He missed having her in bed, but knew it was probably for the best to let things cool off.
She drew back and stared at him. “Wow. That’s better than coffee. I’m totally awake now.”
“But are you more calm?”
“In some ways, yes. In others, not so much.”
She smiled as she spoke and he found himself leaning toward her. As always, everything about her drew him to her, even though he knew it was not a place he should go. So he wasn’t disappointed when a familiar low sports car pulled into the driveway.
Reid got out of his Corvette and walked toward them.
“Do you know what time it is?” he asked by way of greeting. “Do you know how late I was up last night?”
Elissa glanced between the two of them. “Hi, Reid. What are you doing here?”
“Helping,” he said, then stretched, before slapping Walker on the back. “You owe me.”
“Put it on my tab.”
“I don’t understand,” Elissa said.
“You can’t set up alone,” Walker told her. “You can barely handle one table and there are four. I’m staying here with Zoe until she and Mrs. Ford wake up. Then I’ll bring them along to the fair. In the meantime, Reid is going to help you set up.”
“No.” She took a step back. “I couldn’t.”
“Sure you can,” Reid said easily. “It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me at home.”
Walker raised his eyebrows. “A slow night?”
“I guess. I haven’t been in the mood lately. I met the most annoying woman a couple of days ago and she’s put me off my game.”
“Not possible,” Walker said with a grin.
“It is.” Reid looked and sounded both bitter and unhappy. “She didn’t know who I was and she sure as hell wasn’t pretty. She actually said that the reason Gloria is so difficult is because I don’t spend enough time with her.”
“Gloria’s problems started long before we were born.”
“I know, but she went on about Gloria needing contact.” He shrugged. “I don’t remember it all. I got bored. She really pissed me off.”
“So what did you do?”
“I hired her to be Gloria’s day nurse.”
Even Elissa chuckled at that. Walker guided her toward the driver’s side of the SUV and insisted she get inside.
“You’ll be fine,” he told her. “I’ll bring the girls later this morning.”
“But…”
He pressed a finger against her mouth. “Go,” he told her.
“I’ll follow you,” Reid said. “Hey, there’s lots of women at these things, right? Maybe I’ll hang around and meet a few of them.”
“Get the taste of the uncooperative one out of your mouth,” Elissa said.
Reid grimaced. “I didn’t kiss her. Why would I want to? So what if she doesn’t appreciate me? She’s not my type. Now that I’ve hired her, I don’t have to have anything to do with her. I’ll never see her again, which is a damn good thing, let me tell you.”
Elissa looked sidelong at Reid. “For a man who’s not interested in this woman, you’re sure talking about her a lot.”
Reid narrowed his gaze. “You remember that I’m helping you, right?”
She grinned. “Oh, yeah.” She rolled down the window and then closed the driver’s door. “See you there,” she told Walker. “And wish me luck.”
“You’re not going to need it, but good luck anyway.”
BY MIDAFTERNOON, Elissa was so happy she thought she might float home. She was doing great. Sales had been brisk from the moment the fair had opened. If this kept up, she would exceed her ambitious hopes for the weekend and be able to put at least three thousand dollars away in the bank.
Just thinking about that massive number made her light-headed. It meant not having to sweat every grinding noise in her car. It meant a new winter coat for Zoe wasn’t a reason to panic. It meant peace of mind.
She helped a woman choose a pair of earrings for herself and a bracelet for her sister, then counted back the change.
She grabbed her water bottle and took a long drink. She hadn’t eaten all day, but she was just too excited to think about food. She felt as if her life had suddenly taken a turn for the positive. That things were seriously looking up.
She didn’t want to think Walker was responsible, but she couldn’t help giving him a little credit. He’d been good to her and for her. When she thought about what he’d told her about his girlfriend, she had trouble reconciling those actions with the man she knew. She knew he believed what he’d done meant he couldn’t be trusted with the big stuff. That both she and Zoe were at risk. But her gut told her otherwise.
He’d been a kid, she reminded herself. He was talking about something that had happened a long time ago. Sure, what he’d done had been awful, but she could also understand his fear.
“How’s it going?”
She looked up and saw Cal and Penny standing by her booth. “Hi.” She stood and glanced at Penny’s huge belly. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful. The baby’s due any day now. I thought walking around might help.” She put her hand on her stomach. “Walking very, very slowly.”
“You’re doing great,” Cal said, then kissed her cheek. “It will be over soon.”
“Not soon enough.” Penny sighed. “So where’s Zoe?”
“She was here earlier. She’s spending the rest of the day at a friend’s house.”
“Lucky girl. She’s having fun.” Penny rolled her shoulders. “I used to have fun.”
Cal seemed to be hiding a smile. “You will again.”
“I don’t think so. I think I’ll always be this huge.” She glanced down at the jewelry. “I want some new earrings. My clothes are all massive and I deserve something pretty.”
“Pick as many as you’d like,” Cal said.
“Yes, please,” Elissa said with a grin. “I’ll even give you a discount.”
“I don’t think so,” Penny told her. “Friends don’t let friends lose money. We’ll pay retail.”
She pointed to a pair of earrings, then another. Cal collected them and handed them to Elissa who rang up the total.
“Where’s Walker?” Penny asked while Cal counted out the money.
Elissa felt her cheeks flush at the assumption she would know where he was.
“He’s, ah, bringing my neighbor, Mrs. Ford, to the fair. She’s meeting up with some of her friends here and they’re heading off to a movie.”
“Good for them. I want to be like that when I get old,” Penny said. “Assuming I don’t simply pop like a balloon, with all my insides spilling out.”
Cal took the bag Elissa gave him and put his hand on the small of Penny’s back.
“On that happy visual, we’re going to go,” Cal said firmly. “Come on, Penny. Let’s find the car. I’ll take you home and rub your feet.”
“Okay.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Dani said to tell you she’d be by later.”
“Oh, good. Thanks. Feel better, Penny.”
“Not possible. I’m never going to feel better.”
An older woman laughed softly. “I felt the same way with all three of mine,” she said with a sigh. “Of course that was a long time ago. You have a lovely family.”
Elissa opened her mouth to explain they weren’t her family, then she decided to just smile and say, “Thank you.”
WALKER MOVED SLOWLY beside Mrs. Ford.
“I don’t usually bother with this,” she said as she leaned on him and steadied herself with a cane. “I was concerned with the crowd and getting jostled.” She gave him a teasing smile. “I knew if I asked you to protect me, innocent people would be risking life and limb. You’re just so strong.”
“Are you flirting with me?” he asked.
“Maybe a little. Although I know where your real interests lie, don’t I? With our pretty neighbor.”
“Elissa and I are friends,” he said, ignoring what ha
d happened the previous weekend and how much he wanted to be with her again.
“Good friends.” Mrs. Ford sighed. “I used to have friends like that when I was younger. But after eighty, it’s nearly impossible to get a man. Still, I’m happy with my life. Not everyone can say that.”
He kept his left hand on her elbow and offered as much support as he could. It was warm and crowded and he didn’t think this was a good place for a woman well into her nineties. But Mrs. Ford had insisted and arguing with her was like reasoning with a tornado.
“Maybe if you weren’t so closed off emotionally,” she said. “I can certainly understand why it would happen. You’ve seen some horrible things. War has a way of changing a man.”
Honest to God, he didn’t know what to say to her.
“I’m only afraid that you’ll miss a perfectly wonderful opportunity with Elissa. She’s not like other women. You’re not likely to do better.”
“I’m not interested in doing better.”
“Then what’s the problem? You should have had her in bed by now. There’s nothing like a fabulous few days in bed to turn a woman into putty.”
He swore under his breath. “Did you want to do any shopping?” he asked, motioning to the crowded booths on either side of them.
She glanced at a display of kites. “I don’t think so, but you’re very sweet to offer. I know shopping is rarely a man’s first choice as a way to spend his free time. Do you think it’s a traumatic event from your past, or the way your mind works, or do you simply prefer being single?” She glanced at him. “I can’t imagine it’s being single. You strike me as someone who cares about family.”
“I…”
Words failed him. Until this moment, he’d always really liked Mrs. Ford. This was the first time she’d tried to interrogate him. And as they hadn’t even reached Elissa’s booth, he was well and truly trapped.
“I’m not going to go running to Elissa, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Mrs. Ford said with a smile.
“I…”
Just then he spotted Dani with Ryan and called out to them. Dani turned and smiled. As they approached, Walker noticed they were holding hands. Apparently things were progressing.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about his sister getting involved so quickly after the end of her marriage. Not that it was his business or that she would listen to anything he had to say on the subject.
“Mrs. Ford, this is my sister, Dani, and her friend Ryan. This is Mrs. Ford, one of my neighbors.”
“Hi,” Dani said. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you, dear.” Mrs. Ford eyed Ryan. “What do you do?”
“I’m the general manager of The Waterfront,” Ryan told her.
“Your restaurant,” Mrs. Ford said to Walker. “Dani, do you work there, as well?”
“Yes. That’s where Ryan and I met.” She looked at Walker. “Now it’s your restaurant?” she asked, her voice teasing.
He groaned. “Give me a break.”
“How lovely.” The old lady sighed. “An office romance. I always wanted an office romance. Of course I never really had a job, which made the situation more challenging. Oh, I worked on an assembly line during World War II, but there weren’t very many men around and as my husband was off serving his country, an office romance would have been unpatriotic, don’t you think?”
“Are you enjoying the craft fair?” Dani asked Mrs. Ford.
“Very much. Walker is quite patient with me.”
“Really?” Dani eyed her brother. “Lucky you. Ryan only recently moved to Seattle. This is his first time here.”
Mrs. Ford turned to Dani’s date. “What do you think of our city?”
“I like it,” Ryan said.
Dani released his hand and stepped close to Walker. “This is new. I don’t remember you volunteering with seniors before,” she said in a low voice.
“She wanted to come see Elissa’s booth.”
“Uh-huh. You’d better be careful or we’ll all think you’re turning into a nice guy.”
“Anything but that,” he muttered. “So how’s the new guy?”
“Good. I’d thought I needed time to get over my divorce, but maybe not.”
Walker looked at his sister. “It’s serious?”
She smiled, then blushed. “Maybe. I don’t know. I really like him and he’s a good guy. I know this is fast and I want to stay detached, it’s just…I can’t seem to.”
He wanted to tell her to be careful, but who was he to give advice about personal relationships?
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Really? You’re not going to warn me or anything?”
“Nope.”
She grinned and leaned against him. “Did I ever mention you’re my favorite brother?”
She and Ryan said goodbye, then strolled off. Mrs. Ford watched them go.
“Now where were we?” she asked as they once again started for Elissa’s booth. “I believe we were discussing your inability to commit. Do you have any thoughts on why that is?”
BUSINESS CONTINUED to be good, Elissa thought happily Sunday afternoon as she made change, then bent down to collect more inventory. She was still selling at a brisk pace and this was only day two. Tonight she would go over her receipts and figure out if she could actually increase her profit estimate. The thought of how much easier life would be with a bit of a financial buffer in the bank nearly made her giddy.
She straightened and put a dozen or so boxes on her table, then froze as she heard a familiar and incredibly unwelcome, “Hey, babe.”
Despite the near ninety-degree temperature, her entire body went cold. She felt her breath catch in her throat and a shriek building up inside as she fought against the need to scream against the unfairness of it all.
She turned slowly, hoping she was wrong, then nearly collapsed in disappointment when she saw the tall, painfully thin, shaggy-haired man standing in front of her booth.
“Neil,” she said, wondering if this was going to be a never-ending nightmare. “This is an unpleasant surprise.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Elissa asked, keeping her voice calm. Neil was like an injured wild animal—dangerous when cornered and sensitive to any sign of fear.
“I came to see my girl,” he said with an easy smile. “A buddy I know got a bunch of gigs here and in Portland. His bass player couldn’t make it, so I said I’d fill in. I knew it was a chance to catch up with you.” He moved closer and his smile turned more predatory. “You’re looking good, Elissa. It’s been a long time.”
Over two years, she thought bitterly. He’d come into town, threatened her, then left when she’d cleaned out her meager savings account.
“I went by where you work and some guy there told me I could find you here.” He frowned. “Do you really wear that uniform? I don’t know about the chicken, Elissa. Still, the place was busy and the tips must be good.”
Oh, Frank, she thought desperately. Don’t try to be so helpful.
“Did you tell him you were my brother?” she asked.
“Cousin. What with us not looking anything alike.” He picked up a pair of earrings. “Nice little setup you’ve got here. I didn’t know you were so talented, but then you’ve always been good at keeping things from me.”
She snatched back the earrings. “The only reason you don’t know that I could do things like this is because that would have required us having a conversation about something other than you. Something you never saw the value in.”
He smiled. “You’re still a fireball, Elissa. I like that.”
She couldn’t believe she’d ever thought herself in love with him. Mitch had been bad enough—foolish, self-centered and unfaithful, but compared to Neil, he’d been a candidate for boyfriend of the year.
Neil moved closer to the table and reached across it. She stepped out of reach.
“I’ve missed you, baby,” he said. “We had something good together.�
�
“We had shit,” she said flatly. “The only reason you kept me around was because I could hold a job, which meant money coming in. You needed that money to stay stoned.”
“You always did take care of me,” he reminded her. “Still do. That’s why I’m here, Elissa. For my little something. But now that I’ve seen how well you’re doing, I’m thinking it should be more than a little.”
Why now? she thought desperately. Why today? The only thing that kept her from getting lost in panic was the knowledge that Zoe was safely away.
It was as if he could read her mind. He looked around, then back at her. “So where’s the kid?”
She wanted to scream at him that he had no right to any contact with her daughter. He didn’t care about Zoe. She would bet her entire day’s sales that he couldn’t remember if she was a boy or a girl.
“She’s at a birthday party.”
“Too bad. I would have liked to meet her.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why you insist on keeping us apart. She’s as much my child as yours.”
“She’s not your child. She’s not your anything. You don’t care about her. She’s just leverage.”
“You’re right. You should have had me sign off on the kid,” he told her. “Funny you didn’t, because you were always so good at the details. Could it be you secretly wanted to keep me in your life? Am I the one who got away?”
He asked the question sincerely, as if he truly believed it was possible she missed him. As if she didn’t regret every second spent with him.
She wanted to scream that he was nothing but a druggie loser. That if she had her way, he would be sent to an island and never rescued. That the only reason she hadn’t gotten him to sign a release for Zoe was because she’d left with almost nothing and she couldn’t have afforded a lawyer.
“Go away,” she said. “Just go away.”
“I will, Elissa. But first you have to give me what I want.”
Money. It always came down to money.
Thank God she’d taken home her earnings from the day before. Still, she hated handing over her cash box, knowing how much was inside.
She reached for the small metal box and opened it. Before she could figure out a way to conceal the amount from him, he grabbed it and fingered the thick stack of bills.
Susan Mallery Bundle: The Buchanans Page 73