Scott took a long sip of his beer.
“He’s still got a few friends here in Larkin Bay, so I guess he can’t be all that bad,” Mark continued, his fists clenching at his side. “But I’ve never liked him, and he’s never been very good to Kara or Maeve, so that makes me like him even less.”
Scott took a bite out of his hamburger as he nodded for Mark to continue.
“I’ve just heard through the town’s grapevine that you and Kara are getting to be, uh, better friends. I know you were out together last night, so I wanted to warn you about Jamie and what’s going on. I don’t want to see Kara get hurt again by him—or anyone else. She doesn’t deserve it. She’s a good kid.”
Scott heard the love and warning in Mark’s voice and looked over at him. “She is a good woman, and it’s nice that she’s got a caring brother looking out for her,” he replied. “I’ll keep what you’re saying in mind and keep an eye out for her too.”
“I hoped that was what you’d say,” said Mark, getting out of his chair and clapping Scott on the shoulder. “And thank you.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “Also, don’t worry about paying for the beer and the hamburger—tonight, they’re on me.”
Scott nodded his thanks.
Of course I’ll keep an eye out for any trouble.
It was, after all, the right thing to do. And he and Kara were friends now. He had enjoyed getting to know her the previous evening and he admired how hard she must work raising a child and running a business alone.
But as much as he enjoyed the meal Mark had brought him, it soured slightly as Scott considered what he’d just heard. If Maeve’s father really was returning to town, perhaps the chivalrous thing for him to do was step back from any fledgling relationship with Kara. She might not need a new relationship complicating things for her right now.
He sighed heavily at the thought and frowned as he picked up his beer and watched the rest of the baseball game.
Kara stopped abruptly. “What the hell?” she exclaimed. Mary looked up from her phone and followed her friend’s gaze.
As she felt Kara tense at her side, Mary put a steadying hand on her arm. “It’s Jamie,” she said. “I didn’t recognize him at first, either, but it’s him—Maeve’s safe.”
Kara frowned and watched her daughter wave from across the busy road that separated them. Raising a hand, she covered her mouth as Maeve pulled away from Jamie and stepped toward the street, obviously intending to run to where she and Mary were standing, but he quickly reached out and roughly grabbed her arm so she couldn’t run out into traffic.
Struggling to escape from Jamie’s firm grasp, Maeve started to cry but was quickly hushed by her father.
Kara helplessly watched from across two lanes of traffic and felt her stomach knot.
What the heck is Jamie doing with my daughter?
“Well, our daughter, I guess,” she muttered under her breath. Mary tutted sympathetically but also kept a firm grip on Kara’s sleeve as they waited for a break in the flow of cars. A few moments later, Jamie crossed the street, bringing Maeve with him.
“Hi,” he said, finally allowing Maeve to pull her hand out of his. The little girl immediately ran to Kara’s side and pressed herself close to her mother, rubbing her eyes to erase the tears that still lingered there. “Fancy meeting you here,” he added.
“Jamie,” said Kara, nodding. “I didn’t know you were in town.”
“Yep, I came home for a bit. I’m staying with Mom and Dad. I’m surprised they didn’t tell you that when they picked up Maeve,” he replied.
“I didn’t really get a chance to talk to them,” Kara admitted. “I was pretty busy at the garden center when they stopped by.”
Jamie scowled. “I hear you’re always busy over there. It sounds like Mom and Dad look after Maeve a lot.”
Kara felt Mary bristle beside her, but Kara placed a calming hand on her arm. Jamie hadn’t changed. He always seemed to find fault where there was none.
“Your parents enjoy watching Maeve, and I think it’s good that she spends time with them—it’s more about that than me being too busy. But if it’s a problem for them or you, I can always make other arrangements and stop her from going over to stay with them.”
“Oh, no. I’m sure it’s fine,” Jamie hastened to reassure her.
Kara bit her bottom lip to hide her smile. She knew that his parents adored their time with Maeve, and they would be furious if he was behind anything that put a stop to them. Jamie also knew that Kara would have no problem telling his parents that it was him who suggested it.
“Well, um, I guess I can take her from here,” Kara said as Maeve yawned widely. “I think she might need a nap today. She’s obviously been busy. Do you have her stuffed pig with you? That’s the only thing we usually need to make sure gets transferred back and forth. I can pick up the rest of her things from your mom later this week.”
Jamie shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. “Would you mind if I just took her back across the street to let Mom say goodbye to her?” His eyes darted back to where they had come from. “My mom has the toy and the rest of her stuff in her bag. I just brought Maeve out here with me for a minute when I saw you.”
Kara studied Jamie for a long moment. He looked good. His hair had been cut short and had darkened slightly, making him look older than the last time she’d seen him. The brush of laughter lines he now had around the corners of his eyes also suited him. Still, right now, the way he was acting reminded her of the immature boy who had been afraid of upsetting his parents by telling them he’d gotten his girlfriend pregnant. So, instead, he’d tried to bully her into giving up the baby.
Kara sighed again as Maeve nestled deeper into her hip. “Sure. Let’s go. Maeve, we have to say bye-bye to Grandma.”
The little girl said nothing, but she reached up and clutched her mother’s hand tightly in hers. Kara’s brow furrowed at Maeve’s response. She bent down to comfort her daughter, and Maeve buried her face in Kara’s shoulder.
“She’s upset,” Kara stated, looking up at Jamie and frowning.
“Yeah, she didn’t like me taking her away from Mom. She was just about to pitch a huge fit, but then she saw you and calmed down.”
“She doesn’t know you,” interjected Mary. “She was scared.”
“She was fine, just being a bit of a brat. You shouldn’t let her get away with this stuff,” Jamie replied, scowling at Mary.
“Well, we’ll have to talk about this at some point, but you can’t just take her away from your mom like that. She’s only three. Come on, sweetheart, let’s find Grandma and get Ms. Piggy,” Kara said.
“Did you want to come?” she asked Mary. “It’ll only take a minute.”
“How about you meet me at the bakery when you’re done? We can pick up a few sweet things before I drop you and Maeve off at home for her nap.”
Kara smiled at Mary’s blatant attempt to get away from Jamie as quickly as possible. “That’s fine,” she replied, nodding. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
