Whatever You Say

by Leigh Fleming

  “I believe you said I should get out there. I agreed to nothing.”

  “Seriously? Brody, there are a couple of women you should bid on—one in particular.”

  “Oh, yeah, who’s that?” He held his breath as he waited for his little sister to blurt out the name he was expecting.

  “Kate.”

  “I figured you’d say that.”

  “She’s perfect for you. I saw how much fun you were having at the bar that night.” Fists planted on her hips, Liza challenged him to refute that he and Kate had a great time faking it. “Don’t deny it.”

  “It was an act, remember?” Brody proceeded to the bar, feeling Liza fast on his heels. He wasn’t about to confess to her that it had been more than an act—at least on his part.

  “It may have started out as an act, but I saw the chemistry between you.” His sister had always been able to read him. Yeah, he knew there was chemistry, at least from his side of things. But Kate had made it quite clear outside the Brass Rail she didn’t need him or anyone else. She only agreed to cut back on her work to placate him. He doubted she could do it.

  “Chemistry? Didn’t you fail that class in college?”

  Liza grabbed his arm, spinning him around to face her. “Don’t be such a dick. You know what I’m talking about.”

  “Listen, Kate’s a busy woman and she’s heading back to DC soon. I know for a fact she’s not looking for anything. There’s no point. We’re just friends. Sort of.”

  “But maybe you could be more than friends if you put a little effort forth.”

  “Why? She’s leaving. I’m staying. The end.”

  “She could change her mind, decide to stay. You never know. Come on, Brody, this is what you need. Kate’s what you need.”

  “Let me make a suggestion, little sister. You stay out of my personal life and I’ll stay out of yours.”

  A half hour later, all the bachelors and bachelorettes were called to the stage. The winning bids were about to be announced and Kate felt the blood drain from her face as she looked out into the crowd. She spotted the pale-faced banker smiling up at her and the short, stocky physics professor looking at her through his bottle-bottom glasses. Only moments before they had been called to the stage, she noticed a flurry of activity by the bidding tables, but had no idea who might have won. The suspense was killing her. Which insufferable date was she about to go on?

  Sam, the chairman of the board for the community center, acted as master of ceremonies and had a flair for the dramatic. He gave a rather lengthy speech about the community center and its benefits. Kate just wanted him to get on with it. Finally, he introduced each bachelor and bachelorette and their winning bidders. He’d gone through all the men and women until only she and Holli were left standing.

  “And now for the lovely Holli. I’m happy to announce the winning bidder was—” She sucked in her breath, feeling slightly light-headed. “Phil Krantz.” She was weak with relief. The banker had apparently taken a shine to Holli. Kate plastered on a pleasant smile and clapped along with the crowd. She never thought she’d be so grateful to Holli-with-an-I.

  “Last but not least, the newest member of our community, Kate McNamara. There was quite a battle for this young lady’s attention.” A quiver of fear surged through her. She couldn’t remember who was left of the men she had talked to. She thought they’d all been matched with the other bachelorettes. She grasped her shaking hands together as she scanned the audience, taking a quick inventory of the guys still waiting. Her eyes glassed over and the crowd blurred. Hurry up, Sam, just announce it already.

  “The winner of a date with Kate—” Sam chuckled and then set his reading glasses back on his nose, “is our own Brody Fisk.”

  She felt a surging sense of relief and, dare she admit it, excitement at Sam’s announcement. She scanned the room, searching for Brody, but when she found him his face was ember red. He flashed an angry scowl at her and stalked out of the room. She stood alone on the stage as the crowd dispersed and winning bidders met up with their prized matches. Confusion worried her mind. Was this a joke or a mistake? Brody said he didn’t participate in this kind of stuff and by the look on his face, he didn’t mean to. She ambled to the end of the stage feeling deflated. As she descended the stairs, she caught sight of him in the kitchen hovering over Liza. They were in a heated argument. All at once, a light illuminated Kate’s dark confusion.

  THIRTEEN

  “What the hell is the matter with you?” Brody seethed through gritted teeth, doing his best to keep his voice low. There were several volunteers in the kitchen who would love to know what the fight was about.

  “Somebody needed to kick your ass into gear,” Liza growled right back at him.

  “That wasn’t your call to make.”

  “Too bad, I made it. You’re so busy wallowing in self-pity, your life is passing you by.”

  “My life isn’t—” He clenched her thin arm in his hand and dragged her into a pantry off the kitchen. “You need to stay the hell out of my personal life. How many times do I have to say it?”

  “What personal life? Huh? You sit alone every night in that big old house.” She snatched her arm from his grip. “Kate McNamara is the perfect woman for you. She’s smart, beautiful, fun, and she won’t put up with your bullshit. If you’d crawl out of your hole, you’d see I’m right.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know anything about Kate.”

  “I know she couldn’t take her eyes off you at the bar that night. I saw the smile on her face when they announced your name.”

  “I can’t talk to you.” He stormed out of the pantry and hit a brick wall—by the name of Kate McNamara.

  “Katherine—Kate—” Brody nearly knocked her off her feet. He grabbed her arms with steadying hands and released a heavy sigh. “Are you okay?”

  She knew she’d come at a bad time, but had to know what was going on. It was obvious by the angry voices and scowling expressions that he and Liza were at odds.

  “I’m fine.” She smoothed a few loose strands of hair and gathered her courage. He wasn’t happy about the bid and she needed to know why. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure.” He pressed his hand against the small of her back and guided her outside the kitchen to a secluded corner. “I want to explain.”

  “It’s apparent you were caught off guard tonight. I take it there was some mistake.”

  “I won the bid, but my sister placed it.” He raked his fingers through his hair and glanced toward the bid table. “Hell, I don’t even know how much.”

  “A thousand dollars.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I want you to know I don’t expect you to follow through.” Her eyes welled up and she silently cursed. Why was this happening? It wasn’t like she wanted or even expected a date from Brody. But now that one had seemed inevitable, she felt a searing pain as she watched the angry expression on his face. She looked down at the ground, clearing her throat before she continued. “I’ll pay the thousand dollars and let you off the hook.” She turned to go.

  “Wait. You don’t have to do that.” Brody propelled her around to face him, but she kept her glassy gaze toward the floor. Damn if she’d let him see her disappointment. “I’m sorry about this. My meddling little sister doesn’t know when to stay out of my business. I’ll pay the money and take you on a date.”

  “You don’t have to do that. You said you don’t participate in this kind of thing and I won’t expect you to.” After a moment, her impending tears subsided and she shook her head, bringing her gaze back to his. She wasn’t so desperate she needed a pity date from anyone. Least of all Brody.

  “Really, I’ll take you out. I…” Brody rubbed his forehead like he did when he was nervous or uncomfortable—a gesture Kate had come to know too well. “Um, I just didn’t plan on bidding. That’s all. It’s nothing against you; you’re fine.”

  �
��Thanks, I guess.” All of his backpedaling wasn’t making her feel any better. There was no way she’d go out with him now. No matter what he said, he’d had no intention of taking her on a date from the beginning. “Let me put you out of your misery. No date. No bid money. We’ll forget the whole thing.”

  “I can’t let that happen.”

  “You don’t have any choice. I won’t go out with you.” She tried to leave once again but was stopped by his large hand on her shoulder.

  “You have to. How would it look? Can you imagine the gossip?”

  Now her disappointment turned to heat. He was more concerned about his reputation than her feelings.

  “Let them talk.” She rushed across the room and snatched her coat off the chair. If the townies were going to gossip, now would be a good time to start.

  She threw all her weight against the entry door, letting it slam behind her. She walked across the parking lot and caught up to Arthur and Gram as he helped her grandmother into his car. While Arthur put the wheelchair in the trunk, Gram beckoned for Kate to bend closer.

  “Honey, I wanted to tell you I’m so happy you’re going out with Brody. He’s a good man. You two are so cute together.”

  “Gram, it was a…misunderstanding. Brody didn’t place the bid. Liza did.” She sighed as she pushed her fingers through her hair, loosening her bun. “Brody had no intention of taking me out.”

  “I don’t believe that. Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Oh, honey.” Gram reached out and pulled Kate’s hand against her chest. “I’m so sorry.” Her soothing voice beckoned tears back to her eyes. This was ridiculous. It was just a stupid fundraiser that meant absolutely nothing. Why was it bothering her so?

  “I was so sure he’d placed the bid himself,” Gram said. “I’ve noticed the way he looks at you.”

  “Yeah, with contempt.”

  “That’s what you think?” Gram shook her head, chuckled, and kissed Kate’s hand. “Katherine, I’m not blind. That boy is smitten with you.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Now listen to me, I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. I know what love looks like.” She squeezed Kate’s hand and pulled her closer. “And if I didn’t know better, I’d say you have feelings for him, too.”

  “Gram, you’ve got this all wrong.” She stood up and held on to the passenger door. “There is nothing between us. I’m going back to DC. You’re seeing something that isn’t there. And besides, it would never work. We’re nothing alike, have nothing in common. I have plans, goals, you know?”

  “Who are you talking to? Me or you?”

  “What?”

  “You sure gave yourself a convincing speech.” Gram wrapped her hand around one of Kate’s tightly held arms and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sometimes I think you use work as an excuse not to live. If you keep hiding behind that desk, you’ll never be disappointed, but then again you might miss out on something special.”

  “I’m not hiding. I’m just being realistic.”

  “Is that right?”

  “I know what I’m talking about.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  When Brody walked into the cold night, Kate was standing in the dimly lit parking lot, watching Arthur’s tail lights fade into the night. A cold breeze stirred up the gravel dust and blew a few locks of hair across her face. She brushed the strands aside and turned into the wind, toward the building. He felt more than heard her sharp intake of breath when her eyes met his. His face twisted into a wry smile and he threw his hand up in a wave. He was glad she hadn’t gone.

  “Hey, can I talk to you before you leave?” He tucked his hands in his front pockets as he approached.

  “There’s nothing more to say.”

  “Listen.” With determination in his gait, he reached her before she could climb into her car. He stood in front of her with his back to her door, keeping her from escaping, and kicked at some loose gravel with the toe of his shoe. “I handled this all wrong.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m not mad at you or the situation.”

  “Really?” Kate crossed her arms over her chest and arched one eyebrow at him. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Her intimidating stare suddenly made him nervous.

  “Everything I said in there came out wrong. I was just mad at Liza for meddling in my personal life. She thinks it’s her responsibility or something.”

  “Fine. It doesn’t change anything.”

  “I think we should go out.”

  “Trying to keep the grapevine under control?”

  “I don’t care about that.” He eased his hands onto her shoulders and tugged her forward. “I don’t. I shouldn’t have said that.” He let his hands slide down her arms until he gathered her hands in his. Their softness felt so good. “I really would like for us to go out—get to know each other better.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I…” He met her searing gaze and thought his heart had skipped a beat when he absorbed her gorgeous green eyes. “We had fun at the Brass Rail and I liked talking to you in the storage closet. You can’t leave town without dinner in Charleston and a night at the symphony.” He winked at her and a huge weight lifted off his chest when she replied with an arresting smile.

  “Please don’t do that to me, unless you want me to snore through half the date,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t want that.” He pulled her gathered hands against his chest and tilted his forehead against hers. “Am I forgiven?”

  “It all depends on where you take me.”

  “No pressure, right?”

  “Right.”

  Their foreheads were still touching and he had no desire to separate. Her iron-hard shell had melted along with his heart. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like this: alive, energized, more like his old self. Having her so near made him take a chance he wouldn’t have even a few weeks ago.

  He applied just enough pressure to ease her forward and captured her surprised mouth against his. There it was, that perfect kiss, the kiss he’d dreamed about since the night at the Brass Rail. With a single touch, he was on fire. He drew her in closer and spun her around, trapping her against her car, and delved deeper, savoring the luscious feel of her tongue tangling with his.

  She wasn’t stopping him either. Her arms draped over his shoulders and her fingers crawled up the back of his neck, her long nails combing through his hair. God, it had been so long since he’d felt this—or had he ever felt anything like this? He couldn’t let go, couldn’t get enough and Kate was telling him with her mouth that she felt the same way.

  He needed more. He slid his hand inside her coat, splaying his palm across her silky blouse, wishing it was skin. His fingers inched inside the waistband of her pants and slipped under her blouse to the satin of her lower back.

  “Wait.” She flattened her hands against his chest. “We can’t do this.”

  “Why?” Reluctantly, he eased back but kept her locked in his arms. Her lips were red, slightly swollen. He ran his finger over her still-wet bottom lip. “Nobody’s around. No crowd this time, like at the bar.”

  “Yeah, but you and I both know it was getting too—” Kate gave him a push and broke their embrace.

  “Too what?”

  “Heated.”

  “Is that a problem?” Brody gathered her coat in his hands and tugged her forward. Was she mad because he had his hand inside her blouse? She was twenty-eight or so; he couldn’t believe that high school move would’ve made her apply the brakes. Maybe it was the location. He looked around at the empty parking lot and concluded it wasn’t exactly the best make out spot. “I guess it’s not exactly a romantic setting.”

  “No kidding.” She wrenched out of his hold and walked a few feet away from him. She stopped and looked up at the lamp post. With her back still toward him, Brody came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his mouth against the base of her neck.

&nbs
p; “I’m sorry if I got carried away. You’re a little hard to resist.” He planted a few gentle kisses on her neck before she rotated out of his arms.

  “Look, Brody, there’s no point in getting anything started. I mean, what do you think could happen between us? Okay, so you’re taking me out. What then? I’d start hanging out at your house, maybe watch a movie in front of the fire? I’d stay over sometimes and you’d make me pancakes the next morning.” She turned away from him and paced in a circle, staring down at the ground as if the dialogue were written in the gravel. “Maybe we’d start having weekly dinners with Liza and Gram, one big happy family. We’d be seen all over town together. ‘Look, there goes that cute couple, Brody and Kate. Like two peas in a pod, always together,’” she said in an uncanny approximation of the local accent. “We’d start finishing each other’s sentences and picking out a china pattern. Maybe I’d learn to cook, teach a class at the community center. Get all settled in. For what? For nothing. It won’t end well.”

  Brody leaned against the car, hands tucked in his pockets, and watched Kate argue with her demons.

  “You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?”

  “Yes—no.” She stopped her traipsing and looked at him as if she’d been caught naked in a crowded room. “Why are you smiling? You understand what I’m saying, right?”

  “I understand. It sounds like you’ve got this all wrapped up tight, no room for improvisation.”

  “I’m getting that promotion and going back to DC. What’s the point?”

  “The point is…” He reached out a hand and pulled her closer. He cupped her face, looking into those stormy eyes of hers. “We can hang out. You learn to chill and I gain some valuable song material.”

  “I don’t need to chill.” She stepped back and her heel landed unsteadily on the gravel. He gathered her safely in his arms before she fell.

  “You sure about that?” Brody snaked his hand around her neck and tugged her forward, capturing her lips against his. She stood flag-pole straight, her lips pressed tight, but he wouldn’t be deterred. With his persistent kisses and soothing touch, the tension in her back loosened, and she finally leaned into him, heavy and languid.