by Jen Talty
“Mmm, love a man in uniform.” She patted his chest, then added, “I’ve got to get going. I’m bringing lots of goodies up to the school today.”
“You get paid for doing that?” He admired the view as she wiggled her way to the staircase.
She shook her head. “I’m just doing it for the kids. Then maybe their parents will ask me to do the next birthday cake or cater their next party. Shameless self-promo, you know.” Just then, the doorbell rang. “Who the hell could that be?” She glanced at the door, then down at herself. “Mind getting that, I’m kind of, well, not totally decent.”
“Sure,” he managed, staring at her.
“Um, they’re waiting,” she said.
“Yeah.” He peeled his gaze from her and ran a hand through his hair. Him answering her door at seven thirty in the morning wouldn’t look good either, but what could he do? He pulled back the door and blinked.
He blinked a few more times, making sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. “Pat? Jake?” he questioned, staring at his brother and nephew.
“Uncle Owen, what are you doing here?” Jake asked with wide, questioning eyes. His lower lip quivered.
That wasn’t a good sign.
“Just being neighborly.” He patted Jake on the shoulder, avoiding his brother’s glare, grateful Courtney had dashed up the stairs. “Courtney had some raccoons in her garage last night, and I was just checking on her.”
“Really,” Pat said. “That might have something to do with why we are here. Can we come in?”
“Um. Sure.” He glanced over his shoulder, not sure if he should leave or wait for Courtney.
“Dad?” Jake held his ground when his father tried to push him through the door. “I can’t do this with Uncle Owen here. Please, can’t we just come back later?”
“We will do this now.” Pat arched his brow.
“Fine,” Jake said under his breath as he stormed past Owen. He stopped just shy of the couch in the family room and just stood there, staring down at his feet.
“What’s going on?” Owen whispered.
Jake, now twelve, was a good kid. Owen couldn’t imagine him doing something that deserved the nasty look from his father. The same look their father had given them on numerous occasions.
Don’t be a big oaf.
Stop with the oaf crap.
“I’m going to let him explain it to Courtney.” Pat looked around. “Where is she?”
“I’m right here.” She appeared at the top of the stairs in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, her hair tied back in a low ponytail, looking like morning dew sparkling in the sun. “Hey, squirt.”
“Hi,” Jake managed, giving her a weak smile.
“Jake has something he’d like to say to you,” Pat said. “Jake, go ahead.”
“Umm, well, I kind of, well…” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I, umm, was in your garage last night, and well, I kind of got into some food in your freezer.”
“Did you leave a mess behind?” Owen questioned, taking a step closer to Jake. Kids played jokes all the time, and Jake had a fascination for animals.
“Um, well, I suppose.” Not once did Jake look Owen in the eye. Normally Jake, even if he’d been busted doing something he shouldn’t, always took his punishment like a man.
“Did you purposely leave a trail behind to attract the raccoons?” Owen didn’t like games, especially with family.
“Knock it off.” Courtney stepped between them. “Leave him alone, he’s just a kid.”
“A kid who was trespassing in your garage,” Pat added.
“He wasn’t trespassing. He had permission to be there,” she said.
“But he messed with that cake. And I’m not even going to get into the whole burglar on the loose thing.” Owen tried to sidestep her, but when he moved, so did she. Jake now actually hid behind her. “Jake, front and center.”
“I’m sorry about the cake, really, I am. I know I shouldn’t have opened the freezer. That was off limits.”
Courtney turned and placed her hands on Jake’s shoulders. “Go outside and let me deal with your father and uncle, okay?” Jake nodded, then bolted through the door.
“I understand you’re trying to be nice, but he needs to be appropriately punished,” Pat said, shaking his head. “This is the age it starts, and I need to keep my thumb on him so he continues to be the good boy that he is.”
Owen couldn’t agree more, but he knew his brother and knew that Pat probably thought the whole thing was funny as sin. Well, not so funny when a real live burglar loomed in the shadows. Jake’s prank might have been relatively harmless, but harmless sometimes turned dangerous. Something Owen knew all too well. “Protecting him or covering for him won’t help him in the long run.”
“He’s the one doing the protecting.”
“Huh?” Owen questioned.
“Jake is protecting me,” she said.
Don’t go getting all judgmental on her.
Butt out.
“What?” Owen couldn’t imagine what a kid would be protecting her from. It didn’t make sense.
“He was doing me a favor. I asked him to help attract the raccoons. I hate those little buggers. They scare the crap out of me. So, I turned to Jake.”
The temperature in Owen’s body rose so high, he thought he’d boil over. “Pat, do you mind leaving us alone for a minute?” Owen didn’t turn around to see if his brother left or not. He focused in on her face, a guilty-looking face. “Please tell me that you didn’t set last night up by using my nephew to get to me.”
“It wasn’t quite like that.”
“Great. You used my nephew to lure a couple of masked bandits into your garage just to trick me into coming over? Do you realize I had to file a report?”
“I didn’t call the cops, I called you. And I just wanted to get your attention.”
Get his attention? Was she crazy? “We’re not kids anymore. And there are much better, more honest ways of getting a man’s attention.”
“I tried those, you ignored me.” Her face turned hard as she drew her lips in a tight line. “This isn’t a big deal.”
Relax, Owen. Let her explain, a soft voice echoed in his mind. He swallowed his breath.
“You just heard something, didn’t you?” Courtney had the audacity to smile. How on earth could she think it was remotely okay for her to use his nephew in a trick to get him into bed?
“Yeah, the voice of reason telling me to walk out that door and never look back,” he muttered. “I don’t like being manipulated.”
“Don’t deny the connection.” She gripped his bicep. “You feel it. I know you do.”
“Right now, the only thing I feel is anger. At you.” He jerked away. “I don’t like my job being on the line because you wanted to play games with me. And how the hell could you use a kid, my nephew, to try to get me in your bed? What the hell were you thinking?” It didn’t matter that he actually cared for her. Or wanted to be in her bed.
The problem was the whole thing was just a game to her. Just sex. Nothing more. He should have known. He shouldn’t care, because he really didn’t have anything else to give.
Stop that. You have a lot to give, and she needs it.
“I’ve got to get to work.” He turned and marched out the door and didn’t look back. Even though his newfound voice told him he was making the biggest mistake of his life.
Courtney forced a smile as she watched the kids in Ms. Ricter’s class devour her goodies. Not only did she wish she could’ve made enough for the whole school, but she wished things had gone differently with Owen this morning. But she couldn’t let Jake continue to get reamed out by two grown men for something she’d asked him to do.
Thanks a lot, Grandma.
Wasn’t my idea to use the kid. Should have let me do the meddling.
Still would have backfired.
Then make it right. Try being honest with him this time.
“Thanks, Courtney,” little Nicky said.
“Anytime.” Her heart warmed by the sweet smile on his face. Poor kid had just lost his mother to cancer, and his father had run out on him the year before. Currently, Nicky was living with his uncle, but he worked full-time and just couldn’t do the school thing. So Courtney figured bringing in snacks every so often for him might bring a little more happiness to his life.
“My uncle doesn’t have a girlfriend you know.”
Boy did she ever. The man called her at least twice a week. His uncle was nice enough, but he wasn’t Owen. “I’m sure your uncle will find the right person, just like I have. You know, each person has a soulmate. One person that was made just for them. When you find them, you just know it.” She heard a click and glanced toward the door as that someone just strolled into the classroom. Her heart leapt to her throat.
“Good morning, Chief McNally.” Ms. Ricter greeted him at the door with a smile and red cheeks. “Thanks for coming by.” She patted his bicep and got all giddy.
Damn. Courtney hadn’t expected competition. Her grandmother had told her all about Natalie, the girlfriend from hell, but she’d long since disappeared and last she’d heard was engaged to some assemblyman. Courtney checked out the teacher and although she was cute, she didn’t think Owen would be interested. But what the hell did she know. And by the narrowed stare Owen tossed in Courtney’s direction, he wasn’t too happy she was there.
“Ma’am.” He nodded.
She swallowed her pounding heart, keeping her focus on the kids.
“Class.” Ms. Ricter clapped her hands. “Let’s grab our goodies and gather on our mat. Chief McNally is going to talk to us about the importance of safety while we go trick-or-treating.”
This should be Courtney’s cue to leave, but not when Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes teacher was ogling her man. Instead, she adjusted herself in her seat, snagged a piece of cake, and licked at the frosting while staring at the object of everyone’s attention.
He squirmed. So she positioned herself to give him a good look down her shirt if he chose. She shoved her finger in the frosting and sucked. His eyes damn near bugged out of his head before he scowled and turned his attention to the children that had gathered at his feet. At least she knew she still affected the man.
Her mood turned all mushy as she watched him laugh and smile with the kids, all the while helping them understand the importance of being safe. He didn’t seem to intimidate them with his uniform and gun, but instead, created a sense of trust. The kids asked him questions about his job and one young girl said she was going to take his job from him when she grew up.
A half an hour passed, and Courtney felt even closer to Owen, if possible. She’d always felt connected to him. The few phone calls she’d dared make to him over the years always ended up lasting hours, making her feel whole until she hung up. She hadn’t understood then that he was her other half.
Now, if only she could make him get it.
With the lecture over, most of the kids went back to their seats except for a few who had bombarded Owen with more questions. A lesser man would be annoyed.
“Chief McNally?” Nicky started. “You got a girl?”
Oh God. The air in her chest clung to her lungs like glue. Her hands shook as she tried to gather up her things to leave. She could see Owen from the corner of her eye. He squatted, rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and smiled.
“That’s a mighty personal question. Why do you ask?”
Courtney kept her focus on putting the leftover cake on a tin tray to leave behind.
“I’m trying to find the right one for my uncle. I thought maybe you could tell me where you got yours.”
Owen smiled. “You don’t shop for girls like you do clothing or something.”
“Oh, I know. Courtney says that when you find the right person, well, you just know it. She knows where her heart belongs, so it can’t be with my uncle.”
“I see,” Owen said. “And where did she find her guy?”
“Her grandmother probably helped her. You know her house is haunted, right? But with good ghosts. Kind of like Casper.”
Owen shook his head. “I’m sure your uncle will find the right person, and you really shouldn’t meddle in those kinds of things. It just upsets people.” Owen patted him on the shoulder. “And for the record, there are no such things as ghosts. Just very vivid memories of those we love.”
“So you haven’t found your girl, yet?”
Her heart fluttered in a panicked frenzy. She glanced over her shoulder and watched Owen whisper something in Nicky’s ear. Nicky smiled then gave Owen a high five. Being the bionic woman would come in handy right about now.
Grandma, what did he say?
You know the rules, dear.
Screw the rules. I need to know what he said.
Ask him yourself. He’s connected. He might hear.
Okay. Courtney closed her eyes and concentrated on Owen, and only Owen. I know you can hear me.
Silence followed. Damn her grandmother and the stupid rules of communicating with the dead and the living... Like anyone cared. Besides, who would make up a rule that ghosts couldn’t share the communications of the living with other people.
Because it could mess up the future, and that would be bad, very bad.
Spirits help Owen with his so-called gut instincts.
Different. And you know it.
Whatever.
Courtney gathered up her things, said her goodbyes and headed out the door, refusing to talk to her grandmother anymore. On the way out, Courtney heard Ms. Ricter’s voice, but she couldn’t actually hear the words. Probably a good thing considering it sounded like she’d just asked Owen out on a date.
Once outside, she slid the box in the back of her Civic, slammed the door, then leaned against the cold metal and took in a heaving breath.
She really had only herself to blame. She’d been acting like a stupid teenager with her approach to snagging the man of her dreams, instead of a grown woman. Footsteps echoed from somewhere behind her, and she knew they belonged to Owen. Time to fly off on her broom.
“Not so fast there,” he called.
“I’m really busy today.”
“So am I.” He positioned himself between her and the driver’s side door. “I think we need to talk about what happened.”
“Between us? Or with Jake?”
He arched a brow. “All of it.”
Not exactly the answer she’d been looking for, but since he brought it up. “I’m not sorry about what I did.”
“You used my nephew, that’s low and irresponsible on your part.” He shifted, blocking the sun from her eyes, making him easier to see, which really didn’t help because he still scowled. “You put me in an awkward position at work, and if you wanted me to stop over, you should’ve just asked.”
Oh, yeah, like asking him to take her to bed would’ve gone over any better—much less like asking him to spend the rest of his life with her would do the trick, either. He already thought she was a bit off the beaten path. He didn’t talk much, and unless she called him, or showed up at his place, he didn’t even act like she existed. “I’ll remember that next time.” She wanted to kick herself for being such a sourpuss. He did have a valid point.
“Good.” He stared at her for a moment before turning and heading for his patrol car. “And when will the next time be? Just so I’m prepared.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I know.” He smiled.
“All right. I want you to come over tonight, but I also want to know what you said to Nicky.”
He tossed
his head back and laughed. “I’m sure you would.” He turned and started walking away.
“Does that mean you’re stopping by tonight? What time?” She sounded pathetic to her own ears.
“I’ll be in the neighborhood.”
“That didn’t answer my questions.”
He glanced over his shoulder and waved. “Nope. It didn’t.” Then he got in his car and drove away.
Well, now who was the one playing games?
Just be honest, her grandmother’s voice whispered.
“Honest about what?”
How you feel, dear. Just tell him you love him.
She laughed. Like that would help. He’d probably have her committed. Somehow, she had to find a way to make him see the light. It was obvious he couldn’t be pushed into it. Nor could she continue to play games. But somehow, she’d manage to make him see that his life wouldn’t be the same if she wasn’t in it.
4
Owen sat across from Pat at the local diner, listening to him grumble about the latest joys of marriage and parenting. Pat didn’t really complain because he loved his wife. Loved his kids more. However, Owen understood Pat needed to vent like everyone else. So, once a week they had dinner, and Pat moaned and groaned, with a smile on his face, about having to take out the stupid garbage.
“Where the hell are you?” Pat questioned.
Owen shook his head, realizing he hadn’t heard a word. “It’s Halloween. I hate Halloween.”
“Thank God you don’t have kids.” Pat shook his head. “Halloween is great, minus the candy. It’s the candy that makes them go nuts.”
“Are you saying Courtney’s cake made Jake go along with her little prank?”
Pat laughed.
Loudly.
“I don’t see what’s so funny. Your son lured raccoons into her garage.” Owen purposely left out the dangers of a burglar. Technically, one had nothing to do with the other.
“Lured?” Pat cleared his throat. “He’s got a mega crush on her. Hell, he’d put a potato in your exhaust pipe if he thought it would get her attention.”
Owen scowled. “So, because he’s got his first crush, and she asked him to do it, that makes it okay?”