by Maria Geraci
“He’s got an impressive resume. A fancy degree from the University of Florida and some great work experience. But I’m not sure I can pay him what he’s probably used to.”
Kitty bit her bottom lip. “He has a son, Henry. I think he’s ten, maybe eleven. I’m pretty sure Tom wants to make this move so he can be closer to his family.”
“Do you know everyone and everything that’s going on in this town?” Steve asked.
“Pretty much,” she admitted. Sometimes it was hard for Steve to understand small town dynamics. He’d grown up in Cocoa Beach, another small Florida beach town, but he’d joined the army when he was nineteen and had spent most of his adult life in Tampa.
“If he wants to move back to town to be near his ex and their son, then maybe I have some leverage after all.” Steve glanced down at the resume. “So, you’re basically vetting this guy, huh?”
“Absolutely. Tom’s good as gold.”
“Then if he wants the job, it’s his.” He carelessly swept the papers onto the floor and patted the empty space next to him. “Now get your pretty little bum in bed.”
“Mmmm…that sounds awful bossy.” She went into the bathroom to wash her face and came out a couple of minutes later, wearing her rattiest pajamas, the ones that screamed Not Tonight!
Steve didn’t seem to notice her less-than-sexy look, or if he did, he wasn’t turned off by it. “I thought you liked bossy. But you can be the boss tonight if you want.” He laced his hands behind his head, causing the muscles in his biceps to bulge. “I surrender.”
Kitty gulped. She’d have to be blind to miss the growing erection barely covered by the thin black silk of those pajama bottoms.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have sex. Kind of the opposite, in fact. But at the moment, she wanted to talk more. If she allowed herself to be distracted by him, she’d end up giving in. Sure, she’d go to sleep happy, but still no more sure of where their relationship was going than when she’d walked through the door tonight.
The thing was she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. She could always just come out and ask him. But…what if he confirmed her worst nightmare? What if he said, no, he didn’t love her? Could she continue living with him knowing that they didn’t have a future? The past eleven months had been the happiest of her life. Was she ready to throw that away?
She crawled onto the bed. “I got a text from my dad tonight. He’s coming down tomorrow and wants to meet us for dinner.”
Steve placed his mouth on the sensitive skin under her jaw. “That’s nice,” he murmured.
God he smelled good. Concentrate, Kit!
“I think he has a new girlfriend,” she said, starting to breathe a little heavily. If he used his tongue, she’d be a goner.
He hesitated for a brief second before he began nuzzling her earlobe. “Is he bringing her along?” His warm breath sent a current of electricity down her spine. Or what was left of it. All he had to do was kiss her and she practically turned to jelly.
“Yep.” Despite her better judgement, she angled her neck for easier access. “I wish he’d get married again.”
Steve froze. So much for the tongue action. Kitty wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or not. “You do?” he asked cautiously.
“If he met the right woman, then, yes, of course. He’s not getting any younger, you know. Think how sad it would be if he ended up all alone.”
Okay, so maybe she was laying it on a little thick, but surely he had to get what she was hinting at.
“He has you,” Steve said, retreating to his side of the bed. His voice definitely sounded strained. Or was she imagining it?
#
Steve watched out of the corner of his eye as Kitty climbed under the covers. “Well, yeah, but it’s not the same,” she said. “He’s only sixty-five. He should find a nice lady to enjoy his retirement with.”
He nodded. Mainly because he didn’t know what else to say or do. He’d only met Kitty’s father a few times, but Alan Burke didn’t seem like the settling down type. His last girlfriend had barely been legal. A real looker, but not much in the brains department. It was kind of pathetic, really. A guy should know when he was being ridiculous. Of course, it had probably been a mutually reciprocal relationship. Still, he’d been embarrassed for Kitty.
“Don’t you agree?” she said, staring back at him with her big brown eyes. A man could get lost in those eyes.
He remembered the first time he saw her, standing near the azalea bushes on the edge of her property. She’d worn a sundress, flimsy enough that he could make out the curves of the sweetest ass he’d ever had the privilege to lay eyes on. She wasn’t classically beautiful like her friend Shea. Or overtly sexy, like her other best friend Pilar. But there was a sweetness about her. Her smile lit up a room. She was quirky, and smart, and nice. And when he kissed her later that night, it was as if the sky had opened up and he was drowning in sunshine.
He wouldn’t have appreciated her when he was in his twenties. He’d been too much of a selfish asshole back then. But he liked to think he was smart enough now to know a good thing when he saw it. And Kitty Burke was definitely the best thing that had ever happened to him.
After a few long seconds, he realized she was waiting for him to say something.
“Um, sure. I agree.”
She snapped her fingers by his face. “Earth to Steve Pappas. Do you even know what you just agreed to?”
“How about we agree to talk about something else?” He reached out and scooped her up, laying her along his side. He wasn’t an idiot. He could read the signals. Something was troubling her. She might not want sex tonight but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do the cuddle thing. Funny. He’d never been a cuddle kind of guy, until he’d met her.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“You seem preoccupied. Is this really just about your dad and his new girlfriend? Everything at work all right?”
“Work’s good,” she said. She sighed and burrowed in closer, bringing his erection back to life.
He gritted his teeth and tried to infuse a little humor in the situation. “What? Did you lose at Bunco then?”
He felt her hesitate. “Not exactly.”
He cradled the top of her head with the palm of his hand, then ran his fingers down her wavy auburn hair. Like a lot of women, she complained about her hair. It was either too curly or didn’t do what she wanted when she wanted it to. But he thought it suited her perfectly.
“You know…our one year anniversary is coming up next week,” she said.
A viselike sensation gripped his chest. What had he eaten tonight? Cold pizza. Not the most nutritious of meals. He wasn’t getting any younger. It was probably time he started being more careful about his diet.
“Maybe we can do something special?” she added.
“How about Hawaii? We can rent the same place we did before.” He’d taken her to Hawaii once and she’d loved it. They hadn’t taken a trip in a while. A week in paradise with nothing to do but lie out on the beach and have some marathon sex. Just thinking about it made his indigestion ease off.
“Sure,” she said without much enthusiasm. “If that’s what you want.”
“Or, we could do Europe. Spain is beautiful this time of year.” There were beaches in Spain, too. And beds. Yep. Spain would work.
He felt her shrug. “That sounds…nice.”
Nice. The back of his eyelids began to itch.
“It doesn’t matter what we do,” Kitty said softly, “as long as we’re together.”
The melancholy tone in her voice made his acid reflux come back with a vengeance. Which made absolutely no sense.
And then, like an unexpected hammer to the side of his thick skull, he suddenly got it.
He’d mentally congratulated himself just a few minutes ago for not being an asshole, but he’d been premature. It didn’t take a PhD to figure out what she really wanted for their anni
versary.
She wanted it all.
Marriage and babies, the usual stuff. He’d told her on their second date that he didn’t plan to get married ever again. Three strikes and you’re out. At the time, she’d laughed and told him she didn’t plan on being his fourth mistake.
But that had been almost a year ago and things between them had been good. He’d be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t thought about marriage. But the thought of fucking up another relationship…and this time with her. He didn’t think he could go through that.
Marriage, kids, and a happily ever after. If anyone deserved it all, it was Kitty. But was he the man to give it to her? He needed to figure it out quick. Or he’d lose her. And losing her wasn’t something he was prepared to do. At least, not without a fight.
CHAPTER THREE
Steve glanced at the shop next door to The Bistro by the Beach. The mannequin in the front window was wearing something that belonged in another decade. The sixties, maybe? According to Kitty, this was Donalan’s ex-wife’s place. Compared to the traffic at The Bistro, the shop looked practically deserted. But it was early still, so maybe business wasn’t as bad as it seemed. He ducked inside The Bistro for his usual early morning coffee. He nodded at Zeke Grant, and said hello to a few of the other regulars.
A year ago, if you’d have told him he’d be living in this tiny north Florida beach town, he would have laughed in disbelief. He’d come to Whispering Bay to sever business ties with his old partner, Ted Ferguson. His company had a development in town—Dolphin Isles, a community of reasonably priced tract homes—that he’d wanted to check up on, plus he had family in the area and had been itching to get in some fishing time. But he’d only planned to stay a few weeks, tops. Then he’d met Kitty Burke and his life had been turned upside down fast. Now he had an office and a crew and he, too, was a regular. And life was good. Better than good. Better than he deserved, anyway.
Every morning, Monday through Friday, it was the same routine. He came in to get his coffee, sometimes picking up a muffin or a bagel. He’d make nice with the other customers, exchange a joke or two with Frida, then head to the office. Some days, if he was lucky, he’d get to go out to a construction site. Unfortunately, today wasn’t one of those days. His interview with Donalan was scheduled for ten. Hopefully, it would be short, sweet, and productive. He had a mound of paperwork to get through that would basically tie him to his desk for the rest of the week.
He went up to the counter, but instead of the friendly smiles he was accustomed to, no one came rushing over to take his order. Most of the time, his coffee was already waiting for him by the time he came through the door.
Steve glanced around. The place was busy, as usual, but there was no one else in line except him. Huh. Maybe the girls were in the back stocking or something.
A firm tap on the shoulder made him turn around.
It was Betty Jean Collins, one of those Gray Flamingos. There was a whole pack of them sitting over by the window. They liked to walk early in the morning along the beach then get breakfast at The Bistro. His uncle Gus was a member. So was Gus’s girlfriend, Viola. A half dozen pairs of eyes stared his way, so he placed a hand up in greeting. Gus wasn’t there this morning, but Viola was. She waved back without smiling, which was unusual for her. She wasn’t just Gus’s girlfriend. Steve genuinely liked Viola. She was his next-door neighbor and a good friend to Kitty, too.
Betty Jean smiled up at him. “Hey, Hot Stuff.”
“Mrs. Collins,” he acknowledged respectfully, because, hell, she was practically old enough to be his grandmother.
“So, I know this is forward of me, but you know the old saying, the early bird catches the worm, and you’re about the juiciest worm this old bird has seen in a long time.” She threw her head back and laughed.
Steve shuffled from foot to foot and waited for whatever it was she would say next. She made no sense, of course, but his encounters with Betty Jean were always a little off. There were times when he actually thought she might be hitting on him. Which…yeah, there were no words for that really.
“Now don’t get me wrong,” Betty Jean said. “I love Kitty. Yessiree, I do. She’s practically Whispering Bay royalty. You know her grandmother, Amanda Hanahan, founded our group, but…never mind about that.” She slipped a business card in his hand. “Loyalty is one thing, but a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.” Then she winked at him and walked away.
He glanced down at the card. Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow. Natalie Bingham, stylist and owner.
Betty Jean thought he needed a haircut? He turned the card over. There was a message written in a woman’s flowery scroll:
This is my niece’s business card. She’s thirty-four and divorced. Owns her own business. Plus, she’s a Scorpio and you know what they say about their sex drives. Call her!
What the fuck?
His gaze immediately shot to Betty Jean’s table. She gave him a big thumbs-up. She wasn’t serious, was she? Everyone in town knew he was with Kitty. Maybe this was some kind of weird joke. Betty Jean did have a wacky sense of humor. Not sure what else to do, he pocketed the card and turned back to the counter.
Frida, thank God, was there, waiting for him. Now maybe his morning could get back to normal.
“Hey, Frida,” he said, greeting The Bistro’s owner. “I’ll have the usual, please.”
“And that would be, what, exactly?” Her frosty tone startled him.
“You know what I want,” he said, giving her his best smile.
“Really? Because it seems to everyone in town that you have no idea what you want.”
What the hell was going on here today? First Betty Jean, and now Frida. It was as if he’d suddenly been thrust into an episode of The Twilight Zone.
“Large coffee with a splash of milk,” he said.
Frida pursed her lips as though she was trying not to say something. She thrust him his coffee without a sleeve on the cardboard cup, almost scalding the palm of his hand. “The milk is over there.” She pointed to a side table with condiments. In the past, the staff had always doctored his coffee for him, not that he expected it, but…yeah, he kind of expected it. It’s what they did for every other customer as well.
“Sorry,” she added in a voice that implied she wasn’t sorry at all, “but from now on there’s an extra charge. No free milk here.”
They were charging him extra for the milk?
“Are you all right this morning, Frida?” he asked carefully.
“Me? I’m just peachy. Yep. I’m great! That’s two bucks. Cash only.”
Cash only? He almost laughed out loud. If he was being punked, they were doing a terrific job of it. He juggled the hot cup to his other hand and dug out a couple of bills, making sure to leave a five spot in the large glass tip jar by the counter. Had he forgotten to tip this past week? Was that why Frida was acting so unfriendly? Maybe she and Ed were having problems. He’d have to ask Kitty about it later.
His cell phone pinged. “Uh, have a good day,” he said to Frida, then turned to look at his phone. There was a text from Terrie. He hesitated briefly before reading the message. He and his third ex-wife weren’t exactly on the best of terms, but this morning couldn’t get any stranger.
Good news. We’re FINALLY going to sell the house.
Okay. So this was good news.
Back when he and Terrie were married, they’d built a house in Mexico Beach, just an hour east of Whispering Bay. The house was a showplace. A three thousand square foot, Mediterranean-style home with a gourmet kitchen and a killer location right on the water. It was supposed to be their home away from home. The ultimate vacation getaway. He’d personally supervised the construction, laid the kitchen tiles himself, and picked out all the appliances.
A couple of weeks before they were scheduled to move in, he’d caught Terrie giving his ex-business partner, Ted, a blow job. Right in her damn office.
He should have been devastated. But the truth was it
had been a relief. The marriage had been sour for a long time, but it was his third go around and he’d felt he had to try his hardest before throwing in the towel. Catching her in the act had been liberating. There was also the fact that she said she didn’t love him anymore, making the whole thing a no brainer.
The divorce had been relatively painless. They’d divided the company’s assets, sold some mutual property down in Tampa and they’d each gone their separate ways. The Mexico Beach house was the only link between them now. It had been on the market for over two years. They’d had a few nibbles, but Terrie had always refused to negotiate the price down.
He texted her back. Great. Details?
Meet me for lunch to discuss. That fishy place right near the house. Noon sharp.
He was supposed to meet Kitty for lunch. No need. Just tell me. Or better yet, have the realtor call me.
His cell phone rang. He reluctantly picked up.
“It’s just lunch, Steve. I promise not to bite,” Terrie said silkily. “We have a lot to discuss.”
“Can we make it some other time?”
“The offer just came in and they want an answer by five, so no, we can’t make it some other time.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you at noon.” Before she could say anything else, he hung up and dialed Kitty. “Hey, sweetheart, it looks the house in Mexico Beach has a solid offer.”
“You’re kidding!” Her enthusiasm swept through him, making him smile for the first time this morning. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see. Terrie wants to discuss the offer over lunch today.”
“Sure. No problem. I have a potential client I can take to lunch,” she said good-naturedly. Not that he’d expected her to take it any other way. Kitty was the first woman he’d ever been with who didn’t seem to be jealous of his exes. Not that she had any reason to be. Her confidence in them as a couple was refreshing. It was one of the many reasons he…liked her so much.
