Standing By: A Knight's Tale #2 (26 page)

“You’re kidding, right?” she grunts. “You’re Daddy’s little girl, Hayley. He carries several pictures of you inside his wallet and has others framed in his office. Tells everyone how amazing Hayley is even though you’re the bastard of the family. He taught you how to ride a bike, skate and cared for you when you were sick. I remember because Caroline would say things like, ‘
Ugh, Hayley has strep, but I called Augustine and he is taking care of her. I’m not dealing with her crap.’
”

That was Dad pre-breakup. Always by my side whenever I caught a cold. He’d cancel meetings, leave work early or fly back if he was out of town. Actually, Dad had been the one who read to me every night before bedtime even when I stayed with Mom. He read to me over the phone, no matter where in the world he was.

“He never did that with either Parker or me, Hayley.” She takes a deep breath, playing martyr as always. “I don’t know about the other two but even those two give a shit about you. They never call me; they didn’t come to my graduation, and they sure didn’t stir up shit when they learned I married. I want a sister that’s all.”

“What’s the catch, Paige?” Mitch folds his arms giving her that deep stare.

“I want the penthouse, but Dad wants a lot of money,” of course, there it is.

“He offered it to you?” a pang of jealousy hits me.

“No, he emailed us yesterday that he’s selling, and we needed to get our crap out of the house soon.” She observes the walls and then looks back at me. “I asked him to give it to me and he said
no
. He was selling it, and he already gave me a house. In New Jersey.”

I stick my fingers in my ears; she can be freaking loud when she’s about to throw a hissy fit. He offered me the penthouse, well to Mitch, and Dad didn’t send me an email. I should call him later; tell him about this impromptu visit.

“There’s nothing I can do for you, Paige.”

“Yes, you can, think about it and call me.” Paige holds my gaze. “I’m your only sister, do this one thing for me. Stop holding grudges, I am not a pastry chef, of course, I made mistakes. Kevin, well what do you expect? I’m a better option. Think about it, it’s only a matter of time before this one leaves you too.”

“You know, Paige, I never cared about Kevin,” I concentrate on my needs and not hers, on what I felt and what I wanted to say. “Your betrayal is what hurt, it’s the fact that you only try to get or ruin what I have. I’ll pass on that family offer for now, Paige. Once you decide to look for me because of me, we can talk again. As for the penthouse, that’s between Dad and you.”

“You better help me or you’ll regret it, Hayley.” She huffs and without saying another word leaves.

“I don’t like it,” Mitch says, then he smiles. “But I’m proud of you for standing up to her. I’ll see you around five. What do you want for dinner?”

“I’m going to the five o’clock class.” He lifts his hands and turns his palms up. I believe he wants more context. “Thermo yoga?”

“I’ll meet you there and after class we’ll head home together.” Mitch kisses my cheek. “I’m out of here. Rumor has it that I have pending emails and an investment company to run. This,
live like the middle class but keep your responsibilities
is a bitch. Text me what you want for dinner and call me if you need me, promise?”

“I will. About dinner, surprise me.”

He leaves through the back door, and it doesn’t take long for my bell to ring again, this time it’s Mom. She has dyed her hair a dark brown and is wearing a long summer dress that blocks her shoes. By the extra inches, I’m assuming she is wearing her signature high heels.

“Morning, Mom.”

“You better call Paige and apologize,” comes out instead of a “
Good morning, Hayley.
” “She is pregnant and vulnerable. Fix this, Hayley, call your father and make him give her the penthouse. It’s not like he needs the money.”

“You know what, Mother? This is the last time you come to my sanctuary and talk to me like this,” I set my hands on top of the showcase, my stance, like my voice are firm. “You need to understand that I find peace in my work place, peace you like to disturb on a daily basis, unless Dad or Mitch are here to stop you. I love you, but you need to respect me as an individual and stop trying to make me who you want me to be. No, I won’t call Dad about Paige. His penthouse, his problem. Paige isn’t your daughter; I’m your daughter. Either you understand that or I have nothing else to say to you.”

“I won’t come until you apologize, Hayley.” With those last words, she turns around and slams the door.

What?

“She’s unbelievable,” I head to my kitchen knowing this is a battle I shouldn’t waste my time or thought process on at the moment or ever for that matter.

Hayley

M
itch leans confidentially
over the counter his trimmed athletic body relaxed, and all his attention is on me as I talk about my earlier conversations with Parker and Dad. Both agreed that Paige’s visit at the bakery made no sense. Park swore he’ll talk to her and offer them a job—in Seattle. Dad agreed with the theory about the penthouse, harassing me will convince him to give it to them. No chance of that happening, he sold the place already.

In a day?

“Watch out and don’t let her fill your head with fucked up guilt.” Parker had said before we hung up the phone.

Dad called me around four to make sure I was doing well, which I confirmed. He received a call or a visit from Mom and Bridget.

“Paige needs to understand that she has to work for what she wants,” Dad told me. “When I called her she said that if I didn’t gift her the penthouse she wouldn’t let me see the baby.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“I’m too old for this, sweetheart,” he complained as we continued our conversation. “Are you or your husband hiring either one of them—Paige or Kevin?”

“No, well, I’m not sure about Mitch. He sent her to his company website,” Dad’s laugh came from the other side of the line. “Yes, that’s my guy; he doesn’t take crap from anyone.”

Then I regretted saying my guy, he made it clear that we’re friends and all those fluttery feelings I developed need to go inside a box and then sent to some kind of feeling shredding machine. My heart tightens, the same happened with Ted and Kevin; once I was ready they pushed me aside. The difference between the other two and Mitch is that I …

“Dad didn’t say anything about Paige and I, he hasn’t pressured me about building bridges between me and my siblings.” I explain while Mitch listens attentively to my every word gazing abstractly. “I love all of them but I’m unsure on what or how to create a relationship with Ben and Brent… And I guess Paige.”.

“Hayl,” he angles his face down at me but something flickers in his eyes and he composes his posture and shoves his hands inside his pockets. “I’m looking at everything from the outside and I can tell you, your dad and your three brothers are trying to reach out to you. I’m only a spectator, therefore, I can’t distinguish their intentions all that well. What do you want from them?”

I don’t know.

“Once upon a time I almost lost my twin brother,” Mitch tells me as his shoulders slump, and his eyes lower to the floor. “Any resentment I had against him for packing and leaving us behind to pursue his stupid dream disappeared the moment Mom called me to tell me he had been ambushed, and they didn’t know if he’d make it. I realized if he died at that moment, the last words I said to him had been:
‘I hope you burn in hell, asshole.’
”

His bent posture makes me want to hug him, but I decide to let him continue what looks like some painful memory.

“I blamed him for a lot of shit that had happened to me after he left. Later, I realized that whatever happened to me were the consequences of my own actions, not his. I know that doesn’t apply to you, but the fact is the same. I learned that drama and negative feelings won’t accomplish anything. No matter what happened between us, I loved him and harboring any negative feelings would only affect me. He’s that dude I came into the world with, one of my best friends and my family. Family is important.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” A juvenile question, is it wrong to fear them? “Wouldn’t it be easier to detach myself from them?”

“What if it does?” he questions, our eyes meet and again there’s that connection, the longing to be with him and…
love
? His forest green eyes harden, and his ears turn red. Now he’s upset because I care about him? I change my view to the sink filled with dirty dishes, I fear he knows I fell in love, and he’s now going to kick me out of his life—forever. He said it; once they want more, he finishes the relationship. “As I say about food
you can’t trash it until you try it.
”

I guess he says that because earlier he made some kind of Mexican casserole with tortillas, chicken and poblano pepper salsa, a Mexican salad, and white rice. I scooped the rice and refused to eat the rest.

“It’s cute when you’re thinking about a comeback or some kind of analogy,” he says staring at me. His eyes suddenly run through my body and stop right at my mouth. “If he fails you, I’m here to catch you—always.” Ridiculously, a girlish tingly feeling hits me right under my waist, that moisture segregates, and I want to ask him for a kiss, a caress… all those things he’s been denying me for the past few days. “You’re cute, Hayl.”

Right, like a puppy. I feel my face heating up, and I’m glad I don’t blush. Move out, yes that’s what I should do but I have no idea where because my former studio is now an office that doesn’t have a kitchen, and the bathroom turned into a simple powder room. I’ll talk to Ben about the annulment and find a different way to expand my bakery. There’s always a way.

My phone buzzes at that moment, the alarm company.

“Hello,” I pick up the call. “This is Safe-Guard, we received a burglary alarm notice from your place, is everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” my stomach squeezes tightly; the only place I know that has a burglary alarm is my bakery. “I’m not there.”

“We’ll call dispatch and send a police officer your way, ma’am,” the lady at the alarm company says. “As always, I need to remind you that if this is a false alarm we will bill you a five hundred dollar fine.”

“Yes, I know, thank you.” I head to the living room where I left my sandals.

“Hayley, what’s going on?” Mitch stops me.

“My bakery,” I try to take a deep breath because my pulse is beating at a high-speed rate. “What can they try to steal? Muffins, flour and produce? The office has some confidential information, but nothing that will compromise my customers. There isn’t any money; I made the daily deposit right after closing… the computers?”

“Relax, Hay-Bear.” Mitch hugs me for the first time since the tattoo parlor while stroking my back, and my rapid palpitations slow down. “Nothing happened we’ll head there to confirm that everything is perfectly fine.”

I refuse to look at him; refuse to see those friendly eyes and his reassuring crooked smile, not when I need a kiss from him to feel that we’re connected. Not now, when said connection found the right classification:
only friends and nothing more
.

Mitch heads to the guest room—his new room—and comes back wearing shoes and a light jacket. He picks up his keys from the entrance table, and we rush outside.

The two blocks from his apartment to my bakery are eternal. Police cars, as well as ambulances and fire trucks, head toward the same street. Beads of sweat form as I hope they are heading somewhere else and only passing by the bakery in order to get to their final destination. However, I know it isn’t when I see angry flames licking the walls of the building as if savoring the treat before devouring it to ashes.

Mitch

F
rom a distance,
I can see the thick gray smoke rising into the sky. Orange flames are blazing the walls of the former bakery; the two buildings beside it are being evacuated as the inferno threatens to spread widely. The ferocious fire mixed with the already hot weather makes the entire atmosphere around the street suffocating. Firefighters are fighting the strong dragon, but it isn’t giving in an inch.

“My bakery,” Hayley whispers.

I’m thankful she no longer lives there that she wasn’t trapped inside this firestorm. Out of instinct, I snake my arm around her waist and clench her to my body breaking the promise I made to myself days ago to keep her at arm’s length.

The police officers next to us are watching from afar too, the firefighters are working to control the fire but that flaming beast continues to win.

“Arson,” says one of the officers. “The fire isn’t normal but I’m no expert. We’ll have to wait for the fire marshal to investigate.”

I pull my phone, wanting to expedite the investigation; I take a picture of the scene and text my brother.

MAK:
Jake, check the picture that’s Hayley’s bakery.

“Dude.” He calls me right away. “Please tell me she isn’t anywhere near that fire.”

“I have her right here,” I kiss the top of her head; she puts her arms around my waist and buries her head. I hug her tighter. “Can you send someone to help expedite the investigation?”

“I’ll have my people down there right away,” he responds. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Thanks Jake.”

“Do you think … Paige?” Hayley’s voice is a whisper lost among the sirens and loud voices around.

“Not sure.” I respond. “Hayes, we can fix this, we’ll fix this.” I lift her chin with my hand, and her minty eyes are drowning with tears. Tears that flow down her cheeks and are endless. “You won’t fall. We’ll fix it, I swear, we will. The insurance might take some time. Meanwhile, I’ll get someone to clean up and rebuild.”

A hurt little puppy, that’s how she looks. Scared and lonely and all my fucking fault for pushing her away. Not being able to deal with that face, I gently rest her head on my chest as we watch the emergency personal work on the tyrant that’s consuming her dream to the ground.