Simple things like searching for a birthday present for her niece seemed less mundane with him by her side. They wandered through the toy store, hand in hand. Annie breezed past the dolls and anything pink or glittery. “I usually buy her books or board games, but I wanted to get something really fun this year.”
“You said she likes sports, right?” Alec paused by a large children’s air hockey table.
“She does.” She inspected the box. The table could also be converted for playing ping pong or pool. “This might be perfect.”
“What can I say? Nailed it in one.” He dusted his hands, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
For a moment, she wished he were coming with her to the family visit. But that would mean subjecting him—and their relationship—to her mom’s scrutiny. No way was she anywhere near ready for that. Shaking off the thought, she rose onto her toes and kissed him. “My hero.”
“Good. Now you won’t say no if I ask for your help.”
“What do you need?”
“Some of my sweaters shrunk in the wash this week. Help me pick out new ones?”
Her mom’s comments about her clothing choices echoed in her head. “I’m not really good at that sort of thing.”
But he was already carrying the large box to the checkout. After she paid and arranged to have the gift shipped to her sister’s house, he clasped her hand firmly in his and pulled her into a designer shop she’d never be able to afford.
A saleswoman swooped in like a hawk hunting prey. “Can I help you?”
Annie’s “Yes” mixed with Alec’s “No, thanks.” She squeezed his hand and smiled. “He needs sweaters.”
The saleswoman returned, holding out several suggestions to Alec. He turned to Annie. “What do you think?”
“You should get this one.” She held the dark green sweater up to him and fingered the soft wool. “You look really good in this color.”
“Done.” As the saleswoman walked away with the castoffs, he leaned close and murmured, “I wouldn’t mind seeing you walking around in nothing but this.”
She shivered, already imagining his touch when he drew the material off of her. “I’ll give you a fashion show any time you want.”
His arm tightened around her. “Then let’s get out of here.” He grabbed an armful of sweaters off the nearest table and strode to the counter.
She usually looked at visits home with part excitement over seeing her sister and niece and part dread, spending too much time thinking about what comments her mom might make, but focusing on her time with Alec didn’t leave any room for anything else. She spent too long kissing him good-bye on Friday afternoon, then sped through packing for the weekend trip to her sister’s, then stopped in to visit Elsie.
The older woman ushered her inside, smile beaming. “Annie, I have news.”
“Yes?”
“Vito’s asked me to marry him.”
“Congratulations.” She hugged her hard. “You two will be very happy.”
“I know.” Elsie wiped her hands on her apron. “He wants me to move in with him.”
Annie sat on the couch. “Well, I’d hope so. You’ll be married, you should be together.”
“You know I’ve held on to this place because I didn’t have any other options.” She indicated the room with a wave of her hand.
A sinking feeling settled over her stomach. Annie nodded. “I know.”
“It’s too much for me. The upkeep, the repairs. So I’m putting it up for sale, as-is.”
“All right.” Sober reality cut into what had been a dream. Developers were snapping up cheap properties, even ones needing major repairs like Elsie’s, as fast as they landed on the market. She’d immediately have to start looking for another place to live.
Elsie crossed to her and laid her hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry. If this place sells fast, you can stay with Vito and me until you find something else. Maybe you should anyway. Vito thinks it’s too unsafe for us to stay here.”
She managed a smile. “I’m not sure he’d want me cramping his style. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Forcing the smile wider, she rose. “I’d better get on the road. I have a long drive.”
The following morning, her living situation dominated her thoughts. Sitting cross-legged on the couch in her sister’s family room, Annie sipped her coffee while Josie re-inspected the birthday presents she’d ripped into at dawn.
“Aunt Annie, this one is my favorite.” In front of a gaily decorated Happy Birthday sign, Josie pointed to the large box containing a children’s air hockey table.
Annie grinned. She couldn’t wait to tell Alec the gift was a hit. “I’m glad you like it. After lunch we can set it up so it’s ready for your party.”
“Great. I’ll tell Mommy.” Josie scrambled to her feet and raced into the kitchen.
The bay window over the couch gave Annie a perfect view of the front lawn, driveway, and the Stingray. The fancy, fiery red sports car attracted attention, including that of the state police officer who’d pulled her over for speeding during the drive to Maryland. She admitted difficulty anticipating the car’s swift acceleration, and he’d let her off with a warning. The incident put a damper on her festive mood. As much as she loved the speed, she knew she couldn’t keep driving Alec’s car. He’d been generous, too generous, but once she returned home, she’d search the dealerships for sales. Her insurance company sent her a check for five hundred dollars. That wouldn’t go very far. She’d have to use her leftover Christmas bonus as a down payment for her own set of wheels.
She sighed and turned away from the window. The scent of chocolate permeated the air, and she followed it into the kitchen. Lynn stood at the table, arranging apple slices in a pie shell. Apparently, the three-layer chocolate birthday cake wasn’t enough. After placing her mug in the sink, Annie snatched a slice from the leftover pile on the cutting board. “Smells great. Need any help?”
“Thanks, but no. I’m still cleaning up traces of your help from your last visit.” Lynn lifted hands covered in cinnamon and pointed to the ceiling.
“One little incident with the blender, and I’m blacklisted from the kitchen forever?” Not that she minded. Much. She’d rather spend her visits giving her undivided attention to Josie, not stuck in a kitchen stumbling over a recipe.
“Your history of kitchen disasters speaks for itself.”
The words, although delivered with a laugh, still carried a sting. Criticism of her cooking skills had been the family joke for years. She shrugged her shoulders. “We can’t all be magicians in the kitchen like you and Mom.”
Lynn wiped her hands on a dish towel and smiled. “I got that talent because you inherited Dad’s sports gene.”
They didn’t often speak of their father. What was there to say about a man who abandoned his family because he fell in love with a client on a business trip? Annie’s athletics and red hair were constant reminders of their absent parent. “I can help.”
“Don’t worry about me here. You can help with clean up later.”
“Deal.” Annie returned her sister’s grin and then headed into the guest room. She and Alec had agreed to video chat before her family descended on Lynn’s house for the birthday party.
Her stomach dipped in anticipation. She settled onto the bed, smoothed her hand over her hair, and opened her laptop. Within seconds of logging on to the chat site, Alec’s name appeared, followed by his image on her screen. Hair tied back in a ponytail, broad shoulders encased in the dark green sweater she’d helped him pick out during their shopping trip, he smiled.
She gripped the quilt to keep from reaching out and touching the screen. They’d seen each other nearly every night that week, so after a mere two days of separation, she shouldn’t miss him as much as she did.
“Good morning, beautiful.” His cheerful baritone rumbled from the speakers. “How did the present go over?”
“Josie woke me at six. She loves it.”
�
�Good.”
Her niece skipped into the room. “Mommy said we can help set the table because Grandma and the aunts will be here any minute.” She leaned over Annie and stared at the screen. “Who are you?”
“I’m Alec.”
“Are you Annie’s boyfriend?”
Heat rushed to Annie’s cheeks. “Josie….”
“Yes.” Alec’s definitive statement sounded at the same time.
She turned her eyes to the screen. Alec smiled.
The doorbell sounded. Josie jumped up and down. “My party’s starting. Come on, Aunt Annie.”
Alec’s smile widened. “Have fun.”
“I’ll call you tonight.” The flutter in her stomach grew stronger. She ended their chat and closed her laptop.
Josie slipped her hand in Annie’s and pulled her into the hallway and down the stairs. Lynn stood with their mother in the entryway. Annie crossed to them and dutifully kissed her cheek. “Hi, Mom.”
“When did you get a new car?”
“That’s my friend’s car. I’m borrowing it.”
“What happened to yours?”
She lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug. “It was in a little fender-bender. The car was old and needed to be replaced anyway, so I’m getting a new car next week.”
Josie bounced by her side. “Is it Alec’s car?”
“Who’s Alec?” Her mother reached out and smoothed Josie’s pigtails.
“Annie’s boyfriend.”
Her mother’s eyebrows rose. “Boyfriend? What does he do for a living? He’s not another nurse, is he? Your track record with men in the medical field isn’t great.”
“He plays hockey for the Hustlers.” She glanced over her shoulder, relieved that no one else had arrived.
Lynn let out a whistle. “You’re dating Sequoia, and you didn’t say anything? Man, that guy is built.” She pulled out her phone and within seconds, brought up Alec’s player profile from the Hustlers’ website.
“You’re lucky.” Her mother’s eyes hardened at their edges as she stared at the photo. “Men who look like him usually date models.”
“Come on, Mom. Annie’s beautiful.” Lynn swung her arm around Annie’s shoulder.
Self-esteem nosedived and crashed into a ball of doubt. “It’s fine. I know what I look like.”
“She talked to him on the computer today. He’s cute.” Her niece twirled in a circle around them.
“He saw you looking like that?” Wrinkles deepened with her mother’s frown.
“Like what?” Her cheeks heated. Annie tugged on the hem of her favorite pink sweater.
“Your hair is flat and frizzy. You’re not wearing any makeup. And that sweater has seen better days.”
She lifted her hands to her hair and automatically yanked it back into a ponytail. “Look, Mom—”
“Someone polished like your sister would be more suited to him. If you have any intention of keeping him, you need a makeover. You have to do something about your hair. You could use a facial too. And a manicure.” She looked Annie over from head to toe, then shook her head and sighed. “What are we going to do with you?”
She’d uttered those same words countless times while Annie was growing up. And, every time, they sent a shard of pain into her heart. She never met her mother’s standards, no matter how hard she tried. Achievements on the sports field or in her career didn’t seem to matter.
Her mother typed into Lynn’s phone and then handed it to Annie. “Here are photos of the last several women he’s dated. They look nothing like you. They’re polished, sophisticated, sleek.”
The gossip site showed photo after photo of stunning women on Alec’s arm. Her breath lodged in her lungs and something in her chest twinged. “I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not.”
“Then you’re going to lose him.” She took the phone. “I’m surprised a man who looks like that is still single.”
Annie stared at a spot on the wall. “Alec’s wife died a few years ago.”
Once again, her mom thrust the phone in her face. A picture of Alec and Tamara from a charity event covered the screen. “You have the same coloring. The same long red hair. I hope he’s not using you as a stand-in for her.”
A stand-in? The word slammed into her, stealing her breath. He hadn’t been separated from his wife by choice.
“I’m sure that’s not true, Mom.” Lynn pried the phone from her hands. “If he lost his wife, the last thing he’d want is to be reminded of what he’s lost on a daily basis.”
Annie pushed past them and went to the guest room. Too many thoughts tumbled in her head. And the question of why Alec was really with her was at the top of the list.
Chapter Seven
Alec jogged across the deserted beach with Annie. “I’d race you from here to the lifeguard chair, but you cheat.”
“I cheat?” She laughed. “I think you’re too chicken to take me on.”
“You are pretty scary-looking in my sweatshirt.” And incredibly sexy as well. The most perfect female curves hid under that bulky old sweatshirt. As soon as this run was over, he intended on admiring all of them properly. “I think a few people saw you and hustled off the beach.”
She slowed down to a walk, and he decreased his pace until they were standing together. The pink and orange of the sunset cutting back and forth across the dark blue sky created wandering lava flows. A crisp wind howled over the sand, but the chill only spurred him on. Annie seemed to thrive in this weather as well.
When he turned from the sunset to her face, part of him deflated. She was frowning.
“Are you okay?”
“Sure. I just need a second.” She turned to look out at the horizon. “Elsie’s getting married to Vito. She’s selling the house.”
“Good,” he replied instantly. “You shouldn’t be living there.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine there, but I’ll start looking for a place this weekend.”
“Move back in with me.”
A frown appeared. “I don’t want to put you out by overstaying my welcome.”
“Seriously, if I can put up with Mikael for three months while he searched for the perfect house, I can live with you for years.”
“I’m glad you think of me as a better roommate than a sweaty hockey player.”
“A much better roommate,” he insisted. “I miss having you hog the television remote and drinking all the orange juice.”
“I think you have it the other way around. You’re the remote hog.” Her expression softened. She clasped his hand and leaned into his chest, allowing him to hug her close.
“So you agree to move in?”
“We’ll talk about it later.” She stepped away from him to tie her shoe and then shot off in a full sprint toward the lifeguard chair. “Go.”
He raced after her and pulled her into his arms and onto the sand a few feet from the finish line. They both rolled over until she was lying over him. Her eyes sparkled, vulnerable, sweet, sexy, with a side of sass. At that moment, he knew. Annie fit him. In some ways, she was even more of a match for him than Tamara, as his wife had never been athletic. Tamara was his past, and Annie could be his future.
“I won,” she said. “You were disqualified for an illegal hit.”
“I was not.” His arms wrapped around the back of her and held her close to him. “Although I admit to illegal holding and I’m refusing to let go.”
She squirmed in an unconvincing attempt to break free, and they both became lost in each other. Her lips on his melted his defenses. His hands moved to the bottom of her back. They continued to kiss until the wind blew tiny granules of sand across their faces and finally forced them apart. When they sat up, they noticed a small crowd nearby.
“Sequoia. Who’s the new girl?” A man who had most likely filmed their entire run with his phone asked.
Alec lifted Annie up and waved to the on-lookers but didn’t share anything personal. She wasn’t the same as the other women he’d d
ated. She probably didn’t want to be in the news, and she didn’t have to be. Not right now.
They continued their jog far enough away from the group to have some privacy again.
“Does it bother you having so many people recognize you?”
“It’s difficult to remain inconspicuous in town. Blond hair, taller than average, beautiful woman at my side wearing a Hustlers sweatshirt.”
She laughed. “Right. I’m sure I was the one they were drawn to. That’s why you pulled me out of there fast.”
“No, I escaped because I like having you to myself. I’m a selfish bastard.”
“You aren’t selfish, you rescued Slash, help your teammates whenever they need anything, and have been nothing but kind to me.”
“Completely selfish on my part. Slash keeps me company, my teammates are family, and you’re fun to be with.”
“You’re fun to be around, too.” She trotted a few steps ahead of him and then slowed to an easy walk. “I’ve been researching new cars and have decided on the Jetta.”
“A VW Jetta? That’s ridiculous.”
“Why?”
“It’s too small. Much smaller than your other car, and your other car was destroyed. Besides, I couldn’t fit in a car that small. You need something with a bit more substance and maybe a reinforced steel frame, like a Volvo.”
“I can’t afford a Volvo.”
“I can. And you wouldn’t even need a car if it weren’t for me.”
She pushed into his chest in a mini show of defiance. “Not. Your. Fault. How many times do I need to say that so it sinks in? You’re not buying me a car. I’m getting a Jetta.”
“Too small,” he mumbled under his breath.
“You’d only be happy if I were in a bulletproof limo.”
“Perfect. I’ll set it up.” He would too, if she said the word.
“Very funny. I’m not the limo type. I’m definitely the cozy sweats and Jetta type.”
“What if I begged you to wear a fancy black dress and drive in a limo with me?”
Simmering Ice Page 8
