Barefoot Beach

by Debbie Mason

  “Why? What reason could you possibly have—” he began, breaking off as Daphne and Penelope fast-walked toward them. Daphne was in the lead, which was surprising given her sky-high heels and tight siren-red dress. He’d thought Penelope, who wore ballet slippers and a long, flowy skirt and pink top and sweater, would easily beat her sister, but someone had caught her attention. If he wasn’t mistaken, that someone was Ryan Wilson, which didn’t escape Theia’s notice.

  “Sorry about that, Marco. My sister somehow”—Daphne gave Theia a tight-lipped look—“got the mistaken impression you’d invited her to join us for movie night.”

  “Um, does anyone else smell that?” Theia asked, sniffing the air. Marco caught a whiff of pizza and cotton candy, but he had a sneaking suspicion Theia just wanted an excuse to get out of there after Daphne’s not-too-subtle reveal that she’d been behind his awkward double date with the Gallagher sisters.

  It bore looking into, but not then, because Theia took off with a muttered, “I’m starved.”

  Except she didn’t head in the direction of the three food trucks lined up on the edge of the park. She strode toward Penelope, who was sending a flirtatious smile and a small wave in Ryan Wilson’s direction. But before she made it to Penelope, Theia was waylaid by two determined firefighters.

  He heard her say, “I had no idea Kitty had arranged for you guys to join me here tonight. That was so thoughtful of her.”

  She appeared about as happy with Kitty’s matchmaking as he was with Rosa’s. He watched as Theia walked away between the two men, who did seem happy with Kitty’s matchmaking and planned to take full advantage of the opportunity. Which ticked Marco off…on Theia’s behalf, of course.

  But as much as he didn’t like the idea of her hanging out with the two men whose reputations preceded them, this might be exactly what he needed to get Theia onboard with his plan to outsmart the matchmaking grandmothers.

  Chapter Twelve

  Theia sat on the blanket, bookended by the broad-shouldered firefighters Kitty had chosen for her to date tonight. They seemed nice enough, but she was preoccupied with keeping an eye on how Marco’s date with the Gallagher sisters was going five blankets over, at the same time Googling Ryan Wilson. Every now and again, she caught the security guard looking Penelope’s way from where he leaned against a tree.

  The problem was, Theia didn’t know if it was because he found Penelope attractive or because he was Caine’s grandmother’s henchman. The local newspaper was about as helpful as Marco had been.

  She grimaced as she recalled her earlier conversation with him. Her interest in learning the names of the Gallagher family’s enemies had aroused Marco’s suspicions. Daphne had unwittingly timed her interruption well, though Theia had a feeling the gorgeous divorce attorney wasn’t done with her. Penelope had obviously spilled the beans that Theia had encouraged her to attend movie night. As Theia knew, Daphne was the type who practiced payback.

  But at that moment, paying back Theia appeared to be the last thing on the other woman’s mind. Flipping her long locks over her shoulder, Daphne leaned in to whisper in Marco’s ear. Penelope glanced over, saw what her sister was up to, and did the same.

  Theia huffed a disgruntled sigh. This was not how the night was supposed to go. The plan was for the sisters to get tired of sharing Marco and flounce off. In opposite directions. She’d weighed the risks and decided it was best to bring the matter to a head sooner rather than later. Theia should have known their double date wouldn’t go according to plan. She was kind of clueless when it came to how a woman’s mind worked, other than her own, of course.

  But as she’d learned over the years, her responses weren’t exactly the norm. Which might be why her supposed dates were way more interested in the movie than in her. Or maybe it was because the movie was Backdraft and her dates had been critiquing every second of every firefighting scene.

  “Ah, come on, the guy would be dead if he did that,” date number one said.

  “Him? Look at this idiot.” Date number two pointed at the big screen. “They don’t have a clue.”

  Theia’s stomach growled, almost as loud as the fire on the screen. The two men were so intent on the action, they didn’t look her way. She scooted backward while they continued pointing out everything that was wrong with the scene. They didn’t notice when she got to her feet and walked away.

  The smell of pizza called to her. Even the sight of the attractive older woman in the window of the red, white, and green truck didn’t deter her. Rosa DiRossi had once been as determined to fix Theia up with her grandson as Kitty was to match her with the firefighters.

  Since the logo painted on the side of the truck read THE PIE GUY, Theia assumed this must be Marco’s venture. It appeared business was good.

  She turned while she waited at the end of the line, stuffing her hands in her pockets and looking up at the night sky. It was a pleasant change from lying on the roof of her apartment building, trying to locate the stars through the glare of the city lights. Here they were clearly visible, glittering high above the crowded, tree-lined park.

  Everywhere you looked, people were sprawled on blankets and chairs. The roar of the fire on the movie screen was drowned out by the low drone of conversation and parents calling out to bored children who were running among the audience. The ocean breeze had cooled off the day’s heat, but it was warmer here by the food trucks with their ovens blasting and compressors humming.

  Other than the matchmaking fiascos, it was a nice night. She wasn’t used to events like this, at least not for the past few years. When she wasn’t working, she didn’t venture much farther than the two blocks around her building. Her interactions with people were limited to the guy at the dry cleaner, the owner of the corner market, and the bartender at the local pub.

  “Theia. Theia Lawson, is that you?” a heavily accented voice called to her.

  She turned with a smile, surprised the older woman remembered her. “Hi, Mrs. DiRossi. How are you?” she asked as Marco’s grandmother handed the couple ahead of Theia their order.

  “Rosa, remember? I’m good. Better now that my grandson is dating.” She waved at the movie screen and dramatically covered her eyes. “You tella me, how am I supposed to watch this? Eh, Mia, don’t look. You’ll have nightmares,” she told the pretty young girl, who stuck her head out the window.

  “It’s just a movie, Nonna. Daddy and Zio don’t fight high-rise fires.” The girl smiled at Theia. “Do you want a slice?”

  “I’d love one.” She leaned back to look at the extensive menu. “Meat lover’s, please. And a Coke.”

  Mia nodded, waving off her grandmother when she moved toward the cash register. “I can do it, Nonna. Five dollars, please.”

  Theia dug in her pocket and pulled out a five-dollar bill, handing it to the young girl, who went to get her soda while her grandmother slid a slice of pizza in the oven.

  Theia leaned against the truck, enjoying the appetizing scent of garlic, tomato sauce, and melting cheese. “Smells great,” she said.

  “A DiRossi secret recipe.” Rosa smiled over her shoulder at Theia. “We get the olive oil and olives right from Italy. My son lives there with his new family.”

  That made it sound like he’d replaced his old family with a new one. She wondered how that made Marco and Sophie feel. “Do you get over often to see them?”

  “We do, but my nonna and Zio Marco won’t go,” Mia answered for her grandmother. “They’re afraid to fly,” the young girl added when she handed Theia her soda.

  “If we were meant to fly, God would have given us wings,” Rosa said.

  Mia rolled her eyes. “You grew up in Italy, Nonna. You had to fly here when you immigrated.”

  “No. I came on a boat,” Rosa said before serving another customer.

  “My mom says you’re a pilot and have a really nice plane.” Mia continued talking to Theia while getting the man his soda. “Maybe you can take my nonna and zio for a ride?”
<
br />   “Sure. I’d love to.” Theia grinned, thinking that would be the perfect payback for the man who’d effectively grounded her.

  Rosa would be a different story, as Theia soon discovered through her back-and-forth with the older woman and Mia. Two slices of pizza and a cannoli later, Rosa gave her head an adamant shake. “You offer me a million dollars, and I still won’t get in the metal coffin.” The older woman smiled past her. “Eh, mio bel ragazzo, you should see this one eat. Not like those skinny girls you bring home.” She pinched Theia’s cheek.

  “Ma, don’t pinch her cheek. You’re too rough,” Marco said as he joined them.

  Rosa lifted a shoulder. “So what? She’s tough.” She stuck her head out the window. “How’s your date? I did good, eh? She’s bellissima. Smart too.”

  “Yeah, they both are.” He gave Theia a pointed look.

  “Both. Whatdaya mean both?” Her hand shot out as though to swat Marco, but he’d stepped out of reach. “You can’t date two women at the same time.”

  “You should tell that to Theia.”

  “You’re dating two women?”

  “No, Ma. She’s the one who—”

  “I’m dating two men.” She interrupted Marco before he outed her. The last thing she wanted was to be in Rosa DiRossi’s bad books. Theia turned to point at her dates, only to discover the two men were on their way over. She groaned. So did Marco. Daphne and Penelope were also race-walking their way.

  Marco’s jaw set in a determined line, and he threw an arm around her shoulders. “Just go along with everything I say,” he said out of the side of his mouth before raising his voice. “I thought I could do it, babe. But I’m no good at keeping secrets, especially from my nonna.”

  “What? What are you keeping from me?”

  Theia looked around. He was calling her babe. And now he was holding her closer and rocking her against his body. A body she had bounced against and maybe had considered rocking against too, if she was honest. But not in front of his grandmother and the approaching Gallagher sisters.

  “We’re dating, Ma. We met last year when Theia was here. You talked about her nonstop after the parade, and I decided I had to meet her. We’ve kept in touch ever since. Although she’s been a little ticked at me since I drowned her plane. You forgive me now, don’t you, cara?”

  Theia stared at him. She tried to talk, but nothing came out.

  His niece was jumping up and down in the food truck, shouting, “Yay! We’re going to have a wedding and cousins! The wish papers worked, Nonna.”

  Theia let out a panicked yelp and then opened her mouth to clear up any thoughts of a wedding or children. But just as she was about to, Marco swooped in for a kiss. It was the worse kiss she’d ever had, and she’d had some stinkers. Their noses collided, and her teeth bashed against his. But when she finally pulled away with a palm pressed to her face, she realized her wishes for the night had come true. The Gallagher sisters flounced off in different directions, while Theia’s dates returned to the blanket to no doubt continue critiquing the movie.

  * * *

  “I think you broke my nose. Some warning would have been nice.” Theia scowled up at Marco.

  It wasn’t his finest moment. He took her by the hand, drawing her away from his grandmother and niece, who’d had their celebratory dance interrupted by customers. “Sorry about that,” he said as he leaned in to look at Theia’s nose in the light from the streetlamp. “It might be a little swollen in the morning, but otherwise you’re good.”

  “No, I’m not good. You just told everyone we’re dating.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I meant to talk to you about it before springing it on you like that, but then I saw Daphne and Penelope coming my way…” He lifted a shoulder. “I was afraid I might lose my cool and say something that offended them. I can’t risk upsetting them.”

  “Well, that plan just went out the window. You kissed another woman when you were supposed to be on a date with them. How do you think they’re going to feel? And it won’t matter to them that it was a terrible kiss.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” he said, slightly offended.

  She touched her nose. “Trust me, it was bad.”

  He looked into her brilliant blue eyes, which were sparkling with irritation—it sure as heck wasn’t passion—and then his gaze dropped to her slightly parted pink lips, and all he wanted to do was kiss her and prove her wrong.

  It wasn’t the first time he’d wanted to kiss her tonight. When he’d glanced back to see her smiling at the idiots she’d been on a date with, he’d barely resisted the urge to go over and grab her face between his hands and stake his claim with a bone-melting kiss, not the teeth-cracking one he’d just given her.

  She waved her hand in front of his face. “Hello. Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”

  “Yeah,” he said as he tried to process his reaction to her. It worried him. But despite all of these unsettling thoughts and feelings that were coming out of left field, he was confident his fake-dating idea was not only the best way to protect his relationship with his boss and best friend but also to save his summer.

  “Look, I’m sorry I kissed you and sprang the dating thing on you without asking. But unless you want to spend the rest of the summer hiding from the men Kitty tries to match you with, pretending we’re in a relationship is the best way to—”

  “A little warning would have been nice, but you’re right. It’s a good plan.”

  His jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe she’d capitulated so easily. He closed his mouth and swallowed at least ten minutes’ worth of arguments in defense of them fake dating, then said, “It’s a good plan?”

  “Yeah. A really good plan. Why? Don’t you think so anymore?”

  Hearing a hint of vulnerability in her voice and seeing it in her downcast eyes, he was overcome with a sudden need to know everything about her, to take away the pain she’d suffered at the hands of her uncle and cousins.

  And right then he knew this was a terrible idea. One of the worst ideas he’d ever had, and he’d had quite a few in his thirty-three years. “I…” He was trying to figure out a way to back out without hurting her when he saw Callie walking toward the food truck. She was alone.

  “Hi, Rosa. Have you seen Marco?” he heard her ask his grandmother.

  “At the back of the food truck, cara.” Rosa had always liked Callie.

  Marco stepped in to Theia and raised his hands to frame her face. “It’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time.”

  “You’re going to kiss me again, aren’t you? Is that your ex coming this way?”

  “Yes to both,” he said. “You good with that?”

  She nodded. “We could use the practice.” She went up on her toes at the same time he lowered his head, and their foreheads collided.

  He drew his hand from the side of her face to rub his forehead. “You have a hard head.”

  “So I’ve been told.” She put her arms around his neck, a smile playing on her lips. “Maybe you better let me handle this.”

  “Yeah?” He put his hands on her waist, drawing her close, satisfied with the small gasp she tried to hide but couldn’t.

  “Mm-hm. How about we go on the count of three?”

  “One.” He raised his hand to cup the back of her head, her silky black hair sliding through his fingers.

  “Two,” she said, her raspy voice igniting a fire inside him, but nothing like when she pressed against him.

  “Three,” he said, his voice rough. He lost all train of thought once his mouth smoothly closed over hers. There were no bashed teeth or bumped noses this time. Just her soft lips and her warm mouth. He could taste the sweet vanilla of the cannoli and hear her sexy whimpers and needy moans.

  The gasp wasn’t hers though. It belonged to Callie. He’d accomplished what he’d set out to with the kiss. He should stop now. It had already gone too far. But he couldn’t make himself tear his lips from the woman in his arms
. Instead, he steered her out of the view of curious onlookers.

  He pressed her back against the truck and kissed her long and deep. A kiss she’d remember. But he’d forgotten the woman was competitive. She gave as good as she got. Better. He would have stayed there all night if not for someone on a loudspeaker announcing the movie for next week.

  His legs were weak as he reluctantly pulled away. “Better?”

  The tip of her tongue touched her kiss-swollen lips, and then she nodded. “Better.”

  He smiled. Her eyes had gone from ocean blue to midnight black, her face flushed. The kiss hit better out of the park. “We’ll need to practice.”

  Her teeth worried her bottom lip, and then she gave him a small nod before looking over her shoulder. “I, um, should go.”

  “It’s late. Let me drive you. I just have to take care of a couple things and then—”

  “I’m good. Thanks for the offer though.” She’d regained her balance. They were on equal footing now.

  “I’m on duty for the next two days, but drop by the art festival Tuesday. It’s on the waterfront. I’ll feed you,” he added when he thought she might refuse. They had to spend time together if this was going to work, he told himself.

  “’Kay. See you then.” She looked like she was talking to herself as she turned to walk away. Her murmured words floated back to him on the night breeze. “Pretend. It’s just pretend.”

  He rubbed his hand along his stubbled jaw. It wasn’t a good sign that she was already having to remind herself they were in a fake relationship. He considered calling her back, telling her it was a stupid idea and they should call it off. His jaw remained stubbornly locked. As though his subconscious knew what he needed and wasn’t about to let him screw it up.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Colleen sat on the couch in her old suite of rooms in the tower with Simon curled up beside her. The cat had Theia properly trained. She responded to his demanding meows better than any other member of the family now. Colleen had a feeling Theia was fast becoming his favorite. She wondered if perhaps Simon sensed, like she did, a deep-held hurt in the girl.