The Man Upstairs (You, Me & The Kids)

by Pamela Bauer

  Dena chuckled. “Wasn’t he supposed to?”

  “Of course, but usually he’s pretty quiet…at least he doesn’t say much around me.”

  Dena shrugged. “He wasn’t shy with me last night. He’s got a great sense of humor…as you probably already know.”

  “Garret?” She wrinkled her nose. “Are we talking about the same guy?”

  Dena smiled. “As I said, I enjoyed talking to him. I’m surprised he’s still single.”

  “I think at one time he almost got engaged to another med student, but it didn’t work out,” Krystal said thoughtfully.

  The sound of footsteps had both women turning their heads in the direction of the staircase. Dena’s heartbeat accelerated as Quinn appeared. When he reached the landing, she could see that he carried her figure skates, hat and mitts.

  “You forgot these,” he said to Dena, shoving them in her direction.

  “Oh—thanks.” She could see Krystal was dying to ask why Quinn had these things, but at that moment her cell phone rang.

  “Oh, shoot, that’s me.” She stepped to the opposite side of the landing, leaving Quinn at Dena’s door.

  “Feeling all right?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes that told her they shared a secret.

  “I’m feeling great,” she answered with a flirtatious glimmer in her own eyes. “How about you?”

  “I’m great, too.”

  “Good.”

  He studied her face, as if waiting for her to mention last night. She wasn’t about to, not with Krystal standing less than six feet away. “I’m going to be gone for a few days and I didn’t want to leave those in the back of the SUV in case you needed them,” he said with a nod toward the skates.

  “Yeah, I never know when the urge to skate is going to hit me,” she responded with a sly grin.

  He glanced toward Krystal, then leaned closer and said in a low, husky voice, “I enjoyed last night.”

  “So did I.”

  That brought a gleam of satisfaction to his eyes. He looked as if he was going to kiss her, but he simply smiled and said, “I’d better go. I’ll see you on Friday.”

  When she gave him a puzzled look, he added, “It’s payback time…or have you forgotten?”

  Payback? For what? Last night? she wondered, then felt like a total fool when he said, “Northside Elementary.”

  The reading program. Her end of their bargain to do volunteer work. She had forgotten, but she didn’t tell him that. “Of course. I’ll be there.”

  “I can give you a ride to the school if you like,” he suggested.

  She shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll meet you there since I’ll be coming from work. I’m sure I can catch a bus.”

  “You don’t drive to work?” he asked.

  “Not with the cost of parking downtown. I don’t mind the bus.”

  He didn’t look convinced, but simply said, “Then I’ll see you Friday.”

  She nodded and watched him walk away. He waved to Krystal, who was still on the phone. Dena was about to go back inside when the stylist snapped her cell phone shut with a roll of her eyes.

  “That was Danny. Now he says he can’t deliver the chair for me today.” She sighed in exasperation. “Men.” She eyed the box in Dena’s hands. “What’s with the skates? They look brand-new.”

  “They are. I only have them because of all this stuff that’s been going on with Quinn.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it certainly was intended to be misinterpreted. “You know about the calendar he’s going to be on, don’t you? We had a photo shoot at the ice rink right behind the high school.”

  “Yeah, Leonie told me.” She eyed her suspiciously.

  “Have you seen her this morning?” Dena asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from Quinn.

  “Yeah, I went down for breakfast and she was having her coffee. She was pleased with how everything went last night. I told her I thought it was a great party, although I didn’t get to stay till the end. Roy wanted to go back to his place so we could talk.”

  “And did you?”

  She nodded. “He told me his reserve unit got called up for duty. He’s in the National Guard. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve been so on again, off again.”

  “He’s gone a lot?”

  “Yeah, and he never wants any strings when he is gone. Usually he serves in the States, but this time he’s going overseas. It’s one of those assignments where they don’t tell you where they’re sending you, for security reasons. He’s not overly concerned, because he said it’s not uncommon to be called for a peacekeeping mission and end up in a place where all you do is sit and do paperwork.”

  “When does he leave?” Dena asked.

  “Next week. That’s why I have to give him my decision tonight as to whether or not we get back together.”

  “Together as in you don’t see other guys?”

  She nodded. “Yup.” She chuckled. “Isn’t it ironic? When I wanted him to be my one and only, he wanted to play the field. Now I’m having fun playing the field and he wants me to be his one and only.” She checked her watch. “Oh, shoot, I’ve gotta go or I’m going to be late. We’ll have more girl talk later. See ya,” she said with a wave and was gone.

  Girl talk. Dena guessed that was what had transpired while Krystal had stood in her doorway, but as genuine and as nice as her neighbor was, Dena didn’t feel comfortable confiding in her. Maybe in time she’d get to know Krystal better and their friendship would deepen.

  Or maybe it wouldn’t, she realized as she closed the door. She’d never found it easy to develop that kind of relationship with another woman. That’s why her friendship with Maddie had been so important to her. Again she found herself wishing that her college roommate was still in St. Paul.

  But Maddie wasn’t there. She’d just have to go it alone. It’s what she’d done since she was thirteen. Taken care of herself, keeping her feelings tucked neatly away. There would be no girl talk when it came to her relationship with Quinn. She’d have to figure it out on her own.

  DENA HAD NO PROBLEM getting time off to do the volunteer program the Cougars sponsored at the elementary school. If anyone suspected she was participating because of her connection to Quinn, they didn’t say it.

  Since the night of Leonie’s party, she hadn’t seen or heard from him. Not that she’d expected him to call while he was on a road trip with the team. Actually, she was glad that he hadn’t, because even with him being out of town she’d spent far too much time thinking about him.

  Now the thought of seeing him again had her feeling like a teenager with a crush on a jock. And as soon as she stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the Delaney offices, her heart did a flip-flop. He was waiting for her, his backside leaning against the front fender of his SUV, the engine running.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, hoping no one from the office was looking out the window.

  He swept his hands out in front of the vehicle as if he were a car salesman. “Wouldn’t you rather ride in this than on some smelly old bus…a bus, I might add, that won’t take you directly to Northside Elementary?”

  After only a slight hesitation, she walked over to the SUV. “Yes, I would.”

  As usual, he held the door open for her.

  When she slid into the passenger seat, it was warm inside. “This is much nicer than the bus. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He skillfully maneuvered out into the heavy city traffic. When they stopped because of congestion on the downtown streets, he did a U-turn into an alley and drove in the opposite direction of the freeway.

  They drove through the warehouse district until they reached an abandoned service station. When he pulled into its parking lot, she asked, “Why are we here?”

  “So I can do this,” he said, then leaned over and kissed her thoroughly. “I wasn’t sure you’d appreciate me doing that in front of your place of work.”

  “You’re right, I wouldn’t—but I like it here.�
�� She pulled him back to her and they continued to kiss until they were both trembling.

  “I missed you,” he told her, nuzzling her neck.

  “I missed you, too.” She reached inside his jacket. “Mmm. I love how hard your chest is.”

  He groaned. “This is not the time to be telling me that. We have to get to the school.” He reluctantly pushed her hand away, then drove back out onto the street. “Are you all set to read to the kids?”

  “No, I think you know what I’m all set for,” she teased, then immediately appeared contrite. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  He glanced sideways at her. “Yes, you should. I love to know that you want me.”

  She did, but she also knew that they couldn’t walk into the school looking like a couple of lovebirds. “Tell me about this program. How did you get involved?”

  “My mom teaches second grade at Northside.”

  She was going to meet his mother? Dena shifted a bit uneasily. “So your mom will be there today?”

  “Normally she would be, but she’s having some dental work done so she’s off today.”

  Dena breathed a sigh of relief, then sat quietly while he explained about the school’s reading program. Finally he looked at her and asked, “You’re not nervous about reading to the kids, are you?”

  “No.” It was the truth. If she was nervous it was because she was being seen in public with a professional hockey player. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and whether Quinn would treat her like a girlfriend or simply another one of the volunteers.

  When they arrived at the school, the first thing Dena noticed when she walked into the gymnasium was the huge banner hanging on the wall: Quinn’s Kids.

  She looked at him. “You didn’t say it was your program.”

  His grin was almost a shy one. “It’s not totally my program. The Cougar organization has donated books, and other players come to read to the kids.”

  But it was obvious by the way the school children greeted him that he was the one they waited to hear. Dena might have suspected that his enthusiasm wasn’t genuine if there had been reporters or television cameras present. But there were no media representatives, just a gymnasium full of kids who wanted to tell Quinn about the books they’d read in the past month.

  Dena enjoyed reading aloud to them and seeing firsthand the impact reading was having in their lives. She also noticed how much Quinn enjoyed his role as mentor.

  The man who slammed bodies into the boards and brawled with other hockey players on the ice was nowhere to be found that morning. This Quinn was funny and kind and sensitive to what the kids said to him, listening intently and responding with a concern Dena hadn’t expected.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” he commented as he drove her back to work.

  Yes, she had been. It was because she was thinking about what she had seen at the school. Quinn had just spent the morning with hundreds of children, allowing them to sit on his lap, tug on his sleeve, follow him around, and not once had he looked bored or impatient to leave. It was not what she had expected and certainly didn’t fit the stereotypical image of a professional athlete.

  “I was just thinking about what a contradiction you are. On the ice you’re knocking people down and banging them into the boards, but at the school you’re like a big teddy bear.”

  “I have to be mean on the job. Fans like the rough-and-tough stuff.”

  “What about you? Do you like it?”

  He shrugged. “It’s part of the game.”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes, then she said, “I think it’s great that you have Quinn’s Kids.”

  “You’ll have to credit my mom for that one. I wish she had been there. I wanted her to meet you.”

  Dena had never been very good at meeting mothers. She hadn’t had to be since her relationships normally didn’t last long enough to get to the “I want you to meet Mom” stage.

  This one wasn’t at that stage, either. At least it wasn’t from her point of view. She was relieved to see her office building looming ahead.

  When Quinn pulled over to the curb, she would have jumped out, but his hand snaked across the seat and grabbed hers. “Thanks for coming with me today.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. It was part of the bargain, remember?” Her one hand remained beneath his, the other was on the door handle, ready to give her the opportunity to bolt.

  “Okay, so we’re even up on that score. How about dinner tonight?”

  She grimaced. “I’d like to but I can’t. One of the women at work is getting married and they’re having a wedding shower this evening.”

  “I’ve got a game tomorrow and one on Monday, but Sunday’s open.”

  “Sunday would be good,” she acknowledged, very much aware of the hand that held hers.

  “Okay. Sunday it is.” He leaned toward her and lightly brushed her lips with his. She could see that he had meant for it to be a quick, brief peck, but once the contact was made, nature intervened. The kiss deepened, her lips moving beneath his provocatively.

  A horn honking reminded them that they were in a no-parking zone. She pulled away from him. “You’d better go or you’re going to get a ticket.”

  “It would be worth it if it meant I could get you to kiss me like that again.” The sexy grin was back on his face.

  She couldn’t resist smiling. She felt the same way. When he kissed her she wanted to say to hell with everything.

  It was not a good sign. She needed to keep her head on straight if she was going to keep seeing him. She needed to keep their relationship in perspective. However, as she walked into the building she couldn’t resist the urge to look back. He was still sitting at the curb watching her. And she liked it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ON SUNDAY Quinn took Dena to an obscure little restaurant on the East Side where he knew it was unlikely anyone would care that he was a Cougar. The food was good, the atmosphere quiet, and no one paid much attention to anything except their dinner companions. They had a small table for two tucked away in a corner, and an old wine bottle with a candle dripping wax provided just the right amount of light.

  She looked beautiful sitting across from him, and totally at ease. At times he felt as if he needed to say something clever to prove to her that he wasn’t just an average guy, but then he remembered that she wanted him to be a regular guy.

  It was a new experience for him. He was used to women treating him like a celebrity. Oftentimes his occupation was the only reason a woman wanted to be with him.

  For ten years it hadn’t mattered to him. He wasn’t sure it did now. What he did know was that being a Cougar wasn’t what had attracted Dena to him, and he liked that. There were actually a lot of things he liked about her. There was a genuineness about her he hadn’t found in many women. She was comfortable with who she was and not afraid to speak her mind.

  He couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed a dinner date more, and later, as they climbed the steps of 14 Valentine Place, he felt the familiar stirrings of desire. He wanted to be with her.

  As they approached the second-floor landing, she pulled her keys from her pocket. “Thank you for dinner. I had a really nice time.”

  “Would you like to come upstairs for a nightcap? A glass of wine, some hot chocolate…” He trailed off with a smile.

  “Mmm. That sounds wonderful, but I know what happened the last time we had hot chocolate, and I have to work in the morning.” They’d reached the landing and stood outside her door.

  “I promise I won’t keep you up late,” he said with a seductive grin.

  A faint smile flickered across her face. “Do I look like I just stepped off the bus from Gullible Town?”

  He could hardly believe he was having to coax a woman to come up to his room. “It’s true. I won’t. I have a game tomorrow. Haven’t you heard that athletes skip sex before games?” She gave him a dubious look and he added, “I need all my energy for the ice.”

  “You
expect me to believe that?”

  “You don’t?”

  She chuckled. “No.”

  “We could talk over coffee,” he suggested.

  “Talk?” She raised that one eyebrow again in a manner that was becoming very familiar to him.

  “Yes, talk. I like being with you,” he stated candidly.

  When she didn’t say anything, he added, “This is the part where you say you like being with me, too.”

  “I do like being with you, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

  It would have been much easier on his ego if a coy smile had accompanied those words. At least then he would have thought she was simply playing hard-to-get. But he knew her well enough to realize she wasn’t flirting with him or trying to play some kind of game. She was just stating the truth.

  “It is a good thing. Just let me prove it to you,” he said, brushing his fingers across her cheek.

  “I want to, but…”

  “If you’d rather not come upstairs, we can go downstairs to the kitchen. Something’s happening between us, Dena. You feel it. I know you do. We need to talk about where we go from here.”

  She hesitated and he thought she might say they weren’t going anywhere. Then she stuck her key in the lock and said, “If we’re going to talk we should probably do it somewhere where we won’t be interrupted.”

  The tone of her voice made it sound as if he were an IRS agent asking her to explain last year’s return. Maybe he’d misread the signs. He followed her inside and sat down next to her on the love seat, determined that, until she made it clear what she wanted from their relationship, he wouldn’t touch her.

  It was difficult not to take her in his arms and kiss her until she was wanting him as much as he was longing to be with her. One of the buttons on her shirt had come undone and he could see glimpses of a lacy bra. When she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet beneath her, she was the picture of allure, yet she was unaware how enticing she looked.

  “What do you want to talk about?” she asked, pushing the long blond hair behind her shoulder. It was an innocent but sensuous move.