The Littlest Matchmaker

by Dorien Kelly

  “Mom wants to know if you’ll fry a turkey for her at Thanksgiving,” Scott said by way of a greeting. “She’s afraid Dad’s going to burn down the house.”

  Thanksgiving. Damn. He’d totally forgotten to discuss that with his siblings. Too much on his proverbial platter, he guessed.

  “So, you talked to Mom?” he asked Scott.

  “Yeah, about a week after you promised you’d call her back and didn’t. You messed with her need to plan obnoxiously in advance and you know that’s gotten worse since they moved. Apparently, you and I are taking a road trip, bro.”

  “Wednesday morning is the best I can do,” Kevin said. After all, he had a Thanksgiving show to put on the night before that. He looked at Courtney. “How about you?”

  “I’m here. Miss Courtney’s is up and running the Friday after Thanksgiving.”

  “And how do you feel about that?” he asked.

  “Kind of bummed that Mom and I can’t do our nighttime kamikaze mall trip, like last year.”

  “Scott can go in your place.”

  Courtney’s smile looked a little bloodthirsty to Kevin.

  “Mom would run him into the ground. He’d never survive,” she replied.

  “Nice,” said Scott. “And so you’ve called us together for what?”

  “I need your help,” Kevin announced.

  His baby sister gave a mock-dramatic gasp. “Wait. Say that again. You need our help? Did Superbrother maybe trip across a smidge of kryptonite?”

  “I’m not Superbrother. Not even close.”

  “Sure you are,” Court said. “Too much so, which is why I’m liking this new, needy side.”

  Scott laughed.

  “I want to have Lisa here tomorrow night,” Kevin said, figuring it was past time to redirect the conversation. “Her mom is taking Jamie overnight, and I—”

  “Yeah, kryptonite,” Scott said, cutting Kevin off. “Very pretty kryptonite. That’s romantic and all…” He took a look around. “Did you ever think of maybe going to her place?”

  “Not a chance. I think Jamie’s the greatest kid on Earth, but tomorrow night should be a Jamie-free zone. No reminders that her son is away from her for the first night, ever.”

  “Ever?” Courtney asked.

  He nodded. “Ever.”

  His sister’s whistle was low and meaningful. “Now that’s pressure.”

  “I had noticed. Which is why I’ve called us together. I want this place to be perfect, or as close to it as I can get. Scott, I want privacy. I need you gone for the night.”

  “But where am I supposed to go?”

  “I don’t know. Stay at Court’s,” he offered.

  “No way,” Court said. “I saw what happened when he asked to stay on your couch for a night. You don’t own the house or the couch anymore, and he’s still with you.”

  “True,” Kevin agreed.

  “Hey!” Scott cried. “I’m right here in the room. Stop talking about me in the third person.”

  “Nothing personal,” he and Court said at the same time.

  “Yeah. Right,” Scott replied. “This arrangement has been pretty convenient for both of us, you know.”

  “True, again. We’ve both saved money, and neither of us has needed a dog for companionship. Though Mount Scott, over there, seems to be developing life,” Kevin said, pointing at the pile of winter clothes his brother had dumped in the corner…last April.

  “Fine. I’ll take my clothes, jam ’em in my room, and then go all the way to Illinois to see if Mike has a place for me to crash.”

  “Yup, all the way across the river works for me. But maybe first you could help me get the rest of the drywall up in the stairway?”

  “Like, tonight?”

  “That was my game plan.”

  Scott looked genuinely ticked. “Sure. Why not? Good old Scott is game for anything, right?”

  Kevin watched as his brother turned away.

  “Scott, this is important. I want the place to look better, if not nice.”

  Scott turned back and looked at him for a moment. “Okay. But in exchange, you drive all the way to Arizona for the Thanksgiving trip. And we use your truck. I don’t want the miles on mine.”

  “Deal. I drive to Carefree.”

  He might be hallucinating dancing elephants on the roadside by the time he finished the trek, but sure. Hanging drywall in a stairway was not a one-man job, and Kevin knew that the stray members of the bat clan that had worked their way into the attic used the open wall as their route to flit around the house. He wanted no spectators to chase out a window tomorrow night.

  “Good enough,” Scott said, then scooped up an armful of his clothes and trudged from the room.

  And now that the basics had at least been addressed, Kevin moved on to the pampering program. Lisa would never do it for herself; her bath truffles sat unused on the ledge above her bath, and he’d yet to see her take an unplanned break.

  Kevin looked to Courtney. “What’s Lisa’s favorite food?”

  “Sushi.”

  “Second favorite?”

  His sister grinned. “Sushi.”

  “I see where this is going. And where do I get sushi?” Which he considered bait not quite fit for the catfish patrolling the depths of the Mississippi.

  “There’s a place just outside Iowa City. It’s really fresh and good. All the Iowa State students go there.”

  “We have colleges in Davenport. Any chance we have good sushi?”

  “Yes, but her favorite is from Cherry Blossom.”

  “Which is in Iowa City.”

  “You’ve got the picture, big brother.”

  “Okay, so I’m driving to Iowa City tomorrow afternoon.” A two-hour round-trip didn’t leave him one whole heck of a lot of time to pull this place back from the brink of ruin.

  Courtney’s eyes widened. “This does matter, doesn’t it?”

  “Let’s keep that among the Deckers, okay?”

  He didn’t want to freak Lisa out. True caring might not fall this early under her step-at-a-time dating program. He was all the way there, and thought that maybe beneath her layers of wariness, she was, too, but why push the point and make her bolt?

  “Sure thing,” Courtney said. “And, Kevin…?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Sooner or later, I’m going to tease you about this dating drama.”

  He wrapped his sister in a hug. “Of course you are. Just let me survive it, first.”

  He could sense Court’s smile if not see it.

  “Kryptonite,” she said. “I knew it all along.”

  Chapter Nine

  On Monday evening, Lisa pulled up outside the redbrick building that housed Decker Construction. It was a solid, good-looking place, with dark green shutters and perfect landscaping, precisely what she expected from Kevin. After all, he gave every appearance of being a “what you see is what you get” sort of man. She scowled at the perfect building as its front door swung open and a cluster of Jamie’s classmates and their dads departed, their work done for the day. She summoned a cheery wave when they noticed her. That small act had taken a lot of effort because on the inside, she remained a weird, edgy mess.

  She’d been pushed this far along in her relationship with Kevin—if it could be called a relationship—by circumstances, her son’s needs and, now, her libido. Her brain darned well deserved a say, too. And it was telling her to run. She couldn’t, of course, not with Jamie inside, and not with Kevin so woven into their family life.

  Lisa exited the car and then stopped to exchange brief hellos with Carrie’s Dad and the little hummingbird-in-training. Once those last stragglers were gone, she stepped into the building. The small front office was cluttered, yet still managed to seem cheery with its classic black-and-white checkerboard linoleum floor and 1950s desk and wooden desk chairs an interior decorator would probably kill to own.

  “Hello?” she called.

  “Back here,” answered a deep voice from beyond
an open doorway.

  Lisa wandered through, then stopped and laughed at the miniforest taking up the back of Kevin’s shop. It was impressive, maybe even a little overwhelming.

  “Hi, Mommy,” she heard her son add, but she couldn’t yet catch sight of him.

  “Should I leave a trail of bread crumbs?” she asked.

  Kevin stepped out from behind a majestic oak with a wide trunk and fluttery fall foliage. “It might not be a bad idea.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I think we all got a little carried away with ourselves on this tree-making project.”

  Lisa laughed in spite of her nerves. “Don’t sweat it. Hillside’s auditorium is Broadway-size. One semitruck of trees from now, the preschool will have a pageant for the record books.”

  “So are we ready to get out of here?” he asked. “I can come with you to drop off Jamie or meet you back at my place.”

  She glanced at Jamie, who was watching them, his face alight with curiosity.

  “How about if I catch up with you?” she said in a low voice to Kevin.

  She didn’t want to have Jamie figure out that Mommy was having a sleepover, too. He seemed to take Kevin as a given in their life. Too many lines between had been blurred already. It was one thing to confuse herself, but another entirely to confuse Jamie.

  “Ready for a night in a race-car bed?” she asked her son. “I’ll bet it’s going to be lots of fun!”

  “It’s big. You and Kevin can fit, too, Mommy.”

  She choked back a nervous laugh, and saw that Kevin had had to turn away to mask a grin.

  “Thanks, honey,” she said. “But this is your special night with Grammie and Grampy.”

  And she would hope for a special night of her own.

  THIRTY MINUTES LATER—at least ten of which had been spent deflecting questions from her mother, who seemed to have selected Kevin-as-son-in-law for her newest campaign—Lisa drove to the home address Kevin had given her. He’d warned her that the house was in the midst of renovations, and more wreck than reclaimed. She felt that way, too.

  She was suffering from a self-inflicted case of the crazies. Somehow, she’d spooked herself over an act that was as natural as breathing. And a lot more fun, too. She should accept that she was physically attracted to Kevin. And she should accept he was attracted to her, too. Maybe even feel a little smug about it.

  Years ago she’d had that sort of attention, and years ago she’d last made love. James had been disinclined, to say the least, after Jamie had been born. At first she’d thought it was because she’d put on a few pounds while pregnant. Babies had a way of doing that to a woman’s shape.

  Once she’d taken the hint, she’d simply shut down her sexuality. Now, after those arid, dormant years, she was bringing it back on line. Natural. Normal. And totally terrifying.

  She figured that by now, with all that had been thrown her way in not quite twenty-six years, she should scarcely flinch in the face of more change. Apparently, not true. One question had her as twitchy as could be.

  What if she was a failure at lovemaking?

  It was possible; she was rustier than her car’s dinged-up exterior. And she wasn’t without a few emotional and physical dings, either. She had begun to consider Kevin a true friend and a trusted advisor. If they fizzled as lovers, he’d move on. Maybe she wouldn’t see him as much, and their current level of closeness would be gone, for sure. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of risking what they did have together for something that just might not work.

  Lisa slowed to check the addresses on the old homes that sat shoulder to shoulder on the steep road. As she did, another thought occurred.

  What if their lovemaking was stellar?

  She knew enough of Kevin to realize that he’d want to deepen the bond between them, and that scared the stuffing out of her. But no matter what, she wouldn’t have to worry for long.

  This morning, when she’d dropped off Jamie at day care, Courtney had brought up the subject of Thanksgiving. She was going to be on her own. Apparently, Kevin and Scott were heading to Arizona the day prior to see their parents. Naturally, Lisa had invited her to her annual Shortbread Cottage Thanks East Davenport extravaganza of a meal. Lisa loved Courtney and could use her help, too.

  Courtney had added that their dad was going to lobby hard for Kevin to stay until spring because there was a lot of building going on. From his years coming into Shortbread Cottage, Lisa knew that Kevin tended to spend a stretch of time there in the winter, anyway. Thanksgiving was less than six weeks off. No matter how messed-up things got, she had until spring to recover. That provided some pretty backhanded solace.

  Lisa slowed to a crawl. Kevin’s truck was parked in the drive of the next house on her left, a white farmhouse-style place in serious need of a paint job and more landscaping than two sad-looking rhododendrons. She pulled in behind the truck, turned off her car and drew the rearview mirror to an angle where she could scrutinize her own paint job…to the extent that a little lip gloss and mascara qualified as paint.

  She was as ready as she was going to be. Whatever happened tonight, she had made the decision to be here, and that she would have to view as progress. She grabbed her big purse, which she’d packed with overnight necessities, and exited her car.

  The wooden steps to Kevin’s front door were new and fresh, unlike the covered porch itself. She did like the cerulean-blue that someone had long ago painted the ceiling, at least where it still clung to the tongue-and-groove wood. Hiding her nervousness behind a smile, Lisa rang the bell.

  “Hey,” Kevin said when he opened the door. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m glad I’m here, too.”

  “Just pretty sure?” he asked as he ushered her inside.

  She waited until he’d closed the door, then moved in for a kiss. It was warm and welcoming and made her toes tingle just a little. “Okay, very sure.”

  “Come on into the living room. I’ve tried to make it livable in honor of your presence.”

  “So I see,” she said. She ran her hand over a square and bulky object that stood about chest-high and had been covered with a sheet. She noted that a few other ghostly objects had been tucked into corners. All he needed were some cobwebs and skeletons and he had the makings of a spook house.

  “Getting ready for Halloween?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Nothing so exciting. That one’s a radial arm saw. I figured it wasn’t much to look at.”

  She tapped another of the room’s draped occupants. “A shop vac, right?”

  He nodded. “Good for cleaning everything, including Scott when he’s passed out on the sofa.”

  She looked at the plump brown leather couch in question.

  “Don’t worry. I cleaned it,” Kevin said. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  She sat on the sofa. Next to her was an antique side table that had been dusted. Its modern chrome lamp had not. Lisa smiled at the eclectic bachelor surroundings. This was so different from her tidy life.

  “Speaking of Scott, where is he?” she asked.

  “He’s over in Moline with Mike. I don’t think he’ll be back tonight,” Kevin said casually.

  Too casually.

  “You booted him out, didn’t you?”

  He gave her a broad smile. “You bet I did, and without a moment’s guilt. Now, can I get you something to drink? I have water, wine, beer, soda and sake.”

  “Sake?”

  “It goes with our dinner.”

  “Which is?”

  “Sushi.”

  “You’re kidding! I love sushi.”

  “So I’ve been told. Hang on…I’ll be right back.”

  Kevin left the room, but soon reappeared with a tray that he set on a low coffee table and then pulled closer to her. Lisa felt decidedly blissed-out at the sight of tuna roll, shrimp, roasted river eel and a few more of her favorites. Sushi was a treat she didn’t get often, since it was hardly Jamie-food.

  “Somehow I’m g
uessing you didn’t slave in the kitchen over this,” she said.

  “Not a chance. It’s from Cherry Blossom,” he said.

  Now she knew who the sushi snitch was. She and Court had happened across the place when they—and Jamie—had taken a daylong road trip several months ago. Jamie had slurped his way through a massive bowl of udon noodles that she’d cut up for him, while she and Court had gone broke on sushi, which wasn’t cheap.

  “So you drove an hour, one way, just to get sushi?” she asked Kevin.

  “Your favorite sushi,” he corrected.

  “At least now I know why Courtney was smirking when I picked up Jamie this morning,” she said.

  “I’m sure it was a supportive smirk,” Kevin replied. “A kind and happy smirk. Those are her specialty.”

  Lisa smiled. “That, they are.”

  She dipped a piece of tuna roll into a mound of spicy-hot wasabi, then into the small dish of soy sauce, and popped the morsel into her mouth.

  “Good?” Kevin asked.

  “Heavenly.” And so unexpected. Honestly, anything other than the pizza delivery guy would have impressed her.

  “I’m glad.”

  “Aren’t you going to sit down and join me?”

  “In a second. Be right back…”

  Now that she had taken the edge off her sushi hunger, Lisa picked up one of the paper chopstick packets and freed the implements. She managed to swallow—in a hasty boa constrictor-like way—a piece of California roll before Kevin returned with the sake and two small glasses.

  “You’re okay with me talking to Courtney about what you’d like, aren’t you?” he asked as he poured them each a splash of rice wine.

  “Yes…I think. Sort of.” She drew a breath and collected her thoughts. “Actually, it’s probably because I grew up as an only child, but it feels weird to have your whole family in on tonight. I mean, you kicked out Scott and questioned Courtney…”

  Lisa watched as he took a sip of sake and winced.

  “Must be an acquired taste,” he said, putting aside the glass. “I don’t know any other way to do it but the way we Deckers do. We’re a team.”