Chapter Six
Marjorie Summers spent the first few minutes fussing over her daughter’s arm, until Megan thought she would go out of her mind. Apart from anything else, it was embarrassing to be treated like a child in front of Tyler. As if she didn’t already have enough trouble convincing him she was quite capable of taking care of herself.
Once her mother was convinced that Megan’s arm was not about to fall off, she turned her attention to her other guest. “So, Tyler, I understand you are giving my daughter lessons in how to defend herself,” she said, after she’d settled him in an armchair with a beer and a plate of cheese snacks.
“I think your daughter is quite capable of doing that already,” Tyler said meaningfully. “The first time I met her she knocked me flat on my back.”
Megan tried in vain to catch Tyler’s eye. She hadn’t told her mother about the purse snatching. Too late she realized she should have warned Tyler not to mention it. “Er...how’s the real estate market, Mom?” she asked, in a vain effort to change the subject.
“Fine, dear,” her mother murmured, her gaze still flxed on Tyler’s face. “I’d like to hear more about how you two met each other.”
“Megan came to the police station to report her purse being stolen,” Tyler said blithely. “She was in a hurry, and so was I. We collided in the doorway.”
“Someone stole your purse?” Marjorie Summers said, turning to Megan with her face creased in dismay. “When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” Megan said, looking pointedly at Tyler.
“That’s why she was taking self-defense lessons,” Tyler said helpfully, ignoring Megan’s fierce frown.
“I just knew something like this would happen.” Mrs. Summers turned back to Tyler. “I told Megan when she wanted to get her own place that it wasn’t safe for a young woman living on her own in the city. She can be extremely stubborn at times.”
“It’s perfectly safe, Mom. Besides, I’m not living in the city. I’m living in the suburbs.”
“On the wrong side of the river. Why couldn’t you find somewhere on the west side to live?”
“I can’t afford the west side.” Megan sent Tyler a murderous look for getting her into an argument she’d had a hundred times already.
“I think Mrs. Summers is right,” Tyler said, reaching for his beer. “It’s not safe for a woman to live alone. Especially in that area.”
“Oh, please call me Marjorie, dear.” She looked at Megan. “You see? Tyler agrees with me.”
Megan drew in a deep breath. “Thousands of women live on their own, Mom, and manage to survive. You will, too, when Gary leaves.”
Ignoring that, Marjorie turned back to Tyler, saying chattily, “I keep telling Megan, it’s about time she got married. She’s not getting any younger, and it’s sometimes difficult for a woman to have children once she’s past thirty. The trouble is, Megan is so darn independent, she won’t admit she needs someone in her life.”
Tyler looked as if he wanted to disappear through a hole in his chair.
Mortified, Megan felt her face growing hot. “Mother, I really don’t think Tyler is interested in my personal life. In any case, this is all beside the point. My purse was snatched while I was downtown on my lunch break.”
“What did I tell you about working in the city?” Marjorie exclaimed. “I don’t know why you can’t work at one of the travel agencies out here.”
“I like working in the city,” Megan said, wishing she could reach Tyler’s neck to throttle him for starting this whole scenario.
“I suppose you lost your credit cards.”
“Yes, but I got them replaced. The worst part was losing all my photos. I’d kill to get them back.”
Marjorie shook her head. “What a mess. Were your keys in your purse? I hope you had your locks changed.”
She’d forgotten all about the locks, but she wasn’t about to admit that. “For heaven’s sake, Mother, give me some credit. I’m managing just fine. I’ve faced far bigger crises man this when I was taking care of my brothers.”
Her mother closed her eyes. “I don’t think I want to know about that.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” Megan said grimly. “Where is Gary, anyway?”
“In his room doing his homework, I hope.” Marjorie looked at the clock. “Dinner’s almost ready. Can I get you anything else, Tyler? Would you like to watch TV?”
Relieved that she’d managed to effectively change the subject, Megan headed for her mother’s kitchen. “I’ll help you get dinner.”
“You’re not supposed to use that arm, remember?” Tyler called out after her.
“Don’t worry, dear. I’ll see that she doesn’t,” Marjorie assured him.
“I’m not about to use it while it’s in a sling,” Megan muttered. under her breath.
“He’s very good-looking,” her mother said, coming up behind her. “He doesn’t look much like a policeman.”
“He does in uniform,” Megan assured her. “What are we having? It smells groat”
“Pot roast. It’s all in the oven. I can manage, dear. You really shouldn’t be using that arm.”
“I can still use the other one,” Megan said, opening the fridge door to prove it. “Do you want me to put the salad on the table?”
“If you wouldn’t mind. Perhaps Tyler would carve the meat for us?”
“I’ll ask him.” Megan went back into the living room with the salad bowl tucked in her good arm.
Tyler sat watching a game show on TV. He looked up when she walked in and immediately jumped to his fact Frowning at her, he held out his hand for the salad bowl. “Let me take that.”
“I can manage,” Megan said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. “Mom wants you to carve the meat.”
“Me?” A look of panic crossed his face. “I can’t carve meat.”
“So wing it.” She was beginning to lose patience with both of them. The dining table had been laid with a white cloth, and she dumped the salad bowl on the middle of it, noting her mother’s best silver candles placed at each end. Tyler was getting the VIP treatment.
He disappeared into the kitchen, and she heard her mother say something in a low voice which she couldn’t quite catch. Tyler answered her, again too softly for her to hear what was said.
Obviously they were talking about her. Megan was about to march back in there to find out what they were saying when her brother bounced into the living room from the hallway.
“Hi, Shortstop. I thought I heard your voice. What’d you do to your arm?”
Megan smiled up at her six-foot-plus brother. “Hi yourself. It’s just a pulled muscle, that’s all.”
“It’s not broken?” He sounded almost disappointed. “Where’s the cop?”
“In the kitchen.”
“Is he armed?”
She gave him a “drop dead” look. “Sorry to disappoint you, but he’s not in uniform.”
“Bummer.” He picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV. Rock music blared into the room, just as Tyler emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of sliced beef.
“This is Tyler,” Megan said, flapping her hand at him. “And would you please turn that racket off?”
Gary shook Tyler’s hand and grinned at him. “About time my sister was taken into custody.”
“Oh, please.” Megan pointed to the head of the table. “Tyler, you sit there. You sit down, too, Gary, and please try to behave like a civilized human being for a while.”
Much to Megan’s relief, Gary didn’t entertain everyone by inventing horror stories about the days when his sister was in charge, as he normally did when he thought it would be fun to embarrass her. Instead, he bombarded Tyler with questions until she felt compelled to protest.
“Let him eat his dinner in peace,” she told Gary, after Tyler had related yet another story about his experiences on the street.
Determined to keep her brother’s attention off Tyler’s hai
r-raising tales, she asked him how things were going at school.
“Fine,” Gary muttered, reaching for another bread roll.
“No, they are not,” his mother argued. “His grades are slipping. He spends too much time with his friends and not enough time with his homework.”
“I get it done,” Gary protested.
“But he doesn’t get it done right,” Marjorie Summers said, raising her eyebrows at Megan. “I’m tired of worrying about him.”
Megan laid down her fork. “You’re not being fair to Mom, Gary,” she said quietly. “She has enough to worry about without you adding to her troubles.”
Gary gave her a rebellious look. “I’ve got to have some fun sometimes.”
“After your homework is done,” Megan said firmly. “You’re supposed to be the man of the house. If Mom can’t rely on you then you’re not doing your job. We all took our turn in taking on the responsibility, now it’s yours. It isn’t as if you have the younger ones to watch out for like the rest of us did. I don’t think it’s asking too much to at least keep up your grades, do you?”
Gary shrugged one shoulder. “I guess not.”
“Great You’ll be glad you did next year when you’re picking out a college.”
Tyler sat quietly enjoying the excellent meal, secretly amused by the way Megan seemed to take charge of the family. Not content with scolding her brother, she advised her mother on how to deal with a difficult client, and suggested that her sisters join a health club, since they were both having trouble controlling their weight.
She was wonderful to watch, Tyler thought. Mellowed by the good food and a couple of beers, he was beginning to forget his earlier irritation with her assertive disposition.
In fact, he felt a grudging admiration for the way she supervised everyone. Marjorie Summers was right. Her eldest daughter should be married. She was wasting her talents on her family. She should be concentrating all that care and capability on a family of her own.
Not that he was counting himself as the lucky man, of course, he hastily assured himself. He’d learned a long time ago that marriage wasn’t for him. But somewhere out there was a man who needed someone like Megan to take care of him.
Tyler wasn’t exactly comfortable with picturing the man, however, and he stopped thinking about it and went back to watching Megan’s sparring match with her brother.
By the time Megan was ready to leave, Tyler had to admit that he’d enjoyed the evening far more than he’d expected. Far more than was good for him, he suspected, as he thanked Marjorie Summers for her kindness and complimented her on her excellent cooking.
“That was the best meal I’ve eaten in years,” he told Megan, as they headed through the brightly lit streets to her apartment.
She sent him a sideways glance. “I don’t suppose you get too many home-cooked meals.”
“Not a lot.”
“What about Thanksgiving and Christmas?”
He shrugged. “I usually work the holidays, and give the guys with families a chance to take off.”
She was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “That’s so sad.”
She sounded as if she really meant it, and he felt a sudden rush of warmth in his midregion. He tried to brush it off with a casual remark. “You get used to it.”
“No. I could never get used to being alone during the holidays.”
“You get used to being alone. Period. To some people it’s preferable.”
“But not to you.”
He glanced at her, surprised by the comment. “Why not to me?”
“Because I don’t think you really like being alone. Much as you pretend you do. I was watching you tonight. You looked more at ease, more affable than I’ve ever seen you.”
Aware that she was right, he wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. “Your mother is an interesting woman to talk to, and I really enjoyed meeting your brother.”
“Oh, thanks. That says a lot for what you think about my company.”
She’d spoken lightly, but he sensed he’d hurt her feelings. Searching in his mind for some way to make amends, he said hesitantly, “Being with your family like that reminded me of my own brother.”
She sat up in her seat. “I didn’t know you had a brother. Does he live in Portland?”
Tyler shook his head. He was surprised he’d even mentioned Mason. He’d never talked about him to anyone. “He died,” he said quietly. “Several years ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Do you have any other brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. There was just him and me.”
She laid her hand on his arm, saying softly, “You must miss him very much.”
“I do.” More than he’d realized until tonight.
“What was his name?”
“Mason.”
“An older brother?”
“Yes.” Suddenly he couldn’t talk about him anymore. “Thank you for taking me to meet your mother.”
If she was surprised at the abrupt change of conversation, she gave no sign of it. “Thank you for driving me there. My mother really enjoyed your company, I could tell.”
He felt warm again. In fact, he felt better than he’d felt in a long time. He wasn’t sure if it was the beer, the truly excellent meal or the woman at his side making him feel so good inside, and right then he wasn’t about to question it. He was just going to enjoy the feeling while it lasted.
Megan was quiet the rest of the way home. So much so that he began to worry. Usually she chatted nonstop. It wasn’t like her to keep silent for so long.
He waited until he had pulled into the parking space in front of her apartment building before saying, “Is something wrong? Is your arm hurting you?”
“What? Oh, no. It’s fine.”
He could see her face clearly in the reflection cast by the streetlamps. She looked as if she’d been jolted out of some deep thinking.
“I didn’t mean it how it sounded,” he said awkwardly.
She looked at him in obvious confusion.
“Back there, when I said I enjoyed your mother and brother. I enjoy your company just as much.”
Her face cleared. “Oh, that. It’s no big deal.”
She was smiling at him, her mouth slightly parted to reveal a gleam of white teeth. In the half-light her eyes looked huge and luminous, reminding him for some reason of moonlight on the waters of a tropical bay. Her soft blond hair framed her face, glinting where the lamplight fell across it, turning it to silver.
He was getting poetic again, he warned himself, but for once he didn’t want to listen. He wanted to get closer, close enough to smell that intriguing, exotic perfume she always wore.
He shifted closer to her, and saw her face change. It was as if she’d read his mind, before he’d really understood exactly what he was thinking.
Only now he knew what he wanted. What he’d wanted all evening, ever since she’d blushed when her mother had said she should be married. No. Ever since he’d first faced her across the mat in the gym.
He didn’t want to think about that right now. He didn’t want to think about anything, because if he did, he might chase away the urge that was pressing him closer to her.
She had gone very still, and he could hear her breathing unevenly. He was breathing pretty erratically himself. A tiny part of his mind wondered if he knew what he was getting into. The rest of his mind refused to listen.
He slid his arm across the back of her seat, and heard her catch her breath. He hoped like hell that she wanted what he wanted. Because now he couldn’t tear himself away if he wanted to. He was going to kiss Megan Summers here and now, and to heck with the consequences.
Megan felt as if something was squeezing all the air out of her lungs. She had sensed the subtle change in Tyler, and her heart had leaped with anticipation. She wanted him to kiss her, more than she’d wanted anything in a very long time.
She’d been fooling herself up to now, convinced that he thought of her as nothing more
than a rather tiresome duty he felt obligated to carry out.
But now he was looking at her as if he saw her for the first time, as a desirable woman instead of an irritating child. That changed things considerably. Now she couldn’t wait for him to kiss her. She’d die if he didn’t kiss her.
“I guess I’d better see you into your apartment,” he murmured, in the husky voice that could make her insides turn cartwheels.
“I guess you’d better.” Her own voice sounded weak, as if she’d been running uphill. For once she didn’t care.
“I mean, it’s getting late and you need your sleep.” He leaned closer, his arm inching across the back of the seat behind her.
“So do you.” Her voice was almost a squeak now. If he didn’t hurry up and kiss her, she was going to lose it altogether.
“I guess I do.” He edged closer, his face only inches away now. “I had a good time tonight, Megan. Thank you.”
She started to answer him, but then the world exploded as his mouth gently covered hers.
He wound his arm around her and pulled her closer. Her injured arm prevented her from getting as close as she would like, but she reached up and clasped the back of his neck, just to let him know she was enjoying the kiss.
Then it happened. Softly at first, no more than a faint tinkling. The sound gradually grew louder, until it seemed as if the car rocked with the joyful clamor of them. Bells. She heard bells!
The full significance of that hit her with the force of hurricane winds. Stunned by the revelation, she pulled away from Tyler’s insistent mouth. “I think I should go in,” she said, on a long rush of breath.
He seemed startled, but quickly recovered his composure. “Right. Hang on, and I’ll open your door.”
“I can open it.” She struggled with the handle for a moment, then got the door open and scrambled outside before he had time to reach her. “Don’t worry about coming up with me. I can manage.”
The all too familiar stubborn look crossed his face. “I’m not going to leave you down here alone. I’m coming up with you. Don’t worry, I won’t try to put a move on you.”
“Of course you won’t. I know that.” She was afraid she’d hurt his feelings, but she was in too much of a dither to do much about it right now. All she wanted was to get back into her apartment and have some time to think about the momentous thing that just happened to her.
The Marriage Beat Page 9