Chapter 2 #4
No, probably not. At least not at first. “Does she do that often?”
This time with her jaw tight, she repeated, “What?”
Damn, their reactions were both funny. “Try to steal the show.”
“There’s no try to it. Laylee gets the lion’s share of attention just by existing.”
Not how he saw it, but trying to imagine it from her point of view, he understood. “Maybe because the second she shows up, you retreat. Don’t think I didn’t notice.” Even with his gaze on the road, he felt the keen attention his words got.
“You think I retreated?”
“Seriously? You gave her the stage.” He expected her to deny it, but instead she pondered.
“Maybe I do. Habit from long ago and all that.”
It wasn’t until they were approaching the shelter that she spoke again. “You have a beautiful car.”
“Thanks.” He glanced around the interior of his Mercedes. “You know, I’d prefer a kickass truck like Knox’s, but being a pharmaceutical rep means looking the part.”
Her brows twitched together. “You can’t just drive whatever you want?” Before he could answer, she twisted in her seat to partially face him. “I’m curious about your job. You seem to have odd hours.”
Aha. He tried not to gloat, but it wasn’t easy. “I thought you didn’t make note of my comings and goings.”
“With women,” she specified. “I have noticed that sometimes you’re home more, and other times you’re gone all day.”
“My schedule changes a lot. I’m usually up by six, and by seven I’m either making calls from home or heading out to medical offices or hospitals to meet with doctors before they start seeing patients.
Probably half my day is spent traveling to meetings with physicians, pharmacists, staff, or other clients.
I can usually sneak in an hour or two of gym time, and when I can’t, I jog when I get home. ”
“Or swim laps in your pool.”
Another aha. “Noticed that, too, did you?”
“Don’t act like I’m spying on you.” She fought a grin. “There’s not a lot of distance between our houses. When I’m home and the windows are open, I hear you splashing.”
She made him sound like a kid. Oddly, he didn’t mind that.
“Swimming is a nice switch to my routine, at least in the summer. Not so much in the fall, winter, or spring.” To wrap it up, he explained, “I usually bring my lunch to a doctor’s office.
It gives me a chance to share drug samples and product brochures.
Around all that I make more calls, either to set up meetings, or chat with my manager to discuss strategies. ”
“Wow, you’re busy.”
Unsure what to make of that observation, he shrugged. “I’m often a sales leader at the company.” Often enough to irk others and to get ribbed by his friends for being an overachiever. With a quick frown, he wondered if he should have mentioned it. Did it sound like bragging?
When she said nothing, he tried to correct any false assumptions. “I’m competitive, but I don’t mind when someone else takes the spot.” Not much, anyway. “I’ve helped some of the others with ideas or given them some leads when I need a little more free time.”
As if she didn’t understand what a sacrifice that was, she teased. “Free time for women.”
It struck him that she was right, but not the way she meant. He had freed up time, but not always for dating. “I meant time for friends, and some of them are women . . . like Lucy. She’s just one of the guys.”
“She said that to me.”
“It’s true. We all like sports, and so does she, but we’re really into MMA. That’s Bray’s sport, and he’s good.”
Interested, she angled toward him. “I’ve never watched it, but it sounds fascinating.”
“Lucy could tell you all about it. She’s this awesome mix of knowledgeable sports fan, competitor, and homemaker.”
“I can see why you enjoy spending time with her.”
He’d given up leads to hang out with his friends. “Lucy adds something to the mix. Great female company with all the perks—minus anything sexual.” Smile going crooked, he admitted, “It’s something of a novel experience for me.”
Instead of laughing with him, she grew serious. “You said you don’t have siblings, but what about other female relatives? Like an aunt or cousin?”
No relatives at all. It’d be weirdly uncomfortable to admit that though, so he only shook his head. “None that I know of.”
“Well, sounds to me like your friends are the same as family, only better.”
“You think?” He didn’t know enough about real family to make the judgment. To his heart though, Marcus, Bray, and Knox were his brothers.
“Sure. All the fun and none of the baggage.”
Did Skye have a lot of baggage with her family? “We all get together for the televised fights, and Lucy always brings something to eat. Good stuff, like really filling finger food and homemade cookies.”
“Ah, so she won you over with food.”
Being honest, he said, “It was everything about her, really. She fit with us, you know? For a while, she and Marcus tried to pretend they were only friends.” A few memories had him grinning. “Right up until Marcus couldn’t take it. It was fun to watch them explode.”
“Explode?”
“Go all hot and heavy on each other. To tease him, we each pretended to get closer to her, too. Poor Lucy didn’t know what to think.” Remembering Lucy’s background, he sobered. “She had a rough start in life, but now she’s as happy as anyone can be.”
Not bothering to hide her fascination, Skye asked, “And Karen?”
“She had a super-creepy stalker.” Karen had always been private about her experience, so usually he wouldn’t have mentioned it.
He was still surprised that she’d told Skye.
“When she asked Bray for help, she found out that he’d do anything for her.
He already loved her. All he’d needed was an opening to show it. ”
Skye sighed dramatically. “They seem really happy now.”
“They are.” Marcus and Bray had the forever kind of marriages. He was glad for them—and he envied their contentment.
After a brief hesitation, she asked, “Did it change the dynamic of your group? Marcus and Bray getting married, I mean.”
“A little. Lucy was already a part of things, but she wasn’t a wife. I guess we treated her a little different after their marriage.” He thought about it and grinned. “Not much though.”
“Good. I don’t think she’d want any of you to change.”
“Probably not. Karen was a little more reserved, definitely quieter than the rest of us.” She was warming up to them though, little by little, letting down her guard. “We get together less often now, but it’s okay because sometimes there are six of us, and sometimes it’s just Knox and me.”
“Ford and Knox,” she mused aloud. “Makes me think of Fort Knox.”
“If you tell Knox that, he’ll probably have shirts made, just to irk me.”
When she laughed, he warned, “I’ll give you mine in front of him, then you’ll have to wear it.”
She pretended to wipe off her smile, but it remained, teasing those delectable lips of hers.
They had almost reached the shelter and so far, he’d done the majority of the talking. “What about you? What’s your job description?”
“I’m a merchandiser.”
The way she said it, he could tell she didn’t expect questions. “And that means . . . ?”
“Well, I used to work for a big department store chain, but that involved a lot of travel to trade shows and stuff, and I guess at heart I’m a homebody.”
A homebody sounded nice. “Like Lucy.”
“Minus the cooking skill. I can get by. Clearly, I’m not going hungry, right?”
Nope, he told himself. Resist glancing at her body. Keep your eyes on the road. “You look healthy, if that’s what you mean.”
She laughed. “I cook the basics, but I won’t be tempting hordes of hungry men anytime soon.”
Oh, he didn’t know about that. “Not sure you’d need culinary skill to do that.” Shit. Probably shouldn’t have said that, but it was hard to fight his natural instincts.
Surprise, and then puzzled pleasure showed on her face. “Thank you.”
Concentrate on your driving. The seconds ticked by, not really uncomfortable, but still . . . “I can cook.” He said it, then wondered if it sounded like more bragging. “Basics, I mean. Working the grill. Breakfast. That sort of thing.”
“Same. Living alone, there’s not a lot of reason for a complicated meal.”
“Guess not.” And damn it, didn’t that sound lonely? For him at least. She didn’t seem lonely at all. “Do you miss big home-cooked meals?”
“Sometimes. Pot roast with potatoes and carrots.” She hummed a sound of appreciation. “Fried chicken. A pot of chili. Some meals are just better homemade. Luckily, close to where I work now, there’s a little family-owned restaurant that serves traditional dinners.”
She was making him hungry—and not just for food. “So you switched jobs?”
“After I bought the house, I took a position with Helen’s Boutiques.”
“That’s a little ritzy place downtown, right?”
She nodded. “The first store was opened by Helen Montgomery, who was great-grandmother to the current owners. They have six stores now, all in the tristate area, Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and parts of Indiana, all run by family members. Luckily, I only have to do serious travel a few times a year. It helps that a lot of the buying is done online now. The trade shows are still helpful so I can see the quality and fit of some pieces.” Lacking enthusiasm, she said, “I have to watch a lot of fashion shows to see what’s up-and-coming.
Not all of it works for a rural area like ours, but colors and patterns can trend everywhere. ”
“You have great style, so I’m sure that work is a perfect fit for you.”
Again, she appeared nonplussed by the compliment. “I’m actually considered the unfashionable one in my family. Most of my relatives favor striking colors.”
“And you’d rather blend in?”
“Something like that.”
Not that she ever could. The understated colors and casual vibe of her clothes only made her more appealing. “Being different is good.” He was certainly different from his parents.
He wondered what her fashionable sister did, but refused to ask. He had a feeling that Skye expected him to, that she thought he’d be more interested in Laylee than in her. Not a chance. He knew plenty of women like Laylee.
Not sure he’d ever met anyone like Skye.
“We’re here.” He pulled into the shelter, aware of her leaning forward to look out the windshield in excitement. She had a beautiful profile—and he was pretty sure her long hair would be factoring into a few fantasies for him. “Ready?”
Nodding, she opened her door and stepped out. A couple of dogs were in the right-side yard with volunteers, others in enclosed runs on the opposite side.
Her gaze bounced around everywhere. “Is it silly that I’m nervous?”
“Not silly at all.” Drawn to her, he put a hand to the small of her back and guided her in. “I’ve been here before. Did I tell you that?”
She stopped to stare at him. “You have?”
“Knox told you he volunteers here.”
Her smile slipped into place. “And where he goes, you go?”
“Something like that.” Knox was often a good influence.
“When they were training new volunteers, I joined in, but I don’t have time to take part often.
” And he felt guilty as hell about it. “Sometimes it feels like I spend so much time working—driving, meeting, and making calls—that I barely have time to keep up with the guys.”
“That’s why you don’t mind that Marcus and Bray married.”
He laughed. “Minding wouldn’t have done me much good, not the way they feel about their wives, but the truth is, I’m happy for them.
Like you said, for me they’re family.” For the others, getting together and staying in touch might not be such a big deal.
Knox had a doting mom and dad that he was close to.
Marcus had his adoptive parents, and now Lucy.
Bray had not only his adoptive parents and Karen, but his impressive fight family, too.
In comparison, Ford didn’t have . . . anyone.
The important people in his life were associated with his friends. Their families. Their wives.
He couldn’t claim to miss his mother and father. Even when he’d lived with them, they’d been nothing more than strangers existing under the same roof. What he missed was the idea of them. Of having roots. Someone who would think of him and worry a little.
And care.
Someone to include him in a home-cooked meal.
“Ford.” Skye touched her fingertips to his upper arm. “I was only teasing. I know you’re happy for them. I can see how close you all are.”