by Melissa Blue
Aiden stilled, recognizing the predatory gleam. She put her other hand on the sheaf of papers lying next to his boots. I’m not going to touch her. I’m not… The sound of the door slamming made them both jump. Shep had just saved his life.
"Morning, Shep." Megan moved both hands, placing them at her sides. "Aiden."
He watched how well the skirt clung to her well-rounded and fully-grown hips as she waltzed out the door. He let out the breath he’d been holding.
Shep shook his head. "You’ll never learn, boy."
Aiden shifted in his chair. His uncle didn’t know how right he was.
Chapter 7
Megan closed her eyes against the pink, pink and more pink ambiance in her old room. "How’s the business?" she asked Lynne.
"Hello to you, too." Megan waited for the sigh and wasn’t disappointed. "The sweaters sold out. I ordered another shipment, this time with more cream, black, and eggplant colors. Jerry called in sick yesterday. I told him just because the boss lady’s gone doesn’t mean he can start slacking. He came in today punctual and perky. I think the pep talk worked. What else, what else? Oh, yes, you’re obsessing."
"Am not."
"Are to."
"Am not." Megan said it with a smile.
"How’s Aiden?"
The smile slipped as Megan paused.
"Ah, ha. Since I know sex is out, you must have groped him. The pause says it all."
"I wasn’t sure how to answer."
"More like you were considering lying to me."
Megan pursed her lips, because she had been about to. "How are the numbers looking for the week? I was thinking that we should start ordering boots for the winter. Possibly some coats. The Indian summer should be starting soon."
"Changing the subject, I see."
Megan placed one of the lacy pillows over her face. "We kissed."
"Sorry didn’t catch that. What? Are you talking to me under the covers?"
"The pillow. We kissed." Megan pulled the phone from her ear when Lynne screamed. She didn’t know her friend had it in her. She waited a few seconds, then said, "This is not a good thing. I did not come back home to start up a hot affair with my ex. Things would only get worse. I plan to leave after the wedding. I can’t do that to him again."
"Back up to before you threw all that negative stuff in there. You kissed him. I’m surprised. Oh, and you said hot affair. That is a very good thing."
"No, it’s a bad thing, a very bad thing."
"Not if it has you repeating yourself like an excited schoolgirl."
Megan placed a hand over her lips and sighed. "I’m trying not to complicate things." She focused on the pink ceiling. "I need everything to go smoothly. I still suspect my mother is ready to back out if I do something to piss her off. The woman who birthed me is still in there somewhere."
"You might hate me or fire me after I say this, but has it ever crossed your mind that your mother was suffering from grief?"
"Grief doesn’t make you treat your child, the only child you had by the man you love, the way she treated me."
"You never said how she treated you, but I’m just putting it out there—for the same reasons you stated, maybe that’s why she couldn’t be around you. You hear about this stuff all the time. People not being able to look into their children’s faces because they see the person they want to see the most."
"Logical, maybe, but I’m not buying it. My mother’s always been reserved." Megan said the last word slowly. Nicole never starved or beat her, but Megan still felt like her childhood had lacked an essential element. She sat up and placed the pillow under her chin.
"Even with your dad?" Lynne asked.
Memories of her mother laughing, actually laughing, came to Megan. Her mother did light up whenever her father had walked into the room. Nicole never lit up when Megan came into a room, and therein lay the problem. No amount of rationalization could convince Megan her mother really loved her. The coldness didn’t start when her father died, it simply got worse. Megan shook her head.
"I wish I could say that’s it. ‘I now see the light.’" She shook her head harder. "She wants something, and now all I have to do is wait to see what it is."
Lynne sighed. "I’m not giving up on you yet."
"It’s not me with the problem."
Lynne paused. "How good was the kiss?"
Megan hugged the pillow. "He never kissed me like that before."
They’d been young and experimenting with kissing, sex, and everything in between. He’d touched her with wonder and she’d done the same. But this kiss packed a punch that no million of the others could compare to, much less any other man she’d ever kissed. "It was incredible." And that’s what scares me. Megan blinked at the left-field thought. "That about sums it up."
"I bet your toes curled."
"Goodbye." Megan closed the phone on Lynne’s laugh.
She placed her chin back on the pillow. She’d come home with the vague idea of doing her twenty-seven days on the rock. Things weren’t any clearer now. She wasn’t sure how to get them back to a place that would make them clear. Ah, this was why she never came home, it made her depressed.
Megan straightened at the knock at her door, pushing aside the dark memories. She put the phone and pillow on the bed and opened the door. "Hi, Mother." Nicole rolled her eyes. Who was this woman?
"You know what I just realized? I’d rather have you sour and sarcastic than nice. Be yourself. I think I can take it."
Megan stepped back, caught off guard. "I am nice."
"You are to everyone but Aiden and me, which is why I’m here to talk to you."
So, here were the conditions. Megan crossed her arms. "And what is it you wanted to tell me?"
"I don’t know what happened the other night, but it has to stop."
"Nothing happened the other night."
Nicole rubbed her hands against today’s peasant skirt.
Megan made money from knowing people’s likes and dislikes, what made them comfortable and uncomfortable, and her shoulders relaxed at the visible tick. Her mother was nervous. "I have no intention for anything to happen anytime."
Nicole’s hand twisted in the skirt. "It’s for the best if it stays that way."
"And if I don’t let things stay that way?"
"I told you the house is yours as long as you stay."
Finally, the note of frustration Megan was listening for. Could her mother be telling the truth? Of course not. When it came to Nicole everything came with conditions. Megan’s eyes narrowed. "Not that it’s any of your business, but Aiden and I came to an agreement to play nice for the wedding, so whatever you feared to happen, won’t."
"I’d rather you stayed sour and sarcastic to him, too."
"What planet are you from?"
Nicole chuckled. "See, you’re being yourself."
Megan pursed her lips, searching for the angle. She came up empty and only said, "I don’t get you."
Hell, I don’t trust you.
"The nature of the mother-daughter relationship."
"Yes, if I were a teenager."
Nicole dropped the eye contact. "We never did go through that stage. I think it’s natural we go through it now. I want us to have a close relationship." Nicole put up her hands. "I want you to be yourself, but you can keep that one comment to yourself."
Well, at least her mother knew her. "Fine. Aiden and I—there is nothing to worry about."
"And that’s what worries me."
Megan wasn’t sure what to say to that. Nothing was what it was supposed to be, here. "We won’t ruin the wedding with our stuff, if we actually have stuff."
"It’s you and not the wedding I’m worried about," she said softly. "Shep and I are going out for dinner." Nicole smiled a little. "No need to stay up and worry." Nicole hesitated, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on Megan’s cheek. "See you tomorrow."
Megan, too shocked to move, placed a hand over where her mother’s lips had
touched her. Nicole had laid a motherly kiss on her cheek. Megan’s hands curled. Twelve years ago she’d have given anything for the gesture. Now she’d give anything to forget it. Twenty-five more days and she’d get her world back to where it was supposed to be.
*****
"I’m worried about you." If it had been anyone else standing at his door saying those same words, he’d have tried his best not to maim the person when he slammed the door in her face.
"Hi, Mom." Aiden said with a sigh.
"Don’t give me that tone." She lifted her chin and walked past him into the living room. A good thing he’d cleaned, or it would have gone onto the "he’s depressed" list Aiden was sure his mother was making.
"It’s starting to feel like this subject has been beaten to death, revived, and shot ten times."
"You arrested Reg."
"Because he was disturbing the peace."
"You didn’t go to dinner last night. I know how you love to eat." Jocelyn hesitated, then added, "Shep is also worried."
She’d memorized the list, which meant last night’s dinner had raised her blood pressure. "What did you say to Megan?"
"Nicole told me you kissed her."
Aiden paused. No, Nicole and Megan’s relationship hadn’t progressed that fast. Eavesdropping. Megan had forgotten rule number one: Never speak a secret out loud if you don’t want everybody to know it. He groaned inwardly. "The kiss meant nothing. It was just one of those things."
"Anything having to do with Megan means everything."
As usual, his mother’s insight was spot on. Any denial would make things worse. "What did you say to her?"
"Hmm?"
Aiden rubbed his face. She used the mother tactic of phrasing a noncommittal noise as a question. Jocelyn was going to give the subject of Megan CPR just to kill it again. Maybe he could disappear until the wedding. Pack a few bags and go anywhere, somewhere no one knew him. A place where phones weren’t allowed, preferably a place not found on a map.
"I understand your mother-bear instincts, but you and Megan used to be close."
His mother frowned. "You’re supposed to be angry right along with me, and that’s more worrisome."
Aiden walked away from her to the couch. The shuffle of his mother’s footsteps let him know he’d have to do something drastic to get her out of his hair. "I’m going to get her out of my system." He sank into the couch cushions and saw his mother’s face. He fought the smile.
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"I’m going to ask her on a date. She’ll be annoying, stubborn, and pushy." Like she used to be. "And seeing her like that will let me get over her quickly."
"You’re pulling my leg, and it’s not funny."
He had been when he started, but now the idea held some appeal. "I’m going to call her up now."
Jocelyn pushed him back down. "You’re not thinking clearly."
"This is the best idea I’ve come up with in ages."
"That’s not a compliment to yourself, dear."
Aiden’s smile widened. "See, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m being pro-active." The worry line deepened on his mother’s forehead. Good. That’ll teach her to meddle. "If you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make."
"You don’t know her number. How are you going to call?"
Aiden snorted, "This is Riverbed."
He held back the laugh when she cursed. She didn’t do it often, but she put a punch behind it when she did. His mother trailed behind him as he dialed Nicole’s home phone number.
*****
Megan opened the door to her room with less patience this time. "Oh, hi, Jane."
Jane held the house phone out to her. "It’s for you." Megan took it, confused. Jane crossed her arms, letting Megan know she wasn’t moving.
"Hello?"
"I’m calling to see if you want to go to dinner tonight?"
Megan pulled the phone from her ear to look at it, then put it back to her ear. "Aiden?"
"That is I."
Megan’s eye trailed to Jane’s. "Why dinner?"
"We need to talk."
"About?"
"Aren’t you cagey?"
Megan turned from Jane, who had yet to leave. "I guess I’m confused. I know we came to a truce, but I didn’t expect us to spend actual time together." She licked her lips, almost tasting him again. "I mean, you know…because…"
"Is Jane standing there listening to every word?"
She didn’t have to glance back to see Jane glaring holes in the back of her head. "Every inflection."
"I know the feeling."
"The whole town is going to be talking."
"Yes or no?"
Curious now about his reasons, Megan answered. "Yes."
"I’ll be there in thirty."
Megan turned back to Jane. She’d been right. Jane’s glare could melt ice.
"Don’t hurt my boy."
Megan threw up her hands. "He’s the one who called me."
"And when he gets here, I’ll tell him the same."
Was she tempting fate by going out with him? Because, really, what did they have to talk about? Megan’s only choice was to go and find out.
Jane sighed. "Are you going to wear that?"
She looked at her shirt and jeans. They were clean and very expensive but, from the expression on Jane’s face, if she pointed either out she’d be disowned. "I think I packed a dress."
"You haven’t unpacked?"
In case I had to depart fast, she almost replied. Jane walked to the closet. Megan pulled the suitcase from under the bed and heaved it onto the mattress. Jane placed the hangers on the bed. Megan noted but didn’t comment—there weren’t any wire hangers.
Chapter 8
Later Aiden might regret his impulsive decision, but now he only saw the benefits. Jocelyn left in a sour mood. She’d be busy trying to make sure he and Megan didn’t do anything they’d regret later. Shep had taken Nicole out to dinner, so no comments from the peanut gallery. Jane, he could always depend on her, was bound to give him a lecture. Thankfully, when he pulled up to the house Jane and her barbed tongue weren’t in sight. He closed the door to his truck and saw Megan leaning against the pillar closest to the door. She’d done something to her hair, because it framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were closed, head tilted back, and she looked content waiting there for him. The dress stopped short of her knees, the neckline dipped low, and her breasts swelled at the top of the material. The ties of the dress were knitted in a bow on the back of her neck, leaving her shoulders bare. Megan looked smooth and delectable, and all woman.
Okay, the good idea didn’t seem so smart now. She stretched and the silky material lifted, caressing her curves on its way up her body. He got a glimpse of her supple thighs. His mother had been right; this was not one of his brightest ideas. Aiden balled his hands into tight fists in his pockets. The urge to touch her hadn’t lessened in the past twenty-four hours. Worse, he needed to keep a cool head or they’d end up liplocking again or, much worse than that, in a bed.
"Hope you haven’t been waiting for long," Aiden murmured.
She opened her eyes and let her arms fall back into place. "It was better than being under the watchful eye of Jane. It started to feel like the old days. The only difference is she trusts my willpower now. She used to sneak condoms into my purse."
Aiden glanced at her side. His stomach clenched. She wasn’t carrying a purse. "No need for her to worry. I figure we can grab a few drinks at Tessa’s." He gestured to his vehicle. "Ready?"
"I can’t believe you still have that thing." He smiled when she frowned. "You made the Red Demon green."
"It’s the Green Demon now. It runs good, other than a few repairs. I haven’t needed to get rid of it."
He opened the passenger door and had to turn his head away while she climbed in, not wanting to see what lay beneath the black silk.
"Same seats," she said tightly as he started the truck.
&n
bsp; The patent leather was probably steeped with the memories of them making love on them. Aiden gunned the engine. "If it’s not broke, don’t fix it."
She made a noncommittal noise, then said, "So how much has changed since I’ve been gone? Jane’s letters never went into detail on gossip."
Aiden chuckled and relaxed his hands on the steering wheel. "Let’s start with the seediest scandal. Mayor Allen was caught cheating on his wife, about seven years back. The town was split on whether or not it was true, after it came out that Gracie was the supposed mistress."
"Gracie Malone? As in afro, lazy eye, and smells funny, Gracie?"
"Marcy had finally talked Gracie into letting her do her hair and changing the perfume." Aiden shrugged. "If you are a desperate man, she’d pass for a good mistress."
Megan shook her head. "I don’t believe it, and Jane never told me that one. I should have known."
"Jane only gives you the goods when it matters."
"True."
Aiden shrugged. "As for the scandal, you aren’t the only one. He’s still mayor and married."
"What else?" She stretched her legs and Aiden reminded himself to keep his eyes on the road.
"The next big thing, sadly, since not much happens here, was Shep and Nicole’s engagement."
"He’s the oldest bachelor around, besides the Baker boys. Makes sense it would hit the gossip mill like a back draft."
"True. I think some women are hoping Shep will change his mind. Little do they know he’s had his eye on your mother for years."
"Really?"
"I saw that one coming six years ago. He’d go over and fix whatever was broken, pull her over just for a chat. Around year three your mother said yes to dating him."
"I just don’t see it." Megan crossed her arms.
Aiden’s hands tightened on the wheel. "What? That your mother would see anything in Shep?"
"No." Disbelief radiated in her voice. "What is so alluring about Nicole?"
Aiden couldn’t answer that one, if Megan refused to see it for herself. She’d be surprised at how similar she was to her mother. But the resemblance in their appearance was the last comparison he’d make.