Chapter Seven

Unfortunately, a week later Mandy was no closer to a decision than she had been that night in her bed. The fact she’d just worked another busy Sunday morning shift at the diner didn’t help, either, since her brain had been too fried to think of anything beyond the next table’s order.

Now that she was back at the house and unpacking more of her stuff, she hoped to gain some clarity on the situation. The air smelled of lemon polish and floor wax from the buffers who’d been in the day before to redo the floors. Alex had rearranged some of the furniture downstairs, too, and gotten the rooms painted. There was still work to be done, but the place felt more like an actual home now.

“Hey,” she said, walking downstairs a short while later. Alex was unloading some more of his stuff from his storage pod outside, and several boxes were scattered around the living room. “Anything I can help with?”

He looked up at her, his dark hair mussed and a shadow of stubble on his jaw. “Hey. Um, if you want, you can start opening those boxes over there.”

“Sure.” She grabbed one and found a bunch of computer cables and extension cords. The next one held a small Chinese dragon statue encased in wads of old newspaper. Mandy laughed, holding it up to admire its cute little fang-filled roar. “Where’d this come from?”

“Oh, that’s Ming,” Alex said, grinning. “Dave got him for me in Chinatown when I passed my state boards. Dragons are supposed to be good luck.”

“Well, we can always use more of that, eh?” She set the little dragon on the fireplace mantel then opened another box, this time finding a stash of DVDs. “Looks like we need to have a movie night soon.”

“Yeah?” Alex shrugged, not looking at her. “Maybe. First I need to put another coat of shellac on the banister.”

“Aw. C’mon.” She held up Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. “We can order burgers and see how many of the locations we recognize.”

He looked at her finally, relenting. “Okay. But I control the remote this time. Deal?”

“Deal.” She set the DVDs next to the TV then grinned. “But I decide the drinking game.”

“The what?” he frowned. “Booze probably isn’t a good idea.”

“After the week I’ve had, booze is an excellent idea,” she countered. “Besides, we’re adults, and we’re not driving anywhere.”

Alex shook his head and headed toward the hallway. “Fine, but I don’t want to be up late. I’ve got a lot to get done on the house in the morning. They’re bringing the new appliances tomorrow.”

“Yay.” She called after him, “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

…

“Okay, explain it to me again,” Alex said as they sat on the sofa later, their bags of food between them and a case of ale on the coffee table. “You said we take a drink every time Ferris breaks the fourth wall?”

“Yep.” Mandy nodded toward the screen where the movie started playing. “Also, whenever Jeannie complains, when Rooney gets attacked by the dog, or when someone mentions Ferris’s health.”

“So pretty much all the time?” Alex raised a brow at her. “And how do you win? By passing out?”

“No.” Mandy grabbed a handful of fries in one hand and an ale in the other then settled back into the cushions. “The goal is to finish your last drink by the time the Ferrari goes into the ravine. Got it?”

“Got it.” Alex grabbed a bottle of ale just as Ferris’s parents walked into his room to find him sick in bed. “Drink?”

“Drink.”

Soon enough, Alex finished his burger and fries and third bottle of ale. He was feeling no pain now, not in his leg or anywhere else for that matter. “Did you know that when this movie was made, Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Gray were engaged?”

“Really?” Mandy pointed at the screen as someone mentioned Ferris needing a kidney. “Drink.”

“Drink.” They toasted and Alex guzzled down more alcohol. “Yep. And while things didn’t work with them, the actors who played his parents ended up married and had two kids.”

“Sweet.” She giggled. “Thanks, Mr. Trivia.”

“No problem, Ms. Remote Hog.” She hurled a napkin at his head, and he ducked. “What? We agreed I’d have control this time.”

“Whatever.” Onscreen, Jeannie answered the front door to a singing nurse for Ferris. “Drink!”

“Drink!” He downed more ale, finishing off bottle number three then cracked open number four. He glanced at Mandy as the family dog attacked Rooney. “Drink?”

“Drink.” Mandy winked, and an unexpected bolt of lust zinged straight to his groin. Whoops. Wanting her was a bad idea, though it was getting more difficult to remember why. He liked Mandy. They were both here, both single. Why shouldn’t he want her? He frowned at the crowded scene of downtown Chicago on the TV. “Have you ever been to a parade?”

“Nah.” Mandy looked over at him, her blue eyes a bit glassy, too. She set the empty food bags on the table then stretched her legs across the middle cushion so her stockinged toes tickled the side of his thigh. “Wouldn’t have minded riding around on a float, though.”

“I could see you on a float!” He laughed. “With a big old sash on it that says Queen.”

“Queen?” She seemed to consider that a moment, gaze narrowed. “Do I have a crown?”

“A big old rhinestone sucker.” He held his hands up around his head to show her. “Like the one they give Miss America.”

“Yes! I’ve always wanted a crown.” She snuggled farther down, tucking her freezing toes beneath his warm leg. He peeked one eye open to look at her. She shrugged. “What? My feet are cold.”

“More like ice.” He chuckled. They felt nice, though, bumping up against his butt. He wondered how much nicer it would be to have all of her underneath him, and damn if his blood didn’t rush south again. Flushed and dizzy, his pulse stuttered. Maybe it was time to go to bed. He started to get up, but Mandy held him back with a hand on his arm.

“You can’t leave yet. Game’s not over,” she frowned. “What about ‘Twist and Shout’?”

“Twist and Shout?” The words felt mushy in his mouth. Yeah, he really needed to go.

But then the strains of Danke Schoen started, and Mandy grabbed a screwdriver from his toolbox in the corner, and before he knew it, they were both on their feet belting out the tune along with Ferris.

“Change of rules,” she shouted in between verses. “Since you don’t look like you’ll make it to the Ferrari scene.” Affronted, Alex frowned. He could handle his booze just fine. If the room would just hold still while he danced. “Let’s have an epic sing-off battle to see who’s the winner.”

At his derisive snort, she gave him a challenging stare. “What? Afraid you won’t win?”

His old competitive streak raged back full force. “Prepare for defeat!”

“Ha! And…go!” she shouted as the music changed to the classic Beatles song.

The room filled with their sour notes and laughter. They bumped and grinded, gearing up toward the rousing finale. The music reached its crescendo, and Alex grabbed Mandy’s hand to lead her into a spin. Then they crashed together and no one was laughing anymore.

Time slowed as he stared down into her wide blue eyes. With each breath, her breasts grazed his chest. He shifted closer, his hips pressing into hers, craving her warmth more than he craved oxygen. Mandy was beautiful, brilliant, everything he’d always wanted and nothing he allowed himself to have.

Until now.

Pulled by an invisible cord, he leaned closer, closer…

The song ended and Mandy stepped back, swallowing the last of her ale. “I win.”

His heart raced a mile a minute, and his tongue felt thick. “I’m, uh, going to bed.”

A total cop-out, he knew, but these days he was all about safety over adventure.

Behind him, Mandy clicked off the TV. “Me too.”

“Good night.” He stopped near the bottom of the steps, hanging onto the banister for balance. “That was fun. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Her smile made his heart ache. “Night.”