by Carsen Taite
“You didn’t!”
“Oh yeah. I was an ass. It was a hard night and I didn’t think those kids were going to make it. I used to be known for my quick temper, and that night I was in rare form.”
“What did she do?”
Haley sighed. “She told me I looked like I could use a cold drink. Then she bought me a bottle of water from the vending machine.”
Jordan laughed, recognizing Megan’s levelheadedness with which she was familiar. “What happened then?”
“It’s hard to stay mad at someone who’s being reasonable, especially since it wasn’t her I was mad at her anyway. I said thanks for the water and left.”
“That’s it? Where’s the fairy-tale ending?”
“There’s no fairy-tale ending, as you’re fond of pointing out. The next week, I found out who she was and apologized for being rude. I asked her out. She said yes. And now we’re married.”
Jordan had never experienced the kind of certainty about a woman Haley and Megan seemed to have from day one.
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Well, the hard part was deciding to take a chance.”
“How did you know she was the right person to take a chance on?”
“Gut instinct. Once you take the first scary step, the rest either falls into place or it doesn’t. If it does, you know you made the right choice. If it doesn’t, you learn some lessons and move on.”
“Again, you make it sound so easy.”
“Don’t be scared to take the first step, Jordan. What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
“Total ruin of my reputation.” Jordan grinned.
“Exactly.” Haley smirked back.
CHAPTER TEN
It was a perfect day for a backyard barbeque. Mac slowed the Jeep as she reached the small driveway in front of Jordan’s building. The driveway was technically reserved for those delivering takeout, dry cleaning, and other such amenities to the residents. Spying Jordan, she turned in and backed around, glad she wouldn’t have to find a parking space in the tiny garage beneath the building.
“What? No top down? What kind of road trip is this?”
Jordan teased as she folded her limbs into the sporty Wrangler.
“You’ll survive.” Mac headed for the freeway. Her brother and his family lived in Frisco, and though Frisco was a mere seventeen miles north of Dallas, it was the equivalent of driving to Oklahoma. “Besides, we wouldn’t want your hair to get messed up, would we?”
“I’d live.” Jordan let her gaze travel the length of Mac’s form, taking in every inch. Funny, Mac looked even sexier in shorts and a T-shirt than she did in evening wear. Maybe it was because the casual clothes showed off more of her tanned, sculpted skin. Ignoring the part of her that wondered why she was suddenly noticing these attributes, she declared, “You look fantastic.”
Mac looked down at her lime green T-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and chartreuse sandals, and asked, “Did you eat breakfast? Perhaps it’s a lack of food that’s causing you to see things. I call this style ‘rumpled barbeque couture.’ It’s anything but fantastic.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
“Seriously, Jordan, did you eat?”
Jordan placed one hand on Mac’s shoulder and the other on her knee, and leaned in. “I don’t need to eat to know you look great, okay?”
Flustered at what she was surely mistaking for innuendo, Mac managed to eke out an “Okay” in reply before changing the subject. “What’s in the package?”
Jordan raised her eyebrows. “Package?”
“The one you put in the back. You know, when you got in the car?” Jeez, Mac thought, what was with her today?
“Oh, that.” Jordan withdrew her hands, aware of an unease in Mac’s body. She felt bothered to think that her touch had caused the tense reaction. “A Spider-Man Super Soaker. No eight-year-old should be without one.”
“Alice is going to kill you.”
Jordan flashed a wicked grin. “But Marty will love it.
What did you get Jeremy?”
“Spidey’s Triple Blast Hover Jet, and Amazing Fantasy number fifteen.”
“Are you sure the last item is for Jeremy?”
Mac rolled her eyes. “It’s a comic book, silly. The first appearance of Spider-Man in a Marvel comic. It’s a collector’s item.”
“What a relief. I was scared you’d taken an inappropriate detour to an adult toy store for Jeremy’s gift, but instead you’re giving him something to mourn once he’s an adult.”
“To mourn?” Mac cast her a puzzled look.
“He’s eight. Do you seriously think he’ll keep it in cellophane for the next twenty years?”
Mac laughed. “You’re a mess.”
“That’s for sure.” Jordan fiddled with the radio tuner, dialing quickly past Nellie Furtado’s “Promiscuous” and settling on “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. Leaning back in the bucket seat, she shifted slightly to get a better view of her companion. “Mackenzie?” She hesitated as she broached a more serious topic. “I’ve been meaning to apologize for last Sunday.”
“Did you forget how to form the words?” Mac’s tone held dual layers of tease and hurt.
“I’m sorry I was such a jerk and I’m sorry I haven’t said so,” Jordan replied sincerely. “I have no right to tell you who you should or shouldn’t date.”
“Well, you’re right about that.” Mac started to say more, but then refrained from a sermon on the issue. “Let’s make a deal. I won’t make any disparaging remarks about your dates and you’ll return the favor.”
“It’s a deal,” Jordan agreed.
She stared absently out the window. If her future dates were with the woman she’d been thinking about constantly for the last two days, Mac would have nothing to criticize.
Marty, Alice, and Jeremy lived in a two-story red brick house on a street lined with two-story red brick houses.
The primary distinguishing characteristic was the stenciled numerical address at the curb. Mac parked her Jeep out front.
The birthday boy himself answered the door and greeted Mac and Jordan with big hugs. “Aunt Mac, Aunt Jordan, come out back and see what I got for my birthday.”
Mac called out, “Brother dearest, what in the world did you buy this child?
“I’m not a child. I’m eight years old.”
“Hey, partner, do you know any kids who might like to unwrap some presents?” Jordan asked, nodding toward the brightly colored packages in her arms.
“Me! Me!”
Marty walked into the foyer and snatched up his exuberant son, throwing him over his shoulder. With the same blond hair, brown eyes, and athletic build, Marty and Mackenzie were easy to pick as brother and sister. The slightly taller sibling addressed the child dangling from his shoulder. “Whoa there, mister. It’s not time for presents yet. We have to feed the present bringers first.” Turning to the women, he said, “Everyone’s out back. Burgers and dogs go on the grill in fifteen minutes.”
Jeremy grabbed a hand each from Mac and Jordan and led them quickly through the house, heading straight for the backyard. A dozen similarly excited eight-year-olds were dividing their time between the shallow end of a large swimming pool and what was clearly Jeremy’s favorite birthday present, a trampoline.
Jordan added their gifts to the pile already amassed on one of the tables on the deck, remarking to Mac, “We may as well throw these in the trash. Our pitiful gifts have no chance against that monstrosity.”
“Seriously,” Mac agreed. “I had no idea we’d be up against that kind of competition. You want a beer?”
“Sounds great. Should we go see if Alice needs anything?”
“I’ll get our beer and check with her on my way back.
Don’t hog the trampoline while I’m gone.”
“I’ll resist the impulse to show off,” Jordan promised. As she watched Mac head back into the house, she added quietly, “Especially if you’re not
going to be watching.”
Mac paused in the doorway and looked back, puzzled by Jordan’s mood. She sure was acting funny today. If Mac didn’t know better, she’d think Jordan was flirting with her. Shrugging the thought aside, she made her way to the kitchen and greeted her sister-in-law with a quick hug around the shoulders.
Alice was up to her elbows in platters of burgers, hot dogs, and all the fixings. Without glancing up, she said, “Will you grab the bottles of ketchup and mustard in the fridge and put them in those thingies over there?” She waved in the direction of a stack of chrome condiment carriers sitting on the kitchen island.
“Sure,” Mac responded, grabbing the bottles. “You have quite a crowd out there. What else do you need done?”
“I know it doesn’t look like it, but everything is pretty well under control. We decided to keep it simple. The kids don’t care what they eat. All they want to do is swim and play on the trampoline.”
“And what a trampoline it is. I could have used a little warning so I could at least have tried to compete in the gift department.”
“It was Marty’s idea. Frankly, I think it’s kind of dangerous, but he insisted the kids are as likely to hurt themselves in the pool. Now we have two death traps in the backyard.”
Alice grinned. “We should be the most popular house on the block.”
“Are you going on about the trampoline again, woman?”
The rumble of a deep male voice beat its owner into the kitchen.
“Get in here, Marty, and make yourself useful,” Alice called out.
Mac laughed as her brother poked his head around the corner, checking out the situation before he approached.
“Do you think she’ll ever forgive me for making our son the happiest kid in the world?” he asked her.
“Quit trying to get everyone on your side, Marty.” Alice shoved a plate of hamburger patties into his arms. “Start cooking and I’ll let you know when you have redeemed yourself.”
“Hang on a minute.” Marty set the platter on the counter.
“I need to perform a brief interrogation of my sister, the online dating guru.” At Mac’s loud groan, he said, “Don’t worry. I already brought Alice up to date. You should know we have no secrets. Tell us everything. Have you been fishing lately?”
“I’ve declined the advances of a certain avid fisherwoman.”
“And here I was hoping to host a fish fry for the two of you to celebrate your newfound happiness,” Marty gibed.
Mac made a gagging gesture. “You will, however, be pleased to know I do have a bona fide date set up for next week.”
“Someone you met online?” Alice asked.
“That’s right. She said all the right things, so I decided to go ahead and set up a meeting and find out firsthand if she’s for real.”
“Good plan, sis. I hope she’s fantastic.” Sweeping her into a big hug, Marty added, “You deserve the best.”
“Thanks, Marty.” As Mac leaned into his embrace she whispered in his ear, “You do too.”
“Marty, offer your sister a beer, then get your butt outside and start cooking.”
“Damn,” Mac muttered. “I told Jordan I’d be right back with something to drink.”
“She’s fine,” Marty said. “We have coolers outside to keep the adults well hydrated. Someone will show her the stash.”
“Cool. Well, brother dear, I think you better start grilling before your wife disowns you. I’ll help. I do own one of the best restaurants in Dallas, you know.”
“Yeah, kinda makes me wonder why we didn’t put you in charge of this shindig. Come on and show me what you got.”
Marty retrieved his platter and led the way to the door.
“Want to help me find the adult beverages?”
Jordan turned toward the sound of a silky voice and found herself looking at a gorgeous face framed in waves of light nut brown hair. Spicy amber and rose notes emanated from the woman, and the scent rallied her attention. She glanced toward the patio doors, but Mac was nowhere in sight. “Sure,” she replied. “I could use something to help me cool off.”
The beauty led her toward the deck, where picnic tables were lined with red and white checkered tablecloths. Several were stacked with plates and condiments. Off to the side several coolers were tucked under a bench, moisture glistening from the sides of their chrome frames. The spicy-scented woman leaned down to open one of the lids, then spent a moment sorting through the ice. Jordan’s gaze was transfixed as her newfound friend’s shorts rose up on her bronzed thighs to reveal the taut, round curves of her butt. At the same time, they rode down on her waist to show off the sculpted small of her back.
Jordan glanced away quickly as she was handed a frosty cold bottle of Harp Lager.
“Does this work?” the woman asked, still grasping the bottle.
“This works fine, thanks.”
“My name is Samantha, by the way.” She released Jordan’s bottle and waved toward the pool. “My son Adam is a friend of Jeremy’s.”
Jordan’s thoughts raced. This bronze beauty was a mom— a hot mom, but a mom. She chided herself for feeling anything anyway. She didn’t even know this woman and here she was getting all hot and bothered over a five-minute encounter that boiled down to some kid’s mom helping her find a beer.
Thrown, she considered the fact that she’d had her mind on Mac since the other night and had been seriously questioning her own MO. Was it realistic to think she could change? Her reaction to a total stranger at an eight-year-old’s birthday party suggested an uphill battle.
“And your name is…”
Jordan realized that she hadn’t replied to Samantha’s introduction and fumbled to respond. “I’m Jordan, Jordan Wagner. I guess I’m like your son Adam. I’m here because I’m a friend of Jeremy’s.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jordan Wagner. Any friend of Jeremy’s is a friend of mine.” Samantha punctuated this declaration by giving Jordan’s hand a tight squeeze.
Jordan drew back from the grasp, resisting her proclivity to respond to the advances of a beautiful woman. “I should check and see if Alice needs anything.”
“Totally unnecessary. If I know Alice, she has everything completely under control. I, however, could use some assistance if you don’t mind.” Samantha shrugged her shoulders, drawing down the sleeves of her gauzy white top. “I tried extra hard this morning, but I can’t seem to get sun block on the spot right between my shoulders. Be a dear and rub it on for me.”
Jordan’s stare gave equal time to the well-toned bronzed shoulders and the bottle of sun block Samantha thrust in her hand. It didn’t appear she had a choice in the matter. Slowly she flicked the cap open and angled the bottle toward her palm.
A slight squeeze brought creamy white liquid to the bottle’s surface.
“Aunt Jordan, this is my friend Adam,” Jeremy announced over Jordan’s shoulder. “He wants to show me what he got me for my birthday. Could you move over a little bit?”
Jordan grinned at the interruption and quickly scooted over. “Sure, buddy. Nice to meet you, Adam. In fact, you arrived in the nick of time. Your mom needs some help.”
Jordan squirted a liberal dose of sun block into one of the boy’s hands and placed the bottle on the table. “Now, you’ll want to make sure you rub it in good, right there between her shoulders. We don’t want your mommy to get burned.”
Samantha glanced back at her, clearly vexed at the exchange. “Mommy’s already suffering a little burn.”
“I think you’ll be fine. I’m going to head inside. Enjoy the party.” Jordan stood and almost crashed into Mac, who was approaching with a tray of burger patties. “Hey, you. I was on my way to find you. Whatever happened to that beer you promised?”
Mac glanced down at the sweaty beer bottle in Jordan’s hand and replied tersely, “Looks like you found a drink all on your own.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, you were gone a long time and I found some coolers packed full o
f beer out here.” Jordan was confused by the tone of her friend’s response and wondered if she had misunderstood their conversation earlier. No, she thought, Mac clearly said that she was going inside to look for drinks. “Did I do something to make you mad?”
Mac sighed thinking about the tableau she’d witnessed moments earlier. Two, tall, gorgeous women leaning in close, sharing what was obviously an intimate moment. She’d seen the way the other woman devoured her best friend with hungry glances. Heck, she’d practically licked her lips as her hand slid over Jordan’s, holding on as if to stake a claim. Mac wasn’t sure why Jordan’s flirtations were bothering her lately, but she didn’t want to spend her nephew’s birthday party watching another seduction.
“I’m not mad,” she said coldly. “It doesn’t do any good to get frustrated with things that are never going to change.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jordan protested.
“It doesn’t matter. Everything’s fine. Come help me get these on the grill.” Mac led the way, grateful for the interruption the boys had provided to the action starting on the patio. Why was it that everyone thought Jordan was theirs for the taking?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout from Marty, who was balancing a platter of hot dogs, several packages of buns, and a wide selection of grilling implements. Jordan dashed over to save the platter as it was about to slip from his grasp.
“I figure we can feed the kids first and then we adults can have a semi-peaceful meal,” he said as he lined the meat on the grill like a backyard barbeque master.
Jordan peered over his shoulder, admiring his skill.
“Marty, who all is at this shindig?”
“Mostly kids from the neighborhood and their parents. I saw Samantha Bennett had you cornered. Care to share?”
