Betting on Love

by Mary Beesley

  “She didn’t forget her.” Leo’s defenses rose against his will.

  Jo snorted at the obvious lie.

  Benji looked over at Leo, a suggestive arc to his brows. “Wait. It was just you and Tempest in that tiny tent?”

  “It was no big deal.” Leo broke eye contact and looked out at the trees.

  “It’s not like anything would have happened,” Jo said.

  Wait. What did that mean? She’d said it with such certainty. Was he supposed to be offended right now?

  “Jo’s right, right?” Benji sped up as the dirt road mercifully ended and merged with smooth asphalt.

  “Yes,” Leo lied.

  “I’m hungry,” Hunter said.

  “I know, baby,” Jo said. “Food is coming.”

  Fifteen minutes later cell service returned, and in another seventeen, the golden arches came into view. A cheer went up in the car.

  “I hate this place.” Benji’s lip curled. “But it looks like heaven right now.”

  Leo took note of the donut shop next door. He’d found out last night Tempest usually had an overnight oatmeal cup or scrambled eggs with sautéed greens for breakfast. Pretty much the opposite of fried and frosted circle cakes.

  Benji parked. They all went straight to the bathrooms. Thirty minutes later Leo, Benji, Jo, and baby Harrison sat in a booth and watched the two children run circles around the play place. Leo hadn’t gotten food. Only the black coffee. He didn’t usually drink coffee, but nothing about this trip was usual.

  “Did you see the parents this morning?” Leo felt weird saying the parents like they were true siblings, but it was easier than making a big thing about my mom and your dad.

  “I did,” Jo said. “I was feeding Harrison and watching the sunrise when they got up. They both looked a little stiff.” She chuckled. “They took some snacks and drinks and went for a walk.”

  Sleeping on the hard ground would not have been good on Mom’s hip. Even Leo’s healthy joints were complaining this morning. “Hopefully they don’t get lost. I don’t want to hunt down a couple of tin soldiers today.”

  Jo smiled generously at his poor attempt at a joke. “They were going to stick to the road.”

  Benji stood. “Maybe we should head back before they start to wonder if we actually bailed.”

  Jo’s face fell as she looked over at her happy children.

  “There’s an acai bowl place a mile from here,” Leo said. “Maybe I can run over and get something there for the others. The kids can play a little longer.”

  Jo relaxed against the booth, snuggling the baby into her ample softness. “Perfect.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Benji said, looking mighty eager for the fifteen-minute reprieve.

  ****

  Everyone was awake and exuding boredom when they returned. Tempest, looking better than she had any right to look, sat in the car with Zena, who had raccoon makeup smudges under her eyes. Mom and Christopher were folding blankets and fussing with all the crap a camping trip required. High maintenance, low yield.

  The women climbed out of the car and walked over, their gazes roving over the bags and cups Leo and Benji carried. Zena kissed Benji on the nose when he handed her a still-hot coffee.

  “Oh,” he said, looking startled.

  “You are a gem.” Zena batted her fake eyelashes.

  Leo handed Tempest an acai bowl.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He leaned in, offering her his cheek, now rough with stubble.

  She sent him an incredulous look but leaned forward and pressed soft lips to the tender skin below his eye. “You are a gem too.”

  He nodded but didn’t trust himself to speak. That had not ended up as lighthearted as he intended. He strode toward the parents who were looking at the tents like they were quantum physics problems. “There’s hot coffee and smoothie bowls in the car. Let me finish this up.”

  “Thank you, son.” Mom walked up to him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face a tad pale. She lowered her voice. “Can we check in early to the Fairmont?”

  “I already called. They said they can have one room ready in an hour. We’ll have to wait on the rest, but we can use the pool and other amenities while we wait.”

  She squeezed his forearm. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  ****

  They’d been at the Fairmont pool for two hours, but Tempest couldn’t seem to relax. After showering, she’d soaked in the hot tub long enough to remove all traces of their little excursion into the wilderness, but she couldn’t so easily wash away the night with Leo. They’d talked. Oh, they’d talked for hours.

  He liked fishing and wandering through bookstores. She liked meditating before bed and lesser-known sci-fi movies. They both did not like baking or watching movies in public theaters. Or eating dessert for breakfast. He had zero friends from high school—not a surprise after the story about him wiping down his desk every class—but dozens of people from high school starting acting like they were buddies when his company went big time. People were lame. She had told him about her job search and was surprised to find that she didn’t resent him anymore for Red Rocco. She’d admitted that it was nice to step back and reevaluate her life plans.

  Maybe it was time for something new. Dare she say it…something with an ounce of risk? Not in the relationship department, though. They’d been way too familiar last night, and not familial enough. She could almost still feel his hands on her back, on her waist, his hips warming hers. She picked up the laminated pool menu and fanned her face.

  Jo sat on the lounge chair to her right, baby Harrison asleep between her calves. Zena napped on Tempest’s left, out of the shade of the umbrella. Tempest had debated what swimsuit to bring. This was a family vacation. She’d opted for bottoms that covered her butt and a top that looked more like a sports bra than a sexy bra. Zena went for a shimmering blue string bikini with Brazilian cut bottoms. Jo, wearing a postpartum-appropriate one-piece, scowled every time Zena got in her field of vision. Leo was still playing with Benji and the kids in the pool. He really was that good with children. He’d be an incredible parent one day. Much better than Tempest. Kids didn’t come naturally to her. Did he notice that even her niece and nephew already preferred him to her? She was glad for her sunglasses. No one could tell how often her focus tracked him around the pool.

  “He’s a handsome guy, isn’t he?” Jo said.

  Tempest whipped her head around. “What? Who?”

  “Leo.” Jo tilted her head to where he stood in the shallow area, holding a small football above his head, his abs rippling with the movement.

  Yeah. Tempest was into him. “His hair is thinning.” She cringed inwardly at her mean cowardliness.

  “Picky, picky. You can’t have perfection.”

  “You do.” Benji was great, but Tempest said it to change the subject.

  “I do love my man’s thick head of hair.” Jo moved her focus to the man blowing bubbles for Hannah like a hippopotamus. Jo leaned back into her lounger and tucked her hands behind her head. “This place is nice. I could get use to this kind of vacation.”

  Zena’s phone alarm buzzed. She sat up with a groggy groan. “I’m headed to the spa now, ladies.”

  “Have fun,” Jo said with only a touch of jealousy.

  “See y’all at dinner.”

  “Why did I ever have kids?” Jo said as she watched Zena strut away.

  Tempest gazed at the sleeping cherub. “Because look at him.”

  Jo’s face tilted down, and her whole body relaxed as her mouth curved into a smile. “He is the sweetest. I’m totally smitten.” She ran a finger down a round cheek, and the baby’s lips twitched up on reflex.

  “He is the cutest thing ever.”

  “Who are we swooning over?”

  Tempest looked up to find Leo drying off by her feet. He fluffed his hair so it stuck up like chick feathers.

  “You, of course,” Jo said.

  He winked at her. �
�Just checking.” He flopped onto Zena’s lounger. “Oh, that sun feels good. I forgot how nice California winters can be.” He closed his eyes and didn’t move again.

  “Did you guys sleep at all last night?” Jo focused on his inert form.

  He flinched but didn’t open his eyes. Tempest flushed hot.

  “Dad and Silvia still haven’t emerged from their ‘nap.’ ” Jo did air quotes over the word nap. The one bedroom ready to check into early had become theirs.

  “Gross. I don’t want to think about what they’re doing…ever,” Tempest said. “New topic.”

  “Well, slightly related note. It’s New Year’s Eve tonight. I don’t think I’m even going to make it to kiss Benji at midnight. We’ll have three kids in our room. Not to mention that it will feel like two a.m. our time. But if we don’t kiss.” She emphasized the word. “You know what I actually mean when I say kiss.”

  Tempest chuckled, remembering when Benji declared he and Jo never just kissed anymore. What would be the point of that? “I always know what you mean.”

  “Well, it’s bad luck if we start the new year off not together. If you know—”

  “I know,” Tempest said. “And you can stop complaining. At least you have someone here to kiss.”

  She glanced down at Leo. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was too shallow and uneven for sleep.

  “I’m scoping for you.” Jo’s sharp gaze scanned the pool. “There’s real potential here. Check out checkered shorts at two o’clock.”

  Tempest looked across the pool. “I’m pretty sure that woman next to him is not his sister.”

  “All right. But I don’t see a ring on her finger. So…”

  Tempest rolled her eyes.

  “I saw the hotel is doing a special at the bar tonight,” Jo said. “I think you might get lucky.”

  Leo sat up. “I’m going to see if my room is ready.”

  “Will you text me if ours is ready too?” Jo asked. “I think these kids need some downtime, or they will turn into monsters before dinner.”

  “I will do that.” He picked up his phone, put on his Red Rocco baseball cap, and walked away.

  No, tonight Tempest was definitely not getting lucky.

  ****

  They ate dinner at the hotel. After the meal, an awkward moment hit where everyone stood in the lobby and seemed to wonder what to do. Zena broke first.

  “Are we done with family stuff now?” She looked to Mom.

  Leo’s mom nodded with reluctance.

  “Okay.” She pulled her phone from her purse. “I’m headed off to see a friend.”

  “Who?” Mom asked.

  “Just an old friend.” Zena wore a low-cut tank top under her jacket and had a lot of makeup on.

  Definitely Jake, Leo thought, but he said, “You’re ditching us?”

  “I don’t want to spend New Year’s Eve with my brother.” She looked at Tempest and Jo. “No offense.”

  Jo shrugged. “None taken.”

  “I don’t blame you.” Tempest glanced at Leo. “I don’t want to spend it with my brother either.”

  “I’m not your brother.” His tone came out cold and sharp.

  “Leo!” Mom’s voice was scolding, as if what he’d said were rude.

  Zena’s brows creased as she reached for Tempest. “I’d invite you to come with me, but it’s not that kind of hang out.”

  “Oh, no. It’s fine.” Tempest held up her hands in emphasis.

  Mom’s lips turned down. “Zena, are you meeting Jake?”

  She kissed her mom’s cheek. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “I always worry.”

  “And don’t wait up.” Zena turned to Tempest. “Don’t bolt me out of our room when you go to bed.” She waltzed out the front doors.

  Another beat of tension hit.

  “Thank you for dinner,” Jo said to Mom. “And for a lovely weekend. I think I’ll take my kids on up if that’s okay.”

  Mom looked relieved. “Of course. Have a great night.”

  “I’m heading up too,” Leo said, while his mom and Christopher kissed the children. “Good night everyone.” He strode away without waiting for a reply. He went to his room and promptly put the comforter on the floor—they couldn’t get those things properly clean—and pulled back the sheet. He took off his shoes and lay down. And then he thought of Tempest. He was really into her. And he had not only been rejected, he’d basically been forbidden from dating her. This sucked. She had been funny last night and clever and a little bit odd. She was organized and fastidious, but soft and peaceful too. The thing that really killed him was that he could have sworn she was into him too. Humans didn’t cuddle like that with someone they weren’t attracted to. They just didn’t.

  He lay still for a long time, alternating between cursing and praising Tempest as he drifted in and out of slumber. His phone read eleven p.m. when he finally rolled up to a sitting position. He refused to be alone in his hotel room at the start of the new year. He couldn’t be that pathetic. He brushed his teeth and hair and put on a fresh button-down shirt.

  He found the bar easily—loud music, loud lights, loud people. They’d pushed the tables to the side and set up a small dancing floor in the middle of the restaurant. He worked his way through the crowd to the bar. Okay, some cute women here. He caught the eye of a petite blond. She winked at him. He smiled, his mood brightening. Tempest was a no-go. Time to move along. Fine. He took his time walking over, gathering courage. He really hated “the approach.” He stepped up to the bar next to the stranger. When he glanced over, she was smiling at him. She didn’t look anything like Tempest, with her long wispy hair and button eyes.

  “So did you accomplish everything you wanted to this year?” He cringed at his lame pickup line.

  She tossed him a coy half smile. “I’d thought so until you walked in.”

  Wow. Too brazen. He gave himself a little pep talk. He could do this. She was cute and obviously willing. What more could he want? He didn’t allow himself to answer that.

  When he didn’t say anything, she chuckled. “How about we start with a drink?”

  “Yes. Drinks.” Nerves flaring, he leaned over the counter to try and get the bartender’s attention.

  And that’s when he saw her.

  Sitting at the end of the bar, her back to the wall, her chair turned so she could watch the room. Best seat in the house. A man stood at her elbow, talking to her, but she wasn’t looking at the stranger. She’d found Leo, her gaze dark and steady on him. He froze as if zapped. The dim light and uneven shadows gave her an otherworldly look, like smoke and fire incarnate. She’d changed into a black dress that showed almost the entire length of her golden thigh as she perched cross-legged. Why did she even bring that dress on this family trip? His thoughts battled. Turn around and face the flirty blond or go over and get denied by Tempest? A chance at a New Year’s kiss or no chance? A lady he didn’t know or a woman he shouldn’t like? Safe or stupid?

  The man put his hand on the bar in front of Tempest, blocking Leo’s view of her as he leaned closer, whispering something in her ear.

  “Excuse me. Have a great night,” Leo said to the woman who’d suddenly become dull.

  Tempest’s leech straightened up, giving Leo an unobstructed line to his target. He stalked down the length of the bar, raging with the unfamiliar desire to be both predatorial and territorial. Tempest watched him the whole way, her eyes like candle flames in the dim.

  “There you are, Stormie,” he said with a charming smile. He enjoyed the irritation that tightened the stranger’s face.

  “Hello, Arty.” Deadpan. Not a flicker of emotion.

  If he kissed her right now, he’d get a reaction.

  The man looked between the two of them. He was tall and dark, but he had big ears. Even still, the man was probably handsome, in an annoying sort of way. “Are you two here together?”

  “No.” Leo pulled out the stool next to Tempest and sat down. Picking
up the menu wedged between a tiny succulent and a saltshaker, he read over the list of appetizers. He wasn’t hungry. At least not for food. He grinned at the menu when Big Ears finally tried talking to Tempest again.

  “So you said you’re from Dallas. I go there sometimes for work.”

  She didn’t follow up and ask him about his job. Leo overcame the temptation to peek at her. Was she looking at him, or was he imagining her focus burning him up?

  “Do you come out here a lot?” Big Ears asked.

  “No,” she said.

  The bartender walked over and nodded at Leo. “How’s it going?”

  “I’m not the one working on New Year’s.”

  The young man quirked his lips. “I’ll know how bad you feel for me by the size of my tip.”

  “Oh. Bold move.”

  “No other way to live.”

  Leo couldn’t help but look at Tempest then. She was watching the bartender. Yes. She’d heard it.

  He ordered a soda with ice.

  “Bold move.” The bartender picked up a glass from the shelf. He turned to Tempest. “Want a refill?”

  She pushed her empty drink forward but shook her head.

  Big Ears drained his glass and set it on the counter. “Want to check out the dancing?”

  “No,” she said.

  Leo laughed. He tried to cover it with his knuckles, but he was still chuckling when Big Ears slunk away in shame.

  “Such manners.” Leo spoke to the soda in his hand before taking a sip.

  “I’ve been drinking,” she said. “I don’t like saying please and thank you when I’m nice and loose.”

  He cocked an eyebrow and glanced at her sidelong. Shit, she was hot. “How loose?”

  Eyes dilated, she leaned forward and put her lips on his ear, sending a shock down his spine. “Not loose enough to tangle with you.”

  “I think we might need that refill after all.” He managed a teasing tone, but his hands shook as he set down his glass.

  She stood, the silky black dress draping over her curves. “What an appalling suggestion from our dear brother, Leonard.”