Completely Smitten

by Susan Mallery

  Chapter Five

  Josh disliked Charlie Conway on sight.

  Okay, maybe he had already begun disliking Conway before meeting him, but seeing the proprietary way the other man draped his arm across Piper’s shoulders certainly didn’t help matters.

  Before Josh could politely—or not—remind Piper’s ex that she’d dumped him ages ago, Charlie had hustled her farther up the yard, toward her parents. And away from Josh, who told himself the chill that rippled through him was due to the evening breeze, not the sense of once again being on the outside looking in.

  A dark-haired woman who looked about thirteen months pregnant broke away from the cluster and approached him. “Don’t worry, she hasn’t thought twice about Charlie since the day she gave back the engagement ring.”

  Despite having his doubts about that, Josh smiled at the young woman. “I’m Josh. You must be Daphne Jamieson.”

  “Daphne Wallace, now.” She indicated the bearded man who stepped up behind her. “This is my husband, Blaine.”

  Josh shook hands with each of them. “Nice to meet you both.”

  Blaine stared, making no attempt to hide the scrutiny in his brown eyes. “Same here. We’ve been anxious to meet you. Piper’s never brought a guy home before—she must really be crazy about you.”

  Out of habit, Josh almost blurted, “We’re just friends,” but at the last moment remembered his role this weekend. “I’m crazy about her, too.” His chest tightened as he said the words, and he told himself it was only because sentiment, even fake sentiment, made him uncomfortable.

  Piper’s mother descended on him just in time to hear his vow of affection, and she wrapped her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. “I’m Astrid Jamieson.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am. Josh Weber.” He had to wiggle away when she seemed reluctant to let go of him.

  “Welcome to the family.” Mrs. Jamieson winked. “Maybe there will be another wedding before too much longer.”

  “Mom!” Piper glared. “Try not to scare Josh off by prematurely planning our nuptials, okay?”

  Mrs. Jamieson shot a knowing maternal look at her oldest daughter. “When you said you were finally seeing someone, I just knew it had to be Josh. The way you talk about him, Nana and I figured out months ago that you were in love with him. So what happened to get you to admit it at long last?”

  Piper grabbed his hand. “Josh, I don’t believe you’ve met my father. This is—”

  He turned back to her mother. “Piper talks about me?”

  “Oh, yes.” Mrs. Jamieson was only too happy to answer. “She told me that you two work together, and that you’re just brilliant at what you do. And that you’re starting your own company!”

  “Well,” Josh began modestly, “I don’t know if you can really call it a company yet, just some work I do on the side, but it turns a steady profit.”

  Piper’s mother beamed. “Then you’ll be a good provider. Such an important quality in a potential—”

  “Mom! Don’t say it.”

  “Husband.” While all eyes were on her, Mrs. Jamieson added one last bit of praise. “Piper wasn’t exaggerating when she said you were the best-looking man in Houston. She’s been attracted to you from the moment you met.”

  “I never said that!”

  Josh was sure she never had, but he was still surprised at her adamant protest. Didn’t she want people to think they were attracted to one another?

  Or—the thought struck like unexpected lightning from a clear sky—was her denial more for herself? Josh had never heard of male intuition before, but a small part of his mind suddenly seemed to flicker with insight. Even though he had no reason to believe Piper had been wrestling with the same desire he’d been fighting lately, he couldn’t help but wonder if that was the case.

  Or was he just projecting his own feelings of lust onto her?

  Josh abandoned the mental debate as soon as he saw the way Charlie Conway was grinning at her denouncement.

  The blond man sized her up as though she were a chocolate-fudge layer cake and he’d just discovered he had room left for dessert. “You mean you aren’t attracted to him, Piper?”

  Josh waited along with everyone else, wondering how she’d respond.

  She quickly backpedaled. “Well, of course I am. I just don’t think that’s exactly what I said to Mom.”

  “My students would have said he’s hot,” her sister supplied. When her husband grunted, Daphne added, “I’m not blind.”

  Mrs. Jamieson continued her recitation for Josh. “She used to mention the constant stream of women you dated, and it was obvious to me that she was jealous of them. Took her long enough to admit her real feelings!”

  Piper tugged on Josh’s hand and forcibly dragged him away. “You still have to meet my father.”

  For her ears only, Josh whispered, “But I was so enjoying talking to your mom. This trip has been worth it already.”

  “Dad, this is Joshua Weber.”

  At least several inches taller than Josh and backlit by the light spilling from the house windows, Mr. Jamieson glared down at his daughter’s suitor. “Son, I have a gun collection and no reservations about using it on you if you hurt my little girl.”

  “Really, Fred!” Mrs. Jamieson fisted her hands on her ample hips. “Maybe if you didn’t scare all the young men off, she would’ve been married by now.”

  Daphne and Piper chided in unison, “Mom!” and Charlie cleared his throat, as though trying to remind everyone that he hadn’t been scared off.

  Fred Jamieson reached out to rumple Piper’s bangs. “Don’t you listen to her. Nothing wrong with taking your time and finding the right guy.” He shot Josh an assessing glance, as though trying to determine if this would be the “right guy.”

  Charlie cleared his throat again. “I’m sure looking forward to one of Astrid’s home-cooked meals. Who else is hungry?”

  Amid murmurs of agreement, everyone shuffled toward the house. Josh hung back a little, smirking at Piper. “I didn’t realize your family had heard so much about me.” He was surprised at the warm glow that gave him inside.

  Was it really so surprising that over the course of two years, she’d mentioned him to her family? After all, he’d certainly listened to her talk about her relatives plenty of times. But somehow he couldn’t help grinning at the thought that he was a big enough part of Piper’s life for the Jamiesons to have heard about his freelance endeavors and even his dating habits, although he hoped Piper had given them the G-rated version.

  Reality intruded then, eliminating his foolish grin and reminding Josh that he didn’t want to be a big part of someone’s life. Nor did he want anyone to be a big part of his. That led to painful goodbyes.

  Piper pressed a hand to her temple. “We’ve been here ten minutes and I’m ready to go home. This weekend is going to be a nightmare.”

  “Yeah, we should all have to live such nightmares, forced to spend time with family members who are excited to see us.”

  She did a double take at his tone, which if not flat-out angry was at least sarcastic as hell.

  Where did that come from? He didn’t blame her for her surprise or her wounded expression. He’d always been a sounding board and a sympathetic ally, giving her no reason to suspect he’d turn on her like that. Truthfully, he understood why this weekend would be tough for her. Her mom seemed to allude to marriage every few minutes, and what was with the ex-fiancé’s cameo appearance?

  “Sorry, Piper, what I said didn’t come out right.”

  “You sure about that?” She regarded him shrewdly, and he shifted his weight, feeling fidgety and once again regretting discussing his foster care past with her in the car, even if the conversation had been a short, vague one.

  “I’m sure,” he insisted. “I was just trying to find the silver lining for you. I mean, yes, parts of the weekend might be irritating, but on the plus side, they’re thrilled to see you.” Although Conway seemed a bit too thrilled. />
  The sound of Daphne’s delicate “ahem” from the bottom porch step drifted through the night air. “Am I interrupting anything?”

  “No,” Piper and Josh chorused quickly.

  His prompt denial stemmed from his relief at the opportunity to end the exchange. He suspected Piper’s instant answer and nervous tone came from wondering if her complaints about her family members had been overheard by any of them.

  Either way, their speedy “no’s” sounded more like guilty yes’s, and the porch light illuminated Daphne’s face enough for her grin to be visible. “Well, I hate to break up whatever’s going on out here, but Mom worries about the food getting cold. She wanted to know if you two would be long.”

  Josh seized the chance to escape. “I should go offer to help set the table or something, the least I can do to thank your mom for her trouble with dinner. If you’ll excuse me, ladies.”

  He took the steps two at a time. Just as he was reaching for the screen door, he heard Piper ask, “What is Charlie doing here?”

  That’s what I’d like to know.

  Daphne’s voice floated through the darkness. “You guys go way back and we all grew up together. Is it so odd he’d like to catch up? Besides, Mom and Dad love having the mayor over to dinner. Makes them feel important. Enough about Charlie, though! Why didn’t you call and tell me about you and Josh? I can’t believe you’d keep something like this from me.”

  “It’s not really serious, Daph.”

  “Oh, please…with the way you look at him?”

  Even though he figured Daphne was only seeing what she expected to see, Josh still smiled over her words as he stepped inside the Jamiesons’ foyer.

  The hardwood floor was scuffed in a few places and the blue floral wallpaper was faded, but friendly voices and tantalizing aromas wafted from the kitchen. A real home. He swallowed the unwelcome lump of emotion lodged in his throat and started toward the voices, only to be practically knocked over by Piper, who was walking as fast as she normally drove. The screen door clattered shut behind her and her sister.

  “I can’t believe no one told me she was here!” Piper declared as she sped by.

  A contrite Daphne followed. “I just assumed you knew.”

  Letting Piper hurry on ahead, Josh asked Daphne, “Everything okay?”

  “Nana’s inside, and Piper feels bad about not coming in to see her sooner. Nothing would have kept Nana from being here tonight, but the poor old dear just can’t handle the nighttime chill.”

  “How is she?” Josh asked, knowing how worried Piper was about her grandmother.

  Daphne wouldn’t meet his gaze. “She has her good days and bad days.”

  They had reached the end of the hall and rounded the corner to the dining room. Though not elaborately decorated, the room possessed homey elegance. Simple lace curtains and a glass chandelier lent the room class, and a plain wooden china cabinet displayed plates and antique heirlooms that had undoubtedly been passed from one generation to the next. A rectangular table matching the cabinet dominated the Jamiesons’ dining room.

  His gaze moved to Piper, who knelt in front of her grandmother’s chair.

  She turned at the sound of his footsteps. “Josh, come meet my grandmother, Helen. Nana, this is—”

  The white-haired woman lifted the spectacles she wore on a gold chain around her neck. “Step aside, girl. I want a look at him.” She squinted her blue eyes and studied Josh so intently he half expected her to ask to see his teeth. Finally she lowered the spectacles. “Virile,” she pronounced.

  What kind of response was he supposed to make to that?

  Nana solved his problem by speaking again before he could. “I expect a man like you knows how to keep a woman happy?”

  “I, er, try my best, ma’am.”

  “See that you do. My granddaughter deserves happiness.” She held out her hand as imperiously as a queen, and he shook it, grinning.

  Helen Jamieson was not what he’d expected. He’d envisioned a frail woman, covered by quilts. She was small and wizened with age, but her gaze was sharp and lively, as was her gamine smile. If he hadn’t known otherwise, he would have guessed this woman hadn’t been sick a day in her life.

  Piper’s mother informed them that dinner was ready, and Josh sat down with the rest of the family. The oak table groaned under the weight of steaming platters and casserole dishes. He was shocked when Mrs. Jamieson made two more trips to the kitchen, bringing out pans and baskets to line the sideboard.

  Turning to Piper, Josh whispered, “Who else are we expecting for dinner?”

  “Just us.”

  “You sure? Looks like your mom’s feeding a company of Texas Rangers.”

  She smiled. “Welcome to the Jamiesons’. I hope you brought your appetite. And Josh…?” Though they’d been whispering already, her voice grew even softer as she leaned in closer. “Thank you.”

  He wanted to say it was no big deal. Hell, he wanted to say anything, but his thoughts collided in an indiscernible pileup when he realized how close her face was to his. Her sea-green eyes were wide, as though she’d just made some startling discovery. Her lips were parted gently, and his gaze slid to her mouth. She reacted immediately, her breath coming slightly faster, her cheeks blossoming with pale pink color.

  The rosy blush made him wonder how warm her skin would be beneath his hands, but he was jarred from the pleasant contemplation by the sound of a chair being scraped across the wooden floor. Charlie had pulled back the seat on the other side of Piper, but before the man had a chance to plop down his mayoral posterior, Nana spoke up.

  “Charlie, come and sit by me, won’t you? I had some questions I wanted to ask you about city business, and my hearing isn’t what it used to be.”

  Hesitating for only the briefest second, Charlie nodded. “Anything for you, Nana.”

  Piper’s grandmother beamed a sweet, almost absentminded smile at him, but her eyes gleamed with what looked suspiciously like triumph.

  The old gal didn’t miss a trick, Josh thought. He couldn’t help sharing some of Piper’s fondness for the family’s matriarch.

  Astrid Jamieson began passing dishes around, and Josh’s stomach rumbled in happy expectation of the chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans with bacon. But by the time he was handed the basket of rolls, the salad bowl and the sweet potato casserole, he began to envision the button on his jeans shooting across the room and doing someone severe injury.

  Piper’s dad blessed the meal, and Josh dug in. After one bite of Mrs. Jamieson’s home cooking, he resolved to somehow find room for all of it. It was the best food he’d tasted in his life. Definitely better than frozen pizzas that always turned out soggy in the middle, and microwaved bachelor meals that prompted him to date, just so he had a reason to frequent restaurants.

  He smiled at Piper’s mom. “Mrs. Jamieson, if the situation were different, I’d marry you.”

  Charlie raised his eyebrows. “I was under the impression that you weren’t the marriage type. Didn’t Astrid say something outside about ‘a constant stream of women’? Sounds like you’d dated half the female population of Houston.”

  His jaw clenching at the other man’s challenging tone, Josh said, “Probably closer to a quarter of the population. But the benefit of all that dating is that I can truly appreciate what I have in Piper, how special she is. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that.”

  The mayor paused in the act of buttering a roll, his blue eyes as sharp and cold as icicles. “No, you don’t. I know Piper quite well.” The man put as much emphasis on quite as he no doubt thought he could get away with in front of her parents, but tempered the insinuation with an innocuous smile. “We grew up together and have such a history, you know.”

  “Yes, I understand you asked Piper to marry you. It certainly worked out well for me that she turned you down.”

  Charlie’s face reddened, but before he could retort—or lunge across the table to disembowel Josh with t
he butter knife—Mrs. Jamieson jumped into the conversation, her hearty tone an obvious attempt to dispel the air of hostility that had gathered over the table like the electric atmosphere before a storm. “Glad you like the food,” she said, responding to Josh’s original comment. “I tried to teach both my girls to cook.”

  “Piper makes great chocolate chip pancakes,” he said loyally.

  Eyes narrowed, Charlie glanced from Josh to Piper and back again. “Eat breakfast together a lot, do you?”

  Josh floundered for an answer that would shut his adversary up without sending Mr. Jamieson for the famed gun collection.

  Piper rescued him. “It’s one of the benefits of living in the same building. So, Mom, catch me up on all the local gossip.”

  Mrs. Jamieson launched into a recitation of what had happened to every citizen of Rebecca since Piper had left home, ending with, “Cousin Stella’s latest divorce is final, and she just got back from San Antonio. She had her thighs vacuumed this time. And that nice Beth Ann Morrow you graduated with is pregnant.” She glanced at Piper’s flat stomach. “Beth Ann’s mother is so lucky that she’ll have grandchildren.”

  “Hey!” Daphne sounded as offended as Piper looked. “In a couple of months, you’re going to have two of them.”

  Josh looked down the table at her. “You’re having twins?”

  “They run in Blaine’s family,” Daphne said with a nod.

  Mr. Jamieson harrumphed. “When do you go on maternity leave? I don’t like the idea of you working in this condition.”

  “I’m not fragile, Dad. I’m healthy as a horse. And about the same size as one. But I’m only working till the winter break. They hired someone else to take over next semester, and I’ll have all summer at home with the babies before I go back. If I go back.”

  Next to Josh, Piper tensed in her chair. “If you go back?”

  Daphne nodded. “Even with Mom’s help and Blaine’s mother…the twins’ll be a handful, and they’re only babies once.”

  “So you’re thinking of leaving your students? Of becoming a housewife?”

  Josh doubted Piper had any idea how shrill her tone was.