by Robin Kaye
He’d promised he would, but by two o’clock in the morning, Jessica still wasn’t home, and he was pacing.
Chapter 16
Jessie slipped her shoes off as she opened the screen door, so she wouldn’t wake Fisher. She stuck her key in the lock, wishing she’d remembered to put some WD-40 on the hinges. She loved the old door. She just didn’t love the way it squeaked every time it opened. She slipped in, put her purse on the table, and reached for the lamp, just as the overhead light clicked on. Busted.
Fisher stood at the end of the hall with a weird look on his face.
“What are you doing up? You’re supposed to be in bed.”
“I was waiting for you.” He looked at her funny, his gaze moving between her face and her hands.
She tried to figure out why when she remembered she was holding her shoes. She dropped them by the door. “I took them off outside because I didn’t want to wake you.”
“That’s funny. It looks to me like you were sneaking in.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Why would you stay out until two in the morning when your boyfriend’s home in bed?”
Jessie tossed her gear next to the door. “I was having fun, and you were supposed to be sleeping. You should have been. You’re cranky.” She’d missed him all night, which is why she stayed. Lord knew she didn’t want to get too used to having him around.
She allowed herself to go to him then, wrap her arms around his waist, and lean in for a kiss, when the fifty she’d stuffed in her bra crinkled against her breast. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She stuck her hand in her shirt and pulled out the Jackson to wave it in front of Fisher’s face. “Look at what I won. I beat Trapper at pool.”
“You did?”
He was shocked, and frankly, she’d been shocked too. For the first time, she wondered if a guy would fall for her old standby. Trapper seemed smarter than most.
“How’d you manage that? I’ve been playing pool with Trapper all my life, and I’ve never seen anyone beat him.”
“I’m smarter than the average bear, remember?” His arms came around her, and she sucked in a breath, savoring his scent and the feel of him against her. She felt like she’d just come home after being away for a long time, which was strange because this wasn’t her home. “I just used his male ego against him.”
Fisher’s hold tightened, and his hands slid under the hem of her T-shirt. “Do I want to know how you managed that?”
“We were playing Eight-Ball, and he was winning. He really is exceptional at pool.”
“That’s how he put himself through college and law school.”
“Figures. I didn’t stand a chance. I was losing by a few balls, and Trapper was going for the eight ball, so I bet him he couldn’t bank it twice.” She shook her head. “Guys fall for it every time. I only told you because he’s too smart to fall for it twice. Though you’d be surprised how many men aren’t.”
Fisher walked her backward toward the bedroom, switching off the lights, undressing her along the way.
“I finally met Toni. She’s a trip, and I mean that in a good way.”
“Yeah, my sister-in-law is one-of-a-kind. I’m still amazed she puts up with Hunter.”
“He must be doing something right because they didn’t stay too long. Karma and Trapper had a bet going over how long it would be before one dragged the other out. It really wasn’t Trapper’s day. Karma took him for a twenty.”
“I swear, I think there’s a twenty and a fifty that keep getting passed around the family. They’ll bet on pretty much anything.”
“They’re all great. Well, I’m still not too sure about Hunter. He kept giving me strange looks all night.”
“Hunter’s more of an observer than a talker.”
“Not to mention a little scary. He looks like he’s part pit bull. I think he scared Danny away.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’s the jealous type, but for the life of me, I don’t know why. Toni never left his side.”
“Danny wasn’t after Toni, Jess. He was after you. I’m sure Hunter was just keeping an eye on you.”
She let out a laugh, but when she looked at Fisher, he wasn’t laughing. He was serious. “Don’t be ridiculous. Danny’s not the least bit interested in me.”
“Yeah, right, that’s why he asked you out when he was laying on top of you at home plate.”
“I knocked him down. And for your information, Danny didn’t ask me out. He asked me if I was going to Hannah’s with the group. He was just being friendly.” Wasn’t he? Not that it mattered. She couldn’t imagine going out with anyone but Fisher. And that was a problem.
***
Jessie was cold. She rolled over to snuggle closer to Fisher, only to realize he wasn’t in bed.
Prying her eyes open, she checked the clock. Twenty past eight. After the last time they’d made love, Fisher had mentioned he had rounds at seven. She tried to muster a modicum of guilt for keeping him up half the night, but since she’d discovered sex with Fisher sans tears, she failed.
Scooting closer to his side of the bed, she grabbed his pillow and pulled it to her chest, inhaling his scent and wishing he’d at least woken her and told her good-bye. Something was missing… Well, maybe it was just Fisher and the coffee he always brought her.
She stumbled to the kitchen and found a thermos of coffee sitting on the counter. She wasn’t too sure about the thermos, but when she poured, the coffee was steaming. Okay, so maybe she did love Fisher—for his coffee. The man definitely knew how to satisfy her in the kitchen, the bedroom, the meadow, and last night, the hallway was nice too.
She sipped her coffee as she pictured Fisher taking her up against the wall. He’d had that wild thing going again. Just the memory of the look in his eyes sent a shiver through her. She rubbed her shoulder where he’d given her the love bite that set her flying. Another first. Shit. Just thinking about it got her hot and bothered.
Her phone rang, and she ran for her purse, thinking that maybe it was Fisher—no such luck. And no, dammit, she wasn’t disappointed. “Hi Mom.”
“How was your trip?”
“Great.” Jessie grabbed her coffee and sat on the über-clean counter. Fisher must have cleaned the kitchen before he left for work, the freak. She rearranged the cookbooks so they were in a random order. There, that was better.
“I was worried about you the entire time you were gone.”
“Yeah, well, I ended up being up at the cabin with a man after all. He was lucky he had a woman with him, since I had to rescue him.”
“What?”
Jessie told her mother the story—okay, not the whole story. She left out the dating deal, the really great sex, and the massages. She just told her the part about her car and her fly-fishing, white-water swimming adventure.
“I’m glad I called you, especially if you’re not at Andrew’s house. I forgot your address on the kitchen table, and I need it to overnight your package.”
“You’re sending me deli food?”
“Yes, and it’s a good thing I bought enough for two, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure how long I’m staying at Fisher’s, but I guess you might as well send it here, since he still looked a little green last night.”
“That’s too bad.”
“It’s his own fault. He was supposed to stay in bed, but insisted on going to a softball game. I guess I should be thanking my lucky stars he didn’t play. And in the morning, when I got home from my run, I caught him doing laundry. Do you believe that? He was washing my clothes. Fisher’s such a neat freak. After one visit to his house, I was convinced he lived with his mother.”
Her mother laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
“You would have thought so too. You should see this place. His sister, Karma, tells me he vacuums in patterns, up and down, back and forth, and then diagonal—and that’s every time he vacuums. I think he even cleaned the bathroom while I was out.”
“Well, no one’s perfect.”
“What’s he do for a living?”
“He’s an orthopedist specializing in sports medicine.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, that was real a disappointment. It was much easier when I thought he was a bum. Honestly.”
“You’d rather date a bum than a doctor?”
“Of course. It makes it much easier to dump them when things don’t work out.”
“Jessie, if you didn’t date bums or men with gross imperfections, maybe you wouldn’t want to dump them.”
Jessie walked back into the bedroom to grab a pair of Fisher’s wool socks. Her feet were like ice cubes. She sat on the bed, set her coffee on the coaster Fisher left there, and rolled her eyes. “Mother, please don’t start on this again. I told you how I feel about love and commitment.”
“I know, dear. I’m just hoping a wonderful man who’s not a bum changes your mind.”
“Have you ever known anyone to change my mind?” She pulled up the second sock and wiggled her toes.
“No, but one can hope. And I have to say, Fisher sounds like the perfect man for the job.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Mom, but I’m only staying until I know he’s better. God, I thought I’d killed him. He was out cold, lying on a boulder in the middle of the river, bleeding from the head. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”
“Oh honey, I know just how you felt. When we thought your father was having a heart attack, it just about gave me one. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Jessie had no problem imagining life without Fisher—the thing was, she didn’t like what she saw.
She rattled off Fisher’s address and got off the phone as quickly as possible. She needed to stop thinking about him, about life with and without him, about love, or lust, and the way her stomach fluttered whenever he speared her with those green eyes or smiled with the winking dimple. And definitely not the way she felt when he made love to her.
Jessie sipped her coffee and ate a piece of toast over the sink, seeing no reason to dirty a plate.
The house felt empty without him. It wasn’t as if she’d seen a lot of him over the last few days. She’d gone out of her way to avoid spending time with him, and she’d done her darnedest to keep him in bed alone, but just hearing him moving around and knowing he was there had been comforting. Even the way he snored was soothing. Yeah, she was definitely questioning her sanity now.
She took the last bite of her toast, and went over the plans she had for the next scene in her manuscript. Dialogue ran through her mind and she hightailed it to her computer, afraid she’d forget it if she didn’t get it down right away.
When the doorbell rang hours later, Jessie got out of the chair and her back cracked. Damn, it was a quarter past one and she was still in her pajamas. Okay so they weren’t really pajamas; she wore one of Fisher’s Rush Medical School T-shirts and a pair of his gym shorts with the drawstrings pulled so tight, the fabric pleated, making them look more like a skirt than shorts. God, she hadn’t even stopped to brush her teeth.
“Oh well.” She opened the door and there was Fisher’s grandfather, with four bags of what smelled like heaven.
“I brought my best girl lunch.” He pushed past her and set everything on the breakfast bar before giving her a once-over and smiling. “I hope you’re not one of those health food junkies like my Katie, because I brought you the best cheeseburger, french fries, steak fingers, and milk shake in the world.”
Jessie couldn’t help but smile. She held her hands to her heart and took a big sniff. “I think I’m in love.”
Gramps put his arm around her and led her to a stool. “Well, of course you are. No one can resist my grandson for long.”
“I wasn’t talking about Fisher. I was talking about you. You brought me junk food. Feed me, and I’m yours.”
“Jessie, my girl, if I were fifty years younger, I’d take you up on that—at least for a little while.” He patted her knee and let out a laugh as he handed her a chocolate shake. “It would break Fisher’s heart though, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I could handle a filly like you. You’re going places, my girl. And I always wanted my woman close at hand. Now don’t get me wrong. Fisher doesn’t like the idea of another man looking at you, but he doesn’t expect you to sit at home waiting for him.”
“Mr.—” Shit, she knew his last name wasn’t Kincaid, but she couldn’t remember.
“Walsh, but you can call me Gramps. Fisher’s a good man, Jessie, and a hard worker. Did you know my grandson graduated second in his class in medical school and was valedictorian in high school and college? The boy always had his head in a book.”
“I had no idea.” Not that she was surprised. Fisher was annoyingly perfect even then. Sigh… why did intelligence have to be so damn sexy?
Gramps pulled out the burgers and passed her one. “I picked these up from the Westside Drive-In—the best food in town if you ask me. I even got you a surprise for dessert.” He took a bag off the bar and put it in the freezer. “Of course, I bought myself one too. I’m a consummate gentleman. I can’t stand to see a lady eat dessert alone.”
“Gramps, would you grab the ketchup for our fries while you’re over there, please?”
“Girl, you’re in Boise now. We don’t put ketchup on our fries. We use fry sauce.” He opened a drawer, took out a kitchen towel, and tied it around his neck like a bib.
When she raised an eyebrow, he patted it into place. “Protection. Katie caught me sneaking a hot dog from the snack shack last night. I got a little mustard on my shirt, and now she’s gonna be feeding me even more rabbit food than she usually does. I’m going to suffer for weeks, but I’ve learned my lesson. She’s not gonna catch me again.”
“Unless I rat you out.”
“Girly, I’m eighty-two years old. If I want to have a cheeseburger and fries with a beautiful woman every now and again, I figure I deserve it. Hell, if it kills me, at least I’ll die happy with a smile on my face and a mustard stain on my shirt.”
Gramps took out the rest of the food, situating something he called steak fingers between them, and enough fries to feed a family of four.
The fry sauce looked like a blend of ketchup and either mayo or ranch dressing and maybe relish? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was it tasted like heaven on earth.
Boise might not have a great Jewish deli, but they sure knew how to do burgers, fries, and milk shakes. Oh, and those steak fingers were incredible. Gramps was, as he said, the consummate gentleman. He didn’t even complain when she ate the lion’s share of the steak fingers and french fries.
Jessie hadn’t realized how hungry she’d been. Everything Kate and Fisher cooked was so healthy. Her body had been starved for grease, salt, and simple carbs. She took the last bite of her cheeseburger, licked her fingers, and laughed when she caught Gramps wiping his mouth on his bib.
Jessie sat back, full and happy. “Gramps, I can’t thank you enough. Not only did you feed me, you pointed out Fisher’s one flaw.”
“I did no such thing.”
“Yes, you did. He’s a certifiable health food junkie.”
“Not like his momma, he’s not. Who do you think I usually buy this feast for?”
“Fisher?”
“Yes, siree bob. Once a month we go out together—when he was a kid, we’d go out once a week, but since I had my heart attack a few years ago, he’s made me promise to cut back. This treat will be our little secret.” He patted her hand. “Fisher’s as close to perfect as a man can be. He’s devoted to his family, his work—he loves both with his whole heart—and he’s the most gifted and giving person I know. The only thing he was lacking was his other half. Now that he’s found you, you both have the world at your feet. You’re lucky to find someone to love right when your stars are starting to rise.”
“Gramps, I’m afraid you have
the wrong idea about Fisher and me.”
“Nonsense! These eyes might be old, but they don’t miss much. I know you’re in love with my grandson, little lady. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, it won’t be too long because you, my dear, are exceptional, just like Fisher. You’re a smart girl. You’ll see that life is nothing if you don’t have someone to share it with. And for you, that someone is Fisher.”
Gramps slid off his stool with the grace of a man half his age. He kissed her cheek and patted her back. “You know, Jessie, it’s about time you took a breath. You’re going to turn blue soon.”
He gave her a smack on the back, and she dragged in a lungful of air. “There you go. Good luck on that interview next week with ESPN. Mitch Seibert would be an idiot if he didn’t hire you on the spot.” He grabbed his cane and headed toward the door. “I’ll just leave the dessert for you and Fisher to have later. I’ve got to get home. If I’m gone too long, Katie gets suspicious.”
“Gramps?”
“Yes?”
“You might want to take off the bib before you go. If Kate sees that, the jig will be up.”
He took the towel from around his neck, tossed it to her, and winked before he danced out the door.
***
Fisher pulled his Roadster into the garage and let out a sigh of relief. Damn, he’d been doing a lot of that lately—every time he realized Jessica hadn’t left—yet. But she would leave, that was pretty much a definite. Whether she’d come back was the only question in his mind.
He tossed his knitting he’d taken to class in his backpack, shouldered it and his medical bag, and went around the back of the house to make sure the automatic sprinkler system was set.
Jessica sat on the deck, working on her laptop with a smile on her face, the evening sun shining in her hair. When he closed the gate, she looked up from her computer, spotted him, and smiled. His T-shirt had slipped off her shoulder, showing off her long neck.
“You’re home.” She put her laptop on the table and met him on the step, looking down at her sock-covered feet. “Sorry. I swiped a pair of your socks. My feet were freezing this morning.”