One Step Away (Hazel Green Book 2)

by Cindy Kirk

  “Can anyone join this party?”

  Nell looked up to find her brother gazing at the group with a friendly, polite smile. But there was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes that reminded her of a shark spotting its prey.

  Unlike Marc, Dixon looked as if he’d be at home in a Fortune 500 boardroom in his hand-tailored dark suit with crisp white shirt and red tie.

  “Please.” Nell motioned for Dixon to take a seat. “Join us.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marc scowl.

  Mission accomplished.

  Chapter Nine

  “I could practically see the steam coming out of the top of Marc’s chrome dome when you mentioned you were on your way to Lilian’s house.” This was Nell’s first opportunity to speak with Dixon since their encounter at Lily Belle’s on Monday.

  When she’d texted him later that day, he’d responded with some cryptic comment about having business to take care of and he would be in touch when he got back. All week, it had been radio silence.

  Then suddenly, here he was, at Liz Canfield’s backyard barbecue. Nell didn’t ask her brother where he’d been, just as she didn’t ask why he hadn’t contacted her once he was back in town.

  “Marc is a putz.” Dixon’s gaze scanned the crowd, stopping where Liz was having an animated conversation with Beau. “Who’d have thought you and I would be socializing with a reporter and a trial consultant?”

  Dixon had sidled up to her a second after Leo stepped away to answer a phone call. For now, they could speak privately.

  “It’s a backyard barbecue.” She kept her voice equally low and her eyes focused on the group. “Innocent and wholesome.”

  “No such thing.” Dixon brought the bottle of beer to his lips and took a sip. “Remember the story about the scorpion and the frog?”

  “Of course.” That particular story had been one of her mother’s cautionary tales. The frog gave a ride across the river to the scorpion, who stung him once they reached the shore. “When the frog asks why the scorpion stung him, he says, ‘It’s my nature.’”

  “Digging into things that are not their concern are in some people’s nature.” Dixon’s gaze shifted from Beau to Liz before returning to her. “You like getting close to the flame. You always did.”

  “I believe you’re thinking of yourself.” Nell studied her brother from under lowered lashes. “You wouldn’t even be here tonight if it wasn’t for your new friend Liz.”

  He stuck out a tongue and grabbed a strand of her hair, giving it a hard tug.

  “Hey, stop that.” But she was laughing when she said it, the action taking her back to their interactions as children.

  “As for why I’m here, I’m an investment adviser.” His lips curved in a slight smile as he leaned close as if about to impart a secret. “These kinds of parties are prime feeding grounds.”

  “You better not—”

  “Better not what?” Leo, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, raised a brow. “Hello, Dixon. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

  Dixon straightened. “That’s the thing about me. You never know where I’ll turn up. Oh, there’s Liz. I need to say hello to our hostess.” Dixon sauntered off with that same smug look in his eyes he’d displayed as a child when stirring up trouble. Nell wished she could give him a solid jab in the arm.

  Leo looped an arm around her shoulders in a show of possession. “What did he want?”

  “This is nice.”

  Leo inclined his head.

  “Your arm around my shoulders.” She gazed up at him. “It’s like we’re coming out of the shadows into the light tonight.”

  Liz, who loved to entertain, had dubbed this event her pre-Fourth of July backyard barbecue, complete with horseshoes, croquet and badminton.

  His fingers played with a lock of her hair. “Are you telling me being with the mayor hasn’t been as bad as you thought?”

  “We haven’t been together all that much.” After their date to see Much Ado About Nothing, Nell hadn’t seen much of Leo for the rest of the week. He’d been busy with his mayoral duties, and her caseload had exploded. In the evenings, she’d been fine-tuning the speech she planned to give during the Independence Day celebration.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Nell saw Abby give her a thumbs-up. Her fears in the friend area had proven groundless. Everyone was treating them as if they’d always been a couple.

  “How about a game of horseshoes?”

  She angled her head. “Seriously?”

  “They’re a lot of fun.”

  Nell shot a doubtful glance toward an isolated area at the far back of the yard where stakes and horseshoes begged for attention.

  While she was enjoying the party, she was also craving some alone time with Leo. Once they’d reached the party, they hadn’t been alone. Not for one second.

  “Sure.”

  Surprise flickered in his blue depths. “You’ll do it?”

  She looped her arm through his and started to walk, tugging him along.

  “I may need a few pointers initially.” Nell smiled up at him. “But I sense victory on the horizon.”

  The horseshoe sailed through the air and dropped, wrapping around the stake with a clank.

  Nell let out a whoop. With her face flushed and her blue eyes sparkling, she held up a hand for a high five.

  Leo couldn’t keep from smiling even as he shot her a suspicious look. “Are you certain you’ve never played before?”

  She grinned at his teasing tone, her hair damp and curling around her cheeks in the hot afternoon sun.

  “I’m athletically inclined.” She rose up on tiptoes and brushed her lips across his mouth. “With, apparently, a talent for horseshoes. Who knew?”

  Who knew, indeed? Leo found her good humor infectious. After he’d explained the rules of the game, they’d taken a few practice throws.

  Nell had a keen eye and an ability to focus on the target. He caught her eyeing the foul line several times. Though she came close, and he could tell she was tempted, she never stepped over it.

  “Want to play again?” she asked.

  “All this pitching has made me hungry. Let’s grab something to eat. Once we’ve got some food in us, we can come back and play another game.”

  When he turned to go, she grabbed his hand. “What’s your rush?”

  Curious, he turned. He thought she’d be eager to get back to the party, to her friends. Leo remembered that when he and Heather were together, it was all about socializing. Of course, they’d had alone time after the parties ended.

  “I thought we could talk for a few minutes.” Her smile was tentative, as she were navigating uncharted waters. “We haven’t seen much of each other this week.”

  “I’ve missed you.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The words had simply popped out, but now with those assessing eyes on him, he felt as awkward and gauche as he’d felt at sixteen. “I—”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  Warmth rushed through Leo’s body. He couldn’t recall her ever saying those words to him.

  “Tonight is Jazz in June.” He gestured to the crowd. “If Liz wouldn’t have thrown this party, I’d have asked you to go with me.”

  “There’s always so much to do in Hazel Green.” Nell’s expression grew pensive. “I sometimes feel guilty about not taking advantage of all the town has to offer.”

  “How do you prefer to spend your Saturday nights?”

  “This is going to sound so lame.”

  He waited.

  She lifted a hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I really love activities and events. But…”

  “But…” he prompted.

  “Sometimes, I like to stay in, get a pizza and watch a movie.” She gave a little laugh. “Told you it sounded lame.”

  “With popcorn?”

  “Of course.”

  Leo found her throaty chuckle incredibly sexy.

  “I don’t have to be enter
tained every weekend.” Nell briefly brought a finger to her lips, the action drawing his attention to her perfectly sculpted mouth. “Being with you is enough.”

  Her comment arrowed straight to his heart. Leo cleared his throat. “Next Saturday. Pizza and beer at my place. Or yours.”

  “I’d like that very much.” Her lips lifted in a sexy smile. “Pizza. Beer. Dessert. The trifecta.”

  Leo stepped to her. “What kind of dessert?”

  Nell lifted a brow, an impish twinkle in the liquid blue depths. “Is there more than one kind?”

  “Well, there’s the cake and pie version.” He trailed a finger down her bare arm and smiled at her quick intake of breath. “Then there’s the version where I—”

  “Someone told me I’d find you back here.”

  Leo slowly lowered his hand and turned. He tried to tell himself he had no cause to feel annoyed by the interruption. This was a barbecue. People mingled at these types of events. They didn’t come here to think about getting their girlfriends naked.

  Girlfriend.

  He liked thinking of Nell like that. The term fit. As he faced Wells, Leo found himself smiling. “Liz didn’t mention you were coming.”

  Since Dani’s death, his eldest brother had shied away from social situations that didn’t have a business component. Even then, he usually found a reason to leave early.

  Leo was happy to see his brother venturing out.

  Wells glanced at the horseshoe pit, then at Nell before returning his gaze to Leo. “I didn’t realize you liked horseshoes.”

  “They’re fun.” Leo put a hand on Nell’s shoulder in a deliberate gesture. “Nell is a horseshoe ace.”

  Wells’s smile appeared forced. “Is that right?”

  Nell reached up and brushed back a strand of hair, effectively dislodging Leo’s hand. His irritation surged, but fell away when she reached over and gave that same hand a brief squeeze. “Rachel is waving to me. I’m going to go say hi.”

  Before Nell left, she shifted her attention to Wells. “It was nice seeing you. Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to talk later.”

  Leo watched her go. She was headed toward a large group milling around the monster grill. Rachel might have been part of that crowd, though he couldn’t pick her out from this distance.

  Reluctantly, Leo refocused on his brother. He gestured toward the horseshoes. “Want to give them a try?”

  Wells shook his head. “It isn’t a game that interests me.”

  Leo chuckled. “I wasn’t sure it interested me, either. But surprisingly, I enjoyed playing.”

  Wells studied him for a long moment. “Are you sure it wasn’t the woman you were competing against that made it fun?”

  Leo grinned. “A beautiful woman with a horseshoe in her hand, well, you have to admit it’s a sexy sight.”

  “Nell is beautiful and obviously intelligent,” Wells agreed. His brow furrowed. “But…”

  “But what?”

  Wells scrubbed a hand across his face. “I saw her earlier cozied up to Dixon. They were laughing and seemed, I don’t know, close.”

  “They’re friends. That’s all.” Leo lifted his chin, daring his brother to disagree. “Nell and Dixon went to college together.”

  “I wanted to speak with you about your, ah, your relationship with Nell.” Wells shifted from one foot to the other. “Look, I’m going to just come out and say it. With everything going on with our father, we can’t afford for anything to make Dad look worse. You’re going to have to stop screwing Nell.”

  For a second, Leo was sure he hadn’t heard correctly. “What did you say?”

  If Wells heard the warning in his voice, he chose to ignore it. “I get the appeal of the no-strings thing, I do. Don’t think I’m judging you, because I’m not. As far as I’m concerned, you can sleep with a different woman every night. But right now isn’t a good time for casual sex.”

  “You’re wrong.” Leo’s tone was ice. “Nell isn’t just some woman I’m sleeping with. We’re in a legitimate relationship. I care about her.”

  “If it’s so legitimate, why keep it a secret?”

  “We aren’t keeping it a secret. Not anymore.”

  “I don’t buy it.” Wells lifted his hands and shook his head. “How well do you know this woman? What if she wants to keep it private because she’s hiding a husband or something?”

  Leo stared at his brother, then shook his head. “You’ve been alone too long if those are the kinds of stories you’re concocting in your head.”

  “I just don’t want to see your, or our father’s, reputation sullied.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that.” Making an effort to rein in his irritation, Leo forced a reasonable tone. “Why does the idea of my dating Nell bother you so much?”

  Wells blew out a breath. “Forget I said anything.”

  For the first time, Leo noticed the lines of worry bracketing Wells’s eyes. He grabbed his brother’s arm. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

  “I heard from Dad.” Though Wells kept his voice low, he glanced around as if making sure no one stood nearby.

  Leo did the same, feeling like a hunting dog suddenly on high alert.

  “FBI agents raided Steve’s home and found a hundred thousand in cash in his freezer. The serial numbers matched the ones on the bills given by the FBI to their informant.”

  “Steve really is guilty.” Leo pressed his lips together as a sick feeling filled the pit of his stomach. This was the man who’d taught him how to throw a slider. The guy with the infectious laugh that came all the way from his belly was a liar and a thief. “It wasn’t just a one-time thing.”

  Wells shook his head. “This has been going on for a while.”

  Leo had all sorts of questions, but wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answers. There was one he had to ask. “Dad is in the clear?”

  “Our father would not take a bribe.” Wells shifted into a fighting stance, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “If you think—”

  “I don’t think,” Leo snapped, his nerves now as tightly wound as his older brother’s.

  “Oh.” Wells expelled a ragged breath. “Sorry. Hearing that agents executed a search warrant in Dad’s Senate office…”

  “A search warrant?” Leo voice started to rise, but he pulled it down. “When? Why?”

  “They didn’t find anything implicating Dad.”

  “Of course not. He’s clean.” Even as Leo said the words, he knew it wasn’t that simple. Good men were often sucked into the messes that others had made.

  Wells nodded, suddenly looking much older than his thirty-six years. “The FBI claims it uncovered six schemes where Steve sought money for favors.”

  Leo thought of Steve’s wife, Karen, and their children. Had his wife suspected something was wrong? Or maybe she was involved.

  “It’s all over the media.” Wells gave a little laugh. “Whoever said there is no such thing as bad publicity was obviously never embroiled in this kind of scandal.”

  “What happens now?” Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw Marc headed their way, a phony-ass smile on his face.

  “The media circus is only beginning.” Wells’s eyes flashed a warning as he turned. “Marc. How’s it going?”

  “Probably better for me than for you.” Marc’s expression of faux sympathy missed the mark by a mile. “I heard about your father. I was shocked.”

  Wells should have been a politician, Leo thought. His placid expression gave nothing away. “I believe you’re referring to the situation involving Steve Olssen, a staff member in my father’s office. At this point, I don’t know enough to comment on the situation.”

  “Everything I’ve read indicates he and your father are close.” Marc’s eerily blue eyes glowed with malevolent glee.

  Though to a casual observer, Wells appeared in perfect control, Leo could tell his normally mild-mannered brother wanted to punch the guy.

  Leo understood. He wanted to wipe the smir
k off Marc’s face, too. But getting the guy to walk away seemed a more prudent option.

  Before Leo could say anything, Nell appeared and tapped Marc on the shoulder. “Rachel is looking for you.”

  “I’m busy now.” Marc gestured with one hand toward Leo and Wells. “I don’t know if you heard, but—”

  “It was something about Lilian.” Nell lifted a shoulder. “No worries. I’m sure Dixon can answer her questions.” Her gaze slid to Leo for only a second before returning to Marc. “What were you discussing?”

  The investment counselor had already started stepping away from the small group, his gaze now focused on the white-haired woman.

  “Leo and Wells can tell you about the scandal.” Marc turned, his feet moving so fast Leo expected him to trip and tumble to the ground any second.

  Leo arched a brow. “Rachel was looking for him?”

  “She’s always looking for him.” Nell rolled her eyes, but there was affection in her tone. “And Marc is always looking for Lilian.”

  “Now you’ve sicced him on the poor woman,” Wells remarked.

  “Lilian is more than capable of handling a worm like Marc.” Nell narrowed her gaze. “Would you rather he remained with you and your brother until one of you punched him?”

  “We wouldn’t have hit him,” Wells protested.

  “You wanted to.” Nell’s tone turned cheerful. “I recognized the signs because it’s how I feel every time he comes close.”

  Leo laughed, swung an arm around her shoulders and planted a noisy kiss on her cheek. “I’m grateful.”

  “I am, too,” Wells said grudgingly.

  Nell glanced from him to Wells. When her gaze returned to him, Leo braced himself for questions.

  Instead, she picked up a horseshoe. “Anyone up for a game?”

  Chapter Ten

  Leo played another game of horseshoes, but Nell could see his heart wasn’t in it.

  “What’s wrong?” She didn’t bother to ask if he wanted another game.