by Kenner, J.
She said none of that aloud, and yet from the way Elena was studying her, Eva felt like she might as well have.
“What happened to my mother?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
Elena put her elbows on the table and leaned over her sticky waffle plate. “What happened to the woman who told me to go after what I want? Seriously, Mom. Just make a move.”
The thought of making a move on Tyree filled Eva with a combination of awkward dread, delicious anticipation, and utter terror. “You’re imagining things. I wanted your father a long, long time ago. Now all I want is for you to get to know him.”
“You might want to say that again. It was hard to understand with your nose growing so fast while you talked.”
Eva rolled her eyes. Honestly, her daughter was too damn smart.
And, yes, she did still want him. But she was afraid that he didn’t want her. Or that even if he did, the initial spark would fizzle, and they’d stumble along in some anorexic relationship that would sap the joy out of the memories of all their good times.
Better to cling to the good than risk destroying it completely.
“Fine,” Elena said. “Forget Tyree. But don’t abandon your only daughter.”
At Eva’s amused shake of her head, Elena plowed on.
“Please, Mom. Just stay one more day. You always throw half your closet into a bag, so it’s not like packing takes time.”
“I do not!” Eva protested, even though she absolutely did.
“I wanted us to spend some time out here. Go to the Hill Country. Tour all those wineries. Aunt Marianne even gave me a present so we could go in style.”
“She did? When did you talk to Marianne?”
“Last night,” Elena said. “I caught her up.”
Eva nodded. That explained the texts that had been waiting for her when she’d checked her phone this morning.
Well?
And then ten minutes later…
Hello?
And then forty-five after that…
Fine. Tell me when it suits you. Just TELL ME.
Eva wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to be telling, since apparently Elena had already revealed all. But she’d give her friend a call later anyway. Besides, she had to ask her to change the return flight.
“So you’ll stay?” Elena asked, the question more of a statement.
“I haven’t said so yet.”
Elena waved it off. “It’s all over your face. This is amazing. We can go tour some wineries. Shop. Hang out. It’ll be stellar.”
“Yes,” Elena said, then took her daughter’s hand. “It will.”
Chapter Nine
Tyree could say one thing for his daughter—she was a charmer.
When he walked into The Fix on Thursday afternoon, there were only a few customers at scattered tables. But half his staff was gathered around Elena at the bar as she sipped from a line-up of drinks and laughed at something Reece was saying.
“Hey!” She looked up and flashed him a smile so broad she seemed lit from the inside. “I’m learning the menu. The better to recommend a favorite to customers. So far, I’m pretty sold on the Jalapeño Margaritas.”
“I can see I’m not going to have any help with those locks. By the time we get to your apartment, you’ll be seeing two doorknobs.”
She blinked. “There are two knobs. One on each side of the door.”
Behind the bar, Cam laughed. “She has you there.”
“Seriously, I’m only tasting. Everything’s great.”
“Tiffany’s in the back putting together a sampler tray of appetizers, too,” Jenna added. “We figured Elena was right. If she’s going to work here, she needs to know the score. Oh! And a T-shirt.” She cocked her head, silently urging Elena to follow. “Let’s go get you one from the back while we wait for the food.”
Elena flashed a brilliant smile at Tyree, then followed. As soon as she was out of earshot, he turned to Reece. “So it’s settled? She’s working here?”
“For the summer, anyway.”
“Good,” Tyree said.
“Guess that makes her one of the family.” Reece’s eyes were on Tyree. Not hard, but knowing.
Tyree felt a quick twinge of guilt. Everything had happened so quickly he hadn’t told his friends about Eva or Elena. Clearly, though, they’d found out.
“Sorry, man,” he said, and got an answering smile from Reece.
“We’re all good. She’s great, and just so you know, she’s not the one who told us. Brent flat-out asked her. I guess he caught part of your discussion with her mother yesterday.”
“If by discussion you mean my off-the-rails rant, yeah, he did.”
“Well, Elena’s great,” Reece said. “And she seems happy to be working here.” He frowned. “Listen, it’s okay with you, isn’t it? Honestly, I should have asked you first, but that girl’s a force of nature.”
He rubbed his hand over his shaved head, looking more than a little overwhelmed. “She came in, we started chatting, and the next thing I knew, I’d put her on payroll.”
Tyree chuckled. “She takes after her mom.”
“That so? And how does Mom fit into this new picture?”
Tyree drew in a breath. Of everyone at The Fix, Reece knew him the best. Reece’s dad had looked after Tyree when he was green and in combat. And years later, Tyree had held Reece’s uncle in his arms as he’d bled out, trying to offer some comfort to the mortally wounded man.
So yeah, he and Reece had a bond. And maybe it was that bond that made him tell the truth. Or maybe it was just the need to talk to another man. To say it out loud. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I want her here, Reece. I want to get to know her again. But—” He shook his head. “I thought about her last night. She was right there in my head as I lay in my bed. Our bed.” He drew in a breath. “I had to move to the goddamn couch.”
Reece nodded thoughtfully. “It’s hard to move on.”
The words were obvious, but they helped. Just acknowledging that it was hard helped, and Tyree sighed. “Hell, yeah, it is.”
“Take it slow. See what happens. Maybe nothing will. Or who knows? Either way, you’re not cheating. And you’re not staining her memory.”
“I know,” Tyree said. But those were just words. In his heart, he didn’t really know at all.
Behind them, he heard Jenna’s bright, “Ta-da!”
He turned to see his baby girl filling out one of the black The Fix on Sixth T-shirts.
“Looks good, huh?” Elena said.
“Looks great,” Tyree told her, as she came back over, then twirled in front of the bar. She grabbed one of the drinks, then handed another to Jenna for a toast. Jenna, he noticed, didn’t drink hers, and after a few moments surreptitiously traded it for a sparkling water.
“I did a little bartending in San Diego,” Elena said. “Reece said you’re short on servers and bartenders. So I can do whichever you need.” She grinned, then batted her eyes. “I’m so much more than just the boss’s daughter.”
They all laughed, but then Jenna said, “Too bad you’re not a photographer, too.”
“Oh.” Elena’s mouth curved down. “I’m not bad. Mom’s had me behind a camera since I was six. Why?”
“What’s Eva got to do with it?” Tyree asked.
“That’s what she does. You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t, no.” He realized he was smiling. “Good for her.”
Elena’s brows went up, obviously in confusion.
“She used to screw around with this crappy point and shoot thing, but she took some great pictures with it. I’m no expert, but I thought they were amazing. So I bought her a present before I shipped out. A Nikon. I don’t remember the model. And I told her to document the days for me.”
“You gave that to her? She still uses it.”
He blinked. “Seriously?”
Elena nodded. “Well, she has new lenses, of course. But she told me it had senti
mental value.” She grinned. “She never told me it was from you, though. Probably afraid I’d beg to have my daddy’s camera. And as for the days, I guess she listened to you, because she takes a picture every day no matter what.”
“Does she?” His heart squeezed so tight he had to reach for the bar to steady himself. “And she really kept it. The camera?”
Elena lifted a shoulder. “Why not? She loved you.”
He turned away, faking a cough so that neither she nor the rest would see the tears that had welled in his eyes.
When he turned back, Jenna was studying Elena. “Do you do portrait work? How about shots of food?” She explained about the contest, the calendar, and the cookbook.
Elena shrugged. “Honestly, I’m passable, but I’m much better with landscapes. And I suck at Photoshop. My mom rocks it, though.”
Jenna’s attention shifted to Tyree. “She’s here, right? Why don’t you ask her?”
“You should,” Elena said. “Ask her tomorrow.”
“I thought you and I were going to Fredericksburg tomorrow.” She’d told him that she wanted to see the Hill Country, and since Eli was at Jeremy’s for the next few days, and since Tyree needed to talk to some local vintners about carrying their labels at The Fix, he’d agreed, looking forward to the chance to get to know his daughter better.
“Right,” she said, toying with the stem of her glass. “I meant in the evening.” She put the glass down, then rubbed her brow. “After we get back.”
He frowned, but assumed her odd behavior was because she knew as well as he did that Eva would turn him down flat. “I’ll ask,” he said, then turned to Jenna. “But don’t hold your breath.”
Chapter Ten
Eva saw the long, black limousine the moment she stepped through the ornate doors of the Driskill’s main entrance. Of course she didn’t think a thing of it; after all, Austin boasted both a moneyed population and a steady stream of celebrities. It was only when the driver got out and opened the back door for Elena that Eva did a double take.
Her daughter was decked out in a pale blue wrap-around skirt, a form-fitting tank top, and over-sized sunglasses. She looked like she belonged in a limo, and when she waved at Eva, her grin lit up the morning.
“Awesome, isn’t it? Aunt Marianne booked it for the entire day. And there’s wine back here. Liquor, too.”
“I guess we don’t need to go to Fredericksburg. We can just drive around town and drink the limo’s stash.”
“Don’t go into stand-up comedy, Mom.”
Eva smirked, then nodded at the driver as she followed Elena into the limousine. It was fully loaded, with a television, DVD player, privacy screen, sunroof, and a control panel suggesting even more features Eva couldn’t imagine. Possibly a hot tub. Or a rocket launcher.
“This is incredible,” she said, as the driver pulled away from the hotel. “Marianne really set this up?”
“Yeah, cool, isn’t it?”
“I think I’m paying her entirely too much.”
“Ha ha. Don’t you even think about the cost. This is a day to enjoy.”
Eva nodded and pulled out her phone. “I’m not arguing. I did a little research last night. If we take RM 1431, that takes us through someplace called Lago Vista and then onto Marble Falls, and both are supposed to be pretty. Then we go up to Johnson City and over to Fredericksburg. And there are wineries along the way that we can stop in at. See?” She held up her phone and pointed to the map.
“And then when we’re in Fredericksburg, there are some darling places to shop and ton of wineries around the town. And as for food, we can do traditional German or find something else. Apparently, they have everything. Even the Nimitz Museum, which is the National Museum of the Pacific War. I’m not sure why it’s landlocked in Texas, but we can check it out, and if it’s cool, you should mention it to your father. There’s probably a lot of Naval stuff he’d be interested in.”
“Mmm. Yeah. I’ll do that.”
Eva shot a glance toward Elena, then decided the unenthusiastic response was because she didn’t want her mother dragging her to a museum on a drinking and shopping day. Fair enough.
“There’s also a place called Wildseed Farms that looks fun. They sell the flowers, but also crafts and ice cream.” She stressed the last word and got a laugh from Elena. But it seemed a little hollow, too.
She sat her phone on the seat between them, crossed her arms, and said, “Okay, what’s going on? This was your idea, and I’m the one who’s giddy.”
“I’m fine,” Elena said. “I’m just super tired. I didn’t sleep well at all last night.” She reached over and grabbed Eva’s phone, clicking the side button to darken the display. Then she reached down and dropped it into Eva’s purse. “So, the limo’s pretty cool, right? And there’s music.”
As she turned toward the console, Eva grabbed her phone again.
“Mom! It’s our time. Don’t be hanging on your phone.”
“I just want to follow the map. There are places we might want to stop. And—okay. What are we doing on the east side of the highway?”
Elena’s brows rose. “I don’t know how to get to Fredericksburg and neither do you. Let’s trust the driver, okay?”
But as they talked, the limo made a right turn off Airport Boulevard and into a neighborhood. Eva kept her head down, not sure if she should laugh or shout.
In the end, she decided on a maternal scowl as she lifted her head to face her daughter. “So,” she said. “Who are we picking up?”
“Ah, um.”
“That’s what I thought.” Definitely a laugh, though she wasn’t going to let it show. “Would have been nice if you’d told me you’d invited him. I might have dressed better.” She wore linen drawstring pants and light cotton T-shirt.
“You look great.”
Eva wanted to disagree—she’d barely put on any make-up—but held her tongue. Elena obviously had orchestrated a chance to spend time with both her parents. It was not—repeat, not—a date, and so it didn’t matter what Eva looked like.
Not that she could escape, even if she wanted to. Because there he was, coming out of the charming little limestone house nestled in among the oak and pecan trees.
He was wearing jeans that hugged his thighs and a short-sleeved navy blue T-shirt that stretched tight across his well-muscled chest and incredibly broad shoulders. She had a sudden, visceral memory of her fingertips stroking his skin, the light dusting of chest hair rough beneath her touch. Of resting her head on his chest as they lay naked together. Of the hard, safe lines of his body.
Okay, stop. Just stop.
She took a deep breath designed to reset her senses, grabbed a tissue from the box on the back console, and wiped the line of sweat that had formed on her upper lip and at the back of her neck.
If Elena noticed, Eva was blaming it on the early onset of menopause, truth be damned.
After killing the engine, the driver came around and opened the curbside door, and Elena scrambled out, her squeal of, “Check it out! We’re going in style,” making Tyree laugh, the low rumbling baritone doing all sorts of pleasant things to Eva’s body.
Pleasant, and yet inconvenient.
There was no denying that her attraction to the man hadn’t faded over the years. If anything, it had intensified. He was a man now, not a boy. He owned a business. He knew how to roll with the punches. And from what little she’d seen with him and Elena, he was a pretty damn amazing father.
What he wasn’t, was hers. And she needed to remember that. She wasn’t going to have a fling with the man she’d once had a fling with. Especially since that fling had shifted both their lives off course. True, that had been her father’s fault. But they were both more than twenty years down different paths now. And life was confusing enough without adding fresh layers of lust to the mix.
All of which sounded incredibly rational and intelligent. Too bad for Eva that rational thought and intelligence seemed to go flying off into the hinter
lands whenever Tyree so much as looked at her.
Still, she’d closed the door Wednesday night. So she knew she could be strong. She just had to remember to actually do it.
But surely today wouldn’t be much of a problem. After all, they could hardly get wild and naked in a limo with their daughter sitting between them.
She started to slide toward the door, intending to get out and say hello properly, but then he was stooping down to climb inside, and he stopped midway in, his eyes fixed on her, his face a mixture of surprise and pleasure.
She couldn’t help it; she burst into laughter. “You, too?”
A charming grin lit his face. “Do you remember that Disney movie they remade with Lindsay Lohan?”
“The Parent Trap?” She glanced past him to where Elena stood just outside the limo. “One of Elena’s favorite films growing up.”
He slid all the way into the limo and settled on the long bench seat perpendicular to hers, so close that their knees brushed. She shifted sideways, because even that tiny bit of contact was setting off sparks of awareness that were far too disturbing and very confusing.
“I’m not at all surprised,” Tyree said.
“What?” Her head flew up to meet his eyes.
“About the movie. What did you think I—”
“Never mind.”
“This is going to be fabulous,” Elena said, climbing into the car and rescuing Eva from her own idiocy.
Then the driver shut the door, and a few moments later they were underway.
“Okay,” Elena said. “Who’s drinking what? And no fair saying nothing because we have a limo, and sober is not the point of this trip.”
Tyree and Eva exchanged smiles. “You raised a bossy little thing.”
“It’s a trait she inherited from her father.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Elena chirped. “You’re both comedians. Come on. I want drink orders.”
“Whiskey,” Eva said, then saw Tyree smile. “What?”
“Not a thing. I’ll have the same.”
“Gotcha covered,” Elena said, then knelt in front of the bar as she poured their drinks, then poured a glass of wine for herself.
