After Luke had gone, she tried to bury herself in paperwork, but she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling she’d had for a while now that in encouraging Mack to start his own newspaper, she’d pushed him right out of her life and into someone else’s arms.
“You never told me your wife had cancer,” Kristen said, an accusing gaze directed at Mack.
Mack had been waiting for this ever since their encounter with Susie at the café, but at least Kristen had waited until they’d returned to the relative privacy of the office before bringing it up. Clearly she felt as if this were news she’d had a right to know. He didn’t see it the same way.
“Possibly because I didn’t think it was any of your business,” Mack replied. “It has nothing to do with the newspaper or our professional relationship.”
She looked as if he’d slapped her. “I thought we were friends,” she said softly, then stood up. “My mistake.”
Before he could answer, she’d grabbed her coat and headed for the door. “I’ll be back later to finish up, hopefully after you’re gone.”
Mack stared after her and uttered a curse. The day was getting better and better. He’d seen the defeated expression in Susie’s eyes earlier when he’d introduced her to Kristen. All she’d seen was a beautiful, well put-together, healthy woman, and turned it into a competition in which she fell short. Now he’d angered Kristen because she felt as if he’d deliberately left her out of the loop.
“Problems?” his brother-in-law inquired, walking into his office with a familiar, irrepressible grin on his face.
“Don’t test me, Luke. I’m not in the mood.”
“So I gathered. I heard that curse you uttered about two seconds after Kristen stormed past me as I was coming in the front door. Trouble in the news business?”
“Something like that,” Mack said, determined not to get into this with a kid who hadn’t even graduated from college yet.
“Funny thing,” Luke said casually. “My sister seems to be in a pretty foul mood, too. It must be catching.”
Mack stilled. “You’ve seen Susie?”
“I just left her office.” He studied Mack with a deceptively neutral look. “Care to explain what’s going on?”
“There is nothing going on,” Mack said.
“Okay, here’s my guess, for whatever it’s worth,” Luke said, ignoring Mack’s obvious attempt to end the topic. “The beautiful Kristen wants you. Susie’s ticked off about it. And you’re caught between a rock and a hard place, because you love my sister and you need Kristen.”
Mack regarded him with astonishment. “Not bad for an amateur. Maybe you should talk to Will about joining his practice, especially since everyone knows that your current major in history will never be put to practical use.”
Luke shrugged. “I like history. It got the school off my back.” He gave Mack a shrewd look. “So, do you want my advice, after all?”
Mack felt ridiculous accepting the offer, but he had to admit he was at a loss. Maybe a fresh perspective would help.
“Go for it,” he said reluctantly.
“Set me up with Kristen. I’ll keep her distracted. You can focus on keeping my sister happy.”
Mack was speechless. He might have expected something like this from Matthew, but Luke was still a kid. “You’re too young for Kristen,” he protested. “She’ll eat you alive.”
Luke gave him a confident grin. “Not a chance. I’ve been studying you and my brother for a long time. I’ve learned from your mistakes.”
“Mistakes?” Mack echoed quizzically.
“Trust me, you’ve both made plenty. I can hold my own with the Kristens of the world.”
Mack hid a laugh. “So this would be some sort of magnanimous gesture on your part to protect your sister, save our marriage and keep the paper operating smoothly?”
“Something like that,” Luke said. “What do you think?”
The eagerness in his eyes was what made Mack acquiesce. Every man needed a chance to play knight in shining armor from time to time. If Luke’s desire to do that saved Mack’s hide in the process, so much the better.
“Kristen won’t make it easy for you,” he warned.
“Of course not. She thinks she wants you,” Luke said. “I can persuade her she doesn’t.”
Mack studied him curiously. “And then what? Don’t you have to go back to college in a few days?”
“Graduation’s less than a month away,” Luke reminded him. “I can come home weekends till then. Don’t worry. I’m up to this. Something tells me I’ve been in training for it all through college, and that professor last semester—”
Mack stared at him. “You were dating a professor?”
“Well, technically I guess she was an associate professor, but yes. Anyway, I think she was probably the perfect warm-up for Kristen.”
“You amaze me,” Mack said. “But I thought I heard something about you planning to go to Europe after graduation. I believe you’ve described it as the trip of a lifetime. What happens to your brand-new relationship then? Will I have to pick up the pieces of Kristen’s broken heart?”
“Absolutely not. Actually I’m going to Nice and Monaco. I think Kristen would fit right in.”
“She has a job here,” Mack reminded him.
Luke gave him a disgusted look. “It’s two weeks, bro. Find a substitute. Do you want me to bail you out of this mess or not?”
“I would be incredibly grateful,” Mack admitted. “You’ll have to pardon my skepticism, though. I know Kristen, while you haven’t even met her.”
Luke held out his hand. “Address, please.”
“You’re going over to her house?” Mack asked, shocked by his audacity.
“Do we have time to waste?” Luke inquired.
Mack scribbled out the address, then shook his head. This crazy plan of Luke’s just might work, though he had this awful feeling he was tossing a baby minnow right into the path of a circling barracuda. At the moment, though, he couldn’t be entirely sure which was which.
Susie came home from her shopping trip with Shanna feeling marginally better. She’d found some dynamite clothes that Shanna assured her would leave Mack tongue-tied. She’d even tried on dozens of wigs and found a short cap of golden-blond curls that worked with her complexion and made her look like a different woman. Rather than Little Orphan Annie, she looked more like Sharon Stone after she’d taken scissors to her own blond hair and cropped it short.
She was surprised to find Mack at home. He’d been staying so late at the office, she’d been sure she’d have time for a leisurely bubble bath before greeting him in another of those sexy negligees Shanna had insisted she buy.
He looked up from his paperwork and smiled. “You must have had fun,” he said, noting the number of packages she was carrying.
“I haven’t shopped like this in years. Shanna is like some fashion drill sergeant. She bossed me around from store to store, refusing to settle for anything that wasn’t absolutely perfect and a bargain to boot. Kevin should thank me.”
“Why?” Mack asked, looking blank.
“She was so focused on me, she never got around to splurging on the baby. Apparently she’s gone a little overboard lately and he’s spending his spare time returning the excess.”
Mack chuckled. “Something tells me that’s her strategy, to buy more than she wants, so he’ll be happy if she lets him return a few things.”
Susie regarded him with astonishment. “How’d you figure that out? Kevin hasn’t.”
“It’s probably easier for an outsider. Now, come over here and show me what you bought.”
She shook her head. “Sorry. They’re surprises.”
He looked vaguely disappointed. “Then just come here and tell me about your day. Don’t run straight off to bed.”
“I wasn’t going to. I’d planned a bubble bath and something special for you for later.”
“Really? I’m intrigued.”
“Give me a half hou
r?”
He nodded. “Take all the time you need. I have plenty to do. I still have an editorial to write for next week’s edition.”
“Write fast,” she told him, and headed for the bedroom.
She put away her purchases, except the negligee with spaghetti straps. The silk skimmed over her curves in a creamy cascade.
She took her bath, donned the silky confection, then adjusted her new blond wig. She added just a whisper of mascara and a bit of lip gloss.
When she walked back into the dining room, Mack glanced up from his laptop. His eyes immediately filled with appreciation.
“You look like Carole Lombard in one of those old movies,” he said. “You’re gorgeous, Susie. You honestly take my breath away.”
She smiled at his words, but it was the barely banked desire in his eyes that convinced her.
“Come here,” he murmured, a hitch in his voice.
“I think I’d rather you came over here,” she said.
“I’m not sure I can stand up.”
She regarded him skeptically. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he confirmed, though he did stand unsteadily and made his way toward her.
She all but floated into his arms. She knew she would remember the look in his eyes for a long time to come. She was beginning to need that look the way plants needed water. It made her feel like a woman. No, it made her feel like a desirable woman, and these days that was a difficult pinnacle to attain. Some days she despaired of ever feeling like that again. Today had been one of them.
The admission made her think once more of Kristen, the woman who’d intentionally or not made her feel less than whole, less than her best.
“Mack, I’m sorry for that whole scene with Kristen at Sally’s. I should have been more gracious.”
“I thought you did amazingly well.”
“It’s just that she’s—”
“Hush,” he murmured against her cheek. “Let’s not bring her into our house, into our bedroom. Besides, she’s not going to be a problem anymore.”
Surprised, Susie pulled back and looked into his eyes. “You fired her?”
“No,” he said, still trying valiantly to distract her by nuzzling her neck.
“She quit?” That would be even more astonishing…and wonderful, she admitted candidly to herself. Mack wouldn’t feel nearly as guilty if Kristen walked off the job.
“No.” His lips drifted to the valley between her breasts.
Susie’s breath caught, but she wasn’t quite ready to let the conversation drop. “Mack, tell me what you meant.”
“Luke’s fixing things.”
She backed away so fast, she almost stumbled. Mack had to steady her. “You got my brother involved in this?”
“Actually he came to me and volunteered.”
She stared at him incredulously. “To do what exactly?”
“I didn’t ask, but I imagine seduction is pretty high up in his plan.”
“But he’s never even met her. He begged me for an introduction. I said no.”
Mack grinned. “I guess that’s why he came to me. And apparently he’d gathered that Kristen makes you feel insecure, because he formulated his request as a way to protect your honor and our marriage.”
Susie just stared at him. “And you let him?”
“Hey, it works for me if it’ll reassure you and keep her focused on something other than me.”
“Then you admit she still has the hots for you? Thank heaven. I was beginning to think you were one of those clueless men who got lured in because of a nonfunctioning brain.”
“My brain is functioning just fine,” Mack said, clearly offended.
“Apparently not, if you sent Luke to take care of this. He’s a kid, Mack.”
Mack shook his head. “Trust me, not so much.”
“She’ll rip his heart out,” Susie predicted. “And if that happens, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Hey, Luke is a grown man. He wanted to do this. I don’t know if he was thinking with his hormones or his head, but I have confidence he can handle Kristen. I didn’t at first, but I saw something in him that we’ve all been missing. He’s got his act together, possibly more so than either Matthew or I did at his age. He claims he learned from watching our mistakes. Surprised the heck out of me, since I thought I, at least, was so smooth.”
“I hope you’re right,” Susie said, not entirely convinced. “I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“And he doesn’t want you to get hurt. He’s doing this as much for you as he is for his own nefarious reasons. I think it’s sweet that he wants to be your knight in shining armor.”
Sweet? Susie could think of several other words to describe it. Insane came to mind.
“Do you think we could forget about your brother and Kristen?” Mack asked longingly. “I have this beautiful blonde stranger in my arms, and I want to get her into bed.”
Susie looked into his eyes. “Stranger, huh? Do you do this sort of thing often?”
“Are you kidding me? If my wife found out, she’d kill me.”
She beamed at him. “And don’t you forget it,” she said sweetly as she wrapped her legs around his waist and covered his mouth with hers, then let herself get lost in the fantasy.
21
Susie walked in the door for Sunday dinner at Uncle Mick’s and immediately felt the swirl of tension in the air.
“What’s going on?” she whispered to Abby, who was closest.
“Trace just figured out that his sister is involved with your brother,” she replied in a hushed tone. “We’re all waiting for the you-know-what to hit the fan.”
“Laila actually came with Matthew?” Susie asked, not even trying to hide her surprise. “I thought they intended to keep their relationship under wraps a while longer.”
Abby whirled on her. “You knew?”
Susie winced at her cousin’s stunned reaction. “Not for long. And I only found out after I insisted he bring the woman he was seeing to dinner. When Laila showed up at my door, I thought it was just some weird coincidence.”
Abby propelled her onto the porch. “And?” she demanded. “Is Matthew just fooling around, as usual? Trace will kill him if he is. You know how protective he is of Laila.”
“I actually think Matthew’s fallen hard for her. The way I understand it, they’ve been together for a while now. They’ve split up at Laila’s request, but the breakups haven’t lasted. That tells me the feelings are mutual and getting stronger.”
Abby looked stunned. “Well, I’ll be. Good for Laila. I’d better go back inside and try to keep my husband from punching Matthew’s handsome face.”
Susie smiled. “I’m sure we’d all appreciate that.”
She followed her cousin inside just in case any additional help was needed, but to her amazement, Laila was the one who seemed to have things well under control. She was right up in her brother’s face.
“You do not get to make these decisions for me,” she said, poking Trace in the chest. “I’m a grown woman.”
“A woman who’s apparently lost her mind. Matthew’s a nice enough guy, but he has a track record with women, Laila, and it’s not good.”
She gave him a disgusted look. “Don’t you think I’m very well aware of his track record? Don’t you think I’ve taken that into account? I’m not stupid, Trace. Nor am I self-destructive.”
Matthew stepped forward, rested a calming hand on her shoulder, a gesture that drew a furious scowl from Trace. Matthew ignored him.
“Laila, it’s okay,” Matthew soothed. “Maybe your brother and I should take this outside and have a private conversation. He needs to know I’m serious about this relationship.”
Susie couldn’t be sure who was more shocked by the comment, Trace or Laila. She was relatively stunned herself. She was almost certain the word serious had never crossed her brother’s lips before, at least in connection to a woman.
“Serious?” Laila echoed.
; Matthew gave her an incredulous look. “Haven’t I told you the same thing a hundred and one times?”
“Yes, but I always thought it was so you could get me into bed.”
Trace nearly choked and his eyes blazed. “I swear to God…” he began, but this time it was Abby who put a restraining hand on him.
“Let him talk,” Abby commanded.
“Laila, I love you,” Matthew said earnestly, then looked around the room with an air of defiance. “There, I’ve said it in front of all these witnesses, who’ll for darn sure hold me accountable for the words.”
“I certainly will,” Trace said heatedly, but at another touch from Abby, he seemed to deflate. “Okay, I’ll back off, but so help me, Matthew…”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll bash my head in or worse,” Matthew said with a grin. “Believe me, I get where you’re coming from. I said the same thing often enough when Mack was hanging out with Susie.”
Susie looked around for her husband, who’d come inside earlier. Now he seemed to have disappeared.
Just then Shanna approached, her expression filled with concern. She leaned down and whispered in Susie’s ear, “Do you have any idea what’s going on around here?”
Susie regarded her blankly. “You mean besides Matthew and Laila coming out as a couple?”
Shanna nodded.
“This is as far as I’ve gotten,” Susie admitted. “You mean there’s more commotion?”
“Oh, yeah. Luke’s in the kitchen with Kristen. Mack looks like a cornered man. And Gram’s antennae are on full alert.”
“Oh, sweet heaven,” Susie murmured. “What was my brother thinking?”
She was halfway to the kitchen when Mack came striding out, silently grabbed her arm and steered her in the opposite direction.
“You don’t want to be in there right now,” he said tightly.
“You mean because of Luke and Kristen?” she inquired sweetly.
His eyes widened. “You heard?” he asked, then groaned. “Of course, you did. Shanna could hardly wait to get out of there and find you, am I right?”
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