An Unexpected Partnership (HQR Special Edition)

by Teresa Southwick

  The renovations to the bar were finished except for a few minor details, and there wouldn’t be any reason for her to stay with him. A couple days ago, after the boys’ hockey game, he’d casually suggested that she must be anxious to be back in her space and maybe he’d been hoping she would say not really. That she was enjoying being with him. But she hadn’t.

  Leo liked being with her, talking about things. She had a quirky take on the world and made him laugh. Meals were eaten at the table, not in front of the TV, and there was conversation, too. They weren’t having sex and that was killing him. He saw her every day and held her when she’d cried over changing the bar’s name. At night, to know she was just down the hall and not be able to touch her was tearing him up. In spite of that, he still liked having her around. That got into tricky territory.

  With all those thoughts running through his mind, the drive home from the ice rink seemed to flash by in seconds. Leo pulled into the driveway and noted that Tess was at the house. It was lit up like a church for Christmas services. A sigh of something that felt like contentment escaped him as he exited the car, and he tried not to hurry inside.

  He told himself that he wasn’t getting used to having her there, just enjoying the company while it lasted. And he really liked when he opened the front door and smelled something good cooking. His mouth started watering and he realized he was hungry, but not just for food.

  Leo walked into the kitchen, where Tess was bent over in front of the oven, reaching inside to slide something out. He was treated to an amazing view of her butt. If only it was slightly less spectacular, he might want her less. Maybe.

  He cleared his throat, partly not to startle her, but mostly because he wasn’t sure he could speak in a normal voice. “Hi.”

  She straightened and glanced over her shoulder, then set a casserole on top of the stove. “There you are. I was wondering when you’d show up.”

  “Hockey practice went a little long.”

  She took off the oven mitts and faced him. “Those boys probably don’t know how lucky they are that their coach owns the rink. I’ve heard that ice time is expensive. And they just got some at no extra charge.”

  “I wasn’t late just because of practice. I stopped to talk to Josh while he was waiting for his dad to pick him up. Check on how he’s doing.”

  “And?”

  “School is better and his parents are...trying.”

  She frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “I guess there’s less tension in the house, at least in front of him. They’ve eased up on him about his grades. Oh, he said to tell you thanks for the help. He still doesn’t like tutoring, but he passed the stupid Romeo and Juliet test.”

  “Shakespeare would be so flattered.” She laughed.

  He’d come to realize that the sound of her laughter magically relieved a long-day’s worth of tension. The tightness in his neck and shoulders relaxed. He could only imagine what a “honey I’m home” kiss would do.

  Enough with those thoughts.

  “He’s also embracing your philosophy.”

  “I have so many. Which philosophy would that be?”

  “The one where you only have to remember this junk until the test and not for the rest of your life.”

  “Ah, that one. Heaven forbid.” She nodded knowingly. “I left out the part where he probably can’t delete it all from his brain as easily as he can from the computer.”

  “So he’ll curse you when someday the words come out of his mouth, ‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks.’”

  “‘It is the east and Juliet is the sun,’” she finished. “So, you know from personal experience that no matter how hard you try, it will never leave you. I’m impressed.”

  “You remembered it, too.”

  “Only because I saw it recently from tutoring Josh.” The expression on her face turned teasing. “In your case, maybe it’s a pickup line.”

  Leo laughed because he’d never used that one and couldn’t remember the last time he even needed a smooth opening with a woman. Then he stopped laughing when he realized he didn’t even want to meet anyone new. Not since...

  Tess interrupted that thought. “I was kidding. That wasn’t a judgment on your social life. I don’t think you’re that guy.”

  “I know you don’t.” He had been, but wasn’t now. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Shepherd’s pie.”

  It was one of his favorites. “You remembered.”

  “I did.”

  “Hope it wasn’t a lot of work.”

  “Not bad. And I made two. Froze one.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal.

  “Excellent.” He looked around and the table was already set, a salad made. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Just have a seat and enjoy.”

  Leo enjoyed just looking at her, and it fed him somehow. If he was the kind of guy who was in touch with his feelings, he would say something about his soul. But he didn’t even want to think that. Getting in that deep was a major violation that could land him in the penalty box for life.

  Before he said something he would regret, he sat at the table and Tess brought over the casserole, then the salad. As usual she took the chair across from his. “So, what did you do today?”

  “A lot of paperwork. Looked over reports for potential business investments.”

  “Really?” She put food on her plate and took a bite.

  “Yeah. I have capital on hand and I’m hoping to find something that will give me a good return on the money.”

  “So the bar, ice rink and all your other financial projects aren’t enough?”

  “I like to keep busy. And this is my act two. I want to make it a success.” He put food on his plate and tasted the shepherd’s pie. The combination of beef, carrots, peas and mashed potatoes on top was heaven in his mouth. “This is really good.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  They ate in silence for a few moments. It was almost embarrassing the way he shoved food into his mouth but this sure beat anything he could have cooked. He was embracing the attitude of enjoying it while he could.

  When the worst of his hunger was taken care of, he realized he hadn’t asked what was going on with her. “How was your day?”

  “Good.” She finished chewing and swallowed. “I went by the bar.”

  “And?”

  “It looks good.” She met his gaze. “My friend Carla met me there and she likes it a lot. Better than before.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. She said the old atmosphere only appealed to members of the Red Hat Society.”

  “The who?”

  “It’s a group of women over fifty who get together for various activities. They all wear red hats.” She frowned. “I never knew Carla felt that way about Granddad’s place.”

  “Don’t...” He stopped and looked at her.

  “What?”

  “I was going to say don’t take it personally—then I remembered I was talking to you. It is personal.”

  She nodded. “But apparently you were right about it needing a makeover. And it looks good.”

  “So you wanted your friend’s opinion on the results?”

  “No. On the paint smell.” Her much smaller portion was mostly gone but she speared a stray carrot with her fork. “To make sure it was okay for me to go back. I checked with Nate and he advised a second opinion because he smells it all the time. He’s not sure his nose is as sensitive as someone who doesn’t do that for a living.”

  “What’s the verdict?” He kept his voice normal, natural, neutral. But it was an effort.

  “Got the all clear.” She set her fork on the plate. “I’m all packed and the guest room upstairs is all cleaned. After dinner, I’ll tidy up the kitchen and then move back to my place.”

/>   If she’d smacked him in the gut with a two-by-four, he couldn’t have been more surprised. But why? He’d known this was coming. He’d been aware it would be soon. And he should be happy, what with thinking about all that soul stuff just a while ago.

  This time he forced a normal, natural, neutral expression on his face, then smiled. “You’ll be happy to get back home, I’m sure.”

  “Yes.” She sighed and looked around, maybe with a little longing in her eyes. “But this house is really nice. Although it wouldn’t kill you to use some of that investment capital to invest in some furniture for the sad, empty rooms.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to help him with that, but he held back. Because that would feel too much like decorating it for her. And this wasn’t permanent. It was only ever meant to be temporary.

  “I’ll get around to finishing things around here one of these days.”

  “Admit it. You’ll be glad to get rid of me and have your privacy back.” She folded her arms on the table. “Then you can bring your dates back here for—whatever.”

  A few minutes ago she’d said she knew he wasn’t that guy, and he knew the remark was meant to distance herself. It ticked him off when he should be grateful. A shrink would have a field day with him.

  “I’ll do that.” He pushed his plate away with food left on it. His appetite was gone. “And you don’t have to clean up the kitchen. I can take care of it.”

  “I knew it,” she said, pointing at him. “You are in a hurry to get rid of me.” It was almost teasing, but that sentiment didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  He could do banter, too. It was a good place to hide and not let her see how he really felt. “Yeah. I didn’t want to make you feel bad, but having you around has really been tough. And can we talk about your cooking?”

  “If you hated that,” she said, “you’re going to hate the one in the freezer, too. At least it will remind you of how glad you are that I’m gone.”

  As if he needed reminding. Not that he was glad, but just that he should be. “What a relief that will be.”

  “Seriously, Leo. It was very gracious of you to give me a place to stay. I thank you, and your unborn child thanks you.”

  She stood and cleared her plate from the table. Leo did the same and together they did the dishes and put everything away as if she’d never been there.

  “This is it.” She looked up at him. “I’ll go upstairs and get my suitcases.”

  “No. I’ll get them. You shouldn’t carry heavy stuff down the stairs.”

  “But I have to. My apartment above the bar is upstairs. It will be fine.”

  “I’ll follow you over and bring them up for you.” He held up a hand to stop her protest. “You can argue if you want, but it’s a waste of breath. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “That’s really sweet of you.”

  It wasn’t sweet; it was crazy. He was a lunatic to prolong this. But maybe that was the point.

  She actually had two suitcases and he carried them both downstairs to her car. He followed her to the bar, where there was an outside entrance up to her place. After bringing everything inside for her, he stood just outside her door.

  “So, I’ll be seeing you,” he said.

  “Yes, you will. Good night, partner. And thanks again.”

  He nodded and turned away, jogging back down the stairs. No long goodbye. Simple, uncomplicated. And if that was the truth, why did he feel like crap for making it so easy for her to leave?

  Chapter Twelve

  Tess had agreed to tutor Josh and she intended to keep her word whether she was living under Leo’s roof or not. And now she was not. But she wouldn’t let a kid down just because she was missing his coach. A lot. It felt like more than a couple of days since he’d insisted on following her home and carrying her things upstairs. She felt out of sorts, as if she needed to do something. Like fix dinner and wait for him to come home.

  Instead she was waiting for Josh. School got out a little while ago and he would be here soon to go over the paper he’d written about The Great Gatsby. This was certainly something his parents could handle, and Tess had talked to them to make sure they still wanted her involved. They did. He was sullen and abrasive when they tried to help so if she was willing, they couldn’t thank her enough.

  So Josh had emailed her the paper and she’d critiqued it after skimming the book she hadn’t read since she was in the tenth grade. Leo was going to swing by and pick him up for hockey practice. It had all been arranged. At a given time he would be there, waiting in the parking lot so she wouldn’t even see him. It was annoying how much that depressed her.

  There was a knock on her door with the half window on top. Through the slit in the cotton curtains she could see it was Josh. He was on time. She opened the door to him and the hockey bag that was big enough for its own zip code.

  She looked at it, then him. “Seriously?”

  “I can’t leave it outside. It might get ripped off and this equipment is expensive.”

  “But it’s going to stink up my apartment,” she said.

  “Leo said he’d buy you a case of air freshener.” The teenager had the audacity to grin.

  “He already discussed this with you?”

  Josh nodded. “Since you were back home, he told me to leave the bag outside. Then I reminded him that someone could take it in such a public place and he said that was a problem. Because the pads and skates and my helmet aren’t cheap. My parents would kill me.”

  “And being dead would make it hard to play hockey,” she said wryly.

  “No kidding. That’s when he said bringing it inside wasn’t something that air freshener and open windows couldn’t fix.”

  “He’s very practical.” She motioned him inside and pointed to a spot just beside the door for the bag. It was as far away from her as possible.

  Josh did as instructed and then shut the door.

  She said, “Would you like a snack?”

  “If it’s no trouble.”

  “I’ve got fruit and frozen taquitos. Some chips, too.” She’d been grocery shopping and picked up extra that she knew he liked.

  “Sounds awesome.”

  “Have a seat at the kitchen table. I’ve got your paper there. You did a good job. I just tweaked it. I used track changes and printed it out, then made some written comments in the margin. Mostly suggestions for different words, eliminating stupid and dumb, which are your favorites.”

  Instead of being offended, he grinned. “Well, those people in that book are dumb.”

  “I agree. They’re also selfish, self-centered, deceitful characters who don’t think about the consequences of their actions.”

  He looked pleased that she agreed with him. “And if they weren’t so dumb, Gatsby wouldn’t have gotten shot in his pool.”

  “It was a tragic end for a man who was simply desperate to fit in and be with the woman he loved.”

  “Like I said—dumb.” He sat down at the table. “Just like Romeo and Juliet. Love made everybody stupid.”

  The kid was kind of insightful, she thought, setting some taquitos on a sheet of foil before sliding it into the toaster oven on the counter. “I guess that’s pretty true.”

  “Why do writers write about people being morons?”

  She gave that a ponder before answering. “I suppose it would be boring to read about a character who was perfect and never made a bad choice. Besides that, human beings are flawed.”

  “I guess.”

  She set a glass with ice and soda in front of him, then a plate with apple slices. Whether or not he’d enjoyed the book, at least he was thinking about it. And wasn’t that the point? Maybe not the only one. “Great literature makes the reader feel something. Or should. Happy, sad, angry.”

  “I don’t need to read for that to happe
n,” he said. “My mom and dad do that all the time. Mostly the sad and mad part.”

  The timer went off and she took out the taquitos, put them on a plate and brought it over to the table before sitting across from him. “What makes you happy?”

  “Hockey,” he answered without hesitation. Then he started consuming apple slices while he looked thoughtful. “If it weren’t for Leo, I wouldn’t be able to play.”

  “He had a little help,” she said wryly.

  “Yeah. And I appreciate what you’re doing. But he made it happen.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. When Leo found this boy in the locker room at the ice rink, he could have called the police and social services. Somehow he knew that would have made things more messy and complicated. Instead she had suggested tutoring and he had talked her into being the tutor. Josh was on parental academic probation and was now bringing up his grade without giving up doing what he loved.

  “He really did save your bacon,” she agreed.

  “And now he’s my coach. And he’s awesome. He just knows when to change up our lines for a game. When to bench a guy because his head’s not in it. He takes the time to talk to me, explain stuff. And not just me. He does that with all the guys.”

  “That’s really nice of him.”

  “It’s not nice.” He glanced at his paper with her handwritten comments. “Like you said there. That’s a bland word.”

  So, he’d looked through it. She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “How would you describe him in one not-bland word?”

  “Awesome.” He didn’t even have to think about it.

  “That’s a cliché,” she said. “That’s in your paper, too. Many, many times. There’s this wonderful thing called a thesaurus that can supply various words that mean the same thing. Use your phone for more than playing games. I challenge you to give me something besides awesome.”

  He frowned thoughtfully as he ate. Finally he said, “I can’t think of one. But he really cares. He gets me.”

  “Leo would like that. And I can’t think of higher praise than—” Tess stopped because unexpected emotion clogged her throat.