“One brother.”
His hand slipped under her pj top, found her nipple, and circled it. Her breath caught. She reached under her shirt and removed his hand.
“Jake, we’re just going to get frustrated again.”
Shifting, he dropped back against the sofa and pulled at the crotch of his jeans. “I passed that stage about a half an hour ago.”
She smiled, secretly loving the fact that she affected him as much as he affected her. Reaching up, she passed a finger across his lips. “You don’t have to work today?”
“I’m just going in for a few hours.”
The doorbell rang and, pulling at his jeans again, Jake rose and went to answer it. After peering through the peephole, he started back down the hall. “It’s your grandma. I’m hiding until Mr. Dudley can behave. Which may not be until Tuesday.”
Grinning, Macy went to let Nan in, but right before she opened the door she started to worry. “Everything okay?” she asked as they embraced.
“I can’t visit my granddaughter?” Nan came inside.
“Yeah.” Macy shut the door. “I just wasn’t expecting you.” She heard Jake talking on the phone as she poured Nan a cup of coffee and they sat at the kitchen table. “Where’s Mom?”
Nan frowned. “At the hospital. Which is odd. She never volunteers on Saturdays. Something’s up.”
Macy tightened her grip around her warm coffee mug. “What do you think it is?”
“Don’t know. But she went shopping again, bought some new underwear. You know what that means.”
“A man.” Macy remembered thinking last night that she needed new lingerie herself.
“We can hope.” Nan sipped from her cup. “She hasn’t had any in fourteen years.”
Macy rolled her eyes. “Do you really think this is wise? What if she ends up hurt? Do you think she could survive it?” Do I think I could?
“Ahh, but better to have loved and lost than—”
“Please!” Macy set her cup down, ready to argue her case, but Jake walked in. One look at him and her argument lost all steam.
He nodded at Nan. “Ma’am.” He glanced at Macy. “I’ve got to go in now.” He leaned down and kissed her. Not just a peck, but a serious gonna-miss-you kind of kiss, which was delivered with a touch of tongue.
Macy glanced at her grandma, who beamed as if she enjoyed the show. Then Macy refocused on Jake and what he’d said about going in. “Has something happened?”
“We got a location on some of Tanks’s old gang. Donaldson and I are going to talk to them about the robberies.” He must have seen her concern, because he added, “I’ll be fine.” He dipped in for another kiss, squeezed her chin, and said, “I should be home by two. Don’t go anywhere until I get back.” Turning, he gave Nan a nod.
“I got it,” she replied.
Jake had walked out before Macy smelled a rat. She cut her gaze to Nan. Make that two rats.
“He asked you to babysit me, didn’t he?”
Nan looked around. “Nice place.”
“I don’t need a keeper.” Macy glanced at the clock on the wall and ignored Elvis, who came swaggering into the room. “And you should be teaching.”
“Tammy’s doing it.” Reaching down, Nan petted the cat. “He let you bring Elvis. He likes your cat? Your cat likes him.”
“Elvis hates him. He shouldn’t have called you.”
“He wants to protect you. And Elvis will warm up to him. You did.” Nan’s gaze zeroed in on the sofa, which was crowded with blankets and sheets. “So you two aren’t serious?”
Macy grabbed her cup. “I haven’t known him a week! He hasn’t even invited me to…”
“To what?”
Macy blushed. “Nothing.”
“Sounds like something.”
Oh hell, keeping secrets from Nan was about as easy as training a cat to disco dance in the rain. “It’s a family party. His mom invited me, but he hasn’t extended the invitation. There’s only one reason a man doesn’t want you to meet his family: he’s not really serious.”
“You met his mom?” Nan grinned.
“Oh yeah.” Macy dropped her forehead onto the table, not ready to tell that story. “I’m going to work tonight,” she mumbled, raising her head. “And Monday I’m back in school. Jake is just going to have to deal with it.”
Hal heard his door swish open as he splashed the shaving cream off his chin. “You’re late,” he called out. “That might cost you half a Fig Newton.”
“A Fig Newton?” His daughter stuck her head into the bathroom.
“Oh, hi, Melissa.” He grabbed his IV pole and wheeled out.
She moved back and let him pass. “Who did you think I was?”
“The nurse.” The lie made his shoulders tighten. Even though he’d gotten his child’s okay to proceed, it felt a bit wrong. It was wrong to look at his daughter, who was the spitting image of his wife, and tell her he had feelings for another woman.
“You’re getting around better,” Melissa noted.
“Yeah.” Hal slid onto the hospital bed and glanced at the clock. “It’s Saturday. You should be home with your kids.”
“Did the doctor come in?”
“About an hour ago. Said I might go home this afternoon if the blood work is okay.”
“Good. I’ve got your room set up.”
Hal frowned. “My room?”
“Yeah. You’re staying at my place for a few weeks until you’re back on your feet.”
“Nosirree.”
“Dad! You’re coming home with me and that’s that.”
“Listen here, young lady—”
“Stop it!” Her lips trembled. “Look, Dad. Mom made me promise I’d take care of you, and…and I still miss her so damned much. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I lost you. What am I saying? I do know. Because for the last two years, all you’ve done is bury yourself in your work. You only visit on Sundays. And now this happened.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
Hal opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. Seeing his baby girl hurt did something to a daddy. “Don’t cry.” He drew her to his shoulder. “Come on, pumpkin.”
“I miss Mom,” she sobbed. “And I don’t want to lose you.”
“I miss her, too. And you’re not losing me.” He put his arm around her back.
The door pushed open. “Sorry I’m late. I brought Fig—”
Hal swallowed hard. Faye came to a quick stop in the doorway. Melissa pulled out of his embrace, her teary gaze surprised.
Something inside Hal froze. His brain, probably. And he didn’t have a freaking clue where the defrost button was.
“Hi.” Faye’s gaze moved from Melissa to him.
Hal managed to nod.
Faye offered a hesitant smile. “You got your lunch?”
He nodded again.
Faye’s gaze cut back to Melissa. “I…volunteer here.”
Melissa nodded.
Faye waited for two, maybe three more seconds, then, damn it, she nodded. An awkward, head-bobbing silence filled the room. Faye backed up.
“I—I guess I’ll leave you two alone.”
The word no was on the tip of his tongue. Right on the tip. All he had to do was spit it out. And, by God, she gave him time to say it. She didn’t rush out; she walked slowly away. Even looked back.
One word: No. Or maybe two: Don’t go. That’s all it would have taken. But he didn’t say a goddamn thing. He let the woman who had somehow made living seem so much sweeter walk out of his room. Out of his life.
It was almost three o’clock when Macy got in the shower. Mother Nature was playing tricks on her. Aunt Flo was already gone. Macy had awoken this morning to discover the villainess had flown the coop. The one month she could have used some cooling-off time, some thinking time, and this happened. Now what?
Turning off the shower, Macy rested her head against the tiled wall. Cook or get out of the kitchen. Jump or get off the trampoline.
She stepped
out of the shower and heard voices. Was Jake back? She cracked open the door, stuck her head out, and let out a low yelp. He stood right nearby.
“Damn!” She jumped back and grabbed a towel.
He looked over his shoulder and pushed his way inside. “Talk about a welcome home!” He glanced at her towel-wrapped body. A devilish grin twisted his lips. “If I remember correctly, the last time you stole my towel…”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Your towel is safe.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Did you miss me?”
“No,” she said.
“Liar,” he pointed out.
“Hey,” Nan called, and they both jumped back. “I’ll see you two later.”
Jake cringed. “I swear she didn’t see me come in here.”
“She has eyes in the back of her head and ears like a bat.”
“I heard that,” Nan said. “See you two later.”
“ ’Bye,” Macy said, rolling her eyes. Then, glancing at Jake, she remembered she was mad at him. “You asked her to babysit me.”
His brows pinched. “I did. I admit it. So, how much trouble am I in?”
She hadn’t been prepared for a confession. “Ever heard of Shit Creek?”
“Is that the one where you usually end up without a paddle?”
“Yeah.” She glared at him, but didn’t have it in her to be mad. Not anymore.
He pulled a wet strand of hair from her cheek. “You wouldn’t happen to have a paddle I could borrow, do you?”
“You can’t keep doing this. I don’t like—”
He cupped her chin. “Only until Tanks is caught. Soon.”
Curiosity struck. “Did you find out where he is?”
“Nothing concrete. Donaldson is…” His gaze lowered to her body.
She glanced down at her towel, gaping open in the front all the way to her navel. After readjusting, she opened the bathroom door. “Out.”
“Why?” His voice was husky. “I’m going to see it all Tuesday anyway.”
If I can hold out until then. “Go. I’ve got to get dressed…for work.” Maybe a good argument would buy her some time.
Unfortunately, he didn’t argue. He just left after another quick kiss.
Twenty minutes later, uniform and makeup on, Macy walked into the living room expecting to find him on the sofa. Returning to the hall, she saw his bedroom door swing open. He stepped out and surprised her.
“What?” He settled a cap on his head.
She stared at him and his Papa’s Pizza polyester. “You can’t be serious!” She giggled.
“No jokes, sweetheart. It’s an honest living. And I hear the tips are good once I get through the training process.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And I guess you’ll be training with me?”
“I told the owner I wanted only the best.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“Only about you.” He pulled her against him. “Wanna bump uniforms?”
She thumped him on the chest. “You’re being crass again. I could have gone my whole life without hearing that line again.” Of course, Mr. Prack hadn’t looked nearly as good as Jake.
“I’m male. We’re all crass.” His smile faded. “Again? Who said that to you the first time?”
She caught his hand. “You did.” She met his frown with her own. “It’s not important.”
“The hell it isn’t! I’m the only man allowed to be crass with you. Remember that.”
Hal ground his teeth and looked at the nurse. “No.”
“Mr. Klein, the doctor released you.”
“Well, call the doctor back and get him to unrelease me.”
“I don’t get it,” the woman snipped. “Are you hurting?”
“Yeah.” It wasn’t a lie. His heart was hurting something awful. The pain in Faye’s eyes kept flashing in his head and sending regret barreling into his chest. He’d called her house and left umpteen messages. She hadn’t called back. He wasn’t strong enough to go chasing her down, so he’d be damned if he left here before he talked to her.
Macy had just tossed the pizza warmers in the back when Jake crawled into the passenger seat. “How much?” he asked.
“Ten dollars. I told you, he tips big.” Macy waggled her eyebrows at him. She’d never had as much fun delivering pizza. They had talked about Billy. Jake had tried to assure her things would work out. They’d teased each other unmercifully about the tips each garnered at deliveries. They had even argued over who would drive. But it was her rental, so she’d won.
“You flirted with him,” Jake accused.
“I did not flirt.”
“Yes, you did. I heard the way you said, ‘Thank you for ordering from Papa’s Pizza.’ ” He put some sleaze into his reenactment.
She laughed. “I’m supposed to say that! You’re just jealous the last delivery only gave you six dollars. And you did flirt with her. ‘You look nice tonight,’ ” she mimicked.
“It might have only been six dollars, but she underlined her phone number on her check. You have to count that in the tip.”
“So, are you going to call her?” Macy asked, pretending she didn’t care.
“No,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “I’m a one-woman man. And I kind of got my eye on someone special. If her Aunt Flo would get out of the damn picture.”
She chuckled and glanced at him as she pulled the Honda out into traffic. “Really, you’re a one-woman man?”
“Really. I’m a monogamous sort.”
She tapped the steering wheel.
Jake, being typical Jake, had managed to avoid all personal topics. She’d tried to bring up his family, his brother, and his grandfather’s party, but he’d dodged those subjects like slow bullets. Not that she was finished firing.
“Have there been a lot of monogamous relationships?”
“A few,” he said. “So, how much money do you usually—”
“Don’t change the subject. How many?” she pressed.
The silence grew louder, and then she heard him sigh. “Are you asking me how many women I’ve slept with?”
“No, I’m asking how many relationships you’ve had.”
“And by what criteria do you determine a relationship?”
“Sleeping with them would count.” She laughed.
“I thought so.” He leaned back against his seat and adjusted his legs.
She tightened her grip on the wheel. “You’re not going to answer?”
“Yeah, I’m just counting.” He glanced in the rearview mirror, as if to check for the FBI.
She gave the rearview a glance, too. “That many, huh?”
“Well, while I’m figuring it out, why don’t you go first?”
She stiffened. “I’m the one who asked you!”
“Yeah, but you can’t ask a question you wouldn’t answer yourself.”
You do all the time. “If I answer, will you promise to tell me?” She cut her gaze toward him.
“Scout’s honor.”
“Call me paranoid, but…were you even a Boy Scout?”
“Got all the badges. When we go to my mom’s house, you’ll see.”
Macy’s heart squeezed. “You’re taking me to your mom’s house?” Was this the party invitation? Had he suddenly decided she was family material?
He studied her. “She really isn’t as wacky as she came off. Seriously, she’s—”
“I don’t dislike her. You…just haven’t mentioned going.”
“Well, now I’m mentioning it. We’ll have dinner with her one night.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t the party invitation, but it was something.
“So?” he asked. “How many men have you been with?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Two.”
“Two?” he repeated. “Seriously, only two?”
“What? You think I’m weird because I don’t sleep around, or you don’t believe me?”
“No, I…Look, you haven’t slept with me
yet, so I know you don’t sleep around. I was just expecting it to be five or six.”
“Well, I was married for five years.” She paused. “Is that where you’re at? Five or six?”
He turned away and looked out the window. “A few more, but I’m older.”
“How many more?” When he didn’t answer, she said, “If you don’t answer me now—”
“Sixteen, more or less. I went a little crazy in college.”
“And you were faithful to all of them?” she asked, remembering his previous comment. The pain she’d felt from Tom’s infidelity was haunting.
“I never cheated on anyone. And I wouldn’t.” He stared at her. “Is that why you haven’t dated since your ex? You think all men are like Tom?”
“No. I’m not that closed minded. I know all men aren’t like Tom.” She paused. “They could be like my grandpa, or my father, or maybe Billy. And then there’re the Mr. Pracks of the world.” She chuckled, thinking that was pretty funny. But Jake didn’t laugh, and suddenly the humor was lost to her as well. “We should get back.”
They drove back to the Papa’s Pizza in silence, the FBI still behind them. The awkwardness of having laid out her fears on a silver platter had her reaching for the door handle as quickly as she parked.
Jake caught her arm. “Tom cheated on you. Billy disappointed you. Your father abandoned you. What did your grandpa do?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“What did your grandpa do?” Jake repeated.
For a split second, Macy considered taking the Jake Baldwin approach and changing the subject, but the truth spilled out. “He died.” She bit her lip. “He was telling me that he was going to take me to the—the circus. Instead, he fell dead right into his spaghetti. Nan swears it was lasagna. But I keep seeing it as spaghetti.”
“You saw it?” His tone softened.
She nodded.
“Damn.” He leaned over and touched her cheek.
“Yeah. Damn.” She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and called herself weak for getting emotional over something that had happened so long ago.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”
The lump grew thicker. “You have a dangerous job.” That stupid hiccupping happened in her chest again.
Gotcha! Page 27
