Kathy made a noise just like Louise did before upchucking.
Reflexively, Mary Margaret took a step back.
“Thanks for the support, Mrs. Ninja Claus.” Kevin handed out gift tags to those in line. “I knew adding you to the development committee was the right idea.”
“You didn’t add me to the committee,” Kathy said.
“Do you want to come on board?” he asked.
“No.” Kathy handed Wendy her completed package. “I’m still against the project.”
“Kevin?” Mary Margaret dug into a tub for a box the right length to hold the rose-colored bud vase Eileen Taylor wanted wrapped.
“What?”
“If you can’t make yourself useful in this production line, I’m going to have to break up the band.” She caught his eye. “No more Mr. and Mrs. Ninja Claus. No more discussions about distribution centers.”
Her threat worked. Kevin began making curled ribbon bows while continuing to charm the customers, even the occasional one who expressed their disapproval of new development in town.
In no time, the stores began closing. Their line dwindled to nothing. Patti from the smoke shop, another Widows Club member and part of the Victorian choir, took their cash box for the night.
“You like the notoriety of being mayor.” Mary Margaret’s back ached from bending over the table to wrap. “You were comfortable with all the small talk, the fawning, the oh-you-poor-boy-who-can’t-wrap teasing.”
“I suspect there’s a question in there somewhere that I don’t want to answer.” But he smiled when he said it.
“I don’t think it’s a question.” She shoved the table sideways and out of the way. “You like leading the pack, whether it’s a pack of ninjas or a group of ladies worn out from shopping or a committee of residents talking through the pros and cons of commercial development.”
“I like people.” A frown clouded his handsome features. “I think I forgot that after my divorce. In fact, I forgot a lot of things.” His gaze pivoted to her. The frown disappeared. And then all the charm and attention he’d paid their customers was directed her way. “You’re part of my remembering what makes me happy.”
She wasn’t sure she should be part of his journey at all. It felt too similar to being a part of her father’s ministry. Teams and committees. Common goals that required appearances and sacrifices.
“Have dinner with me tonight.” Kevin wasn’t asking. When she would have protested, he rushed on. “Don’t think about this in the context of you, my son’s teacher, and me, the mayor with the prickly ex-wife. If we didn’t live in Sunshine, you’d go out with me. At least once.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Maybe twice if you liked the way I kissed you.”
She was horrified that someone might hear him, petrified that Derek’s mess might bounce off her and stick to him like glue.
“I know.” He held up his hands, using that charming tone and winning smile that had won over all the ladies in the wrapping line. “No kisses until the third date. But isn’t that rule outdated? Isn’t that rule for people who weren’t friends beforehand?”
Her heart beat a rhythm that urged capitulation while the pounding in her temples urged caution. She should do the right thing for both of them and turn him down. “Did you ever know to the depths of your heart that something was the wrong option to pick?” she asked instead.
“When it comes to matters of the heart, you shouldn’t listen to what your head says.”
Mary Margaret had fallen for Derek on a winter night like this. He’d walked her to her car after a holiday party at her principal’s house and kissed her under a starry sky. Despite her best efforts to convince him a homegrown girl was a better choice for him, he’d persisted in his pursuit, as if she was worth the effort.
Which in his case, she had been. She was nothing if not loyal to a fault.
Kevin didn’t need loyalty from someone like her, someone with a prickly past and a thorny present.
But the fact that Kevin wasn’t deterred by her doubts and her caution…It meant something to her. Kevin was the kind of man who stood by his woman until she betrayed him. And Mary Margaret’s dancing her way out of debt would be a betrayal. She didn’t follow national politics closely but she knew enough about the profession to know people didn’t vote for men who openly dated exotic dancers.
“I need to be somewhere.” She needed to be where she could make money. “It was fun watching you in action tonight though.”
“If you ever need someone to fawn over, you know where to find me.” That glint in his eye promised mischief.
She put on her jacket and tugged a dark knit cap over her hair, eager to be gone, to be anonymous, to leave without sullying his reputation.
“Mary Margaret, I…” Kevin cupped her shoulder. “Is that what your friends call you?”
“It’s my name.” Where was this line of questioning going?
“It’s a long name.”
“It’s two names.” And he couldn’t have annoyed her more if he’d made a pass at her. She marched toward the door.
“Would you mind if I called you—”
“I don’t do nicknames.” Her father had hated them.
“—Maggie.”
Mary Margaret hesitated, one gloved hand on the cold glass door.
“Maggie,” Kevin said again, hot on her heels. “Have a good one, Maggie.”
Jim, the school janitor who moonlighted as a security guard downtown, came in the door as she was heading out, slowing her exit. And then Kevin held the door for her, resulting in the two of them standing on the sidewalk staring at each other like a couple on their first online date who couldn’t decide if the attraction they felt was worth a second one.
“Maggie,” Kevin began.
Her heart melted at his nickname.
He smiled. “You haven’t heard my question. I was going to say I have some steaks marinating at my place. I’d love to cook you dinner.” He chuckled. “That wasn’t a question either.” He moved closer, lowering his voice. “Will you have dinner with me?”
She desperately wanted to say yes.
Perhaps he could recognize the longing in her eyes. She’d kissed him, and she wanted to kiss him again. How could she hope to project the appearance of neutrality?
Kevin must have sensed her hesitation. He took her arm, leading her to the corner and Los Consuelos, the local Mexican restaurant. “We’ll share fajitas.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to learn more about you.”
“And?”
“Are you asking me my intentions?”
“I shouldn’t…We shouldn’t…” Her cheeks felt hot enough to melt chocolate. “We can’t just have dinner in town. We have to have a reason. Or Barbara is going to…”
“You’re on my development committee, remember? Alibi covered.” He opened the door for her at the restaurant. “Not that we need one. I told Barb to back off.”
“What?” The splash of bright colors in the restaurant combined with this news was dizzying.
But Kevin’s touch steadied her.
A margarita and a shared basket of chips later, and Kevin had switched gears to the standard dating questions. “Why did you decide to move to Sunshine?”
“My grandparents collected me from the hospital.” The scar on the back of her neck tingled. “I was looking for a small, out-of-the-way community.” To prove to her father that she could lead an exemplary life.
How’s that working out for you?
“If you’re determined to defend your father, why don’t you reach out and attempt to mend fences?”
Oh, heavens no. “To my father, I’m a lost cause.”
“But…you’re a kindergarten teacher.”
“Go ahead and say it.” She rolled her eyes. “You mean, kindergarten teachers live exemplary lives and never do anything interesting.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He glanced around the restaurant. “Okay, yes, you have two names lik
e you’re a nun. And yes, you teach the town’s budding little angels. And all right, no one ever has anything bad to say about you.”
“I’m ho-hum.” That was relief coursing through her veins and a blind eye she was turning toward her part-time job for the evening.
“I don’t think you’re humdrum.”
“Why not?”
He leaned forward, expression serious. “Because I find myself wondering what it would be like to kiss you.”
It’d be hot. Too hot for Mary Margaret, squeaky clean kindergarten teacher, to handle.
She lowered her eyes so he wouldn’t see the longing there. “You shouldn’t say things like that to me.”
He sat back with a weary sigh. “Would you like me better if I said things like, ‘I’m wondering how to keep Sunshine’s youth from moving away after high school’? Or ‘I’m wondering how much is too much in the road repair budget’?”
“Now, those things are truly boring.” But they were safely boring. She smiled.
“Why is it that when you say it I don’t feel so bad?”
He paid the bill and opened the door for her when they left. They walked along the sidewalk toward their vehicles, not speaking.
“Hang on a minute.” He dragged Mary Margaret into the shadowy alley between the movie theater and the mortuary. And then he kissed her as if she were breakable, his arms looped carefully at her waist, his lips pressed gently against hers.
It was nothing like the way he’d kissed Roxy.
And it inspired nothing much in return. At least, nothing but anger. That kiss told her exactly what Kevin thought about Maggie, despite his arguments to the contrary. She wasn’t sexy enough for him.
“Oh.” He released her. And then he seemed to reconsider. “Let’s try that again.”
Mary Margaret pressed her palm to his chest, stopping him. “Let’s not press our luck.” She scurried back into the light.
“This time,” he said, following her. “We won’t press our luck this time.”
She shivered, calling out, “Good night.”
Luckily, he let her escape.
Speaking of luck, she needed some. And she needed to bring Grandpa Charlie’s motorcycle home. If she borrowed Grandpa Charlie’s truck and some tie-downs, she could bring the bike back tonight after her shift. But she needed to hurry if she was going to pull that off.
On the way to her grandmother’s house, she tried to tell herself she was relieved that there had been no sparks in that kiss, no chance for Kevin to realize Mary Margaret and Foxy Roxy were one and the same.
She tried to tell herself she was relieved. But that was a lie.
She wanted Kevin to know she was more than the ho-hum kindergarten teacher.
If only the truth wouldn’t make him walk away.
Chapter Thirteen
You started drinking without me?” After escorting Mary Margaret to her car, Kevin sat down next to Jason at the bar at Shaw’s, wondering where that kiss had gone wrong.
Noah slid him a beer and a bowl of unshelled peanuts.
“You’re late.” Jason was in a mood, scowling into his drink instead of at Kevin.
“It’s not like you and I had a date,” Kevin said. “I worked the wrapping booth and then took Mary Margaret to dinner.”
“Man.” Jason groaned. “You had a date. How can it be that you’ve got a better social life than I do? You’re the guy in town who never has sex.”
“What’s the matter with you?” Kevin looked from Jason to Noah.
“Judge and Mrs. Harper came in for a drink earlier.” Noah shed light on the matter.
“The judge tottered over and asked me how I was doing.” Jason pounded his plaster cast with his fist. “He married my girl, and he’s asking me how I’m doing?”
“Dude.” Kevin put a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “You kissed another woman on national TV after a bull ride, and you expected Darcy to forgive you.” Kevin experienced a twinge of guilt. He’d kissed two different women in two days. No wonder his kiss with Mary Margaret had been a dud. He needed to choose a woman.
But there was no choice. On paper, it was the kindergarten teacher all the way. And in his heart too. He could talk to her, laugh with her, feel safe in a relationship with her. There would be no surprises.
“Darcy didn’t have to dump me and marry a man with one foot in the grave.” Jason drained his beer.
“Maybe you couldn’t give her what she needed,” Noah said, surprisingly blunt.
“Long distance relationships don’t ever work,” Kevin added. Although he’d stayed true to Barb while he was in college. And oh, that stomach churn was him realizing she probably hadn’t been faithful to him.
“I have a legitimate company here in town,” Jason groused. “A thriving business. I’m a good catch.”
“Are you still living above Iggy’s garage?” Noah arched his brows. “That bachelor pad?”
Jason blinked. “Yeah. I hop up those stairs every night—alone.”
“Are you still driving that jacked-up pickup truck?” Noah was having fun with this. “The one you need to lift women into because it’s so high off the ground?”
“Yeah. I mean, I own it but I haven’t been driving it since my accident.”
“Let me spell it out for you.” Noah placed his elbows on the bar. “Women like stability. They like boring. They may fall for your charm and your dangerous profession but they stay for the guy who pays the mortgage on a three-bedroom house, the one with flowers he planted for her in the yard. They stay for the guy who helps their dad tune up his car on Saturday and drives their mother to church on Sunday in their minivan.”
“That’s it!” Jason sat bolt upright, as if struck by lightning. “I need to win over Darcy’s parents. They never liked me.”
“I think he missed the point,” Kevin murmured.
Jason clambered off the bar stool and reached for his crutches. “The Joneses always go to a movie on Friday night after they go to dinner. Thanks, guys.”
“Where are you going?” Kevin asked.
“The movie theater. I’m going to buy some popcorn and sit next to Darcy’s parents and offer them some.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Noah ran out from behind the bar and steered Jason back to his seat. “You smell like a brewery.”
Jason resisted, shrugging his arm free and nearly toppling over backward. “Are you saying I’m drunk?”
Noah sent a pleading glance Kevin’s way. “Help me out here.”
“Has he had more than two beers?” Kevin asked Noah. At the bartender’s nod, Kevin said, “Yes, Jason. Noah’s saying you’re a stinking drunk. If you hobble into the movie theater during a show, Avery’s going to toss your butt out on the street and Darcy’s parents will continue to hate you.”
“You might be right.” Jason ran a hand over his face. “Avery runs a tight ship at the theater.” He hobbled back to his stool. “Maybe I could help Mr. Jones string his house lights. He hasn’t put them up yet.”
“I’m vetoing that idea.” Kevin pointed toward Jason’s crutches. “If you can’t climb into your own truck, you won’t be going up on a ladder.”
“Right.” Jason stared at his cast. “I need to talk to my doctor about getting this cast off.”
Kevin caught Noah’s eye and mouthed, Change the subject. Because knowing Jason, he’d talk himself into cutting off his cast in another minute.
While Noah and Jason talked football, Kevin replayed Noah’s assessment of what women wanted in his head. Except for the minivan, he was what women wanted. Except for that uninspired kiss, he might be what Mary Margaret wanted.
At times like these, a man could hope.
* * *
“Why are you borrowing all my vehicles?” Edith demanded of her granddaughter while putting on a second coat of Kiss Me, Stupid red lipstick. “Have you been getting speeding tickets in your car?”
“Remember me?” Mary Margaret seemed in a hurry. “Miss Incognito? I need a stealth-mobi
le.”
Edith spared her granddaughter a glance. All this subterfuge and urgency had Edith worried. A little stalling was in order to encourage Mary Margaret to confess.
They stood in Edith’s cramped bathroom. Edith peered at her eyeliner and then puckered her mouth to make sure the lipstick remained smooth. She rearranged the girls in her reinforced-cup bra. It was a garment designed to defy gravity, one she took out only on special occasions.
Lipstick. 18 Hour Bra. Waist cincher. Church heels. She was going all-out for drinks tonight with David. She’d even glued on false eyelashes.
Eat your heart out, Mims.
“Why are you all dolled up?” Mary Margaret picked up an eyebrow pencil and filled in Edith’s freshly plucked, gray brows. “It’s close to your bedtime.”
“If you’re going to treat me like a child, I’m not going to let you play with my toys.” Meaning Charlie’s truck. Edith snatched the eyebrow pencil back, checked her look in the mirror, and re-tucked her left tata. “If you and Mims had your way, I’d be home in bed every night at seven and out fishing on the river at five.” She hated fishing. She only went because Mims made her. And when she went, they laughed all morning. They hadn’t laughed a lot together lately, but then again, with all the snow, they hadn’t been fishing. “You haven’t returned the motorcycle yet. Why do you need the truck?” She squinted in the mirror. Her top end was still lopsided.
At this rate, the neckline of her blouse was going to be stretched out of shape, as saggy as her boobage.
“I’d rather you didn’t ask me questions.” Mary Margaret seemed to register Edith’s activities for the first time. “What are you doing with your bra?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Edith tucked her lipstick in the small black sequined clutch she normally only used for weddings and funerals. “I’ve got more sag on one side than the other.” She gave one of the girls another boost. “Should I tape it in place?”
Mary Margaret had backed into the hallway, eyes nearly as wide open as her mouth.
“Don’t look so shocked. Your tatas aren’t the same size either. No one’s are.” Edith swiveled to check that she was level and square. “And it gets worse as you age, which is why I always sleep with a bra on.” But not a constricting bullet bra like the one she had on now. “Admittedly, now that your grandfather’s gone, I don’t wear my black underwire.” Mims had convinced her to switch to a more relaxed sports bra.
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