As she was filling the coffeemaker, she suddenly knew she’d forgotten something.
And then she remembered. Nick Yancy’s funeral was at two that afternoon. And she’d promised her mother she would try to go.
Sadness—for Nick, for his family—weighed on her. She thought of a number of good excuses not to go. There were always a thousand things to do on Sunday. And she’d hardly known Nick, after all.
But no. Really. Someone from the Janko family should be there.
And it should be doable. Janice was opening the clubhouse at one for any Blueberries and parents who could put in some time on the dollhouse project. Ava had signed up both her and Sylvie to pitch in for an hour or two. But Janice would understand if she dropped Sylvie off and went on to the service.
* * *
Dare wasn’t at the clubhouse when Ava arrived with Sylvie—not that he should have been. He’d more than done his part on the project and had a right to a break now and then. But still, she felt a little tug of disappointment at not seeing him there.
“You go on,” Janice said when she explained why she couldn’t stay. “My condolences to the Yancy family...”
Sylvie had her own kid-appropriate Kurio smartphone, a present from her doting grandparents on her seventh birthday. Ava checked to make sure Sylvie had the phone with her. Then she got back in the Suburban and headed for the Community Church on Elk Street.
At the church, the parking lot was full. Ava ended up parking on nearby Marmot Drive. The church itself overflowed with mourners, and everyone in town must have sent flowers. There were urns brimming with them, wreaths decked with them, swags of them, everywhere.
Ava spotted Jody Bravo in the third row from the back. The pew looked full, but if people would just sit a little closer to each other, space could be made for more. And Ava hated seeing Jody sitting there all alone.
Scattering soft excuse-me’s as she went, Ava wove her way to the end of Jody’s row and then, murmuring more apologies, kept going until she made it to Jody’s side. The lady next to Jody scooted over a little, and Ava claimed the vacant spot. Jody, who looked much too pale and tired, patted Ava’s hand.
Ava leaned close. “Why didn’t you get Nell or Elise to come with you?”
“They offered. So did Clara and Rory. I asked them not to come.”
Ava had no idea what to say to that. And Jody didn’t seem eager to chat, anyway.
There was shuffling from the other end of the pew, someone else jockeying for a seat. Ava glanced over and saw it was Dare. He edged toward them, and the man on Jody’s other side slid over, making room for him. He sat down.
Jody gently bumped his shoulder with hers. “What are you doing here?”
“Nick was a great guy. Thought I’d pay my respects. How you holding up?”
“I’ve been better.” Jody stared straight ahead.
Dare wrapped his arm around her. For a moment, Jody let herself lean against him, let her head droop to his shoulder with a sigh. But then she drew herself up and faced front once more.
Ava waited for him to glance her way.
When he did, he held her gaze just long enough to send a warm ripple of pleasure moving through her. “Ava.”
“Darius. Hello.”
The service began.
It was lovely, really, including videos and a photo montage of Nick growing up and riding in the local rodeos. They played several sweet and spiritual country songs—Nick’s favorites, Ava assumed. She clutched a handful of tissues and dabbed at her cheeks whenever the tears got away from her.
Beside her, Jody stayed dry-eyed, back straight and gaze forward. Ava glanced at her now and then to see how she was doing. Grim was the word for Jody Bravo that day.
More than once, Dare looked over at the same time that Ava did. Their gazes would hold until one of them remembered to look away. Ava was so glad he’d come, glad that Jody had someone who cared on each side of her.
Afterward, the minister, Nick’s stepdad and stepbrother formed a receiving line in the narthex. Everyone began to file out, some stopping to pay respects to the family and the pastor, others skirting the line and moving for the doors.
Jody chose the line. Ava and Dare fell in behind her. Jody exchanged a few soft words with the pastor. She shook the hands of Nick’s stepdad and his stepbrother, Seth, who’d been elected county sheriff two years ago. She said how sorry she was. Nick’s stepdad, Bill, nodded and sadly smiled. The sheriff accepted Jody’s gentle words with a single dip of his head.
“Ava, isn’t it?” asked Bill Yancy when it was her turn to take the older man’s hand. “Paul and Kate Janko’s girl?”
“Ava, that’s right. The family’s out of town. My dad and mom and brothers send their deepest condolences.”
“You tell them we do thank them.”
“I will. Please take care.”
And Ava moved on, nodding at Sheriff Yancy, murmuring words of sympathy. Dare followed behind her, speaking briefly with Nick’s stepdad, then stopping to say something to Seth.
Out on the church steps, Ava looked for Jody and spotted her disappearing around the side of the building, walking fast toward the parking lot.
Dare came up beside her. “Did Jody say anything to you?”
“No. She just took off. Oh, Dare. I don’t know if she ought to be alone right now.”
“Come on. Let’s go find out if she needs anything.”
They went after her, catching up as Jody reached her Chevy Tahoe. Jody climbed in without saying a word to either of them.
Before she could shut the door, Ava asked, “Are you going to the gravesite?” When Jody shook her head, Ava offered, “How about some coffee?”
Jody sat so still behind the wheel, her door still wide open. “No. Thank you. No.” She pulled the door shut.
Something wasn’t right. Ava ran around to the passenger side and tapped on the window.
Jody didn’t look happy about it, but she did unlock the doors. Ava got in. Dare climbed into the backseat behind Jody.
After that, nobody seemed to know what to do or say next. They just sat there, the three of them, for at least a full minute, the silence in that SUV hollow and infinite. Ava stared through the windshield at the gray sky and the muddy piles of old snow on the edge of the parking lot, at the bundled-up people filing by to get to their cars.
Jody finally spoke. “I’m pregnant,” she said. “Three months along.”
Chapter Five
As Ava tried not to gape in bald surprise, Jody put her hand on her belly. If she was starting to show, Ava couldn’t tell through the heavy winter coat she wore.
“It’s Nick’s,” Jody said. “Nobody else knows right now, but I’ll tell them all soon. I just haven’t gotten around to spreading the news yet. And I would appreciate it if you would keep it to yourselves for right now.”
“Of course,” promised Ava.
“All right,” said Dare.
Jody met Ava’s eyes. With a soft cry, Ava reached for her. For a moment, Jody surrendered to an awkward hug across the console. When Jody pulled away, she craned her head and shared a quick glance with Dare. “You won’t have to keep quiet for long. I really will tell them in the next few weeks. I’m starting to show, anyway. Winter sweaters hide a lot, but by Christmas it’s a secret I won’t be able to keep.”
“Come to my house,” Ava coaxed. “I’ll fix us something to eat and we can—”
“You’re sweet, Ava. But no. I just want to go home, crawl into bed and have a long nap.”
“But are you sure you’re all right?”
Jody looked away again. “Nick was a good person. I’ll miss him. I’m sorry he’ll never know his child. But yeah. I am all right, and I know what I want, which is to have this baby and be a good mom. So thank y
ou. Both of you.”
“For what?” Dare asked gruffly. “We haven’t done anything.”
“Yeah, you have. You’re here and you care. And I’m grateful for that.” She gave Ava a sad little smile.
Dare said, treading cautiously, “I, uh, didn’t know you and Nick were together.”
“We weren’t.” Jody gripped the steering wheel in her gloved hands as if to steady herself. “It wasn’t like that. There was one night, that’s all. He wanted to keep in touch, and we kind of got to be friends. And now he’s gone and I’m having a baby and...well, I want this baby. I honestly do.”
Ava couldn’t help thinking of Sylvie. “Being a single mom isn’t easy, but I promise you, it is so worth it—and are you sure you won’t come to my house, just for a quick snack?”
Jody shook her head. “Nope. I’m going home.”
“I don’t like it,” Dare said, “I’m not happy about leaving you alone.”
Jody shrugged. “I am alone. And I’m okay with that. I honestly am.”
“I’m calling to check on you later,” Ava said. “And you know my number if you need anything.”
“I have it. Thanks.”
What else was there to say? Ava and Dare got out of the Tahoe on their opposite sides. They stood waiting as Jody backed, waved and drove off.
“Where’s your car?” he asked once Jody was gone.
“Over on Marmot.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you.”
Side by side but not touching, skirting dirty mounds of snow, they went back around to the front of the church. When they reached the sidewalk, they headed toward the corner of Elk and Marmot.
“You think Jody’s told Seth and his dad about the baby?” Dare asked. “They acted like they barely knew her back there in the receiving line.”
“Funerals are brutal, especially for the family.” Ava thought of that windy day at Miramar, with Sylvie fussing in her stroller, the flag draped on the casket. She’d felt so empty that day. People spoke to her, and she didn’t answer. She was quiet on the outside, but inside she was screaming. “I don’t think we can draw any conclusions from what Seth and his dad did in the receiving line—and she’s only three months’ pregnant. Plenty of time before the baby comes to tell the step-uncle and step-grandpa.”
One side of his mouth curved in a hint of that gorgeous grin of his. “In other words, butt out?”
“Pretty much. Plus, I clearly heard you give her your word that you wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Jody’s so hard to read. Always has been. She’s the sister I could never really figure out. Clara has that big heart. She just wants us all to get along. And Elise is the busy, bossy one. And you know Nell. She makes it more than clear where she stands on any given issue. Jody, though, she’s the quiet one, a still-waters type. She keeps a lot to herself.”
“She’s a private sort of person. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“I didn’t say it was wrong. I just wonder if she’s told Seth and his dad, if she even plans to tell them.”
Ava decided she needed to make her point more strongly. “Dare. It’s her news to share.”
He slanted her a sideways glance and laid on the irony. “Gee, Ava. Tell me what you really think.”
“All right. Keep your mouth shut. It’s Jody’s choice how she handles it.”
He stepped in front of her. Walking backward, he put up both hands like she held him at gunpoint. “Don’t shoot. I’ll behave.”
“Promises, promises.”
They turned the corner. A moment later, they reached her car.
He opened the door for her. “I’ll see you.”
“When?” She slid behind the wheel and rolled the window down.
He shut the door, leaned in—and teased, “Can’t wait, can you?”
She considered demanding a kiss, but he just might give her one. And how would they keep this thing between them a secret if she kissed him in broad daylight on Marmot Drive? “You’re way too sure of yourself, you know that?”
“Tomorrow.”
“What about it?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ava.”
“What time? Where?”
“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, now, will it?” He slapped his hand on the door and stepped back. Then his cocky grin faded. “You’ll call Jody, you said?”
“Yeah. Tonight.”
“Let me know if there’s anything... I don’t know. Whatever I can do.” He looked honestly worried for his sister—and bummed that he had no idea how to help. And that made her want to kiss him all over again. “I’ll check with you tonight, after you’ve had a chance to talk with her.”
“That sounds good.” She rolled up her window and got out of there before she jumped from the car and threw herself into his arms.
* * *
Ava called Jody as soon as Sylvie went to bed. Jody said she was fine and for Ava please not to worry about her, so Ava left it at that.
She got a two-word text from Darius at ten: How’s Jody?
No news. She seems okay and says not to worry. I think we need to leave it alone for now.
Well, all right then. See you tomorrow...
Right. Tomorrow. Time and place of his choosing because the guy was determined to drive her crazy with unfulfilled lust. Good night, Darius. She turned the phone to silent mode and stuck it in her bedside drawer so he couldn’t tease her anymore that night.
* * *
He showed up at her office at a few minutes after ten the next morning.
The receptionist, Myra, who also played secretary for the three other Realtors in the old Victorian that had been converted to offices, buzzed her. “Darius Bravo is here for you.”
Her stomach went fluttery, and her cheeks flamed hot. “Thanks, Myra.” At least she kept her tone calm and businesslike. “Send him back.”
Thirty seconds later, he sauntered through her office door. “Miss me?” He shut the door behind him—and turned the lock.
Her knees went suddenly wobbly. She rose from her desk chair just to prove to herself that she could. “If I did, do you think I would actually admit it to you?”
“You’re a hard-hearted woman, Ava.”
“I have to be tough around someone like you.”
He came toward her, circled the desk and pulled her into his arms. “Kiss me?” He made it sound like a request. And then he lowered those killer lips of his and kissed her anyway, giving her no chance to decide if she would or she wouldn’t.
He tasted minty, and he smelled of leather and man. His tongue toyed with hers and his hands roamed her back. She clutched his big shoulders and moaned with enthusiasm, loving the smooth leather of his jacket and the hard muscles beneath. It was a long kiss.
But still, for Ava, it ended too soon. He lifted his head, and she opened her eyes to gaze up at him dreamily. “I have to show a condo in—” she brought her wrist up between them to check the pink-gold pre-owned Rolex she’d bought to reward herself when she sold her third Bravo-built home “—forty-seven minutes.”
“Then let’s not waste any time.” He pulled her close again, into all that wonderful hardness and heat, his left hand settling at the base of her spine as he guided her slowly over backward. She heard her chair roll away from her desk. And then he was laying her out across the desk pad, following her down.
She giggled like she was twelve or something. “You’re lucky I keep a tidy desk. Pencils and paper clips would be flying.”
“Tidy, huh?” He looked down at her as though he might eat her right up.
“I like things orderly.” She tried really hard not to sound as breathless as he made her feel.
“I think I need to mess you up a little, Ava...”
She would
have argued against that, but his lips met hers once more, and all the words flew right out of her brain. He left no room for anything but pleasure, his wonderful hands molding her waist first and then gliding upward to cover her breasts. She groaned when he cradled them. And groaned some more as he rubbed them, pinching her nipples through the fabric of her silk shirt and bra.
He started undoing her buttons. And she let him, though this was her place of business and it was nothing short of tacky to be doing this here.
But so what? She just couldn’t stop herself—didn’t want to stop herself.
Because Darius Bravo had mad skills when it came to upping the sexual ante between them. He really knew how to drive her crazy, take her higher, make her burn for the day he would finally be her lover for real.
One button undone. And then the next. And the next after that. He pulled her shirt from her skirt and spread it open, revealing her lace bra—and then breaking the kiss so he could tease her, “Pink. Very nice. Matches that fancy watch of yours.”
He put those wonderful hot hands on her breasts again, and he used his thumbs to pull the cups of her bra down. And then he lowered his head and caught her nipple between his teeth. She cried out—and he reached up and put his hand over her mouth.
“Shh, Ava.” He flicked her nipple with his clever tongue. “Shh, now. We don’t want Myra to hear. This is our own sweet little secret, remember?”
So she pressed her lips together to keep the moans in, and she speared her fingers into his hair and held him close and let him kiss her bared breasts, one and then the other. He lavished endless attention on them, until she hovered on the verge of begging him to make this happen. All the way.
Right here on her desk.
Just like Saturday night, he was as ready as she was. She felt the rock-hard ridge of him, pressing against her right where she needed him so much. She even reached down between them, intent on driving him as wild as he was making her.
But he only chuckled in a rough, slightly pained sort of way, caught her wrists, one and then the other, and held them over her head, making her powerless to do anything but try to hold back her hungry moans and let him torture her with pleasure a little bit more.
A Bravo for Christmas Page 6