No Ordinary Joe

by Michelle Celmer

  He cursed under his breath.

  “You in a hurry to get somewhere, Joe?” Mirrored glasses obscured his eyes, but the deputy’s smile was a wry one. At least he was kind enough not to mention what he’d just caught them doing.

  “Sorry about that, Nate. It was the damnedest thing. My accelerator got stuck.”

  “Is that so?” Nate said, clearly not buying his story. “And here I thought you might just be showing off for a pretty lady.” He leaned down, peered past Joe and said, “Hey there, Reily.”

  She flashed him a shaky, embarrassed smile. “Hi, Nate.”

  “You two know each other?” Joe asked.

  “We met this morning at the diner,” Nate said. “And of course the entire town has heard about you giving her a job.”

  Of course they had. And it was a decision Joe was regretting more as each day passed. He knew from experience how it felt to be the subject of town gossip. After Beth left, it was all anyone could talk about. He’d had no idea that by the simple act of giving a stranger a job he would be thrusting himself back into the spotlight.

  “I hope I don’t have to point out how dangerous it is to do what you just did,” Nate said. “Driving with a faulty accelerator, I mean. Suppose you lost control, or a child crossed the road on a bike. Speed limits are posted for a reason.”

  Nate was right. Joe wasn’t a kid anymore. He knew better. His carelessness, his lame attempt to scare Reily off, had put Reily’s and his own—and God only knows who else’s—safety in jeopardy. And that kiss…well, he didn’t even want to think about what was going on in Reily’s head. What if she took it the wrong way and expected some sort of relationship out of this?

  “Will you be needing my license and registration?” he asked Nate.

  “Since it was mechanical failure, I’ll let you go with a warning this time. But I suggest you see to that accelerator, and your lead foot, because if I catch you going so much as two miles over the speed limit, next time I won’t be so nice.”

  “It won’t happen again,” Joe assured him, feeling like the idiot that he was.

  Nate tipped his hat at Reily and said, “Take care, ma’am.”

  He turned and walked back to his cruiser. Joe leaned back in his seat and watched in the rearview mirror as Nate cut the lights, pulled onto the road and circled back into town.

  He looked over at Reily and said, “So, you still want to do that again?”

  Looking guilty, she said, “I guess it was a little irresponsible of us, huh?”

  “I don’t know what I was thinking. And I’m sorry about the other thing, too. I’m not sure what came over me.”

  She blinked. “You’re sorry you kissed me?”

  When she said it like that, with her doe eyes all big and full of hurt, it did sound pretty callous.

  “I don’t mean to suggest that I didn’t enjoy it, or didn’t want to. It’s just that I wouldn’t normally be so…forward. Especially when I didn’t even know if you wanted me to.”

  “I kissed you back, didn’t I?”

  She sure as hell had.

  “It was probably just adrenaline and lust,” she said.

  This time he blinked. “Adrenaline and lust?”

  “Speed gives you an adrenaline rush, and adrenaline makes you act on impulses you would normally suppress. Like lust.”

  Her frank and honest reply surprised him. And, weirdly enough, reassured him. She was more or less saying that he wasn’t responsible for his own actions. Giving him a pass. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

  “And I guess it goes without saying that it was a really bad idea.”

  He should be relieved that she felt that way, yet somewhere deep down he felt the tickle of disappointment. And as she gazed up at him, her cheeks flush, her lips plump and glossy, all he could think about was kissing her again.

  He looked away. There was something seriously wrong with him.

  “We should probably get back,” he said. “Lily Ann will be home soon.”

  “Okay. And for what it’s worth, I had fun. And I really like your car.”

  “Thanks.” He buckled his seat belt and put the car into gear. He did a U-turn and headed back into town, taking care to stay well below the posted speed limit.

  Reily was quiet for several minutes, then asked, “So, what are the odds that Nate will rat us out?”

  He knew that she was referring to the kissing, not the speeding. “I don’t know. His ex-wife owns the beauty salon, and if he tells her, everyone will know.”

  “Ex-wife? He doesn’t look old enough to be married, much less divorced.”

  “I think he was maybe four or five years behind me in school. He married young, started a family. His son Cody was in Aunt Sue’s class before she retired. Cute kid.”

  “Well, I hope he keeps it to himself. I can just imagine how it must have been for you after…well, anyway, it would just be simpler for both of us if no one knew. And obviously it can’t happen again.” She glanced over at him. “Right?”

  “Obviously.” Was that disappointment in her eyes or was he just seeing what he wanted to see? And why would he want her to be disappointed? Because he was? Because now that he’d had a taste of her, he wanted more? Well, wanting something didn’t necessarily mean it was good for him, especially when it came to the opposite sex. That was a lesson he’d learned the hard way.

  “I’m leaving in less than six weeks,” she said. “I have plans.”

  If she thought he needed convincing, she was wasting her breath. The absolute last thing he wanted was another restless woman in his and Lily Ann’s lives. He’d played that game before. “And I have a daughter who needs stability.”

  “It would be totally unfair to her,” she said.

  “And confusing.”

  “If anything ever did happen, she could never know about it.” She looked over at him. “Not that I’m saying it would, or should. Or that I even want it to. I just mean, you know, hypothetically.”

  “You mean if we’re ever swept away by lust and adrenaline again?”

  “Yeah, like in a life-or-death situation.”

  It was such a ridiculous notion, he couldn’t resist asking, “Like what?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Like if we got stuck in an elevator together.”

  He looked over at her, brow raised. “That’s hardly a life-or-death situation.”

  “It could feel like it if you’re claustrophobic. Are you?”

  He shook his head. “Are you?”

  Frowning, she shook her head. “Well, we could get trapped in a…collapsed mine shaft.”

  Joe pulled into his driveway, killed the engine and looked over at her. “Because, like so many other small-town men, I can’t resist the allure of a deserted mine. Out of curiosity, does this scenario involve a boy named Timmy and his above-average-intelligence canine?”

  She tried to look insulted, but couldn’t quite pull it off. “You’re making fun of me.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. Instead of fighting it, he let loose and laughed. “And you’re making it really easy.”

  She pulled in a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m trying to rationalize something that isn’t rational, aren’t I?”

  “I find that relationships seldom are.” And therein lay the problem. He’d had enough irrationality to last three lifetimes. He didn’t have the energy for another hopeless relationship. But it was really hard not to think about kissing her again with the taste of her mouth still fresh on his lips. Sweet and fruity. A little tangy. Then it hit him. Bubblegum. She must have been wearing bubblegum-flavored lip gloss.

  “Let’s just agree that it’s never going to happen, and be content to stay out of one another’s way,” he said.

  “I can do that.”
/>   They unbuckled their seat belts and got out of the car.

  “Well, thanks for the ride,” she said. “It was…memorable.”

  It sure was, he thought as he watched her walk up the stairs, mesmerized by the sway of her behind, the swish of her ponytail. And it was one memory he would just as soon forget.

  * * *

  Oh, good Lord, could the man kiss.

  Reily stood by the open window overlooking the backyard, inhaling the scent of freshly cut grass, watching a shirtless Joe cut the lawn, transfixed by the flex of his sweat-dampened, muscular shoulders as he pushed the mower back and forth in neat rows, haunted by the memory of his scent, the rasp of his beard stubble against her chin as he ravaged her mouth. She’d kissed her fair share of men, but she couldn’t recall ever feeling it quite the way she had this afternoon, of ever wanting a man the way she wanted Joe. And what would have happened if Nate hadn’t interrupted them? Would they have gone for it right there in his car, or maybe tumbled into the overgrown weeds off the shoulder of the road? Or would they have come to their senses before things had gone too far?

  She honestly couldn’t say, and that scared her half to death. It was as if, when she was with him, her common sense took a vacation.

  Joe completed the last row of grass, shut the mower off and pushed it to the garage, glancing up at the window as he passed, as if he could sense her watching him. Reily jerked back, hoping he hadn’t seen her. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was pining for him. Even though she sort of was. Apparently she should have listened to Lindy that morning at breakfast when she’d said Joe liked her.

  Reily leaned against the wall beside the window and sighed. The only thing she knew for sure was that the situation had complicated written all over it, and despite wanting him—really wanting him—she couldn’t have him. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d sacrificed for her dream of being a singer. Even if this time it felt different somehow.

  She checked the time on her phone and realized that she was due at Joe’s for Sunday supper in less than half an hour. And though they had agreed to avoid each other, this was different. Sue had invited her and she’d accepted, and even promised Lily Ann she’d bring purple gelatin, so it would be rude not to show up now. Besides, there was no reason why she couldn’t be friends with Sue, or even Lily Ann, so long as she kept her feelings for Joe out of the equation.

  At least, that was what she spent the afternoon trying to convince herself.

  Reily pulled the gelatin mold out of the fridge and gave it a shake, relieved to find that it had cooled to the correct temperature. There was nothing worse than runny gelatin salad. Especially when it was purple. She flipped it over onto a plate and covered it with plastic wrap, then quickly checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror. Not that Sue and Lily Ann would care if her mascara was smeared or her lip gloss chewed away. But there was nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. Which was why she decided to change from shorts and a tank top into a floral-print peasant blouse and a short denim skirt.

  It had absolutely nothing to do with trying to look good for Joe, since she was sure he probably wouldn’t notice anyway. Once they had agreed to avoid each other, she was sure he’d shut his feelings off and wouldn’t give her another thought.

  She ran a brush through her hair until it lay in a silky blond sheet down her back, freshened her lip gloss, then grabbed her key and the gelatin and headed down the stairs and across the driveway to Joe’s side door. She knocked, expecting Sue or Lily Ann to answer. Instead it was Joe who pulled the door open. He’d showered, shaved and changed into jeans and a polo shirt.

  He looked down at her through the storm door screen, then at the gelatin salad, and she could swear he looked a little green. “What’s that?”

  “Gelatin salad. I’m here for Sunday supper.”

  A frown tugged the corners of his mouth down and he said, “Why?”

  Wow, way to make her feel welcome. “Sue invited me.”

  He opened the door, but instead of letting her in, he stepped outside and said in a harsh whisper, “This is your idea of staying out of each other’s way?”

  “Sue invited me the other day. I assumed she would have told you.”

  “She failed to mention it.”

  His sarcastic tone and harsh expression suggested that it was somehow her fault.

  “It’s bad enough we have to be stuck with each other at work. I don’t think seeing each other socially is a good idea.”

  Could he be a bigger jerk about this? “That’s fine, since I’m not here to see you.”

  Sue appeared in the doorway. Tied around her thick middle was an apron that said I Love Cooking with Wine. Sometimes I Even Put It in the Food. “There you are, Reily! Come on in. Supper is almost ready.” She held the door open.

  Ignoring Joe’s blatant look of disapproval, Reily stepped inside and into the kitchen. “Something smells delicious.”

  “Home-fried chicken with fresh corn from the farmers’ market.”

  She handed Sue the gelatin salad. “It’s grape, just as Lily Ann requested.”

  Sue raised a brow. “Grape, huh?”

  “With canned fruit and maraschino cherries. I guess that’s what I get for asking a five-year-old her favorite flavor.”

  “Can I offer you something to drink? We’ve got beer and wine, or if you’d like to try something with a little kick, I can make you a glass of my famous spiked lemonade.”

  Heaven knows she could use a drink. “I think I’ll try the lemonade.”

  “Joe, how about you?” Sue asked.

  “Sure, why not,” he said, looking as though he probably needed a stiff drink as well.

  “Why don’t you and Reily have a seat in the living room while I get everything set up,” Sue said. Maybe it was Reily’s imagination, but she could swear she saw a twinkle of mischief flash in Sue’s eyes. Oh no, not her, too. Was everyone trying to set them up? Reily wasn’t sure if she should feel insulted and manipulated or take it as a compliment. Sue obviously cared deeply for Joe and Lily Ann. She wouldn’t want to expose him to someone she didn’t like and trust.

  Joe shot Reily a stern look, as if Sue’s suggestion was somehow her fault, and for a second she honestly expected him to refuse. Then Lily Ann skipped into the room.

  “Reily! You’re here!” she bellowed, hopping excitedly. “Did you bring the purple kind?”

  “I sure did,” she said.

  She grabbed Reily’s hand and tugged. “Come on, come see my bedroom!”

  “Go on up,” Sue said, “I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

  As Lily Ann dragged her from the room, Reily glanced back at Joe, who stood with his arms folded over his chest, looking as grumpy as ever. If he was trying to make himself undesirable, it was working.

  “Daddy painted my room for my birthday,” Lily Ann said as she pulled Reily to the stairs. They had to pass through the living room, which had polished oak floors and was filled with slightly worn, comfortable-looking furniture. And, with the exception of a toy or two, was neat as a pin. Lily Ann’s bedroom was to the left at the front of the house and across from it was what looked to be a spare bedroom. The bathroom was by the stairs and she was guessing Joe’s room was at the opposite end of the hall.

  Lily Ann’s room was painted—surprise—purple and still smelled vaguely of new paint.

  “It’s very pretty,” Reily told her. “Why am I getting the feeling you really like purple?”

  “It’s my favorite color.”

  “When was your birthday?”

  “Two weeks ago.” Lily Ann darted across the room to flop down on the bed, on top of the fairy-princess-themed comforter that was primarily purple as well. She patted the spot beside her and said, “Sit down.”

  Reily sat beside her. “Did you
have a fun birthday?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “We had pizza and soda, and my aunt Emily got me princess paper dolls and a purple purse, and I got to go spend the night at her house and stay the whole next day while Daddy painted. She’s an animal doctor, and she took me with her to see a litter of baby pigs. They were pink and little, and they didn’t smell bad at all, and I got to hold the runt. He was so tiny and he wiggled in my arms! And she said that when her dog Ella has her puppies, I can come help her. But that won’t be for a coupla more weeks.”

  “It sounds like you and your aunt Emily have fun together.”

  “We do stuff together a lot. She doesn’t have any kids yet.” She paused, then added somberly, “Or a husband.”

  Reily smothered a smile. Clearly someone thought that was a bad thing. “Is she your daddy’s sister?”

  She shook her head. “Mommy’s big sister. I have lots of aunts and uncles on Mommy’s side, but most of them are bad, so I don’t ever see them.”

  She wondered how many were “lots,” and what Lily Ann meant by “bad,” but she didn’t ask. It felt wrong to pump an innocent child for information that frankly was none of her business. The less she knew about Joe and Lily Ann’s family, the better.

  “Daddy doesn’t have a sister or brother,” Lily Ann said. “Do you?”

  “Nope, it was just me.” According to her aunt, her parents tried for several years to conceive again and were looking into medical options when they died. Reily had always wished she had a brother or sister, so she wouldn’t feel so alone. But now, knowing that they would be all the other had, and that might have stopped her from following her dream, she was grateful to be an only child. Someday, after her career was established, she would get married and have a family. It was definitely something she wanted. It was just a matter of timing, and at twenty-six she had plenty of child-rearing years ahead of her.

  “Do you want to see a picture of Mommy?”

  “Um, sure,” she said to be polite. Truthfully, she didn’t really care to see a photo of the woman who had decimated Joe’s life. Although she couldn’t deny she was just a little curious.