Too Hot to Handle

by Jennifer Bernard

  “A pessimist, huh? Put it here.” Cassie put out her hand for a high-five.

  Kevin shook his head at the two of them. “You can’t fool me, either of you. You’re both sweet and hopeful at heart. Those cynical shells are just for show.”

  Cassie shot him a skeptical look as she beckoned them toward the car. “Funny thing for someone to say who barely just met me.”

  “My dad’s good at reading people,” Holly told her proudly, skipping to catch up. “He says it’s for my sake, so he doesn’t let any losers into our life. We play this game sometimes where we sit in a coffee shop and he guesses about people’s histories. Then sometimes we talk to them so we can find out how much he figured out. His record is like, eighty percent accurate.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive.” Cassie opened her car and ushered them in. “So just out of curiosity—”

  “You’re self-protective and wary, but under that jokey facade is a heart of gold,” said Kevin.

  “Not me. I’m curious what you think about Deirdre. And I’m not jokey,” she ended in a mutter. “I’m funny. There’s a difference.” She pulled out of the lot and headed down the hill toward their next stop.

  “My bad. Wrong word choice. Okay, Deirdre.” He thought for a moment.

  Cassie started to speak, but Holly shushed her. “This is part of his process,” she stage-whispered. “This is how the magic happens.”

  Kevin chuckled and settled deeper into his seat, his knees knocking against her dashboard. His long legs, with those powerful-looking thighs, were hard to ignore. Not that Cassie was trying, particularly. She was hyper-aware of him at all times.

  “And the crystal ball says…Deirdre is filled with regret for her past actions. She’s definitely reformed. But she’s still an alpha chick and always will be.”

  “An alpha chick? What’s that?”

  “You don’t know? That’s odd, since you’re one too.”

  Cassie gave him a sideways scowl. “I highly doubt that, but go ahead, define it for me.”

  “The alpha is the leader of the pack, someone who’s in charge. The dominant one of the group.”

  “You’re talking about wolves?”

  “Yes, but their social structure is pretty fascinating. You see the same patterns with groups of people too. In the Air Force, for instance, everyone has a bit of alpha in them; you have to, just to do the job. But in the context of the organization, the generals are the top alphas. There’s a pecking order.”

  “Now you’re talking about chickens.”

  In the backseat, Holly burst into laughter. Kevin’s lips twitched as well; Cassie noticed when she took her eyes off the road for a second.

  “My point is, both you and Deirdre are alpha females. That’s probably why you clashed in high school. She might have seen you as a threat to her leadership.”

  Holly poked her head between the seats. “See what I have to put up with? When Mom left, Dad bought three hundred books on child-rearing. I think they’re all mushed up in his brain like soup.”

  “Would that be chicken soup?” Cassie grinned at Kevin, who rubbed his temples in mock-pain.

  “Hey, you guys asked. I answered. Can we be done with this topic now?”

  “Almost. I just want to add that I think your analysis is way off. I’m no alpha, I’m a lone wolf.” Cassie heard the wistful catch in her voice as she spoke those words. Even though she’d been with her mother for the past twelve years, much of that time had been lonely—always dealing with other adults, often filled with worry and uncertainty about her mom. She’d missed her brothers, she’d missed her old high school, her friends. She’d become the master of the sporadic postcard.

  She hadn’t felt like a lone wolf so much as a baby wolf who’d lost her pack.

  “If you say so,” Kevin said. “However, lone wolves are more complex than you think. Sometimes a lone wolf crosses into a new territory and ends up mating with a new pack. Sometimes a lone wolf will return to its birth pack. So you could be that kind of wolf. I mean, not to beat a dead horse or anything.”

  “Oh, so it’s horses now? I can’t keep track.”

  Kevin threw up his hands in defeat. “Forget it. I’m done. But I think you should have lunch with Deirdre since she keeps asking.”

  Cassie sighed again. “I’m afraid that might be too risky. There’s a higher-than-average chance that I might throat punch her the way I always wanted to.”

  “See that?” Kevin pointed at her. “Alpha.”

  Cassie glanced at the rearview mirror and met Holly’s gaze. “Holly, you have my deepest sympathies, you really do. Just for that, you get to pick our lunch place. Outer Crust Pizza or sandwiches?”

  “Sushi.”

  Kevin laughed. “See what I deal with? Send some of that sympathy my way, please.”

  But from the affectionate, teasing tone in his voice, it was clear the two of them adored each other. And based on Holly’s attitude, they were something beyond that—a tight little two-person family with a “No Outsiders Allowed” sign painted on the front door.

  9

  The tour of Jupiter Point shifted things with Cassie, Kevin noticed. After that, she treated him like another one of her many brothers. Sometimes exasperated, sometimes amused, but never flirtatious. The heat between them still simmered under the surface, but it didn’t burst into the open the way it almost had at Barstow’s.

  Which, of course, was for the best.

  Something of which Kevin reminded himself several times a day.

  Being buddies with Cassie was pretty good too. He cleared off half the workbench so she could have space for her tools. Then he added a “Welcome to Your New Home” banner, adorned with images of smiling baby faces and rattles and baby bottles.

  She laughed when she saw it. The next day when he came in, he was greeted with a bunch of silver balloons in the shape of airplanes.

  That night, he left a fluffy toy wolf in the engine of the car she was working on.

  “Let me guess — a lone wolf?” She cuddled the wolf against her cheek, her eyes alight with laughter.

  “Not anymore. He looks pretty cozy now.”

  “Jeez, and I didn’t get you anything. I’m sure I’ll think of something. Consider yourself warned.”

  “Bring it on.”

  But he definitely wasn’t prepared for the live chicken he found pecking at a pile of feed next to his work boots the next time he came in.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets while Cassie popped up from behind the Cessna. “Let me guess. Alpha chick?”

  She just laughed. The sound startled the chicken, which flapped away across the diesel-stained floor, toward the door. Cassie and Kevin both chased after it, but every time one of them nearly caught the bird, she managed to escape with a loud squawk. By the time Cassie finally managed to get her arms around the franticly flapping hen, she was laughing so hard tears were running down her cheeks.

  Ben flung the door open, with Tobias right behind him. “What the hell is going on in here? Is Cassie okay?” Ben peered at his sister. “Why is she hugging a chicken?”

  Cassie was laughing too hard to answer, so Kevin tried to come up with something. “That’s our new mascot.”

  “Our mascot is supposed to be a knight in shining armor, not a damn chicken.”

  Cassie made a choking sound, then gave up on trying to say whatever she’d intended and just laughed some more.

  “Why shouldn’t it be a chicken? People underestimate them. Did you know a hen can eject a rooster’s sperm after they’ve done the deed? You know, if she decides she doesn’t want his offspring after all.” Why that particular fact popped into his head, he had no idea. His brain worked in strange ways.

  Ben looked over his shoulder at Tobias. “Are they drunk? I think they’re drunk.”

  “I almost hope they are. Otherwise I have some serious questions.”

  Cassie looked at Kevin pleadingly. “This poor chicken. I don’t want to squish him but he really wan
ts out.”

  “This is a female hen, not a rooster. Want me to hypnotize her?” Kevin kneeled next to her.

  “You can hypnotize a chicken?” Cassie looked at her brothers, who both shrugged.

  “I’ve read about it but I’ve never done it. Anyone else have a better idea?”

  “My only idea is to back out of here and pretend we never came in. Tobias?” Ben checked with his older brother.

  “Works for me.”

  They both disappeared, leaving Cassie and Kevin to attempt hypnosis on a hen.

  Which didn’t work at all, probably because Kevin had only read about it in one of Holly’s science magazines. But wrangling the poor thing was a bonding experience nonetheless. By the time the chicken was safely back in Cassie’s truck, both of their stomachs hurt from laughing.

  Kevin had never had so much platonic fun with a woman before.

  Since part of his job was backup pilot, some days he spent flying rather than mechanic-ing. But when he was working in the hangar with her, they helped each other out—grabbed tools that were out of reach, offered an extra hand with more physically demanding or awkward tasks. They talked the way co-workers do—casual, relaxed, only occasionally going deeper underneath the surface.

  She eventually talked about her gypsy life on the road with her mother, and about the Knight family’s investigation into her father’s murder.

  Finally, the comments he’d overhear at Barstow’s made sense.

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” Kevin tightened the new bolts he’d just installed on the struts of the newest Cessna. “You’re talking about a killer.” He really didn’t like the idea of them searching for a murderer on their own, even if the Knight brothers could handle themselves perfectly well. With a former sheriff’s deputy, a former Special Forces Nightstalker, and a former Air Force pilot among them, there was no need to worry.

  Was there?

  “Yes, probably, but Will’s just trying to find his location. The police will take it from there. My theory is that he’s long gone from here and never coming back. He got lucky when he slipped through Ben’s fingers. He nearly got caught then. Why would he take a chance on hanging around here?”

  “Let’s hope you’re right. Do you know what he looks like?”

  “I have a photo from a rehearsal of Grease. I guess he was playing one of the gang members who fixes up Greased Lightning. Kind of ironic that he was playing a mechanic. It almost makes me question my life choices.”

  She walked to the workbench, where she had her tools laid out. From what he’d seen, she was meticulous in her work. Not quite as fast as he was, but then she hadn’t been working at the job for as many years. But smart and thorough and knowledgeable. He’d put his car in her hands, for sure.

  “Hey, would you mind handing me that three-quarter-inch wrench while you’re at it?”

  She selected the proper wrench from his end of the bench and brought it over.

  “Be careful, okay?” he said softly as he took it from her. Their fingers touched and the usual sparks came to life between them.

  “It’s just a wrench.”

  “You know what I mean. If this guy has gotten away with murder all this time, and now he thinks someone’s onto him, he could get desperate.”

  “Look at you, all worried and protective.” She blew him a kiss. “That’s sweet, but you should tell Will. He’s the one investigating. I’m just a bystander. Besides, just think, you could have all this,” she twirled in a circle, indicating the hangar, “to yourself.”

  “Don’t even—” He scowled at her. “Fine. Be reckless. Take chances. I’ll keep my opinions to myself, like Holly always says.”

  She touched his arm lightly. “Hey, I was serious. I think it’s sweet. But I also don’t think I’m the one who has to worry. And you’re definitely not the one who has to worry. How’s Holly doing, by the way?”

  Pretty smooth change of subject. He got the message. Back off, I don’t need your concern.

  “Doing great. I hardly see her anymore, she’s so busy.”

  “Lots of friends?”

  “Apparently. But she also has a job. She’s working at the observatory a few hours a week. She gives tours, that kind of thing. Something with a laser pointer. The new director there offered her the position after she took the tour and corrected the guide every other sentence.”

  “Wow. That’s fantastic, good for her. Is it too soon to take the tour with her? Would that embarrass her?”

  “I’ll ask again. I’ve seen her rehearse it enough times, I know it by heart. But she wanted me to wait until she’d gotten a few under her belt before I watch the real thing.”

  “Well, when she’s ready, I’d love to go with you. If you want,” she added hastily. “As a buddy. Or a co-worker.”

  “I got it,” he said dryly. “I got it a while ago, as a matter of fact. You really don’t have to keep reminding me.”

  “I know. Sorry.” She tucked a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear and headed back to the Chevette she was working on. She muttered something as she went, something that sounded like, “I’m reminding myself.”

  He grinned to himself as ducked back into his task. He wasn’t sure what he wanted from Cassie—well, that wasn’t completely true. He knew what he wanted. But that was off the table. Even so, he liked the way things were going with her. He liked the way she teased him, the way she talked to him, the way she looked at him occasionally. Attracted, intrigued, speculative.

  It was all good. Sure, he spent a little too much time thinking about pranks that might top the chicken. And a little too much time imagining stripping off her coveralls. And way too much time regretting the fact that he hadn’t actually kissed her when he’d had the chance.

  At least Holly had relaxed about Cassie. His unpredictable daughter had decided she liked Cassie, as long as it was completely guaranteed there was nothing romantic going on. Sometimes she rode her bike to Knight and Day after school and did her homework in the office, if it wasn’t busy, or in the hangar. She’d talk about the teachers and the kids, and Cassie would listen patiently while she worked. Kevin tended to zone out during that kind of conversation, but Cassie was great at it. She’d ask a question now and then, or tell a similar story from her own school years.

  Sylvie had never been much of a listener—her big advice was usually to stop whining. So Kevin considered it a stroke of amazing good luck that he shared a work space with Cassie Knight. Even if that was all he ever shared with her, he’d be grateful.

  But there were also all those laughs.

  And all those sparks.

  He just hoped no one else noticed the way he responded every time she walked into a room. Maybe in time, that reaction would go away.

  10

  It definitely hadn’t gone away by the time Ben and Julie’s engagement party rolled around. Kevin arrived at the private room at the Seaview Inn before Cassie. He knew this because as soon as he walked in, he performed a quick scan for a lithe, tomboy-ish beauty with long strawberry-blond hair. It was almost as if he couldn’t help himself.

  When he saw no sign of her, he shifted his attention to the spectacular setting of the Seaview. The inn was located near the top of one the foothills that surrounded Jupiter Point, giving it an expansive view of the ocean, now painted in wild shades of tangerine and indigo by the setting sun.

  The only Jupiter Point building with a better location was the observatory, which sat on an adjacent though much higher hill. Holly was right over there, on that other hill, filling in for a sick co-worker, after which she had plans with her new friends. Plans that didn’t include an engagement party for grown-ups, she’d told him pointedly.

  Ben and Julie, hand in hand, came forward to greet him. He started to shake Julie’s hand, but she pulled him in for a hug instead.

  “Don’t even think about it. You’re an honorary Knight brother. That deserves more than a handshake.”

  He’d liked Julie as soon he’d met her, whi
ch was no surprise, since Ben was one of his best friends. Even when Ben used to drunkenly sob about the one who got away, he’d always talked about how great she was. The fact that the two of them were now back together and engaged was proof that good people—at least sometimes—got happy endings.

  And maybe sometimes that happy ending consisted of getting full custody of a daughter who needed him. If that was his only happy ending, he’d just learn to live with it.

  Tobias joined them and introduced Kevin to his new wife, Carolyn. They made an unusual couple. Tobias was big and tough and intense, while Carolyn had a soft golden glow, with her blond hair and calm manner. But they were obviously madly in love with each other, sharing intimate, hot glances when they thought no one was looking.

  Julie signaled to a waiter who was passing through the crowd with trays of champagne. “Over here, please. We have some empty-handed guests in need of champagne.”

  Kevin accepted a flute of bubbly and raised it in the direction of Ben and Julie. “To the two of you, and most importantly, to the fact that I don’t have to hear about Ben’s broken heart ever again.”

  The group laughed, except for a college-age kid with blond bedhead hair who arrived just in time to snag some champagne. “Then you can all hear about mine,” he said gloomily. “Daisy dumped me again.”

  Carolyn reached for his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. “You’ll sort it out. You always do. Kevin, this is Aiden.”

  “The one Knight brother I haven’t met yet.” Kevin clinked his champagne flute against Aiden’s. “To heartbreak, man. Makes us older and wiser and irresistible to women.”

  Aiden grinned, just as Will and a gorgeous woman with bright eyes and a halo of brown curls strolled up.

  “Have you met Merry?” Julie asked Kevin. “She’s the best reporter in town, and knows absolutely everyone and everything.”

  Merry shook his hand, laughing a bit. “Since I don’t know you, that’s not quite true. Merry Warren.”

  “Kevin O’Donnell. And now you do know me.” He smiled at her.