Page 2 of A Package Deal

“Really? I thought you loved scouts,” Nelie looked at Chet for confirmation and instantly regretted it. He looked tired, not physically, but mentally and emotionally. His eyes were flat and dull, and she missed his usual spark.

“I do, did.” Ava swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. Chet cleared his throat, and Nelie looked over at him.

“The girls are with me now.” He smiled at them, and Nelie hoped the girls didn’t notice how forced it looked.

“And school starts tomorrow, and we don’t even have any real winter clothes.” Piper’s lower lip quivered.

Nelie flipped over Chet’s coffee cup and filled it with the freshly brewed decaf. She knew he preferred regular, but she didn’t want to disrupt his sleep. Something was going on in the Bingham household, and it looked like he carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. She handed him a fork. “Looks like you need this, too.”

Chet’s eyes widened and his gaze warmed. “So, you’re not still mad at me?” he asked, sounding hopeful and taking a forkful from the top part of the cake.

“I can be kind and mad. I’m a multitasker.” She shrugged, fighting the urge to lick the chocolate frosting at the edge of his mouth with her tongue.Kind, mad, and still crazy about you, but I’d be crazy to get back together with you, she reminded herself.

Some days Nelie felt as if everyone in Haven knew her, but her circle of true,I’m stuck in a snowbank and it’s fifteen degrees below zero come help push me out, friends was small. She didn’t have the time, energy, or inclination for mind- or emotional-games, so her innermost circle was small and tight. She’d let Chet into that circle once before, and he’d almost cost her her friends. Her friends and Gus were her family. Chet was a risk she couldn’t afford.

“Haven Elementary is a great school and you’ll make lots of friends,” Nelie said, turning her attention back to the girls.

“If we don’t freeze first,” Piper said, as she scraped the remaining frosting off the top of the cake.Like father, like daughter.

“You’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Nelie gave Piper a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before returning to the bar area.

Chapter 2

Chetscowledandshovedthe six-pack of applesauce into the cupboard. It was a squeezable container. Piper had insisted on it, just like she’d insisted on the yogurt in the tube. If he hadn’t seen her eat her chicken strips and roasted vegetables—thank goodness the Galley offered that as an alternative to French fries because fried potatoes were the only vegetable she’d eaten in several days—he wouldn’t have known she could chew.

He slammed the cupboard door and hung his head, listening to the muffled conversation floating down from upstairs. He’d shown the girls how to make a bed and left them in charge of making Piper’s, but it sounded like Piper was upset hers didn’t look as good as her older sister’s did. Piper’s complaints grew louder, but he couldn’t make out the words. The only thing he heard clearly was Ava’s persistent attempts to shush Piper.Where have my happy children gone?he wondered as he cleared another shelf in the pantry for their lunch food. But then again, Ava rarely sounded happy. She was a bit of a grump; his own little Eeyore, convinced the sun wouldn’t shine.

A soft knock at the back door interrupted his pity party, and Chet was shocked to see Nelie standing there. She waved at him, and like an idiot, he waved back before his feet moved toward the door. “Why aren’t you at work?” he asked, taking the paper bags from her.

“We were slow, and I knew Kealy needed the hours. Her tuition is due soon. It felt better to keep her on and take me off so I could take care of that.” She pointed at the bags in his arms. “Winter clothes.” Chet set the bags on the kitchen table and pulled out some items.

“I guessed on the sizes,” Nelie said, tugging off her mittens and stuffing them into her parka’s front pockets.

“Where did you get them?”And in a matter of hours?

“I know people and made a few calls.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but it was huge to him. “They’ll work until you can get the girls’ their own, but if they like them, they can keep them. If not, see if the school needs them as backups or you can take them to the thrift store.”

“Wow, thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. Everything has happened so fast. I’m barely keeping my head above water. And for you to help me like this—”

“I’m helping the girls. Not you.” Nelie poked him in the chest to emphasize her point, popping his happy feeling. He glared at her. How many times did he have to apologize to get through her thick skull? He slowly inhaled and exhaled through his nose, praying for patience. It had become his go-to move since Christmas.

“I didn’t betray your confidence. I already suspected Emily was pregnant,” he said, again, for what felt like the millionth time.

“And if you hadn’t overheard my conversation with her?” Nelie planted her fists on her hips, drawing his eyes to her compact hourglass figure.

“I would have continued to dig until I had proof. Come on, Nelie, don’t be naïve.” Chet tossed his hands in the air and prowled around the kitchen island. “It was an election, and Emily was running for mayor. The voters had a right to know.” He pointed his finger at her.

“And Emily had a right to her privacy. Being a mom wouldn’t have impacted her job performance,” Nelie said through clenched teeth.

“Which she and Mrs. Hart pointed out in the final debate. Emily won the election. Can we please stop fighting about this?”

“Why?”

“Because I miss you.” He reached for her, but she stepped back.

“You just miss your mole,” she said, sounding hurt.

“No, Nelie, I miss you. And it’s because of you that I dug into the previous mayor. I wanted to give Emily ammunition to fight back with.”

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