A Better Man

by Candis Terry

  He nodded.

  “A note or a phone call would be sufficient.”

  “I’m not much of a phone guy. I always do my talking in person. That’s why I’m so successful on the ice.”

  “Yes.” Her gaze dropped down his body, then came back up to search his face. “I’m sure you are.”

  Did she just check him out?

  “So we can get together?” He tried not to sound hopeful and needy. But at the moment, that’s exactly what he was. He didn’t know how to reach his sister any better than he knew how to break through Lucy’s barrier.

  “Will you continue to pester me if I refuse?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How did I already know that?”

  “How about I call you tomorrow to set up a place and time to meet again?”

  “Tomorrow? I don’t see how much can change in just a day.”

  He smiled. “I like to remain optimistic.”

  “So do I. Just be careful you don’t put too much pressure on Nicole. Optimism is often disguised by impatience.”

  “See, that’s the kind of thinking I need right now. But all I’ve got are replays of past goal shots in my head.”

  “You were never a dumb jock, Jordan. You just need to take a breath before you deal with this. Teenage girls are complicated.”

  “Got news for you. So are grown women.”

  She gifted him with another chuckle. “Give me your phone.”

  He pulled it from his pocket and handed it to her. He waited while she tapped in her number, then handed it back.

  “Give me a call. You’ll find me in your contacts between Bambi and Portia.”

  “So you’re saying you’re into threesomes?”

  With an eye roll she slid inside her car, closed the door, and started her engine.

  Before she put the car in drive, he tapped on the window and waited till she rolled it down.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “Yes.” He took a deep breath. “I forgot to say I’m sorry.”

  “For?”

  “For not showing up on graduation night to take you to the dance.”

  Her silence confirmed that she’d not forgotten that night any more than he had.

  “That was fifteen years ago,” she said. “It hardly matters now.”

  “It matters to me. It always did. I tried to call you to apologize and explain that when my friends found out I was taking you to the dance, they waylaid me and got me shitfaced before I knew what was going on.”

  “I’m sure they thought they were doing you a favor.”

  “I didn’t give a shit what they thought. The massive amount of alcohol they poured in my soda was what stopped me.”

  “Like I said, it doesn’t matter now.”

  “You’re wrong, Lucy. And I’ll prove it.”

  “No need.”

  As her little white Honda disappeared down the street, Jordan wondered how the hell he was going to multitask everything when so far in his life he’d been one-­dimensional. But he’d made promises and he meant to keep each and every one of them.

  Even if it killed him.

  A regular school day could melt a teacher’s energy depending on whether the students behaved or whether they’d chosen the wild kingdom rule of the day. Today, Lucy’s students had called upon their inner hyenas, and by the time she’d reached her car in the school parking lot, she’d felt like a zookeeper on her first day on the job.

  The meeting with Jordan had stolen another dose of her usual oomph. She’d expected nothing to get resolved. But he’d fooled her and stolen a little bit of her heart because he really seemed concerned about his sister’s well-­being. It was hard not to like a man who wanted to put his own needs aside and champion a young girl. Lucy wished she’d had someone like that when she’d been growing up. Heck, she wouldn’t have minded a champion when she got older either.

  And then he’d pulled the ultimate surprise.

  He’d apologized for graduation night.

  Yes, it might have come fifteen years late. But the part that had made her heart melt had been that it seemed important to him to apologize and explain fifteen years later. If you had asked her a week ago if she’d ever see that apology, she’d have laughed. Jordan Kincade—­badass to the bone—­didn’t appear to be the kind of man to apologize for anything. And that gave her no choice but to accept it and move forward.

  The final kicker in her energy boost had been the PTA meeting to organize the school carnival. As usual, when they asked for committee volunteers Lucy’s hand grew a helium balloon. Since she was a single woman, everyone thought she had more time on her hands than those with families. And while maybe she did, she didn’t want to be the appointed loser who always volunteered because others felt she had nothing important going on in her life.

  As she parked her car in the driveway, she knew she had one more mission before she could call it a day and kick off her Keds. With next week off for spring break, she planned to do some heavy relaxing, reading, and catnapping.

  She walked across her next-­door neighbor’s lawn and knocked on the door of the pretty little Craftsman-­style house. The large front porch displayed an array of potted flowers and hanging fuchsias. In the corner sat a white wicker rocking chair with a cute little side table large enough for a pitcher of lemonade and several glasses.

  The door creaked open and Mrs. Benner stood in the opening wearing her quilted robe, one blue house slipper, and one purple.

  “Hello, dear.”

  “Mrs. B, you’re supposed to look through the peephole before you answer the door. Remember?”

  “I am?” Her steel gray brows pulled together over a pair of hazel eyes that didn’t focus as well as they used to.

  “Yes. We need you to stay safe.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ve got that covered. Chuck Norris keeps an eye out for me.”

  Chuck Norris was Mrs. B’s twenty-­pound cat who snored and wouldn’t lift his head off the sofa unless a can of cat food was involved.

  “Yes, I’m sure Chuck has iron paws. But I still need you to look first. Just in case.”

  “Okey-­dokey.”

  Lucy sighed, knowing the eighty-­year-­old would most likely forget. Her mind, like her eyesight, wasn’t what it used to be. Though the memory lapses mostly came on bad days when her arthritis was—­as Mrs. B called it—­kicking up. And because Mrs. B wanted to maintain her independence for as long as possible, Lucy had promised the older woman’s daughter and son that she’d keep an eye on her. A promise that often included shopping, errands, and doctor visits. But Lucy didn’t mind. Mrs. B was a sweet woman and Lucy respected her desire to remain independent.

  “I thought I’d check in with you before I turned in for the night,” Lucy said. “Do you need anything?”

  “I could stand to knock a couple of years off my life so I can go dancing again.”

  Lucy gave her a sympathetic smile. A few years ago Mrs. B had belonged to the Blue Hair Hoofers, a dance group made up of women over the age of seventy. They performed for charity events and private parties, and Lucy knew Mrs. B missed that part of her life a great deal.

  “I wish I could,” Lucy said. “In the meantime, do you have enough food in the refrigerator to get you through until we shop on Sunday?”

  “Well, if I don’t, I’m sure Chuck will share,” she joked. Hopefully.

  “I planned to make some homemade soup tomorrow. I’ll bring you over some.”

  “Oh, that would be lovely, dear.”

  Lucy gave the woman a hug. She’d stop by in the morning before she went to school to double-­check. Otherwise she’d worry all day. “Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okey-­dokey.”

  Mrs. B shut the door and Lucy waited for the lock to click. When it did
n’t she knocked on the door again. And again Mrs. B answered without looking through the peephole.

  “Hello, dear.”

  “Mrs. B, you need to lock your door when you close it.”

  “Okey-­dokey.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll wait here until I hear the deadbolt.”

  Mrs. B closed the door and Lucy sighed with relief when she heard the bolt slam home. It was only a matter of time before her neighbor would need professional assistance. In the meantime, Lucy planned to help out as much as possible.

  She crossed the lawn and opened the door to her little Victorian cottage. In the distance she heard the click-­click-­click of nails on the hardwood floor. Without thought, she knelt down for the onslaught of poochie smooches from Ziggy. Her golden retriever didn’t disappoint as he came around the corner of the kitchen, tail sweeping side-­to-­side.

  Ziggy had come into her life at a time when great changes had been taking place. And though he’d never know, he’d saved her from herself more than once.

  After she’d picked him out at the animal shelter three years ago, David Bowie’s “Changes” had come on the radio. She hadn’t missed a beat in the irony and immediately named him after Bowie’s alter ego. Because of the surname she’d taken for a fresh start after her divorce, her students called her “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Adding “Ziggy Stardust” to her life had been like having a friend sent down from heaven at a time when she’d really needed one.

  Ziggy’s job was to protect her against the spiders from Mars. Aka mean, scary people. Her job was to protect Ziggy from ending up in another animal shelter and giving him all the love he deserved. They had an understanding and a loyal relationship.

  Perhaps the first in Lucy’s entire life.

  Ziggy just had one little problem.

  He tooted.

  A lot.

  She’d changed his food and treats several times but it hadn’t helped. The vet said his digestive system just created a lot of gas.

  Whew. She’d say.

  “Hey, Zigmeister.” She rubbed his large head between the ears, then wrapped her arms around him for a hug. “How’d your day go? Find any squirrels to chase?”

  Ziggy gave a quick bark, then moved his big body closer. Lucy ended up on her butt while her dog smothered her in canine worship.

  Coming home now was so peaceful. Her little cottage was the one—­the only—­place she felt safe. And it was all hers. Not only did she not have to share it, she didn’t have to ask permission for anything. She didn’t need to seek approval on how to decorate or what to cook for dinner. She didn’t need to ask for authorization to go into another room so she could focus on her studies, watch her favorite TV show, read a book for leisure, or work on the romance novels she’d begun to write in search of at least some kind of happily-­ever-­after. During her marriage she’d had to tread lightly in fear of setting off her ex-­husband’s volatile temper. Somehow she’d survived.

  Barely.

  She pulled herself up off the floor, dusted off the dog hair, and dropped her bag into the chair by the door. Next, the deadbolt slammed shut and she took a deep breath.

  “Who wants a treat before dinner?”

  Ziggy’s tail wagged in quick response and Lucy went to the kitchen cupboard for a Beggin’ Strip. She broke the treat into four pieces and fed each one to him after he performed his tricks of rolling over, shaking hands, lying down, and covering his nose with his paws.

  “Good boy.”

  He rewarded her by passing gas.

  “Whew! What have you been eating?”

  He gave a silly bark and got down on his front paws like, Yeah, I reek, but aren’t I cute?

  He was. Which was the only reason she forgave him for the constant stinkage.

  After a thorough wash of her hands, Lucy rummaged through the freezer and pulled out the small tub of Dove Unconditional Chocolate ice cream. The best part of living alone was you didn’t have to share, hide, or explain the reason you were munching on your guilty pleasure before dinner. She grabbed a spoon from the drawer, flipped off the top of the ice cream, and dug in.

  “Mmmmmmm.”

  The smooth chocolate rolled over her tongue while Ziggy cocked his head.

  “This is sinful, Zig. Be glad you’re a dog and you don’t have to try to refrain from stuff like this when your day goes from bad to haywire. Lord knows you don’t need anything else to stink up your insides.”

  Studying the vintage enamelware on her reclaimed wood shelves, she snuck another bite and wished the sweet deliciousness could rewind her greeting to Jordan Kincade at The Muddy Cup. She hadn’t meant to sound so snippy when he’d sat down five minutes late for their meeting. She hadn’t meant to make herself look like a snob. Had it not been for her heart pounding like a captured rabbit, she could have handled the encounter much easier.

  Clearly the man had an effect on her.

  For several years after graduation, she’d hated him. Carried a grudge so big she’d needed a U-­Haul truck to tow it around. Then she’d realized she’d had no one but herself to blame for the heartache. People couldn’t hurt you unless you let them. She’d let her guard down and he’d seized the opportunity. Which was why she never thought she’d hear a word of remorse come from his sensuous lips. But he’d surprised her by doing exactly that.

  She should have forgiven him even without an apology. She knew how teenagers were. Most didn’t think about anything except what happened in their own little world. But when she’d found out the real reason he’d left her waiting that night, she couldn’t stop the hurt.

  Yes, she knew how the popular crowd Jordan had belonged to thought of her back then. She’d never be one of them. She wouldn’t want to. She accepted who she was, and she was perfectly okay with the fact that it wasn’t her lot to be glamorous or live a glamorous life.

  After her marriage ended she’d had to learn to like herself again. To trust herself and her instincts. She’d always depended on being smart, yet it had totally let her down when she’d needed it most. Trusting herself and her instincts didn’t come easy. Which was only one reason why she wondered how she’d proceed with this project to salvage Nicole Kincade’s education and find out what was bothering the girl, when Lucy knew she might very well be distracted by Jordan.

  Where he was concerned her instincts jumped up and down and waved a red flag. How could she go one-­on-­one, face-­to-­face with him in a matter that might take days, weeks, or even months? She didn’t know if she had the kind of moxie she’d need to deal with him. Yes, she’d been strong enough to pull herself from the depths of hell once. But this was different.

  Jordan Kincade was a different kind of trouble.

  Call her shallow, but when confronted with a man who looked like a dark, sexy, sinful fallen angel, she couldn’t stop her fantasies from taking flight. She imagined he’d fill a woman’s head with pretty words, then touch her body with skillful hands.

  She’d never known a man like that.

  No one could deny he was good-­looking. And probably more than a little self-­centered. Not that she’d cyberstalked him, but in the photos she’d seen posted in celebrity news or sports Web sites he’d never downplayed his wild behavior. With a different voluptuous female on his arm in almost every shot, his expressive eyes and wide grin flaunted the fact that he devoured every single moment of his fortune and fame like a fine wine. Those he’d left back in the little town of Sunshine hadn’t stood a chance.

  Jordan was a dangerous man. He lived a dangerous life. Played a vicious and dangerous game. Even more hazardous was the charm he turned on like tap water. It oozed from every pore and had probably lured more than one woman to heartbreak and disappointment. But Lucy knew she had to suck it up and tighten the waistband on her big girl panties in order to help Nicole. She’d have to be careful around the man. Never let her g
uard down. She’d played with the devil before and lost. She was proud to have survived the ordeal and come out wiser. But that didn’t mean she’d willingly put herself back in the devil’s path.

  True, Jordan had apologized for something he’d done fifteen years ago. Her ex had never apologized. And he’d had a million reasons why he should have. The difference between the two was that Jordan at least had a conscience. Her ex had not.

  After one more gigantic bite of ice cream, Lucy put the top back on the container. She fed Ziggy his supposedly flatulence-­reducing kibble and went upstairs to change into something more comfortable. Her agenda for the rest of the night was to figure out a way to help Nicole with the least amount of exposure to the troubled girl’s sexy big brother.

  As Jordan turned the SUV onto the winding gravel road that led to his family vineyards, the sun sat low in the western sky. Beams of orange and gold shot out from its core while the puffy white clouds turned a picturesque pink.

  Relief flowed through his veins that Lucy was onboard to help him with Nicole. Between the two of them they should be able to get things figured out and get his sister back on track.

  That was if he could keep from being distracted by Lucy.

  Tonight he still had business to handle. And for this mission he probably needed fireproof gloves.

  Though the hand-­painted Sunshine Creek Vineyards sign in front of the big stone pillars and iron gate had faded, the rows of grapevines on either side of the road made for an impressive entry. Once the vines turned a vibrant green and became laden with deep purple or golden fruit, the vineyard would look like a showplace. Unless you dug a little deeper, it was easy to miss the dated appearance of the buildings that dotted the property.

  Before the funeral, he’d barely noticed, because he’d been too overwhelmed with shock and grief. Now it seemed like all he could see were the flaws. The condition of the place surprised him. He knew his father and Ryan had been working hard to develop new blends of wine for a more competitive brand. Maybe that’s where all their focus had gone instead of on the bed-­and-­breakfast or the event center.

  In recent years, his father had commented that the wine business in Washington State had exploded. Properties that were once open wilderness and rolling hills had been sold off to those who’d learned that their winemaking hobby could be profitable. Plus the lifestyle in the area had become very desirable. Other than a domestic call here and there or a group of beer-­drinking teens causing a little trouble down at the river, Sunshine had virtually no crime.