And Then He Kissed Me

by Southwick, Teresa

  “Now that I think about it,” she said, “why didn’t Madison come to the party? You did ask her?”

  He hesitated a moment. “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “She couldn’t make it,” he said.

  Abby tilted her head as she looked at him. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “She didn’t return my calls.”

  Her face took on a sober expression. “Oh, Nick. What happened? Did you have a fight?”

  “Not exactly. We had a talk, and since then she’s been avoiding me.”

  “It sounds like she’s trying to let you down easy,” Abby said.

  “Could be.”

  “But why? Madison Wainright is smart. She knows a good thing when she sees it.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, tucked his fingertips under his arms and studied her. She met his gaze almost defiantly.

  “There may be a reason Madison is trying to let me down easy.”

  “What could that be?”

  “You.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!”

  “Some women think I’m passably good-looking and reasonably intelligent, with an above-average sense of humor. What do you find so ludicrous?”

  “It’s not you. I’m the one who wouldn’t pass muster.”

  “Says who?”

  Before she could answer the question, Sarah opened the slider and poked her head out. “Help, Nick,” she called in a loud whisper. “The party’s dying. Did you bring any more games?”

  He looked at Abby. “We’ll discuss this later, at a mutually convenient time. Right now I have teenagers to entertain, a party to save.”

  “Superman’s got nothing on you,” she said dryly. “There’s no phone booth handy. Feel free to use my bedroom to change into your superhero ensemble. A cape and tights.” She sighed and laid a hand on her chest. “Be still my heart.”

  “You really have to get out more, Ab. The phone booth is ancient history. Now I use the old spin and switch.” He flashed her a grin before going inside to rescue the party.

  A week later, Nick passed through the dining room in Abby’s restaurant. He glanced at his watch and noted that it was 10:30 a.m. Not long before the lunch crunch. He’d seen her in action during the busy time. Perpetual motion. She did everything from seating customers to clearing off tables. No job too big or too small. He wondered if he’d subconsciously timed this business visit so that he’d have a chance to talk to her when she wasn’t overwhelmed with customers. There hadn’t been a mutually convenient time to continue the discussion begun the night of the party.

  In fact, he hadn’t seen her since that night. He wondered if she’d given him a passing thought. He hadn’t forgotten a single detail of that evening, especially wanting to kiss her. When he’d seen Abby under the stars, with the moonlight turning her hair to silver, he was reminded of what Madison had said. That he had decidedly unbusinesslike feelings for her. Is that why he’d confided something to her he hadn’t shared with anyone else? He grinned, remembering the time he’d told her that guys always wanted what they couldn’t have. He was living proof of that theory. Which was why he wanted to initiate a dialogue with the enigmatic Miss Ridgeway and not be interrupted by her dedicated work ethic and the lunch bunch. He planned to do his best to make this a mutually convenient time for both of them.

  He figured he’d find her doing paperwork in the office and headed past the kitchen, with its delicious garlic and marinara-sauce smells, to the rear of the building. Even before he reached the doorway, he heard angry voices. Correction: one angry voice. Sarah was there and if the decibel level of her words was any indication, she wasn’t a happy camper.

  “You always say no without even thinking about it,” she wailed. “You want me to be like you—no friends, no fun, no life. A withered-up old maid.”

  Nick was about to enter the room when the teenage girl hurried out, then turned into the hall and collided with him. He steadied her and she looked up at him, the sheen of tears in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

  “Ask her,” she said angrily, glancing over her shoulder. “I want to go on a snow trip to the mountains on Thanksgiving weekend, and she said no without even thinking about it. She always says no. She never lets me do anything. Help me, Nick.” Her tone was loud enough to carry into Abby’s office.

  “How did you get here? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” he asked, stalling. Abby might have very good reasons for saying no. If so, he didn’t want to interfere.

  “It’s a holiday. They let us have them every once in a while. And as for how I got here—” She broke off and glanced over her shoulder again. When she spoke, her voice was lower, so that only he could hear. “Don’t tell her or she’ll freak. She thinks I came on the bus. But my friend Stacy drove me. She got her driver’s license last week.” Anger suffused her blue eyes again. “I don’t have a prayer of learning to drive a car.”

  “Don’t borrow trouble, kiddo.” He encircled her shoulders with his arm and gave her a quick hug. “I’ll talk to Abby.”

  “Convince her to say yes,” she said.

  “No promises. I’m only going to talk to her.”

  Sarah nodded. “Thanks, Nick. You’re a lifesaver. You’re the best.”

  Before he could tell her not to count her chickens too soon, she was gone. He took a deep breath and walked into Abby’s office.

  “Hi, pal.”

  Abby sat behind the desk, her blue eyes flashing with anger. She tapped a pencil so fast and hard, any second he expected it to snap. “Don’t call me ‘pal.’ A pal wouldn’t have gone over to the other side. You’re a traitor.”

  Abby must be really upset to forget that it was politically incorrect to call your boss names. “You heard?”

  “There’s no way you’re changing my mind,” she said by way of an answer.

  “I said I’d talk to you. Did it ever occur to you that I might agree with your decision? Jumping to conclusions has reached epidemic proportions today. Or is it just the Ridgeway sisters?”

  “She wants to go away for three days.”

  “The impertinence! Off with her head.”

  “It’s not funny, Nick.”

  “Okay. Is she going with a guy?”

  Apprehension chased the anger from her eyes. “Oh, Lord, I never thought of that. She said it’s a church group activity.”

  “Then I’m sure it is. I didn’t mean to supply you with grist for the worry mill.”

  “She said there will be adult chaperones.”

  “That explains it.”

  “What?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Why you told her no.”

  “I should have known you’d take her side. It’s up in the mountains, Nick. What if it’s awful and she wants to come home? There could be snow on the roads. She could do herself bodily harm on the ski slopes. She’s never skied before. What if—”

  “Friends and snow and skis, oh my.”

  “You’re impossible.” She glared at him. “In spite of what she thinks, I don’t always say no without giving the matter some thought.” She fiddled with the pencil in her hands. “I know she didn’t mention that I suggested to her that I go along as one of the chaperones?”

  “No.”

  “See. You take her side without even hearing what I have to say.”

  “Okay. I’ll admit she momentarily got the sympathy vote. What did she say to your compromise?” He had a pretty good idea, but for the sake of diplomacy, he wanted to hear it from Abby.

  “I love my sister, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  He folded his arms over his chest as he lounged in the doorway. If she kept skirting his questions, they could be here for a while. “I understand. But that’s not what I asked.”

  Abby sighed, a big dejected sound. “She said she would rather sprout a zit the size of Texas on her nose than have me along as one of the chaperones.”

  “It’s a shame that girl ha
sn’t learned to speak her mind,” he said shaking his head sympathetically.

  “This is nothing to joke about, Nick.”

  “At the risk of upsetting you, I think it is. You need to lighten up, Ab. Sooner or later you have to let her try out her wings. What better way than with adult supervision? I don’t understand what’s bothering you.”

  She set her elbows on her paper-strewn desk and rested her chin in her palms. The gloomy pose was very childlike in spite of all her adult responsibilities.

  “Then I’ll explain to you what’s bothering me,” she said. “The mountains are several hours away by car. I don’t like being so far away from Sarah in case she needs me.”

  Nick decided not to point out that Abby was counting the days until Sarah went away to college. There was a better-than-even chance that big sister wouldn’t be allowed to tag along. Then she would be forced to let go. He was concerned that if Abby didn’t cut Sarah some slack, there would be rebellion more serious than hiding the fact that she was riding around with a recently licensed driver. Nick understood Abby’s fear. She’d lost both parents when they had left on a pleasure trip. But life went on. Under the circumstances, he had to agree with Sarah. His problem was finding a diplomatic way to tell Abby.

  “Why don’t you contact the trip coordinator to confirm Sarah’s information?”

  “I plan to,” she said. “But that won’t completely ease my mind.”

  “Where are they going?” he asked.

  “San Bernardino mountains. Big Bear.”

  “That’s where the family cabin is.” He might just have the beginnings of a solution. “Why don’t you use it that weekend?”

  She looked startled. “I couldn’t.”

  Was Sarah right? Did Abby always say no without giving thought to the situation?

  “Why not?”

  “What about work?” she asked.

  He looked down at the papers on her desk. “Isn’t that the schedule you’re working on?” When she nodded he said, “Mark yourself off.”

  “I’m not sure that’s fair. I—”

  “If Sarah had agreed to your chaperone solution, you’d have had to. Why not throw caution to the wind and do it? You can quietly let the trip supervisors know where to reach you. It will give you some peace of mind and Sarah some independence. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Especially me. I get to be the guy who made two women happy.”

  “Not so fast. I can’t pay you for it. My budget is limited—”

  “Who said anything about money?” A spark of anger sizzled inside him. “I offered it to you as a favor.”

  “But that wouldn’t be professional. You’re my boss. People would talk.”

  “Not even the world’s largest roll of duct tape would stop that,” he said, peeved at her. She was throwing up hurdles where there didn’t need to be any. “It doesn’t matter what people say. There’s nothing going on between us.” Liar, a voice in his head piped up. But he didn’t want to go there. “I’m your friend.”

  “I hope so,” Abby said.

  Did she? He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was trying to keep him from getting close. He continued to stare at her and noticed that her chin lifted a little, as if she were fighting some inner struggle.

  She looked down at the pencil in her hands. “Sarah and I value your friendship, and it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of that.”

  “It’s not taking advantage if I offer.”

  “Then why does it feel that way?” she asked.

  When did it get to be a major pain in the butt to do something nice for a friend? “Would it make you feel better if I have Luke dock your paycheck by five dollars a week for the next two years?”

  “If I could spare that five dollars, it would make me feel a lot better. But I can’t, Nick.”

  “Then consider it a bonus for my most valued employee.”

  “I don’t take charity.”

  He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Excuse me? When did you stop working?”

  “I haven’t. But what does that have to do with anything?”

  “Employee bonuses are a common business practice. Happy workers are productive workers. Charity is a handout.”

  “You’re making that up, or at the very least stretching the facts.”

  “I’m not. Scout’s honor,” he said, holding his hand up, palm out. “In fact, you would be doing us a favor. The place doesn’t get used much anymore.” He was making that up. “Someone needs to go up and check that the roof hasn’t fallen in and the plumbing still plumbs.”

  “Really?” She didn’t look completely convinced, but she was weakening.

  “Yeah,” he said confidently.

  “If you’re sure, it would be a lifesaver. Sarah really wants to go on the trip. And I’d feel a lot better if I was close by.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate it. I’ll call Sarah in a few minutes. She’ll be so excited. The bus should have let her off at home by then.”

  He wondered if he should tell her about Sarah’s actual transportation indiscretion. He decided against it, but made a mental note that during his next conversation with the teenager in question, he would make her promise to fess up. Since he had a feeling the schedule of a teenage driver might allow for more side trips than public transportation, he didn’t want Abby to find that Sarah wasn’t home yet. Big sister would worry.

  He thought of the perfect way to distract her. The beauty was that it was reason number two for his visit.

  “So, now can we talk about what almost happened at the party?”

  Chapter Five

  “What would that be?” Abby asked.

  “Very funny, pal. I think you know very well what that would be,” he said.

  Her heartbeat went from normal to off the scale in a split second. She did know all too well what he meant. The exact moment when he almost kissed her. Since intimate encounters for her were nonexistent, creating a long lonely dry spell, near-kisses tended to stand out. Which, she rationalized, was exactly the reason she’d thought of little else since that night.

  But she would rather have walked barefoot on hot coals than tell him as much. He’d been good to her and Sarah. Case in point: his offer of the family cabin so she could keep a watchful yet distant eye on her sister. That was above and beyond the call of duty for a boss.

  What he wanted to talk about was the kiss that never was. More important—it never could be. Things might be different if she had the time, but she didn’t. Not right now. And, if there was a God, eagle-eye Marchetti would not notice the blush that had crept into her cheeks when he’d mentioned the party. No way did she want to talk about that night. It would be too easy for the information to slip out that she had wanted him to kiss her.

  So badly it had taken a very long time for the ache to go away.

  When she continued to make herself stare at him blankly, he stopped leaning casually in the doorway and moved toward her like a determined predator stalking his prey. He passed through the invisible wall of her comfort zone, then had the nerve to sit on the corner of her desk. It was a blatantly masculine pose that tweaked every feminine response within her. She reminded herself again that his charm didn’t affect her. Never had; never would.

  One of his dark eyebrows lifted. “You’re putting me on. You don’t know what almost happened?”

  “You mean at Sarah’s party?”

  “Of course I mean at Sarah’s party. You. Me. A Twister mat.” He snapped his fingers. “Anything coming to you yet?”

  Did it bother him that she might have forgotten? Or worse—that she hadn’t noticed? What would he think if he knew her mind drifted back to that moment countless times a day? No way would he drop the subject. That’s what he would think!

  “Of course,” she said, as if she’d just remembered. Keep it light, she told herself. “Lesson number two of Footloose and Fancy Free 101. I forgot to thank you. My apologies, professor.
”

  “You don’t seriously think that’s what this is about?” he asked frowning.

  She nodded enthusiastically. “And I want you to know how much I appreciate it. A girl like me can’t have too much preparation for the constantly changing dating scene. I still have a while yet before becoming an active participant. But when I need a crash refresher course, I’ll be sure and let you know.”

  “Good,” he said, a slight edge to his voice.

  “Actually I’m glad you’re here. I’ve worked up those ideas we talked about—”

  Just then the beeper on his belt started a piercing wail. He pressed a button and checked the number.

  “A crisis?” she asked. “Someone need rescuing, Superman?”

  He frowned. “It’s my mother. Can I use your phone?”

  “Sure.”

  He came around the desk, stood beside her and placed his call. Abby moved her chair back, something she hoped looked like a polite attempt to give him space. In reality, it was the closest she could get to a full retreat. Running far and fast to a place where his warmth and masculine scent wouldn’t start a fluttering in her stomach like a battalion of hummingbirds. What a pitiful attempt. She would need at least a county between them to do that.

  “Hey, beautiful. What’s going on?” he asked.

  Abby watched his face. His tone was teasing and flirtatious. But his features softened with warmth and fondness that she somehow knew was reserved for his mother. Their conversation was short, then he said his goodbyes and hung up the phone.

  Nick looked at her. “I have to go. I’m taking my mother to lunch. That was my reminder.”

  “You’d forget a lunch date with your mother?”

  “No. But she says when you’ve raised someone from birth, it’s hard to forget the times they screwed up.”

  “You’re lucky,” she said wistfully.

  He wrinkled his brow. “That I messed up?”

  “That you have the opportunity to spend time with your mom.”

  His face softened with sympathy. “I sometimes forget that the two most important people in your life were suddenly taken away. You still miss your parents.” It wasn’t a question.