Always My Hero (16 page)

“You okay?” Bree stumbled to a stop as Foster laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Of course. A little nervous I admit, but—” Oh, crap. The way he was looking at her. Haley was here. At the warehouse. The woman had shown up at
her
photo shoot.

“What kind of game does Haley think she’s playing?” Foster sneered.

“Who says it’s a game? People come home all the time. Maybe she’s just looking for a fresh start.” Her jaw ached with the effort to look unaffected by the woman’s presence.

Heading off in search of the photographer, Bree tried to ignore the dull throbbing that was sure to turn into a killer headache by lunchtime. She didn’t have time for this, for any of this. Seriously, what was Haley even doing here? No one invited her. Had they?

Across the warehouse, the former head cheerleader held audience, laughing and tossing her hair back. One possessive arm snaked tightly around Ryan’s bicep. To his credit, the man looked as though he would rather be anywhere else. Nope, she had no time for this. Insecurities be damned!

The large, empty room had been set up in sections, each one with various props and backdrops to set the scene. Bree and Damian, a talented photographer known throughout the Seacoast, had already come up with a preliminary list of which man would model for which month, with some basic background ideas. Being early February, outdoor location shots were not practical. She imagined the men she’d lined up for the winter months were grateful.

As each of her models arrived, Damian insisted they get “into costume,” which basically meant they were to strip down to their pants. In some cases, less, in some a little more. Lucas had been asked to bring his turnout gear, and now wore the heavy pants with nothing but his strapping chest and wide shoulders, liberally dotted with ginger freckles to match his red hair, to hold up the suspenders. Bree nearly melted in a puddle when she caught a glimpse of the shy firefighter rubbing his neatly trimmed beard against a Dalmatian puppy.

Was it warm in here? She plucked at her blouse, trying to generate a little breeze, while making a concerted effort to maintain eye contact. This wasn’t awkward at all. No siree! She stepped around Cady’s brother, Chase, who was in the makeup chair, wearing his dress uniform. Well, most of it. Snorting, she wondered where he’d put his badge.

“Hey, Bree, this guy says I’m supposed to leave my jeans unzipped. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Burke approached her, his hands held protectively over his package.

“Humor him. It won’t take but a second. Damian promised nothing lewd. You’re safe for now.” She paused to fix his hair, seeing he’d wrecked the job the hairdresser had done only moments before.

As Haley’s bubbly laughter reached her ears Bree grit her teeth and hummed the theme song to
Jeopardy
, making her way over to the first area that was sectioned off. Just because the woman had invited herself here did not mean she had to acknowledge her presence. It didn’t bother her at all that Ryan’s ex-wife was hanging all over him. The poor guy probably felt so awkward. Bree looked up in time to see Ryan high-fiving one of his old teammates.

The pencil in her fist snapped with enough force to send both pieces flying in opposite directions. Bree laughed nervously, thankful that the only person who had noticed was someone in Damian’s employ. She gave the young woman a helpless shrug and hoped she just looked like a ditz.

Focusing on the task at hand, she rifled through the notes she’d made on the January setting as she reached the lifelike backdrop of a roaring fire. They probably could have gotten the real thing, but it would have meant hauling Damian and his equipment to one of the local hotels or bed and breakfasts, gaining permission and a lot of added attention from curious bystanders. She nodded at the thick, cozy rug on the ground, and the thin-stemmed champagne flutes ready to be filled. Sam was her Mr. January. Pondering her promise to add something techy to his backdrop, she figured it would be simple enough to have him studying something on an iPad.

The red velvet couch that greeted her for the February backdrop was a bit garish, in Bree’s opinion. Though she liked the smart black tux draped over the back. Nice touch. She and Damian had argued about the placement of the model on this one. She felt that Foster should be seated on the sofa, surrounded by roses, chocolates, and a Valentine’s greeting card, almost like he was taking stock of what he’d need for his date that evening. Damian wanted him draped across the couch cushions with the card and a single red rose, having fallen asleep dreaming of his love. Grudgingly, she knew the photographer would get his way.

March was set up for Lucas and his little Dalmatian friend with a picture of a fire engine. April was a workbench with soil, assorted pots, and lots of fresh flowers they’d had to struggle to find in winter. While she had originally pictured Dean with a surfboard, she had to admit that Damian’s placement was better. Dean approached, offering her a comfortable grin and a friendly wave. He wore a pair of tight, grubby jeans with holes in the knees, and a liberal dousing of potting soil. Though it killed her to leave it alone, she imagined the smudge of dirt across his left cheek was deliberate. Bree gripped her clipboard to keep from messing up the makeup artist’s work and headed for May.

A bike rider, a picnic scene, and a hot summer day by the pool. Check, check, and check. Oh my! She’d told Doyle to plan on swim trunks for his portion of the photo shoot. The man wore Speedos and a smear of zinc oxide down the strip of his nose. Nothing else. She never would have guessed he had quite so many tattoos. She mumbled a quick “good morning” and moved on.

Using her clipboard for a fan now, she hurried to the August set just in time to hear Damian and Jonah arguing over how he should pose by the ladder.

“You have the ass for it. Just trust me on this. Place one foot on the first rung and let’s see you strain those back muscles.”

“Jesus, isn’t it enough that I’m wearing my frickin’ tool belt and barely anything else? Leave me a little dignity, will ya?”

Seeing the two men square off in what could turn into a nasty showdown, Bree was quick to step in and alleviate the building tension.

“Jonah, if your back is to the camera, you won’t have to worry about your face even being in the shot. The women of Scallop Shores may not even realize that it’s you.” Who was she kidding? The great ass? The tool belt? Hands down, one of the tallest men in town? How could it be anyone else?

“I hadn’t thought of it like that. You’re right, Bree. Thanks.” He smiled gratefully and she fled before he could see she wasn’t exactly being honest with him.

“This is just like old times, isn’t it, Ry?” Bree overheard as Haley giggled and gave her ex a squeeze.

“Yep. A little too much like old times. I feel ridiculous.” Ryan tried to shrug out of his ex-wife’s reach.

Squaring her own shoulders, she marched in. Show time.

“Now, I’ve got to tell you, Ryan. Yours was the only shoot I didn’t have control over. The board members wanted it just like this.” Ignoring Haley altogether, Bree gave Ryan a sympathetic smile.

The backdrop was a football field, with a patch of Astroturf to match. Damian wanted his ex-quarterback sprawled on the grass, letterman’s jacket hooked on one finger and draped over his shoulder. A come-hither look in his eyes. He wore a pair of tight white uniform pants and a Wildcats helmet had been placed beside him.

“Not blaming you. Just don’t like it.” His words were terse, his back muscles tense.

“Hi there. I’m Haley, Ryan’s wife. Oops, I mean ex-wife. How silly of me!” Haley held out a hand in greeting.

Oh, no she didn’t! Several of the models had been standing near enough to hear Haley’s introduction. Now they all waited, with bated breath, to see how Bree would handle this. The woman wasn’t stupid, she was calculating. But why pretend she didn’t know Bree? What was her game?

“We’ve met.” Bree wasn’t going to indulge Haley by explaining any further.

“Oh, yes. I saw you last night. You’re Ryan’s neighbor.”

Yeah, his neighbor. She’d seen them practically screwing against the side of his truck and that made her just ... his neighbor. Awesome.

“Haley, this is Bree. Remember Bree from school? You asked her to tutor me.” Ryan, it appeared, was the only one who didn’t see this slight for what it was.

“The mousy little bookworm? No way! You look so different now. Almost ... pretty.” Haley tried to reach for Ryan again but he stepped up beside Bree.

The woman had gone too far. Ryan’s friends had turned narrowed eyes on her and started mumbling amongst themselves. An apology in his eyes, he settled a hand on the small of Bree’s back and tried to guide her away from Haley. But Bree stood her ground. If she didn’t say anything now, she’d be labeled weak.

“Hey, easy mistake. I looked a lot different in high school. We all did, though, didn’t we?” Let her take that one how she would.

“But I’m really liking the new look. Makes me feel sexy, you know?” She took a step closer to Haley. “And I hope you don’t find it too awkward that Ryan’s dating the mousy bookworm.”

She settled her back against Ryan’s wide chest and tried to pretend she wasn’t about to hurl. Lucas, Doyle, and Chase were clearly enjoying the exchange. Ryan’s heart beat rapidly enough for her to feel it through her shirt. He knew, as she did, that Haley was probably not done with her. She needed to show Ryan’s ex that she was not intimidated.

“Oh, sweetie, I have the best idea! Since Haley is staying with you guys for the time being, why don’t you let her and Wes have a little bonding time? I bet it’s been ages since she’s seen her own son. You’ll be right next door if they need anything.” Game. Set. Match.

By the nasty look in Haley’s eyes, it was high time for a hasty retreat. This time Bree let him drag her to a quiet corner of the warehouse. Without a word, Ryan wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head as he rubbed her back in wide circles. They were quiet for a moment before he finally nudged her chin up with a finger so they were eye to eye.

“I feel like I’m on some freakin’ reality show. Tell me Haley is not back in my life.”

“Wish I could, Ryan.” She stepped up on tiptoes and brushed her lips against his.

“Then tell me you meant what you said about having her spend time with Wes tonight. We can pick up where we were so rudely interrupted.”

“Are you sure? Do you trust her with him?” Selfishly speaking, it had sounded like a great idea at the time. But the more she thought about it, the more Bree began to have doubts.

“You mean, am I worried she’ll run off with him? Hell no! She never wanted him in the first place. She won’t know what to do with him tonight. But she doesn’t really have a choice. He deserves to get to know his mother, the good and the bad. And he is old enough to pick up on vibes. He needs to understand.”

Bree liked to think that even Haley wasn’t so cruel as to pass up the opportunity to play the role of “fun mom” for an evening. If she didn’t intend to have a permanent place in her son’s life, she could at least entertain him with the grand adventures she’d been having while Ryan was being a stickler about homework and brushing teeth. She wouldn’t have to break Wesley’s heart.

“You’ll be right next door if he needs you.”

He rested his chin on top of her head and let out a gusty sigh.

“I haven’t gotten the whole story out of her yet, but I’ll figure out why she’s here and how to get rid of her. She may be Wesley’s mother, but there is no reason for Haley to have any role in
my
life, whatsoever.” Ryan kissed her again and headed back to the September backdrop, where Damian was waving his arms madly.

What a crazy nightmare! But they were facing it together. Confident that the doubts her imagination had conjured overnight were unfounded, Bree smiled a genuine smile for the first time that day. Whistling to herself, she headed for the October set.

Ryan’s friend and former teammate, Jamie, was a mountain of a man. Which made the kittens in the basket on his lap look all the more tiny. It was an adorable juxtaposition and one that would have the women of Scallop Shores sighing as they forked out their cash.

Note to self, she thought. Make sure the Dalmatian puppy does not see those kittens.

• • •

Because his mother raised him right, Ryan helped Haley out of her coat before tossing it in the closet along with his and storming into the living room. Thank God Wesley had spent the night with his grandparents. Haley settled comfortably into a corner of the couch, her high heels kicked off and her bare feet curled under her.

“Seven years. No contact in seven years. And just to clarify, I am not complaining, merely stating a fact. But
my
kid is due home from school in exactly half an hour and he’ll be expecting some sort of explanation for your presence.” She may have given birth to him, but seeing as she’d signed her rights away all those years ago, he was perfectly justified in reminding her that Wesley was his kid and his alone.

“Rowr. Easy, Tiger. You’re awfully sexy when you’re worked up.” Haley watched him with playful eyes.

“Could you be serious for one minute? Why here? Why now? Your parents are just a few streets down. Why couldn’t you stay with them?”

“You’d think that would be the obvious choice, wouldn’t you?” She studied her red lacquered nails, avoiding eye contact.

“Are you in some kind of trouble? Wait, are you pregnant?” Ryan stopped pacing and whirled on his ex-wife.

“Oh, please! Do I look like a stupid sixteen year old? The one and only time I ever got pregnant, I did it for you.”

Ah, yes, the selfless martyr. He rolled his eyes, waiting her out. Haley squirmed around on the couch.

“They wouldn’t take me in. They’re a little fed up with my
choices
.” She made finger quotes as she spoke.

“You were going to be an actress. You’d done some modeling. I know it’s a tough business to break into, but I thought you were getting somewhere.”

“Headshots cost money. Agents cost money. Schmoozing and being seen in the right places. You get the picture, Ry.”