by Joanne Rock
She couldn’t imagine what kind of “gaffe” Colleen could foresee in the calming ocean view. Although, now that she looked closer to the house, Josie could see two cars that hadn’t been in the driveway before.
What company could have arrived that would be any worse than Chase?
“Not exactly.” Colleen stepped closer and dropped a manicured hand on Josie’s arm. “Would you mind giving Keith the benefit of the doubt when you meet his ex-girlfriend?”
The words clarified the trouble brewing, even as they sent a surprise wave of dread through Josie. Not that she had exclusive rights to Keith. Far from it. They’d only just met and…
Who was she kidding? If she was honest about her feelings, she’d have to acknowledge a desire to seek out Keith and wrap herself around one arm like a tattoo, just so his ex knew she’d better back off. And didn’t that knock Josie for a loop, to concede a staggering amount of jealousy where he was concerned? She needed time to retreat and think about where this was going before she did something impulsive and made a fool out of herself. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to remain gracious.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Plastering on a polite smile, she mentally armed herself to fake her way through meeting the ex without throttling a woman who’d hurt Keith once upon a time.
“I mean that Brooke Blaylock is a poor reflection of my son’s taste in women.” Colleen smoothed the drape she’d lifted to see out the window, restoring the room to perfect order before she headed for the door. “Will you keep that in mind and try not to hold it against him?”
Sighing, Josie knew that escape out the back door was no longer an option. She needed to be a grown-up in front of Keith and his family, and that meant suffering through a meeting with his ex. An ex who might very well recognize Josie from her fashion-designing days, when they’d no doubt run with the same crowd.
“I promise to be open-minded,” she agreed. “If you’ll let me come back and photograph this room as an inspiration piece for my studio. My assistant, Marlena—she’s practically a partner in my firm—would love to see what you’ve done with this space.”
“Deal.” Colleen led her back toward the foyer, where voices and laughter echoed.
Josie braced for impact, hoping Keith’s mother would remain as warm and welcoming if Josie’s bad-girl past was revealed. Because despite the fact that Keith thought Josie and his ex were worlds apart, she couldn’t help but fear her time of hardworking anonymity was about to implode.
10
SO MUCH FOR the homecoming.
Keith stood in the family room, listening hard for the sound of Josie’s voice. He’d find her. Intercept her. Spirit her out the back door. It wasn’t exactly the way he’d wanted this visit to go down, but she wouldn’t thank him if she had to meet his ex-girlfriend on her first visit to his family home. Either way, he’d mop the floor with his brother later if he found out that Danny could have given him an earlier heads-up on the Blaylocks’ arrival.
As Keith caught the echo of his mother’s laughter in the east wing, he headed up the stairs. Josie and his mom were just coming toward him, so he swooped in and hooked an arm around Josie’s waist.
“We need to head out,” he informed her before he leaned in to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. “The Blaylocks just pulled in and I don’t think Josie deserves to be thrown in with the lions on her first visit.”
“I’ll be fine—” Josie began, as his mom’s brow furrowed.
“Are you sure?” Colleen asked, while Keith tugged Josie toward a bedroom with a balcony that had stairs to the back lawn.
“Positive. Just have someone shove the luggage out onto the porch so I can grab it.”
Josie halted on the carpet, digging in her heels. “Keith, I’m sure we can at least say hello. We don’t need to run out the back door—”
“No worries,” his mother assured her, smoothing a hand along Josie’s forearm. “I do hope you’ll come back soon?”
“I’d like that.” She nodded and squeezed Colleen’s hand. “Thank you so much.”
Keith could feel the tension in her spine and knew she hated to run out of his house through a back bedroom. But then, she had no idea what she was up against. Brooke would make nice in front of his family, but she hadn’t taken their breakup well and Keith wouldn’t put it past her to cause trouble if she could. Better to get out now.
Steering Josie toward the French doors, he slid the screen open and ushered her through.
She paused once more, frowning. From downstairs, Keith could hear Brooke calling out greetings, her throaty tone unmistakable as it drifted up from the foyer.
Tugging Josie across the balcony and down the steps, he pointed her toward the front lawn, while he wondered how he could make a quick getaway. A cab could take a while. He ducked inside the garage to see what cars were available and what he could get out of the driveway with the other vehicles parked there.
When he emerged, phone in hand to call a cab, after all, Josie was already halfway down the driveway, her determined steps sharp on the pavement. Damn it. Didn’t she realize he was only trying to help her dodge a bullet?
“Josie.” He called to her as his brother pulled up his car—a classic Gran Torino he must have had stashed by the tennis courts.
At least Danny had done something helpful. Now all Keith needed was the luggage. He darted up the walk-way to grab the bags from the porch, just in time to see Brooke Blaylock stationed at one of the sidelights to the front door, her attention focused on Josie.
The pinched frown on Brooke’s face made him all the more grateful he’d gotten Josie out of there. It had been the perfect plan. Scooping up the bags, he followed her, free and clear of any drama.
IF ANGER COULD HAVE fueled her trip back to Boston, Josie would be there already.
As it was, she marched down the driveway, unwilling to skulk around in the bushes with Keith while he avoided his ex.
“Need a lift?” Keith’s brother Danny called to her from the window of a classic car she didn’t recognize, a burgundy-colored vehicle with a black hardtop.
He pulled up from out of nowhere, parking the vehicle at the end of the drive before hopping out. Behind her, she could hear footsteps and the wobbly roll of suitcase wheels across the pavers. No doubt Keith was on his way.
“How did you know I needed one?” She smiled gratefully at Danny, a slightly shorter, more muscular version of Keith—except that he hadn’t had a haircut in months.
From the goatee and longish hair to the vintage American car and backward baseball cap, Danny Murphy didn’t fit the mold for his wealthy, high-powered family.
“I saw the train wreck coming a mile away,” he declared, his voice raised to make sure anyone else in the front yard could hear. Then, leaning closer, he lowered the volume for her ears alone. “If you can drive a stick, you can be halfway to Beantown before he catches you.”
She had to admit the idea had a smidge of appeal, after being dragged out the back door, but she didn’t trust herself driving the shiny, mint-condition Ford, which looked as if it had been waxed every Saturday since it rolled off the production line.
“Josie, wait.” Keith’s warm bass tone drifted on the breeze like her conscience talking to her.
Hazy memories of that same voice making sexy suggestions in her sleep stirred an unwanted response from her even now. Why did she find him so appealing when she was so irritated with him? But even when faced with a man every bit as handsome as Keith—and Danny Murphy surely qualified—she still found herself longing for Keith’s voice in her ear. His persuasive mouth on hers.
“He’s gaining on you,” Danny warned, his eyes on his brother while he goaded her. No, more likely he was goading Keith.
She thought about their mom, tucked away in her pretty room surrounded by her affirmations. No wonder Colleen Murphy needed them, if the rest of her sons were as confrontational as these two.
Turning, Josie spied Keith as he ditched the bags
at the end of the walk. He spared a momentary murderous glance at his brother, but when his green eyes landed on her, she saw only concern. Worry.
“How kind of you to loan out the Torino on such short notice,” he barked at his brother. “You could make yourself useful and load up the bags, since you seem to have found the afternoon so entertaining.”
“That’s okay,” she protested, her frustration tough to maintain when she was surrounded by a veritable force field of male posturing. “I was just about to call a cab.”
Fumbling for her cell phone, she was surprised to see Danny stalk across the driveway for the luggage. He hefted both Keith’s bag and hers in his arms and carried them toward the trunk.
Josie scowled at Danny. “I thought you were on my side,” she grumbled, giving up the fight to locate her cell phone. She needed to get back to Boston sooner or later, and she might as well settle things with Keith before she got home.
The maelstrom of feelings she’d experienced in the last twenty-four hours told her she was in over her head with him. She needed to regroup and rethink what she wanted in her life. Even if she wanted him—and a twinge of jealousy over his former relationship made it apparent that she did—she had to consider the consequences of seeing him.
He’d probably been wise to keep her away from an ex-girlfriend with an ax to grind. What if the woman made the connection between Josie’s current work and her former gig in fashion? Brooke Blaylock—and, yes, Josie knew the family, thanks to her copious scouring of the society pages—was definitely someone who stalked fashion designers for free swag. What if she’d seen Josie back in the days she’d trolled New York clubs to promote her attempts at haute couture?
Danny dumped the bags in the trunk and shut it with the gentle touch of a man who respected his car. “Hey, I tried helping you, but you’ve gotta move quick to outrun a Murphy man. That’s just the cold, hard truth.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She reached out to shake his hand in thanks, but he lifted hers to his lips and kissed the back of her fingers like a courtier.
This time, he didn’t seem to do it just to bug his brother. He met her gaze head-on, his green eyes a shade darker than Keith’s and far more inscrutable.
“Good luck to you, Josie Passano.” He relinquished her hand, striding back toward the house and leaving the car to them.
“It’s only a few minutes to the marina,” Keith told her, his voice sounding as weary as she felt. “We can retrieve your car, and I hope you’ll still allow me to drive you back to Boston.” He opened the passenger door for her, holding it wide.
The sun was slanting westward, she noted. It had to be almost five o’clock. Time to get back to reality. Her unscheduled vacation was over.
“That’s fine.” She had taken refuge in her work all her adult life and now would be no different. She would tell Keith as much on the ride back. “It’s not your fault she showed up. You mentioned that your families do business together.”
Sliding into the car, Josie buckled her seat belt while he came around to the driver’s side and put the vehicle in Reverse. She watched the Murphy home grow smaller in the distance.
Josie had been there only briefly, but didn’t like to think she might never return. She’d enjoyed talking with Colleen, a woman who’d invested so much of herself in her home and family. While Josie hadn’t pictured that kind of life for herself—still couldn’t—she admired the way Keith’s mom had made the design of a house a gift of love to her family. Whether or not the men in her life realized it, they were surrounded by her thoughtful care for them night and day.
Josie had even liked Keith’s brother—the rebel prankster who’d provided a getaway car for her even though they were practically strangers.
“You’re fortunate to have such a great family,” she observed, surprised at the sudden frog in her throat.
Apparently vacations made her emotional, because she suddenly felt far too raw. Oddly vulnerable. She hadn’t dwelled on her own family’s shortcomings in years, preferring to put their selfish hedonism and colossal laziness out of her mind most of the time.
“Wow.” Keith peered across the front seat at her before turning his eyes back to the serpentine streets that were taking them to the marina. “I’ve been bracing myself over here for you to be furious about sneaking out to avoid Brooke. I’m surprised you’re taking away positive thoughts about my family in light of the ridiculous awkwardness of going out the back door the first time I bring you home.”
“It’s not your fault she showed up.”
“Still.” His thigh muscle flexed as he shifted gears. “I’m sorry—”
Josie reached across the car interior to close his mouth with one finger. “Don’t. You have no need to apologize. And don’t forget, I’ve been dealing with the Brookes of the world my whole life, so I probably could have held my own. Just the same, I don’t blame you for not wanting to take the risk of her recognizing me.”
Keith shook his head. “It’s not that. I just didn’t want you to have to deal with her on your first visit to my home. I’ve no doubt you could have handled her. Can I explain one thing and then we never have to talk about her again?”
“One thing,” she agreed, seeing the marina ahead and anxious to put Brooke Blaylock behind them.
“Have you ever met someone who seemed one way and then you realized they weren’t the person you thought they were?”
Her stomach knotted and she hoped he wouldn’t say the same thing about her one day. But damn it, she’d tried to tell him about her past.
“I’m a bit of a dating novice,” she admitted. “Since college, I’ve been absurdly focused on work.”
“Come on. No one’s ever broken your heart?”
She bit back her instinctive response—a deflection that might have made him smile, but sure wouldn’t have answered the question. And since he was being honest with her, she thought she’d try some truth in return.
“I’m really skilled at not letting people too close.” She pointed out her hybrid SUV in the marina parking lot. “When I first began dating, I kept people at a distance because I didn’t want to let anyone see my dysfunctional family. Later, I did it because it had become habit. The couple of guys I’ve dated for any length of time were as work oriented as me.”
Keith tucked into a spot beside her vehicle and shoved Danny’s keys over the visor. A set of dog tags that must have been tucked there fell out onto Keith’s lap. He gathered them up and slid them into the console between the seats, next to a pool of change and guitar picks.
“Well, for me, love is blind, and I guess I haven’t used good judgment a couple of times.” He turned toward her in the seat. “With Brooke, I saw someone who was as active and outgoing as me. She liked getting out and meeting people, and so did I. After a while it became apparent that while I enjoyed impromptu football games and sailboat races, she preferred going to clubs and parties every night.”
“When people want to impress someone they like, they can put on a good show.” Josie had seen it happen plenty of times in the world she’d grown up in, where people air-kissed their worst enemy to maintain a facade. “I’m sure Brooke can be very dazzling when she wants to be.”
Although Josie could imagine he would grow tired of someone who cared more about socializing than working toward a goal he or she was passionate about. Josie identified with that side of him—the tireless worker, building a business and an idea. And while she’d relished every second of their sensual encounters, she had also really enjoyed that first lunch together in Nantucket, when he’d told her about his company.
“Do you remember her?” he asked, opening his car door and withdrawing the luggage from the trunk, while Josie unlocked the SUV. “From back in the days where you worked in fashion?”
“No.” She handed him the keys to her vehicle, only too glad to let him contend with the traffic on the way back to the city. “Because even though I went out to the clubs in New York all the time back t
hen, I was ruthlessly focused on my career. She could have had a twenty-minute conversation with me, and unless she had something interesting to say about clothes or design, I guarantee I was either critiquing what she wore or else thinking about another piece for the collection I wanted to develop one day. I was that obsessed with work.”
With the transfer of luggage complete, Keith fired up her SUV and adjusted the mirrors and seat to suit his larger frame—his powerful, perfectly made body that had turned her inside out more than once the night before. She swallowed the swell of hot desire, cracking her window to get some air.
“What made you leave a job so compelling?” he asked, swiveling in the seat to look out the rear window before he backed from the parking spot.
The million-dollar question. And it was past time she shared the details that made a future for them so difficult.
“A gossip columnist.” No. That wasn’t right. Hadn’t she taken responsibility for that time in her life by now? “Actually, a gossip columnist who capitalized on my stupidity and my family’s reputation.”
Keith pulled out onto the main road heading off the Cape and toward the city, at ease behind the wheel even though he’d never driven her vehicle before. He didn’t ask any questions, letting her talk at her own pace. Which was just as well, since the only thing to do was blurt it out.
“I chose to leave the fashion industry when a tabloid journalist snapped a picture of me kissing a guy in a back alley outside a club at closing time.”
She peered over at Keith to gauge his reaction as they reached the intersection with Route 3N.
“No harm in that though, right?” He shrugged, seeming to sense there was more to the story.
“Except I didn’t know he was married.” Her work was high stress and she’d indulged in a kiss. It shouldn’t have been the end of the world. Too bad the guy turned out to be a cheater and a liar.
“But if you didn’t know—”