Brett maneuvered the powerful Lexus along Glade County’s rural roads as the sun’s heat dried the steaming asphalt. The clearing skies held the promise of a rain-free afternoon. Beside him, the pizza boxes from King Karl’s rested on Dani’s lap. He ran his eyes quickly over her. A little shorter than he preferred, but trim and petite. Even cute.
He risked taking his eyes from the road again for another quick glance. She was looking out the passenger window, apparently lost in thought.
Yep, she was cute. Just not the kind of girl he usually honored with a second look. Let alone invited into his life for an entire weekend.
Rounding a curve, he frowned slightly. If she hadn’t captivated him with her Regina Lampert act at the hospital last night, he wouldn’t have asked her to the movie. But that invitation was more out of his loneliness than any real interest in her.
He cut another glance her way, then concentrated on the road. Not a blonde. Not tall and leggy. Not blessed with an overabundance of a woman’s most enticing asset.
A sudden image of Tracie flashed through his mind. Tracie with her snowy white blouse, purposefully unbuttoned to attract his attention. He’d allowed himself to be seduced. Allowed Tracie to believe she was the sharp-clawed cat when in reality their first kiss had started Brett’s time clock. He allowed her into his life while the weeks counted down until the day came to close off the credit card, toss her out of her job as his receptionist, and move her out of his apartment.
He shifted in the luxurious leather seat, suddenly feeling agitated, and unconsciously accelerated. That breakup had ended worse than most. But it had ended. That was the point.
“How much longer?” Dani asked. Her voice sounded a little panicky.
His thoughts jerked back to the present, and he let his foot off the gas. The vehicle slowed to a more reasonable speed.
“Only a few more minutes. Are you okay?”
She better not get sick in his car. He’d just had it detailed after making the mistake of taking the little monsters through the drive-thru a couple of weeks ago. Who knew two kids could make such a mess eating French fries?
“I’m fine.”
Her knuckles, gripping the pizza boxes, slowly faded from white to their natural color.
Brett found himself wanting to reach out to her, to cover those fragile fingers with his own. But he resisted the impulse. He’d already pushed the limit by embracing her this morning. Hold her hand now, and next thing they’d be “going steady” or some other nonsense.
At least women like Tracie understood the risks they took when they unbuttoned their blouses and unzipped their skirts. They might be angling for marriage, security, the big house and new car when they used their bodies for bait. In their minds, the potential payoff was worth the gamble.
But not a girl like Dani. Even inviting her to meet the family could turn into the anniversary of their first date if he wasn’t careful. Except that their first date had been yesterday. Technically this counted as a second.
Did that mean tonight’s banquet was a third?
He unconsciously sped up again, and Dani grabbed the door handle.
“What’s with you?” she demanded.
“Sorry.” The apology came out as a meaningless grumble.
“Why do you keep speeding up like that?”
“Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Nothing important.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
He flashed an apologetic smile. “Misty Willow is about a mile up the road, just around the next curve.”
“Why is it called Misty Willow?”
“Don’t know.”
“It sounds poetic. I bet there’s a story.”
“You’ll have to ask Shelby. She knows a lot about her family history. And she likes to talk about it.”
Dani didn’t reply. At least she no longer had a death grip on the pizzas.
“How about you?” Brett asked.
“How about me what?”
“For as much time as we’ve spent together, you haven’t told me much about yourself.”
She slightly hesitated before answering. “Like I said before, there’s not much to tell.”
He feigned interest. “Did you grow up in Cincinnati?”
“Mostly. Then I stayed there for college.”
“For that very useful liberal arts degree,” he teased, then tapped her arm. “Just kidding. I’m sure you’ll have a great career doing something amazingly significant.”
“I would very much like to punch you right now.”
He laughed, then gestured out the windshield. As they rounded the curve, the immense brick home came into view. “This is it.”
Dani leaned forward as far as the seatbelt would let her.
“It’s lovely.”
“Shelby has put a lot of work in it. You should have seen it a few months ago.” He pulled into the long drive. As the tires crunched the gravel, he grinned. “AJ bought this gravel for Shelby. Made her so mad. But I guess it turned out to be a good move after all.”
“Why was she mad?”
“Sully hated the place. And before Shelby came along, so did AJ. It’d been empty for a long time, and she blamed him for letting it fall apart.”
“Why did he hate it?”
“Aren’t you the nosy one?”
Her face reddened. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It doesn’t take much to make you blush, does it?” Amused at her discomfort, Brett circled the grassy loop at the side of the house and parked near Shelby’s Camry and AJ’s Jeep Cherokee. He turned off the ignition, then faced Dani.
“It’s no big secret. After Meghan disappeared, AJ dropped out of law school and became a high school history teacher. That ruined Sully’s grandiose plans for his favorite grandson becoming the governor of our fair state. So he changed his will. AJ got the farm Sully hated and nothing else.”
Before Dani could reply, a bark sounded from near the house, followed by high-pitched squeals.
Shelby’s girls, followed closely by Lila, AJ’s creamy Labrador retriever, raced from the patio toward them.
“My little nieces-to-be. Spill-happy Tabby and Bookworm Elizabeth.”
“How are they your nieces?”
“Technically they’re not. But I like the sound of ‘Uncle Brett.’ Besides, AJ is the closest thing I have to a brother.”
He opened his car door, then pretended to fall backward as Tabby pounced on him.
“Let me out,” he growled, grabbing her beneath the arms as he exited the car. After enduring her throat-crushing hug, he swung her around, setting off another squeal.
“Again, again.”
“After I say hello to your sister.” Squatting to eye level, he playfully tugged Elizabeth’s long braid. “How you doin’, Bitsy? Still getting straight As?”
“I didn’t miss any problems on my arithmetic this week. And I read best of anybody,” she boasted, then her smile faded. “Mommy said I shouldn’t brag.”
Brett put his arm around her thin shoulder and rested his chin on the top of her head.
He didn’t like kids. Never had. They were a bother, a pain, an annoyance.
But these two were different. Tabby’s mischievous antics made him laugh. And Elizabeth’s too-serious nature dislodged the stone he had instead of a heart.
He doubted Tabby remembered much of her dad, but Elizabeth did. She had told Brett about her father making up silly stories and the time they’d gone roller-skating, just the two of them.
Brett guessed the memory was so vivid because there hadn’t been enough of those special times. Gary Kincaid had been a law enforcement officer, working long hours, until he was killed in the line of duty.
Sometimes Elizabeth’s chameleon eyes—sometimes green, sometimes blue—held a faraway expression that told Brett she was thinking of her dad, dreaming about a different time in her life. He knew that look. He’d seen it often enough in Amy’s eyes over the years. The look that wished for the past.
He squeezed Elizabeth’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. “It’s never bragging when you tell me, Sweet Pea. I’m going to be your uncle soon, so I have the right to be proud of you.”
Her eyes brightened, and she gave him a quick hug. “You’ll be the best uncle ever.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll be your only uncle ever, so I guess that’s not too hard.”
“Even if I had a million uncles, you’d be the best.”
“Remind me to give you a dollar later for that one,” he said as he straightened and glanced at Dani who stood by the hood. “I want you two to meet Dani. She’s a friend of mine, so you have to be nice to her. And look. We brought the pizza.”
Tabby piped up. “It’s tradition.”
“I guess it is.” Brett took the boxes from Dani and herded the group up the patio steps while Tabby showed Dani a scrape on her leg and bombarded her with questions.
Dani hesitated as they reached the kitchen’s screen door. Brett rested his hand on the small of her back and whispered, “They don’t bite.”
From the tightness of her smile, he wasn’t sure she believed him. “If they do,” he said, “I’ll bite them back.”
Her spontaneous smile radiated through him. Not that it meant anything.
Inside the kitchen, Shelby greeted Brett with a quick hug, then shooed the girls out of the room with instructions to wash their hands. In their rush, they almost knocked over AJ, who entered from the hall with a tall glass of iced tea.
“Careful there,” AJ said as he balanced the glass. “Don’t make me spill this.”
Brett caught Dani’s gaze. She didn’t seem to know whether to be embarrassed or amused. He squeezed her elbow, then made the introductions.
“I’m so glad to meet you, Dani.” Shelby shot a teasing look at him. “It’s not often Brett introduces us to his friends.”
“Friend? She’s a hitchhiker I picked up on my way here. Never saw her before this morning.”
“Stick with that story if you want,” Shelby said. “You aren’t working for him, are you, Dani?”
“No . . .” She drew out the syllable.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Shelby placed a large salad on the table. “Would you like something to drink? Tea, soda, water?”
“Tea is fine. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Do you mind getting the napkins? They’re in that drawer over there.”
AJ edged closer to Brett and elbowed him. “Hitchhiker, huh? What happened to dating your receptionists?”
“Have you seen my latest?” Brett pretended to shudder. “Ancient, I tell you. Must be at least thirty-five.”
“We’re not dating,” Dani jumped in. “Just spending the day together. The electricity is out at my place.”
“So you’re ‘not dating’?” Shelby asked pointedly, though she feigned utter innocence.
“I’m good at that,” Brett said. “As you know so well.”
“We’re not dating and we’re not not-dating.” Dani’s voice held a nervous edge, and she shrugged self-consciously. “We’re just . . . hanging out.”
“Well, whatever you’re doing, I’m glad you’re here.” Shelby smiled warmly at Dani, then caught Brett’s gaze. He read the question in her eyes and slightly shook his head.
He and Dani weren’t a couple, would never be a couple.
She was a minor diversion for a lonely weekend.
Besides, love and romance weren’t in his immediate future. Too many other things demanded his focus.
Like the small boy lying in a coma. The son he wasn’t allowed to see.