by Mari Carr
“I’m not lonely, Mace. God, how could I be lonely in Maris? I can’t spit without hitting a relative, and I have Penny.”
Macie closed her eyes, a sure sign she was frustrated and perilously close to losing it. “Penny hardly counts as a life partner. It’s a damn cat!”
“She’s not an it. And I love that cat.”
Diego chucked. “How is dear Penny? Climb any trees lately?”
He was throwing her a life preserver, changing the subject to something safe.
Jeannette grabbed it. “I’d always thought that cat-stuck-in-a-tree thing was just a running joke in cartoons and old sitcoms.”
Luc rubbed the top of his hand. “Yeah, well, I got a scar from your wildcat that proves it’s not a very funny one.”
Jeannette felt compelled to defend her cat. “She was only a tiny thing. How badly could she have hurt you?”
Luc lifted his hand and, sure enough, there was a thin white line cutting across it.
“You move too fast, Luc. It’s always the same.” Diego turned his gaze to Jeannette, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I’m forever telling him he needs to go slow, to stroke the pussy nice and easy until it’s purring.”
Macie laughed loudly at Diego’s off-color joke, but there was something in Diego’s expression and the tone of his voice that sent a different type of reaction through Jeannette. She frowned as she considered her unusual, somewhat aroused physical response. Sex wasn’t something she ever thought about or wanted. Just another way she was completely abnormal.
She’d always rejected Diego and Luc’s invitations for a date then gone about her merry way without a regret. After all, they both wanted to date her. Both of them. She couldn’t manage to successfully spend time alone with one guy, let alone two. But for a moment, she let herself consider what that might be like.
She dismissed the thought the second she imagined being alone with Diego and Luc, because her stomach tightened and a cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck.
Yep. This was why she lived alone with a cat.
Macie called her uptight and constantly begged Jeannette to lighten up and relax, but that wasn’t something that came naturally to her. According to her grandmother, Jeannette had come out of the womb fretting and worrying and she hadn’t stopped since. Jeannette didn’t necessarily like that about herself, but she’d long ago accepted this was who she was and it didn’t seem likely to change. No matter how much she wanted it to.
“Hey, Nettie,” Rebecca called out from the corner booth. “Can I get a top up on this coffee?”
She nodded, grabbing the pot and walking over to pour. Then she returned to the bar, prepared for more of Macie’s attempted persuasion.
Four more regulars walked in, followed by Billy’s older brother, Scott. The bell over the door jingled to announce their arrival.
Wow. This day just kept getting better and better.
They were all guys Jeannette had gone to school with and, with the exception of Scott, were currently working for Sydney’s boyfriend Chas’ construction company. Something told her they were employing the five-o’clock-somewhere work ethic today, and Sparks wasn’t their first stop. She could smell beer on their breath as soon as they grabbed chairs at a table.
“Uh-oh,” Jeremiah Rogers said. “Nettie’s here, fellas. Keep all movements slow and easy. Don’t want to spook the poor little thing.”
She frowned. “Very funny, Jeremiah.”
The man was harmless, but he’d been teasing her since middle school about her shyness and tendency to jump at her own shadow. He certainly didn’t help matters, considering it was his habit to sneak up behind her and yell, “What are you doing?” loudly in her ear.
He gave her an affable grin. “You got anything good on the menu today? Boss gave us a half-day since we finished the last job on time. Thought we’d do some celebrating.”
Colby Markum leaned his elbows on the table in an attempt to steady his swaying. “Shoulda had lunch first,” he slurred.
All she’d had was one more freaking hour of work. Any other day, the lunch crowd in the restaurant would have thinned out and she could have coasted to quitting time. Today, sans energy, she was faced with two flirting firefighters, an ex-boyfriend and a bunch of drunken construction workers.
Macie offered them all coffee, but they opted for beer instead. Her cousin studied their faces, then decided they were likely more tipsy than drunk. She gave them the beer. Colby was the exception. He got the coffee. Of course, the added alcohol meant the men would only continue to get louder and more obnoxious.
She glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes left. Unfortunately, Adele wasn’t there yet, and who knew when TJ would saunter back in. Jeannette didn’t want to leave Sydney, Paige and Macie here alone to deal with the guys. It looked like she would have to clock some overtime.
So much for her nap on the couch.
She took the men’s orders, and then went back to the kitchen to warn Sydney they had their hands full.
Sydney shrugged lightly. “Those guys are all bluster and hot air. I’ll put the food together and if they start to get out of line, I’ll call Chas to come over.”
Jeannette hadn’t considered that. It was a good plan. “Oh, okay. Cool.”
Sydney studied her more closely, her eyes reflecting her concern. “Why don’t you take off, Nettie? Macie, Paige and I can handle things here. TJ’s just next door if we need him.”
The suggestion was inviting. However, despite her exhaustion, the thought of going home was suddenly no more appealing than staying here. The quiet of her house was almost as miserable as the noise in the restaurant.
Jesus, she was fucked-up. She wanted to cry, scream, sleep and punch someone all at the same time. Maybe it wasn’t Tyson she needed to see. Given her current state, she might be better off checking herself into a rubber room.
Loud laughter drifted from the dining room. Normal people having normal conversations. Having fun. Jeannette understood the concept even though the ability to have any of that herself seemed impossible. She tried to remember the last time she’d laughed. Really let go and gave in to a belly laugh, one that made her stomach hurt and tears flow.
She couldn’t recall, but she knew it had been years. She needed to get out of here.
“I think I’ll take you up on the offer.” Jeannette grabbed her purse, and then headed back to the dining room. Her car was parked out front on the street. She stepped behind the counter quickly to say goodbye to Macie.
“I’m going to sneak out a few minutes early. You okay here?”
Macie nodded. “Oh yeah. Sure. But will you at least consider going out with Billy? You really liked him back in school.”
Jeremiah perked up at Macie’s comment. “You and Mathers hooking up again? Damn, Nettie. I thought you’d given up on all men. You mean I might’ve had a shot all these years if I’d asked?”
She shook her head, fighting back tears. The man meant no harm, so her reaction was overblown, ridiculous. Even so, she turned away from them and simply threw out a haughty, “Not in a million years, Jeremiah.”
The rest of the guys laughed and she was forgotten before she’d taken two steps away from them. Or at least, she was forgotten by most.
Before she could make her escape, Scott rose from his chair and blocked her way. “Well, if it isn’t little Nettie, all grown up.”
She ignored the sneer in his voice, anxious to make her escape. “Hi, Scott.”
His gaze traveled over her in a way that made her skin crawl. “You haven’t changed much.”
He didn’t mean his words as a compliment. He’d never been particularly kind to her, teasing her when they were younger about her glasses and braces. She was used to guys ignoring her, but Scott was looking at her too closely and not bothering to hide his disdain.
“Neither have you,” she said, hating the thin, weak sound.
Macie stepped from behind the bar, clearly intent on rescuing her, but Diego and Luc be
at her there.
“This guy bothering you?” Diego asked.
She shook her head, wishing Scott would just go back to his beer and leave her alone. Their little scene had caught the attention of everyone in the place, the conversations around them dying.
Scott wasn’t easily intimidated, even though he was clearly outmatched. “Just catching up with my brother’s old girlfriend.”
Belatedly, Jeannette realized Scott wasn’t merely tipsy like the other guys. He was drunk. Wasted. And it didn’t improve his personality.
“Never did understand what he s-saw in you,” Scott slurred. “Scared little mouse. All I can figure is you must’ve been one hell of a lay.”
Macie flew by her, but Jeannette had anticipated the response. She grabbed her cousin’s arm, holding her back before Macie could slap the asshole.
However, it wasn’t her cousin who needed restraint.
Diego and Luc were on the guy like white on rice. Luc twisted Scott’s arm behind his back, while Diego leaned forward, his face furious. “Apologize to her.”
Scott’s inebriated state became even more obvious as he clumsily stumbled, unable to break free of Luc’s grip.
“Now,” Diego stressed.
Scott gave her a sideways glance and spat out the least sincere “sorry” in the history of the world. Then Luc dragged him to the door.
Macie followed, yelling, “Don’t even try to show your ugly face in here again!”
“Jesus, Nettie. I’m so sorry,” Jeremiah said. “Met up with Scott at the last bar. We started reminiscing about school days and he seemed okay. I never would have invited him here with us if I’d known he would—”
“It’s okay, Jeremiah. It’s not your fault. He never was a very nice guy.”
Jeremiah seemed relieved by her easy forgiveness. “Fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, I guess. His uncle is a Grade-A son of a bitch too.”
She nodded but didn’t reply. She needed to get the hell out of here.
Diego and Luc were settling up their tab with Macie.
“Hold up, Jeannette,” Diego said, raising his hand. “We’ll walk out with you.”
She didn’t want to wait, but didn’t know how to say no thanks after they’d just defended her. She paused as Macie gave them their change, then said goodbye.
Her car was at the end of the block, so she sped up her pace. If she could just get there, they wouldn’t have time to—
“You okay?” Diego asked.
Shit. So much for that.
Jeannette nodded. “I’m fine.”
Luc reached for her hand, pulling her to a stop. She jerked when his hand touched hers, tugging it out of his clasp. Regardless, he’d managed to turn her to face him. “Are you crying?”
His question must’ve caught Diego’s attention as the other man stepped in front of her. They were huge guys, both well over six feet tall. The height difference was rarely apparent, as her usual association with them was at the restaurant and they were sitting while she stood. Now she felt like David facing two Goliaths.
It also didn’t help that their chosen career path required they be physically strong. Their workouts at the gym added width to the height. They had broad shoulders, huge pecs and firm biceps.
In the past, big guys had always scared her, gave off this air of danger. But as she’d gotten to know Luc and Diego better, it wasn’t fear that kept her eyes averted. It was the funny feeling in her stomach she got whenever she looked at them. Attraction wasn’t normal…or particularly comfortable for her.
Diego had black hair and eyes that betrayed his Latino heritage. She’d never asked about his family, never wanted to invite that sort of closeness, but she’d heard him mention that his mother was originally from Brazil, while his father was born and bred in Jersey. Luc bore a slight resemblance to his best friend, but his hair was dark brown compared to the black of Diego’s.
Luc’s hazel eyes were framed by thick lashes that accentuated his emotions, making his laugh lines more prominent, his scowls darker, and his sadness deeper. She felt as if she could read everything he felt simply by gazing into his beautiful eyes.
Beautiful? Jesus. Get a grip, Jeannette. They’re just eyes.
Then she recalled Luc’s question and realized they were still waiting for an answer. “No, I’m not crying. It’s the pollen in the air. I have allergies.” Sometimes she was amazed at her ability to spin lies so quickly. If anyone ever asked her to list her talents, lying would be second only to cooking.
Diego frowned. “I don’t think we’ve hit that season yet. It’s only early March and still pretty chilly.”
She shrugged but didn’t respond. She’d learned that silence was also an effective way of avoiding the truth.
Diego ran one finger along her cheek. It was a friendly gesture, but it sent a spark of electricity gliding along her skin. “Don’t let that guy get to you, Jeannette. He’s a drunk prick.”
“I know that.”
“And as for those other goofballs,” Luc added, “they’re harmless, if a bit stupid.”
She grinned. “I know that too.” Jeremiah had always been the class clown, but underneath it all, he was a decent person who wouldn’t hurt her feelings for anything.
“I really am fine,” she repeated, because it was the only thing she could think of to say. In polite society, most people accepted those words at face value and walked on.
Diego didn’t seem to have a working knowledge of the concept. “Are you sure? You’ve been pretty quiet lately.”
She snorted, the sound pure derision. “How the hell can you tell that? I’m always quiet.”
Both men were taken aback by her sudden burst of anger.
“Jeannette…” Diego reached for her hand but pulled up short as she visibly stiffened. Their gazes connected for a moment, his black eyes going dark with something that looked too much like recognition. She broke the link quickly, looking down at the sidewalk.
He knows.
Fear accompanied that thought before she dismissed it. She was being silly. Paranoid.
“I’m sorry,” she spat out, desperate to escape. Her bad mood certainly wasn’t their fault and she felt terrible taking it out on them. But part of her was angry. At them and herself. As always, she’d been the victim in her own life story, letting others defend her, save her.
She was tired of being so weak, but when faced with standing up, she’d always found it easier to retreat.
Speaking of which, she needed to get out of here. “I’m just feeling out of sorts. I’ll sleep it off and hopefully tomorrow I’ll wake up on the right side of the bed.”
“Or,” Luc said, leaning closer, “you could consider going out with us tonight. Line dancing at Cruisers? And if it goes well, you could wake up in the wrong bed instead.”
“You’re relentless.” There was no heat behind her complaint.
She’d always been annoyed by their constant flirting, but lately she was starting to like it. It made her feel good. Which was bad.
Most of the guys in town were born and bred in Maris, which meant they didn’t bother to flirt with her. They all remembered the awkward, shy girl she’d been growing up, the buckteeth it had taken four years of braces to correct and the big-framed glasses she was forever pushing up. The boys from town knew that, besides Billy Mathers, she’d never dated anyone and didn’t want to.
She’d even caught wind once that there was a small contingency in town that thought she might be a lesbian. She hadn’t bothered to correct the misconception; she’d figured it would keep would-be suitors away—if there had been any.
Luc and Diego were the exception. They didn’t have the same background information that her family and most everyone else in town did. They flirted with her, asked her out regularly and actually looked at her as if she were pretty, and not some shapeless plain Jane who wore her dirty-blonde hair in an out-of-date hairstyle and whose boring brown eyes were still hidden behind glasses.
“
You realize we’re going to keep asking until you give in.” Luc was one of those dangerously handsome guys who used his looks to his advantage. It was no wonder every woman in town—including her aunts—had fallen under his spell. He’d flash those puppy-dog eyes and dimples until women were tripping over their own feet to get closer.
God. She really was feeling vulnerable. Because, for the first time ever, she was tempted to throw caution to the wind and say yes. Which would be utter insanity.
“What’s holding you back?” Diego asked.
It was the first time they’d ever questioned her reasons for rejecting them. “Maybe the fact that you’re just kidding?”
Luc reared back as if she’d struck him. “Kidding? This isn’t a joke, Jeannette. Our invitation is sincere.”
She wasn’t sure how to reply to that. “Really?”
Diego threw his hands up, his eyes flying heavenward in exasperation. “Yes, really. Why in the hell would you think we were kidding?”
She shrugged, uncertain how she could explain that they were breaking an unwritten Maris code. The one that stated Jeannette Sparks was shy and standoffish and not on the market. She’d had her name jotted down in the Spinster for Life column since high school. If that had actually been a Who’s Who category, she would have won it by a unanimous vote.
Finally, stupidly, she said, “Because no one ever asks me out.”
“Why not?” Diego obviously had no intention of letting this go.
Her exhaustion gave way to an annoyance that quickly sparked to anger. “Because I don’t want them to.”
Diego opened his mouth, clearly planning to repeat the same question, and she snapped. “Why can’t you guys just fall in line like everyone else around here and accept that this is who I am?”
Diego looked over his shoulder and she felt a brief moment of victory. He was looking for an escape.
Or that was what she thought—before he grabbed her hand and began tugging her away from her car.
She dug her feet in. “I’m parked right there,” she said, pointing at her VW bug.
Luc followed behind, adding his own strength to Diego’s, with his hand on her back. They propelled her across the street and into the park at the end of the block. They didn’t stop dragging her until they’d found a quiet bench.