Barefoot Bay_A Family for the Holidays

by Karen Ann Dell

  But shit, seeing her standing there, looking like sex on a stick with all that blond hair, and bare shoulders, and jeans that clung to her like a second skin? If Owen hadn’t already left, he might have gotten right back on that plane. It would have been the only way to save himself.

  Well, it was too late now. He’d had a taste of the forbidden fruit, and he wanted more. A lot more. His dick began to rise just thinking about her. All he had to do was make sure she understood that this, whatever it was between them, was just fun and games, not a prelude to happily ever after. He could do that. He’d done it many times before. Piece of cake.

  There was only one fly in the ointment. He’d never cared about staying friends with his other hookups. And he wanted to stay friends with Kelly. He liked her. Not simply as a casual acquaintance, but as someone he could talk to about important things. Someone whose opinion he valued. Someone who would give him a straight answer when he asked a serious question.

  So this tightrope would be a lot harder to walk.

  Of course, if—no, when—Sky found out about this little hitch, she’d have his ass on a pike.

  He opened the fridge. Lots of bottled water, a twelve-pack of Coronas—the woman knew what he liked, that was for sure—two bottles of wine and an unopened bottle of margarita mix. Had she gone shopping after they’d talked last night? He decided on a Corona and found a small container of lime wedges on the same shelf. Perfect. He closed the door, turned around, and ran right into a soft, sweet-smelling woman. She had on gray gym shorts and a purple tank top with the Barefoot Bay Bucks logo on it. His hands were full but his arms automatically closed around her waist before she could step back.

  Time to put his fun and games plan into action.

  “Mmm. Hey, beautiful.” He nuzzled her neck. “You smell gooood.” He held up his hands. “Hope you don’t mind that I helped myself.”

  “Of course not. You’re welcome to anything in there.” She stepped out of his arms, opened the door and took out a bottle of wine.

  “Here, let me open that for you, babe,” he said, reinforcing the happy, relaxed tone that implied casual, free-wheeling, no-strings-attached good times.

  Kelly relinquished the bottle, her eyes narrowed and head tilted as though she hadn’t quite heard him correctly. Her expression was fleeting and quickly resolved into understanding. Good. She felt the vibe and was okay with it. The tension in his shoulders relaxed.

  He and Jed had come down nine, or maybe it was ten times, since February, so Mike knew his way around the kitchen by now. He fished the cork pull out of the drawer and peeled the foil from the neck of the chardonnay. “I’ll spring for dinner later. Where would you like to go?” Food. Always a safe topic. Something to ease them back into their normal conversations and get rid of the awkwardness.

  Kelly accepted a glass of wine. “No need. I have a couple of ribeyes, the makings for a Caesar salad, and some garlic bread. I figured you wouldn’t mind manning the grill. Is that okay?”

  “More than okay. It sounds delicious.”

  No matter his good intentions, his mind dropped right into the gutter when he thought about after-dinner activities.

  Chapter Four

  Kelly woke pinned to her mattress by a muscular arm across her waist and an even more muscular thigh between her own. The flash of happiness was intense. And brief.

  How had she gotten herself into this mess?

  Sunday had marked a turning point in her relationship with Mike, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. All summer long she’d fantasized about having him in her bed. And now, here he was next to her after days and nights of unbelievable sex, but something wasn’t right.

  She sighed. Just like you to moon over a man for months, then as soon as you get his attention, you decide you didn’t want it after all.

  But she did want his attention. The man was smokin’ hot in the sack—or in the shower. Passionate one minute, tender the next. He was everything a woman could want in a lover.

  But she felt like she’d given up something important to get all that lusty attention. Now, the easy camaraderie that made him so much fun to be around simmered on the back burner, while their new physical relationship took center stage. She definitely got the impression Mike kept her at arm’s length emotionally regardless of their new intimacy. He didn’t want her to hope this—whatever “this” was—would last forever.

  Maybe she misinterpreted his signals. They’d spent almost every afternoon together, twice exploring the possible venues for Mike’s second fitness center. He’d rented a power boat, and they enjoyed a great afternoon cruising around Mimosa Key. She’d cooked dinner all but one night, when they went to the Twisted Pelican. And every evening, they wound up in bed together. She admitted it was as much her fault as his. One hot glance from those whiskey-brown eyes and she was toast. Today was Friday, and there was one more property, this time in Naples, Mike wanted to check out. Afterward, he offered to go with her to the assisted living facility and spend some time with her mother.

  The next day, he’d be gone. Back to Philly on his brother’s jet. With no mention of when, if ever, he planned to see her again.

  So I believe this qualifies as a fling. Not the start of anything lasting.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Mike kissed her shoulder and she rolled over to face him.

  “They’re worth way more than that.” His eyes were still heavy with sleep, but she could feel his cock stirring against her thigh, rigid with a morning erection. “I have to get ready for work.” She sucked in a breath as his hand brushed her breast, and heat spiraled through her. Damn! She wished she could control her responses to his touch. Did he see her as just another easy lay? She pushed that thought away. After their multiple bouts of sex yesterday, she was tender in places she’d never noticed before. Probably because she’d never made love that many times in one twenty-four hour period.

  “I can be quick.” He trailed fingers down her belly, stopping just shy of her curls. “Or slow. Your call.”

  “Very tempting. But I’ve slept much later than normal, and I’m already running late.” She kissed him lightly. “How about a rain check? I’ll be back by lunchtime.”

  He blew out a long-suffering sigh. “Okay. But I’m holding you to your promise.” He rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom. “Give me a minute, then you can have the bathroom all to yourself while I go make coffee.”

  “Mike, you don’t have to do that.”

  “I know. But women as beautiful as you are should be pampered.”

  And he’d pampered her that way every morning. She couldn’t help but smile.

  When she joined him downstairs, he’d set out juice and coffee and buttered two pieces of toast. Another of her preferences he’d learned this week.

  “Perfect. Thank you, Mike.”

  “My meeting with Mr. Sandusky is at 2:30. You’ll be home in time to make that, right?”

  “Absolutely. I should be back by noon.”

  He raised one eyebrow and gave her a sexy grin. “Excellent.”

  And, damn, didn’t every erogenous zone in her body twitch with anticipation at that single word?

  ~~~

  Mike opened his laptop and reviewed the notes he’d made on the two storefronts Sandusky had found on Mimosa Key. In his opinion, both were too small for a fitness center. Once you consider how much room treadmills, elliptical steppers, recumbent bikes and upper body cages take up, you’re talking thousands of square feet. He wanted a separate room for spinning classes, an area for free weights—forget it. None of these spaces were big enough. It didn’t surprise him that the spaces available in the business district of the old town were all small. Back when the island was first settled, there were no such things as fitness centers, just little Mom and Pop stores, like Ms. Icey’s. Hell, even the Mimosa Times-Gazette was crammed into a building two sizes too small.

  He’d only entertained the idea to begin with because Sky and Kelly had talked him into co
nsidering it. Now that it was November and Philly was settling in for its usual four or five months of gray skies and cold, damp weather, Florida had even more appeal.

  Add the attraction of living—at least part of the year—near Kelly, and he really wanted it to work. Maybe the place in Naples would meet his requirements. It wasn’t far. He could still live on Mimosa Key … and what? Drop by every other day? When he couldn’t stand to be without her sunny disposition for more than twenty-four hours?

  He blew out an exasperated sigh. When did he let the distance to Kelly become so damn important? Expanding down here was a business decision, pure and simple.

  The image of Kelly next to him in bed this morning flashed before his eyes. Damn, the woman was the best combination of hot and sweet he’d ever found.

  Well, except for Sarah, whose face had invaded his dreams a few times this past week. Enough to remind him how easy it would be for another blonde to rip out his heart and leave him broken and bleeding while she walked away.

  Crap. Then he’d be stuck practically living next door. At least Sarah had moved all the way to California, so she could live the Silicon Valley dream with the rich, slick founder of some fucking tech company. That distance was a good thing.

  He heard the front door open and shut his laptop down. 12:01. She was punctual, as usual. “Hi, babe. What’s in the bags?”

  Kelly put them on the counter and danced into his arms. “I brought fish tacos from SOB for lunch, you know, in case we didn’t have time to fix something before your appointment.” She ruffled her fingers through his hair and kissed him on the jaw.

  Never one to ignore an invitation, Mike hauled her in closer and kissed her soundly. “Come into my parlor,” he murmured, steering her in the direction of the guest room. Food could wait. He was hungry for the taste of her skin.

  They spent so much time enjoying each other, they wound up eating the tacos in the car on the way to Naples. Not that he was complaining.

  He concentrated on following the GPS directions to the address the Realtor gave him, yet still felt Kelly stiffen as he passed what appeared to be a gated estate on the outskirts of Naples. The brass plaque on the entrance read “Harbor House.” The grounds were well-maintained, and quite a few people strolled across the lawn or sat on benches enjoying the afternoon breezes. He slowed, noticing several people wearing uniforms. Seeing Kelly’s strained expression, and the pieces fell into place. “Is this where your mom lives?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  He reached over and covered her hand with his. “We’ll have plenty of time to see her after we’re done with Mr. Sandusky.”

  “You’re sure you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Of course not. I’d like to meet your mom.” And see first-hand what you have to handle when you visit her.

  “Thanks. I try to come over as often as I can, and I’ve been a slacker since you came.”

  “You should have said something. We didn’t have to wait until today to visit her.”

  “It’s not going to be a family reunion, Mike, so don’t expect too much. She may not know me.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “Well, either way, I’ll be there with you.”

  She gave him a brilliant smile. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

  As it turned out, the space Mr. Sandusky wanted to show Mike was only about a mile away, in a large shopping center.

  “Now, this is more like what I had in mind,” he said.

  The Realtor was already waiting at the door and ushered them inside. “This used to be a craft store, but they moved to an even larger location.”

  The main area was wide open, although the floor showed outlines of where the aisles of shelves had been. There were two office areas at the rear and rest rooms, but otherwise the space was plenty large enough for the amount of equipment he envisaged. The large front windows let in plenty of light, and the electric lights overhead were large enough to work for night hours.

  Kelly surveyed the parking lot from the windows. “Seems like this shopping center is pretty busy. That ought to help you get some walk-ins when you first open.” Mr. Sandusky drifted away to give them a chance to talk in privacy. “Do you have an idea of what percent of the local population uses a fitness center on average? One of the things that worried me about both sites on Mimosa Key is that the island is not very large, so maybe you wouldn’t get enough members.”

  “I thought about that, too,” Mike agreed. Kelly was a smart lady and obviously had put some thought into what would make his new place succeed. “Naples has a much larger population to draw from, and this particular location has shops and restaurants that make me think upper-middle-class neighborhood.”

  Kelly nodded. “We should see if there are any other fitness centers nearby. If not, this is certainly the best of the three places we’ve seen this week, even if it is a little farther away.” She put up both hands, realizing how that sounded. “Not that you’d have to live on Mimosa Key. I—I’m sure you could find a place closer.”

  He took her hand. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. First, I need to find out what kind of lease the property owner is willing to give me. Then I’ll do some more research on the area. If all that works out to be feasible, I’ll make my final decision.” He waved Mr. Sandusky over. “Mr. Sandusky—”

  “Jim, please.”

  “All right, Jim. This property interests me. It wouldn’t require much renovation to make it work and, so far, I like the area. Will water and electricity be included in the monthly lease, or will those be separate expenses?”

  “Water and electric are separate, which will include the heat and air. The space is just a hair under 6500 square feet, so, considering the average utilities on spaces in this center, I’d think you could expect around six grand a month for rent and utilities. The owner might come down a bit if you paid six months up front.”

  “Okay, Jim. I’ve got some figures to run. I’ll get back to you by the end of next week.”

  “In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve shown this property to three other parties in the past week. Not trying to pressure you, but this is a prime location that won’t stay on the market long.”

  Back in the car, they were both quiet. Mike had a decision to make, and even doing nothing was still a decision. This week had been wonderful, but he couldn’t bring himself to make a commitment to Kelly. The shadow of the months—no, years—it had taken to deal with the loss of Sarah hung over him. In one respect, it would be good to go back home tomorrow. Give him time away from Kelly to process everything. Because when he was with her, she was his whole universe.

  Inside Harbor House, Kelly signed the guest book, and they went to her mother’s room. It was empty, the bed neatly made, the upscale furnishings giving the room a pleasant, apartment-like quality.

  A friendly young woman with the lilt of the Caribbean in her voice poked her head in the door. “Are you looking for Mrs. Singer? She’s usually in Day Room Two at this time of day. Go to the end of this hall, turn right, and it’s at the end.”

  “Thank you, Rose,” Kelly said, reading her name tag. “You must be new. I don’t think I’ve seen you before. I’m her daughter, Kelly.”

  “I’m not new, but I’ve just been transferred to this shift from nights.” She smiled. “It is a wonderful thing to work day shift. Your mother is a lovely lady. Very sweet, but, as I’m sure you know, quite forgetful.”

  “Yes. I’m aware.”

  As they walked, Mike could see the tension build in the set of Kelly’s shoulders and the press of her lips. He took her hand and wove his fingers through hers.

  She smiled her thanks. “I try to come around meal times so I can encourage Mom to eat. She’s become so thin, and unless you sit with her, she gets lost in thought and forgets to eat.”

  “Yes, that is a common problem among our residents here. It’s good you come to see her so often, or she would waste away.”

  Day Room Two was filled with late afternoon s
unshine, and soothing music drifted from overhead speakers. Men and women chatted or played cards together, and some, like Kelly’s mother, sat at tables with jigsaw puzzles. They walked over, and the woman glanced up, a piece in her hand.

  She looked from one to the other, then smiled at Mike and smoothed her hand over her hair. “Hello. Do I know you?”

  He stepped closer and put out his hand. “No. This is the first time we’ve met. My name is Mike. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Singer.”

  “My, but you’re a handsome fellow, Mike. I bet you make all the girls swoon when you smile at them. My name is Elizabeth, but you may call me Beth.” She turned to Kelly. “And you? Are you this handsome fellow’s girlfriend?”

  Kelly closed her eyes briefly, then sucked in a breath and smiled. “No, Mom. I’m Kelly. Your daughter.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “Oh, I don’t think so, dear. I don’t have any children.”

  The expression on Kelly’s face punched a hole in Mike’s heart. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if his mother was sitting in that chair, denying all knowledge of him. He slid an arm around Kelly’s shoulders.

  Kelly pointed to the necklace around Elizabeth’s neck. “That is a beautiful locket. Are there pictures inside?”

  “Why, I don’t know. I found it the other day in my room. I never thought to look inside.” She picked it up to examine it.

  “Here, let me help you open it.” She freed the clasp and unfolded the three leaves. “There. Don’t you recognize them?”

  Elizabeth studied the three tiny pictures. She began to act nervous, her hands trembling so hard the locket slipped from her fingers. “No. I don’t know those people. Why are you asking me about people I don’t know?” She turned to Mike. “Hello. Do I know you?” She smiled coquettishly. “I’m sure I would remember meeting a man as handsome as you.”