And he dirtied more shirts and pants than Andy could comprehend. How had his mother managed to do the laundry for all five of them when they were kids?
His stomach growled, and he rubbed it. The Hale clan was getting together later for a BBQ at his brother’s house. He’d purposely eaten light since two local chefs would be bringing food to the potluck.
He was picking up Danny’s train set lying in front of the TV, making a cursory attempt at tidying, when the doorbell rang. He stashed the toy in the blue plastic chest in the corner of the family room and jogged over to answer it. He opened the door to find his brother standing on the threshold, looking pissed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as Matt walked inside. “Your grill out of propane?”
“No,” he responded, tossing his car keys in his hand. “Blake is here.”
His head jerked back. “Huh? What do you mean here?”
“He’s Natalie’s new next-door neighbor. He paid the Howards some obscene amount of money to secretly move. And he built a freaking bridge over the creek of my old place to connect their two properties. He plans to share Touchdown with her.”
Everyone had wondered where Blake had gone after shocking the world with his retirement. Then the press had reported the news of his brother’s death, and Andy had taken a moment of silence to grieve with his old friend. Blake and Adam had been as close as he and Matt were.
The whole family knew he wanted Natalie back, and had for some time, although they’d agreed not to interfere. Andy had always liked Blake and had considered him a brother until Natalie bushwhacked them all by leaving him. It seemed death’s call had given Blake a renewed fire, and part of Andy admired it.
“How’s Nat handling it?” he asked neutrally.
“How do you think? She asked me to look into the legality of the bridge. I asked her what difference it would make. I mean, if she makes a big deal of this, it will only become the talk of the town. Adam just died, for heaven’s sake. I don’t want to kick a man while he’s down, but he has to back off. Natalie is freaking out.”
“If she’s freaking out, it probably means she still cares for him.” Something he’d always suspected.
“I think we should go see him,” Matt said. “Get your shoes on. I assume Danny’s at Martin’s since he didn’t jump me the second I rang the bell. We can stop by to tell them we’ll be back in a bit.”
Andy shifted his weight. “I don’t know, Matt. What about our family pact to stay out of it? I think Natalie and Blake need to work this out on their own.”
Matt punched the air. “Look, I used to love the guy. He was part of our family, and it tore me up when he and Natalie split, but we can’t let this drag on—no matter what he’s going through. Nat made her decision, and it’s time for him to accept that. She’s already fought with Caroline and Moira about it.”
That didn’t sound good. “What happened?”
“Well, they broke the pact. They said she should give Blake another chance. They might also have mentioned that they’ve always liked him, and they admire him for giving up football for her.”
Well, it was something worth considering, wasn't it? Blake lived and breathed football like Andy lived and breathed medicine. But his former brother-in-law had always carved time for Natalie and his family—his own and theirs—into his hectic football schedule. Andy was the same way, so he and Blake had shared a certain understanding because of that similarity.
“All right, I’ll go with you, but I don’t like it.” He tugged on his shoes. “I also want you to promise me two things.”
Matt leveled him a glance. “And what would that be, Andy Cakes?”
Jeez, how he hated that nickname. “That you won’t be mean to him. He just lost his brother.”
“Give me some credit.”
“They don’t call you Matty Ice for nothing.”
“I’ll ignore that. What’s the second thing?”
“We hear his side of things.”
His eyes narrowed like he was about to play hardball. “I’ve already heard his side of things, and I’m not saying he’s wrong, but it doesn’t matter. Natalie is our sister.”
Being a lawyer, Matt saw the world more black and white than he did. Andy opened the door, grateful he didn’t need a jacket. Summer was finally approaching, thank God. Late snowfall a couple of weeks ago had made him want to pound his head into the ground. Die, winter, die, he’d chanted as he shoveled the drive for the umpteenth time.
“Well, I haven’t heard his side of things,” he told Matt as they walked over to Martin’s house.
“That’s because you were dealing with your own stuff then, and Blake knew not to bother you.”
He halted in front of Martin’s front door. “That’s because he’s a good guy.”
Matt shook his head stubbornly as he rang the doorbell. “Doesn’t matter. Natalie wants him gone, so he’s gone.”
After seeing how closed off his sister had become since Kim’s death, Andy wasn’t so sure he agreed.
Chapter 5