Karen rubbed her temples and made her way into the bathroom to scrub away Zach’s scent.
She glared at herself in the mirror. “You didn’t kiss him.” Maybe they could both just forget the moment ever happened.
If they didn’t talk about it…and they didn’t end up alone again…
It could work.
It was only two weeks in Hilton, and Zach didn’t live with his parents, so she’d probably only see him with the rest of the family.
It could work.
She fell into bed and woke in the morning with a raging guilt-ridden headache that only became more painful when she realized that Zach had left before dawn.
Chapter Six
When Zach had straddled his motorcycle, turned over the engine, and headed west, he was reminded that he was young enough to make changes in his life whenever he wanted to. The past few years he’d been restless, ready to make a move in his life. But each time he’d considered what that move would be, another job would come up, another way to build his construction business, another reason to stay in Hilton.
Being on the open road, with the wind blowing him around and the sun shining on him like the lone freaking ranger, Zach wanted just to keep riding.
Driving around with Mike for the half a day he had with his brother made him want a different life even more. Not that he wanted Mike’s life…just something more.
Then there was Karen.
Dammit. He’d almost kissed her, almost tasted the most forbidden fruit of all. His brother’s wife. He’d seen the spark of passion in her eyes, felt the way her body had swayed into his. So he ran.
Ran back to what he knew. Utah.
Only as he steered his motorcycle down Main Street and parked it along the curb by the hardware store, he realized how ready he was to move on. Rena’s life was in this small town, Mike had found a life in California, and he didn’t think Judy would stick around when she graduated from college the next year. So why did he stay?
Family.
His father had expected him to stay and he had. For a while, he told himself it was because he wanted the small-town life. But now he realized that wasn’t true any longer. He wanted something more.
Zach slid his helmet off his head and shook out his hair.
Inside the store, he waved to the kid behind the counter. “Hey, Nolan, my dad here?”
Nolan nodded toward the back.
“Thanks.”
Sawyer Gardner was a strong man full of hard edges and inflexibility most of the time. His disgust about Mike getting married and not bringing Karen home to meet the family brought heated conversations every time Mike ended up in the paper.
Sawyer tossed a box full of plumbing supplies onto a dolly when Zach walked into the room. “Hey, Dad.”
Sawyer glanced over his shoulder and kept right on stacking boxes. “You’re back quick.”
“California isn’t that far away.” Even on the back of a motorcycle.
“Did you remind your brother of that?”
“Yeah. I did.”
Zach grabbed a box alongside his father and helped him stack them.
“So, did you meet her?”
Zach swallowed, hard. “Yeah.”
“And she’s real? Not some made up TV version of a wife?” Sawyer never had approved of what Mike did for a living.
“She’s real.” Very, very real.
Sawyer stood now, looked Zach in the eye. “Are we going to meet her?”
“Yeah. Mike’s arranging some time off and Karen insisted they finally visit.”
The stoic expression on his father’s face didn’t change with the news. He simply turned on his heel, pointed toward a box, and said, “Grab that, will ya?”
No thanks for driving hundreds of miles on behalf of the family, not one word of happiness about Mike’s impending visit…nothing else was said on the Mike subject.
Although his father’s reaction didn’t surprise him, it still pissed him off.
Michael cleared his schedule for ten days. Not an easy task when everyone wanted a piece of him. They waited until after graduation ceremonies for the seniors that Karen watched over at the club so they could attend, and then they boarded their chartered flight for a direct route to St. George and from there rented a car to drive the next hour to Hilton. Between the wait at the airport and the rental car delay, by the time they’d hit the highway, Karen was convinced it would have been faster to drive the distance instead of taking a plane.
Karen used the last hour to talk about their overall plan of attack with his family when it came to their relationship.
“I feel guilty enough duping your brother. It’s going to be harder with your parents.”
“My parents are going to love you.”
“And we’re planning our divorce.”
“So?”
“Michael, these are people we’re talking about here. They have feelings.”
“I know. I would have avoided the interaction altogether if Zach hadn’t shown up.”
Hearing Zach’s name had dread rolling over her. “You’re the actor, Michael. I’ve been trying, but your family is going to be the hardest to convince.”
He looked at her over the brim of his sunglasses. “Having second thoughts? Aren’t you the one who insisted we do this?”
Yes, she had. She watched the landscape as they drove by at seventy miles per hour. “I don’t want to blow it.”
He reached over and touched her leg. “You’re going to be fine. The whole world thinks we’re a couple.”
She rubbed her sweaty palms together. “Maybe I’m just nervous about meeting your parents.” It was so much more than that.
He squeezed her leg until she glanced up at him. “They’re going to ask you about your parents.”
That thought left her cold. “I’ll tell them what I tell everyone. They’re gone and my aunt raised me.”
Michael knew there was more to it, but even he didn’t have the whole story.
Michael returned his hand to the steering wheel. “My father won’t probe, but my mom might.”
“I’ve had a whole year of passing off half truths about us. I’ve spent over a decade pretending they’re dead. If I didn’t know me, I’d think I was a pathological liar.”
“Or a better actress than any I’ve been on screen with.”
She laughed at that and used the mention of his work to switch the subject. “So when will you know about the final contracts for Blue Street?” Blue Street was the feature film he was signing on for the following year, which would line him up for production for the next two years. He didn’t think the contracts would be drawn up until fall. With the push forward on contracts, it appeared that their marriage contract was ending faster than they expected, not that they had to divorce right away, but the option would be there.
“It could be a few months.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you thinking about the divorce?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. It was easy showing the world we were into each other. The breakup worries me.”
He nodded. “How did you deal with breakups in the past?”
“I didn’t. I was to the point and moved on. Hey, dude, it’s not working for me. What about you?”
He tapped a finger on the steering wheel. “Hey, dude, it’s not working for me.”
Laughter shook both of them. “We’re both gonna suck at the breakup.”
“We’ll be all right. We don’t need to think about that today. Might be different if either of us were into someone.”
Just the mention of a someone brought her thoughts to Zach.
Inside, the car grew silent. She glanced over and saw Michael looking at her. “You need to tell me if there’s someone.”
“Oh, good Lord, Michael, the only men I’ve been around since we’ve gotten married are your costars, producers, and your management team. And most of them are either married or gay.”
He grinned.
“Ex
cept that Philippe guy last Christmas.” She shivered. “The creep.”
“It felt good to put a fist through that guy’s nose. Can’t believe he propositioned you in my own house.”
She fanned herself and offered a fake smile. “My hero.”
“Damn right,” he said with a quick nod.
“I might not say no to Ben Affleck, however. Or Bradley Cooper.” Yum!
“Ben, really? I can see Bradley…” He lifted his eyebrows a few times showing his mutual admiration for the man.
They were sizing up the attributes of both men as Michael pulled off the highway. The sign said, HILTON, 4 MILES. “I’d drive you around and point out the sights, but you’ll see all five of them fifty times while we’re here.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
She noticed the smile on his face as they drove down what must have been a familiar road.
“Excited?” she asked.
He gave a slow nod. “Yeah, I am. It’s been a long time.”
“What time are your parents expecting us?”
“Three.”
The time on the clock radio said three fifteen.
The two-lane road housed farmland on both sides. The occasional cow glanced up from her afternoon grazing to watch as they drove by. Hilton itself was at the base of two mountain ranges. According to Michael, his family owned a cabin in one of them that the family visited and played in during the summer.
They turned left after the stop sign, and houses started slowly dotting the landscape. “There’s another town eight miles behind us. A little bigger than Hilton with a hotel and a Walmart.”
“Good times,” Karen teased.
“Hey, it was a huge deal when the big box store moved in. Half the town was like, hell no. We don’t need it. The other was all for having more options for shopping.”
They dropped their speed to twenty-five miles an hour as they drove down Main Street. Kids were riding bikes without helmets and a few women were pushing strollers. Flowering plants hung in pots off the streetlights and there wasn’t a sign of graffiti anywhere. “It’s so clean,” she told him.
“And my dad doesn’t have to lock up the spray paint like they do in LA. The local sheriff would scare the shit out of us as kids with just a look.”
“I’m sure there are still kids getting into trouble.”
“Oh, yeah…they just don’t get their kicks by defacing property. Stealing a tractor for a joy ride, bonfires, and beer parties. Deer hunting off season.”
Karen couldn’t imagine. “Did you hunt?”
“Been years. But yeah.”
“Did you like it?”
He turned off the main road and out of town toward the residential portion of Hilton. “Didn’t hate it. Might have enjoyed it more if I liked the taste of venison. My mom’s a good cook, but I never did like the gamey taste of deer.”
Karen smiled at a couple who stopped to watch them drive by. “Doesn’t taste like chicken?”
“Not even close.”
“Has to be better than snails.”
Michael made a heaving noise. They’d both tried escargot and both decided the French laughed at every American who ate the crap. “Stupid Americans. They’ll eat anything,” she said with her best French accent. They both laughed at the memory of their time in France.
There were several cars parked on the streets outside of the houses. Unlike homes in California, here there was sufficient space between the homes, and each one looked different from its neighbor. He slowed down in front of a two-story traditional with room in the drive for their rental. “You ready?” he asked.
Karen had never had a home to go home to. Although her heart rate had kicked up a notch as he put the car in park, there was an excitement to meeting the people with whom Michael grew up. Regardless of their not truly married status, Michael was a friend, and she couldn’t remember seeing a more genuine smile on his face in the past. That made her extremely happy.
“I’m ready. Are you ready?”
Michael no sooner twisted the key away from the ignition than the door to the house swung open and out poured a gaggle of people.
One step out of the car, and a young teenage girl ran to him with open arms. “Mikey!”
Here we go.
Zach held back and let his family welcome home the famous son. Hannah couldn’t hold in her enthusiasm as she jumped into Mike’s arms and he swung her around. Judy quickly followed while little Eli ran around their feet in his excitement. Eli couldn’t really know Mike all that much, except for the pictures and explanation that Mike was his uncle.
“Is that her?” Zach’s mom whispered to him as they stood on the porch and waited for the youngest girls to give Mike and Karen a chance to get out of the car.
“Yeah.”
“She doesn’t look like the pictures.”
He stared at her now. “No, she doesn’t.” She looks better in person.
As if Karen sensed their stares, she looked directly at him.
He stilled and the air around him charged.
“She’s hot,” Joe whispered behind him, jolting him out of his thoughts.
“Aren’t you married to my sister?”
Joe was Rena’s husband, and had been since they married right after high school. They adored each other.
“I’m not blind.”
His mom moved from her perch and the rest of them followed.
“Hey, Rena.” Mike hugged the oldest sister and tickled the baby’s chin. “She’s grown,” Mike said.
“Eighteen months next week.”
Rena stood back and gave their mom her turn. Mike pulled her into a hug and lifted her off the ground.
“I was starting to think you forgot about us,” Janice said.
“I’ve had a crazy year,” he told them. Then as if he realized for the first time that his wife stood by his side, he lifted his arm to Karen and invited her into the circle of their family.
“Mom, this is Karen. Karen, my mom, Janice.”
Karen smiled, her perfect teeth shining. “It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Gardner.”
“Oh, Janice. Please.” Zach could see wonder in Karen’s face when Janice pulled her into a hug.
The girls stood back and let Mike introduce his wife.
“We’re so excited you’re finally here.”
“Michael has had a very busy schedule this year. I’ve heard so much about all of you.”
“Where’s Dad?” Mike asked as he looked around.
“Closing up the shop,” Rena told him.
Zach felt Mike’s disappointment. Not that he should have expected anything different. Their father put work first. Almost before his family. It’s just the way it had always been.
“This is Joe, Rena’s husband,” Mike told Karen.
Karen was too close to do anything other than shake hands, which appeared awkward for her.
“And you know Zach.”
If watching her shake hands with Joe felt awkward, it had nothing on the open arms she presented to him. It was as if she knew they should be on a somewhat more familiar basis…and she was, but their brief hug did nothing other than remind him of the peach shampoo she used and the overall intensity he felt in her presence.
The desire to hold her, suck her in, made him hold on a fraction too long.
She stepped back and didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she looked beyond him.
Zach twisted around and tried to focus.
He cleared his throat. “Mike, Karen…this is Tracey…my girlfriend.”
Chapter Seven
The entire time Karen sat among the Gardners, all she could see was the one person in the room who wasn’t related by blood or marriage.
Tracey walked around the home, occasionally placing her hand on Zach’s shoulder to gain his attention, but otherwise acting as if she belonged. She did, and would much longer than Karen.
Zach had yet to keep eye contact with her for more than a second. Neither of them had forgotten or misint
erpreted what had happened in the driveway back in Beverly Hills. As much as Karen wanted to forget that moment, she couldn’t.
She had no right to feel misled by the fact that Zach had a girlfriend, considering she was the married one, but the feeling was there nonetheless.
Thank God, they hadn’t kissed. There would be no way she could have walked in the door with Michael if she could taste his brother on her lips.
The Gardner family home held a spacious living room complete with a fireplace, worn and comfortable sofas, and reclining chairs. Rena had put her daughter down for a nap in one of the upstairs bedrooms, while everyone else gathered in the living room. Karen had yet to see where she and Michael would be sleeping. She never made it past the living room before someone suggested she and Michael sit and allow the family to quiz them.
As Zach had told Karen, Hannah talked obsessively. “I can’t believe you’re finally here,” Hannah told them.
“I can’t believe you didn’t come sooner,” Rena scolded.
“Leave the pestering to Mom,” Michael told his sister.
All eyes moved to Janice. “I’ll pester later. Right now I want to make Karen feel at home.” Janice offered Karen a warm smile.
“Oh, pester away,” Karen encouraged them. “So few people in Michael’s life give him any grief other than me.”
The comment managed a few laughs.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus, hon.” Michael winked at her.
“Your ego was always too big for this town,” Zach said.
“When it gets too big at home, I just tell him to take out the trash and lower the lid to the toilet.”
“That’s gross, Mike,” Hannah chided.
Tracey sat on the arm of the couch and placed her arm around Zach’s shoulders.
Karen skirted her gaze away.
“How did you two meet?” Tracey asked.
“Haven’t you seen the YouTube video?” Hannah pulled her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jeans.
“You met on YouTube?” Obviously, Tracey didn’t understand the social media site or how it functioned. Zach’s girlfriend had a set of soulful eyes and dark brown hair. She stood a couple of inches taller than Karen, and carried a few more pounds, but not in an unflattering way. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but Karen could tell she had put some effort in her appearance. She kept watching Michael, and it was impossible to miss the slight blush to her cheeks when he smiled her way. Karen had seen that happen more times than she could count over the past year. It was one thing to watch a celebrity on the screen and quite another to meet them in person, and here Tracey was thrust into a room with a virtual superstar and expected to hold a normal conversation when it was obvious she was having her own fan-girl moment.
The Weekday Brides 04 - Single by Saturday Page 6