Unforgettable (Cloverleigh Farms #5)(28)

He wandered toward the fireplace and studied the framed photographs on the mantel. “Whose wedding is this?”

“My youngest sister, Frannie’s.”

“She was a friend of Sadie’s, right?”

“Yes. She still is.”

“I feel like I recognize the groom too.”

“You probably do—he was two years ahead of us in school, and he played baseball. Declan MacAllister. Goes by Mack.”

“Oh, right.” He took the frame off the shelf and looked more closely. “Outfielder. Good arm.”

I walked over and stood beside him. “They got married last fall. He’s actually the CFO at Cloverleigh Farms. He had three daughters from a previous marriage—that’s who those young girls are.”

“Wow. Three girls.” He set the photo back on the mantel.

I laughed. “She’s trying to convince him to have more.”

“He’s probably a great dad.”

“He is.” I threw my bag over my shoulder. “Okay, ready to go.”

Outside, the sky was completely overcast and the air was slightly humid. Off to the west, I could see dark gray clouds moving toward us and knew Tyler was right about the rain coming. He unlocked the passenger door and opened it for me.

“Thanks,” I said as I climbed in. “The place I want to take you for breakfast is Frannie’s pastry shop. But they have eggs and sandwiches and all kinds of things. Plus, the coffee is amazing.”

“Sounds good. Just tell me how to get there.”

Once he was behind the wheel, I gave him directions and he nodded, but I could tell he was distracted by something. He leaned toward the driver’s side door, elbow on the window, hand rubbing his jaw.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. Fine.”

But he went silent again for the rest of the ride downtown—so silent that I knew intuitively something was wrong. We parked along Main Street and hurried down the block, thunder rumbling softly over our heads. Tyler opened the pastry shop door for me just as the first fat, heavy raindrops were starting to splat on the sidewalk.

Coffee Darling was always busy in the morning, but we snagged a table for two toward the back. The server came over right away and asked us what we’d like to drink. Caitlan, her name tag read.

“Coffee please,” I said. “With cream.”

“Sure thing. And for you?” she asked Tyler.

“Coffee. Black.”

“You got it.”

“Hey, is Frannie here this morning?” I asked her.

Caitlan nodded. “She’s in the back.”

“Can you tell her that her sister April is here, and to come say hello if she gets a moment?”

“Of course. Be right back with your coffee. The menu is on the chalkboard behind the counter.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as we were alone, I sat back and looked at Tyler. “So what’s on your mind?” I asked. “And don’t say nothing or I’m going to personally go out and buy you a kitten.”

He gave me a barely-there smile. “Sorry. That picture of Mack and his kids reminded me of something.”

“What?”

“Sadie and Josh asked me to be their baby’s godfather the other night.”

“Really?” I sat up taller. “That’s so exciting, Tyler!”

“I said yes, but I didn’t want to.”

“Why not? I think you’ll be an awesome godfather! You’ll love being an uncle, I promise. Being an aunt is so much fun. And I’m actually my niece Whitney’s godmother. It’s a really cool relationship.”

“But it’s a lot of responsibility too. If something were to happen to Sadie and Josh—”

“Don’t even think about it like that,” I said quickly. “No point in stressing out about things you can’t control. Focus on the good part. Your sister trusts you with the most precious thing in her world—the life of her child. That’s an incredible honor.”

“But what if I’m not qualified? What if I, like, drop it? Or leave it somewhere? Or screw it up somehow?”

“Screw it up how?”

“I don’t know—that’s the point. But if I can screw up baseball, I can screw up a kid.”

I laughed. “You’ll be fine. I have faith in you.”

Caitlan appeared, setting down two cups of coffee and a tiny pitcher of cream. “Now what can I bring you to eat? Frannie is just putting something in the oven and then she’ll be right out.”

“Great,” I said. “I haven’t even looked at the menu, but I’ll just have a cinnamon roll. They’re my favorite.”

“Mine too.” Caitlan looked at Tyler. “And for you?”

He was squinting at the chalkboard menu. “I’ll try the farmer’s omelette.”

“Greens or potatoes?”

“Potatoes, please. And a side of bacon. Oh, and some toast.”

“White or wheat?”

“Wheat.”

“Coming right up.”

When she was gone, I laughed as I poured cream into my coffee. “I forgot about your appetite. My God, you used to eat so much when you’d come home after a game. Like an entire pot of spaghetti.”