Just the Thing

by Marie Harte

  Elliot coughed. “No. You’ll still manage to come off as a bigger asshole than you are.”

  “That’s what I told her.” Trust Gear not to be offended by the truth.

  Damn it. She liked him. “Yeah, you’re right. But this is—”

  “Usually family decorating night,” Elliot interrupted. “We’re all big fans of Halloween. Used to decorate the house like crazy when we were kids and Mom was alive. So now we do the shop real big.”

  “Oh, I should go then if it’s a family thing.”

  “Yes,” she said at the same time Elliot said, “No, we’re expanding tradition. Last year we let Joe help.”

  “Joe?” Gear’s eyes narrowed on her.

  “My sister’s husband,” Sadie growled. Oh, Elliot. When I get my hands on you… She knew exactly what her brother was up to. The meddling gigolo liked the idea of her and Gear hanging out and wanted to give the guy a chance. Was he nuts? Talk about a bad pick. Gear just broke up with his fiancée. He had relationship disaster written all over him. And the press wanted to rip him apart. Yeah, perfect boyfriend material, Elliot.

  Not that Sadie was looking for a boyfriend. Though it would help if she stopped thinking about it every time Gear entered her mind’s eye.

  Gear frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe I should go.” She started to nod when he added, “I think my being here is bothering Sadie. See, she’s hooked on me, and I scare her, so—”

  “What?” Sadie glared. That didn’t sound like Gear. Then again, he liked to speak the truth. God, could he see what she’d been trying so hard to ignore?

  “Yeah.” Elliot sighed. “She’s usually fearless, but when it comes to a guy she really likes, she has a tendency to—”

  “You know what? Stay,” she barked at Gear, feeling stupid and embarrassed—again—and not sure why excitement seemed to dominate her other emotions. “I would have talked to you, but I wasn’t sure what to say on the phone.” Okay, that sounded weak, even to her. “But I didn’t invite you tonight because I thought my baby brother would throw a fit. We usually just have family. But this will be fun.” She arched a brow at Elliot, pleased to see his frown.

  “I really hate being referred to as a baby.”

  At the same time, she and Gear both said, “Ah.” She turned to him.

  “I use that same tone to annoy my brother and sister. You know, Elliot, you’d love my baby brother and baby sister. You all have so much in common.”

  “Dick,” Elliot muttered.

  Sadie couldn’t help laughing. She and Gear did seem to have a lot in common. And then there was the sex…

  “I’ll get the cider,” Elliot said. “We’ll have it with the cookies while we celebrate.” He went into the back, and soon his Halloween track started playing.

  Sadie smiled, then locked gazes with Gear, and her smile froze while her heart did a tap dance inside her chest.

  He wasted no time. Gear walked right up to her, dragged her into his arms, and kissed the breath out of her. “Such a pain in my ass,” he growled. “Next time, pick up the damn phone.”

  She growled back, “Next time I will,” and meant it.

  Gear laughed and hugged her. “You crack me up. Now, angry woman, let’s see these amazing decorations that even my sister knows about. I heard her mention Sofa’s Spookville to my brother the other day but had no idea they meant you guys.”

  “When we bought the shop five years ago, it was right around Halloween. We made a major celebration out of it and decorated in a big way. The kids loved it, and so did all of our customers, so we decided to make that our big thing every year. We still make a big deal out of the winter holidays, and we sell a ton during Christmas and Hanukkah. It’s always a toss-up between what sells most, Elliot’s apricot rugelach or my gingerbread cats.”

  “Cats?”

  “They fly better than reindeer, but they’re harder to control. It’s a long story.”

  “Ah, I’ll take your word for it.”

  She grinned. “But Halloween is just fun. Monsters and sweets and decorations and costumes.” She leaned closer to whisper, “And sex and brawls at parties.”

  He drew in a breath when she nipped his earlobe and in a low voice replied, “Unless you want me to fuck you right here, with your brother watching, I suggest you not do that again.”

  She felt invincible. Nothing like owning a powerful man with a nip to the ear. Then she wanted to brain herself for feeling anything because of a guy. When she’d gone head-over-heels in love with Adrian way back when, she’d thought a happily ever after was right around the corner. Then he’d screwed her over sideways for a shot at her then friend Annette. But had Sadie learned? Noooo. Because five serious boyfriends and many years later, she still ended up with wackos and losers, her dinner-ditcher from a month ago a prime example.

  Just because Gear rang her bell not once, but every time—a half dozen, to be exact, because yeah, she was keeping track—was no reason to think he was anything more than a friend with benefits. She gazed into his eyes and felt herself falling down the proverbial rabbit hole.

  “What’s that look? You seem guarded.”

  “Isn’t that a big word for a motorcycle jockey?” she teased and stepped back.

  He snorted. “Funny for a woman who’s afraid of said jockey. Though I’m not averse to riding you. Ha. Okay, sorry, bad pun.”

  She grimaced. “That was worse than Elliot’s lame comebacks. And I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. But if it makes you feel any better, I’m afraid of you too.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  Elliot, the jerk, chose that moment to rejoin them. “You two done making goo-goo eyes at each other yet? It’s a little bit disgusting. Unless, of course, Gear feels like taking off his shirt while gazing lovingly at you.”

  They both turned to stare at him.

  “Such a little brother,” Gear said with a sigh.

  “Yeah, seriously annoying when he gets whiny.”

  “Hey.” Elliot gave a mock glare, then laughed at them. “You two are giving me the exact same ‘I’m annoyed’ look. It’s funny.”

  Gear opened his mouth to retort, then froze. “Is that Oingo Boingo on the speakers? ‘Dead Man’s Party’? That’s, like, my favorite song.”

  “It’s, like, mine too,” Sadie teased, except she really meant it. So weird that Gear happened to like the same things she did. And so suspicious.

  Elliot read her glare and held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t coach him to say that. It’s not my fault you two like the same lame music.”

  “I could give him a noogie for you,” Gear offered. “Always works to piss off my brother.”

  “Hmm. That works on Elliot too. He hates for anyone to touch his perfect, perfect hair.” They both stepped toward Elliot.

  Joe and Rose chose that moment to enter from the back. “Hey, guys. We’re here,” her sister announced.

  “Saved. Thank God.” Elliot pretended to cry while he hid behind Joe, a mountain of a man with a sense of humor that enabled him to tolerate not only Elliot, but Sadie too. For that alone, she liked him. But he treated her sister like gold. So she loved him like a brother.

  Introductions were made, and the shop took on new life, with orange, black, and purple all over the place.

  Gear laughed at something Joe said, and Sadie felt herself spiraling in a storm of hope, anger, disbelief, and happiness.

  “I am so screwed,” she muttered as she drank her cider.

  “Yeah? Well, so am I,” Rose answered next to her. “I just learned earlier today that we’re having twins.”

  Chapter 7

  Gear looked over at Sadie, who was hugging her pregnant sister and laughing like a loon. What the hell?

  Joe explained, “I think Rose told her we’re having twin
s.”

  “Ah. Congrats.”

  “Thanks. But then, Sadie could be laughing for any number of reasons.” Joe looked at Sadie fondly. “They’re all a little wacky, but such a fun family.”

  “Wacky, huh?” Gear wouldn’t call Sadie wacky. Sexy, angry, passionate, mean, lovely… Okay, not lovely in the conventional sense, but her personality happened to mesh with his perfectly. He hadn’t been lying. The woman freaked him out.

  “In a good way,” Joe hurried to add. “She and Elliot made me run the gauntlet to prove I was good enough for Rose. They’d do anything for each other. And they’re all really close. Hell, closer than my family. But that’s another story.” Joe sighed. The big, tall blond in the room, he didn’t quite fit in with the Liberatos. But Gear did.

  He was an idiot for comparing himself, he knew. Hell, Joe had married into the family. Gear was just a—what? A fuck buddy? A friend who gave Sadie sex? A mistaken hookup she was humoring until someone better came along?

  “So I have to know, the show…” Joe started.

  Gear groaned. “It’s real. The drama with Sahara, B-Man being an asshole…all too true. It was supposed to be a show about bikes. Somehow, my ex turned it into a soap opera with hairy mechanics.”

  Joe laughed. “Funny. I almost didn’t recognize you without the beard. How come B-Man never had one?”

  “The fucker can’t grow one,” Gear said with relish.

  “Ouch.” Joe chuckled. “So I hate to ask, but you being here is too good to be true. Can I ask you a question about my bike?”

  Motorcycles were Gear’s wheelhouse. “Sure.” It would be a relief to talk about something close to his heart, something not confusing. Unlike Sadie.

  When Elliot had responded to his text earlier, Gear had thought Sadie had finally answered him. Then Elliot had revealed who he was and why he’d answered instead of his sister.

  She’s scared of you because she likes you so much. Don’t screw her over, or I’ll end you. Oh, and come by the shop at 7. Be prepared to stay. Cookies on us.

  Nothing more, but the message had given Gear a strange sense of hope. For Sadie to be scared of anything, that had to be a good sign. Right?

  He tuned back in to Joe’s question about not getting a good throttle response. “I already checked the carburetor tuning and engine tuning, and they’re fine.”

  “How about the air filter and fuel filter? The spark plugs?”

  Joe shrugged. “All good.”

  “Then check the acceleration cable. That one always gets overlooked.”

  “Oh, yeah, okay. I’ll do that.” Joe smiled. “Good call.”

  “It’s an easy thing to forget, but rust can build inside the cable. And if that’s still not the problem, check out the clutch plates. Otherwise, take it in.”

  “Hey, Mr. Boring,” Sadie said as she joined them. “And I mean Gear, not you, Joe.”

  Joe smirked. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

  “This is a Halloween party.” Sadie poked Gear in the chest. How pathetic was he that any part of her touching him felt good? “I appreciate you scaring the rest of us away with shop talk, trying to be all Halloweeny—”

  “Is that a word?”

  “—but it’s time to get Spookville rolling.”

  Gear grinned at her. “Missed me, did you? Is Joe taking up too much of my time, Xena? Gonna fight him too?”

  She shook her head. “That ego. It’s too bad you didn’t shave that off with your beard.”

  “Ouch.” Joe stepped back. “She goes for blood, man. Be careful.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen her deliver. She packs a punch.” He gave her a thumbs-up. “And I am still so damn impressed with that hit. Nice form, solid contact. I’d give you a ten, for sure.” He laughed. “So where do you work out anyway? I’m thinking of changing my gym membership since most of the garage works out there. Change of scenery is right up my alley.”

  Elliot cut in. “It’s Jameson’s Gym, here in Green Lake. Mac Jameson runs the place. It’s an awesome spot. You can actually work out, or you can hit on the many fit, attractive people there.”

  “Don’t listen to Elliot,” Sadie cautioned. “He’s already been warned by the management to stop breaking hearts. He’s putting a real downer on the place.”

  “Hey, not my fault they can’t keep up.” Elliot eyed Gear up and down. “Once you go queer, hetero you’ll fear.”

  “And won’t go near,” Rose added from the back counter, setting a tray of cookies down. “What do you think? I made that up myself.”

  Gear grimaced. “Such a…ah…poetic family.”

  Joe snorted. “You should see what Rose can do with a few thee’s and thou’s.” He lowered his voice. “She took one too many Shakespeare classes in college, you ask me.”

  “Seriously.” Sadie agreed.

  Her sister joined them, and Gear noticed the obvious resemblance between the three, though Elliot and Rose could have been twins they looked so much alike. Both outwardly beautiful, while Sadie wasn’t as refined. Not pretty or delicate, but real and tough and bendable.

  Bendable? God, he needed to scrub his brain, the things that popped into it lately.

  “What’s wrong?” Sadie asked, frowning.

  “I’m getting a low-sugar headache,” he lied. “I’m sure some cookies and cider would help. Hint, hint.”

  “This is what you get when you let just anyone in the door, Elliot,” Sadie lamented. “Weak help.”

  “Those spiderwebs look awesome. And maybe a bat or two,” Gear prodded, drooling over the decorated cookies sitting too far away.

  “Good choice. Sadie made the shortbreads. Elliot frosted them though.” Rose smiled and patted her rounded tummy. Joe gave her a kiss on the cheek, and Gear felt the couple’s clear love for each other. It gave him a moment’s pause, longing for that same connection he’d never thought to find. He glanced at Sadie, then away.

  Joe and Rose moved to fetch the cookies and thermos of cider, and Sadie leaned closer to whisper, “I know. So in love it’s sickening. But it’s kind of sweet, in a diabetic overload kind of way.”

  “Yep. A real poetic family. You should write for Hallmark.”

  She grinned.

  He chuckled, ate and drank, and did what he was told. Elliot used him as muscle, hauling boxes out of their large storeroom, as well as Joe’s truck.

  It took a few hours, but when all was said and done, the place looked great. Strings of orange lights crisscrossed the exposed ceiling. The many glow-in-the-dark cobwebs had been strung over corners of the room. A skeleton named Stan sat with a life-size witch at a corner table, and the witch looked both cartoony and a little creepy. So real that, had he not known she was fake, Gear might have thought a real person sat with Stan.

  Spookville happened to be the name of their haunted dollhouse, complete with eight creepy miniature rooms. A few werewolves, ghosts, and a vampire here and there chased doll children and adult action figures through the open rooms. They’d closed off the Victorian dollhouse in a huge clear-plastic box, and strobe lights timed with a soundtrack of lightning and thunder illuminated the house.

  “That is just cool,” he said when they’d finished. They’d had to clear two tables to make room for it, but the family seemed to think the loss of seating worth it.

  Sadie looked more animated and excited than he’d ever seen her. “Isn’t it great? I love that thing.”

  “She didn’t love it as a little girl though,” Rose informed him. “She’d use all our dolls and toys and have mock wars over who owned the house, who had started a fight, and who would karate chop who. My Barbie never lived through the night.”

  “Not when Boba Fett, a secret space ninja vampire, would suck her dry. Mwa-ha-ha-ha,” Sadie added in an evil voice.

  “Okay, now I’m scared.”

  Elliot la
ughed at that and slapped him on the back. “She’s a real fan of Halloween. Which makes it so odd that she fought going to that party.”

  “It wasn’t Halloween yet, and that party was all about schmoozing, not scaring people,” Sadie said, defending herself.

  Gear added, “I didn’t want to go either.”

  Elliot nodded. “Yeah, but you had a good reason. Your betrayers were there.”

  “You know, I like the dramatic flair you’ve got. You ever think of acting, Elliot?” Man, his parents would love the guy. Gear could just see them putting Elliot front and center, a new knight of the Round Table during Renaissance Daze, their seasonal renaissance fair outside the city.

  “I would be an awesome actor. Alas, I am too tired, slaving away all day while my lazy and pregnant sisters force me to work my fingers to the bone.”

  “That makes me sound like I’m pregnant…which I’m not.” Sadie eyed her brother and sighed. “What Elliot actually means is he’s a control freak who can’t stand to let us handle things. No way he’d leave us to take acting classes.”

  Elliot perked up. “Quite right, sister dear.”

  “What did you put in the cider? You’re acting weird.”

  He smiled. “It’s called being in a good mood. Try it sometime, hag.”

  “Ass.” Sadie chugged her cider, bit the head off a bat, then grabbed Gear by the arm. “I’m out of here. See you tomorrow, losers.”

  “Love you too, Big Sis,” Rose yelled.

  “Bye, Sadie. Bye, Gear!” Joe yelled with her.

  Sadie tugged Gear with her out the front door.

  “So, lot of love there, huh?” he teased.

  “Oh, they’re great. But they were eyeing you like a seal pup in a shark tank. It was about to get ugly.”

  “Great image you painted there.” He had to laugh. “You guys are a riot.”

  “You say that now, but if we’d given it any longer, you’d be facing the inquisition. ‘What are your intentions? Where do you see yourself in five years? What are your finances like? When are you two getting married?’ Trust me. I’ve been there, done that.”