“It’s not a phase,” Max said. “She’s always been like that. All she wants is sugar.”
Jed leaned forward and snagged a muffin. He held it up to the light. “What the hell is a stuffin’ muffin, anyway? It looks like cornbread.”
“It pretty much is, with some added stuff from the garden—apples, celery, and herbs. Want one before the kids eat them all?”
“Maybe later.”
Jed put the muffin down and leaned his elbows on the table. Max found the wariness in his eyes slightly disturbing. To break the heavy air, he got up and opened the fridge. He thought about reaching for a beer, but decided against it. He didn’t drink often, and when he did, it went straight to his head. Not a good plan when he was spending an evening with his brother-in-law. He pulled out two bottles of water and set one in front of Jed.
“Thanks,” Jed said. “So, what’s the deal with Tess? Does she have ADHD?”
The blunt question caught Max off guard. To buy some time, he took a slow swallow of water. “Why do you say that?”
Jed shrugged, letting his keen gaze talk for him. He’d lived in the Cooper house for a month, and from what Kim said, he’d spent a lot of time with Tess. There was no way he would’ve missed her hyperactive behavior and inability to focus on anything.
“She might,” Max said. “It runs in our family.”
“You?”
Max sighed. He should’ve figured it was pointless to hedge. “Yep. I grew out of it… mostly, but I was the ultimate problem child for a while.”
Jed’s answer was drowned out by the thunder of tiny footsteps on the stairs. Tess barreled into the kitchen moments later. Max moved to intercept her before she could get too close to the stove, but Jed was quicker, catching her and reeling her in. “Watch yourself, little bug. Max has hot stuff in there.”
Tess pouted, but the reward of having Jed’s attention seemed to make it better. She made to climb up his legs the way she often did with Max. Max was puzzled when she paused and tilted her head to one side. “Which side is your owie on? I forgot again.”
Max couldn’t see which side Jed pointed to, but when Tess maneuvered herself up his right side, he figured whatever injuries Jed had must be on the left side of his body.
Behind Max, another set of small arms wound around his waist. He scooped Belle up and set her on the counter. As was her way, she’d snuck into the kitchen unnoticed. “Hey, bu… uh, sweetie. Want to help me mash the potatoes?”
Belle nodded, her dark curls bobbing around her face, and as Tess happily chattered away to Jed, Max set Belle to work.
Chapter Five
MAXPUSHEDhis plate away in disgust. Every holiday was the same: a horrible, awkward bust. The only change in scenery was Jed, and his silence only added to the strained atmosphere at the dinner table. And, Jed didn’t even bother to eat, something Max couldn’t understand.
Max found himself surreptitiously observing Jed as the oppressive attempt at the Brady Bunch dragged on. Jed’s profile was as unreadable as ever, but for some reason Max thought he looked different—wearier, older, and maybe even slightly thinner. Was such a thing possible in just a few days?
One thing was for sure: Jed was definitely distracted. Though his attention appeared focused on keeping Tess in line, Max could tell his mind was elsewhere. Little things gave him away—like the absent way he played with Tess’s long hair, and the way his gaze drifted to the back door, like he was imagining his escape.
Max wondered where Jed would rather be, and with who. Did he have a girlfriend out there somewhere? Or a….
Nick brought his hand down on the table with a startling slam. Belle jumped. Max reached automatically for her and pulled her from her seat onto his lap. He eyed Nick warily, ready to scoop the kids and walk if he launched into a drunken tirade. Being a douche bag was one of his favorite tricks to get out of dinner early.
This time, though, it appeared over before it began. Without a word, Nick shoved his chair back, glared at Jed, and left the room.
The children watched him go with wide, innocent eyes.
“Okay, kids,” Kim said with forced brightness. “Who wants pumpkin pie?”
No one, it seemed, from the silence, but Jed got to his feet, passed Tess to Kim, and limped to the kitchen counter to retrieve the store-bought dessert. Max watched in his peripheral vision, observing the careful way Jed carried his body and the subtle grimace he tried to hide. Again, Max found himself speculating on the severity of his injuries. The way he pushed his food around his plate was odd. Max wondered idly if the two things were connected.
Perhaps too idly. Kim waved her hand in front of his face as a phone rang somewhere in the house. “You’re spacing out a lot today. Are you feeling okay?”
Max rolled his eyes, unwilling to admit the real reason for his distraction, and pointed to Flo curled up under the table, asleep and content. “You’d know if I wasn’t.”
Kim wasn’t convinced, but Max was saved from her scrutiny by Jed coming back to the table, weighed down with pumpkin pie and four sets of dessert crockery.Four. Looked like he was done pretending to eat.
Max couldn’t help his curious glance, but Jed shook his head. The motion was slight—so subtle Max nearly missed it—but the message was clear.