Closer To You (Callaways Book 11)

by Barbara Freethy

  "What? Now he has someone making personal deliveries? He doesn't quit."

  "No, he doesn't. I told Ian, that's his friend, that I wasn't going to open it, and I would send it back. He didn't really care. He was doing my dad a favor, but while we were having this discussion, the snow was coming down, and to make a long story short, Ian's car got stuck in my driveway, and he wound up spending the night on my couch. He had dinner with Tyler and me. In fact, he made dinner."

  "Oh, okay. Well, that's all right. He knows your dad, so he's probably a good guy. Is he your dad's age?"

  "No, he's my age, and in the interest of full disclosure, he is gorgeous—dark hair, blue eyes, sexy smile, the whole package."

  "Well…maybe your dad sent you something good after all," Carrie said, her voice losing a lot of its earlier tension.

  "He's something all right, but he's a scientist, so nothing is going to happen."

  "You can't judge every guy with a science degree by your father's standards."

  "I know, but I can't overlook the similarities between them, either. He's here for a science conference, and he seems to be involved in some pretty important work. I know what that means—the world comes first, family comes second. Anyway, I don't need to be bothering you with this."

  "Actually, it's a nice distraction. You sound like you like him despite the fact that he shares something in common with your dad."

  "He's…interesting and really attractive. It's been awhile since I felt butterflies in my stomach."

  "Butterflies are good. You don’t have to marry him, Grace; just give yourself a chance to get to know him."

  "He's only in town for a few days."

  "A lot can happen in a short period of time."

  "He also has great admiration for my father."

  "Many people do, Grace."

  "I know. But how can I like someone who admires my father? That seems crazy."

  "Or maybe you can separate how someone who knows your father on a professional level feels about him and how you feel about him?"

  "I'm trying to do that, but when it comes to my dad, I tend to see red. Anyway, as for spending more time with him, Tyler invited him to go sledding with us, and Ian accepted."

  "Sounds like he might be interested in you, too, Grace."

  "I don't really know why he said yes. Oh, and he also showed Tyler how to combine vinegar and baking soda to make a volcano erupt. They have plans to build a volcano for the science fair later today."

  "That's great and a real relief. I promised Tyler I'd help him, and I was feeling guilty about being gone."

  "Don't feel guilty. I promise to take extra special care of your son."

  "I trust you completely, Grace."

  "Thank you. You need to take care of yourself, Carrie. Don't forget to eat something once in a while."

  "I'm not at all hungry, but I will try to force something down."

  "Good. Do you want to talk to Tyler?"

  "I do, but…" Her voice cracked again. "I don't want to cry, and I'm afraid I will, and that will upset him. Tell him I love him, and I'm blowing him kisses; I'll talk to him later."

  "I will." She set down her phone and let out a breath. She couldn't imagine the terror Carrie was going through, and she sent up another prayer for Kevin to pull through.

  She slipped on her coat and headed to the front door. On her way, the package her father had sent her caught her eye. She needed to get rid of it; she didn't even like it sitting on her table, a reminder of a life she didn't want to think about, a man she'd said good-bye to a long time ago.

  She grabbed the package and took it with her. She'd put it in the car and they could drop it off at the post office on their way to the snow park.

  Today was not a day for thinking about the past or the future, just the present. She couldn't help Carrie or Kevin, but she could make the day as fun as possible for their son, and she intended to do just that.

  Having Ian along wouldn't be bad, either. It was just some harmless fun; then he'd go back to his life, and she'd go back to hers.

  * * *

  It actually felt good to shovel snow. Ian hadn't done any physical labor or had a workout in a couple of weeks. Normally, he made it his mission to get to the gym before he went to the lab, but he'd been working long hours to get the prototype done. A couple of big companies were interested in buying the device, and hopefully, they'd be able to sell it and move on to manufacturing and shipping in the first quarter of next year. But that part of the business was more in his business partner's hands, which meant he could start thinking about what was next. He had a few ideas, but he was still pondering the pros and cons of each.

  He wanted to be inspired. He wanted to push the envelope on everything he did, but he felt a little burned out. Hopefully, the conference would give him back some creative mojo. There was nothing more invigorating than talking to people who saw a world with no barriers, no limits, no walls or obstacles that they couldn't go over.

  Confidence sometimes turned into a gigantic ego, but not in everyone. There were a lot of good people in science who had more idealism than ambition. Unfortunately, it was usually the big egos that took the stage, that were the face of his world. He didn't usually care. In the past ten years, he'd only been concerned with what he needed to get done. But lately he'd started to reevaluate his rather detached stance when it came to the bad apples in his field, and it wasn't just because of Grace's opinion. In the past year, he'd begun to see how partisan policy makers could set back a much-needed project purely for political reasons, and that needed to be kept in check. He might not be able to change the world, but he could make sure that the projects he was involved in were not colored by greed and a thirst for power.

  "Are we done yet?" Tyler asked, interrupting his thoughts.

  The little boy's face was red from exertion, and the shovel in his hands was as tall as he was.

  "I think we are," he said, taking a look around. They'd cleared the snow around the car and he'd cleared the driveway with the blower. The sun had come out, and the ice was starting to melt, sending a river of water down the hill. The area in front of the garage was still piled three feet high with snow, but they could clear that later and take his car to the snow park.

  Grace came out of the house with the package from her father in her hand. "I thought I'd drop this at the post office. It's near the snow park."

  "Sure," he said, masking the disappointment he felt. It was none of his business, but he thought she might be missing out on something by not at least opening the box. "Let's take my car. Tyler and I are tired of shoveling, and the garage is going to take more work."

  "I'm sorry I didn't help more," she said, giving him an apologetic smile. "I got a few calls."

  "It's no problem." He put his arm around Tyler's shoulders. "Us men took care of it for you, didn't we, Ty?"

  The little boy gave a vigorous nod. "I helped a lot."

  "I appreciate that so much," Grace told Tyler. "Do you want to use the bathroom before we go?"

  "Okay," Tyler said, dropping the shovel, then running into the house.

  He picked up the shovel and set it next to the garage.

  "Thanks for doing all this," Grace said.

  "No problem. It was a good workout."

  Her gaze ran down his body as he made the statement, and then she blushed when she realized he'd caught her. "See anything you like?" he drawled.

  "You look like you work out a lot; that seems unusual for a scientist."

  "Physical health is an important component to brain health." At her smile, he added, "And, yes, I realize I sometimes give more intellectual information than is required. It's a bad habit."

  "It's probably more annoying that you're always right."

  He liked the teasing light in her eyes. "You've already figured that out?"

  "I should have said that you think you're always right."

  "Too late to take it back. And I am mostly right; I wouldn't say always. The
minute you think you've conquered it all is when you stop trying, stop searching for innovation. I wouldn't want to fall into that trap."

  "That's an interesting way to look at it," she said thoughtfully.

  "Still comparing me to your father with every statement I make?"

  "Not my father, in this instance."

  "Then what kind of men have you been hanging out with?"

  "Let's just say their intellect hasn't necessarily been their strength."

  "So pretty boys with big muscles."

  She laughed. "Nothing wrong with that. But you do know you just described yourself, right?"

  "No way."

  "Would you feel better if I said you were ruggedly handsome with big muscles and left off the pretty?"

  "I would," he admitted, having more fun talking to Grace than he had in a long time. She didn't take herself too seriously, which made him not take himself too seriously, and that felt freeing. "So, who was your last boyfriend?"

  "Boyfriend? I don't know. What constitutes a boyfriend anymore? I dated a sound engineer at Harvey's last summer. I got to see some great concerts for free, but it didn't last past September."

  "Your call or his?"

  "Mutual—well, maybe more me than him. There just wasn't enough there. What about you? Who was your last girlfriend?"

  He actually had to think for a moment. "It's been awhile. I've been busy. I guess Vanessa was the last woman I dated for more than a few weeks. But like you, there just wasn't enough there to keep things going."

  "And you don't have time for dating anyway, right?"

  Since he'd told every single person in his family that exact thing on Thanksgiving, he could hardly deny it now. "There hasn't been a lot of extra time of late, but that's going to change."

  "Why would it change? What would make you lose your drive to work?"

  "I'm not saying I'd lose it, but I could balance it out."

  "I suppose you could—if you really wanted to."

  Now he knew she was talking about her father again. "You know what's ironic, Grace?"

  "I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

  "Your dad told me three months ago that when you and your mom and sister left that nothing was worth that loss. He warned me about getting into the same position, becoming too obsessed with discoveries and potential miracle-making devices. He said ambition had been his downfall."

  Her frown told him she really didn't want to believe anything he was saying.

  "I know that doesn't play into the story that plays through your head," he added, "but it is what he told me. He said that I should use him as a cautionary tale."

  She stared back at him for a long moment. "Well, I don't know what to say to that—good? So he finally learned a hard lesson? But it was way too late."

  "He understood that. He said he deserved what he got. I think your father went back into teaching as some sort of penance for his ambition."

  "Maybe he just wanted to mold the next generation."

  "That might have been part of it, I suppose." He paused, knowing she wouldn't like his next statement, but he couldn't stop himself from saying it. "You know, you're a little like him, Grace."

  "That's not a compliment," she said sharply.

  "But it's a fact. You're a teacher. He's a professor. Seems like you both want to influence young minds."

  "Okay, I think we're done talking about my dad." She turned toward his car, then paused, frowning. "This is your car?"

  "Who else's would it be?"

  "It doesn't look like you."

  "You don't think a red '76 Ford Mustang looks like me?" he said with a small smile.

  "It seems a little out of character for what I know about you."

  "What would you have expected me to drive?"

  "A conservative sedan."

  "So a boring car."

  She gave him an awkward shrug. "Sorry, but yes."

  He grinned. "My car needed some repairs. This is one of Dylan's cars. He has a passion for restoring muscle cars from the 60s and 70s."

  She smiled back at him. "I was right. What do you normally drive?"

  "An electric car."

  "Of course you do. That makes more sense." She pulled on the door handle. "Can you unlock it?"

  He took out his keys and flipped the locks. She tossed the package into the backseat and shut the door as Tyler came out of the house.

  "I'm ready," Tyler said.

  "We need your car seat," Grace said.

  "I'll get it." Tyler ran back to the house.

  "I'm going to grab my bag," she told Ian. "I'll be back in a minute."

  "No problem. I would like to stop at Silverstone's before we go to the snow park, if you don't mind. I'd like to change clothes and check into the hotel. Does that work for you?"

  "Of course."

  "Great." As Grace went into the house, he couldn't help but watch her walk away, and the sway of her hips sent another jolt of desire through him. This snow day was probably a bad idea, but there was no way he was backing out. He might only have a little more time with Grace before she found a way to get him out of her life, and he was going to enjoy every second.

  Six

  When had smart become so sexy? Grace cast a sidelong look at Ian as he drove toward his hotel.

  Maybe it was because he looked nothing like an intellectual right now but more like a super attractive guy who was ready to play.

  She shivered at the thought of playing with Ian—and she wasn't thinking about the snow park, but something a little warmer, a little softer, and a lot more private.

  As Tyler broke into her thoughts with a question about where they were going, she was reminded that she had a chaperone in one energetic seven-year-old so she needed to get her head together and focus more on being a great babysitter and less on being Ian's play partner.

  She couldn't stop the heat that spread through her cheeks at that reckless thought, and she deliberately looked out the window, hoping Ian wouldn't notice, because he seemed to spend as much time staring at her as she did at him.

  "Everything okay?" he asked her.

  "It's great," she said, as he turned in to the hotel parking lot.

  "You seem a little…nervous."

  She wasn't about to admit to that, so she found another excuse. "Well, we are about to walk into a lion's den of scientists."

  "I think you'll be safe in the lobby."

  "We could wait in the car."

  "It's too cold," he said, as he parked the car. "I promise I'll be quick."

  "It's fine. Tyler and I will look around the gift shop."

  "Maybe I can get Mommy a present," Tyler said.

  "That's a good idea," she replied. "We'll find something perfect for her."

  They entered Silverstone's through the casino entrance, and Tyler was immediately entranced by the flashing lights, bells, and whistles of the slot machines. She kept a tight grip on his hand as they made their way to the lobby.

  While Ian got in line to check in, she and Tyler went into the large gift shop. Expensive dresses and jewelry took up one side of the shop; Tahoe tourist items, toys, and stuffed animals filled out the other side. And in the back was a market filled with snacks and drinks.

  Tyler found a large display of stuffed bears completely fascinating.

  "Do you think we could get one of these for Mommy?" he asked. "She says it's okay to sleep with bears, cuz they protect you at night."

  She had a feeling Tyler wanted the bear for himself. "That seems like a good present. You can give it to her when she comes home."

  "I thought she was going to call today."

  "She did call. She really wanted to talk to you, but she had to go, so she said she'd call later."

  "Where did she go?" Tyler asked curiously.

  "Uh, she went to talk to some other teachers," she said, making up the lie and hoping it wouldn't contradict whatever Carrie had told Tyler.

  "At a school far away?"

  "It's a l
ittle far away," she said, not wanting to scare him. "I told her we were going sledding and that we would make a volcano later. She really liked your idea for the science fair."

  Tyler beamed. "She did?"

  Grace nodded. "Yes, she did. Now, why don't you pick out your bear?"

  "I can't decide if I want a white one or a brown one," he said, looking at the large display.

  "Take your time." She wandered a few feet away to look at some earrings when she suddenly heard her name.

  Turning her head, she was shocked to see her father's former partner and friend, Harry Ferguson. He'd aged in the ten plus years since she'd seen him, his jet-black hair a pepper-gray now, a dozen or more lines around his eyes. His slacks and sports coat hung loosely on his thin frame, and there was a tension to his mouth despite his smile.

  "Grace Donelan. It is you, isn't it?" he asked.

  "Yes," she said, not bothering to correct him on her change of name. "You must be here for the conference."

  "I'm one of the keynote speakers," he said proudly.

  "Congratulations." She looked toward Tyler, who was still debating between bears, then turned her attention back to Harry.

  "How's your father?" Harry asked. "Have you spoken to him lately?"

  "No, not in years. You would probably know how he is better than me."

  "Ah, so you're still estranged," he said with a small nod. "I thought things might have changed since he went into academia."

  "Nothing has changed," she said shortly.

  Harry gave her a speculative look. "What are you doing in Tahoe?"

  "I live here. I'm a teacher—elementary school."

  "Science?"

  "Mostly reading and math in second grade."

  "That's a shame. Science should start early."

  She sighed, deciding she didn't want to get into that debate again.

  "Your mother—how is she?" Harry continued.

  "Fine. She remarried a few years ago."

  "I knew it wouldn't take her long to find another man—a better man. I'm not as big a fan of your father as I once was, Grace. He pulled the wool over my eyes as well as your mother's."