His Best Friend's Girl: In the Line of Duty, Book 5

by Cathryn Fox

  She grinned. “Not good enough.”

  “Okay, I’ll do your dishes too.”

  “I have a dishwasher.”

  “I’m not vacuuming.” He dropped the empty tins into the garbage can and ran his hands under the tap. “You know how much I hate vacuuming.”

  “Too bad. That could have tipped the scales.”

  Changing tactics, he grabbed Gran’s tea towel from the stove handle. “How about if you don’t do it, you get this.” He dried his hands and twirled the towel until it was tight, then snapped it in the air.

  Her eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t.”

  He took a step toward her, and she took one back, because she clearly knew he would. “Try me.”

  “Don’t,” she shrieked. “My ass is sore enough already.” As soon as the words left her mouth—a sweet reminder of last night—they both stood stock still, the air between them charged. “I mean…uh…” she began, like she was trying to backtrack.

  A warm flush crept up Sky’s neck, and Matt tossed the towel onto the counter like it was on fire. Dexter finished eating and curled around his leg, giving him something else to focus on.

  “Where are the plastic bags?” Sky asked, her voice a little hoarse. “I was going to do it all along. But now you have to make my bed for a week. Not that there is much to make,” she rambled on. “It’s been so hot in the bedroom lately, I only have one sheet on.” She pulled the gloves on. “Is it hot in your bedroom too? I mean. Wait…”

  Jesus, Matt had never seen her so flustered before. Coming to her rescue he grabbed the bag of litter by the door, and opened the closet where Gran kept the plastic bags stockpiled. At least fifty spilled out. Matt shook his head. He wasn’t sure what her fascination with plastic bags was, but she could singlehandedly change the atmosphere and speed up global warming. “We’d better hurry. I don’t want to miss morning visiting hours.”

  “Right.” She nodded and followed him into the other room.

  Changing subjects, he said, “I really hate Gran in this house alone.”

  He held the plastic bag open as Sky dumped the old litter into it. “Are you going to stay with her when she gets out?”

  He nodded and tied the bag off. “I’ll make arrangements for someone to be here in the day, but at night she’ll need me.”

  Sky filled the box with fresh litter, and Dexter jumped right in and started pawing at it. “She’ll like having you here.”

  He frowned, and while he wanted to help he hated being back in the house. It held nothing but bad memories. Sky touched his shoulder and he looked at her. “What?” he asked.

  “Maybe you and Gran can make new memories. Good ones.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “And maybe you could bring Murphy here to live with you. I’m sure he’d love that backyard.”

  He grinned, and gestured toward the three cats. “I’m sure they’d all get along.”

  “You never know until you try. Besides, Murphy is a big baby. They’d probably love him, and he could stay here and watch over Gran at night, and in the day the animals could all chase the birds together.”

  Matt smiled. “That would be his dream job.”

  “That’s what this house needs,” Sky said. “A dog, a happy couple and a houseful of kids to keep watch over Gran.”

  He laughed. “I know she’d love that. She’s lonely here and I hate seeing her like that.”

  She went quiet, thoughtful for a moment, then crinkled her nose and asked, “What’s going to happen to Murphy if you can’t train him?”

  He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. “Not too many people wanting to adopt a full-grown dog who loves to chase birds.”

  Matt tossed the bag into the kitchen trash and they washed their hands before walking through the house to check on it. It wasn’t a big place, but it had good bones and a decent backyard. He stopped in Gran’s room and looked at the floral bedspread. There was a time his mom and dad were happy, when they used to laugh in this very room, but then his mom got sick and died and his father started drinking. His heart squeezed when he thought of his mom. She’d made this house a home and filled it with love and laughter.

  Sky was right. A dog, kids and a loving couple was exactly what this house needed. He put himself in that situation for a moment, and knew that’s what it would take to help demolish all his bad memories. But Matt wouldn’t be the one to give it what it needed, since the girl he loved was in love with another man.

  “You okay?” Sky asked, her hand going to his back.

  “Yeah, we should get going.”

  They made their way back to the front door and before Matt locked up, Sky grabbed Gran’s knitting bag from beside her favorite chair. Traffic was light as they drove to the hospital. Sky parked and they both went inside to the nursing station, where they were guided to his Gran’s room.

  She was sleeping quietly as they entered, but woke when he stepped up to her bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered.

  “Nonsense,” she muttered, still a bit groggy from the medication. Her glance left his and went to Sky’s. “Sky,” she said. “You brought my knitting.” She pressed her fingers together in front of her face. “You’re a darling.”

  “How are you feeling?” Sky asked. When Matt started to fix Gran’s sheet she shooed his hand away.

  “Stop fussing,” she said, and he was happy that the meds were keeping her pain-free, if not a bit loopy. “I’m just fine. Or at least I will be once I get out of here.” Frail hands gestured to the tray on her nightstand, not a crumb left on the plate. “If they don’t kill me with what they’re trying to pass off as food first.” She pulled her knitting needles and yarn from her bag, and the smile was back on her face as she slowly sorted out her supplies. There was real concern on her face when she asked, “How are my cats?”

  “Just fine,” Matt said.

  She looked at Matt and blinked over her milky eyes. An arthritic hand reached out and closed over his. “I don’t want to impose, Matt. But is there any chance you just keep an eye on them until I’m home?”

  “Of course, you don’t even have to ask, and when you get out of here, I plan to stay with you until you’re back on your feet.”

  “You’re a good boy, Matt,” she said her voice fading a little, then she looked down. Matt swallowed the lump pushing into his throat, because he knew what she was thinking. Knew she blamed herself for not being there when he was a kid. But it wasn’t her fault; she’d been grieving for a lost daughter and had no idea how bad things had turned between Matt and his dad. “I can’t ask you to do that,” she said softly, understanding what the house meant to him, and the demons that still haunted him.

  “You’re not asking,” he said, holding her bony hand between both of his.

  Gran looked at Sky and her voice wobbled slightly when she said, “He’s a good boy.”

  “I know,” Sky said. “He’s been my best friend since I taught him how to climb a tree.”

  “Hey,” Matt shot back, and let Gran’s hands go. “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “Look at that, haven’t even hit thirty yet and your memory is failing you.”

  Reaching for her knitting needles, Gran chuckled softly, then she went quiet like she was searching her memory banks. “That’s right, your birthday is next Saturday. Do you have plans?”

  “I plan to have dinner with the prettiest girl I know.”

  Gran’s eyes opened wide, well, as wide as possible in her drug-induced state, and she looked at Sky. “Oh, is there something I should know?”

  A warm flush of embarrassment came over Sky’s face and he could only imagine she was reliving what they’d done last night. “I’m talking about you, Gran,” he said, even though he knew Sky was the most beautiful woman he knew.

  “Now, come on. You don’t need to be fussing with me.”

  “There isn’t a girl I’d rather spend it with,” he said and that brought a big smile to her face.
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  “I might still be in this horrid place, and believe me, you don’t want to eat what they’re cooking.”

  Both Sky and Matt laughed. “If you’re here, I’ll bring the food.”

  “Don’t be fussing,” she said again. “You must have plans with Caleb. Didn’t you all go to the cottage to celebrate his thirtieth?”

  “Yeah, but I’ll go down after dinner with you.”

  Kat, who worked at the hospital and knew about his grandma—news spread fast in their circle—poked her head in. “Hey, how is everyone doing?”

  Sky waved her in and introduced her to Gran. After pleasantries were exchanged, Matt spoke quietly to Gran and Kat pulled Sky aside to say something to her. A few minutes later she stepped back up to him and put her hand on Matt’s shoulder. He closed his hand over hers and tried not to react. But she felt so warm and familiar, it was doing the worst things to his insides.

  “I’m going to leave you two alone to speak to Gran, okay?”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “You don’t have to do that.”

  She gestured with a nod toward Kat, who was standing at the door, looking rather antsy. “Kat seems eager to show me something.”

  “Let me guess,” he whispered. “Thor?”

  Sky chuckled. “I think so.”

  “Okay, come find me when you’re done.”

  She said her goodbyes to Gran, and he stayed with her for a little while longer. He was happy to see she was bouncing back so quickly. After visiting hours, he spoke to the doctor to find out that because of her age, they’d be keeping her for observation for at least a week. Matt gathered the information they needed on home care, and he fired off a text to Sky to meet him on the main level.

  “Hey,” he said when she stepped off the elevator.

  “Everything good with Gran?”

  “Yeah, I talked to the doctor and gathered some information. You all set?”

  She nodded and he put his hand on the small of her back to lead her out through the sliding main doors. They hopped into her car and headed to the bar.

  The lunch crowd started to pile in by the time they arrived, and Sky went in back to put the food order in and talk with her manager, Marco. Matt grabbed the pool balls from behind the counter and made his way to the table. He racked the balls and took a few shots, keeping himself occupied while they waited for the order. Sky leaned against the bar talking to Marco and while he couldn’t hear what they were saying, from the look on her face, he could tell it was serious.

  Marco stepped into the kitchen and Matt walked the length of the table. He bent to take a shot and caught Sky from his peripheral vision. She was staring at him, his ass in particular. He looked around to see who else was at the bar, assuming she was pretending for someone else’s benefit. Either that or last night had changed something in her. Yeah, wishful thinking, dude. He saw a few of his friends, but when he looked back at the spot where she was standing, he found it empty.

  Passing it off as nothing more than Sky going into one of her daydreams—probably plotting her next story, or her life with Caleb, he finished sinking the balls, then went to the kitchen to help her pack up the food.

  She put the last of the sandwiches into a paper bag and smiled up at him, but behind that smile he spotted something else. Was it unease? Was last night harder on her than she was letting on. He cursed under his breath, angry with himself.

  “All set,” she said.

  He grabbed the bag from her and carried it to her car. They climbed in and he turned to her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I can tell when something’s bothering you, Sky. It’s me, remember.”

  Her smile was slow. “Yeah, it’s you,” she said, her voice soft, like it was when they were between the sheets. When he spanked her. Fuck.

  “I really am sorry. I—”

  “Matt,” she said cutting him off. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded and turned the engine over. “Now let’s get these sandwiches delivered and get this breakup done and over with. I’m sure you’re more than ready to be done with this ruse.”

  Is that what she thought? If so, she was way off base, but he wasn’t about to tell her the only girl he wanted was her. Pushing down the lump climbing into his throat, he fiddled with the radio until he found his favorite station. He cranked the volume and for the most part silence hovered between them as they drove to the outskirts of town, to the old abandoned base where the guys were training dogs. He jumped from the car to open the gate and after Sky drove through he shut it behind them. When Murphy saw him, he came running over, a tennis ball in his mouth.

  “Hey, Murph,” Sky said, petting him on the head. She grabbed the ball and threw it, and the smile that lit up her face tugged at his heart. She was so sweet, with an innocent sensuality about her that filled him with possession.

  He grabbed the bag of food from the car and looked at Caleb’s SUV. Sky’s eyes darted around nervously and her lids fluttered a little faster when she spotted Caleb coming toward them.

  “Hey, how’s Gran?” he asked when he stepped up to them.

  Sky looked at Matt and they exchanged a long look. “I’ll hand out the subs.” She took the bag from Matt and walked away.

  “What’s up with Skywalker?” Caleb asked, shading the sun from his eyes, watching as Sky step into the compound.

  “It’s just not working out between us,” Matt said.

  “No?”

  Murphy came back with the ball and Matt grabbed it. He gave it a good hard throw, sending it to the other side of the compound where Jack and Garrett were setting up the detonation boxes used for training.

  “You know what?” He put his hand on Caleb’s back. He hated lying to his friend, but when all was said and done and the two were living happily ever after in a house with a picket fence, they’d all be able to laugh at this. “We gave it a shot, but she’s not the girl for me.”

  “Are you serious?” Caleb asked. “I thought you were…smitten.”

  Despite the storm going on inside him, Caleb channeling Gran put a smile on his face.

  “No, we’re just better as friends,” he said.

  Caleb stared at him.

  Don’t look away, dude. Don’t do it.

  He looked away.

  Under the guise of searching for Murphy, he narrowed his eyes and glanced around the courtyard. “Where the hell did he go? He must have found a bird to chase.”

  Caleb stared at him a moment longer, then said, “So, she’s free to date anyone she wants?”

  Matt nodded. “Yeah, she is. And actually, I’m pretty sure she was always more interested in exploring a relationship with you than me.”

  Caleb eyes widened with interest. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  “Hmmm,” Caleb said.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I guess…I just…I had no idea.”

  Matt looked back at him. “I think you should ask her out. I think you two are better suited for each other.”

  Caleb laughed. “Better suited? Seriously, Matt? You’re like a goddamn eighty-year-old woman.”

  Matt laughed. “Fuck off.”

  “I think you should be hanging out with Luke at Sheffield community center.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “That’s where the retirement group hangs out. Any one of those ladies will snap you up.” He paused to shake his head, his lips turning up at the corners. “No wonder it didn’t work out with Sky.” Caleb drove his thumb into his chest. “She needs a man who’s up to speed.”

  “What part of fuck off didn’t you get?”

  Grinning, Caleb grabbed Matt and put him in a headlock. He ran his knuckles over Matt’s head. “Hey come on, bro. You know I’m just fucking with ya.”

  Matt gave him a jab in the kidneys and Caleb let loose a breath and tackled him to the ground. They rolled around in the dry soil, creating cloud dusts that filled hi
s mouth and eyes with dirt. Murphy and Oscar came running over, barking and nipping at their heels.

  “You two need a room?” Jack asked, and they both blinked up to see their friend looking over at them.

  Laughing and rubbing the debris from his eyes, Caleb jumped up and held a hand out to Matt. He pulled him to his feet and when they were standing eye to eye, Caleb said, “So you really think I should ask her out?”

  Putting on his best poker face, he answered with, “Yeah, I do.”

  “Dude, you sure about this? You know I’d never cut in where I don’t belong.”

  Jack’s glance left Matt’s to go to Caleb’s “What’s going on? Who are you asking out?” he asked, never one to let anything get by him.

  Caleb wiped the dirt from his pants. “Sky. Matt said they decided they were better as friends.” Sky came from around the corner of the compound, and Caleb put his hand on Matt’s shoulder. He gave a squeeze and said, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Jack eyed him, and Matt tried not to fidget under his scrutiny. “Is that right?” he asked. “There’s nothing more between you and Sky?”

  “That’s right,” Matt said, meeting and holding Jack’s gaze, despite the man being an expert at reading others. “It was a crush. I’m over it.”

  Jack made a throaty noise—the kind that called a guy out on his bullshit without ever having to open his mouth. “So I guess I can ask her out now,” Jack said.

  Selfish bastard that he was, the thoughts of Sky with anyone other than him filled him with rage.

  Don’t flinch dude. Don’t flinch.

  He flinched.

  Matt’s focus went to Caleb, who’d darted across the compound to catch up with Sky. He playfully tugged on her hair and she blinked up at him. Matt didn’t have to be in hearing distance to know his best bud was in the middle of asking the girl Matt was in love with out on a date. Sky’s glance went from Caleb to Matt and held for an extra moment. Air evacuated his lungs in a whoosh. He planted his feet and balled his hands. Jesus, it was all he could do to keep himself from crossing the compound, pulling her into his arms and claiming her as his own.

  Play it cool, Matt. This is what she wants.