by J. M. Madden
Half an hour later, he guided the truck onto a gravel driveway and pulled up to a two-story house set back against picturesque woods. Cars lined the gravel and Gina motioned for him to pull into the yard. “It’s fine. We do it all the time.”
Matt gritted his teeth and had visions of Gina’s insurance salesman father chasing him with a shotgun, but he parked where she directed.
Gina was overwhelmed by people almost immediately. She kissed everybody, and they were all kissing and hugging her in return. It was one of the craziest things Matt had ever seen, all the open affection. A little scary actually. They all clucked over her cast, and he felt a flash of guilt.
A hand was shoved at him, and he shook automatically. A tall, lean man with Gina’s broad smiled shifted around a woman. “You must be Matt. We’re so pleased to meet you. I’m Eric, Gina’s dad.”
To say he was surprised was an understatement. Matt had expected a short little man with glasses. Eric Carruthers was none of that. Tall and spare with a trustworthy face, he exuded a laid-back confidence that inferred he could handle anything.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you don’t mind I parked in your yard.”
Eric waved his words away. “No worries. We park there all the time. How was the drive?”
“Fine, fine.” Matt looked for Gina’s curls, and he spotted her crossing the drive to wrap her arms around an older woman with identical curls. Eric motioned for him to follow and they crossed to meet them.
Gina turned when he got close enough and held her hand out to him. Matt felt his throat tighten as she tugged him to stand in front of the older woman. “Mom, I would like you to meet Matt Calvin. Matt, my mom, Linda.”
It was obvious Gina got her kinky hair from her mother, and her bright blue eyes. Mrs. Carruthers glanced down the length of him, and he knew she was cataloging his faults. Her eyes snagged on his tattoo and paused for the briefest millisecond, but he had seen the cringe. In spite of the look, though, she smiled brightly at him. “Matt, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for driving Gina all the way out here.”
“It was no problem, Mrs. Carruthers.”
“Call me Linda, please.”
Matt tipped his head in agreement, but he didn’t know if she really meant the offer or not. Her eyes were a little cool. He looked down at Gina. “I’ll go get the bags. Why don’t you head up with your mom?”
Gina smiled brightly and leaned up for a quick kiss. Matt had no choice but to meet her partway. The move looked as if she’d done it many times before, though he knew otherwise. “Thanks, Matt. Just set them inside the back door. We’ll meet you in the back yard.”
He nodded once and turned for the truck. Gina and her mother locked arms and started up the driveway. Eric followed him to the truck, and Matt had a feeling the man had questions.
“So, Matt, did you have problems on the interstate or anything?”
He shook his head and leaned in to the back seat to pull out the duffle bags, the pasta salad and the brightly colored gift bag. A jolt of excitement went through him as he stuffed the bright pink envelope inside the bag. Gina had offered to put his name on the card in case he didn’t have a gift, but Matt had surprised her by producing a cardboard box. Inside a nest of newspaper was a jewelry chest he had made several months ago. It was intricately carved and much smaller than what he normally built, but beautiful all the same. Gina’s eyes had sparkled when she saw the box and told him it would be perfect for Charli. It was in the bottom of the gift bag, and his name was also on the card. Matt had felt like a part of a couple as he watched Gina sign his name in the truck.
Kicking the door shut with his foot, he started up the driveway in the direction Gina had gone. Eric offered to take one of the bags, but Matt shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
Eric led him to the back of the house, and Matt had to stop and stare. Colored streamers hung from the trees and bushes, and there were several decorated picnic tables scattered across the lawn. “I know,” the older man laughed, “it’s a lot. But she’s our youngest child and we wanted to make her last birthday at home memorable.”
“Why is it her last birthday at home?” Matt asked, curious.
“Well,” Eric sighed, “next year she’ll be at college. Did Gina tell you about Charli? She’s an extremely intelligent young woman, and she graduates high school next June. She goes directly to college in the fall, assuming she settles on one.”
Matt was genuinely impressed. He had dropped out of high school at sixteen. Later, he’d gone back for his GED, but he regretted dropping out of school in the first place. College had been an unattainable dream, then. Now, he took the occasional business course at the community college at night if he thought he needed to know something.
There were two long banquet tables on a brick patio at the back door. He set Gina’s pasta bowl on the table and Charli’s gift bag on another, then set their clothing bags inside the back door Eric directed him to. He shut the door and looked across the yard for Gina, but he didn’t see her.
Eric led him to a group of lawn chairs grouped around an obviously well-used brick fire pit. Matt eyed the canvas chairs dubiously and chose a sturdier looking one to lower himself into. It held and he released his breath. He hated these things. He’d take a wooden chair any day.
Eric offered him a drink from an ice chest, and Matt accepted a bottle of water. Questions were coming, so he might as well have something ready when he needed it. He tried to appear relaxed, though his eyes scanned for Gina. He tugged the bill of his cap down.
Popping the top on his can, Eric motioned to the mess behind him. “If you have kids, you’ll do this, too, don’t worry.”
Matt didn’t think he’d ever have kids, so he thought it was kind of a moot point, but he made some kind of noise in agreement.
“Do you have kids, Matt?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“How long have you been dating my daughter?”
He smiled slightly. “Just a few days.”
Gina’s dad actually looked relieved at the information. Matt tried not to feel aggravated.
“And you’re a carpenter, right?”
“Yes.”
Eric launched into a fairly one-sided conversation about the attributes of each type of wood he used, and Matt promised he’d check out his workshop before he left.
A hand rested on his right shoulder, and he looked up at a smiling Gina. Her eyes widened theatrically, and Matt thought she was trying to tell him she was sorry for leaving him. Reaching up, he held her hand in his own and tugged a second chair close. Gina settled into it and didn’t seem in a hurry to remove her hand. Actually, he thought it tightened.
Gina’s dad was watching them carefully.
“So, Daddy, what kind of car did you get Charli?”
Eric smiled and rubbed his hands together. “Well, I debated on several things, but finally settled on a sedan.”
Matt watched the interplay between father and daughter and found it fascinating. There was no animosity whatsoever, and Eric was genuinely interested in Gina’s life. And vice versa. Gina seemed to know about every project he was working on.
“How did you break your wrist? You never did say.”
Gina smiled and glanced at Matt. His clamped his mouth shut, and a hollow feeling settled in his stomach.
“Well, I ran into Matt in the office. Literally. And bounced off of him.”
Sharp eyes looked to Matt. “Really?”
He nodded, though it pained him. “I tried to grab her, but she was already beyond my reach.”
“Gina.” Eric shook his head at her. “You’re such a klutz. You have to be more careful, Pumpkin.”
“I know, Dad,” Gina sighed. “I was reading a chart and had my head down. It was like running into a brick wall, too.”
She smiled when she said it though and tightened her hand on his. “I think it was the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.”
Matt glanced at her earnest expression. There was no freakin’ way she could believe that.
Gina didn’t like the caged look in Matt’s eyes. His ball cap shielded his face, but she could feel the tenseness in his hand as it clutched hers. Her dad was not very subtle. If he wanted to know something, he asked. Time for a change of direction.
“So how have you been feeling, Dad? Any more of those dizzy spells?”
Disgust curled her father’s lips. “No more dizzy spells. Those doctors may have finally gotten something right with that new medication they put me on.”
They talked of inconsequential things after that. When the topic veered too close to Matt, she tried to steer them in another direction. It helped when Charli came out of the house.
At sixteen, she carried herself as if she had seen everything. Her sleek, dark-blond hair was knotted haphazardly on top of her head, and her regular glasses were replaced by a pair of bright red frames. Even though it was a special day, she had her standard jeans and t-shirt on, but she was still damn cute.
Gina stood up from her chair and Charli squealed when she saw her. “Mom said you were here, but I didn’t see your car.” She wrapped her arms around Gina’s waist and squeezed.
Gina was just as glad to see her little sister and held her tight. It had been several months since they’d been able to get together. Charli was one of the few people in her life who didn’t dote over her as if she were sick all the time. She was born a few years after Gina had kicked the illness and had no memory of all the fuss and worry. Mary Beth, their older sister, was constantly mothering Gina, because she did remember.
She pulled back and motioned to Matt. “Charli, this is my friend Matt. He drove me today.”
Charli’s hazel eyes widened as Matt stood from the chair, but she shook his hand like it was no big deal. “Hi, Matt.”
“Charli. Happy birthday.”
“Cool tat.” Charli beamed and turned back to Gina. “You’ve been busy,” she murmured.
Embarrassment warmed her face. She and Charli spoke all the time, but she hadn’t felt comfortable telling her about Matt. As mature as the girl seemed, she was still only sixteen, and certain things were beyond her scope of knowledge. At least Gina hoped they were. She didn’t want to think of her little sister doing the nasty.
A group of girls gathered behind Charli, and they tugged her away, giggling.
Relatives and friends started to filter in, and Gina was busy greeting people she hadn’t seen in a long time. She tried to keep Matt company, but it wasn’t possible all the time. Surprisingly, though, he seemed to fit in fairly well. He played football with some of her younger male cousins and helped her dad carry firewood for the fire pit. At one point she even saw him transferring food out to the banquet table for her mother. Everything was good until the final guest came around the corner.
Chapter Ten
Gina knew before he was even introduced that this was the infamous doctor her mother had tried to set her up with. He was definitely good-looking--blond haired and blue-eyed-- but way too aware of his looks. Gucci loafers sank into the grass, and his knife-sharp khakis looked out of place amongst the jeans everybody else was wearing. He was carrying a brightly tissued gift bag and a container of store-bought baked beans. Why hadn’t Mom uninvited him? She glared at her mother as she rose to greet him.
Linda had the good grace to look a little embarrassed, but she plowed on. “Grayson, over here. Everybody, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Grayson Cooper. He just moved here from Florida.”
Some of the crowd waved hello, but the response was unenthusiastic. The teenagers twittered and stayed huddled in their little group.
“And this is my daughter, Gina.”
Smiling, Gina waved her casted arm as an excuse not to shake his hand, but she didn’t move from beside Matt. Tightening her hand around his, she waited for the awkward situation to disappear.
Of course, it didn’t.
“Gina, would you mind showing Grayson where to put things, please?”
She glared daggers but still responded to that tone in her mother’s voice that said she wouldn’t take any sass. With an apologetic glance at Matt, she rose to her feet. “This way Dr. Cooper.”
“Grayson, please.”
Gina smiled as politely as she could and directed him across the patio to the banquet table reserved for the food. “You can put your beans here, and the gift for Charli can go on that table.”
Grayson juggled the two and tried to shift hands, but somehow bumbled the move. The beans dropped to the table and the thin plastic split up the side of the container. Bean juice splashed across the table and onto Grayson’s khakis. The gift bag dropped to the ground and Gina heard the sound of breaking glass from inside.
He stared at the mess incredulously and Gina‘s reserve melted. “Oh, no. Here.”
Gina scrambled for napkins to blot the mess up and handed a fistful to the doctor. She heard snickers from the group of girls and tossed them a murderous look. It was bad enough to walk into a group of people you didn’t know, let alone have them laugh at you. She felt bad for the poor man. Grabbing the tub of beans, she tossed the whole thing into the trash can, then swiped again with the napkins. Her mother arrived to help, and she told Gina to take Grayson into the house to clean up.
Gina knew her mother was still trying to manage her, and it was seriously beginning to piss her off. Now was not the time to bitch, though.
“This way, Grayson.”
She led him into the house and down the hallway to the bathroom just off the laundry room. The bean splash had managed to cover most of the front of his nice pants, and she had a sneaking suspicion he would need to put something else on.
“I don’t know if those pants are going to be okay or not. I can get you a pair of my father’s to put on for now, if you don’t mind. We can wash the khakis and hopefully the stain won’t set in.”
Grayson’s attractive face was twisted with aggravation. “I can’t believe I did that. I haven’t been that clumsy in years.”
Gina laughed. “Must be nice. I’m clumsy all the time.” She held up her wrist.
“Yes, that’s what your mother said.” He looked down at his pants in resignation. “I believe I’m going to have to accept your generous offer of a pair of pants. I don’t believe I can comfortably drive home in this.”
“Let’s get your pants changed, we’ll get your dress pants in the wash and you can come out and enjoy the party. What’s your waist size?”
Luckily, he was the same size as her father. Gina crossed to the laundry room and tugged a pair of her father’s jeans out of a stack. She handed them off, and accepted the dirties when he passed them through the crack of the door. She pre-treated them and tossed them in the washer.
If anything, Grayson looked even more uncomfortable when he stepped out of the bathroom. “I don’t normally wear denim,” he explained.
“Well, maybe you should. You look good in them.” And he did. The legs were a little long, maybe, but they definitely fit him everywhere else.
“Thank you, Gina. You are as nice as your mother said you were.” He smiled, and Gina felt like crap because she needed to clear the air.
“Uh, Grayson, thank you, but I need to tell you. My mother invited you, but I already have a date. I’m sorry. I know this is kind of awkward for you, and I apologize for that.”
His pretty blue eyes darkened with disappointment, and his smile became a little forced. “I wondered. I saw you holding the big man’s hand when you stood up. He glared at me when you escorted me into the house.”
Gina nodded. “Yes. We haven’t been dating long, but it’s pretty intense. I’m sorry. You seem like a very nice man.”
He shrugged lightly and seemed determined to close the subject. He held the door open for her to precede him out to the fire-ring, then took a vacant chair a couple spaces down from her.
Gina sat in her own chair and placed her hand back over Matt’s, but he did
n’t respond to her touch. She squeezed a bit, to get his attention, and he turned to look at her. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” His glance flicked to Grayson. “Should you go sit with him?”
“No. He’s an adult. He’ll find somebody to talk to. Mom can deal with him; she invited him. I’m with the person I want to be with.”
One side of his mouth tipped up and he relaxed deeper in the chair. “So am I,” he told her quietly, and squeezed her hand.
Gina felt her heart literally skip a beat. That was the biggest admission he’d ever made to her, and tears burned her eyes. She leaned her head against his broad shoulder to hide her emotion. He raised his arm and she burrowed into his chest. I love you was on the tip of her tongue, but she clamped her mouth shut. Not yet.
The conversation ebbed and flowed as the afternoon wore on. Dad got up and lit the barbeque, and Mom headed indoors to gather the utensils and meat. They were their usual selves, kissing and hugging each other as if each small absence hurt. Gina had grown up watching them love each other, but it appeared to fascinate Matt. Several times she caught him surveying their by-play with a quizzical expression.
“They’re something, aren’t they?” she whispered to him at one point.
Silvery-green eyes flared with heat when he looked at her and nodded.
“They met years ago when my dad did a tour in the Air Force. Mom was a waitress off-base from where he was stationed, and she says they fell in love within hours. They married a few weeks later.”
“And they’re always like this?” He motioned a hand at them as they huddled together near the barbeque, flipping meat. Her mom’s right hand was in her father’s back pocket.
“Always. Actually, my grand-parents on my mother’s side were the same way. They died several years ago, just a few hours apart. They had done everything together throughout their lives. It was only fitting that they died the same way.”
