by Lori Wilde
He admired the way she rolled with the punches. Looking down at her, their gazes met and held. “Yeah, me too.”
He straightened and glanced at the cat who sat challenging him from the doorway with narrowed eyes and a swishing tail.
“I wanted to say….”
Hmm. He didn’t want to say what he was really thinking. That he wanted to make love to her in the worst way.
“Yeah,” she said lightly. “Exactly. Me too. I agree completely.”
Except, he had said nothing for which she could agree. “I guess—”
“That we owe Ozzie a thank you.”
“There’s no real reason we couldn’t—we are consenting adults.”
“But then would we be actual boyfriend and girlfriend?” She pulled her knees up to her chest from where she sat in the middle of the bed and rested her chin on them, studying her toes. Somehow her shoes had come off while he carried her to the bed.
That was the problem, wasn’t it? They couldn’t enjoy a little recreational sex without it meaning anything if she was already attaching labels to it. Yeah, no, this couldn’t happen. Not when he was lying to his parents about their relationship.
“I guess it’s time to say good night,” Becky said, reading his mind, or his face.
He nodded. “Good night.”
The cat followed him to the door as if to say good riddance.
Becky stayed in her bedroom.
Sighing, Nate turned the lock on her door and pulled it closed behind him. Who would’ve thought they’d be saved from making a grave mistake by an interfering feline?
“What on earth was I thinking?”
Nate was gone. Becky still sat in the middle of the bed, talking to Ozzie who was curled up at her feet, and hugging her fat bed pillow, trying to make sense of what had just happened—or rather didn’t happen.
Ozzie jumped up beside her and rolled on his back, presenting his soft underbelly for some tender scratching.
“I don’t know why I’m asking you to weigh in. What do you know about romance?” Becky lightly tickled him with her fingers. “You don’t have to fool around with all this complicated boy-girl stuff. I know, you didn’t choose to be neutered, poor boy, but love isn’t one long-lasting romantic high, you know.”
Love?
What in the heck was she thinking about? Love? With Nate? Was that batty? She wasn’t about to hand her heart over to another man. Not any time soon—and not with that cocky deputy.
She tossed the jeweled halter of her costume onto the floor, stripped off the harem pants and threw them over the bed to join the halter, and fell asleep in her underwear, dreaming of Nate Dalton.
14
Monday began a new week—Becky’s final week before she had to start her new job—and a fresh arrangement.
Nate started working day shift, beginning his job at seven a.m. and getting home around three thirty in the afternoon. His early morning departures meant neither of them had time for idle chitchat. He was still half asleep and dealing with Lucy’s morning routine.
Becky would show up yawning and carrying a cup of coffee. They’d then mumble “hello” and “goodbye” and that was about the extent of their conversations.
But whenever he returned home in the afternoons, she got out of that apartment at the speed of light. It was easier that way.
He let her get away with it too. He didn’t get her to stay, which just confirmed what Becky suspected. It embarrassed him that he had almost slept with her on Saturday night. Yeah, well, she wasn’t exactly crowing that from the rooftops.
No judgment.
Soon enough her career as a nanny would be over. Yay. She was looking forward to being around coworkers again. She’d missed watercooler chitchat and company meetings. She was, at heart, an extrovert.
“No offense to you, sweetie.” Becky playfully rubbed her nose over Lucy’s soft baby cheek. Yes, she would definitely miss the baby, but honestly, it would be a relief to stop lying to Nate’s mother.
Nate’s mom called Becky more often than her own mother did.
“I was thinking I’d love to get to know you better,” Margaret Dalton said as Becky held the cell phone with her shoulder and chin while wrestling Lucy into a dry diaper. “I’d like to take you to lunch sometime. I thought we could meet halfway at the tearoom downtown.
Becky knew the place. In Falling Star, the Celestial Tearoom was the only girly spot around for ladies who lunch. They were famous for their chicken salad and banana bread. You could get quiche, tea sandwiches, salads, and soups. Most all the other restaurants in town were burger and barbecue joints or chicken fried everything.
“I’m keeping Lucy all week,” Becky pointed out.
“We could schedule it for next week,” his mother said.
“I’m starting a new job next week.” And by then you’ll know I’m not your son’s girlfriend.
“Ah, I see.” Nate’s mother sounded hurt.
“No, no.” Becky was terrified that Margaret thought she was giving her the brushoff. “I’d love to have lunch with you. Just let me know. I’ll have to bring Lucy along.”
“That’s wonderful. Another reason to see my granddaughter. Bring her along. Let’s say Thursday at noon?”
“Thursday it is,” she said.
“I really do want to get to know you, Becky. I think you might be the one. Not to put pressure on you or anything, but I haven’t seen Nate this lighthearted in a long time. See you on Thursday, dear.”
And with that Margaret Dalton rang off.
Becky hated the lie they’d told Nate’s mother. Why had she ever gone along with it? To protect Freddie? What about Lucy? Ahh, that was it. The reason she agreed. Because she adored the baby and wanted what was best for her. But who was to say that Margaret wasn’t what was best for her? Who was Becky to put herself in the middle of something that wasn’t really any of her business?
Freddie had contacted Nate again, but she was just as enigmatic. Begging him to keep Lucy and promising to return with answers as soon as she could.
Becky thought Nate should have pushed for answers. He was a sheriff’s deputy, after all. He had experience interrogating people. But he also seemed to have a very soft spot for his younger sister.
“You’re just the hired help,” Becky reminded herself as she transferred the load of baby things from the washer to the dryer. “You don’t get an opinion. You’re doing this for a paycheck.”
At least she had her wits about her enough not to wash Nate’s laundry, the way a girlfriend might. She was a temporary nanny. Nothing more.
The fact he had mentioned Saturday night made that painfully apparent. And she would bite her tongue off before she brought it up first.
What if he’s thinking the same thing?
And what if he wasn’t?
It was nearly four o’clock, and theoretically Nate should be home. Was he working overtime again? Or had he stopped off at a bar to have a beer with his friends? But wouldn’t he have told her if that’s what he was doing?
She wished Nate would get his cute little butt home, but not because she had any interest in how he spent his off hours. She’d like a chance to do a few things for herself. After eight or nine hours of playing with Lucy, feeding, bathing, changing, rocking, and riding herd on her, Becky was pooped.
Not that anything she did was especially hard work. It was just the constant vigilance that weighed her down. When that baby girl started walking, heaven get out of her way!
The door buzzer sounded.
Becky propped the baby on her hip and went downstairs to the outer door. Nate never forgot his key, and Becky sincerely hoped his mother had popped in for a surprise visit. She eyeballed people—something she conscientiously did now that she was responsible for Lucy’s safety.
A sleek-haired blonde was giving the buzzer another impatient punch. She was almost as young as Freddie, but unfortunately this wasn’t the missing mother.
Becky opened the front door.
“Hi, I’m Margo. Did I push the wrong button?” She looked shiny as a new penny. She wore a sunflower print A-line dress, white sandals, an expertly made-up face, and the brightest smile this side of Disney World.
“Who are you looking for?” Becky replied sweetly.
“Nate Dalton.” Margo eyed Becky up and down. Then narrowed her eyes at Lucy.
“You’ve come to the right place. Nate lives here.”
Margo’s eyes widened. “Well, who are you?”
“A friend.” She nearly said girlfriend. She didn’t want to perpetuate the lie any more than necessary.
“Cool!” Margo was still smiling. “I’m an old, old friend.” She shifted her gaze to Lucy. “And I’m betting that’s Nate’s niece.”
“Her name is Lucy.”
Margo tried a coochy-coo move, tickling Lucy under her chin with long polished fingernails, but she was rewarded with a string of baby drool for her efforts. “Ew.”
Crinkling her nose, Margo plucked a tissue from her designer handbag to wipe Lucy’s drool off her fingers. Becky almost snickered.
“I’m in town visiting, so naturally I thought of Nate.” She wadded the tissue in her palm. “We used to be really close.”
If she was trying to make Becky jealous, she had struck out.
“Nate isn’t in residence,” she said in her best imitation of a high-class butler.
“When will he be back?”
“I’m not sure. Normally he gets home by three thirty. So I’m guessing maybe he had to work late,” she said.
Just then, Nate drove up.
“Oh, oh, there he is!” Margo waved madly as Nate pulled into the driveway.
Becky retreated into Nate's apartment, telling herself she wasn’t interested in witnessing a big reunion scene.
It was several minutes later when he finally entered the apartment with his visitor. Becky was on her hands and knees, trying to get the carrot-face doll that was wedged under the couch, while Lucy chomped on a teething biscuit.
Becky scampered to her feet, feeling as exposed as someone who just mooned a stadium crowd.
“This is my neighbor, Becky,” Nate said offhandedly to Margo. “She’s babysitting while I keep Lucy.”
Margo nodded at her.
Becky nodded back. Exactly what had happened to her girlfriend status?
“Margo,” he said. “Could you give us a minute?”
“Sure.” Margo held up her phone. “I’ll just go sit on one of the rocking chairs on the front porch and answer my text messages.”
Margo left.
Nate turned her. “Becky, could you possibly stay a little longer—if you don’t have any plans, that is. Margo is meeting a deputy buddy of mine for dinner. They’ve just started dating and want me to join them just to show I don’t have any hard feelings about them getting together. I don’t want to be a poor sport.”
Becky processed this. One, Nate had dated Margo. Two, Margo was now dating a friend of his and they wanted his blessing. And three, he hadn’t suggested they double date with them.
“I don’t have plans.”
“Wait, would you like to come along with us?” he asked. “Maybe we can get the landlady to babysit Lucy.”
“I am the babysitter, Nate.”
He had the good grace to look sheepish.
“Listen, I’m going to take Lucy to my apartment since I have things to do, but you go on with your friends and have a nice time.” Becky scooped up Lucy and with her ever-ready diaper bag, made what she hoped was a dignified exit.
Miraculously, Lucy ate her dinner with a minimum of fuss and passed out on a quilt on Becky’s living room floor shortly after she ate, the carrot-headed doll firmly clutched in her chubby little fist.
Nate’s niece was a living doll, but what responsibility a baby was. Becky knew she was up to the task and maybe one day she would have children of her own. But she needed a partner first.
Gazing affectionately at Lucy, Becky realized that a person didn’t know what peace was until they’d settled a baby down for the night. Even Ozzie was worn out from hanging around Lucy. He curled in a ball on Becky’s bed and was immediately in feline dreamland.
Watching the hands of the clock continue to tick away, Becky became increasingly annoyed with Nate. A girlfriend—okay, pretend girlfriend—should not be expected to babysit for twelve hours straight so Nate could go out with some woman.
She could look like Margo, if she wanted to. Well-dressed, well made-up, well-manicured. If she truly were Nate’s girlfriend, she should fight fire with fire in a situation like this. She was tired of being taken for granted.
You know what? It might be fun to give herself a makeover.
After making sure that Lucy was sound asleep, she took a quick shower, and then flat-ironed her hair as sleek as Margo’s. She plucked her eyebrows and waxed in the appropriate places. Gave herself a mani/pedi. All that, but he still wasn’t home. She applied makeup, spending extra attention perfecting the smoky eye.
Now, what should she wear?
She opened her closet and studied her choices. When she was under the illusion that she and Kevin had a future, she had bought a gorgeous negligee to save for some sexy vacation. The transparent peach-colored shorty gown had thin straps and a matching robe, equally see-through and trimmed in marabou like something from a 1930s movie.
She poured herself into the gown and strutted in front of the mirror with the rope hanging halfway down her arms in a classic film noir pose. Her only concession to modesty was to slip on a pair of bikini panties. Since she didn’t own fuzzy mules, she put on a pair of spike-heeled pink satin shoes she’d worn as a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding. The color wasn’t exactly right, but the effect was.
Becky studied herself in the mirror, stunned by her transformation. She looked like a femme fatale, just as sexy as Margo—except her legs, visible through the filmy fabric, just a little shapelier if she did say so herself.
Wait until Nate got a good look at her…
“Maybe this isn’t such an outstanding idea,” she said to Ozzie.
Suddenly, she felt like a fool. What was she trying to prove? That she was jealous of Margo? That she was worried about Nate hanging out with her? That she could sway him to go for her instead?
That’s it. She was getting out of this contraption before someone saw her.
The downstairs buzzer sounded. It wouldn’t be Nate; he had a key. But what if he forgot it? What if it was Mrs. Vander Polder, who always used the buzzer as a courtesy instead of just coming right in with her master key?
She didn’t want either of them to see her in this outfit.
The buzzer rang again.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she mumbled, opening the hall closet and grabbing the first thing her hand touched. A yellow rain slicker. Yanking it on, snapping it up, she made sure Lucy was still sacked out, then hustled down the stairs. She knew she looked ridiculous, but at least all her body parts were modestly concealed.
Racking her brain for a logical explanation for why she was wearing a rain slicker indoors, she opened the door without looking through the peephole. Convinced it was Nate or Mrs. Vander Polder.
Gigantic mistake!
“Hi, babe.”
Kevin!
“Hey,” he said.
“What do you want?”
“You looked so terrific at the costume bash. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He drilled his gaze into Becky.
She narrowed her eyes and hardened her chin.
He didn’t even wait for her to stand aside, just pushed his way into the house. It was hard trying to outmaneuver two hundred pounds of muscle and gall.
“Kevin.” She heaved out her disdain. “What are you doing here?”
She left the door to her apartment open in case Lucy woke up and started crying. Kevin made a beeline for it. Becky had no choice but to follow him into her living room where Lucy was still soundly sleeping.
“
Who’s the kid?” Kevin skidded to a stop.
“I’m babysitting for a neighbor.” She’d tell Kevin the full story when Ozzie learned how to bark.
“In a raincoat? Last time I look, it was ninety degrees and humid enough to make a fence post pass out. Good for my lawn business.”
“Go home, Kevin.”
“Will you give me a peek at what’s underneath?” he asked.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You broke up with me. You don’t get to see what’s under here.”
“You expecting someone? Never fixed yourself up like this for me. We might still be together if you had.” He pouted like a spoiled narcissist.
How on earth had she ever found this man appealing? She shuddered. “Please leave.”
“I know you’re ticked off at me. I’m the first to admit that I deserve it. I still care about you. It’s only sex with Courtney. You’re the class act. I was a dope for letting you get away.”
“Why are you here, Kevin?”
She knew him so well. For someone who had little or nothing worthwhile to say, he could take a long time getting to the point.
“I hoped that we could—”
“No.”
“But were still friends, right?”
She could see the friends-with-benefit speech about to roll off his tongue. “Nope. Not even close.”
“Hey, my replacement seems like a good guy. You did well. The bartender at the party said your guy is a sheriff’s deputy. Right?”
He was incorrect about Nate being his replacement, but she would not encourage him by denying it.
“Yes,” she said, hoping the fact that she had a pretend law enforcement boyfriend would encourage Kevin to move along. “He’s with the sheriff’s department.”
“What a coincidence. I hit a streak of terrible luck. I’m close to having my driver’s license pulled. In fact, I got a speeding ticket on the interstate last night, and I might end up having enough points to lose my license.”
Dumbstruck, she stared at him. He wanted Nate to fix a ticket for him?
“That would be a shame, but at least you have Courtney as your chauffeur.”