by Noelle Hart
Will made the introductions just as the back screen door eased open and Dino shot out like a rocket. Quickly he sniffed their feet and discovering someone new, jumped up at Lillian. She cringed, her ponytail swinging as she tried to push him down.
“Off!” came a female command. Immediately Dino backed down. “Sit!” Dino obeyed, his tail thumping the wood deck. “Good boy,” said the owner of the silken voice. A slender Asian woman squatted next to Dino and slipped him a treat.
Lyle offered her his hand and she came to her feet. “Everyone, this is Gina Kirby, Dino's vet and my honorable guest at our prestigious backyard event today. As you can see she's been helping me keep Dino in line.”
They all shook hands, Lyle and Gina on one side, Will and Lillian on the other. Lillian fished for information. “So Lyle, is this your girlfriend?”
Gina looked embarrassed and Lyle chuckled. “We're just friends. Dino's got jealousy issues. He wants Gina all for himself.”
“I've been needling Lyle to bring me to one of these barbeques for months,” Gina supplied. “He told me it's the only time his partner in crime cooks. Wanted to see for myself how well that goes over.” She offered Will a smile. “Judging by the smell coming off that grill over there, I think we're in good hands.”
Will watched how she looped a friendly arm through Lyle's and decided here was a woman with style. A differently feathered bird than his own guest selection indeed.
Proving just how sharply they contrasted, Lillian cozied up to Lyle. “Well then,” she cooed, “would you mind buying me a drink, mister?”
Amused, Gina released Lyle and murmured, “You heard the lady. Get her a drink.”
Frozen in place, Lyle looked down at Lillian's too tight and possessive grip on his arm just as Jolene swung through the screen door carrying a tray of dipping vegetables in one hand and a bowl of humus in the other. Her summer dress and mass of copper curls were a stunning backdrop for the equally stunned looked on her face.
Jolene's heart tripped and her stomach clenched. Who was this woman leeched onto Lyle's arm? Oh God, don't tell me he brought a date! Mortified, she changed her course, skimming past them and heading down the few steps to where the table was being arranged.
Lyle tugged his arm loose. Drink for Lillian forgotten, he went after Jolene even as Will's gaze settled on yet another newcomer who had slid through the back door behind Jolene.
It struck him right off that she was tragically beautiful. Oval face, exotic features of dark brows and lashes over slanted violet eyes filled with some kind of preoccupation. White blonde hair and a generous mouth, skin glowing in the afternoon's dappled sunlight. She wore a simple t-shirt over jean shorts and low open sandals on her slim feet, and seemed utterly unaware of the impact she'd made just by walking into his space. He glimpsed nerves and a trace of defensiveness that prodded at his innate protective nature.
Will was good at reading people. This was definitely one person he wanted to know better. He held out his hand. “Will Delaney, Jolene's boss. I take it she invited you?”
A wispy smile played across her lips as she shook his hand. “Kylie Lambert, Jolene's roommate. This is some place you have here.”
He couldn't take his eyes off her. “At last we meet. Jolene's mentioned you a few times. Only she left out the part about you being so lovely.”
“Oh. Well. I don't think she sees me in those terms.”
“Let's hope not.”
The grill sizzled ominously and he turned to inspect the burgers and turn the sausages and ears of corn in tin foil lying amongst the coals. All the while he kept one eye on Kylie Lambert who hadn't moved an inch. She seemed to be lost in thought.
He moved back to her side. Lillian was leaning against the rail watching Lyle and Jolene who were in deep conversation by the little greenhouse Will kept in the corner of the yard. As they watched, Lyle pulled Jolene inside the structure and their shadows merged. Lillian tensed. Or maybe it was his imagination.
His voice jolted Kylie out of a daze. “What can I get you to drink? We have beer, wine, soda or lemonade. No hard liquor. We like to keep things mild mannered.”
She pressed a hand to her belly. “Mineral water please, if you have it.”
He went to a side table, pulled a bottle of sparkling water from the cooler, filled a tall glass with ice and poured.
“Lemon?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Obliging her, he selected a second mineral water for himself, wanting to pace himself for the afternoon.
“How long have you and Jolene been roomies?” Will asked her.
“Going on a few years now. Three I think.”
“Guess you're pretty tight then, huh.”
“Tight enough. How about you? How long have you and Lyle Morris been partners?”
“Most of our lives. Grew up together, went to the same schools, worked the same construction sites. Lyle did a two year stint at a culinary school on the mainland but I never had the itch to cook or the focus to learn how. We both wanted something to call our own so when he came back we pooled our money and voilá, the Village Diner was born.”
“Jolene tells me you're the senior partner. I gather that's because you worked while he went to school and so your financial input was greater than his.”
Smart. Not everyone figured that out right out of the gate. “To my way of thinking Lyle's an equal partner. But yeah, I have the controlling interest. That doesn't mean I get to call all the shots. Without Lyle's expertise, and believe me, he's a genius with food, I'd be a lost puppy.”
Kylie sipped her mineral water and eyed him over the rim of the glass. Until now Will Delaney had been a mystery figure. Unbeknownst to him her intrepid roommate had campaigned to set up a date between them but to no avail. Kylie had firmly believed it would complicate things, and when she'd taken up with Drew, Jolene had finally backed off.
Today she'd caved when Jolene had begged her to come along saying she needed backup, someone to help her face Lyle in this social setting after the little fiasco she'd experienced with him a few weeks before. Since that morning she'd been in training with Kim only, Lyle having relieved himself of the duty. Jolene had bravely held up her head at work and then moped around the apartment at home.
Now that Kylie was face to face with Will her first impression was a surprise. She hadn't expected him to be attractive, but it wasn't in the conventional way. When you picked his face apart feature by feature there was nothing remarkable about most of them. Nose a little too large, grin wide but lopsided. Unruly black hair in need of a cut. But his eyes, now they were show stopping. Classic bedroom eyes the color of the brooding Pacific, heavy lidded and sensual, with lashes some women would kill for. Under his shirt he seemed solidly built and by the look of his muscular legs, she made him as a runner.
Those intense blue eyes were staring at her, patiently awaiting a response.
“I have a feeling you'd find your way no matter what.”
He tilted his glass at her in salute. “I accept the compliment. Jolene tells me you supervise over at Valley Farms in their greenhouses. Maybe you could give me a few tips on mine.” He nodded in the general direction of the small wood and plastic structure he'd erected that very year. “Trying to grow my own herbs, a few tomatoes, some squash. I'm interested in hydroponics. You do any of that over at Valley Farms?”
“Yes, we do. I'd be happy to take a look at your little operation, but it might have to wait a bit.”
He followed her gaze to where two shadowy figures melded inside the greenhouse. She noted the quick narrowing of his eyes, the glint of worry.
“Problem?” she asked.
Will chuckled. “You're astute.”
“I'm Jolene's roommate, remember? I know all about it.” She paused, unsure if she should walk this path with him. “None of my business though. All up to them.”
“Well the same doesn't apply for me. The both of them are very much my business. Or rather, they both effect my busines
s. So you see my little dilemma here, don't you?”
“Fraternizing with the help? Mixing business with pleasure? Shitting where you eat?”
He faked a wince. “Ouch. But right on. Obviously you get the picture.”
Kylie sighed. “I've tried to reason with Jolene about this a million times. But she's stuck on him. Hard as crazy glue. What's a girl to do?”
About to reply, Will was suddenly accosted from behind by Kim as he crunched him in an oxygen depriving head lock. “Ack!” was all he managed. Laughing, Kim released him and thumped him heartily on the back.
“You're getting slow, boss!”
“I was distracted.”
Kim's wife Carrie stepped up, baby girl in her arms and twin boy toddlers clinging to her skirt. Her First Nations heritage had given her high cheekbones and penetrating ebony eyes. Kim took the baby from her, rocked gently. “Look here, boss. My little treasure. See those little fists? Gonna give her brothers a run for their lives.”
Carrie held out her hand to Kylie. “I'm Carrie Moon, Kim's wife. Are you a friend of Will's?”
“She is now,” said Will, who made introductions all around, including baby Samantha and tots, Bryan and Casey, who both squealed with terror and delight when Dino made an appearance, sniffing and jumping.
“Off!” came Will's command to no avail. When the little dog refused to listen, tail wagging furiously, paws up against an unwilling pint-sized body, Will simply and effortlessly scooped up both tots into his arms out of harms way, making a game of it.
What a picture that made, thought Kylie. The hale looking man holding two clinging boys as they squirmed and kicked, his own robust laugh blending with their high pitched giggles. She could only hope and pray that some day when she had hers she'd enjoy the same from her own child's father.
Gina dashed over. “Sorry. Dino's still got a ways to go with his training.”
Everyone headed down to the fully adorned table. The feast was laid, everyone having brought their part, and after a hand holding blessing had been bestowed by Will himself – Oh Lord of nature, we thank you for this bounty! - they all dug in.
* * * *
CHAPTER FIVE
“I'm pregnant.”
The statement hung in the air between them as Jolene slowly lowered her fork and gaped at Kylie. They were in the breakfast nook of their apartment, eating blueberry pie from the diner.
“I said, I'm...”
“I heard you. What do you mean? How did this happen?”
Kylie laced her misery with sarcasm. “I wished upon a star, dummy! How do you think it happened? The usual way of course, with candlelight and wine and hot, sexy words and hands. Not to mention other body parts.”
“Whoa. I thought you only did it the one time.”
“It only takes the one time.” She hadn't told Jolene that the sex had been less than satisfactory. Much less. She'd gone over it in her head a million times, analyzed, ripped apart and dissected it. Could she have tried harder to stop him before the inevitable? Was it her own damn fault for seducing him in the first place? Maybe it was pointless asking the questions, because the result would still be the same. A baby was on its way.
“That explains why you didn't want any wine at the barbeque.” It was all Jolene could think of to say. Kylie did not look ecstatic as one might expect at such news; she looked deeply unhappy.
Jolene placed a hand over Kylie's. “Does Drew know?”
“I haven't decided whether to tell him yet.”
“You're not considering to... to...”
“Abort? Not an option. I'm pro-life.”
Unaware she'd been holding her breath, Jolene deflated. “Good. Alright.” She pushed aside her plate. “You took a test? You've been to a doctor?”
“Haven't been to a doctor but I did the home pregnancy test thing no less than three times. I've already tossed my cookies first thing twice this week. There's little room for doubt.”
Kylie got up and paced. “I've already decided I'm going to see this through. If I feel that it's too much for me there's always the option of adopting it out.”
Jolene cringed at the idea. “What about Drew? Doesn't he have a right to know?”
“Maybe. Yes. Goddamn it, Jolene, I was just as much to blame. I went to his home all vamped up. I coaxed him along, practically drooled all over him with lust in my eyes. Then boom! It all went down so fast. I was the little train chugging up the hill and he was already over the other side. I tried to slow things down but he was in his own little world and basically ignored me. Didn't want to use a condom. Told me afterward it was because he didn't want to dull the sensation.” She sank back into her chair. “Maybe I could have stopped him if I'd tried harder. I was just as weak as he was stupid.”
“He was controlling you. I've seen it all along. He wants what he wants, when he wants. First he refused you, handing you some cock 'n bull story about how he wants to wait until you're married, then out of the blue he crooks his little finger and you come running. Then he decides to overrule the use of protection. I see control freak written all over this.”
“You think he wanted to get me pregnant? I don't know. No matter which way we look at this thing I had a hand in it too, for all of the two minutes it took to make it happen. I was so freaked out afterward, I dashed out of there before a repeat. Now it's my body, my life that's going to change whether I keep this kid or not.”
“You need to give Drew the opportunity to step up to the plate.”
“If he's such a controller, why would I want him to step up to the plate?”
“Because the game has changed. He said he wants to marry you. Let's see if he means it.”
“What if I don't want to marry him? So far this whole relationship has been one bizarre ride. He seems... complicated.”
“Maybe it isn't about control but insecurity. Some people hide one flaw with another.”
“Great, so he's flawed either way.”
“We all are. No one's perfect. It's a matter of figuring out whether or not we're able to accept each others flaws and make a go of it.”
“Problem is, I'm never really sure what's going through Drew's mind. He's a frigging Rubik’s cube.”
“Yeah, and he's the father of the child who at this very moment is multiplying cells in your womb. He needs to be responsible whether you marry him or not.”
“Reality is, we barely know each other. Even he knew that when he said he wanted to marry me eventually. We need time to see if it's even feasible.”
“Okay, then let me ask you this: do you love him? What's your gut feeling about him?”
Kylie chewed on her lower lip. “To be honest, I think he has the potential to be a good family man, and the sex thing, we could work on it. But none of this means anything right now. For all I know he'll hightail it out of my life once he finds out.”
“Tell him. If he runs, then you'll be one step closer to knowing what to do. And Kylie, I want you to know that if he leaves you in a cloud of dust, I'll stand by you. You can count on me.”
Kylie let out a long breath. “Thanks. That means a lot.” She ran a hand over her flat belly. “Hey you in there, what do you think?”
Jolene took up her fork again and marveled at how Kylie had neatly sidestepped her question as to whether or not she loved Drew.
*
Will and Lyle jogged along oceanfront Dallas Road, went as far as the Breakwater, then headed back. Dawn was sending out tentative fingers of light on the eastern horizon, promising to behave and give them yet another warm summer day. Wouldn't be long now and the days would turn much cooler.
They paused to gulp water from their bottles.
“So what's up with you and Jolene?” inquired Will.
“Jesus, Will. Don't ambush me that way.”
“Don't think there was one person at the barbeque last week who didn't notice your little tryst in the greenhouse.”
“We were just talking.”
Will snorted. “
Yeah. And I'm your favorite martian.”
“I needed to apologize for sicking Kim on her as trainer. He can be overly direct at times.”
“I heard you were pretty direct with her yourself. Little birdie told me the two of you heated up that kitchen without turning on a single oven.”
“Besides being direct, Kim's got a big mouth.”
“You're dancing around my question. I asked you what was up.”
“What do you care anyway? It's my business who...”
“Not if it interferes with the diner. I need Jolene happy, cheerful, like she's always been. It's good for customer relations. Lately I've seen her moping, and that sends a bad vibe to our clientele.”
Lyle stared at choppy waves slapping at the rocky shoreline. “I have to admit I'm stumped. As far as she's concerned I can't seem to keep my thoughts in order. I want her, there's no question. But she's not the type to be happy with a few rolls in the hay and then pretend we're just friends.”
“Should I be sending her out to the new location in Langford after all?”
That earned him a frown. “Don't know yet.” Lyle ran a big hand over his face. “Never thought I'd see this day but here it is. I think I'm in love with her, Will. And we haven't even slept together yet.”
“Love isn't always about sex. But it helps if that part works too.”
“Thank you Dr. Phil.”
“Anytime. Now let's get going. Still got to pick up that load of strawberries out on Old Valley Road.”
Lyle kept quiet. Picking up food orders was Jimmy's job, but here was the main man himself going to the effort. Didn't Jolene's roommate work out there? He hadn't missed how Will's eyes had followed her every move throughout the barbeque gathering.
Maybe he wasn't the only one smitten.
