Seb (9 page)

***

It took a lot to make me nervous, but when Skylar texted to let me know they were leaving their place, my gut started churning. I wanted her uncle to like me since I knew how much his niece valued his opinion. After watching me on TV, people often had a perception of me, and I didn’t want Uncle Charlie to be disappointed after meeting me.

I tried to distract myself with some mindless TV, even catching a few minutes of my own show, but I couldn’t stand the sound of my own voice for another second. I still couldn’t believe so many people were willing to tune in and watch some dude restore cars. But according to the bigshots at the network, tuning in they were. In record numbers. Especially women in the “target” demographic. Apparently because they thought I was hot, according to their test groups.

The whole pseudo-celebrity thing still made me uneasy. Some days I wondered how the hell I’d ever let myself get talked into this gig in the first place, but before I could dwell on it any more, my doorbell rang.

I jumped up and jogged to the door before forcing myself to take a deep breath. I opened it, grinning at Skylar. “Hi there,”

“Um, I have a favor to ask,” she said, casting a quick glance over her shoulder. “Could you give us a hand? My uncle has been having some trouble with stairs lately.”

“Yeah, of course.” There were only a few steps leading up to my front door, but based on what Skylar had told me about her uncle’s condition, I wasn’t surprised it would be a struggle for him.

“Thanks.” She flashed those dimples I was learning to love. “I’m sorry we were a bit late. We had to run back to the apartment. Uncle Charlie forgot one of his meds.”

“No worries.”

She opened the door of her car and stood behind me, resting her hand on my shoulder. “Uncle Charlie, I’d like you to meet Seb Steele.”

I crouched, extending my hand to the man in the passenger’s seat. He wasn’t as old as I’d expected. My guess was sixty at most. Too damn young to be facing death, in my opinion. Her uncle’s face lit up as he shook my hand, and his grip surprised me. He had a lot more strength than I would have expected.

“Good to meet you, son. I’ve been a big fan of yours for a long time.”

Before the show, the only way people would have known about me was if they attended trade shows or read the car magazines I’d been featured in. The fact that her uncle had been following my career told me he was a serious aficionado, which made his restoration project even more important to me.

“I appreciate that, sir. Skylar’s told me a lot of great things about you. I was really looking forward to this meeting.”

Skylar reached for the rear passenger door, and I saw a shock of salt-and-pepper hair followed by a petite lady holding a cake, the sight of which made my mouth water.

“You take this, dear,” the lady said, handing it to Skylar. “I want to meet your friend here.”

I helped her out of the car. In spite of her recent health scare, she certainly seemed agile. “You must be Mrs. Ryan. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“You too.” She winked at Skylar. “My goodness, he’s even more handsome in person than he is on TV, isn’t he?”

“That he is,” Skylar said, her cheeks coloring as she stole a glance at me.

“Tell me the truth, Mrs. R,” I said, leaning in to stage whisper with my hand around my mouth. “Did you make this cake, or did she?”

Skylar elbowed me in the ribs, making her landlady laugh. “I made it all by myself.”

“Just checking,” I said, rubbing my stomach for dramatic effect. “Now let’s get inside. There’s a bottle of chilled chardonnay with your name on it, Skylar.”

“I already told her I’d be happy to drive home,” Mrs. Ryan said, her eyes glittering as she squeezed my hand. “This sweet girl doesn’t make enough time for fun. You think you could help her with that, Seb?”

“I’d sure like to try,” I said, shooting a sidelong glance at Skylar. Even dressed casually in a pale green tank top with a matching sleeveless tunic-length sweater and skinny jeans, she looked hot.

Skylar said, “I’ll make sure your precious cake gets in the house in one piece if you can promise the same of my precious uncle.”

“It’s a deal.”

Her uncle chuckled when I reached for his arm to help him out of the car. “I wasn’t always like this, ya know. I used to be able to run circles around the boys on the track team.”

His breathing was slightly labored as he struggled to put one foot in front of the other, but it was his words that really got to me. They reminded me of my mother and how quickly a healthy person could lose their spark.

“I’ll bet you could,” I said softly, trying to help him while allowing him to maintain his dignity.

He was obviously a proud man who hated asking for help, especially from strangers, which only made me want to help him more. I didn’t have much use for people who clamored for my attention because they wanted something from me, but those who tried hard to do it all on their own, even when they knew it was impossible, always earned my respect.

By the time we finally made it up the walkway and the few stairs leading to my front door, I encouraged Charlie to take a seat on the porch to catch his breath.

“You go on inside,” Charlie said, waving at the ladies. “I want a word with Seb.”

Skylar led Mrs. Ryan inside before offering me a slight shrug to let me know she hadn’t a clue what was on her uncle’s mind.

Charlie spoke slowly as he caught his breath. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and my niece, but if you’re half as smart as I think you are, you won’t let her get away.”

I leaned against the railing, crossing my arms as I tried to suppress a smile. “Mr.—”

“Charlie,” he interrupted, looking stern. His bushy eyebrows drew together, bracketing soft blue eyes.

“Charlie,” I repeated. “I think your niece is great. But we just met.”

“She’ll tell you she doesn’t have time for a relationship ‘cause she’s too busy taking care of me.” He curled his hand around the sculpted log chair my brother Gabe had made. “I don’t want her to miss out on anything because of me.”

I was touched that Charlie seemed as determined to look after Skylar as she was to take care of him. That’s the way it was with my family. If one of us fell, the others rallied to pick him up.

“She seems like a headstrong woman,” I said, trying to be diplomatic.

Charlie scoffed. “Stubborn as hell is more like it. I keep telling her to get out there and date, but she’d rather sit at home, watching me die.”

“Charlie, don’t—”

He raised his hand to silence me. “I’m not stupid. I heard everything the doctor said about my condition. I’m too far gone. No help for me now.” He shrugged before fixating on another one of the birdfeeders I’d set up on my four-acre country property. “I’m not complaining, Seb. It’s been a pretty good life.”

I couldn’t believe he was opening up to me like this only minutes after meeting me. Maybe he felt comfortable around me because of our shared passion or the fact that he watched me on TV every week, but either way, I was happy to be his sounding board. “I’m sure it has.”

“I loved those kids.” Looking at me, he said, “I was a high school gym teacher. Coach too. Those kids were my life since I didn’t have any of my own.”

“But you had Skylar. Sounds like you were really there for her.”

“She may have made it seem that way when she told you the story, but the truth is, she was there for me. Losing my brother, her daddy, was hard. We were best friends.”

“I can’t imagine what that must have been like.” When he looked curious, I explained, “I have five brothers. I can’t imagine my life without any one of them.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I remember reading you came from a big family. There was just the two us in my family, my brother and me. He made me promise I’d take good care of his baby girl if anything ever happened to him.”

“And you have,” I said, hoping to erase some of the pain in his eyes.

“Yeah, but I never expected her to have this burden,” he said, gesturing to his body. He was wearing taupe chinos and a short-sleeved plaid shirt. His sensible shoes had Velcro tabs he probably hated because they reminded him of his premature frailty and the things he couldn’t do any more, like bend to tie his own shoes.

My heart went out to him in ways I never would have expected. He was a stranger to me, yet he stirred some protective instinct I couldn’t explain. I could tell he was a good man with a kind heart, and he’d been dealt a tough blow.

“She shouldn’t have to take care of me. It’s not fair. She has a life to live, and she’s already given up so much for me.”

Since he’d been so open with me, I felt it only fair I do the same. “My mother died when I was pretty young.” I leaned back on the wood railing that wrapped around the porch. “I was just a kid, really. Couldn’t do a damn thing to help her.”

“Sorry to hear that,” he muttered before looking me in the eye.

“I would have given anything to be able to do what Skylar has done for you. You may think she’s done all of this for you, but I can tell she’s grateful for this time with you. You mean everything to her. You’re the only family she has left. So why not let her take care of you if that’s what she wants?” I could tell Charlie was contemplating my advice, so I continued. “Just be grateful you have her and enjoy this time together. Reconnect in a way you couldn’t when busy schedules got in the way. Talk. Listen. Laugh. Reminisce. That’s what I’d want to do if I had more time with my mother.”

“Most men wouldn’t understand why a girl like Sky would want to get bogged down taking care of her sick old uncle.”

“Those who understand the importance of family would. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without my mother and brothers. Just like Skylar wouldn’t be who she is without you and her parents. She can’t do anything to thank her parents, but she can do something to thank you. So why not let her?”

He looked at me a long time before he cracked a smile and nodded. “I guess I never thought about it like that. So it doesn’t bother you that she gave up her house to come live with me and take care of me?”

I chuckled before helping him to his feet. “Hell, that’s what attracted me to her in the first place, Charlie.”

Skylar

I wasn’t sure what had happened between Seb and my uncle on the porch, but as dinner progressed, it was obvious they’d bonded. I felt as though my uncle was finally back, and by the way he’d been teasing Mrs. Ryan all night while brushing up against her as he reached for a dish or platter, I could tell she was as shocked and pleased by his transformation as I was.

Seb was the perfect host: charming, attentive, and gregarious. He entertained us with stories about his work and family while asking questions that had my uncle and Mrs. Ryan sharing details with him as though they’d known him for years.

“Sky, you should stay and enjoy the rest of the evening with Seb,” Mrs. Ryan said, winking at our host. “I can drive your car home if Seb wouldn’t mind giving you a lift.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Seb said, smiling at me.

My nosy landlady was obviously trying to play matchmaker, but I couldn’t be mad at her. I knew her heart was in the right place.

“But we didn’t bring the wheelchair,” I reminded her. “Just the walker in the trunk. Uncle Charlie may not feel up to walking all that way.”

“Nonsense,” Uncle Charlie said. “I feel better than I have in ages.”

I wanted to suggest that could be because it was the first time he’d ventured out of his cave in months, but I bit my tongue, not wanting to embarrass him. “If you’re sure.”

“We are.” Mrs. Ryan patted her lips with her napkin. “Dinner was wonderful, Seb. Thank you.”

I had to agree. He may not have been able to cook in the traditional sense, but his skill on the grill more than made up for it. The menu had been simple but flavourful: salmon, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes, with fresh fruit and my chocolate cake for dessert.

“I happen to think the cake was the highlight,” he said, grinning across the table at me. “I wouldn’t dare say this if my mother were still alive to hear it, but your fudge cake is even better than hers.”

I was delighted at the compliment. I hadn’t had a man in my life who appreciated me and all the little things I did for him in a really long time. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Why don’t you stay a little longer?” Seb suggested when Mrs. Ryan stood. “We could go into the family room and—”

“You’re so sweet to offer, but I’m sure you two would like a little alone time,” Mrs. Ryan said, helping my uncle up before slipping her arm through his.

I had a feeling Mrs. Ryan was anxious for a little alone time with my uncle. I couldn’t say I blamed her given his improved mood tonight.

We walked my uncle and landlady to the door, and I kissed them both good night before watching Seb walk them to the car. My heart lurched at the respectful way he treated my uncle, as though Uncle Charlie was as important to him as he was to me.

When their taillights disappeared from view, I slipped into Seb’s arms without waiting for an invitation. I hadn’t felt comfortable touching him with a curious audience, but now the urge was so strong I couldn’t resist it. I tipped my head back to look him in the eye. “I cannot thank you enough. You were wonderful with him, with both of them in fact.”

“They’re easy people to like,” he said, lowering his head so his lips were hovering just above mine. “Just like you.”

“Is that so?” I let my eyes skate over his mouth so he knew I was thinking the same thing he was. “Are you saying you like me, Seb Steele?”

“Can’t you tell?”

My breath caught in my throat when I felt his hard body pressed against mine. I hadn’t been intimate with a man in a long time, but being so close to Seb was definitely stirring feelings that reminded me what I’d been missing. He curled his hands around my face, surprising me with a kiss that felt more tender than passionate.

“I really like you, Skylar,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. “And not for the reasons you think. Sure, you’re beautiful, but I can already tell there’s so much more to you than what’s on the outside.”