“Maggie, anybody who reads Forbes knows the guy is not some regular Joe. I can’t believe you never told me this.” Kate glanced back at Jack. “He looks nothing like the pictures I’ve seen.” Then again, the sunglasses hid his eyes. Those green eyes that had stopped her every time she’d seen a shot of him. The gruff on his chin was a good cover as well.
“Just don’t say anything, okay?” Maggie forced Kate to turn around. “We’re here to have fun, not do business.”
“Fine,” Kate said, grabbing the sunscreen. “But Peter has to get me an appointment with the man. I would kill to have an ‘in’ with Gridion, especially with Jack Graham. It’d definitely help me out at work.”
“How are things going there?” Maggie asked, holding out her hand for a squirt of lotion.
“Stressful as hell. Yesterday, they told us budget cuts are coming. Rumor has it they’re cutting two from our department.”
Maggie huffed. “It won’t be you. You bust your ass for the state. No one has brought as many jobs into Texas as you have.”
“Not hardly.” Kate laughed. “But yeah, before Ian got sick, I kicked ass. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be have a short memory. They see me as the woman who’s taken a ton of family leave and has lost the last three projects.”
“How can they say you lost them? Hell, all the papers pointed out the McLane plant went to Oklahoma because the state promised their first-born sons. You had no control over that.”
Kate shrugged. “You and I know that, but the big guys only see my name on the project file that says, ‘Closed – Other State.’” She applied more sunscreen. “The good news is I’m working on a project that could be really big.”
“Who’s the company?”
“I don’t know yet.” Kate checked out Jack and Peter. They were deep in conversation. “It’s in the early stages, and they’re using a consultant. They want to remain anonymous at this point.”
Maggie gasped. “Do you think it’s Gridion?! Maybe that’s why Jack came to town.”
Kate shook her head. “No, it’s too soon for a VP to come in. Besides, I’m sure this is a manufacturing project, and Gridion just finished a plant last year. They wouldn’t need another facility so soon. But whoever it is, it’s a big one. I’m talking thousands of jobs.”
“Wow. The Governor would love you.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Kate took a deep breath and turned to her sister. “I’ve got to land this one.”
Maggie patted her hand. “You will. I don’t care what any folder says, you know your business.”
“Let’s hope. If not, we may have to move in with you all.”
“You’re always welcome.” Maggie hugged Kate’s shoulders. “But it’ll never come to that.”
Kate considered how easily it could come to that. Her chest tightened. Stop it. No-Worry Zone.
She spread out her towel and lay down by her sister. They were quiet for some time before Maggie spoke. “It’s time you start dating.”
Kate groaned. “Don’t do this. Not today. Please.”
Maggie sprang up, her face full of enthusiasm. “Listen to me. This is the perfect time. The kids are gone for two weeks, and you finally have some time to focus on yourself.”
Kate threw up her hands. “There you go. I’ll just head on out to the store and pick myself up a man.”
“Don’t be a smart ass. I’m serious. Ian’s been gone for two years, Kate. You’re only thirty-three. Do you plan to live the rest of your life as some celibate widow?”
“Shhh.” Kate jerked up and checked to see if the others had heard her. Jack was talking, Peter laughing, both oblivious to her sister’s comments, thank God.
Lowering her voice, Maggie continued. “Maybe if you got out there and started dating, having some fun, some of the pain would ease. Have you thought about that? Do you remember how much you used to laugh?”
Kate didn’t say a word. She didn’t want to think about Maggie’s question.
Maggie must have taken her silence for permission to proceed because she jumped right back into her sales pitch. “Peter met this new doctor at the hospital. He’s a cardiologist, never been married. Peter says he’s hilarious. We thought it would be fun if we all—”
Kate slapped her hand on the deck. “Stop!” She turned to find the guys staring at her. Thank God, Peter immediately started talking.
She looked back at her sister and let out a deep breath. “Listen, Maggie. I know you’re trying to help, and I love you for it, but you don’t know what I need. You want to know what I think about? I think about my job and what I’m going to do if I lose it. I think about how I’m going to get Charlie to soccer and Madeline to choir when they start at the same time. I think about Charlie crying because he has to go to school with his mom on Donuts with Dad Day. I think about what I can do to make up for the shitty hand the kids have been dealt.”
Kate shook her head. “No date is going to change things. Some guy telling jokes can’t make me forget all the shit that’s happened.”
She studied Maggie, praying her sister would understand. She must have because she nodded and stood up. “I’m getting a fresh drink. You want one?”
Thank you, God. “No thanks. I’m good.” Kate rolled onto her stomach and closed her eyes. Why didn’t people get it? She couldn’t handle any more changes, any more risks. After Ian’s death and all that followed, the rug—make that the foundation—had been ripped out from under her. She’d almost gone down for the count. She’d never let that happen again. Hell, no.
It took several minutes of focused, deep breathing before she could shake off the nasty, anti-NWZ cloud. Eventually, the warm sun and the boat’s gentle rocking eased her into a light nap. When she woke, she heard the others talking about travel. Jack had literally toured the globe, his last trip being to Bora Bora with a “friend” who probably wasn’t known for her personality. They’d stayed in a villa suspended over turquoise water, their every whim attended to by a personal staff of four.
The more she listened, the more restless Kate became. She assured herself it wasn’t jealousy. She vacationed every year in southern California. The weather was beautiful. She got to spend time with her kids and sister-in-law, Grace. They stayed in a double room at the Best Western Beach Terrace Inn. The motel offered a free continental breakfast and beach towel service and separate bottles of shampoo and conditioner, not the cheap combo stuff.
Funny how two people sitting ten feet apart could live in such different worlds.
Kate rolled over, tipping her drink in the process. The sticky liquid sloshed down the deck and started dripping into the cabin through the open windows.
“Crap!” She jumped up and reached for her towel to wipe up the mess. Regrettably, she forgot about the sunscreen she’d applied to the soles of her feet. With no traction, her feet parted like the Red Sea, forcing her into splits that would’ve caused a Russian gymnast to cry. She leaned forward, putting her weight on her hands to stop the fall. It worked . . . for a second.
Her hands were just as slippery, and she started on a new path down. She flailed all four limbs in an attempt to stop, but she only gained a moment of stability. Kate tripped and her leg slammed into the lifeline. She flipped over the cable and plunged into the water.
The cold was a shock, but it didn’t compare to the shooting pain in her thigh. When she broke the surface, she cursed, using every word she saved for tough times like this. She wasn’t in danger of drowning, even with the pain she could keep herself afloat, but she’d need a few minutes to compose herself. The Cirque du Soleil nightmare had transpired in seconds, but it had felt like an hour of torture.
She turned to find the boat zipping away. The sails were full, the boat heeling, and the words “The Maggie May” were but a scribble. Hell, they weren’t just moving, they were hauling ass.
Panic seized her. What if they hadn’t seen her fall overboard? What if they sailed halfway across the lake before they realized she was missi
ng? Would they be able to find her? What if some wild kid on a Jet Ski ran her over? If she didn’t die, she might be disfigured for life. Would her kids be afraid of her? She could wear a scarf around her face, but how the hell could she make that work with a business suit. Kate waved her arms above her head, frantic to get help. She spun in a circle, searching for a nearby boat. When she heard herself whimpering, she came to her senses. Calm down. It’s okay. You’ll be okay. Then something touched her leg, and she screamed in terror.
Chapter 2
Jack surfaced beside her. “Whoa. It’s me.”
Before Kate could register his presence, Jack draped his arm over her shoulder, between her breasts, and grabbed on to her waist. Could there be a better definition of awkward? He began to swim, despite Kate’s attempts at breaking free.
“What are you doing?!” Her demand wasn’t nearly as strong as she wanted. It was hard to sound forceful with her back pinned against his chest.
“I’m making sure you’re safe.” Jack didn’t seem to be the least bit fazed.
She was humiliated. Somehow, her bad luck and innate clumsiness had created a Coast Guard rescue mission. Now this semi-stranger was holding her way too close and treating her as if she was some weakling who would go down any minute.
His leg brushed hers, and embarrassment flew out the window. She gasped, temporarily speechless. Even though he wore shorts, the feel of his hard thigh against hers was staggering. She hadn’t rubbed legs with a man for two years. Sure, she’d had her legs up in the stirrups for her annual just last week, but this was different. It felt way too intimate. A tremor shot to her chest, kicking her heart into overtime, and Kate prayed he couldn’t feel it. She tried again to remove his hold, but it was futile.
“Just relax. I’ve got you.”
Kate fought to sound as calm as he. “I’m okay. Really. You can let me go. I may not be fast, but I can swim.”
“Sorry, I can’t let you drink and swim. Bad choice.”
His false assumption and condescending tone lit a fuse. Despite being completely at his will, she let him have it. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I only had a few sips. That hardly impairs my ability to swim.”
“You jumped into the lake while the boat was moving. Not a sign of sobriety.”
She tried twisting out of his grip, but his hold was too strong. “I didn’t jump. I fell.” As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Kate wished she’d gone along with the jump assumption. She would’ve appeared adventurous, not clumsy.
“Here. Hang on to this.” He handed her a life buoy. Peter must have thrown it out before the boat had taken off like a zephyr. He released his hold but moved so they faced one another. “Pete will be back in a minute.”
Kate held on to the ring with a death grip. It had nothing to do with her safety. It was what kept him from grabbing her again. She was embarrassed and incensed by his treatment. And the fact that her body had almost gone into an epileptic fit when their legs touched was most unsettling.
Her freedom helped her breathing and her thoughts return to normal. From their positions, she could study him. He wasn’t wearing sunglasses. Crap. Hers were at the bottom of the lake by now.
His eyes, warm green with flecks of brown, were so much more captivating than in the photos she’d seen. Early crow’s-feet edged them, but he didn’t look old, more like a man who spent a lot of time outdoors . . . and smiling. He was smiling now. A gorgeous smile.
His wet hair reflected sparks of gold from the sun. Kate thought of her own. She had no opportunity to dive down and come up slowly, letting her hair sweep off her forehead. She knew what it looked like—split in the middle, a female Hitler.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Why are you acting like I just fell off the Titanic?”
“This has nothing to do with you or your abilities. It’s my training.”
“What? You used to be a life guard?”
Jack laughed. “No, I wasn’t so lucky. Peter’s dad wouldn’t let us take his boat out until we’d completed a lifesaving course.”
The wake from a passing ski boat buoyed them up and down. His leg kicked between hers, rubbing against her body’s center. She gasped, slammed her legs together, and tensed her entire body.
“Sorry about that.” From the grin on his face, she figured he was trying to suppress a laugh. Her reaction must have seemed absurd.
She kicked away, trying to lift her legs toward the surface. The effort separated their legs but brought her face closer to his. She was a freakin’ pendulum.
He pulled his face back. Does he think I’m putting the moves on him? Oh God. It’s the cheese breath. Immediately, she stopped kicking. Leg brushing was better than the humiliation of halitosis.
Something jumped out of the water right beside her. Kate shrieked and lunged onto Jack, hoping to escape whatever the hell was circling them. Her surprise attack pushed him under, but Kate continued to cling to him. She’d fought to free herself from him just minutes before, but now she wrapped herself around him like an iron fist.
Jack dove down, escaping her grasp. After he came up, he lifted her in his arms, and then grabbed the life buoy with one hand.
“What the hell was that?!” she yelled.
“I’d say a fish,” he said, breathing rapidly. “Damn! What are you like in the ocean where there are sharks?”
Kate studied him and couldn’t help but laugh. She was being ridiculous. She had slipped way past the point of foolishness, and with the adrenaline still racing through her, she started giggling. The more she did, the sillier she felt, which just brought on more laughter. It must have been contagious because Jack joined in. When they finally gained control, their faces were inches apart. She could feel his breath against her lips, and a shiver ran down her spine.
“You cold?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, wishing it was true.
“You’ve got a great laugh, Kate. You need to use it more.”
Peter’s voice broke the spell. “Okay, we can say the summer fun has officially started.”
Somewhere between humiliation and something that felt frighteningly like attraction, the boat had returned. Peter threw out a line, and Kate swam toward it for dear life. She couldn’t get on that boat soon enough. Floating in the arms of Jack Graham was a hell of a lot scarier than any creature lurking below the surface.
Peter dropped the ladder, and Jack gave Kate a gentle push toward it. Hell, no! There is no way I’m going up first and letting you see my ass.
“No, you first,” Kate rushed. “I need to . . . adjust my suit.”
“Oh.” He had a knowing smile. “But don’t let go of the line. We’re still moving.”
“Oh, trust me. I won’t.” She watched as he easily ascended the four, flimsy rungs that constituted a ladder. His clinging shirt highlighted muscles that were hidden before. As she moved closer to the steps, she noticed his backside, clearly outlined in the wet shorts. Who wouldn’t notice such a firm specimen?
He leaned over to help Kate up the ladder. Oh, hell. She’d never manage the steps without looking like an uncoordinated klutz. She tentatively took his hand and let out a yelp as he pulled her onto the back ledge, making the steps unnecessary.
“That was quite a trick, sis.” Maggie handed her a towel, and she quickly covered herself. When she looked up, Jack was peeling off his shirt, slowly unveiling the eighth wonder of the world.
A brown arrow of hair ran down into his shorts. Kate’s breath caught.
He had a six-pack. Not blatant, but definitely there. She wanted to touch it. Instead, she bit her lip.
And then the best. His chest. Kate gasped.
She scanned the group to make sure no one had heard her. She turned back to find Jack drying off with a towel. Each move displayed another group of muscles. She could’ve enjoyed the view all day if Maggie hadn’t distracted her with a coughing fit. Kate turned to her sister, irritated by the interruption. Maggie rai
sed her brows, obviously trying to send some secret message.
Kate wasn’t interested.
She used the towel to dry her hair, attempting to hide her perusal of Jack’s body. His strong chest was covered with just the right amount of bronze hair. A man, not Chewbacca. She wanted to rub her hands over that chest. Her breasts against it. Another tremor shot through her.
“Kate!”
“What?!” Kate turned to find Maggie jerking her head toward the cabin.
“Why don’t you mix up some fresh drinks?”
“Sure.” Kate turned back to Jack. He’d pulled on a dry T-shirt, the faded cotton ending the show.
Maggie tugged on her arm. “Come on. I’ll help.”
Down in the galley, Kate busied herself filling glasses with ice, trying to ignore her sister and the wild thoughts racing through her mind.
“What was that?”
“What?” Kate continued to put ice in the glasses, despite the fact they were overflowing.
“Look at me.” Maggie turned her around and took the glasses. Kate was relieved to see an expression of mirth on her sister’s face instead of condemnation. “Have you heard the expression, ‘Take a picture, it’ll last longer’?”
“Oh, God!” Kate hung her head, covering her face with her hands. She peeked between her fingers. “Was it that obvious?”
“No, not if we were sitting in a strip joint.”
Kate sprawled out on a bench. “Just kill me now.”
Maggie sat down and pushed Kate up beside her. “It wasn’t so bad.” She patted Kate’s knee. “I’m sure I was the only one who noticed.”
“Really?” Kate searched his sister’s eyes, hoping for a miracle.
“Really.” Maggie’s voice was sincere, but her smile told the truth.
“Wow,” Kate finally said. “Now I know why Charlie still believes in Santa. It’s so easy to buy into a lie when it’s your only hope.”
“It’s no big deal. Nobody cares.”
Kate leaned her head against the back of the bench. “Maggie, I have no idea where that came from. You know I’m not out there looking for men.”
Then He Showed Up Page 2
