Barefoot Bay_A Family for the Holidays

by Karen Ann Dell

  Kelly blew out a sigh and dredged up a smile for her BFF. “You win.”

  ~~~

  Mike finished the last entry on his to-do list for the new facility in Naples and saved the spreadsheet. He’d closed the gym for Thanksgiving, even though a few die-hard customers had complained. Tomorrow would be plenty of time for his clients to work off the potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie.

  The past few weeks had been hell. First, he’d had to convince Jesse to take over managing this facility, so he would be free to move to Mimosa Key and get the new place up and running. That had been no easy feat, since Jesse didn’t think a guy with a limp should be running a fitness center. Mike had guilted him into it and still wasn’t sure how long Jesse would stick to his commitment. Nine-to-five jobs didn’t provide the kind of rush HALO jumps and underwater demolitions did. But the round that shattered his hip had pretty much ended those adrenalin highs, anyway.

  He’d wanted to fly back to Naples to sign the paperwork, but scheduling appointments with bankers to arrange financing, and comparing equipment salesmen to get every discount he could squeeze out of them, kept him on the ground in Philly.

  He’d called Kelly at least once a week, and their conversations still generated plenty of heat—enough so that a couple of hours working out and long, cold showers were the only things that kept the top of his head from blowing off. Well, those and his now totally unsatisfying fist.

  He hoped his reluctance to admit to himself and declare to Kelly his true feelings hadn’t totally blown his chance to keep her in his life.

  He was about to shut down his laptop when his email program chimed with a new message. He clicked to open it.

  I know it has been a long time since you’ve heard from me, Mike, so I hope you’ll read this. I’m coming home for Thanksgiving. Alone. Hank and I have agreed to separate.

  There is so much I want to say to you, Mike.

  I’m sure your family will be celebrating the holiday together, but— Please save a few minutes for me. I really need to talk to you.

  Hopefully,

  Sarah”

  Talk about a bolt from the blue. Mike scrubbed his hands through his hair and stared at the monitor. He and Sarah had met the first week of high school, and right from the start, he knew she was the girl for him. They were the couple the entire class talked about, pointed to, and envied as the embodiment of “true love.” When Sarah went away to college, they emailed each other almost every day, and when they came home for the holidays, spring break or summer vacations, they instantly ignited with the same remembered passion as the last time they’d been together.

  He’d been devastated when he’d received the email that she wasn’t coming home after graduation. Granted, her emails since spring break had been shorter and less filled with her feelings for him than usual. But he’d never imagined that she had found someone else. Someone she planned to marry. How could she toss away their years of commitment to each other like a worn-out pair of socks?

  He’d called, and after fifteen or twenty “she’s not here right now” rejections from her roommate, she’d finally spoken with him.

  “I’m sorry, Mike. I know this is a terrible way to break up. I am so embarrassed to be such a cliché, but Hank and I are in love. We’re going to marry, and I’m not coming home before the ceremony.”

  She sounded regretful. Like she’d lost something valuable that he’d loaned her. His class ring, or his laptop. Not like she was ripping his heart from his chest and crushing it beneath her foot.

  He could not think of what to say. Why? When? How could this have happened? She sounded as if her newfound love was some kind of magic spell that had been cast over her. She had no control over her attraction. Sorry. So, so, sorry.

  He stared through the glass window in his office door and surveyed the silent expanse usually echoing with the thuds of weights returning to their stands and groans from those whose muscles had been tortured lifting them. He’d come in to the office to work today for the peace and quiet he’d never have at home—and to work off his own nerves waiting for Kelly to arrive.

  Last week he’d stopped at a jewelry store to look at engagement rings. That was how sure he’d been that he loved Kelly and wanted to marry her.

  But this damned email threw him. What would happen when he saw Sarah again? Would his old feelings resurface? That instant and undeniable attraction he’d felt for her all those years ago?

  Nah. Not going to happen.

  He shut the computer down and turned out the lights. But all the way home, doubts chewed away at his certainty. He’d been twenty thousand feet in the air before the intensity of his feelings for Kelly smacked him in the face. At which point he blithely assumed she must feel the same way. He’d never even talked with her about a long-term relationship. In fact, he’d put a lot of effort into not mentioning a future that included both of them. He’d sensed she wanted more than a good-time fling, but that might have been just his ego talking. Maybe she didn’t want something permanent. Maybe she would get tired of him and—leave.

  He knew one thing for sure. When Kelly arrived, they needed to talk.

  The email, he’d deal with later.

  Chapter Seven

  The flight to Philly was two-plus hours of unrelieved angst for Kelly. Not that the flight was bad. That part was as smooth as floating up north on a cloud. But meeting Sky’s whole family intimidated her. Never in her life had she spent any holiday, heck, any regular day, with a family this large. Then there was the lingering sadness left from the visit with her mom. And last, but by no means least, was the anticipation of seeing Mike again. Had she misinterpreted the vibes she got from his phone calls? Placed too much emphasis on what he’d said, as opposed to what he hadn’t said? Let Sky’s instincts about her brother’s true feelings sway her into believing there might still be a chance for them? Ugh! Her thoughts rattled back and forth between hope and dejection. Sky and AJ’s attempts to distract her with conversation were only minimally successful. When the pilot advised them to buckle up for the landing, her stomach tried to drown the butterflies careening around in it with another quart of acid.

  The landing was smooth as silk, and the plane taxied to a private hangar. Kelly felt a flood of relief when she spied Owen waiting at the foot of the stairs. Her first glimpse of Mike would be at his home later, and she was grateful for the reprieve. When they arrived, she’d have a chance to camouflage her reaction to him amid all the other introductions. She’d decided to play it cool and let Mike take the lead. She wouldn’t give him any indication of how badly she’d missed him. We’re friends. Good friends. Friends with benefits, even, but, still, just friends. She didn’t want anything Mike said or did to be a reaction to pressure, real or imagined, from her.

  Owen hugged Sky, did the man-hug-slap-on-the-back with AJ and turned to Kelly last. His blue eyes sparked with mischief as he drew her in for a hug and murmured in her ear, “Hi, Sis, how are you doing?”

  Sis? He’d called her Sis? What did that mean? Did he know something—anything—about Mike’s intentions? Oh, God! Her stomach did another somersault. She managed a smile that probably seemed more like she was about to hurl than being happy to see him. “Hi, Owen. I’m, good. The flight was awesome. Thank you so much for going to all this trouble just for me.”

  “Hey, Sky told me you are now officially the sister she’s always wished for, so it’s never any trouble helping out family.” He emphasized the last word and winked at her.

  Ah. So that’s where “Sis” came from. I’ve got to quit jumping to conclusions.

  “AJ, help me out with the bags? Knowing there were two women on the plane, I brought the van to handle the load.” He tugged on Sky’s hair when she smacked his arm.

  “Okay,” Sky said to Kelly, “let me warn you about the merciless teasing the male members of my family dish out, Kel. Don’t expect them to mind their manners as if you were a guest. What Owen said is true, so you’ll get just as much harassment a
s I do.”

  They piled into the van, which Owen had thoughtfully left running to banish the chill. The sign at the Philadelphia International Airport read 44 degrees as they drove by, and the sky was filled with massed gray clouds that scudded on the stiff breeze.

  “Welcome to fall in Philly,” Sky said. “From now until March, sunny blue skies will be few and far between. Now you’ll know why I enjoy the weather on Mimosa Key so much.”

  Kelly could only nod. Her warmest jacket was still not enough to keep her from a few shivers. Good thing she’d bought a couple of sweaters to layer up with.

  “Almost there,” Sky said, as they turned down a quiet street lined with bare-branched trees. On each side were large, three-story brick or stone homes set back from the street, each flanked by a long driveway ending with a double garage. The lots were large and the landscaping very different from what Kelly was used to. All the lawns were brown, and the only shrubs that showed greenery were evergreens. The other plantings she couldn’t recognize due to the fact that they were merely collections of brown sticks.

  Owen turned into a driveway and stopped by the garage. The butterflies in Kelly’s stomach morphed into bats with razor-sharp wings. She swallowed and squared her shoulders.

  “You guys go on in. I’ll get your bags,” Owen said.

  Sky slipped her arm through Kelly’s and steered her around to the back porch. “Don’t panic. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  Kelly arched a brow, and Sky chuckled.

  The door was opened by a tall woman whose brown hair was sprinkled with gray. She wore an apron that said “Kiss the Cook!” over slacks and an oatmeal fisherman’s sweater. “You’re here!” She swept Sky into a hug, then released her. “You must be Kelly. I’m so glad to finally meet you.” She folded Kelly into another hug. “Come in, come in.”

  She ushered them through the mud room, where heavy coats hung on pegs above an array of boots, and into a spacious farmhouse kitchen. “Come here, AJ. You’re not getting away without a hug,” she laughed and threw her arms around him. “Your mother has been itching to see you all day.”

  Kelly’s senses were bombarded with the scents of cinnamon, sage and turkey swirling together in the warmth from the ovens. A huge rectangular wooden table acted as an island dividing the massive eight-burner stove from the double sinks and double-door refrigerator. Three pies sat in a row down the center of it. A large hot plate at one end held several covered casseroles, while the other end held a chopping block where salad fixings were being prepared.

  Kelly recognized AJ’s mom, who stood at the stove stirring something in a big pot. “Hi, Kelly. So glad you could make it.” She crooked a finger toward AJ. “Come over here, sweetie. I don’t want this gravy to lump, but I need a kiss.” AJ obliged, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

  “Who’s in charge of introductions?” boomed a deep voice from the doorway.

  “Dad! Happy Thanksgiving!” Sky called from across the room. She grabbed Kelly’s arm and tugged her along as she hurried over and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “This is Kelly, my roomie and BFF. Kel, this is my dad, Alex Ziegfeld.”

  Kelly’s hand was engulfed in both of Alex’s. “I’m happy to meet you, Kelly.”

  Amid the welcoming warmth of Sky’s parents and AJ’s mother, Kelly felt the absence of her own mom slice deeply into her heart. Her eyes burned from the effort to keep her tears at bay, and her smile was tremulous. Sky had no idea how fortunate she was. “Thank you so much for inviting me, Mr. Ziegfeld.”

  “Oh no. We’ll have none of that. Call me Alex, please. I’ve heard so much about you.” He gave her a quick once-over, then shot Sky a grin. “Now I understand what all the—”

  “Hey, let go of my girl!” Mike’s head and broad shoulders appeared behind his dad’s.

  The older man neither let go of Kelly’s hand nor stepped aside to let his son into the room. “Wait your turn. I just met this young lady.”

  Kelly felt the heat as blood rushed to her cheeks. My girl? He’d called her “my girl.” In front of his whole family? Well, most of it anyway. A few of the bats settled.

  “Move, Dad. Or I’ll pick you up and move you myself.”

  Alex grinned at Kelly. “He’s sort of a demanding pain in the ass, but we love him anyway.” He let go of her hand and sniffed the air. “Is that pumpkin pie I smell?” He stalked to the table.

  “Don’t you touch that pie, Alex,” his wife scolded, then squeaked as he pinched her backside.

  Mike grabbed Kelly’s hand and pulled her around the corner into the relative quiet of the dining room.

  “At last,” he whispered as he backed her against the wall and covered her mouth with his.

  Kelly’s heart went into free-fall as he teased her lips apart and deepened the kiss. All of her plans to play it cool went right out the window as he pressed against her. Her arms slid around his neck, and her fingers tangled in the hair brushing his collar. Mike broke their embrace long enough to murmur, “I’ve missed you so much…” as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

  “Jeez, are you at it already, bro? She hasn’t even met everyone yet,” Owen chided, as he carried two suitcases through the doorway. “The least you could do is carry your lady’s bag upstairs.”

  Kelly felt her cheeks get even hotter. She didn’t want Mike’s family to think she was a sex fiend. She pushed against the hard plane of Mike’s chest, which produced no appreciable results.

  Mike scowled at his brother. “You, my poor unloved, un-dated brother, are merely jealous that I have the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms, while yours are filled with … luggage.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re gonna have to do some work to earn that sugar, bro.” He dropped Kelly’s bag at Mike’s feet. “Carry that up to Sky’s room. She and Kelly are bunking together.” He laughed at the slump of Mike’s shoulders. “You know how it goes. Their house, their rules.” He angled his head toward the kitchen and whistled as he walked away. “You, you lucky SOB, get to share my room.”

  Mike picked up her bag and slid an arm around her waist. “Guess I should have let you meet everyone before I attacked you, sweetheart.” His whiskey-brown eyes darkened to the shade of aged cognac. “I missed you, Kel. Really, really, missed you.”

  The butterflies were back, but this time Kelly welcomed them. Maybe Sky was right after all.

  He stopped at the foot of the staircase. “Your call. Do you want to meet the rest of the clan—those who are here, anyway—or go up and get settled in first?”

  Brave with Mike by her side, Kelly opted to get the introductions out of the way first. Mike put her bag down, took her hand and led her down a short hallway to a large family room. A huge fireplace dominated one wall, a fire snapping and crackling behind the metal screen. A big flat screen TV faced a leather sectional sofa that showed a fair amount of wear and tear.

  Jed jumped up from his seat at one end of it and came over to give Kelly a hug. “Hey, gorgeous, how’s life in sunny Florida?”

  “Warm and sunny,” she replied, faking a shiver. “How do you stand the cold up here?”

  Jed laughed. “It hasn’t gotten cold yet. This is merely nice, crisp, fall weather. You’ll get used to it.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t think so. I like the heat.”

  Jed raised a brow. “So I’ve heard.”

  She’d just gotten rid of her blush, but his knowing grin brought it back again.

  Mike gave Jed a little shove. “Back off, hot dog.” He nodded toward a very pregnant lady sitting next to yet another brother. “This is Lily. She’s married to Luke, my oldest brother, who is—where?” He put his hands up in question, then dropped them. “Never mind. He’s at the hospital, right?”

  Lily nodded. “There is always some poor soul who needs surgery on Thanksgiving. He’s been gone for an hour already, so we’re hoping he makes it home in time for dinner.” She smiled at Kelly and began the process of getting up.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you—”

  “No, don’t get up. Please.” Kelly was amazed that such a petite woman could have such an enormous belly. “You must be due soon?”

  “Any minute,” Lily grinned. “And it won’t be a moment too soon. Much as I love this little boy, I’ll love him even more when he stops trying to kick my stomach into my chest.”

  “Don’t be silly,” said the man sitting next to her. “He’ll still try to do that. Just from the outside.” He stood up and offered a hand. “Hi, I’m Jesse. One down the stepladder from Luke. Nice to meet you.”

  Kelly got a firm handshake. “Likewise.” Wow, this family had great genes. These boys—men—were all handsome specimens. Only Jed appeared to be shorter than six feet, and that not by much. Owen and Jesse got their blond, blue-eyed good looks from Alex, while the others had varying shades of brown in hair and eyes from their mother.

  “Okay, let me show you to your room. Then we’ll get you something festive to drink.” Mike retrieved her suitcase and ushered her up the stairs ahead of him. “You and Sky are sharing her room,” he said as they reached the third floor and he turned down the hall. “The only problem with that is that Jed has the other bedroom on this floor, so you’ll have to share a bathroom.”

  Kelly shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  He opened the door to Sky’s bedroom and ushered her in. The room was large, although the slanted ceiling on two sides confined stand-up room to the center. Sky’s original bed and dresser were now in Florida. Her old room now had a daybed with a pull-out trundle tucked into the dormer on one side and a window seat in the other, perfect for reading or dreaming away summer afternoons. The walls were papered in a cream and pink stripe, and lacy curtains framed the windows. Sky claimed she had been a tomboy, but her bedroom told a different story.

  Mike put Kelly’s bag on the window seat and drew her into his arms. “Now, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted by my brother?” He cupped her cheek in his palm and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Yep, I think right about here.” He tilted her head for a deeper kiss and heard her make a sound halfway between a sigh and a moan. His hand slipped under her sweater and inched toward her breast. She could feel her heartbeat quicken against his palm.