It was Davey who answered on the first ring. “Hello,” he said, his voice quavering in an obviously frightened whisper.
All lingering thoughts of his unexpected evening with Jo fled. Trying not to overreact, Pete kept his own tone light. “Hey, buddy, it’s Dad. How’s it shakin’?”
“How’d you know it was me who called?” his son asked, his voice filled with surprise and unmistakable relief.
“Caller ID. How come you didn’t leave a message?”
“I dunno.”
“You know it’s always okay to call me, right?”
“I guess.”
Something wasn’t right. Davey loved to call, but he usually had a reason and was usually bubbling over with enthusiasm. Tonight, he was being surprisingly vague. Pete pressed gently for answers. “What’s up, buddy? You okay?”
“I guess.”
“Is everything going okay at school?”
“I guess.”
“Is your mom around?”
Davey hesitated so long, Pete knew he’d finally hit on the problem. “Where’s your mom?” he asked.
“She’s on a date with that guy, the one I told you about,” Davey said.
“Harrison something.”
“Yeah.”
“Is someone there with you?”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Davey said bravely. “I’m almost seven.”
Pete bit back a curse. Almost seven! Typical kid. He’d barely turned six, and he was already anxious to be a year older. Six was entirely too young for a kid to be on his own at night, especially in the city. So was seven, for that matter.
Down here was something else, but even here Pete would think long and hard before leaving his son rattling around in the house by himself. Kids needed supervision, whether they wanted it or not. His skin crawled when he thought of the mischief and danger the boy could have gotten into.
“How long has your mom been gone?” he asked, careful not to let Davey know just how furious he was.
“Not that long. A couple of hours, I guess.”
“Did she leave you a number?”
“I’ve got her cell phone number,” Davey said. “She promised to leave it on.”
Pete’s temper hit a boil. Despite everything he’d said to Jo earlier about trying to keep his relationship with Kelsey civil for Davey’s sake, he’d just about had it with her irresponsibility. He obviously needed to have another talk with her about her neglectful approach to parenting. Until now, he’d tried just talking things out with her, but he was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t time for him to press the issue in court. He hadn’t fought her before, because he’d believed she was seriously trying to be a good mom. Lately, though, he didn’t like some of the decisions she was making. Too often she was choosing her social life over their son’s well-being.
“Dad, please don’t be mad at Mom,” Davey said, obviously sensing that he’d revealed too much. “I’m okay, really. I just thought maybe we could talk for a while.”
“Of course we can talk,” Pete said, trying to calm his fears. As long as Davey was on the phone with him, he’d know he was safe. He shrugged out of his jacket and settled into a chair. “Why don’t you tell me what’s happening at school these days?”
First grade apparently was more exciting than Pete remembered. He kept his son on the phone for an hour, listening to the increasingly carefree chatter about an awesome science project he’d seen.
“I could have done a really cool one that was better,” Davey said. “But our teacher said we’re too little. Isn’t that dumb? What difference does it make how big we are?”
“None I can see,” Pete agreed.
“Did I tell you I have a spelling test tomorrow? I’m going to ace it. I spelled all the words for Mom and she said I was perfect,” Davey boasted.
“That’s great,” Pete told him. “Want to spell them for me?”
Davey giggled. “Dad, you’re a lousy speller. You won’t even know if I’m right.”
“Hey, kid, mind your manners. I’m not that bad,” he retorted.
“Mom says you are. She told me if I needed help with spelling, I’d better get it from her.”
“Okay, maybe she has a point,” Pete admitted. “But I’d like to hear the words anyway.”
Davey spelled a couple, then yawned.
“You tired, buddy?”
“I guess.”
“Then crawl into bed and get some sleep. Take the portable phone in with you. If you wake up and want to call me, it’ll be right there, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And don’t answer the door, you hear me?”
“Dad, I know that,” Davey said. “You’ve told me.”
“Yeah, I guess I have,” Pete said, grinning at his son’s evident exasperation. “How about I come down this weekend and we can see about doing that science project you want to do? Nothing says you can’t do it, even if it’s not for school. We’ll grab some lunch, too.”
“Really?” Davey asked, then immediately tempered his excitement. “It’s not a regular visit. I already looked on the calendar to see when you’d be coming again.”
“I’ll work it out with your mom. Now get some shuteye, kid. Tomorrow’s a school day.”
“Bye, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you more,” Pete said, his heart aching.
He didn’t waste so much as a split second on self-pity, though. He immediately punched in Kelsey’s cell phone number. It took several rings before she picked up, and when she did, her voice was slurred. Even in that condition, he’d rather have her home with Davey than having the boy in the house all alone. Hell, maybe he should have called the cops instead and let the chips fall wherever they would, but he could only imagine the mess it would create with Davey caught smack in the middle. He’d probably end up in foster care before Pete could get it all straightened out. That wasn’t an option, not even for a night.
“Get home right now,” Pete said without ceremony. “And don’t leave Davey there alone again or I’ll haul you into court and take him away from you.”
“What?” she asked, clearly fighting to grasp his words.
“I said to go home. I’ll be calling there in fifteen minutes, and you’d better be there. If you’re not, my next call will be to the police.”
“You can’t tell me what to do anymore,” she protested.
“I think I just did,” he responded. “When it comes to our son, I do have some say. If you don’t believe it, try me.”
“This is because you hate that I have someone new in my life and you don’t,” she said.
Pete clung to his patience by a thread. “I don’t care who you date or what you do, unless and until it affects our son. Go home, Kelsey. You’re down to twelve minutes to get there.”
He slammed the phone down, waited the promised number of minutes with his eyes on the clock the whole time, then dialed the house. Kelsey picked up at once.
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said tightly. “You embarrassed me with a friend.”
“That’s nothing to what I’m likely to do if I find out you’ve ever left that boy in the house alone again. I don’t care if it’s day or night—he’s too young to be there by himself. I’ve warned you before, and I’m beginning to think it fell on deaf ears.”
“Okay, okay, I hear you, but I think you’re getting worked up over nothing. Davey’s a very responsible kid.”
“He’s six, dammit. What’s he going to do if there’s an emergency?”
“He knows how to call 911.”
“Fat lot of good that will do him if the house is on fire and he can’t get to a phone.”
“Dammit, Pete, you’re acting crazy,” she said in a tone that was all bluster. “Davey is perfectly fine. How’d you find out he was here alone anyway?”
“He called me,” he said. “And don’t even think about taking this out on him. He called because he was scared. He did exactly the right thing.”
“He�
��s sound asleep,” she protested, sounding a bit more uncertain. “How scared could he have been?”
“Scared enough to call me and spend an hour on the phone just to have a little company.”
She didn’t seem to have an answer to that.
“Okay, here’s the deal. I’m coming down on Saturday,” Pete informed her without leaving any room for argument. “I promised him we’d go out for the day.”
“But—”
“Don’t even think about trying to stop me, Kelsey.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Think of it this way. You can finish up your hot date, while I’ve got our son covered.”
He slammed the phone down, satisfied that Davey was safe enough at least for tonight.
Then he grabbed a beer from the fridge, but before he’d taken the first sip, he dumped it down the drain. Getting stinking drunk wasn’t the solution. It hadn’t worked when his marriage was crumbling. It wouldn’t work now.
The only thing that might marginally improve his mood would be seeing Jo, but he couldn’t go barging in over there again tonight. And this definitely wasn’t a problem he could dump on her shoulders. She didn’t deserve getting dragged into this quagmire. It would just be rubbing salt in an old wound.
It was only a few hours till morning, though. He could make it till then. He’d pick up some of those blueberry doughnuts she used to love and be on her doorstep right after dawn. Maybe then this ache in the region of his heart would go away. And those doughnuts might earn him enough goodwill that he could sneak in another of those mind-blowing kisses.
He grinned for the first time since he’d called Davey. Now that, he thought, was something to look forward to.
Jo was still half-asleep when she heard Pete outside. She squinted at the clock and saw that it was barely six-thirty. She fell back against the pillows with a moan. It wasn’t even daylight yet, but he was already hammering the heck out of something. She was surprised he could even see.
That didn’t seem to be stopping him, though. Since the racket showed no sign of lessening, she dragged herself up and into the bathroom. She took a quick shower, pulled on jeans and a heavy knit sweater, ran a comb through her damp hair and walked downstairs in search of her shoes and socks. The minute she switched on the downstairs lights, Pete knocked on the door, then stuck his head in.
“You awake?”
Jo laughed at the ridiculous question. “As if anyone could sleep with all that racket you were making. What on earth were you doing?”
“Starting on the porch.”
“In the dark?”
“I could see well enough.” He surveyed her, then grinned. “You’re not much of a morning person, are you?”
“I am when I have to be.”
He dangled a bag in front of her. “Will this help?”
She sniffed and immediately smelled the heavenly aroma of sugar and blueberries. “Oh, my God,” she said, snatching the bag away from him and burying her face inside. “I can’t believe the bakery is still making these.”
“Yes, and they’re fresh from the oven. I stopped by on my way over here and wheedled a few out of Helen. She remembered how you loved them.”
“You’re a saint.”
“Hardly, but am I at least forgiven for dragging you out of bed?”
“That depends.” She peered inside the bag again and counted. “A half dozen,” she said with a blissful sigh. “You’re definitely forgiven.” She grinned at him. “For waking me, anyway.”
“You gonna share?”
“Do I have to?”
Pete chuckled. “No, but it’s a darn good thing I bought a couple for myself.”
She took out the first one, slowly savored the aroma of sugar and blueberries, then bit into it. The sugar rush went straight to her brain. She’d never tasted anything quite like these and she’d been looking for years.
“Oh, my,” she murmured after the first bite. “These are heaven.”
“Does your sister the gourmet chef know that the only food you really crave in life is a blueberry doughnut?”
Jo nodded. “It pains her greatly. She even tried to learn to make them, but good as she is, hers never measured up. How did Helen remember that I love these? It’s been years since I’ve been in there.”
“Hey,” he protested. “Don’t I get some of the credit?”
She chuckled. “Yes. I thought I’d already praised you. How did you remember that this was my favorite breakfast in the whole world?”
“You’d be surprised at the things I remember,” he said in a way that made her heart skitter crazily.
It was way too early in the morning to go there. “Pete, don’t say things like that,” she pleaded, as if that would stop the sizzle in the air between them.
“Why not? It’s true. I remember everything about that summer.” He stepped closer and gazed into her eyes. “I remember the way you looked first thing in the morning, all dewy-eyed and fresh. You were no better at crawling out of bed early back then, either.” He touched a finger to her lips. “And I remember how your lips tasted of blueberries and sugar. I was addicted to that taste for years. Couldn’t get it out of my head, but just eating doughnuts wasn’t enough. I kept telling Helen she was leaving something out, till I realized that what I needed was you. You were the missing ingredient.”
He touched his mouth to hers and skimmed his tongue along the seam. Jo felt the earth shift beneath her feet.
“Pete,” she protested, but without much energy.
“What, Jo?”
“We can’t go back,” she whispered, even though she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away. “Too much has happened. And if we dredge it all up, it’ll make it impossible for me to work with you.”
“So we should pretend it never happened?” he asked incredulously.
She drew in a deep breath and said firmly, “I think that’s best.”
“I think it’s impossible.”
So did she, if she were being honest. She’d just planned to push down the old feelings in the vague hope that all the new ones would vanish as well. Her reaction to this morning’s treat proved that old and new were bound to be all tangled together.
“How about a compromise? I won’t talk about the past if you won’t,” she said. “We don’t have to pretend it didn’t happen. We just won’t talk it to death. We pretty well covered it last night anyway.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Then there’s nothing more you think we need to say?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said staunchly.
He looked as if he wanted to debate the point, but he finally nodded. “Okay, I can ignore it, if you can.” He turned away from her, hands shoved in his pockets. “I’m going to spend another hour working on the porch and then we can go over to the house I was telling you about. Will you be ready?”
She hated the sudden distance in his voice, as if they were little more than colleagues…or strangers. But she was the one who’d insisted it be this way, so how could she complain?
“I’ll be ready,” she told him. “I just need to hunt down my shoes and socks.”
He left the kitchen, taking the life from the room when he went. She sagged into a chair and absentmindedly picked up another doughnut. After one bite, though, she realized that she wasn’t really tasting it and put it aside. Why waste something so delicious?
She sipped her coffee, but it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Acknowledging that her conversation with Pete had pretty much ruined a morning that had started out brightly, she scowled in the direction of the porch where he was hammering away again.
She didn’t want it to be like this. Last night, things had felt natural, comfortable. Today, the air was filled with tension, and it was all her fault. What had she been thinking with her stupid ground rules? She was smart enough to know that as soon as a topic or a person was declared off-limits, it became huge, far more important than it otherwise might have been. Now the past and their old feelings for eac
h other loomed between them.
She noticed that Pete had left his cup of coffee on the table and made a decision. She freshened it up, then carried it outside and handed it to him silently.
He watched her warily. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
“For?”
“Being a first-class idiot.”
He grinned and the tension vanished. “You? Never. You were always the smartest girl I knew.”
“Maybe I grew into being dumb,” she said, not entirely in jest. “I know we can’t pretend that the past never happened. Last night we promised to concentrate on laughing again. Can we still do that?”
“Fine with me.” He studied her over the rim of the cup, waiting. Finally, he said, “So, know any good jokes?”
She grinned. “Not a one.”
“Me, either—at least none I can tell to a lady.”
She shrugged. “Just as well. I’m freezing. I’ll go back inside. I just wanted to, you know, settle things, make them okay again.”
He tucked a finger under her chin. “Things are fine.”
She felt the smile build from somewhere deep inside. “Good to know.”
“Skedaddle, woman. You’re distracting me.”
She gave him one last look before she went back inside. He winked at her, and her heart did a predictable somersault.
Inside, she asked herself why it was so important to her that she and Pete be friends again. It was only opening the door to more potential heartache. She knew it wasn’t because he’d offered her work. She could have managed for a bit without those two jobs he’d discussed with her. Nor was it because she didn’t like being on the outs with anyone.
No, this was very personal. It was about her relationship with Pete—the one they’d had and the one she had a terrifying hunch that she wanted again.
Chapter Seven
Pete was still feeling completely off-kilter when he stopped work on the porch and told Jo it was time to drive over to the job site. He’d come damn close to dragging her into his arms after that kiss earlier, but he’d known he wouldn’t be content with a few more kisses. Better to keep some distance between them. Jo needed to get used to the idea of being around him again, and rattling her was no way to accomplish that.
For the Love of Pete Page 8
