity, but she’d make damn sure that when all was said and done, she’d earned her pay and her keep. It wouldn’t feel like charity then, to her or to Gavin and Haley. No one else mattered in the equation.

As far as Dylan Foster went, however, she now knew enough to keep him at a long arm’s distance. His presence alone made her want to believe in something more than she’d ever had, and his arguments about trusting in the kindness of others made her want to believe in
him
.

Dangerous ground to step onto with anyone. Scary, too. But with a man who only saw her as a problem requiring a solution? Impossible.

Settled with both of her decisions, she nodded at Gavin and Haley. “While we’re waiting, why don’t you tell me more about the camp? And what you’re looking for in the way of help? If this ends up working out, I promise you won’t regret giving me this chance.”

* * *

This was
not
what he’d wanted. Well. Okay, it was what he’d wanted as far as some of the particulars went. Dylan should feel pleased with the turn of events. Chelsea was set for the time being. She had the breathing room required to get her to a better place, even if she moved on after Gavin and Haley returned from their honeymoon.

But he hadn’t wanted Chelsea to be ensconced in his sister’s home. Not because he thought she was a thief, as he’d stupidly blurted. The truth was, when his sister had offered the job, every last thing he didn’t know about Chelsea came into sharp, blaring focus.

Such as, what was the job she’d lost, and why had she lost it? Where had Chelsea and Henry called home before leaving everything behind to come here? Why had she made that choice? And, yeah, where was Henry’s father? Or her family? Or...anyone?

Now it infuriated him even more that he’d asked her, directly, several of those very same questions and she’d refused to answer. She hadn’t even bothered giving him pat replies.

Dylan popped open the trunk of his car, questions slamming into his brain one after another. Seeing the purple suitcase, he unzipped the side pocket and retrieved the file folder. He didn’t think if he should or he shouldn’t, just opened the file folder to read her résumé.

Pueblo, Colorado. That was her home. And her most recent position had been as a waitress at a diner, where she’d worked for close to a year. Before that, she’d had a short stint—less than six months—with a temporary employment agency and before that as a customer service operator at an insurance company. That one she’d had for slightly over two years, but the job had been eliminated due to the company going the way of technology and choosing to use an automated telephone service rather than actual human beings.

And before that, it appeared as if she’d worked part-time while going to school part-time. He had to guess, based on the dates shown and Henry’s age, that her pregnancy with him had halted her ability to continue college. Dylan felt bad. Really bad, actually, because on this résumé, he saw a woman who had struggled to find her way.

So, okay. Chances were high that she’d come to Steamboat Springs for exactly the reason he’d heard—a brand-new fresh start—but that didn’t answer all of his other questions. And the knowledge gained from reading her résumé didn’t lessen his reborn uneasiness.

Now that Chelsea would be so damn close to his family, to him, he couldn’t ignore his disquiet. He couldn’t step away and let distance work its magic, nor could he entertain the idea of seeing where his interest in her might lead. Not while she lived with his sister, at any rate. Not without knowing what she was made of. Because, if for some reason, she had an agenda unknown to him or, hell, secrets that could be damaging to those near her, the fallout could affect his family. And that was something he could not, would not, allow.