by Marie Force
Rather than dig for more information, Francine only smiled. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Tiffany’s forehead. “Good for you,” she whispered before she got up. “Chief Taylor, nice to see you.”
“Um, you, too. Ma’am. Please, call me Blaine.”
“I’d be happy to, Blaine. I’m Francine.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. “I can come back later.”
“Don’t leave on our account,” Francine said. “Ned is helping Ashleigh pack up to spend the night with us so Tiffany can get some rest.”
Tiffany felt like an observer at a tennis match as her mother and her…lover, or whatever he was…conversed like old friends. Lover… She hated that word. It was so corny and over-the-top romantic. Sex buddy. She liked that a lot better, only it didn’t go far enough to describe the way her heart raced at the sight of him or her palms got damp—and not because of the fever. No, it was him and the way he sucked all the oxygen out of the room just by stepping through the door.
“How’s the patient?” he asked her mom.
“Burning up with fever and not interested in food.”
“I’ll be around tonight if she needs anything.”
“It makes me feel a lot better to know she won’t be alone.”
Tiffany rolled her eyes at her mother.
Ned came down the stairs with Ashleigh, who made a big production out of hugging and kissing Tiffany.
Her daughter stopped short at the sight of the policeman standing in her living room.
“Hi, Ashleigh.” Blaine squatted and extended a hand to the child. “Remember me? I’m Blaine, Uncle Mac’s friend.”
While Tiffany held her breath, Ashleigh nodded and shook his hand. “Are you my mama’s friend, too?”
“I sure am. While you have a sleepover with your grandparents, I’ll keep an eye on her for you. Would that be okay?”
“Uh-huh.” To Ned, she said, “Can we have ice cream tonight?”
Realizing they’d gotten through the introduction of Blaine into Ashleigh’s life with nary a speed bump, Tiffany released the deep breath she’d been holding. She watched as Blaine’s chest expanded, indicating his relief, too. The realization that he’d been nervous made her all swoony inside for reasons other than the stomach bug.
“Absolutely,” Ned said in response to Ashleigh’s question. “Let’s get going, ladies. We’ve got a lot to do tonight.”
“Thanks, Ned, and you too, Mom.”
“Happy to help,” Ned said as he ushered his ladies out the door.
“We’ll check on you later,” Francine said, squeezing Blaine’s arm on the way by.
After he closed the door behind them, Blaine came over to see her. “Jeez, talk about walking into a snake pit—your parents and your daughter, in one fell swoop.”
“Trial by fire,” Tiffany said with a weak smile. She loved that he referred to her mom and Ned as her “parents.” Over the last year, Ned had become the dad she’d never had, and she loved him more every day. She probably ought to tell the old guy that at some point.
Blaine brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. It was entirely different, she decided, when he kissed her forehead than when her mother did it. For one thing, his kiss set off a series of goose bumps over her fevered skin.
“How you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.”
“What can I do for you?”
She took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his. “This is nice.”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh my goodness, no way. Not tonight—”
Laughing, he said, “Hush up, you silly girl. Not that kind of proposition.”
“Thank God.”
“It’s good to know your mind is always in the gutter, even when you have the flu. I like that in a woman.”
“I’m sure you do,” Tiffany said, amused by him. “So what’s your big proposition?”
“I’m on call tonight, so I need to be at home by a landline.”
“They don’t have your cell number?”
“They do, but I insist on everyone having landlines since cell service can be spotty out here. Long story short, I have to be home by eight.”
“That’s okay. I can take care of myself.”
He scowled playfully. “You haven’t heard my proposition yet.”
“I apologize. Please proceed with propositioning the sick girl.”
His scowl turned to a smile. “You’re not so sick that your sarcasm is affected. How about I take you to my place so I can take care of you and be on call at the same time.”
She groaned. “I can’t move. I don’t know if I could do it.”
“I’ll do everything. I’ll pack you a bag and carry you to my car and then carry you into my house. You won’t have to do a thing.”
“When you put it that way, I might be game. Are you sure you want to further expose yourself to this? It’s no fun.”
“I hardly ever get sick, and if I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be here.” He kissed her forehead and her cheek before he got up. “I’ll go pack some clothes for you.”
“The PJs are in the third drawer.”
“Got it. Be right back.”
Even though she felt worse than she had in years, she wasn’t dead yet, so she watched his sexy ass go bounding up her stairs and shivered with delight that he was here, that he hadn’t run screaming for his life when he saw the scary sight of her, and that he cared enough about her not to want to leave her alone when she was sick.
It would be so damned easy to fall madly in love with a man like that, a man who put her needs before his own, who was thoughtful and caring and considerate. Jim had never been any of those things. Everything in their lives had been about him. Nothing had ever been about her. With Blaine, she felt like everything was about her all the time. And wasn’t that a refreshing change of pace?
However, Tiffany was wise enough now to know that a one-sided relationship would never work. So as soon as she felt better, she’d show him what it was like to be the center of her attention for a change. With that thought in mind, she drifted on a cloud of contentment until he lifted her off the sofa, and she woke with a start.
“Easy, baby. I’ve got you.”
Chapter 17
His gruff, sexy voice was extremely comforting as she nuzzled her nose into the curve of his neck and inhaled the sandalwood scent that was becoming so familiar to her. She relaxed into his embrace and let him do all the work as he settled her into the front seat of the SUV and buckled her in.
“Be right back,” he said. “I’m going to lock up the house.”
As he walked away, her cell phone rang, and she took the call from Dan Torrington. “Thanks so much for returning my call, Dan.”
“Not a problem. So our friend Jim is acting up again, huh?”
“And probably taking great pleasure from my troubles. Can they really have me evicted for one bounced check? It was a banking error. I have the money.” Just barely, she thought, but she did have it.
“Write a new check in the morning and get it to the landlord. I’ll have a conversation with your ex-husband and see what I can do.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I won’t be able to pay you for a while—”
“Don’t worry about it. This one’s on the house. That guy gets on my nerves.”
“Mine, too.”
“Try not to worry,” Dan said as Blaine got into the truck. “We’ll get this taken care of.”
“Thank you so much, Dan. I really appreciate your help.”
“Not a problem. I’ll be in touch.”
Tiffany ended the call to find Blaine studying her intently. “What was that all about?”
She told him about the rent check, the landlord and Jim.
“Really?” he asked, incredulous. “What the hell is wrong with him? You’re the mother of his child, for Christ’s sake.”
His outrage on her behalf only made her like him more t
han she already did—if that was possible.
“That guy needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Not by you,” Tiffany said.
“I’d never hit him—even though I’d love to—but I could make his life a little difficult around here.”
“How?”
“I have my ways,” he said as he backed the truck out of the driveway. “All of them legal. Don’t worry.”
Tiffany was finally able to release the tension that had been building since she received Jim’s letter earlier. She had friends who’d go to bat for her, she realized, a thought that pleased and comforted her. They’d help her figure this out, she thought as she closed her eyes and gave in to the exhaustion.
The next time Tiffany woke up, Blaine was carrying her again, this time into his house. She wanted to stop him so she could take a better look at the place, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open long enough to look at anything. Tomorrow, she decided. She could look to her heart’s content tomorrow.
The red dress looked amazing, Kara decided as she twirled before the full-length mirror one last time. She’d taken the time to actually blow-dry her hair, something she did twice a year, usually for weddings or funerals. Which was this, she wondered. Thought she felt lighter and more frivolous than she had since the “Great Betrayal,” as she referred to her boyfriend falling for and marrying her sister, she wasn’t sure she was ready to risk her heart again.
Going out with a new man meant the end of her self-inflicted mourning period over her relationship with Matt. To portray him as only a villain didn’t do justice to the two years they’d spent together. She’d been happy for most of that time and thought he was, too. Only when he confessed to having feelings for her sister did she discover he wasn’t happy at all. He’d been miserable, she later learned, trying to figure out a way to tell her his feelings had changed.
In some ways, that was the worst part of the whole thing. She’d had two long years since it all blew up to consider the various injustices that’d been inflicted upon her. Time after time, she came back to the same thing—how had she not known? Had there been signs she’d missed? There must’ve been, but she’d gone over and over the last few months they’d spent together and couldn’t recall anything that would’ve indicated what was going on behind her back. She’d spent time with her sister during those months, too, and again nothing had stood out.
After it all came out, Kara had been left with her self-confidence in shambles along with her judgment. If two of the people closest to her could betray her so completely, how was she to trust anyone ever again? That thought filled her with unwelcome sorrow and grated on her nerves as she grabbed a sweater to take with her. She was determined to go out with Dan tonight and have a good time without making it into a big bloody deal. He was just another guy who wanted the same thing every guy wanted from a woman, though she had no interest in that with him or anyone else.
She was still mid-pep talk when he arrived with a light knock on her door.
“Here goes nothing,” she whispered as she went to answer the door. She pulled it open and had to bite back the gasp of amazement that nearly slipped from between her lips. He was gorgeous. Dressed in a navy sports coat with a light-blue dress shirt and khakis, he’d combed his dark hair into submission and looked positively dashing.
He held out a festive-looking bouquet of red, yellow and orange gerbera daisies. “For you.”
Rattled by his appearance and the unexpected flowers, she stepped back from the door. “Come in.”
He stepped into the big open room that housed her living area and kitchen and took a look around. “What a great space.”
“I like it.” She took the flowers from him and went to rummage around in the cabinets for something she could use as a vase. “Mr. McCarthy owns it and rented it to me for practically nothing. He and his family are really nice people.” Stop yammering, she thought.
“I like them, too. I’ve been friends with Grant for years, but I’d never met the rest of his family until recently.” He picked up a picture of Kara with her parents, studied it and returned it to the table. “They make you feel like you’ve known them forever.”
“Yes, they do.” She finished arranging the pretty blooms in a beer glass. “Thank you for the flowers. They’re my favorite.”
“Are they really?” He seemed pleased to hear that he’d gotten something right. “I took a guess that you’d prefer them over the more obvious choice of roses.”
Kara recalled that Matt used to bring her roses, even after she’d told him she was one of five women alive who didn’t like the smell of them. How was it possible that this man she’d only just met already understood her better than Matt had after two years together?
“Did I say the wrong thing again?” Dan asked, seeming genuinely concerned.
“No.”
“Right when I think I’ve seen all your expressions, you surprise me with a new one.”
Kara had no idea how to respond to that. She’d never had anyone pay that kind of attention to her before.
“By the way,” he said, “you look amazing. When you answered the door, I was rendered speechless for a second there. You probably know me well enough by now to suspect that doesn’t happen very often.”
Kara couldn’t help but laugh at the self-deprecating face he made.
“I like when you laugh,” he said, watching her intently.
“It’s been a while since anything made me laugh.”
“That’s too bad.” He extended a hand to her. “What’d you say we go have some more laughs?”
Kara stared at his outstretched hand for a breathless moment before she took what he offered.
The kitchen of Stephanie’s restaurant was a beehive of activity as she and her staff put the finishing touches on a wide array of appetizers and entrees for the guests who were expected any minute now. She’d planned to go home for an hour to shower and change, but she’d had to call Grant to bring her dress to the restaurant inside the Sand & Surf when she ran out of time.
Three of her servers had gone down with the flu that afternoon, which had required her to recruit Grace, Jenny and Sydney to help out with the serving.
“Here we are,” Grace said when she breezed into the kitchen looking fresh and pretty in a floral dress. “Reporting for duty.”
“You guys are saving my life,” Stephanie said.
“We’re happy to do it,” Jenny said. The lighthouse keeper’s blonde hair was twisted into an elegant knot, and her black cocktail dress was both sexy and elegant. “Everything smells so good!”
“I’m starving,” Sydney added.
“I set you up with a little bit of everything.” Stephanie gestured to a butcher-block table, where a platter of appetizers and a steaming bowl of pasta awaited her friends, along with a bottle of pinot grigio she’d chilled with them in mind.
“This is the best job ever,” Jenny said, eyeing the offerings.
“Dig in,” Stephanie said. “You’ll be running your butts off for a couple of hours, so fuel up.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Sydney said, making a beeline for the asparagus and lobster dip Stephanie had made from a recipe of her own creation.
Judging from the moan Sydney emitted, the dip was a surefire hit.
“Astonishing,” Sydney said, dipping a second cracker.
“How did your trip to the mainland go, Syd?” Grace asked.
“It was good.” Sydney filled four wineglasses and handed one to each of the others. “The doctor says I’m a good candidate.” For Jenny’s benefit, she added, “Tubal ligation reversal.”
“Oh, wow,” Jenny said. “I didn’t know you were considering that.”
“That’s great news,” Stephanie said as she took a moment she didn’t have to enjoy a glass of wine with her friends.
“Are you going to do it, honey?” Grace asked, her expression full of compassion for the woman who’d lost two children in a tragic accident.
&nb
sp; “We’re talking about it.”
“What does Luke say?” Stephanie asked.
“That it’s totally up to me. He never thought he’d get married or have a family, so according to him, being married is way more than he ever expected. He says he’d be perfectly content if it was just us.”
“I bet he’d be a wonderful father, though,” Jenny said thoughtfully.
“I know he would,” Syd said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about that and about whether I could bring another child into this world without worrying all the time about something happening to him or her.”
“I can understand why you’d be worried about that,” Grace said. “After what you’ve been through, it’s a natural concern.”
“The last thing I want is to make a nervous wreck out of a poor kid who was unlucky enough to be born to a freak-show, overprotective mother.”
“Luke wouldn’t let that happen,” Jenny said. “He’d balance you out.”
“That’s true,” Sydney said. “He’s the calm one.”
“You don’t have to decide right away, do you?” Stephanie asked.
“We’re not getting any younger, and kids are so exhausting. Especially when they’re little.”
“We’re here for you.” Grace squeezed Sydney’s arm as Jenny and Stephanie nodded in agreement. “If you want to talk about it, we’re happy to listen.”
“Thank you, guys. Maddie said the same thing when I talked to her about it. I’m lucky to be surrounded by such awesome friends.”
Grant rushed into the kitchen looking sinfully handsome in a dark suit and a blue dress shirt that made his eyes an even crazier shade of blue than usual. “Sorry I took so long. The phone was ringing off the hook at the house and… And you don’t care because you’re too busy to care. I’ve got your dress.” Reaching into his suit coat pocket, he produced her engagement ring. “And your ring, as requested.”
The other women laughed at how flustered the usually unflappable Grant McCarthy was on his fiancée’s big night.
Stephanie held out her left hand to allow him to do the honors. As he slid the ring on her finger, she looked up to find him watching her with fire in his eyes. She wondered if he, too, was remembering the day he’d proposed last fall. Thus far, they hadn’t discussed a wedding, and she hoped it was only because they’d both been so busy—her with getting the restaurant ready while still managing the marina restaurant and him with the screenplay about how she spent years trying to free her stepfather from prison. After they got the restaurant opened, she hoped he might be ready to talk about setting a date.
