Penelope smiled. “I’m still just the slightest bit queasy sometimes. I don’t know why they call it morning sickness. I have it all day.” She rubbed her stomach again. “It’s fun though. I don’t feel alone. I always have someone with me. I always have Adam with me.” Her voice trailed off.
He’d seen Amelia break down. It was obviously Penelope’s turn.
“Do you miss him?” he asked and Penelope nodded. “It’s okay.”
“I know. I just feel bad breaking down in front of the other two. Vivian loved him for a long time, but she really was without him most of their marriage. She’s angry that he lied to her from day one.” She continued to rub her stomach. “Amelia, well,” she gave him a look of consideration before she continued. “I just think she’s always got a chip on her shoulder.”
Sam sat forward in his chair and rested his chin on his fist.
“Why do you think she’s like that?”
Penelope shrugged. “I know her mom died when she was young.”
“Sniper in Desert Storm.”
Her eyes widened. “She didn’t tell us that.”
“Army brat. She’s been around it her whole life.”
Penelope bit down on her lip, looked at the floor, and then back up at him. “You haven’t seen her lately have you?”
Sam sat back again. “We had a disagreement.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t over you. No need to be sorry.”
Penelope knit her fingers together. “She asked about you last night. Wanted to know if you were doing okay.”
“She did?”
She nodded. “Vivian thinks Amelia likes you so she’s distancing herself from you because it’s in bad taste.”
Sam clenched his jaw. “In bad taste?”
“Since you’re Adam’s lawyer.”
Crap, he thought as he ran his hand over his forehead.
Penelope leaned in toward the desk. “I didn’t tell her you had kissed,” she whispered and then sat back.
Dear Lord, if only Penelope knew what he’d done.
“Thanks for that.” Sam picked his glasses back up and put them on. “I’d better get back to preparing these,” he said stacking the papers on his desk into a pile. Can you set up a meeting with Mr. Hanover about his will? He wanted to update it now that he has three grandchildren.”
Penelope stood. “I’ll get right on that.” She walked to the door and turned around “She’ll be at the house until six. Then she’ll be at the recreation center teaching a self-defense class and a kick boxing class.”
“She got a job?”
Penelope nodded and then walked away.
That, he thought, was a positive sign. She had a job that meant she was staying in town.
~*~
It was eleven o’clock and the temperature had already gone over one hundred degrees. Sam’s truck blew cold air inside, but he knew the wall of heat waited on the outside.
Amelia was in the front yard of the house on Main and Pine. She had a bandana wrapped around her head and her long, dark hair pulled up in a pony-tail. Her shorts were—well—short and it showed off the magnificent sculpture of her legs. She had on a tank top and that too showcased those shoulders he missed.
In the bed of his truck he had a peace offering of sorts—a bush for the front walk and some flower baskets for the porch. They were God awful expensive, so he thought he’d start there.
She looked up over her sunglasses as he parked his truck in front of the house and stepped out into the wall of heat he knew could engulf a man and send him to his grave.
“It’s looking nice. You fixed the gate and painted the fence.”
Amelia looked at him, pushed her sunglasses back up, and kept raking up the dead grass.
Silent treatment. He was a lawyer, he was used to this.
Sam pulled down the tailgate of the truck and pulled the bush to the edge and then picked up the hanging baskets.
“I brought you some things for the yard.”
She watched as he carried the baskets through the open gate and up to the porch. He smiled as he headed back to the truck for the bush.
When he turned around she was gone and the screen door was shutting on the front of the house.
What in the hell was wrong with her? Was she really going to be a whiney little girl? It didn’t fit her. She wasn’t the kind to throw a fit and…he stopped berating her in his mind when he picked up the bush and noticed her come out of the house. She had two glasses of iced tea in her hands.
Sam carried the bush to the walk, set it down, and then wiped the back of his hand over his sweat laden brow.
“Jesus, it’s hot out here. How can you stand it?” he asked.
“Hydration. Drink.” She handed him a glass and took the other for herself.
“Thanks.” He tried to only sip, but he couldn’t help but down the golden liquid. “Guess that hit the spot.”
She smiled—actually smiled. “C’mon. I have a pitcher in the house in the new fridge.”
She led the way into the house. Sam took a moment to take it all in. First of all it was hot as hell in there. She had all the windows open and no fans going. All of the furniture in each of the rooms had been pushed into the center of each room and draped with a drop cloth.
He followed her around to the kitchen and then stopped in his tracks. “Oh-my-God!”
She chuckled at his response. “Repulsive, isn’t it?”
“I feel like I just went back in time, minus the new stainless steel refrigerator.”
“Other one was the first thing we hauled out. It was avocado green.”
“Of course.” He looked around at the tile, the cabinets, the citrine lighting fixture above his head. “I didn’t realize you girls would have so much work to do. I knew it was old, but…”
“It’s fine. It was free and we’ll make it work. Point is the girls will be with Vivian most of the time and Penelope will have her baby with her. Eye on the prize.”
Right, eye on the prize.
She pulled the pitcher out of the new refrigerator and filled his glass.
“Thank you,” he said trying not to hurry though this glass.
“Would you like a tour?”
Conversation. This was a bonus. “Sure. Is it as hot upstairs?”
“Worse.”
He took a sip of tea. “Okay then.”
She showed him through the house explaining the main floor and what they’d thought of for the set up. A play area here, infants there, lunch room here. It was basic and laid out just right.
The stairs creaked under his feet and he thought perhaps new treads were in order. He could look into doing that for them.
There was a lot he could do for them.
“What are you going to do with the bedrooms?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. Penelope doesn’t have anywhere to live right now. We thought about once the house is livable she could stay here.”
“What about you?” he said quietly. “You deserve to stay too.”
“We’ll see.” She moved to go back down the steps.
“What’s up there?” Sam turned and pulled the rope to the attic stairs and they came crashing down on top of him hitting him right across the chest and knocking him down.
“Sam!” He heard her voice ring out and a moment later she was next to him, on the floor, her hands already pulling open his shirt. “Are you okay? Talk to me.”
“Ow! Freaking ow!” He said trying to sit up, but finding it very difficult.
“Don’t move.”
“Not a problem,” he said as she opened his shirt.
“You’re going to have one hell of a bruise.”
“And here I thought it would be you that kicked the crap out of me.” He tried to laugh, but that hurt too.
“Let’s get you downstairs and get some ice on that.” She helped him to his feet and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist.
They took the
stairs slowly and as they did the front door opened. A more than surprised Vivian walked in with a grocery bag in her hands.
“What are the two of you doing?” She asked in what Sam would definitely call an accusing voice.
“Sam pulled the door to the attic open and the stairs came right out on his chest. Help me get him to the kitchen to sit down.”
The expression on Vivian’s face changed to one of concern. She set the bag on the floor and moved to Sam.
She took his other arm and draped it over her neck and together they helped him to the kitchen.
He was sure he could have walked with less jarring to his chest, but they were being friendly.
They stopped in front of the only chair at an old table in the kitchen. “Sit down,” Amelia ordered.
He did, but not with ease. She was right, he was going to have one hell of a bruise.
Amelia made him a makeshift bag of ice out of a plastic grocery bag. She wrapped a rag around it and handed it to him. “Put this on your chest.”
He pressed it to his skin and pulled it away. “Damn, that hurts more.”
Vivian snickered. “It’s a good thing you don’t give birth.”
Sam narrowed his eyes at her and pressed it back to his chest.
“The yard looks nice,” Vivian said as she walked to the counter to unload the items in her bag.
“Sam brought us a bush and some hanging plants,” Amelia said sending him a glance he couldn’t read.
“Thanks.” Vivian turned and gave him an equally unreadable look.
“Like I said, I’d like to help out. The stairs need new treads. I could do that.”
“You can?” Vivian pulled out a box of juice pouches and set them on the table.
“Yeah.” He heard the sound of kids out back and he turned to see the enormous yard beyond the windows. “I didn’t realize the yard was so big.”
“It’ll be a good playground,” Vivian said with a smile. “The girls already love it. They’re safe out there and I can work on the house.”
“That’s nice,” Sam said turning back to them and noticing that both women watched the girls and smiled. “I suppose I should head back to work. I just wanted to drop off the plants before you headed to work,” he said to Amelia.
“How did you…Penelope?”
“She said you were working at the recreation center. That’s great.”
“It’ll do for now.”
Sam stood, slowly. He tried to adjust in any direction that wouldn’t cause him pain, but that wasn’t working too well.
“Thank you for the flowers and bush,” Vivian said as she prepared a snack for the girls.
“My pleasure.”
He buttoned up his shirt and Amelia watched.
“I’ll walk you out,” she said and he figured that was progress.
He headed for the door with her behind him. “I have a guy coming to look at the Mustang.”
“Good.”
“Everything is official with the house. It’s all yours.”
“That’s good too.”
They walked through the small gate and out to his truck. “Well. Thank you for the tea.”
“You’re welcome.”
He opened the door to his truck and slammed it shut as he turned back to her. “Are you really going to let this go like this?”
“Like what?”
“You haven’t seen me or spoken to me in a week.”
“I haven’t seen you stop by and offer up an apology either.”
He sucked in a breath to speak and then thought better of it. “I’m sorry.”
“No you’re not. You have no idea what you even said to hurt my feelings.” She tucked her thumbs into the front pocket of her shorts. “I assume you need a twist in the sheets.”
“Oh, honey. Now I think you should apologize.” He turned back and opened the door to his truck. “I can wait for it.”
“I don’t apologize when I’m not wrong.”
“Fine. Then let’s have dinner and see who caves.”
“Who caves?”
“Sure. Either one of us will apologize for God I have no idea what, or we’ll twist in the sheets. I know how you feel about sex. You know how I feel about it.”
“You want dinner?” Her sandaled foot tapped on the hot cement.
“I’ll even buy.” He smiled hoping it would seal the deal.
“I’ll let you buy me dinner, but I’m not sleeping with you.”
“That’s fine by me. I’ll be by tomorrow after work to start on the stairs too. But tonight I’ll meet you at the hotel and I’ll pick you up. Like a real date. Eight o’clock?”
She grunted between her teeth. “Fine.”
“Fine.” He gave her a nod and climbed into his truck. A moment later he was headed away from her, but he wore a grin. She was still fuming and she didn’t even know why now. But, with a few of those kisses they could heat up and she’d loosen up. And when she did he’d move in and tell her what he’d tried to tell her the last week when she’d walked out on him.
He wasn’t one to play with words just to gain access to someone. But he’d damn well use them if he felt they were true and that someone might feel the same way. And he was sure she did feel the same way. A man knew when a woman was more than just sex. He would seriously assume a woman would know that too. Of course it wouldn’t be the first time he’d looked like an ass telling a woman he loved her. That had been the last mistake of his last relationship.
Well, hell. He thought better of it for a moment. Maybe he’d wait until he was really sure. There was no way to be sure she wouldn’t high tail it out of town.
Yeah, he needed to win her over. He’d start with dinner.
Sam turned to head back to the office. Now he needed to get to his computer and Google “staircase repair” before he tried his hand at it tomorrow.
Chapter Seventeen
Amelia picked the rake back up and began assaulting the ground. She was still pissed at him, only now it was worse because she couldn’t quite remember why she was so pissed at him.
She pulled the bandana from her head and wiped her face then tucked it into her pocket. The sun was too hot. The air was too thick. And damnit, if she didn’t get a handle on her emotions she’d heat stroke.
“Need a bottle of water?” Vivian stood in the doorway with one in her hand, her arms crossed over her chest.
“I could use one, thanks.”
Vivian walked across the porch and down the steps. She handed it to her, but continued to stand there with her arms crossed and her hip cocked.
Amelia thought this might be her natural look, which would only enhance the years to come when Amelia was forced to look at it.
“I have a shovel or another rake if you want…”
“What’s going on with you and the lawyer?”
Amelia kept her face as casual as she could. “He stopped by with flowers and a bush.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” She stepped closer to her. “What’s going on?”
Amelia gripped the handle of the rake in her hand. “Why don’t you tell me what you think is going on?”
“I think you’re making away with Adam’s money.”
Amelia let out a laugh at that. “You’ve seen the papers. I’m stuck with his debt. He had no money.”
“Then why get so clingy with the lawyer?”
“He’s a nice guy.”
“Cute too, but you’re walking a fine line making eyes at him.”
“Wouldn’t you consider him your friend?” Amelia shot back at Vivian.
“He’s been nice enough to go above and beyond. Now I want to know why.”
“He’s a nice guy.”
Vivian took one more step toward her and Amelia let the rake fall to the ground. “You’re not the kind of woman who goes for nice guys.”
“We at one point seemed to have the same taste in men. I’d have to assume you don’t like nice guys either.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about you.”
“What the hell does it matter if I flirt with the lawyer? He’s-a-nice-guy,” she bit out as Vivian grew even closer.
“What do you get out of it? Huh? What are the benefits to making moves on him? If you have Adam’s debt and we secured the house then why the hell is he still coming around here bringing stuff? Why would you care to walk him to his truck and why the hell did you take Adam’s car to his house and not to mine? If we’re partners in all this crap how come you’re so smooth with him?”
“Because I’m sleeping with him!” She finally let the words fly and Vivian stumbled back as though Amelia had actually hit her. “That’s right. I don’t give a damn about the man who I married and who screwed me and you over. I was over him when I found out about you and you can sure as hell guarantee I was over him when I found out about Penelope. But it isn’t any of your goddamned business who I go to bed with.”
“Oh, I think when you’re nailing the lawyer in charge of everything…”
“He’s done his work. Now he’s Penelope’s boss and the guy who is going to come and fix your staircase tomorrow so you don’t fall though the wood.”
“I’m supposed to believe that there isn’t any perk for you?”
Amelia fisted her hands on her hips. “Sure. I’m not lonely. Maybe you should get laid and then you wouldn’t be so miserable either.”
“Oh!” Vivian charged at her and Amelia simply moved letting Vivian fall to the ground.
“You don’t want to try that again. I taught your husband that being on the ground is the wrong place to be during a fight.”
Vivian stared at her and then the tears came and then the sobs.
“You trained Adam?” She managed through breaths.
“Yeah. I trained him. Trained him how to take an ass whooping.”
Vivian stared at her for a moment and then a laugh escaped. She covered her mouth with her hand then lowered it slowly. “Did you really kick his ass?”
“Yeah.” The image rushed through her mind and then she laughed. Amelia sat down on the ground next to Vivian. “He was volunteering to be an attacker at an Army wives’ training I was having. He got cocky and I put him in his place.” She’d leave what happened next out of the story. “Then when we were married and I found out about you I broke his nose.”
Amelia Page 12
