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“To mess with me,” he suggested, and she suspected he was only half joking. “Why does Diana do anything? Because she wants to. It was probably a whim. She spoke to Dylan on Saturday night and must have hopped on a plane straight after, because it would have taken her a while to get here. I’m hoping she’ll regret the impulse once she’s had some rest, and she’ll turn around and go home.”
Faith doubted that would happen, but she let him hold out hope. “Perhaps she will.” Megan appeared in front of her and indicated she was leaving. Faith nodded and blew her a kiss. “Are you all right?”
He hesitated for a long beat. “I know this is a lot to ask, but would you mind extending our pretend relationship until she leaves? I need as many barriers between us as I can get.”
Faith closed her eyes and hauled in a breath. Honestly, she hated the thought of exposing herself to that dreadful woman again, but if Diana had come all the way here because Dylan ran his mouth about her, then she was partially to blame for the current situation and should own her part in it. Besides, this was Shane. He needed her. When had she ever been able to say no to him?
“Sure thing. I’ll be your bodyguard. Your woman-repellent. Would you prefer I take the clingy route or the ice bitch route? Believe me, I can do either.”
At this, he laughed, and she loved the sound of it so much that she’d have swooned if not for the counter holding her up. “Just be yourself. Thank you, Faith. And again, I’m incredibly sorry.”
She smiled, feeling a little saucy. “You’ll make it up to me, gorgeous.”
She hung up before he could respond.
Shane’s teeth ground together.The nerve of the woman. She must have looked Faith up as soon as she’d left his place, which made him feel both wary and guilty. Clearly, Dylan had told her Faith’s full name and God only knew what else. While Faith hadn’t said anything about their exchange, he could imagine how it had gone. Diana wasn’t the type to take any perceived threat lying down—something he’d once loved about her. She’d probably warned Faith off and called her a few choice names while she was at it. His ex-wife could be malicious.
A smoke alarm went off, jolting him from his reverie, and he raced to the kitchen in time to see smoke billowing from the oven. Damn. The garlic bread was toast. Blackened and charred. He opened a window and tried to wave the smoke outside, his eyes stinging. Everything else was salvageable.
“Great,” Dylan complained, having finally emerged from his bedroom after shutting himself away when Diana left. “Burnt bread on top of everything else.”
“Can you make sure Hunter is okay?” Shane gritted out, grasping the frayed ends of his temper.
Dylan shrugged. “Already done. He’s fine.”
“Thank you.”
Jerking his chin in acknowledgment, Dylan spun around and left. Shane sighed, rubbing his eyelids. He didn’t know anything about parenting a tween, and he was lucky Dylan was such a responsible kid, because he was pretty sure he was messing it up.
Tossing the remains of the bread out the window, he gulped the fresh air, then checked the vegetables and chicken, which needed to cook for a while longer. The kitchen situation under control, he grabbed his cell phone and flicked through his contact list until he reached Diana’s number. He’d used it maybe half a dozen times since he’d programmed it in, and each time he wished he didn’t have to. Now was no different. But she needed to be told that he wouldn’t tolerate her antics. The call rang once, and then went to voicemail.
“I can’t believe you went after Faith,” he said following the beep. “That’s not okay. It’s none of your business who I date, or sleep with, or decide to have a relationship with. You and I haven’t been together for a long time, and you can’t suddenly choose to take an interest in my life. Mine, or the boys. If you get them used to seeing you and then take off, you’ll break their hearts. Have some common decency and just get the hell out of here before you do any more damage.”
That done, he plucked up his courage and went in search of the boys. They were together in Dylan’s room. Shane sat on the bed with Hunter while Dylan slouched on the floor.
“We need to talk about your mother,” he said. Turning to Hunter, he continued, “Do you remember the woman you talk to on the phone sometimes? That’s who you met tonight.”
“Oh.” Hunter’s voice was small, and he shrunk in on himself. “She was angry with me.”
Dylan scoffed.
“No, Hunter, she was angry with me,” Shane corrected. “And confused because you didn’t know who she was.”
Hunter studied his feet. “I don’t ’member seeing her before.”
His heart ached for the little guy. “That’s okay. You were really young when you saw her last. But Dylan is old enough to remember her better, aren’t you, bud?”
Dylan nodded, staring at Hunter as though willing him to remember. “She used to take me out of school, and we’d go to the city to watch a play or see a movie. It was the best.”
Shane cringed inwardly. He’d been the one who’d had to explain the numerous sick days to the school administrators when he hadn’t even realized they were happening. Dylan and Diana had been very close-lipped. But that’s how it always had been. Diana was the fun parent, and he was the reliable one.
“Did you know she was coming?” Shane asked, the possibility only now occurring to him.
“No,” Dylan said. “But it’s the best surprise. Ever since Caleb’s parents remarried, I hoped she’d come back so we could be a family again.”
Shane’s heart sank. Dylan was going to be crushed when he learned the truth, because there was no doubt in Shane’s mind that Diana wouldn’t be here for more than a couple of weeks.
“She’s only visiting,” he said gently. “We all need to remember that, okay? I know it’s tempting to get excited because it’s been so long since you saw her, but she won’t be staying. She needs to be back on set in six weeks.”
