The Standby Guy (Men of Lakeside)

by Natasha Moore

  “You still want black and gray?” Burger asked. “No color?”

  She nodded.

  While Burger prepped her arm, she focused on Carter. He chatted away, reminding her of the time Sean had come home from school and wanted to get a tattoo.

  She grinned at Burger and told him, “He was only twelve, and I explained to him he had to wait until he was eighteen.”

  “Hmm.” Carter tilted his head. “Wonder if he’ll come back from college and surprise us with his first tat.”

  Before today, she probably would have freaked out about it. “Well, if he does, I can’t say anything about it, can I?”

  “Who was it that talked him into dyeing his hair green instead?”

  “Jason Nowicki’s sister.” She chuckled. “Sean thought he was being so rebellious. And I guess he was for a while. God, I’m so glad to be done with all that.”

  “Katie?” Burger’s voice broke into their conversation.

  “Yes?”

  He pointed to her arm. The tracing of the tattoo took up most of the space between her wrist and elbow. “How does that look? Placement good?”

  Last chance to change her mind. But the excitement won out over the nerves. No way was she backing out now. It still looked bigger than she’d envisioned, but it looked like it belonged. “I love it.”

  “I’m ready to start, Katie. People have varying thresholds of pain, but I have a feeling you’re going to do fine. Try not to move. If you need me to stop for any reason, just let me know.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be still.” She didn’t realize she’d tightened her grip on Carter’s hand until he winced. “Sorry,” she whispered and loosened her grasp.

  The buzz from the tattoo machine almost made her jump, but she squeezed Carter’s hand again. It sounded like a gazillion bees buzzing in the room. “Ready?” Burger asked her.

  “Yep.” She hoped she sounded upbeat and excited, but in her head she was saying, “Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  Then her arm felt as if it were being stung by every one of those bees.

  …

  Carter did his best not to wince while Katie squeezed his fingers like a vice. She smiled up at him and was doing a pretty good job of keeping the discomfort off her face. He glanced over to the tattoo machine, to the needles forcing ink into Katie’s skin. It was fascinating in a macabre sort of way, but he’d rather look at Katie’s face than the needles. Her eyes were closed now, her face tight, teeth clenched.

  The foolish daydream he’d had only a few minutes ago, that he and Katie could possibly settle down together, even get married and raise a family together? That went up in smoke when they reminisced about Sean.

  I’m so glad to be done with all that.

  Of course she was. She’d had her child young and had already finished raising him. Why would she want to start all over again? She wouldn’t. She’d just said so.

  Burger was wiping some of the excess ink off her arm, and Carter got a better look at the art appearing on her skin. It was going to be beautiful. But as if he needed it driven home any more clearly, all he had to do was look at the words she was having inked into her skin. My Time. It didn’t get any clearer than that.

  He didn’t know why the thought of them having a family had popped into his head anyway. Must be the damned pretending-to-be-dating thing that had him all messed up.

  Katie’s killer grip had loosened. Her eyes were still closed, and she wore a big smile on her face now. She must have gotten used to the pain.

  “Endorphins,” Burger said softly.

  “What?”

  “Endorphins. The body’s natural pain reliever. She’s doing fine.”

  “I’m feeling great. It’s just a little scratchy.” Her eyes flew open. She gave Carter a wide smile and then glanced down to see how her tattoo was progressing. “Oh, it’s so pretty.”

  “It’s still going to be a while. Do you need to take a break?”

  “I’m fine. How about you?”

  “I could do this all night,” Burger said with a grin. “Carter, you can pull up a stool if you want.”

  He grabbed a stool like the one Burger was using and rolled up to Katie. She reached for his hand again.

  “Has anyone told you it’s so nice to see you two as a real couple? Finally.” Burger kept his focus on the tattoo, the buzzing a constant sound. “You know some people in town think you’ve been a couple right along, secretly shacking up in those houses side by side.”

  “What?” Katie cried out.

  Carter stiffened. Was she so horrified at the thought of being with him?

  “Don’t move,” Burger said smoothly.

  “Sorry. But you shouldn’t say something like that and not expect me to react. Are you saying people have been talking behind our backs, saying we’ve been sneaking around with my son right there in the house?”

  “I think most people are thinking good for you.” Burger paused to wipe more ink off her skin.

  Carter wasn’t all that surprised. People liked to spread the most sensational gossip they could think of, and unfortunately a lot of folks liked to believe any rumors. He squeezed Katie’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. The people who know us would never think that. They know the truth.”

  Burger stopped and shrugged. “We’ve all heard about friends with benefits.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. “That is so funny you can’t even begin to imagine. Sounds like the tattoo parlor is as mired in gossip as Bud’s Bar and Grill and Shirley’s Hair Salon.”

  “Gossip is everywhere, Katie. Just wanted to give you two a heads-up.”

  “Well, you can tell everyone that we’re just friends. That’s all we’ve ever been.”

  Burger snickered.

  “Until recently,” Carter added quickly. He’d learned a long time ago that you really couldn’t fight the rumor mill; all you could do was give it something else to talk about.

  They talked about other things until Burger had finished Katie’s tattoo. She was beaming when she looked at the finished art that would decorate her arm forever. Tears gleamed in her eyes. “I love it, Burger. Thank you.”

  “Badass,” Carter told her. She looked so happy. Proud. And as he watched her beam, he felt as if she was taking another giant step away from him.

  Burger wrapped it and gave her a sample of a cream to promote healing. She gave him a big hug when he was done.

  The sun had gone down while they were inside. They got into his car, and he turned to her. “Does it hurt?”

  “Not as much as I thought it would.”

  “Still up to getting something to eat?”

  “Yeah. I’m starving. Barbecue sounds amazing. But can you turn on the light in here for a minute?”

  “Sure.” Carter flipped the switch and watched as Katie pulled her notebook out of her purse, grabbed a pen, and drew a big checkmark on one of the pages.

  Chapter Eight

  Katie had attended the Colburns’ Labor Day picnic nearly every year since she’d started dating Tim. Because he’d been Carter’s best friend, he was always included. After he died, Katie felt privileged to be counted among the Colburns’ family and close friends. This was the first time, however, she’d walked into the backyard holding the hand of a Colburn man.

  She’d been here so often that she hadn’t expected it to feel so different this time. She remembered that the first year without Tim had been awkward, too, but she didn’t like feeling awkward now, coming with Carter. It had to be because they were pretending to be in a relationship and lying to all their friends and family.

  Donna and Chuck Colburn had raised their three sons in an old Victorian house on the outskirts of Lakeside, surrounded by a couple of acres of property. Katie had picked a lot of apples off the trees in the little orchard out back. The memory of helping Sean do the same before he was too old to climb the branches brought a few bittersweet tears to her eyes.

  As an only child, she envied the clos
eness and sometimes craziness she witnessed when she was their guest. A couple of dozen people gathered in a few small groups, drinks in hand. A portable canopy had been set up for when people wanted to get out of the sun. Several grills were lined up near the deck. Beckett, Noah, and a couple of other guys stood nearby.

  “Katie! Carter!” Donna Colburn dashed down the deck stairs and met them in the middle of the backyard. The long, warm embrace from Carter’s mother made a few more tears prickle her eyelids.

  “Oh, I’m so happy for you two. I always hoped you’d get together.”

  Keep it simple. Katie stepped away, her stomach twisting. She didn’t want to have to keep lying to these wonderful people. “Well, we’ve only had a couple of dates, so…”

  Donna grinned. “That’s how it starts.” Her eyes widened, and she grabbed Katie’s arm. She’d obviously noticed the tattoo. “What’s this? Oh, it’s lovely.”

  “Thanks. It’s brand new.” Katie was supposed to protect it from the sun, so she’d put a long-sleeved shirt in the zippered tote Carter was carrying. Aside from her shirt, it held a container of oatmeal raisin cookies she’d brought.

  Donna studied the tattoo for a minute and then let her glance bounce between Katie and Carter. “I wish I were brave enough to do that.”

  “Oh, well…” No one had ever called her brave before.

  “Mom? You want to get a tattoo?” Carter sounded gobsmacked.

  Carter’s mom shot him a mischievous smile. Then she slipped her arm around Katie’s waist and turned her toward the house. “Come on, Carter,” she called over her shoulder. “Come say hi to your pop.”

  A half dozen kids ran screaming past them. Katie remembered those days, when she could never fully enjoy a get-together because she had to keep an eye on Sean all the time. She couldn’t tell who was chasing who today. Or if they were just embracing the joy of running. Right now she was glad she didn’t have to watch them every second or worry about who was going to get hurt.

  She climbed the stairs to the deck with Donna, Carter right behind them. His dad sat in his wheelchair surrounded by a group of friends in their late sixties and seventies. Katie recognized most of them.

  “Hey, Pop,” Carter said.

  “So you finally got that girl before she found someone else,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Wondered when you were going to smarten up.”

  Was Burger right? Had everyone already paired them up behind their backs? It felt more than weird to think that his family had.

  Carter took Katie’s hand and brought it up to his lips for a quick kiss. “Yep.”

  Shivers ran along her skin, buzzing her lips and other spots on her body. She liked those shivers a lot. What was happening to her? She couldn’t forget the touches and kisses were just for show.

  “Hi, Pop,” she said. Everyone called Chuck Colburn “Pop.” She gently pulled her hand from Carter’s, then leaned over and dropped a kiss to Pop’s cheek.

  “Katie, my dear. You are a sight for sore eyes.” He’d been more of a father to her after her dad passed away than any of the men her mother had married.

  Carter put his hand on the small of her back, a light touch, as if he just wanted to keep the connection. She trembled and instinctively leaned into him. He rubbed her back gently as they said hello to the others they knew in the group. Just the tips of his fingers making lazy circles on her back. It was an easy touch. Not comfort so much as recognition. Familiarity, but more than “friend” casualness. More like “friends with benefits” intimacy.

  Did he want to have benefits with her? Was this some kind of practice? Or was it simply for show?

  “Have you met Anita’s parents?” Donna gestured to the handsome man with thick salt-and-pepper hair and the well-dressed woman with a big smile sitting next to Pop. “Tony and Patty Delgado. They’re old friends.”

  “You do not have to put so much emphasis on the old,” Tony Delgado said with a laugh. His thick accent reminded Katie that Anita’s father was from Spain, and he was now here in the States to help take care of his ex-wife Patty, who suffered from Alzheimer’s.

  “This is our middle son, Carter, and his girlfriend, Katie.”

  “It’s great to meet you,” Katie said. “I like Anita a lot.”

  “Are you still living in Philadelphia?” Carter asked.

  “Yes. Anita mentioned this picnic, which your family has every year and asked if I…if we could come. This will be the longest Patty has been away from the memory care facility. If it goes well, I hope we can stay in Lakeside longer when we come back for the wedding.”

  Beckett appeared and clamped his hand on Carter’s shoulder. “I’m the man and don’t you forget it.”

  Katie turned to Carter with a curious frown. He jabbed his brother with his elbow. “Ignore him. He thinks he should be Noah’s best man. And I told him it was going to be me.”

  Donna laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh for heaven’s sake. You boys will find anything to fight about.”

  “If your oldest son would make up his mind and let us know,” Carter said, “then we wouldn’t have to fight about it.”

  “You’d find something else,” Donna said with a sigh.

  “She’s right, of course, but that’s not what I’m talking about this time.” Beck laughed and slapped Carter on the back. “I’m talking about being the best man at your wedding.”

  Carter cleared his throat and glanced at Katie. “It’s way too early to be talking about weddings.”

  “We’ve only had a couple dates,” Katie said in a rush. She’d never thought his family would take things this seriously. “We don’t know—”

  “You’ve known each other forever. What more do you need to know?” There was a buzz of agreement from the group around them.

  Carter stiffened. “This isn’t the time, Beck.”

  “Hey, I’ve got it.” Beckett laughed and elbowed Carter. “Why don’t you and Noah have a double wedding and then I’ll have to be the best man?”

  Everyone laughed, but Katie didn’t feel like joining in. What would all these people think if they knew she and Carter were only pretending to be dating? That she wasn’t really his girlfriend? That they were lying to everyone they loved?

  Pop shook his finger at Beck. “You shouldn’t talk about weddings before the man has proposed. It’s bad luck. Not to mention rude.”

  “Sorry, Pop.” But Beckett grinned mischievously at them before he trotted back down the stairs.

  Carter took Katie’s hand and tugged her away from the group. “Ignore Beck. He’s always been a pain.”

  “I know.” But it was so hard to ignore.

  “Pop is doing so well today. His speech seems clearer. I think he does better when he’s around people. I don’t think it’s good for him to be here alone all day every day with only Carrie around.”

  “His mind is certainly working fine,” Katie agreed. “I’d think chatting with customers would be good for him. That’s if the thought doesn’t make him too anxious. If he hates it, if he’s too embarrassed or stressed, it’s not going to help him at all.”

  “You’re right. We won’t know unless we try. That’s one of those things Pop used to drill into our heads. I’m going to talk with Beck and Noah about bringing him in once or twice a week to start. Just to visit, you know. If things work out, we could offer Carrie some work in the office on the days Pop’s there. She might be willing to pick up some of the odd office jobs that need doing. It’ll be extra money on top of what she gets as Pop’s aide, and we’d get the extra work done.”

  “You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?”

  “Worthington was in again the other day, and we agreed on some more services I can handle for him. The extra wages for Carrie won’t be a problem. It might work out.”

  “I think it sounds like a good idea.”

  “Let’s see if we can catch Noah and Beck before the meat gets on the grill.” Carter took her hand again like it was the most natu
ral thing in the world.

  It felt like the most natural thing in the world. And that couldn’t be good.

  “Look at you all dressed up,” Carter said to Noah when they reached his brothers. Carter and Beck, like most of the guys there, were wearing casual shorts and tees—Katie was too for that matter. Noah’s khaki shorts appeared to have been pressed, and he wore a short-sleeved white, buttoned-down shirt. “You’re going to get filthy manning the grill in that outfit. Or are you here only as mayor today? Going to leave the grilling to Beck and me?”

  Noah seemed distracted. He smiled at Carter and Katie, but he didn’t take the bait. But then he never seemed to squabble like Carter and Beckett did. His gaze kept sweeping over the place. Probably looking for his fiancée.

  “Well, I think you look handsome,” Katie said, and Noah returned her smile. “Where’s Anita? I haven’t seen her yet.”

  “I think she’s inside. She should be out soon.” Noah kept glancing toward the house, as if he could will the woman he loved to get out there and be with him. Katie felt a little twinge of envy even as she reminded herself that she wasn’t looking for someone to love.

  “Hey, guys,” Carter said. “Got a minute? I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure,” Beck said. Then he noticed Katie’s arm. “Hey. Nice tat. When did you get that?”

  Beck wore full sleeves on both arms. He’d gotten all the ink back in his wild days.

  “A few days ago. I love it.”

  Beck nodded. “Still hurt much?”

  “Hardly at all.” It was like a mild sunburn. She’d thought it was going to hurt much worse. She’d already started thinking about getting another, but she hadn’t told anyone that. It was liberating to know she didn’t have to tell anyone about it. That she could plan anything she wanted and she didn’t have to run it by anyone else first.

  “Did Burger do it for you?”

  She nodded. “He was great.” Looking around the crowd there, she couldn’t help remembering what the tattoo artist had told them. How many people here thought she and Carter had been friends with benefits for years?