“Thea’s got that sleepover tonight, so there’s no swim practice today. I did have an awesome time. I’m happy to babysit for your next date, too.” Brisa leaned forward. “There will be a next date, right? I know I nailed it with this match.” Why had she done so well the first time out of the gate? If she’d aimed lower…
Wade propped his hand on the door frame above her head. He wasn’t blocking her escape, but his nearness robbed her of breath.
“Mira and I decided we make good friends. She invited me to join the group therapy session around the pool, if I ever decide to stop trying to handle all my problems on my own. Her words, of course.” Wade’s warm eyes studied her closely. “Still single, I guess. Want to give finding me a date another shot?”
Brisa licked her lips and wished for strength. “Disappointing. I knew you two would have so much in common, although she’s absolutely right about that problem thing. Let the people who love you help. I understand that sometimes it can be too much, to need the help. I’m the unlucky one who always needs the help, but when I love someone, the sky is the limit for me. Whatever they need, I want them to have it.”
Wade’s lips curled, but he didn’t step back. “Yeah, Mira and I talked about that, about how you understand people, how you make people’s lives better.”
Brisa jerked. “You talked about me? On your date?” That made no sense. She’d planned it carefully, so they had plenty of time and subject matter. Wynwood was one of the coolest neighborhoods in Miami and Vi knew the history.
“Shocks you to know people say nice things about you?” Wade asked.
“A little.” Brisa straightened, her shoulder brushing against Wade’s hand. “But I’m glad.”
Off-balance, Brisa stared into Wade’s eyes longer than she should have, but she couldn’t step away.
What was happening between them?
“Mira is everything you promised. Smart and fun. It was a great day,” Wade said with a sigh. “Neither one of us could have planned it better. Thank you.”
Brisa tried a breezy wave, but didn’t quite manage it. “Don’t mention it. It was nothing.”
“That’s just it. It’s definitely something, Brisa.” Wade raised his eyebrows. “Is that the kind of excellent planning Beaumont manages? Because if so, he’s setting the standards very high, and the least he can do is write a how-to for the rest of us.”
Brisa snorted and had to ignore the heat in her cheeks as his hair waved in the breeze she created. “No, Reggie might do dinner and a club or just the club. The end. He knows how to get the attention he wants there. Anything else? It’s because I drag him along. If he has his cell phone and sports fans who want to talk football, he’s happy. Extremely low-maintenance.”
Wade studied her face. “You deserve more.”
That was the realization that was slowly sinking in. She did deserve something more, something real.
Hearing it from Wade’s mouth snapped everything back into focus.
“Reggie and I understand each other.” Brisa looked away. “I know his limits. He handles my father. Our time together is easy, no stress, no big romance.” That had been exactly what she wanted, too. Why didn’t it seem enough right now?
“If that’s true, he’s a fool. A smart guy would be seizing his chance to make himself unforgettable.”
Unforgettable? To her? She’d dated every kind of man. Actor. Model. Athlete. Rich kid. Entrepreneur. At least two lawyers and an accountant. All of them were forgettable.
“Honestly, now I’m the one who’s lost. What is ‘unforgettable,’ Wade?” Brisa desperately wanted to know. If she took the risk and completed the total about-face of her life by ending things with Reggie and had to jump back in the dating pool, how would she recognize the “more” she deserved.
He was shaking his head as he moved closer. “I don’t have words.” His lips were a breath away from hers when he stopped. “But I hope this is the answer.”
The alarms that should have stopped her never rang.
All the reasons she and Wade were wrong for each other slipped through her fingers as she squeezed his shoulders and pressed her lips to his. As their lips met, Wade’s arms settled around her waist to pull her closer. Their lips joined easily, naturally, as if this was the sweet next kiss, not the awkward first kiss. He didn’t let go but eased away from her. Their eyes locked, and neither spoke.
“I want to do that again,” he whispered before sliding his lips across hers in a hot, quick follow-up.
Brisa wasn’t sure when they would have moved apart without Thea interjecting.
“Can I take my mermaid sleeping bag tonight, Dad?” Thea yelled. Her shout from the bedroom convinced Wade to step back.
“Just a minute, Thea,” he answered.
Brisa inhaled quickly. “Good thing she didn’t catch us.”
“Catch?” Wade asked as he propped a shoulder next to hers. “Like we’re sneaking around or…”
Brisa rubbed her forehead, confused and uncertain and ready to slip back into his arms whenever they were open. “Um, on the way home, she suggested I was silly for not grabbing you for myself, no matter how good Mira would be.”
Wade wrinkled his nose. “She’s my biggest fan.”
“She is. Whatever you’re worried about with her, you’re doing this right, Wade,” Brisa said. “I told her about Reggie, so to find me kissing another man minutes later…” When she still wasn’t actually single, even…
Oh, no. Reggie had even suggested a fake engagement to gain good PR to prod his team’s management to sign his final contract. Reggie was a friend. Kissing another man while they had agreed to be “dating” each other was bad.
“I have another mess on my hands. I shouldn’t have kissed you.” Brisa scrubbed both hands down her face. “I apologize. I’ll talk to Reggie about it and…” Why couldn’t she figure out words to end her sentences anymore?
“Tell Thea I said goodbye.” Brisa hurried down the steps before he could argue with her any more. She needed some time to flesh out her sentences. To do that, she needed to think.
And obviously, to think clearly, she needed to put space between herself and Wade.
She didn’t check over her shoulder as she hurried down the sidewalk, but she was sure he watched her go.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE THIRD TIME Wade opened the refrigerator door on Saturday night, he realized what he was searching for.
Beer. He wanted to find a cold beer in his nearly empty refrigerator.
He’d dropped Thea off for an end-of-the-summer slumber party at five o’clock, and since then, he’d been at loose ends.
“You should go to bed,” he muttered to himself as he grabbed a bottle of water from the door and slammed the refrigerator closed. “Again.” His first try had ended in aimless channel surfing until he’d decided he should make productive use of his time.
When he went back to work, he was going to have to make choices for health, dental and life insurance as well as at least ten different add-ons that were optional and sometimes expensive. Identifying what he needed and what holes were left in his military retirement benefits was almost as easy as assembling a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle.
There were fewer pieces, but none of them fit together.
So, he’d tried the refrigerator. No luck.
“Good thing you didn’t listen to that annoying voice that tried to convince you having a six-pack in the fridge for guests was only hospitality.” Wade pressed his forehead against the cool stainless steel and wrinkled his nose against the to-scale drawing of Thea’s bedroom.
His hope that Thea might get homesick had evaporated when she’d climbed out of his car, her backpack on one shoulder and the mermaid sleeping bag rolled up, shiny side out, under the other. She’d been nervous until another little girl had run up to the car and shouted, “Mermaids. I love mermaids!”
Thea had blinked but then said, “Me, too!” The high-pitched tones would drive Wade up the wall. Then she’d added, “My daddy has a pool. Want to come swimming sometime?” When the other little girl nodded until he was afraid her head would fall off, he realized he was going to have to adjust to those tones. Quickly.
“See you, Dad. Noon tomorrow. Don’t forget.” She waited for his promise before asking, “You’re going to be okay, aren’t you?” Two small lines appeared on her forehead. “I should have a cell phone so you can call me if you need me.”
Wade had to laugh. It was a good try. They’d had this conversation the first night she’d stayed with him and it had come up a few more times since. Thea knew she wasn’t old enough for her own phone.
Wade had listened to his ex-wife list the dangers of such a phone in this day and age when he’d opened the conversational can of worms. To Thea, he’d said, “I’ve researched options without internet access. When your mother gets home and has caught her breath, I’ll talk to her.” He’d put on protective padding first. Vanessa had been fiery in her conviction that Thea was still a kid and kids didn’t need cell phones, not even smart girls like theirs. Not even for emergencies, which had always been Thea’s sales pitch. “Until then, you have my number. You call me if you want to tonight. I’ll be happy to come get you.”
Her snort would have been cute if it hadn’t been so disappointing.
“Brisa gave me some advice. She’s smart. I’ve got this. I’ll be fine.” She dropped her stuff on the sidewalk and lunged across the passenger seat to throw her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. “I will miss you, though. Don’t cry.”
Wade squeezed her tightly. “Let me walk you to the door. I should say hello to Isabel’s mom and…”
Thea stepped back, a scowl wrinkling her forehead this time. “I’m not a baby. Mom knows Isabel’s mom. It’s okay. I can handle this.” Then she’d slipped away quickly, slammed the door and picked up her stuff in a running swoop before trotting up to the front door with the other little girl. Thea was waving as it opened, and he got the impression that she would stand there and wave until it became awkward. If he was in the driveway, she would wait and wave.
Wade could still remember the sinking feeling as he’d driven away.
And the rest of the night? So much nothing.
It was too bad he and Mira had fizzled.
He could be racking his brain to build a second date as special as their first.
That reminded him of Brisa, and he wanted to do anything but think of her. How she’d hurried away after their kiss had been replayed in his mind too many times.
Then he remembered Mira’s invitation to join the group at the pool.
“This is not a problem you need help with,” he muttered and realized he’d done a lot of talking to himself over the long evening, as well. “Go to bed already.” Wade stomped up the stairs to his bedroom and turned in a slow circle, his hands propped on his hips. His comforter was balled up on the floor and his sheets had clearly lost a battle. His first attempt at sleeping had been a failure.
“Fine. Go talk to people instead of yourself.” He grabbed his T-shirt off the floor, slipped it over his head and hurried back down the stairs before he could talk himself out of going.
He didn’t have to bare his pitiful problems. Listening to others talk would be enough to get him out of his head.
As he rounded the corner to the pool area, he could hear low murmurs. Some of his concern disappeared. This had been his final option to distract himself from how easy a cold beer would be right now. Then he heard the clink of a glass bottle.
Before he could fade back into the shadows and escape, Mira spotted him. “Drink up, boys. We’re going to change over to water tonight.”
“No, don’t do that,” Wade said as he squeezed his nape, the creeping anxiety immediately tightening the muscles. “It’s fine. I won’t stay for long.” There. He could meet everyone and lock himself in his house until daylight. Sunrise would make things simpler.
“Come. Sit.” Mira pointed at a chair before handing out bottles of water. “These men need to hydrate before our morning run, anyway. I went easy today since I had a date to get ready for.” She met his stare and then tapped the seat next to hers. “We’ll have to run twice as far tomorrow.”
Sean immediately hushed the wave of groans. “Shh! Reyna might not oversee Concord Court anymore, but I still follow her orders. We aren’t supposed to even be here.”
“You weren’t so big on the rules before you were in looooooove,” the guy opposite from Wade drawled. Then he raised a bottle. “Jason Ward, nice to meet you.”
“Peter Kim, Marcus Bryant,” Mira said as she pointed out the other vets, “and you already know Sean. Jason’s right. The rules don’t matter as much since ol’ Sean doesn’t have to worry about his boss and his job, now that Reyna is so much more…” The chuckles muffled her next words, but it was clear they’d covered this ground before.
“Wade’s met Reyna. He gets it.” Sean tipped his bottle back and drank. “Besides, you’re just jealous. And Reyna makes a few rules worth it.” Then he grinned. “Love is definitely worth it, amiright, Ward?”
Jason nodded slowly and firmly. “Yes, it makes everything worth it.”
Wade unscrewed the cap as he waited for the conversation to pick up again.
“You gonna tell us anything about this date or no?” Marcus Bryant asked. “Some of us have to live through our friends because we got no time for blind dates.” Then he motioned around the table. “And by some of us, I mean me. The rest of y’all are doing fine.” He shook his head sadly.
Mira patted his shoulder. “Only made a new friend.” Then she pointed at Wade. “This was my date.”
The silence around the table was funny, but no one laughed out loud. In the shadows it was hard to read their expressions. That might have wounded his ego a bit if he hadn’t known about her secret husband.
“What went wrong?” Sean asked innocently. Wade had a hunch Sean had already determined he and Mira might not be the perfect match that Brisa and Reyna had hoped for. That raised the question of why Sean had made the suggestion in the first place.
“Nothing. I had a blast. Marcus, if you ever find the girl you want to slow down for, Brisa can connect you to the most original date in Miami. We rode bikes. We saw art. We made art. It was a great way to meet someone new.” Then she shook her finger at Peter. “You, I don’t know if even Brisa can find something you haven’t already tried as far as dates go, but she’s very good.”
“Hey, I have a system,” Peter said smoothly. “It works fine.”
“Then why are you always single?” Marcus fired back. He and Peter traded fake mean glares before they turned back to the table. “Truth hurts, friend.”
“Yeah,” Peter murmured, “moving along, please.”
Mira shook her head. “I’d tell these two to pretend to be nice and reasonable since it’s your first night, Wade, but they can’t manage it. Quiet is all we can hope for.”
Wade laughed. Quietly. “It’s like I’m back on a ship, but with more room to move around. I can handle it.”
“Navy?” Marcus asked.
“Yes. Surgeon. I’m taking a job here at the hospital nearby.” Wade sipped his water. “My daughter and I just moved in. You will see us at the pool if Thea has any say in the matter.” That brought up the image of Brisa smiling as Thea practiced her sculls in the shallow end. That wasn’t what he wanted.
“Other family here?” Peter asked.
Wade considered the question. Dodging it to avoid the usual reaction was his first impulse, but he wanted something better here. “Not really. My mom died a long time ago. I grew up in foster care, then the United States military became my family.” Wade shrugged to show it was fine. It was always fine because what other choice did he have?
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br /> “You found a good place here,” Marcus said and pretended to give him a high five. They were too far across from each other to reach. “Family like the Navy but with fewer restrictions.”
Wade nodded. He expected Marcus was correct. They went around the table to tell what branch they’d served in, places they’d been stationed and the worst job they’d ever done in the service to their country. Wade was surprised when even Sean joined in.
“Okay, the social requirements are out of the way. Tell us about how this date fizzled,” Sean said as he propped his chin on his hand, clearly all ears.
“Let it go, Wakefield,” Mira said. “It was nice. Fun. We don’t have a romantic connection.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “I wanted to kiss him as much as I want to kiss you, which is to say, not at all.”
“Ouch,” Wade muttered as everyone at the table chuckled.
Mira patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. I know the decision was mutual.”
Sean scooted back in his chair. “Interesting. Almost as if you might have feelings for someone else already.” He tapped his lips as if he was trying to come up with a name.
The way Mira stiffened beside him convinced Wade she was afraid Sean meant her, her feelings for someone else. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the arm of her chair, as if she was ready to force herself to spill her secret.
“You could be right. I would have said no before this afternoon, though, so I didn’t know I had feelings for someone else when I asked Brisa to set me up on a date.” Wade sighed and unclenched Mira’s fingers from the chair. “If I’d met Mira first, that might have been different.”
Mira cleared her throat. “Nah. There’s still the kissing thing. No desire.” Her eyes met his as everyone laughed. It was difficult to see her face well, but he read gratitude there. He’d taken the bullet so she could work out how to tell them her secret on her own time.
Maybe he’d learned that from Brisa.
“Who’s the lucky girl?” Sean asked.
“Drop it, Wakefield. It’s his first visit. Give him a chance to settle in before I have to stop him from killing you for being so irritating,” Mira said.
Harlequin Heartwarming March 21 Box Set Page 39