When Love Strikes

by Christina Tetreault

  Tonight, after leaving O’Leary’s, where he’d met Chandler and Gary for a few beers and the first half of the baseball game, he headed straight to Grove Street rather than his apartment. He’d been slouched down in his car watching the house ever since. The white convertible he’d previously seen wasn’t out front, but the yellow tape across the driveway was no longer there, so the car could be in the garage. However, the entire house remained in darkness, suggesting Angie wasn’t home. And if she wasn’t, if he sat here long enough, he’d see her when she returned.

  Bright headlights appeared farther down the street, and as they got closer, he slouched down more in the front seat. If someone drove by his car and noticed him sitting in it, they would become concerned and most likely call the cops, because people in North Salem were nosy. They always had been and they always would be.

  The car didn’t keep coming toward him. Instead it turned into Angie’s driveway, and he could just make out her profile when the sensor lights on the garage switched on.

  She’s home. More than anything he wanted to pull into the garage next to her before she closed the door and carry her inside the house. Once inside, he’d bring her up to her bedroom and make love to her. But the time wasn’t right. He needed to have their house set and ready first. Then he could take her away from here like she wanted, and they could start their life together.

  The garage door closed, and soon after lights appeared in several of the first-floor windows. A few went on upstairs as well. Angie was home safe and sound for the night, which meant it was time for him to head home too.

  Shane started the car but kept the headlights switched off. He cast one last look in the direction of her house before shifting the car into Drive. He didn’t turn the headlights on until he reached the stop sign at the end of the street.

  Soon, Angie. Don’t worry, we’ll be together soon. I promise, my love.

  Chapter Nine

  Once a month starting in the spring and ending in August, the town held a block party on the town common. Even before Dakota purchased his house in North Salem, he attended one as a way to appease his curiosity. Since his move into town, he’d attended several more. But each time, he’d gone alone and hung out with the various friends he’d made. Tonight he had other plans.

  For the last block party of the season, Angie was accompanying him, and he’d been looking forward to the event ever since he’d invited her Thursday night. Afterward, he hoped she’d come back to his house. She’d done that both on Wednesday and Thursday after they’d gone car shopping. Both nights they’d watched the Boston/Seattle game while getting to know each other better on every level. Although they’d shared some blood-boiling kisses and some intimate caresses, she hadn’t given him a clear indication she was ready to be lovers. He couldn’t deny he hoped she’d be ready soon. He wasn’t sure how many more ice-cold showers his poor skin could handle. On this, though, he was leaving the timing up to her.

  He was about to head out to the garage when the cell phone in his pocket chimed. Pulling it out, Dakota found a message from Mack. When he’d passed Mack and Jessie’s house on his way home from work last night, he noticed the pink and blue balloons tied to the mailbox outside. Since it had been close to midnight, he waited until late this morning to send Mack his congratulations and ask how everyone was. That had been hours ago.

  Thanks. Jessie and the babies are doing great even though they came a little early.

  Glad to hear it. Let me know when Jessie will be up for visitors.

  Come by anytime. We’ll be here until Tuesday.

  When his cousin’s daughter was born, his wife had only been in the hospital overnight. Maybe it was different when a woman had a C-section. Mack had mentioned one afternoon that it was the plan because one of the babies was in a transverse position. Dakota wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, and he hadn’t asked for a detailed explanation. As far as he was concerned, some things a guy didn’t need to know unless he was about to become a father.

  Okay. Maybe tomorrow or Monday after work. I’ll call first.

  After sending the final message, he headed into the garage.

  Thursday night when he picked Angie up, the front walkway had been a work in progress. It was no longer the case. The landscapers she’d hired to take care of the yard had been busy too since his last visit. They had removed the handful of unhealthy-looking shrubs in the yard and replaced them with new ones. While they were at it, they added more colorful flowers, most of which he couldn’t identify. Perhaps he should get the name of the landscapers and see what they could do about his yard. It really was a desolate mess out front, and while he cut his own lawn and raked leaves, he’d rather have someone who knew something about shrubs do any planting.

  When Angie opened the door, her smile was alive with affection and delight. “Hey, I was about to call to see if you wanted me to meet you at your place instead.”

  Since they needed to head back toward his house, it would’ve made more sense for Angie to drive over. Call him a little old-fashioned, but he preferred picking up his dates as opposed to them coming to him. He knew better than to tell Angie or any other woman his sentiments. One never knew what they might deduce from such a statement.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like it was a long drive. I could’ve walked over if I wanted to.”

  “True.” She moved so he could step inside. Once the door was closed, she put her arms around his neck. “I missed you last night.” She whispered the words near his lips before kissing him. “I ended up watching the last game of the series, but it wasn’t as much fun alone.”

  Angie’s fingertips traced little circles against the back of his neck. The slight touch cleared any thoughts from his mind and sent a message to the brain behind his zipper telling it to take over. While he’d like nothing better than to listen to that particular body part, he kept his hands locked safely around her waist where they couldn’t get into any trouble.

  “Believe me, I would’ve much rather been with you last night.” He would’ve rather sat through his ninth grade French class again than do what he’d been doing last night. On television, conducting surveillance looked exciting. In reality it was, as his mom would say, as much fun as watching paint dry. “I might have to do it again one night this week, depending on what happens this weekend.” The office had assigned other agents to cover the downtown café frequented by the suspected mob boss.

  “You definitely have a unique job.” She kissed him again before moving away, and his body immediately missed the physical contact. “Let me turn off the music and we can go.” Angie didn’t give him a chance to pull her close before walking away.

  The country music coming from the direction of the kitchen switched off, and a moment later she came back down the hallway. She’d pulled on a New England Rebels baseball cap and had a large tote bag over one shoulder and a wristlet dangling between her fingers.

  “All ready.”

  It wasn’t any of his business, but if the bag was her new purse, Angie needed to scale back on how much stuff she carried around with her. If she didn’t, she risked throwing out her back. “What’s in there?” He pointed to the large dark purple bag.

  “A bathing suit and a towel. I hoped we could get in a swim or maybe enjoy the hot tub after the block party.” She dropped her cell phone and wristlet into the bag.

  If she wanted, they could skip the block party altogether and spend the night alone at his house. There would be more parties next season. “We don’t have to go over tonight if you’d rather do something else.”

  Angie shook her head and pulled the front door closed behind them. “If this wasn’t the last one until next year, I’d say let’s skip it, but I’m too curious to wait until next spring. Mia told me all about these parties, and they sound like nothing I’ve gone to before.”

  The monthly block parties were certainly like nothing he’d ever gone to before, and he’d lived in several different places thanks to his fath
er’s time in the army. “Then a swim after it is.”

  A car he didn’t recognize was parked in Mack’s driveway as they approached the house. A moment later the front door opened, and Socks, the family dog, emerged along with Mack’s mom and his daughter Grace. Pulling in behind the car, he put down his window. Right away Grace skipped over, the dog’s leash clutched tightly in her hand.

  “Hey, Dakota.” Grace and her cousin, who was often with her, were two of the friendliest children he’d ever met. Neither seemed to have a shy bone in their body, and whenever he saw either around town, they stopped to say hello. “I have a brother and a sister. Ivy and Ryan were born last night.”

  Faced with such excitement and happiness, one couldn’t help but smile. “Congratulations on becoming a big sister. I’m sure you’ll be great at it.”

  “Dakota, how are you?” Mrs. Ellsbury, Mack’s mom, asked, reaching his car.

  “Good, you?”

  “Wonderful. I became a grandmother for the third time last night. We were just stopping by to collect Socks. Grace will be staying with me until Jessie and Mack come home from the hospital.” The older woman’s expression matched her granddaughter’s as she delivered the news.

  “Are you going to the block party?” Grace asked. “Drew will be in the dunk tank tonight. Daddy told me to make sure I dunk him.”

  He knew the organizers had asked Drew McKenzie, the town’s resident sports hero, to go into the dunk tank this weekend. And like Grace, he intended to send his new friend into the water. “We’ll be there.”

  After a few more brief words, Mrs. Ellsbury led Grace and Socks to her car, and Dakota backed out of the driveway.

  “Jessie and Mack were at Sean and Mia’s wedding, right?” Angie asked.

  “Yes. Sean considers Jessie another sister. Charlie and Jessie were best friends growing up. And Mack and Sean were only a couple years apart in school and played sports together.” Dakota hit the garage door opener and drove inside.

  “And you and Mack work together.”

  “Correct. Technically he’s a Boston cop who works as a task force officer for the FBI. But most of what he does is for the Bureau.”

  They stopped in his house long enough to drop Angie’s bag off before heading back out. If not for the fence surrounding his yard, they could’ve cut through it to Main Street, the horseshoe-shaped road that went around the town common. Since the eight-foot fence around his yard made doing so impossible, they headed down the street toward the parking lot at St. Mark’s Church instead. The lot bordered Main Street, and people attending the block parties often parked there.

  He’d come to enough of these by now that the scene before him shouldn’t give him pause. Still, it did because in so many ways the party on the common seemed like something taken from a 1960s television show. Residents of all ages moved about the area. Tonight a DJ was set up on the bandstand, cranking out music, but sometimes the town brought in local bands instead. A temporary dance floor covered part of the grass, and people, mostly those in their teens and twenties, moved to the music. Various scents filled the air, and Dakota knew they’d be able to get everything from hamburgers and hot dogs to homemade baked goods if they headed over to the food tables. The dunk tank was near the center of the green, and several feet away from it, inflatable bouncy houses swayed as children jumped inside.

  When they reached the edge of the grass, Angie came to a complete standstill. “Wow. This is…. I’m not sure what to call it. Old-fashioned, perhaps. Like something from one of those classic black-and-white TV shows.”

  “Pretty much sums it up. But they’re always a good time and an easy way to meet people in town.”

  She pointed toward the dunk tank as they started walking again. “I heard Grace talking about a dunk tank, but I still can’t believe there’s one over there.”

  No sooner did she say the words than a loud cheer came from the direction of the tank, a good sign someone had sent Drew into the water.

  “I’m guessing Drew lives in town. Is he a friend of yours?”

  Did she really not know who was in the tank? Drew McKenzie had attended Sean and Mia’s wedding the previous fall. And although a newer addition to the friendly poker games, Drew and his wife had been attending them since the winter. It seemed unlikely that either Mia or Sean had never mentioned the guy in Angie’s presence.

  “He grew up in town and bought a house here over the winter. But with football season starting up, Drew and Kelsey plan to spend most of their time at his house in Weston because it’s closer to the stadium.”

  Angie zipped in front of him faster than a bullet traveling through the barrel of his gun. “Drew McKenzie, the quarterback for the New England Rebels, is in there?” She pointed over her shoulder toward the center of the common.

  Her sister often referred to friends named Drew and Kelsey, but nothing Mia said ever suggested the guy who joined their poker games was the famous quarterback. Maybe she should have put two and two together, because he had attended Mia and Sean’s wedding. However, when she’d seen the well-known athlete having his picture taken outside the church with Nikki Reese, someone Mia had starred in several movies with, she’d assumed he was there as Nikki’s date. The woman had a thing for professional athletes, especially football players. She’d dated at least two players from New England and one from Jacksonville.

  “Yep. And I plan on sending him under the water tonight.” Dakota’s smile expressed how much he was looking forward to it.

  She didn’t have crushes anymore. She was simply too old for them. Except for when it came to Drew McKenzie, the quarterback who’d led his team to three consecutive championship wins. “Mia’s mentioned his name and his wife’s. I didn’t realize she was talking about him.”

  A look of annoyance bordering on jealousy crossed Dakota’s face, and she immediately regretted her tone. She was standing with a man she really liked and wanted to spend time with while acting like a teenager in love with her favorite musician. If he talked about Nikki Reese or someone she’d costarred with in a similar tone while out with her, she’d be mad as hell.

  “I can introduce you to Drew when he gets out. He won’t be in there all night.”

  Damage control time. “Don’t worry about it. If we run into him, you can, but I don’t want to waste our time trying to find him later.”

  His expression remained a bit skeptical, so she released his shoulders and put her hands on either side of his waist. “I’m looking forward to some time in the hot tub with you too much to spend all night here.” She whispered the words against his ear before closing her lips around his earlobe and giving it a gentle tug.

  Aware of the setting, she didn’t linger. Instead, she moved back to his side and took his hand. “How do you feel about dancing?”

  “Somewhat indifferent. But if you want to dance, I’ll join you.”

  Angie surveyed the area. She enjoyed dancing but didn’t love it, so at least for the moment, she felt no need to join the crowd on the dance floor. “Maybe later.”

  They skirted their way around the dance floor and past the bouncy houses. She’d loved them and trampolines as a child. If she joined the line to go inside, how many strange looks would she get? Probably too many, and she’d rather not call any attention to herself tonight. After the guide on the ghost tour asked for a picture with her, she’d worried someone in the group might recognize her and ask for an autograph or picture too.

  She didn’t want to worry tonight. Since it had worked the day she flew from California to Boston, she’d opted for an outfit similar to the one she’d worn then and skipped any makeup. In her opinion, dressed in denim shorts, an old Dartmouth College T-shirt, and a New England Rebels baseball cap, she looked like half the people at the block party. So unless she drew attention to herself, no one should see her and immediately recognize her.

  As they got closer to the food area, her stomach rumbled. She didn’t know what they were cooking on the large grills, but it sm
elled delicious. The meat wasn’t the only thing she smelled. The aroma of popcorn mingled with it, as well as something else she couldn’t identify.

  She eyed the lines at the tables. “I’d suggest we get something to eat, but the lines are so long right now.”

  “Trust me, they won’t get much shorter. If you’re hungry, we can grab something to eat.”

  She was about to suggest they wait when someone walked by with a hamburger in one hand and a hot dog in the other. The sight and smell caused her stomach to protest twice as loud as before. “I’m suddenly starving.”

  Despite the long lines, it didn’t take them long to get two Italian sausage grinders, a bag of chips to share, and bottles of water.

  Dakota stuffed his wallet back in his pocket and picked up the two paper plates. “I suggest you leave room for some of Mrs. Mitchell’s homemade donuts.”

  When they’d passed by, she’d taken a quick glance at the dessert table, and while everything on it looked tasty, nothing jumped out as something she had to try tonight. Homemade donuts, however, sounded like a must before they left.

  If she had to sit on the grass and eat, she would, but she kept an eye out for an empty table as they walked. She was about to give up when she spotted her brother-in-law and sister.

  “Mia and Sean are here.” She gestured toward their table.

  “Just spotted them too.”

  Her sister noticed them before they reached the picnic table and waved. “I’ve been keeping an eye out for you,” she said once Angie and Dakota reached them.

  While Angie hadn’t mentioned Dakota or their new relationship to Avery or Mom, she’d discussed its progression with Mia, so her sister had known they were coming together tonight.