Jack continued to work on the back screen door, making sure to show plenty of demonstrations of affection. If he walked by on the way to the garage because he needed a screw or a nail, he’d stop by and nuzzle Fallon’s neck, or come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. He was incredibly good at this faking thing and had Fallon believing it too. It felt like she’d actually known him for six months already. It was plain weird.
“My God,” Mom said after Jack left the room. She flipped open the oven and took out another tray of Snickerdoodles. “I guess I was wrong about barflies. Didn’t think you could meet a decent man in a bar, of all places.”
Hold the presses: her mother had just admitted she might be wrong.
“Maybe you’re not wrong. Maybe I just got lucky.”
That much was one hundred percent true. He’d apprehended a criminal for her, agreed to go to a wedding and pretend he was crazy about her, taken her on the road trip of a lifetime, and last night made her eyes roll to the back of her head.
She swallowed a laugh, wondering what her mother would say if she knew how they’d actually met. You see, he was dressed as Santa Claus and had a would-be burglar pinned on the ground. He specifically told me he had no plans, so he was wide open and available. It was his crazy idea to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, which took us two days, but I’ll never regret it as long as I live.
“Done with the screen door,” Jack announced as he strode into the kitchen. “The sink is next.”
“Thank you! Here’s a cookie for your troubles.” Mom handed him a fresh baked Snickerdoodle from the tray.
Fallon turned to study him as he took a bite out of it. He eyed her as if he’d like to take a bite out of her too and then winked. “Good.”
Jack finished the rest of the cookie in two bites, then stepped toward Fallon and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her, letting her savor him for a split second. The taste of sugar and cinnamon and Jack hit her like a fist to the heart.
“See you ladies in a bit.” He walked off in the direction of the downstairs bathroom.
Mom stared at Fallon. “He’s crazy about you.”
No. He was very good at faking being crazy about her. She’d sort of won the lottery there. Fallon opened her mouth to say something and then shut it. Let her mother believe it. It had been the plan all along. Fallon dropped another spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough on the cookie sheet.
“I owe you an apology,” Mom said. “I honestly thought you’d made him up. You’ve been acting odd since Ted sent his Save the Date. And when you told me you’d been dating someone special so you couldn’t possibly go out with Trudy’s nephew, I really thought you’d made the guy up. Bud? It’s like you thought up a name on the spot. But I’ll be darned if he’s not as real as this butter, and you are a lucky, lucky woman.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Fallon swallowed the golf ball sized lump in her throat. She wanted to be that lucky woman, not pretend to be her. Just once in her life she wanted a man that wanted her and her alone. Forever. Two years in L.A. and she hadn’t met anyone special until Jack. And in a town as small as Starlight Hill, she was not likely to find ‘the one.’ No, that ship had sailed. Three times.
Fallon took a deep breath. Now was as good a time as any other. “I’ve got some bad news. I didn’t want to worry you too much, but I lost my job.”
“Oh, dear.”
“It’s okay, though. I’ve got a lot saved up, and I’ll find another one.”
“Maybe now’s a good time to think about moving back. Rosie retired, after all.”
“Maybe.”
The Curl up and Dye wasn’t at all what Fallon had in mind for her salon, but maybe with a little work she could move the place forward and into the new millennium. New state of the art stools, mirrors and sinks. She could do a lot with the place, especially if the lease was reasonable.
It would be nice to be closer to David again.
And closer to Mom, who wasn’t always so bad.
14
“So cute,” Kailey said, sticking a bobby pin in a tiny ballerina’s bun. “I want a little girl.”
Kailey and Fallon were seated in temporary stations they’d fashioned out of plastic crates inside Miss Angela’s Dance Hall. The little Nutcracker ballerinas were getting ready for the parade and their march down Main Street following the Santa float. One by one the girls came up and made their requests. French braid, Princess Bun, ringlet curls, pink color spray.
“Don’t you have your hands full as it is?” Fallon covered a little ballerina’s eyes and finished her off with some hairspray.
Kailey and Joe had two boys, four and five. Tyler and Kyle were inseparable and about as wild as two boys came.
“Sure, but Joe wants a little girl too.”
“Joe wants whatever you want,” Fallon said with a smirk, as she waved the next ballerina forward.
“That’s true.” Kailey smiled with orgasmic glow.
“Where are those boys, anyway? I need to give them both a big fat smooch.”
“They’re with Joe and Wallace, trying to find the perfect spot to watch. The kids are excited to see Scott Turlock drive the ladder truck this year.” Kailey met Fallon’s eyes. “I’m so glad you’re home. How’s Hollywood?”
“Smoggy. But you were right. I got an education.”
Kailey had referred Fallon to the intensely stressful world of celebrity styling. And while she’d met enough interesting people to write a few tell-all memoirs, and raked in the money working on Rodeo Drive, she couldn’t say she’d lived the dream. She still hadn’t found a storefront in L.A. that didn’t cost so much she’d have to mortgage her entire future.
“I want a French braid,” said Lindsey Turlock from the front of the line. “Please.”
The girl was the image of her mother Genevieve, with beautiful naturally red hair flowing down to her shoulders. No matter how much of a color expert Fallon had become, this kind of color couldn’t be replicated in a bottle. She had already tried.
“Of course, sweetheart.” She missed seeing some of these kids almost as much as she missed David. They were growing up, and it was all happening so fast.
Fallon threaded the strands of hair one over the other. Under. Over. She could do this in her sleep, but she still loved it. Honestly, maybe she’d like a little girl too. Someday.
“Any more thoughts on taking over the lease on Rosie’s old salon?”
“I’m going to go take a look at it after the wedding.”
Kailey squealed. “Yay!”
“Don’t get too excited. I’m just going to check it out.”
It couldn’t hurt. Sure, it wasn’t what she’d had in mind. Her own top-tier celebrity salon on Rodeo Drive. The respect of everyone in the community for being a genuine semi-celebrity. For catering to the ‘stars.’ But she didn’t need the reassurance that she was ‘somebody’ anymore. All she needed was David, Mom, Kailey, and maybe someday someone special in her life again. This whole road trip with Jack had served to remind her, more than anything, that she’d been alone for too long. She’d let past failures determine her future. No more. It didn’t mean she had to get married again, but she was going to fall in love again.
“So where’s Jack right now?” Kailey asked.
“He’s around here somewhere,” Fallon said. “He drove us over in the Mustang, and Hank from the car shop started to bend his ear. You know, car-guy stuff. Asking about the car’s wattage or something.”
“And so this is really,” Kailey bent closer to whisper, “fake?”
“I met him a week ago. What do you think?”
“You’re talking to the girl who fell in love at first sight with Joe Hannigan. A week is plenty of time. I’m not the best person to answer that question.”
“Well, don’t forget you’re talking to a three-time loser.” Fallon leaned closer to Kailey, and gently covered Lindsey’s little ears. “But yes. Fake.”
“And you’re sure you want to keep it that
way? Because when it’s right, it’s right. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known each other.”
“It’s for the best. He’s the man with no plan, and I have David. I live by a plan.”
“I hope you are at least…enjoying yourself.” Kailey winked.
“Oh, yeah.” And she would very much like to enjoy herself again tonight. Twice.
“Where’s David tonight?” Kailey applied a little more rouge on a ballerina’s plump cheeks.
Fallon frowned. “The rehearsal dinner. Tonight, of all nights.”
“Poor kid.”
“I’ll make it up to him.”
She’d ordered several presents ahead of time to be delivered to her mother’s house, and they’d arrived weeks ago. An electric train set and Star Wars figures. PS2 video games, as he’d asked.
When it was time for the parade to begin, everyone spilled out onto Main Street. The streets were blocked off and the parade would begin there. Then it would work its way down Second and Third Street, before winding back to the beginning. Fallon searched for Jack in the crowd, but didn’t see him so she joined Kailey, Joe, their boys, and some of the rowdy Turlock crowd. The parade began with the Santa float and all the children hollered and waved at the man of the hour. Ballerinas followed, twirling and pirouetting as Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” piped through speakers propped up behind the float.
“Aw, they look adorable,” Kailey said.
“Good job, baby.” Joe swept Kailey up in a fierce kiss.
Fallon pushed aside the envy that coursed through her then, sharp and solid as a stone. She wanted that kind of enduring love.
“Look! It’s Uncle Scott!” Wallace and Genevieve’s son, Brandon, yelled.
Scott waved from the truck, surrounded on all sides by Starlight Hill’s finest. Five of the hunkiest guys she’d ever laid eyes on stood on the runners and waved to the crowd. Funny, but good looks notwithstanding, they did nothing for her. Then a red convertible Mustang with the top down, driven by none other than Jack Cooper, slowly followed the fire truck with a stuck-on placard that read Starlight Hill PD. Seated next to him was Riley Jacobs, the new chief of police.
“So that’s who Jacobs suckered into driving him tonight,” Joe said. “Apparently their float didn’t work out at the last minute.”
“That’s Jack Cooper.” Kailey pointed. “Fallon’s date.”
“I thought his name was Bud,” Joe said.
Fallon couldn’t speak. Jack looked so handsome sitting behind the wheel, a big grin on his face.
For a few minutes, she didn’t see anyone else at all.
“Hey, thanks for this, Jack. You really saved my ass,” Riley Jacobs said as he waved to the crowd.
Jack had given Riley his real name. Even though it seemed half the town was calling him ‘Bud,’ he couldn’t lie to a fellow cop. In the space of a few minutes, he’d learned Riley was a stand-up guy, an ex-Marine, and though a bit younger than Jack, he felt a connection. He wondered if he’d always feel that bond to other cops or if eventually it would wear off. Fallon waved to him from the crowd, her eyes more than a little wide in amazement. Something in the way she met his eyes then, like she couldn’t see anyone else, made his chest tight all over again.
“How long you been a cop?” Riley asked now.
“Still shows?”
“I could freak you out and say yes, but actually, there’s a rumor going around town that you’re a cop.”
He’d been in town two days. Fallon’s mother must have risen early this morning to broadcast it from a megaphone location somewhere. He had no words for a beat.
Riley laughed. “Small town. You get used to it.”
“Former cop,” Jack said, turning on Second Street right behind the ladder truck. “Not sure what I’m doing next. I’m burned out. Had enough. Been a cop since straight out of college.”
“I hear you. You might want to try small town police work some time. It’s more about service to the community than it is anything else.”
“Yeah. I love this kind of thing.”
But he couldn’t really see himself in a small town, not when he’d been L.A. born and bred. He assumed he’d get stir-crazy after too long. Then again, this was Fallon’s town. Beautiful, sexy Fallon. He couldn’t help but give it props just for that. Last night, their connection had floored him. He’d had great mind-blowing sex before, sure. But he’d never in his life had this off-the-charts chemistry with any woman. So much so that he had lost track of where fake ended and real began.
As they turned on Third Street and started to head back, Riley waved to a very pregnant woman in the crowd. She stood in front of a storefront that read Giancarlo’s.
“That’s my wife. Sophia.”
She seemed younger than Fallon, short with wavy brown hair. Not beautiful like Fallon but very pretty. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Riley said. “This is our first. Any day now.”
“How long you been married?” Jack forced himself to make casual conversation.
“Eight years now.”
“You must have been young.”
“Knew the first time I laid eyes on her. Proposed four weeks later. I won’t say it hasn’t been a bumpy ride, but I’ll never let go for as long as she’ll have me.”
The parade finally wound back to Main Street, and he and Riley went in different directions. Riley to find his wife and a cup of hot cocoa. It was a cold winter night in wine country, and Jack knew exactly who he wanted to warm him up. He parked the car, put the top back up, and then walked through the crowd until he found her next to a woman with two-toned colored hair.
“Jack, this is Kailey,” Fallon said.
“Nice to meet you!” Kailey gave him a hug. “It’s so awesome of you to be in the parade, being a visitor and all. That’s sort of above and beyond duty.”
“That’s his specialty,” Fallon said with a smile. “Above and beyond.”
He grinned, his thoughts running to last night. “No worries, I love to help out when I can.”
Though he’d had a good time tonight, he definitely wanted to get out of here and get Fallon into bed. He’d kept count of the days left, though not in the way he’d expected. He hated to see the days running out, but they’d agreed he’d leave right after the wedding. All part of the plan. She would have Christmas with her son. Plus, Jack didn’t want to overstay his welcome and follow her around like a love sick puppy dog. He hadn’t done that since he’d been a horny teenager and wasn’t even sure he’d done it then. The women were chatting about cute ballerinas and the upcoming wedding, and he was doing his best to appear the dutiful lover hanging on every word. He had his arm around Fallon’s waist and had tugged her in tight. He nodded in all the right places. It came pretty natural and he felt comfortable. At ease. Except that his thoughts kept running to how fast he could get Fallon undressed once they got to the house. Her mother would be home and likely still awake, so there might have to be some small talk first. He wanted less talk and more naked.
Eventually the girls ran out of words. They all said goodnight, and Jack took Fallon’s hand and led her to the Mustang parked behind the bank. He opened up the passenger side door and waited for her to get in.
“Thank you, boyfriend of the year.” She smiled and got inside.
“Welcome.” Once inside he started up the car and waited for the heater to do its job since Fallon was already shivering.
He knew the heater would do its duty, but he still pulled her close.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I doubt anyone can see us in here.”
“You never know,” he said and kissed her. One tender kiss, brushed against her soft and willing lips. Then another one, not so tender, while their tongues tangled and explored.
Fallon pulled back a little breathless and sat back in her seat. Snapped her seat belt on. “The wedding is tomorrow.”
Seemed like a new cold front had come in. He understood he wasn’t
the ideal man for Fallon. She hated that he refused to have a plan right now and likely nothing much had changed. But dammit, he couldn’t come up with a plan just because she needed him to have one. Which brought him around to a point he needed to make.
“Fallon.”
“Yeah?”
“You can’t seriously believe I’m this great of an actor.”
The moon cast a shadow through the windshield and she just blinked in the semi-darkness but didn’t say a word.
“But if you don’t want to sleep in the same bed again tonight, that’s okay with me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“We have two more nights together. I think you know what I want. Now tell me what you want to do.”
She let out a breath. “I think everybody already thinks we’re doing it so I don’t see why we should be the ones to suffer.”
“That’s my girl.”
He held her hand as he drove back to her mother’s house. Once inside, they both made small talk with Fallon’s mother about the evening’s festivities. Jack excused himself first and walked casually upstairs. He opened the door to her bedroom and spied Fallon’s favorite Springsteen shirt on the bed where she’d left it. Picked it up. It smelled like her. Worn and well loved, the detective in him knew there was a story behind it.
The question was whether Fallon would let her guard down enough to tell him tonight.
15
Fallon shut off the Christmas tree lights. The angel at the top of the fresh Douglas Fir tree was the same one from her childhood. Mom bought a small tree every year since David was born. Before that, Christmas hadn’t been much of a holiday for either of them since Dad passed. But there was nothing like a child to restore the spirit and magic of Christmas.
Two more nights until Jack would be gone and out of her life. She assumed he’d stay in Oregon until he could figure out what to do with his life. Maybe he’d meet a nice woman there and eventually settle down again possibly years from now. She couldn’t exactly wait around for him to make up his mind where he wanted to be and what he wanted out of his life. They barely knew each other, anyway, or at least she kept reminding herself of that fact. He was, unfortunately, exactly the kind of man she would have wanted in her life if this whole thing between them had been real from the beginning. She wanted a man just like him, but one who could handle a ready-made family. Because she and David were a package deal.
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