by Amy Knupp
“This is the love of my life, Thelma Ballard.”
“Nice to meet you,” Andie said, holding her hand out.
The woman ignored her hand and instead pulled Andie into a surprisingly robust hug. “Come here, sweetie. Pleasure to meet you. How did you meet my Gus?”
“She’s a barmaid at the Shell Shack,” Gus said. “Helps Macey keep my nephew in line.”
“That’s quite a chore.” Thelma winked. “To have to keep a big handsome man like him in line. If I didn’t have Gus, I’d be shopping around for one of these firefighters here tonight.”
Andie laughed, believing her.
“Look, there’s one. You can tell by the muscles,” Thelma said, motioning to the gate. “A lonely one.”
Clay stood there by himself, taking in the scene, nodding to people as they said hello.
“You talk too much, woman,” Gus said to Thelma. “Let’s go dance.” He winked at Andie and pulled Thelma onto the flagstone terrace at the back of the yard where several others had already started dancing. They were, by several decades, the oldest ones out there, but it was undeniable that they were having the most fun too.
“Crazy old man,” Clay said from behind her. “I hope I’m half as alive as he is when I turn eighty.”
“Hope I’m getting half as much,” Andie said.
“There goes living proof that sex doesn’t have to end with senior-citizen-hood.”
The warmth of Clay’s smile caught her off guard. She looked into his eyes, which were focusing all that sexy maleness on her, sending a shiver clear through her.
“Where’s your daughter tonight?” she asked, in search of something innocent to say.
“Staying with Bridget. Had a hard time convincing her she’d have more fun with her aunt than coming to a baby party with me.”
“She has no idea how lucky she is,” Andie said.
“What made you show up?”
Andie shrugged. “I like Evan. Selena too. Trying to play nice with others, I guess.”
“My theory is as long as there’s decent food and drink, I can persevere. Speaking of which, can I get you a drink?” he asked.
“No, thanks. I can get one myself.”
“Prickly woman,” Clay said with a shake of his head.
“I prefer self-sufficient.” She said it over her shoulder as she walked toward the patio to coolers overflowing with soft drinks and bottled alcoholic drinks. The keg was in the back corner of the yard. She was surprised to find Clay behind her when she bent to choose a drink. “Following me?”
“Since you didn’t offer to get me a drink.”
“I’m inconsiderate that way.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Do you know everyone here?” Andie asked, gesturing to the expanse of the yard with her can of lemonade. The place was crowded, with probably fifty or sixty people.
Clay followed her gaze. “Lots of them. Firefighters, wives, office staff, friends. Have you met Evan’s twin sister?” He held out his arm to the nearest woman. Andie shook her head.
“Melanie, this is Andie Tyler. Melanie helped Macey and Pilar organize this party.”
“Nice job. Lots of people,” Andie said, immediately seeing the resemblance between Evan and his sister in their blue eyes and the shape of their faces.
“Where’s your little man tonight?” Clay asked.
“We got a sitter for him. He would’ve loved being Mr. Social, but I’d be too preoccupied with him here.”
“Payton still talks about playing with ‘the baby.’ We’ll have to get them together again soon.”
“Absolutely. I’m sure they’ll spend some prime playtime together at the wedding.”
While the two of them discussed babysitting options for Macey and Derek’s wedding, Andie took the opportunity to escape back to her place along the perimeter, away from Clay’s hot-as-hell-ness and everyone else’s small talk.
She glanced at her watch and tried to hide her disappointment. Dinner hadn’t even been served. They were heating up the grills now, but it’d be an eternity before she could leave. Even if she could beg off, she had no way home until Macey and Derek were ready to go.
She tried to settle in mentally for a long, painful night.
Chapter Seven
“Guys, find a woman!” Pilar bellowed from the top of one of the patio tables a couple of hours later. “Partner up, people!”
Clay watched as everyone, pretty well liquored up, did as she said.
“This is high stakes,” Pilar continued as if she were born to direct drunks in party games. “The winning team will get two prizes — the king of all Super Soaker water guns for the guy and a gift certificate for a sixty-minute massage for the lady. You know you want it, folks. When you have your partner, line up at that end of the yard.”
“Get a woman, Clay,” Evan said, Selena’s arm through his. “I feel the need to defeat you. That prize is mine.”
Clay had to give Pilar credit — she’d done her research. Almost all of the guys from the station collected super-powered water guns for the periodic water fights that broke out during slow times. If anything would motivate this group to get into a ridiculous baby shower game, it was the biggest, baddest water gun. That and a bunch of booze. Clay was no exception, even though he was stone-cold sober. The better to take down these lushes.
He spotted a group of three women eyeing him. He knew at least one of them was an ER nurse. Two were pretty and one was downright hot. Any of the three could make this game more bearable.
What the hell … he was itching to leave Evan in the dust.
As he took a couple of steps toward the trio, he noticed Andie standing by the fence alone. At the last second, he nodded, said, “Ladies,” and walked past them. They’d have no trouble finding other partners.
Andie was sending off a strong people-repellent as only she could do. That just made him more determined. If he went strictly by competitive instinct, the biker chick would be more of an asset than the softer, sweeter nurse types anyway.
“Come on,” he said to her, holding out his hand. “I need a partner. Have to put Evan in his place.”
“No, thanks,” Andie said. “There’s plenty of women on your tail tonight. Pick one of them.”
“I’m picking you. Have you ever had a professional massage?”
“Define professional,” she said.
“Come on, Andie. I can only stay for a little longer. Join me on the social side. You’ll have more fun if you’re not squeezed up against the fence trying to escape.”
She glanced around, and he discerned something he’d never expected from her — self-consciousness.
“I’ll play if you’ll take me with you when you leave,” she said. “You’re going soon?”
He studied this woman who was so different from all the others he knew. Unlike everyone else, who’d dressed summer casual, Andie wore torn black low-rising jeans that hugged her long legs, a plain gray shirt and her black biker boots. The shirt didn’t quite meet the jeans, showing off a navel piercing and the top edge of a tattoo. Besides the belly-button ring, her only jewelry was a collection of small silver hoops that went up the edge of her ear. She was tough-looking, unconventional, and she stuck out in this crowd. But until he’d seen that hint of insecurity, he would’ve believed she dressed that way purposely, emphatically. As if to tell the world to fuck off.
“Everybody ready?” Pilar called out. “Come on, people, we’re going to start. Get to the fence and I’ll explain the rules.”
Andie stared at Clay, waiting for his answer but making no move to join the others.
“It’s a deal,” he said. “I’ll take you home with me.”
oOo
Andie frowned when Pilar explained the rules of the don’t-drop-the-baby game. She’d never played party games as a kid, never been invited to parties then. To be thrown into them now, with this group of happy freaking people... Maybe she needed to take up drinking after all to get into the spir
it, because right now she wasn’t feeling it.
The first game was a race, down the length of the huge yard and back. Each couple had a water balloon — their “baby” — and they had to support it between their abdomens without using their hands. If your balloon burst or fell, you were out. If you touched it with your hands, you were out. According to Clay “I Play for Blood” Marlow, out was not an option.
“Clay, you finally get to touch a woman,” Evan called out.
“Keep talking, Evan. You’re going down.”
“I don’t think so. My wife has a built-in shelf.” Evan set the balloon on top of Selena’s swollen belly and moved in close with his body.
“Respect the belly,” Selena said, and Andie laughed in spite of herself.
Then she sobered because Clay was suddenly inches away from her, pressing their “baby” gently against her and holding on to her waist. The scent of him enveloped her and sent her blood pumping without her permission. His hands on the bare skin at her sides made her want to fidget — either closer to him or far, far away.
“Here’s our strategy,” he said in a low, intimate voice so no one else could hear. He leaned so close she could feel his breath on her skin, and she fought the sudden urge to taste him. She was pretty sure that was not the strategy.
She backed away a couple of inches because what she was feeling was ridiculous. To him, this was a party game, and he was in the middle of the place he belonged, was obviously well liked and among good friends. She was an outsider who would never fit in. Getting bothered over Clay Marlow was futile and embarrassing.
“I’m going to hold your hips so we can keep just the right amount of pressure on the balloon,” he said. “I’ll go backward. You watch my back.”
Hold her hips. Great. “Terrific strategizing, chief. You do realize those water guns aren’t that expensive?” Andie said, attempting to distract herself from his closeness. “I bet if you saved your pennies for a couple of weeks you could buy one yourself.”
“Here’s a little something you women just don’t get. The sweetness of that gun will be quadrupled when I beat out Evan and everyone else for it.”
“Ah. Got it.”
“Good. Get ready for that professional rubdown then.”
She could think of a rubdown she’d prefer, but that wasn’t going to happen.
They moved to the starting line with the other couples, and it took some time for Pilar to shut everyone up enough that they could hear the signal to go.
True to his word, Clay didn’t take his hands off her hips once, and in spite of her best attempt to worry about the balloon, Andie couldn’t drag her attention from his strong hands and how they felt on her flesh. Dammit. His hands were large enough he could wrap them almost all the way around her waist. The way they encircled her so easily … it did things to her. Made her think thoughts better left unformed, unuttered, un-anything.
At the end of the yard, as they went around a chair to head back, she and Clay were in the lead. All the guys — and some of the women — were trash-talking as they went, yelling taunts and insults, howling whenever a couple got disqualified.
“Hey, Evan, you better slow down,” Clay said. “Don’t want Selena to go into labor.”
“Keep talking, man. We’re gaining on you.” Clay sped up, so Andie followed, grabbing his sides. They were close to the finish line — less than a third of the yard to go — when Clay sealed their fate. He tripped over a rock and went down. Andie lost her balance, too, and landed on top of him.
Just what she needed — becoming the center of attention when she already felt like a misfit. She reached for the ground to push herself up.
Clay’s arms came around her and he laughed. “Don’t run away. At least try to pretend falling on top of me isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.”
It wasn’t the worst thing. It was so not the worst thing that her heart was hammering. Which was exactly why she needed to move.
Andie scrambled up, not worrying about how that made Clay look, but rather the way he made her feel.
She belatedly realized the balloon had burst and a cool liquid seeped into her jeans. Clay swore good-naturedly, of course, because wasn’t he just a good guy all around, even when his clothes were soaked and he landed on the ground in front of everyone? He hopped up and brushed himself off, then touched Andie’s waist. Unable to take another second of close contact, she inched away.
“Yes! The mother of all soakers is mine!” Derek’s voice rose over the noise as everyone else who hadn’t been disqualified earlier hit the finish line.
“Sorry about that,” Clay said to Andie. “I take full blame.”
“Somehow I’ll make it,” Andie said dryly, smiling and relaxing a little when she realized attention was now on the winning couple.
Clay high-fived Derek and Macey. “Glad you two beat Daddy Drake over there. He’ll get enough loot tonight as it is.”
“What happened?” Macey asked. “You were ahead of all of us.”
“There’s a rock jutting from the ground out there,” Clay said, pointing. “Likely planted by Evan.”
Pilar’s husband, Curt, delivered the coveted gun and an envelope with the gift certificate.
“Yesss,” Macey said. “I’m going to need this in the next week. My hero.” She hugged her fiancé.
Derek took his prize and, after kissing his partner long and hard, went to find a hose. Macey and Andie shook their heads as Pilar announced the next game.
Andie was aware that Clay had sidled next to her before she turned her head. Before he spoke.
“Biker girl, you going to be my partner again?”
“Not a chance. You’ll have to find someone else.” Without checking his reaction, she wished Macey luck and hurried off to her corner to wait for her ride home — as far removed from Clay’s world as possible.
oOo
“Ready to go?” Clay asked later.
Andie turned toward him, laughing. Macey had dragged her into the middle of the action and begged her to write down all the gifts and who they were from. Her reasoning had been that Andie was one of the sober few, but she suspected Macey was just trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It hadn’t been bad, she had to admit — everybody did their best to put her at ease — but she was more than ready to go home. Being sociable took a toll on her.
Andie said her good-byes and followed Clay out.
He’d parked a block away and didn’t utter a single word to her as they walked. She would’ve been fine with the silence except it was so unlike Mr. Friendly. Once they were driving away, she snuck a look at him. His jaw was tight, mouth downcast in a frown. His gaze pointed forward, on the road, but he was somewhere else.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked as he turned onto a busy street toward the bridge to the island. “Someone piss you off?”
He shook his head minutely. “Did you need to get home right away or did you just want out of the party?”
“What do you think?”
Instead of answering, he flicked his turn signal and pulled unexpectedly into a dark, bayside park.
A few feet from the water’s edge, he killed the engine and got out. Andie sat there weighing her options, sensing the storm beneath Clay’s quiet facade, wondering if she’d somehow upset him. No, scratch that. Old habits died hard. She wasn’t responsible for Clay’s mood — she hadn’t even been near him since the moronic party games.
She got out and followed him to a bench by the shore.
“What happened, Clay?”
She saw his eyes narrow in the near-darkness and waited. Another minute.
She shrugged and had decided she wasn’t going to drag it out of him when he finally said something.
“Watching Evan and Selena tonight,” he said, then hesitated. “Seeing them open their gifts, looking forward to adding everything to the nursery, talking about who the baby might look like… That got to me.”
She leaned against the co
ncrete back, sensing there was more.
“I missed all that.”
“With Payton,” she said unnecessarily.
“I missed the entire pregnancy, her birth, the first three months of her life.”
Andie had stayed with her cousin Jonas and his wife shortly after their daughter was born. The first few weeks had been stressful but also vital for bonding. She remembered getting up one night very late and seeing Jonas, mostly asleep in the recliner, feeding the baby, the baby’s wide eyes trained on her daddy. She couldn’t imagine a father missing that. “Was it by choice?”
He laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. “Choice. Women talk about having a choice all the time but I had none. I had no idea I was a father until Robin decided it’d be worthwhile to get money out of me.”
“Did it work?”
“Did she get money out of me? Hell yes, it worked. I’d just found out I had a kid.” He started to say more but cut himself off.
Andie watched him, at a loss. She could feel how upset he was — it was as if there was a third person sitting there between them on the bench. And yet she had no idea what to say or do. For the first time, she saw past the image of the perfect guy. Realized maybe his life wasn’t as easy and happy as she liked to blame him for.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That sucks. All of it.”
He shook his head slightly, closed his eyes for a beat. “No, I’m sorry. This isn’t your problem.”
“It’s good to think about someone else’s problems for a change,” she said, affected more than she wanted to be, more than she should be. “A judge actually granted this woman custody?”
“There are apparently plenty of them out there who tend to think just like my father — a baby’s better off with its mom.”
“Your father?”
“He’s a different long story that I don’t intend to tell tonight, but yes, he said to me, after I first found out about Payton, that she might be better off with her mother.”
