by Brenda Novak
Probably feeling desperate to get the party back on track, Cheyenne cleared her throat. “You two have a seat. What can I get you to drink?”
Baxter swung the hand that was clasping Skye’s as they cut through the crowd toward the living room. But then Baxter let go. “Gotcha!” he cried and announced that Skye was only a friend he’d met at work. He wasn’t even gay.
“He was nice enough to dress up like Noah and help me pull off this gag. I knew it would freak you out,” he said, laughing. “It’s uncanny how much they look alike, right?”
Callie was laughing, too. “But how’d you get one of Noah’s tunics?”
Baxter gestured as if that was the easy part. “He gave that to me ages ago.”
Once everyone realized he hadn’t fallen for a Noah stunt double, as he’d pretended, they could all enjoy the joke. The tension dissipated and everything grew comfortable again. As usual, they talked, watched a horror flick and played games.
Thanks to Skye, Eve didn’t win the costume contest. No one could outdo a Noah look-alike who resembled him more than the fraternal twin who’d died on grad night. They just wished Noah had dressed up in biking clothes, too, so they could get a picture of both of them together.
At the end of the evening, when the party was breaking up, Ted invited anyone who’d remembered to bring a swimsuit to get in his hot tub, and a handful of stragglers followed him home.
It was nearly two o’clock by the time everyone left Ted’s place. Only Eve remained, and Ted wasn’t disappointed about that. Since he got home, he’d had more to drink. And she was in a bikini.
He kept asking himself why he hadn’t noticed what a beautiful body she had until tonight....
“That was a shocker,” she said as she leaned against the back of the Jacuzzi. The water bubbled and foamed about her breasts as she finished another glass of wine.
“Skye?” He leaned over to pour her some more from the bottle sitting near his elbow.
“Yeah. I thought that was really cool of Bax—to poke fun at himself like that. To laugh and let us laugh, so we can finally feel as if he’s come to terms with his crush.”
“It’s always better to tackle that sort of thing head-on and get it out of the way. Skye made for a great icebreaker. But I bet Noah just about had a heart attack when they walked in.”
Her laugh sounded relaxed and husky as she let her head rest on the edge of the hot tub. She was drunker than he was, but he was getting there fast. “Adelaide, too. Bax came out just after she returned to town and started seeing Noah. She must’ve felt some anxiety, if only for Noah’s sake, when Baxter showed up with Skye.”
Ted took another sip of his wine. “Do you think Bax is over Noah?”
“Probably not. But he’s reconciled to the fact that he’ll never be with him in that way. And he’s willing to remain friends, which is more than most people in his situation would be capable of. It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love you back. I hope he finds the happiness he deserves.”
“Finding that happiness would be easier if his parents would accept him for who he is,” Ted said. “But I don’t get the impression his relationship with them has improved, do you?”
“Maybe it hasn’t improved a lot, but he told me they’re starting to come around. That’s hopeful.”
They gazed up at the stars in silence. It was cold out, but the wind had died down. “Speaking of old love interests,” Eve eventually said. “Will you be okay with Sophia working here?”
He didn’t want to talk about Sophia. He understood all about unrequited love and how long it could take to get over someone. He wasn’t about to fall back into that pit now that he was free of it, but whatever had drawn him to her in the first place was still lurking beneath the surface. He’d have to fight that magnetic pull, make sure he didn’t take so much as one step in her direction. Tonight, probably due to the wine, there’d been a brief few seconds when he’d wondered what it would be like to try again with her now that Skip was gone. She obviously needed help; he could provide it. And no matter how much he tried to deny the truth, he hadn’t lost his craving for the taste and feel of her.
But he didn’t want to become her new sugar daddy. That wouldn’t make her love him any more deeply than she had before. Besides, dating Sophia would ruin his relationship with his mother, who would consider him the biggest fool on earth. And she’d be right. Because he’d have to be a fool to get involved with Sophia again.
His gaze shifted from the stars to Eve. Why couldn’t he fall for a nice girl like her? He’d known her for so long, could absolutely count on the strength of her character. Maybe he’d missed what was right in front of him. Friends could become lovers; it happened all the time. For some, finding a mate had more to do with mutual respect than physical chemistry. Maybe those were actually the best relationships.
That was what a lot of people said....
He took a deep breath as he considered her question about Sophia, and decided to keep his answer short and sweet. The less he said on that subject, the better. “It’ll be fine. Because of her situation, I don’t have any choice except to keep her on until she can come up with something else. But...I’m hoping that won’t take too long.”
“You’re over her? It doesn’t have any impact on you romantically to have her coming to your house every day?”
He could guess why she was asking. They were both wondering why they couldn’t be that special someone in each other’s lives. Eve was sweet, attractive, loyal and capable of real commitment. She wanted to get married and have a family, and so did he. They were in their mid-thirties and hadn’t met anyone. They lived in a small town, so they didn’t come into contact with many strangers.
Could they somehow transform their relationship?
Should they even try?
“It’s just a job.” On some level he knew that wasn’t entirely true. But he wanted reality to be as he’d represented it, so he promised himself that this time he’d choose the path less likely to end in heartbreak. He had the self-discipline. He just wished he wasn’t still tempted by her....
Eve swished the bubbles over to one side. “She mentioned that she didn’t do too well on her typing test.”
“No,” he said with a laugh.
“What can I do to fill the gap?”
“I think we can limp by. Don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t mind helping out. Let me know if something comes up.”
“I will.”
“She seems to have changed a great deal,” she said. “For the better.”
Eve—honest, as always. She was making an effort to be fair to Sophia. “Everyone seems changed when they’re down-and-out,” he said. “Being broke is a humbling experience. Makes you more tractable.”
“She used to be hell on wheels, didn’t she? Charismatic and beautiful but...ruthless. I’ve always seen her as a Scarlett O’Hara.”
He agreed with that comparison. But he wasn’t sure her ruthlessness stemmed from anything more than being spoiled. She’d been gorgeous from the moment she was born, had received far more attention than was healthy for any child. On top of that, he doubted her doting parents ever used the word no. Since they’d never placed any boundaries on her behavior, she hadn’t realized there were boundaries. She’d thought that only applied to others, that she was somehow exempt because her daddy was the mayor.
“I wonder if she regrets any of it,” he said.
“I think she does,” Eve responded. “That costume I wore tonight? She lent it to me. She had me come over and pick it out from a wide array of really nice costumes she had stored in her attic. Then she got me all fixed up with makeup and a wig.”
“What was she doing tonight?” he asked, curious in spite of himself. If she’d still been meeting them for coffee every Friday, she would’ve been invited to Cheyenne’s party, but he purposely hadn’t extended the invitation himself. Bad enough that he had to see her during work hours. He wasn’t going to include her in his social life, t
oo.
“From what I could tell, she didn’t have any plans, but we didn’t talk about it. She was too upset when I was there.”
“About losing her dearly beloved?” He’d been curious as to how much she missed Skip, if she was sad to have him gone from her life or more distressed about the loss of money and status.
Again, the question of whether Skip had abused Sophia popped into his mind, but he didn’t ask Eve. It was better if he didn’t find out. Sympathy was what had landed him in his current position.
“No, this was about Alexa. Some kid jumped her after school.”
He sat up so fast, the water sloshed. “Which kid?”
“Sophia doesn’t know. Lex wouldn’t say.”
“Did Lex say why?”
“Because of what Skip did, of course. Kids often imitate the attitudes and behavior of their parents.”
He finished his wine. “So his daughter’s being picked on now, too? As well as his wife?”
“I guess.”
He flipped his wet hair off his face. “That’s too bad. It’s Halloween. She should’ve been looking forward to trick-or-treating—not getting beaten up.” And maybe Sophia should’ve been invited to Cheyenne’s....
“It made me feel terrible. Poor Sophia has enough problems.”
“No kidding.”
They remained silent for a few seconds. Then she stood. “Well, it’s getting late. I’d better go.”
He watched as a drop of water rolled between her breasts. “You can’t go.”
She seemed surprised. “Why not?”
She didn’t have her car, for one. She’d ridden over with him. “You’ve had too much to drink, and I can’t drive you because I’ve had too much to drink.”
A sexy smile curved her lips. “And that means...”
He smiled, too. “You’ll have to stay over.”
Her eyes locked with his. “Where will I sleep?”
He gestured to the mother-in-law quarters off to the right, where he suspected his own mother would live when she got too old to take care of herself. “There’s always the guesthouse.” His mouth went a little dry at what he was about to suggest. “Or...”
“Or?” she prompted.
“You could sleep with me.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she stared at him.
“You’re thinking about it,” he said.
“It’s been a long time since...since I was with a man. I miss it.”
“I can solve that problem.”
“But this is pretty scandalous—”
“Why?” He broke in before she could come up with too many reasons they shouldn’t. “We’ve known each other our whole lives. And we love each other.”
“It’s not that kind of love.”
“Maybe it could be.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “You remember what happened with Callie and Kyle. I’ve talked to her. She’s sorry she slept with him, says it was a mistake.”
“Kyle was on the rebound. He was in no shape to take on another relationship. Then Callie was diagnosed with liver disease and trying to cope with knowing she might not make it through the summer. They weren’t doing it for the right reasons.”
“Would it be any different for us?”
“We’re both ready for a relationship.”
“We’re also a little drunk and sex-starved,” she said with another laugh.
“We have to take charge of our lives sometime, go for what we want. I can’t imagine finding anyone better than you.”
What was he doing? Part of him felt as if he was racing full-throttle toward a cliff just to escape Sophia. But the other part, the more insistent part, said there was no reason he couldn’t love the right woman for a change.
She peered more closely at him. “You’re not talking about just one night?”
“Of course not. I would never use you that way. We could be a couple, couldn’t we?”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips—evidence that he was making her nervous. “That’s a sweet offer. I adore you, you know that. And you’re gorgeous. I won’t pretend I’ve never noticed. But...why now? We’ve known each other for ages, and you’ve never hit on me before.”
“Maybe we’ve both been waiting for love to just come upon us. And maybe it doesn’t work like that, at least not for everyone.”
“You’re looking at the situation pragmatically. We’re getting older. We both want a family. We already have a great relationship, so...why not.”
Using the “we haven’t found anyone else” logic wasn’t the most romantic approach, so he tried to soften it. “I’m just saying...who knows what might develop? Why not give it a chance?”
Her laugh sounded more like a giggle, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard from her. “I don’t mind telling you that my heart is pounding like crazy.”
“So is mine.” He reached out to her. “Come here. Let’s see what it feels like to touch you.”
She moved closer, and straddled him when he pulled her into his lap.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Do we fit together well enough? Could we get in to this?”
She closed her eyes and pressed up against his erection. “You feel good,” she admitted. “So good I’m not thinking clearly. What about our friends...”
He dropped his head back as she increased the pressure. “What about them?”
She kissed his neck, tentatively at first but then with more abandon. “They’ll kill us if we wind up hating each other and refuse to be in the same room together.”
“Most of them are married. They have better things to worry about than what we’re doing. Besides, I could never hate you.”
He was afraid that he was going too far in his efforts to convince her. But she was so warm, so soft and pliable. He was dying to lose himself in her body, to do something, anything, to stop thinking of Sophia.
“I couldn’t hate you, either.” She rocked against him, creating sparks of pleasure. He could make love to her without a problem, just as he’d thought. But could he commit to her, as well? Because taking Eve to bed would be different from being with anyone else. He wouldn’t be able to move on afterward, not if there was any danger it would hurt her.
For a second he panicked, realized he’d be trading away too much. He loved Eve, but he didn’t feel the intense romantic attraction he’d experienced with Sophia. That was what passion felt like. That was what falling in love felt like, falling in love so deeply he didn’t care if he drowned. But Eve was a good woman, a woman who deserved to have the husband and babies she wanted. He could give her that, couldn’t he? Maybe, with time, he could feel about her the way he’d felt about Sophia.
Either way, once she untied her bikini top and let it fall, it was too late to back out.
15
Sophia was still worried about Alexa when she arrived at work the following morning. Her daughter had insisted on going to school despite yesterday’s attack. She was afraid she’d fail math if she didn’t. Her grades were slipping, which was no surprise given everything they were going through. But Sophia didn’t feel good about letting her go to class. Late last night, after spending the entire evening with her and not going out for Halloween at all, Lex had finally broken down and explained what had happened. Babette, the girl she’d hung out with most before Skip died, had turned on her. She’d told Connie, a girl who was often kicked out of school for fighting or ditching, that Alexa had said all kinds of terrible things about her. It was a lie, of course, but Connie had exacted her revenge while everyone else stood around, sealing off Alexa’s retreat and cheering the other girl on.
The whole encounter was senseless and stupid—mean, catty games. Babette enjoyed being the leader of the popular group now that Alexa had been deposed, and Connie was probably enjoying the notoriety her actions brought.
Sophia feared yesterday’s incident might not be the end of it. So she again brought up the possibility of moving. This time, Alexa was amena
ble to it, but Sophia knew they couldn’t go just yet. Relocating required money they didn’t have. There’d be rent and a car payment, neither of which Sophia was paying now. She would also need some assurance that she’d be able to get a job in their new town or city. She couldn’t risk giving Ted notice until then.
Bottom line, leaving Whiskey Creek wasn’t a viable option at the moment. But she’d promised Alexa they’d shoot for that. Eventually they’d leave and start over somewhere else.
She was so preoccupied when she arrived at Ted’s that she didn’t think too much of it when he didn’t answer the door. Her impression from yesterday was that he preferred to go about his business and leave her to cook and clean as she saw fit. So when she tried the handle and found it unlocked, she let herself in. She was looking up at the third level to determine whether he was on his computer, or maybe showering, when she saw several puddles of water on the floor.
She got a towel out of the cleaning closet and wiped up each one. They led up the stairs, past his office. She assumed he’d been in the hot tub last night and hadn’t bothered to dry off before coming inside, because they led all the way to his bedroom.
Then she spotted something else—a bikini top slung over the bannister. The bottom of the same suit was right outside his bedroom door, in the biggest puddle of all, as if it’d been cast off en route to his bed.
Holy shit! She turned to hurry back down the stairs. She didn’t want to see him with someone else—didn’t want to face the way it would make her feel. But his bedroom door opened at that moment and Eve, of all people, emerged. Wearing his sweats.
“Sophia, I’m sorry,” she said when they both froze and gaped at each other. “We couldn’t tell if that was the doorbell. We...we were groggy...not quite awake.”
We. Sophia felt as if Eve had slugged her in the stomach. She wasn’t sure why. Ted had the right to take whoever he wanted to bed, even a close friend. She’d always assumed he was sleeping with other women. He was a single, virile man in his thirties. Of course he was sleeping with other women. He wouldn’t remain celibate all his life just because she’d married someone else.
