The Last Man She Expected

by Michelle Major

  “Evie?” she called as she headed to the front door, but her daughter didn’t appear.

  She was reluctant to greet Parker without Evie as a buffer yet couldn’t very well leave him standing on the front porch.

  “Hey,” he said when she opened it. He stood there, gorgeous as ever in jeans and a gray Henley, and she cursed her body’s reaction to him. It was as if energy zipped through her, a chemical reaction to being near him.

  What was it about this man that turned her into a pile of sexually charged goo every time he smiled?

  “Thanks again for offering to do this,” she said, starting to fold her arms over her chest then dropping them to her sides. She had to find a way to make her peace with Parker, at least for the time he was in Starlight. He wasn’t her enemy. Not anymore. Maybe he’d been during the divorce, but if it hadn’t been him dragging her name through the mud, Paul would have found another attorney just as cold-blooded.

  If she decided Parker was no longer the bad guy, did that mean she could be attracted to him without hating herself? Could she kiss him again with no guilt?

  Her stomach swooped and pitched at the possibilities racing through her mind like it was the last lap of the Indy 500. Possibilities like his naked body pressed against hers and—

  “You okay?”

  She blinked when Parker snapped his fingers in front of her face.

  “Oh.” She blinked again. “I was just... I got lost in thought.”

  His lips quirked. “I’d pay way more than a penny for those thoughts,” he said, his voice pitched low. “If your blush is any indication of where your mind was wandering, I’m all in.”

  All in.

  Mara’s mouth went suddenly dry. “Come in,” she blurted, tripping over her own feet as she stepped back. “Into the house,” she clarified. “The backyard or...” She glanced up the stairs and called for her daughter again. “I need to find Evie. Right now.”

  “I’m here, Mommy.”

  Her sweet girl appeared from the kitchen, wearing a shirt that said “You make my heart smile,” neon pink athletic shorts and rainbow-colored socks pulled up to her knees and over her shin guards.

  “You look ready for action,” Parker said, hefting up the bag of balls in his hand. “I’ve got these and a portable goal in the back of my car. We’ll be all set up in minutes.”

  “I’ll take your balls,” Mara said then choked on the words. “The balls.” She cleared her throat. “The soccer balls.”

  She reached for the mesh bag, her hand stilling when Parker’s larger one covered it. Forcing a smile, she glanced up at him.

  “I know what balls you meant,” he told her with a wink, his smile stealing the breath from her lungs once again.

  She sure as heck hoped he couldn’t read her thoughts the way he implied. That would lead to certain disaster for both of them.

  “I’ll carry the bag out to the yard,” she said, keeping her words measured. “You can get the goal and meet us around back.”

  “You bet.”

  She closed the door behind him then pressed her forehead against it, the smooth wood cool on her heated skin.

  “Are you okay, Mommy?”

  Not at all, she thought.

  “Fine,” she whispered. “Just fine.”

  * * *

  “She shoots and scores,” Parker called, pumping his fist in the air when Evie’s kick sent the ball slowly rolling into the goal.

  The girl bounced up and down then turned and grinned at him. Her wide, guileless smile sent his emotions into overdrive. As happy as he was to have spent the past hour with her, it should be her father doing the coaching, not some virtual stranger. Especially not one who’d essentially helped her dad both gain a pass to shirk his duties and get off with no financial ramifications.

  No matter how many times Parker told himself he’d just been doing his job, he couldn’t shake the feeling he held some responsibility for the current state of Mara’s and Evie’s lives. The girl had been a toddler at the time of the divorce, and he didn’t remember ever meeting her. Paul hadn’t been interested in custody, other than using the threat of coparenting as a way to force Mara to relinquish any request for support.

  He had half a mind to call his client and rip him a new one for that extreme display of selfishness. But what right did he have? Maybe Evie was better off in the long run. Hell, Parker would have been thrilled to have his father out of the picture when he was young, even if it had meant financial struggle for the rest of them.

  The sound of the back door opening drew him out of his moody musings. Evie’s smile brightened even more as Mara walked toward her.

  “Mommy, I kicked a goal.”

  “I saw, sweetie.” She opened her arms wide and Evie ran forward for a hug. “I’ve been watching from the window. You’re really improving.” She smoothed a hand along Evie’s long braid. “You’ll do great in the game tomorrow.”

  The hope in the girl’s eyes as she turned to him made Parker’s chest ache. “Your mommy’s right,” he confirmed. “You’ve made a lot of progress. Remember what we worked on, okay?”

  She nodded. “Thank you, Coach.”

  Parker cleared his throat. “Sure thing.”

  “Go wash up before dinner,” Mara said, patting Evie’s head.

  “Can Coach stay for dinner?”

  “We’re only having spaghetti,” Mara said with a grimace. “I’m sure Coach has more exciting plans for a Friday night.”

  “As a matter of fact, no.” Parker moved forward. “If you have extra, I’d love to stay.”

  Mara gave him a look over Evie’s head, but he only smiled in return. “Is it okay?” he asked.

  “It’s okay,” Evie told him without waiting for Mara’s answer. “Right, Mommy?”

  “Um...sure. Wash your hands and take your shin guards and cleats off. I’ll help Coach finish gathering his...” She shook her head. “The soccer equipment.”

  Parker smothered a chuckle at how Mara stumbled upon sexual innuendos while discussing soccer.

  Evie didn’t seem to notice that her mother had turned beet red again, but Parker found it charming.

  As the girl ran toward the house, he grabbed the mesh bag from the grass and grinned at Mara. “You can talk about balls without worrying I assume you’re talking about my—”

  “Enough.” She held up a hand. “No more soccer talk.”

  “If you insist. I don’t have to stay for dinner if it makes you uncomfortable.”

  “It’s what Evie wants,” she said instead of answering.

  “But not you?” He couldn’t help but push a little. He knew the attraction wasn’t one-sided, and for some reason it mattered that she admitted it.

  “I wouldn’t normally serve a guest sauce from a jar and frozen meatballs.”

  “Frozen balls?” His grin spread when Mara scrunched up her nose. “At least we’ve gotten off the topic of soccer.”

  “Don’t ruin my appetite,” she told him with a laugh.

  God, he liked making her smile. How could something so inconsequential make him feel so good?

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “You’re incorrigible,” she muttered.

  “You kind of like me that way,” he countered.

  She only rolled her eyes in response. “Let’s go before your ego gets too big to fit through the door.”

  He hefted the soccer goal onto one shoulder. “Lead the way.”

  * * *

  Mara took a sip of wine as she watched her daughter laugh at another one of Parker’s booger jokes. At the start of dinner, she’d grabbed a bottle from the rack above the hutch in her Aunt Nanci’s dining room. It should feel strange to entertain at a house that didn’t belong to her, especially when the dinner guest was part of the reason she no longer owned her own home.
/>   But Parker had diffused the potentially awkward situation with his humor and charm. Mara could tell Evie was smitten, and unfortunately, the girl wasn’t the only one.

  Mara must be more desperate than she’d realized when watching a man help set the table got her all hot and bothered. Pretty much everything about Parker affected her in some way. She should have been working during the hour he spent with Evie in the yard but instead had spent much of the time staring out the kitchen window, telling herself she was a concerned mom and not a pathetically lonesome stalker.

  Although Paul had been less than thrilled when Mara shared the news of her pregnancy with him, she’d expected him to warm to the prospect of being a father once Evie was born. He had no children from either of his previous marriages, which Mara hadn’t questioned until he’d pulled away during the months leading up to Evie’s birth. He hadn’t given his lack of desire to be a father as a reason for being twice divorced, but she knew at least one of his ex-wives had remarried and started a family.

  Only with her marriage crumbling around her did Mara understand the price she’d pay for becoming a mother. And Evie was worth it every day. Mara did her best to give the girl everything, to be enough that her precious daughter wouldn’t notice the lack of a father in her life.

  Which was ridiculous. Of course Evie understood what she didn’t have. Mara’s father had been distant and uninterested, and the pain of his tacit rejection had haunted her for years.

  “Mommy, did you hear that one?” Evie asked.

  Mara placed her glass on the table and smiled. “I missed it, honey, but I know the joke was a funny one based on your smile.”

  “Tell it again, Parker,” Evie urged.

  He flashed an apologetic grin at Mara. “How do you make a tissue dance?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “Put a little boogie in it,” Evie shouted, dissolving into a fit of giggles. “Anna’s gonna laugh so hard.”

  “I can imagine. Where do you come up with all of these winners?” she asked Parker.

  “I used to tell them to Josh when we were kids,” he answered with a shrug. “They made him laugh when there wasn’t enough laughter in our house.”

  Something that looked suspiciously like sorrow flashed in his eyes for the briefest second, and her heart skipped a beat.

  “Can I have dessert now?” Evie asked.

  “Sure.” She tapped a finger on the edge of Evie’s plate. “Bring your dish to the sink. I brought brownies home from Perk today. They’re in the pantry. We should have enough for everyone.”

  Evie climbed off her chair at the dining room table and headed into the kitchen.

  “Josh doesn’t talk about your dad. I’ve heard more from other people around town and what you’ve explained about him.”

  “If you’re listening to people in town, I can guarantee you don’t know who he really was.” The words were spoken casually, but she could see the maelstrom of emotions they evoked.

  Before she had a chance to respond, Evie returned with the glass storage container that held the brownies. “Mommy makes the best brownies, too,” she told Parker. She had a smear of chocolate on her cheek that gave away the fact she’d had hers before offering to share the rest.

  “No pressure to like them,” Mara said quickly. “Honey, Parker might not want dessert yet. He just finished dinner.”

  “Oh.” Evie switched her gaze to Parker, looking at once hopeful and cautious.

  “You bet I want dessert.” He gave an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle. “Sometimes I eat dessert before dinner.”

  Evie sucked a bit of dried chocolate off the middle of her palm then grabbed a brownie from the container and held it out toward Parker.

  Mara grimaced “Use a napkin to pick up the—”

  “Looks delicious,” he said as he took it, not batting an eye. He made a sound of approval as he bit into it, and Mara felt satisfaction burst within her like summer fireworks.

  “This is amazing,” he told Mara. “Aren’t you going to have one?”

  “Mommy doesn’t like sweets,” Evie informed him before turning to Mara. “Can I watch a show?”

  “Sure,” Mara answered before realizing she’d be left alone in the quiet dining room with Parker.

  “Seriously,” he said when they were alone, “where did you learn to bake?”

  “I’m self-taught.” She stood up and began clearing the table. Was this why they said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? “It’s just a hobby.”

  “But you bake for the coffee shop, too?”

  “When I have time.”

  He followed her into the kitchen with his plate and the pasta bowl.

  “Other than soccer, is there anything you can’t do?”

  “Keep my marriage together,” she blurted. She placed her dishes in the sink with a clatter, hating how that failure hung over her like a dark cloud. “I didn’t mean that to come out. We don’t need to keep talking about my failed marriage.”

  “If you want to talk, I’m willing to listen.” Parker opened the dishwasher and began loading the plates she handed to him.

  Mara blew out a breath. “I wish you’d worn one of your expensive suits tonight. It makes it easier for me to remember why I don’t like you when you’re dressed all fancy.”

  “I didn’t realize you were starting to forget.”

  She was way past starting, and the deep timbre of his voice so close to her sent ripples of awareness cascading along her spine. “How are things going out at the mill? From everything Josh told me, you’ve been making a lot of progress the past few days.”

  “What a subtle subject change,” he said with a chuckle. “The project is moving along. It helps that I can manage things on-site while he coordinates materials and subcontractors without spending all his time there. It works well for both of us.”

  “It’s strange that he bought a property where he doesn’t like to go.”

  “He thinks the renovation will change his feelings about it and prove that he’s moved past everything that happened when we were younger. Dad had a lot of problems originating with the mill, and he took out his frustration on his family. I guess it’s like people who have an aversion to hospitals because they had a parent who was sick when they were younger.”

  “I wonder how many of them become doctors or nurses?”

  “Good point.”

  She handed him the last utensil then rinsed out the sink.

  “Do you think he’ll sell it?”

  “I don’t know. He could really make something of the mill if everything goes according to plan. I hope this project eliminates his aversion to it.”

  “You don’t have that stigma, though?” she couldn’t help but ask as she retrieved the dishwasher detergent from the cabinet.

  He took the bottle from her like it was the most normal thing in the world to be cleaning up after dinner together. “I left Starlight after high school, and literally never came back. It’s different for me. This is still Josh’s home.”

  She watched him pour liquid into the dispenser then hit a few buttons to start the cycle. He replaced the container in the cabinet, shut the door and then straightened. “You’re frowning. Did I do something wrong?”

  “No. I’m just impressed.”

  “I started a dishwasher. Not exactly splitting the atom.”

  “You did dishes.”

  He looked confused. “So did you, after working all day and making dinner. You might...” He leaned in closer, his breath tickling the hair that fell across her ear. “Think about setting your standards higher for what you expect from a man.”

  She should probably be offended by the comment, but it sounded so ridiculous coming from Parker’s mouth that she burst out laughing. In fact, once she started laughing, she didn’t stop until she was w
iping away tears.

  “I tell awesome booger jokes and now I’ve made you laugh until you cried.” He hitched a hip onto the counter. “You’ll probably need to invite me back, even if I don’t understand what was so funny.”

  “You represented my ex-husband in our divorce, and you’re giving me advice on my standards for men.” She pointed at him. “You have to admit, it’s funny.”

  “I’m sorry for my part in hurting you.”

  He spoke the words quietly, but they ricocheted through Mara like a cannon. The thing was, she believed him. As much as she wanted Parker to remain in the enemy category, he no longer fit there. He wasn’t a two-dimensional caricature of a coldhearted lawyer. He was the guy who’d put his life on hold to help his younger brother, had volunteered to coach her shy daughter and now had happily worked next to her cleaning up the kitchen.

  Some women might want roses and diamonds, but Mara was a single mom. To her, loading the dishwasher was sexy as hell.

  So sexy that she put aside all the smart reasons she had for keeping her distance from Parker. She stepped forward and pressed her mouth to his.

  She’d meant the kiss as a thank-you, or perhaps a peace offering, but immediately it turned hot and heady. Parker shifted then placed his hands on her hips, moving her closer until her breasts grazed the fabric of his Henley.

  She wound her arms around his neck and drew her tongue across the seam of his lips, heat building inside her at the sound of his low groan.

  It made her feel powerful to know she affected him. His fingers trailed up and under her thin sweater, sending shockwaves through her when they grazed the skin above the waistband of her jeans.

  A moment later the tremors turned to ash as the sound of something crashing infiltrated her fuzzy brain.

  She broke away from Parker, spinning on her heel only to breathe out a curse when she realized the source of the noise.

  “Mr. Paws,” she muttered, striding forward to pick up the backpack that her aunt’s overfed orange tabby cat had pushed off the kitchen table. Evie’s art supplies, which included markers in every color of the rainbow and several notebooks, spilled out onto the hardwood floor.