Seeing is Believing (Cuttersville #3)(31)
Author: Erin McCarthy

“My stepmom used to make these all the time. You know, I think I owe her a big thank-you and maybe some flowers. She taught me everything I know about being decent, and I don’t think I’ve always appreciated her enough.” He pointed the spatula at Lilly. “Appreciate your mama.”

She giggled. “Duh.”

“I didn’t realize you were raised by your stepmom. I guess we have that in common. I owe a ton to Amanda.”

“Auntie Amanda isn’t your real mom?” Emily looked horrified. “I didn’t know that.”

“Duh,” Lilly said again. “She doesn’t look anything like Auntie Amanda.”

Well, that was true. She was no tall, willowy blonde. Trying not to be insulted by an eight-year-old, Piper said, “My mom died when I was seven. I was lucky that my dad married Amanda and she loved me just like I was hers.”

“I’m sorry your mom died,” Emily said, looking appropriately sad.

“Thanks.”

“Did your mom die, too, Brady?” Lilly asked, not looking particularly broken up about the possibility, just curious. She was more interested in shaking her booty from side to side.

“No. She moved away when I was two.”

The twins looked suitably horrified at the prospect. Piper hadn’t realized that’s what had happened, and she felt sympathy for Brady. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

He just shrugged and plated the bears. “I don’t even remember living with her. She popped in and out over the years, then disappeared altogether by the time I was ten. Her loss, not mine. Girls, grab the syrup and some forks. Food’s up.”

Piper pulled out two coffee mugs and filled them both, needing to feel useful. She just felt off from her lousy night’s sleep. Maybe coffee would help.

As the girls ran around being busy, Brady leaned over and murmured, “I would love to kiss you right now you know that?”

“I would like that myself,” she said. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed.

“You okay? You look tired.”

“Bad dream. And Rachel standing at the end of my bed all night,” she told him in a low voice.

He frowned. “You should have let me know.”

Piper shrugged. What was he going to do about it? “She’s tenacious, I’ll give her that.”

“I wonder why she’s suddenly so interested in you?”

“I have no idea.” And at the moment she didn’t really care. She just wanted her to go away. As it was, she found herself warily glancing towards the parlor, sure Rachel was going to appear in the doorway.

“I think we should do a little research on her, along with the original Brady Stritmeyer.”

The thought made Piper uncomfortable and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she just wanted the spirits to leave her alone so she could go back to pretending that she was a normal person who didn’t see ghosts. Or maybe she was afraid of what she might find. Or what might be asked of her.

She was the first to admit she didn’t like change. She’d had so much change in her early years that she liked stability, the same, reliable routine in her life. Yet in the past two days her world had been shaken like a snow globe. Some of it she had initiated herself, like going into Brady’s room and calling Mrs. Stritmeyer about rentals, but Rachel suddenly getting aggressive was not her doing. Not in any conscious way. She didn’t like it.

“I don’t imagine we’ll find a lot out,” she said. “That article we found was probably all there really is.” For some reason, she hoped that was all there was, and then she felt guilty for being so wimpy. What did she think was going to happen? She did want to help Rachel, but at the same time, she wanted to be left alone. It didn’t make her feel particularly good about herself.

“Come eat!” Lilly demanded, a huge bite of pancake on her fork, her mouth already crammed full.

“We’re getting our coffee,” Brady told the girls mildly, but instead of reaching for his coffee mug on the counter, he moved closer to Piper. “What was your bad dream about?”

“I don’t remember,” she lied, not wanting to tell him about her stepfather.

“You’re lying,” he told her. “But I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

Piper stared into his green eyes and suddenly she thought maybe she could share her feelings. That he wouldn’t think she was pathetic or weird or clinging to the past. That he could reassure her that it was normal to have a dream about ghosts when one was standing at the bottom of her bed.

But before she could open her mouth and say anything, a voice from the doorway had her whipping her head around.

“Well, isn’t this a cozy Sunday morning,” Shelby said breezily.

“Mom!” Emily yelled and shoved her chair back with a screech.

Lilly quickly followed and in seconds Shelby was getting squeezed by her pj-clad daughters.

Piper stepped away from Brady, conscious of how close they had been standing, and well aware of how lousy she felt about sleeping with him in Shelby’s bed. She didn’t do things like that. Ever. She wasn’t impulsive. She wasn’t selfish. She always put everyone else’s feelings before her own, and she felt confused and off-kilter by her behavior, even more so now that Shelby and Boston were home. Piper knew she must look guilty, and, good gravy, she wasn’t wearing a bra. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Brady didn’t look uncomfortable. He casually put his hand on the small of her back as he reached around her for his own coffee. “Hey, Shel, how the heck are you? You’re home early.”

“Yes, we are,” Boston said from behind his wife, sounding less than happy about the situation. “Hey, girls.”

Shelby kissed the twins on the tops of their heads before they moved past her to hug their father. “I just missed home,” she said defensively. Walking over to Brady, she gave him a hard hug. “And I wanted to see you before you disappeared again for a decade.”

“It’s good to see you,” he said, tugging the back of her hair as he hugged her.

“Now put a shirt on for crying out loud,” Shelby said as she stepped back and looked at him.

“When did you get all prude?” he asked, clearly unperturbed.

“Don’t let her fool you. She’s not prude,” Boston said, cracking a grin.

“Honey!” Shelby didn’t deny it, though. “How were the girls?” she asked, turning to Piper. “I hope they were okay for you.”