Baby Bombshell

by Lisa Ruff

  “Caught you, Anna Maria!” Astonished, Anna turned her head to see her mother beaming at her. Elaine threw her arms around Anna, hugging her fiercely. “Oh, it is so good to see you!”

  Anna automatically returned the embrace, then realized that they were blocking everyone’s access to the escalator. Elaine didn’t seem to care as she drew back and ran her eyes over her youngest. She wouldn’t relax until she was sure that her “baby” had all her limbs and no visible scars. Anna rolled her eyes and smiled.

  “Ma. Let’s get out of—”

  “Step aside, lady,” a large man said in a gruff voice. “I ain’t got all day.”

  “I’m trying,” Anna snapped back. “She’s my mother, okay?”

  “Nice for you,” he said, deadpan. “You’re still in the way.”

  “Mind your manners, young man,” Elaine said with a frown. “I haven’t seen her in months.”

  The man blinked, then shifted his bulk. Suddenly, he looked sheepish when faced with the ire of an older woman half his size. “Yes, ma’am,” he said politely.

  As Anna bit her lip and pulled Elaine away from the escalator a tall, older man with silver-gray hair scooped her into a bear hug that nearly crushed her ribs. His deep, boisterous laugh rang in the airport’s main hall.

  When she was set back on her feet, Anna gasped for breath. “Pop! What are you doing here? I told you I was renting a car.”

  Antonio frowned as he regarded his daughter. “Bah, they charge too much here. It is better that we pick you up.”

  “Of course we had to pick you up,” Elaine said, nearly over the top of her husband’s words. “We couldn’t let you arrive without a proper welcome.”

  “Besides, we have a car you can use,” Antonio said. “Whenever you want.”

  “Except for tomorrow, Tonio. I have my garden-club meeting.”

  “But otherwise, we don’t need it.”

  “And your father has a doctor’s appointment on Thursday,” Elaine said with a smile, then echoed her husband, “but otherwise, it’s yours.”

  Anna looked between her parents, laughed a little and gave up. She wouldn’t win the argument and it was pointless to try. “I suppose. If there’s a conflict, I can always rent one in town.”

  “Perfetto!” Antonio beamed at her. “Of course there will be no problem. If not our car, there is Patricio’s pickup.”

  “Or Ian’s, dear,” Elaine reminded him, slipping her arm through Anna’s and hugging her close. “I am so happy to see you.”

  “It is good to have you home at last,” Antonio said in agreement. “I will get your luggage.”

  “No need. I just have this,” Anna said, shaking her head. Her father took the handle of her bag, looking disappointed that it was so light. She felt compelled to add, “I’m only here for four days.”

  Elaine frowned. “That’s so short. Can’t you stay longer?”

  “Do not worry, tesoro,” Antonio said, patting his wife on the shoulder. “Soon it will be forever.”

  “Who said that?” Anna asked in alarm.

  Antonio ignored her. “Come, we are parked over there.”

  “Pop, I’m only here to help design this project of yours,” Anna said firmly as they traversed the sky bridge to the parking tower. “Not my project,” Antonio said darkly. “Your brothers want change. What is wrong with things as they are?”

  “Because neither Ian nor Patrick wants to run the yard,” Anna offered.

  “I can still run it,” he said indignantly, glaring at her as if the whole thing were her idea. “I built that boatyard from scratch and I know every inch of it. I—”

  “Calm down, dear,” Elaine said, trotting to keep up with his longer legs.

  “I’m only repeating what Evan told me,” Anna protested.

  “Evan and Patricio. Those two are thick as thieves, as usual.” Antonio scowled as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked a large silver sedan. “They have no respect for me.”

  “It sounds like they want what’s best for you,” Anna said as she got in the backseat.

  “No. They want what is best for them,” Antonio said in a growl. “I have no say in this.”

  “Now, Tonio,” Elaine said. “You know that’s not true.”

  Antonio grumbled something in Italian under his breath, started the car and backed it out of the slot. In minutes they were out of the garage and into the sunshine. Elaine kept up a steady stream of chatter about the neighborhood and the town while Antonio continued to sulk and mutter. She threw a question at Anna every once in a while, fishing for information. Anna answered some and deflected others, knowing they would come back around eventually. Her mother was dogged in her inquisitiveness.

  When they exited the freeway onto Maple Street, Anna rolled down her window and let the warm air wash over her face. It was more humid than what she was used to in California, but the breeze carried the scents of her childhood: milkweed, joe-pye weed, goldenrod. The sweltering heat of summer was over. Now came the long, lovely autumn that lingered in perfection over the shores of the Chesapeake. It was the season she missed the most; San Francisco had much to commend it, but its fall couldn’t match the glory of Maryland’s.

  As she looked out the window, Anna noticed the new construction, especially near the shores of the Bay. Evan had been right. McMansions lined the water, crowding out the smaller traditional homes. These new owners would welcome a nice restaurant and a few shops in their neighborhood.

  Her father turned the car onto Bayshore, which paralleled the water. Soon they came to A&E Marine, tucked behind a tall chain-link fence. As Antonio parked, Anna could see that the boatyard was busy, as usual. In her en tire life, she had never seen it idle. Even the winters hummed with activity, though most work was carried on inside, hidden from the casual eye. The action today was outside.

  September marked the second rush of the year. From now through early December, boats were hauled, blocked and covered for the winter. Off to the left of the lot, several were already in place on the yellow stands. Of course, some of those had been there for years. The owners never seemed to finish whatever projects they started. Or the list of repairs kept getting longer rather than shorter. Anna was sure they would still be there next spring and the one after that.

  Unless there wasn’t a boatyard here at all.

  The possibility caused a pang in her heart, but just as quickly, she squelched it. Evan was right again: no one wanted to run the yard. Patrick was wrapped up in his wife and daughter and the sailboat racing he enjoyed so much. In a couple of months, Ian was sailing away with his new family on a world circumnavigation. Jeannie had a busy life with her family and the printing business they owned. And Anna had a life far away from Crab Creek.

  Getting out of the car, she pulled her briefcase with her. A breeze blew across her face, bringing the smells of the boatyard: the sickly sweet polyester, the acrid varnish and paint. A boat being pressure-washed at the travel lift added the dead-fish scent she knew so well. Despite the strong odors, Anna had to smile. This was forever home, no matter how far away she tried to run.

  Her mother got out of the car, and together they walked across the gravel lot to the office, her father following. She got as far as the concrete walkway. “Hey, Anna-Banana.”

  Spinning around, she frowned at her brother Patrick. “Didn’t you promise never to call me that again?”

  “I doubt it,” he said with a grin. Patrick dropped the coil of exhaust hose he carried and gave her a hug. “Doesn’t sound like me at all.”

  Anna laughed and returned her brother’s embrace. “You’re right. It was probably Ian. He’s the only nice one in this family.”

  “Nice is overrated. Hey, Pop. Hey, Ma. How’s the traffic?”

  “Terrible, as usual,” Antonio said. “The construction on the interchange is horrible. Is that for Buckman’s boat?” Antonio pointed to the hose.

  Patrick frowned and picked up the coil, carrying it over and leaning it against
the side of the building. “It was. But it’s the wrong size.”

  As Patrick and his father began arguing about what to do with the hose, another deep voice hailed Anna from across the parking lot. She took a few steps, meeting Ian in a hug. “Hey, big brother.”

  “Good to see you, Annie. How was the jet stream?”

  “Bumpy. How’s Mimi?” Ian had married one of Anna’s best friends the year before.

  “Good.” Stepping back, Ian gave her a once-over. “Looking pretty professional there, sis.”

  Anna tugged at her suit jacket a bit self-consciously. She had dressed her part carefully, in a summer-weight wool suit in light brown with a subtle cream plaid running through the fabric. With an ivory blouse, brown leather heels and matching accessories, she looked the businesswoman she hoped her family would mistake her for.

  “I thought the suit would help cut down on the family arguments,” she said, lowering her voice. “And keep the discussions on the business at hand.”

  “With Ma and Pop there?” Ian grinned, his dark brown eyes sparkling with humor. “Good luck on that.”

  She punched him in the arm. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Better to start out expecting the worst,” Ian said with a shrug. He put an arm over her shoulder and led her toward the others. “By the way, Mimi and I want you to come to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “No,” Antonio said abruptly. “Tomorrow I cook. You will all eat.”

  “Is that an invitation or an order?” Ian asked, raising one dark eyebrow.

  “The charm just oozes out of him, doesn’t it?” Anna said and her brothers laughed.

  “You, Anna Maria,” her father said, wagging a finger at her, “are a very disrespectful child.”

  “That’s not a news flash, Pop,” Patrick said.

  “And child isn’t exactly right,” Ian said. He looked down at Anna and added, “Though you’ve been childish more than once.”

  A short jab into her brother’s ribs had him dropping his arm off her shoulders and wincing away with a laugh. “Come to dinner with us the night after, then.”

  “And Kate’s expecting you tonight,” Patrick said.

  “I can feel my waistline expanding already.” Anna smiled up at her two brothers, happy to see them. They had turned out to be good men—an outcome greatly in doubt during her childhood.

  “Let’s get the fireworks started,” Ian said. “I’ve got varnish to get back to.”

  He turned toward the office as Anna asked, “Where’s Jeannie?”

  “She’s running late. As usual.” Patrick’s lips twitched. “But she called to say she’s on her way and we should start without her.”

  “How generous of her,” Anna said drily. She knew her older sister would love to miss the conflagration altogether.

  “Where’s McKenzie?” Ian asked Patrick. “He’s never late.”

  Patrick frowned. “I don’t know. I—”

  His words were interrupted by the squeal of tires on pavement. A red convertible zipped around the corner and shot through the gates into the yard. Gravel spattered from under its tires as it roared to a halt in front of the office. Low and sleek, there was nothing subtle about the car. Sparkling paint, shining chrome, black leather interior: the car looked like sin on four wheels. The driver revved the engine once, then twice before putting it in Park and turning off the key.

  “Look out. Mario McKenzie’s testing product again,” Patrick observed, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “It just came in this morning,” Evan said with a grin. His eyes were shaded by wraparound dark glasses, making him look as dangerous as the car. He got out, tossing the sunglasses on the dashboard. “If you’re nice, I’ll let you take it for a spin later.”

  As soon as Anna saw Evan, every muscle in her body tensed. He was as gorgeous as she remembered, especially now that she had firsthand knowledge of all the hot, hard skin hiding under the tailored gray suit and crisp white shirt. Her stomach churned again, threatening to embarrass her. Swallowing down bile, Anna tried to relax.

  She waited for him to turn his attention her way, heart pounding. He seemed to ignore her, though. He greeted Patrick and Ian first, then came around the car to shake Antonio’s hand and kiss Elaine’s cheek. He had a joke, a smile and word for everyone. When he finally turned to her, her breath caught. His green eyes were guarded, his face expressionless.

  “Anna.” He nodded once, a short, sharp gesture. “Uh…how’s it going? I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”

  “Really?” Anna raised an eyebrow. “I told Patrick three weeks ago I’d be here.”

  “Yeah. Right. I guess he mentioned that,” Evan said, fiddling with his keys. He paused, then added, “Before, I meant.”

  “Before what?”

  Evan cleared his throat. “You said you weren’t going to design the project, when we were in—” He stopped, looking uncomfortable.

  Anna waited, but he didn’t continue. She couldn’t believe this. He couldn’t even say the words? “In San Francisco? When I saw you last time? Over dinner?”

  “Uh, yeah. There.”

  “Well, she’s here now,” Patrick interrupted. “And you finally showed up, McKenzie.”

  “Unlike some people, I have a life,” Evan gibed Patrick with a grin, animation once more filling his face.

  “Is that what you call it?” Patrick shot back. “Come on, let’s get started.”

  Evan followed Patrick toward the office door as they tossed quips back and forth in their usual style. Watching him walk away, hurt disbelief locked Anna in place. She couldn’t—didn’t want to—believe what had just occurred. But it was too clear and unavoidable. It explained the three weeks of silence: Evan obviously regretted their night together. His stilted words and uncomfortable fidgeting spoke volumes.

  Now what was she going to do? There was nothing between them, not even the bond of one night’s passion. Her father tugged Anna’s arm. Still stunned, furious, on the verge of tears, she let him guide her into the office and under the sign above the door that read A&E Marine.

  EVAN STRUGGLED TO KEEP the casual, customary stream of conversation flowing between him and Patrick. Inside the office, out of the revealing sunlight, he moved around the counter that stretched across the front. Retreating to the back of the room, he stood next to the filing cabinets that covered one wall. Patrick pushed some paperwork aside on one of the two desks that faced each other in the center of the space. He propped himself there, one leg swinging. Elaine came in and swatted his leg, as if to correct his bad manners, but he only grinned and stayed where he was.

  Evan leaned against one of the cabinets and stared out the window at the boatyard. He wished he could get in his car and speed away. He had been crazy to think he could pull this off. One look at Anna and his pulse went into overdrive; his palms itched with the need to touch her. All the memories of their night together had come flooding back, no matter how deep he had buried them—or thought he had.

  He rubbed a hand over his face. God, he had sounded like such an idiot. Anna thought so, too, he could tell. Pretending there was nothing between them was going to be harder than he had thought. Maybe impossible. Turning back to the room, Evan vowed to keep better control of himself.

  Anna and her father had squared off against each other in the center of the room. They were arguing about something already, each wearing identical expressions of stubborn intent. Jeannie burst through the door and there was the usual commotion of greetings. The oldest Berzani child, Jeannie shared Elaine’s red hair and short stature. Finally, Anna seized control of the chaos and got the meeting started. Jeannie stood with her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her hand, obviously expecting the entertainment to begin. She was not disappointed.

  “You mean you didn’t look at the questions I sent you?” Anna asked.

  “Why would I? That is what we are here for today,” Antonio said, his annoyance matching Anna’s. “We decide for all o
f us.”

  Anna put her hands on her hips. “This is a total waste of my time. I can’t believe I said I’d get involved.”

  “Now you don’t have time for your family?” he asked, frowning at her.

  “Right now, you’re not my family. You’re a client.”

  “You might live ten thousand miles away, Anna Maria,” Elaine said, narrowing her eyes at her youngest child, “but we will always be a family.”

  “Ma, that’s not what I meant!”

  Evan could practically see steam whistling from Anna’s ears. He tried to ignore the fact that she looked gorgeous, holding her ground in the center of another Berzani family “discussion.” A becoming flush had risen to her cheeks and her eyes sparkled dangerously. Seconds later, Patrick opened his mouth and sided with his parents against Anna, escalating the melee. Jeannie threw in comments, as well, irritating her father and Anna impartially. As usual, Ian waited patiently for the opportunity to restore peace. Evan found himself irritated with all of them for giving Anna such a hard time.

  “We’re all family here,” he said, coming to Anna’s defense. “No one’s disputing that. Let’s focus on the project.”

  “There’s a concept.” Anna turned, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him coldly. “So, what’s the deal here, Evan? You were the one who said we had deadlines to meet. I assumed you’d at least keep everything moving forward.”

  “Hold on, Annie,” Ian said, finally jumping in. “Evan’s been swamped with work. We’ve barely seen him since he got back.”

  “Well, it’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one being ignored,” she said.

  Her eyes held Evan’s captive. He saw a flash of pain before it was quickly shuttered. That glimpse jolted him. All the justifications for not calling her came flooding back. In that instant, he knew they were lies, put up only to buttress his own sanity. His head started to ache, a dull throb of tension.

  “Get real, Annie,” Patrick said with a grin. “Did you actually think you could blow in, get your job done in a day and then get out?”

  “I expected you to have something for me to work with. Something more substantial than a family feud.”