False Impressions

by Marianne Rice

  Meg didn’t give her the chance to decline as she led Sam upstairs and into her gorgeous room. Or suite. Dark wood and light sage walls made the room feel cozy even when it had more square footage than Sam’s cottage. The windows overlooked the lake, which shimmered with the moon’s reflection.

  “Your room is breathtaking. You must lay in bed and stare at the lake all night.”

  Laughing, Meg said, “No, not really. I either have Connor or two little ones nagging for my attention.”

  Sam blushed but smiled. “How nice.”

  “Yes, very nice,” Meg said. “Here.” She rifled through her drawers and handed Sam a blue tankini.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Mind? I asked for purely for selfish reasons. I haven’t had a girls’ night in ages. I’ll change in the bathroom if you want to change here.”

  Without leaving her much choice, Meg left the room. Sam looked down at the bathing suit, chewed on the inside of her lip contemplating…nothing, really. She stripped off her jeans and sweater and slipped into the bathing suit. Once changed, Meg led her downstairs and outside to the deck where the steam from the hot tub filled the air. Emma came a few moments later with Annie and Paige.

  “I’m really confused as to how you’re all related. Or not related. I know you’re all family, but…” Sam said.

  Setting down her champagne flute, Paige responded. “It sounds like a soap opera but it really isn’t. Mom,” Paige nodded toward Annie, “and Connor are brother and sister. Mason and Cole are their half-brothers but came later in life and are actually closer to my age. Technically they’re my uncles but we’re more like cousins.”

  “Okay. I think I follow that.”

  “I had Emma at a very young age,” Meg started out slowly. “Barely sixteen.”

  “So when you and Mason are married,” Sam said directing her question toward Emma, “Connor, who is your step-dad, is also going to be your brother-in-law?”

  Annie snorted. “Yeah, okay, it does sound like a soap opera. But we’re really normal people. Well, I am.”

  The woman laughed and clinked glasses. No one asked her about her past but instead answered all of her clarifying questions. The time in the hot tub was exactly what she needed. Right when started to relax, a familiar and chilling male voice called out onto the deck.

  “Everyone decent?”

  “Yes!” they called.

  “Damn, I’m too early.” Cole strolled out in a bathing suit and yelled, “Cannon ball!”

  The women shrieked.

  “Dang, you’re all too easy.” He squeezed into a spot between Emma and Paige, which was directly across from Sam.

  “What the hell are you doing out here?” Emma asked. “This is girl time.”

  “For a moment I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Now I see that I am very much alive, and heaven has been brought to me,” he said, closing his eyes and tilting his head back.

  Paige splashed him. “You’re an ass.”

  “You’re just jealous that cop-boy doesn’t have an ass as cute as mine.”

  While Sam enjoyed the joking among family members, she did wonder where her son was.

  “Levi changed into his Batman pajamas and is sitting with the other kids, listening to my mother read them stories. He looks like he’s about ready to crash,” he said before Sam could even ask.

  “Oh, then we should probably head out. He needs to go to bed.” She stood, keenly aware of his dark eyes watching her, and grew self-conscious. Goosebumps covered her body not from the bitter cold but from the heated stare from a pair of dark, chocolate-colored eyes. Not one to be into her looks, she suddenly wondered if her legs were too fat or too skinny. She hadn’t shaved above her kneecaps in months and her calves in days.

  Meg stood as well. “I’ll show you where the towels are.”

  “Nah, I’m on it. I’m obviously not wanted here,” Cole teased and stepped out of the hot tub then held his hand to help Sam out as well.

  “Thank you, ladies, for welcoming me into your hot tub. And Meg, into your home. I had a lovely time.”

  Cole wrapped a towel around her shoulders and then took one for himself. She dried her legs so she wouldn’t drip through on the floors and scurried into the warmth of the house. Without looking back at Cole, she ran up the stairs to Meg’s room, quickly changed then hung up her wet suit in the bathroom and made a beeline for the living room.

  She needed to leave before Cole could eat her up with those smoldering eyes again. And before she caved and let him.

  * * * *

  The knight and shining armor stunt didn’t work. Swooping in and coming to the rescue when Levi started babbling didn’t earn him any points. Leaving Sam in a room full of near strangers didn’t earn him any brownie points either. The weeks after the New Year’s party, she’d returned to near normal self, but kept Cole at a safe distance.

  The message rang louder than one of those obnoxious fog horns his parents used to blow at his and his brothers’ sporting events: Not Interested. But he was always a slow learner, and a glutton for punishment. Not that he had any experience with death, but he thought four years was a long enough mourning time, and Sam needed to have a little fun in her life. From what he could tell, she devoted every moment of her life to her son.

  Besides her new friendship with Emma and Meg, he doubted she had any girlfriends to talk to. Maybe a double date would make her more relaxed. Without giving it another thought he picked up his cell phone and dialed Emma.

  “Hey, poptart. What are you and Loverboy doing tonight?”

  “Mmm, not sure. Mason’s been glued to his computers and locked up tight in his office for two days straight. I’m expecting to find a dead corpse in there next time I open the door. It doesn’t smell yet…does that mean he’s still alive?”

  “Think you can convince him to go out tonight? Nothing fancy. Dinner. Maybe North Country?”

  “Cole, that’s a bar. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Are you feeling like you…”

  Letting out an exasperated sigh he said, “Hell, Emma. I didn’t expect you to hover like everyone else. No, I’m not going through withdrawals. Honestly, I haven’t even thought about drinking. I felt like going out. Don’t make a big deal about it.” He paced his kitchen, stopping in front of his fruit bowl and tossed an apple in the air.

  “Why don’t we do dinner here? The bar isn’t—”

  “I’m fine. I’ll even drive. I thought you might want to ask Sam to come with us. I don’t think she has many friends around here.” He took his frustration out on his apple, biting into it and chewing more aggressively than necessary.

  “Oh, that’s a great idea. I really like her. I’ll call Paige and Walker as well. Let me check on Mason and I’ll call you back.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Emma had everything arranged, including a babysitter for Levi. Meg offered to have him over to her house for a sleepover, but Sam thought he might be too scared. But, according to Emma, Levi overheard and begged to spend the night at the McKays’.

  So there he was, toweling off the fog on the mirror, shaving in his old-fashioned bathroom, thinking about a widowed mother and his chances of getting lucky tonight. Not homerun or grand slam lucky. First base would work just fine. However he wouldn’t shoot down a homerun.

  Cole rinsed his face and walked naked to his small bedroom. His parents had been out of the house for two months, but he had yet to take over the master bedroom and bathroom. The flowery wallpaper and pink rug had to go before he moved his stuff in and he hadn’t had time to strip the paper, tear up the carpet and paint the walls.

  If he ever thought about bringing a woman home, he’d have to fix up his bedroom first. His current conditions screamed forty year-old virgin; although, he still had a decade to go and enough notches in his belt to prove he’d passed the virgin status a long, long time ago.

  The twin bed he used in his old bedroom could be cozy for a night, forcing the girl to sleep under o
r on top of him. He imagined it would be uncomfortable after a few nights; not that he ever had a woman stay over more than one night in a row. And there hadn’t been any romps since his accident.

  The posters on the wall reminded him of his youth; Emmit Smith, John Elway, Ken Griffy Jr. He loved his New England teams, but the real heroes of the nineties played elsewhere.

  Pulling on his jeans, he thought about tearing down the posters and painting his bedroom next weekend. The last time he redid his room he had braces and was learning how to drive.

  Cole slid his legs into his jeans and paused before he finished zipping. It just so happened that he knew a girl who could paint. Maybe she knew how to strip, too.

  Wallpaper, of course.

  * * * *

  In one breath, Emma managed to ask Sam to go out with her tonight and had already convinced Meg to watch Levi for a sleepover. Emma had a way of taking care of things, and Sam caved. After making a detailed list, and promising to watch Tucker and Hannah someday soon, Sam left her son at the McKay house so she could pretty herself for a girls’ night out at a country bar with Emma and Paige. Not being much of a drinker, she volunteered to drive, but Emma protested. And not knowing if that meant Emma would only have a couple drinks or none at all, Sam made a conscious decision not to have a drop. She wouldn’t leave her fate in someone else’s hands.

  At seven, she saw lights in her driveway. Sam slid her arms in her coat, picked up her pocketbook, and hurried outside.

  “Hey!” Emma called as she stepped out of the passenger side of a jeep. “I’m so glad you’re coming out with us, tonight should be fun.” She opened the back door and Sam slid in.

  “Oh…hi,” she said hesitantly to Cole, who sat next to her, and Mason in the driver’s seat. “I expected you to be Paige.”

  “Disappointed?” Cole grinned.

  “The more the merrier, right?” Emma said gleefully from the front seat. She swore Emma mentioned it was a girls’ night. Or maybe she had hinted at it, regardless, Sam was not prepared to spend the night coupled off with Cole.

  Thankfully, Emma and Cole filled the car ride with competitive digs at one another about horseback riding, pool, and darts. Before she knew it, they were pulling into a country bar.

  “It’s karaoke night,” Emma said as she grabbed Sam’s hand and hauled her into the bar. “The boys can play pool and we can sing and dance. We’re only using them for a ride home. What’s your poison?”

  “My, uh?”

  “Drink, what would you like? First round is on me.”

  “Oh, I don’t really drink. You all can. I’ll drive us home. I’ll have a diet coke.”

  “Nah, no need. I’ll settle for a diet coke tonight too. We’ll need something cold and wet to help with all the singing we’re gonna do.”

  “I’m a terrible singer.”

  Emma laughed. “Me too. That’s what’s so fun. Paige is pretty good though, so let’s pick a song before she puts us to shame.”

  They scrolled through the selection of country songs and settled on an angry Carrie Underwood song about cheating. She’d never heard the song before, and it sounded a bit harsh, but it was fun to sing along and scare the bejezus out of the men who were watching.

  Soon Paige joined them and they sang song after song, ignoring the ogling men in the bar and focused on the tiny screen with the lyrics and giggled with each other in between notes. The place started to fill up around nine, and they handed off the microphone to another group of girls who were out for a good time.

  She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun with girlfriends. Her junior high years were the last time she could remember having sleepovers, doing each other’s hair, nails and makeup, gossiping about boys. Once she met Adam, she stopped hanging out with girls and spent every minute being in love with him.

  Not a moment of the ten years she’d spent with Adam did she regret, but she did wish she also left time for girlfriends. They joined Cole, Mason, and Walker at a four-top table; the men vacated their stools and let the girls sit.

  “We were about to order some grub. What are you ladies in the mood for?” Walker asked.

  “One of everything,” Paige said.

  “I just want one of this,” he replied, grabbing her behind.

  “Oh, get a room,” Emma said.

  After placing their orders, Walker pulled Paige and Emma dragged Mason out on the dance floor. Cole stood restless for a minute before he finally sat on one of the empty stools.

  “Having fun?”

  Relieved that he didn’t ask her to dance, she relaxed her shoulders. “Yeah. This is great. Emma and Paige are a riot.”

  “They’re good kids,” he said and sipped his drink. She pictured him a beer guy, not the mixed drink kind. She couldn’t smell the alcohol but figured he must be drinking a gin and tonic with a twist of lime. He wasn’t driving, she reminded herself. Mason had been nursing water all night; she had been keeping an eye on him while they were singing.

  “Is that okay?”

  “Hm? What? I’m sorry, my mind must have drifted.”

  He smiled and his dimple in his cheek grew more pronounced. She’d never met a guy with adorable dimples and a tiny cleft in his chin, or maybe she’d never taken the time to notice anyone other than Adam.

  “The wallpaper. And painting job.”

  Her mind must have drifted again, and it wasn’t even because of his dark eyes that held so many secrets yet seemed to want to reveal everything about him.

  “Yes, I can wallpaper.” She stumbled remembering his question. “I mean, sure, I can strip the paper and paint. I had to take down a lot of paper in my house. It was a mess.”

  “Great.”

  They sat in awkward silence again. If they weren’t talking about work or Levi, they seemed to have nothing to say. She had a hundred questions she wanted to ask about his family; what it was like being a twin, living on a farm, what he was like in high school. Not that any of it mattered, but she found him very intriguing. He didn’t ask her much, and part of her was grateful he didn’t pry, while the other part of her wanted to know if he felt the same way about her as she did him. Which was completely confused and a whole lot flustered.

  Cole set his drink down and stood up. “Listen, Sam. People will start to talk if I don’t ask you to dance.”

  She stared quizzically at him.

  “You don’t want to be responsible for besmirching my reputation, do you? Would you grab my hand and dance with me, so I can tell my friends I've been touched by an angel?”

  He looked so hopeless and innocent that she had to laugh. She chewed the inside of her cheek, reached out her hand to his and hopped off the stool.

  “You know, you might be asked to leave soon. You're making the other women look really bad.”

  The three couples danced for another hour, ignoring their food until their feet grew tired and the food grew cold. Starved from dancing up an appetite, they devoured the rubbery nachos and room temperature wings, washing them down with water. Sam expected someone to go home drunk, or at least a bit tipsy, but the whole crew remained completely sober. She hadn’t told anyone specifics about Adam and Abigail’s death, but they lived in a small town. The details of her tragic past couldn’t stay buried for too long.

  Sam stifled a yawn and apologized to her friends. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being up so late. I guess it’s the mom in me.”

  “Cole, why don’t you take Mason’s jeep and drive Sam home. We’ll catch a ride back with Paige and Walker,” Emma suggested.

  “No one needs to leave early on my account. I’m good for another…” She looked at her cell phone. “Wow. Midnight. I didn’t even stay up this late on New Year’s.” Even if Cole wasn’t drunk, he’d had a drink and she wouldn’t let him sit behind the wheel. “You’ve been drinking and—”

  “All I’ve had is club soda. All night. I’m fine,” he said tersely to Sam.

  “Well, then,” Paige interrupted. “We take that as a
compliment. But Emma’s right. We’ll drive her and Mason home later. Walker hasn’t had a drop of anything besides water. Cole, you have to get up early to feed the animals. You could probably use a good night’s sleep.”

  Surprised and relieved that Cole hadn’t been drinking, she gave Emma and Paige a hug and followed Cole out to the jeep. They rode in silence, and when they arrived at her house she stopped him before he could open his car door. “I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks for sharing your friends.” She patted his arm and hopped out of the jeep.

  He rounded the hood before she even closed her door. “Look, Sam. I’m not one for beating around the bush.” He raked his hand through his thick, dark hair and peered over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t usually have to fumble for words either.” He looked down at her and she nearly drowned in his deep, dark chocolate-colored eyes. “Damn, you make me nervous. I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want me to, tell me now.”

  Like a deer in the headlights, she froze. The heat burning between them—despite the below freezing temperature—consumed her and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Not a damn thing she wanted to do about it.

  And then he kissed her. He cupped her face in both his hands and kissed her roughly at first and then backed off into a slow, sensual kiss that could have—or should have—lasted for hours. His tongue made lazy swirls around hers while his hands gently massaged her head and neck. Their winter coats separated them more than she would have liked but was thankful for the barrier tonight.

  All thoughts of work and family and obligations floated away while she selfishly absorbed the strength of Cole. The moans escaping Cole’s lips and the slight tremor from his touch made her feel light and free and sexual. The tingling sensation in her breasts had nothing to do with being a mother, but everything to do with the man who held her like she was his life support.

  Her toes were on fire and her stomach floated. Had he not been holding her up, she would have surely fallen to the ground in a puddle of lust. Sam kept her hands on his forearms, unsure where to place them and what signal she wanted to give.