Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
T roy couldn’t be more pleased with Nathan’s reaction. That was worth more than the resounding applause he received.
Gideon clapped his hands loudly for everyone’s attention. “Thanks so much to Troy Harrington and Michaela Killian for sharing their stories with us.” His eyes grew shiny with what might have been tears. “You two are amazing. Thank you.”
Troy felt the warmth in those words.
Then Gideon spread his arms. “It’s time for bowling,” he called. “Go next door and grab your shoe size.”
As the kids dashed for the door, Gideon approached Troy, his hand out. When Troy took it, Gideon pulled him into a man hug, then stepped back. “That was freaking amazing. Nathan has been a hard case all along. But you softened him up.”
“I can’t take all the credit.” Troy held out his hand to Michaela. When she walked over, he thought she might take his offered hand, but she didn’t even look at it.
Yet her words were like a balm to his soul. “You were incredible. I’ve never seen anyone take over a room the way you did.”
Her words meant more than all his gold medals. “It was your story that swayed Nathan and the rest of them. With you, they saw a way to open up all the possibilities.”
She snorted like Nathan. “Don’t be silly. It was all you.” But she blushed at his compliment.
He wanted to catch her up in his arms and swing her around.
Gideon took her hands in his. “Thank you. You don’t know how much it means to these kids when people like you are willing to share so much of themselves.” He hugged her, too, more than a man hug. Then he asked, “Are you two bowling with us?”
Troy didn’t want the evening to end. “I’m game if you are,” he said to Michaela.
Gideon cajoled as if Michaela were a holdout. “Come on, you guys, we’ve got enough for five teams.”
Troy tried to will her to say yes.
Then Rosie said, “Yeah, Michaela, we need to make up a girls’ team.”
Troy wanted to punch the air when Michaela said, “If you put it that way, how can I turn it down?” She looped her arm through Rosie’s, and the two women headed over to pick out their shoes.
He and Gideon followed. “You’ve got to do this again,” Gideon said with all sincerity. “I’ve never seen a group so energized.”
As they picked up bowling shoes, Troy asked, “You don’t think Will’s going to mind helping Nathan?”
Gideon made a what-the-heck face. “Hell no. He lives for that kind of stuff.” Then he elbowed Troy lightly. “And you know Jeremy will get in there too. Cars are his thing.”
Troy knew that was how Will had met Harper—because Jeremy had seen his cars and wanted to ride in one. Will was the kind of guy who would help out any young person. In fact, all the Mavericks would, just as Troy’s brothers and sisters would.
“You know, we have a wealth of knowledge between the Harringtons and the Mavericks. You need to call on all of us more.”
As they put on their shoes, Gideon said, “You’re right. And I will in the future. We should get Connie, the girl interested in AI robotics, together with Matt.”
They started making plans. But Troy couldn’t keep his eyes off Michaela. She and Rosie chattered away like besties.
They managed to form two girls’ teams. Following Troy’s gaze, Gideon said, “You know, they’re going to be good. We’ll have to watch out.”
Troy wondered which would be more fun—to be on Michaela’s team or to bowl against her.
Dylan grabbed Gideon and Troy for his team, along with Nathan, then he shouted, “Game on.”
The next two hours involved a lot of screaming, shouting, laughing, and mock crying. Troy wasn’t a bowler, and his scores weren’t great, but he did manage to get three strikes. His lackluster performance was beaten by Gideon. Surprisingly, Michaela had more strikes than Troy. So did Rosie.
Troy leaned close to his teammates. “I suck. The girls are way better.”
Dylan high-fived him anyway. So did Nathan, who said, “But we’ve got Gideon, the secret weapon.”
Troy adored watching Michaela as she bounced and laughed and punched the air whenever she knocked down a lot of pins. She’d never laughed or smiled that much for him, but tonight, with her teammates, she was beautiful and exuberant, jumping up and down when any of them had a spare or a strike.
When Gideon called, “Watch out, Rosie, Isabella is heading toward the lane,” all the activity stopped.
But instead of crawling into the lane, Isabella went straight for a bowling ball.
Troy marveled, “That girl crawls faster than a speeding car.”
Rosie ran to her, then stopped two steps away as Isabella grabbed the edge of the ball return and pulled herself up.
She patted the smallest ball one of the girls had been using, laughing and chirping as though she was trying to say something.
Then she toddled four steps toward her mother before she plopped to her knees.
Rosie cried, “Oh my God, her first steps. That’s crazy.”
Troy hooted. “There you have it, folks. A champion bowler in the making.”
Every person in the bowling alley cheered, even the vets who’d come along to watch.
He was going to kiss her. Michaela knew it.
She just didn’t know what she’d do when he tried.
It had been such a fabulous evening. As they drew closer to her office, she had to say again, “You were amazing with those kids.”
It was dark in the car, but she thought maybe he blushed. “Thank you. Gideon’s asked me to come back for the next group when they’re aging out.”
With all the enthusiasm she felt, she said, “You have to do it. You inspired each and every one of them. They all have dreams, but I’m not sure many of them have ever voiced their dreams before. Or acknowledged they have them. But you got them to do it.”
She wasn’t lying to stroke his ego. What he’d done was incredible.
“And Gideon Jones,” she went on. “I can’t believe what he’s done with his youth centers. All the help he’s giving those young people.”
Troy turned onto Santa Cruz Avenue, heading to her office.
“He has a pretty amazing story too. Right out of high school, he went into the Army. While he was out of the country, he completely lost track of his sister Ari when she went into foster care after their mother died. It took them years to find each other again. That’s why he helps both veterans and foster kids, because of what he and his sister went through.
He’s never said it, but he’s got some PTSD from when several of his comrades were killed in action. ”
“I didn’t know all that. I only knew about the painting your brother bought, which is how he started the foundation.”
“He’s a pretty incredible guy.” Then he asked, “Where are you parked?”
“There’s a garage under the office building.” She pointed. “Turn in there.”
He pulled in beside her car, one of the few left in the garage.
Oh God. He’d do it now, she was sure.
But instead of jumping her, Troy asked, “What were you and Rosie talking about?”
It felt like a reprieve. “Gloria Madden is very interested in Rosie’s art. I’m getting the two of them together.”
“The billionaire matchmaker strikes again.”
“I like to bring together people with mutual interests.” But his words pleased her.
“That’s your knack.” He reached out to tap her temple. “You have this Rolodex in your brain, and you spin it and bring people together.”
He smiled so sweetly, reminding her of exactly how good he’d tasted.
Half of her brain—she didn’t know whether it was the left or the right—shouted for him not to kiss her.
But the other half—okay, that had to be the right side—chanted, Please, please, kiss me .
“I’ll watch until you drive away. So I know you’re safe.”
But he did not kiss her .
Why not? Was this a test? Maybe he was waiting for her to kiss him. If she did, she’d be lost. Completely, totally, utterly.
Or maybe she already was.
But she listened to her left brain. “Thank you so much for a wonderful evening.” And opened the car door.
True to his word, he watched until she drove away.
While her right brain was still screaming for that kiss.
He should have kissed her. He’d planned on it, had dreamed about it for four days.
But if he’d kissed her, he wouldn’t have been able to stop. He would have begged her to come home with him. Holy hell, he might even have begged her to climb into the back seat with him. And he did not want his first time with Michaela Killian to be in a parking garage.
But he’d seen it all in her eyes. She’d wanted him to kiss her. Maybe even as badly as he wanted to.
Was it a strategic move not to? Or just plain stupid?
He began planning their next date.
“What fun thing should we do this weekend, Mom?” Michaela loved doing fun things with her mother—shopping, thrifting, hiking. Flo was as avid a hiker as she was.
She needed to do something to take her mind off the fact that Troy hadn’t kissed her on Wednesday night or called her since, not even to ask if she’d found the perfect date for Gabby. Which she hadn’t. Yet. No one seemed exactly right.
Flo had made a delicious beef bourguignon for their Friday night dinner, complemented by a tasty red wine.
Then Michaela noticed her mother’s blush. Flo was blushing . It was unheard of. Maybe even crazy.
She immediately said, “What’s wrong?”
Flo cleared her throat.
“Are you coming down with something?”
Holding up her hand, her mother shook her head. “No. I’m fine.” But that blush didn’t recede. “Actually…” She paused, as if she had to gather her thoughts. Then she rushed on. “I’ve got a date tomorrow night.”
Michaela stared. Completely flabbergasted, all she could say was, “A date ?”
Flo lifted her chin like a defiant teenager and said calmly, purposefully, “Yes. I have a date.”
Michaela suddenly heard how she’d sounded. Judgmental. Maybe even disapproving. And she jumped in to correct her error. “A date. That’s great.”
Flo had never let her matchmake for her. But now she’d finally matched herself.
“Who is he?” The plumber they’d had over the other day? Someone she’d met at the grocery store? A neighbor in their complex?