Full House

by Janet Evanovich

  Was he up to it?

  Billie glanced over at Nick, and from the look on his face she knew instantly what he was thinking. He was reminding himself she was a package deal. She came with children and pets, doctors and dentists and vet bills. There were school clothes to buy, shoes that needed to be replaced several times a year, birthdays to remember, holidays to shop for. There were small and large dramas in raising children, sacrifices and responsibilities that could shake even the most devoted parent.

  It was one thing for Nick to want her in his bed but another thing to involve himself with a woman and her entire family. If he was smart he would git out while the gittin' was good, as her father used to say. Perhaps he was considering just that. His gaze found hers, and their eyes held for a long minute before Billie resumed cleaning the counter.

  Chapter Ten

  Billie returned home to find the house two doors down surrounded by police cars with flashing blue lights. Joel, Christie, and Lisa Marie bounded up from their seats, craning their necks to try and get a look at what was going on.

  "Go straight inside," Billie said as soon as she parked in her driveway. The kids argued, but she was firm. They did as she ordered, but peered out the windows as Billie crossed the street and spoke with a young policeman.

  "We had a break-in," the officer said. "About an hour ago. Seems the owners are on vacation."

  "Yes," Billie said. "The Sherringtons took an Alaskan cruise. I don't expect them back for a few more days. Do you have any idea who did it?"

  He shook his head. "Doesn't look as though anything was taken. Someone tried to pry open the back window and set off the alarm. Needless to say, they didn't hang around."

  "Thank goodness. The Sherringtons are such nice people."

  "I understand there was another minor burglary in the neighborhood not long ago. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary recently? Kids loitering about? Anybody suspicious-looking?"

  She hesitated, wondering if she should tell him of the strange noises she'd heard outside her bedroom window. Had she simply been going through a period of paranoia with her children away?

  "Anything you can tell me will help, ma'am," the man said, as though reading her mind.

  Billie smiled. "I know it's just my imagination," she said, "but from time to time I hear rustling sounds outside my bedroom window. I'm sure it's nothing. This neighborhood has always been so safe."

  "We suspect kids setting off alarms as pranks," he said, "but it never hurts to be cautious. I'll check around your house before I leave."

  Billie spotted a set of headlights and saw Raoul's truck pull up in front of the house. "You might want to talk to that gentleman," she said, pointing. "Mr. Hernandez keeps an eye out when people go out of town. I know he's collecting the Sherringtons' mail and newspapers."

  The officer thanked her and headed in Raoul's direction. Billie sighed and started toward her house. She had always felt so safe there. Perhaps it was time she purchased an alarm system.

  Christie and Joel hit her with a dozen questions the moment she stepped inside the house. "Everything's okay," she assured them and explained what the police suspected. "Where's Lisa Marie?"

  "She's calling her mom to come get her," Christie said. "She's scared to stay here, what with the burglary and the spiders. I dread going back to school and having the other kids tease me about all the bugs in our house and my mom marrying a man who's almost a stranger. I mean, what do we really know about Nick and his crazy cousins?"

  "It's so cool," Joel said. "I can't wait to tell my friends."

  Lisa Marie came into the living room. "My mom's on the way. I'm allergic to insect bites. Nothing personal, you understand."

  Billie nodded. "Don't forget your clothes," she said.

  Ten minutes later, Lisa Marie's mother picked her up. Billie assured the woman everything was okay, but she didn't look convinced as she hurried down the walk with her daughter in tow.

  Billie sent Joel and Christie upstairs for a shower and put on a pot of coffee. She was getting ready to pour a cup when the doorbell rang. She let Raoul in.

  "The Sherringtons are going to be upset over this," he said. "I was supposed to be watching the house."

  "You can't be there twenty-four hours a day."

  "I could have prevented it if I hadn't fallen asleep on the sofa watching TV."

  He looked so downtrodden that Billie felt sorry for him. "Come in and have a cup of coffee with me."

  He started inside and paused. "Is that crazy woman here?"

  Billie chuckled. "No, Deedee is out. Probably won't get in until the wee hours."

  Raoul closed the door behind her and followed her into the kitchen, taking his usual place at the table. He remained quiet as Billie prepared their coffee. "Any luck with the German roaches?" she asked, taking a chair across from him.

  He shrugged. "I'm still working on it. How's your place?"

  "We've seen a few more spiders. Deedee shrieks every time she sees one, and I think Christie is considering running away."

  He looked tired and worn. "I must be losing my touch."

  "I'm sorry to complain, but it's getting out of hand."

  "I'm going to try something stronger. You'll have to put your animals outside and leave the house for a few hours once I spray." He paused. "Have you heard any more noises at night?"

  "A couple of times. I told the officer. He's going to look around before he leaves."

  "You're not the only one hearing things at night," Raoul said. "I ran into Mrs. Cartwright at the grocery store, and she complained about it. Said her dog went crazy barking last Tuesday night. She called the police, but they didn't find anything. Of course, the police insist it's just kids messing around and since nothing is ever missing they don't take it seriously. I think there's more to it."

  Billie shivered. "What do you mean?"

  "I haven't figured it out yet, but I plan to spend the night in my truck tonight so I can keep an eye on things."

  "Don't you think that's going beyond the call of duty? You have a family at home."

  "These people count on me."

  Billie opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted when the front door opened and slammed shut. "Men!" Deedee screeched at the top of her voice.

  The door opened and slammed again. "Lady," Frankie shouted, "you are a fruitcake! The nuttiest of them all."

  "Oh, yeah? Well, you don't exactly have both oars in the water either, mister. I never want to see you again. The wedding is off."

  "That suits me just fine because no way am I going to sleep on French provincial furniture. It's for sissies. Wrestlers need big leather stuff."

  Billie raced from the kitchen with Raoul on her heels. "What's going on here?"

  "We're having a fight," Deedee said. "Mr. Big Shot here flirted with some slut right in front of me."

  "She's not a slut, and I didn't flirt with her. She simply asked me to write something on her forehead. People do it all the time."

  Deedee crossed her arms over ample breasts. "Your telephone number?"

  "I can explain that if you'd shut up long enough."

  "You were looking at her boobs."

  "Was not."

  "Was, too."

  "Excuse me!" Billie said, glancing up to find Christie and Joel watching the whole exchange from the top of the stairs. "I would appreciate it if you'd take this fight elsewhere. My children are in residence." She tossed Joel and Christie a stern look. "Bedtime," she announced.

  "Aw, Mom!" Both kids disappeared into their rooms.

  "I'm sorry," Deedee said, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm not used to a man, especially my fiance, trying to pick up a woman in my presence. Most men usually can't take their eyes off me."

  "I wasn't flirting," Frankie told Billie. "The woman came stumbling up to me—I think she was drunk— and she asked me to sign her forehead."

  "She asked for his phone number, and he gave it to her."

  "I was surprised," Frankie said,
"but I realized my mistake as soon as I started, so I wrote down Nick's number instead."

  Deedee glanced at him in shock. "You gave her Nick's phone number?" All at once, she laughed. "Boy, he's going to be mad as hell when some strange woman calls in the middle of the night."

  "Maybe not," Raoul said.

  Billie shot him a dark look. "You stay out of this."

  "You really gave her Nick's phone number, Frankie?" Deedee asked in a little-girl voice.

  "I tried to tell you in the limo, but you wouldn't stop yelling at me long enough to listen. I didn't realize you were the jealous type. I mean, a woman with your looks. What do you have to be jealous about?"

  "Oh, Frankie, what a sweet thing to say."

  He stepped closer. "Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

  She paused. "I don't know. That statement about the French provincial furniture cut me pretty deep."

  "I love French provincial furniture, baby. I was just saying that to get back at you for calling me a low-life scumbag, womanizing useless piece of meat."

  "Why, I never—"

  "I know you didn't mean it." Frankie reached for her, and Deedee went willingly into his arms.

  They kissed deeply. Billie and Raoul exchanged looks.

  "I love fighting with you," Deedee said as soon as they broke the kiss. "It means we get to make up. Come with me." They started for the stairs.

  "Hold it right there," Billie said. "Once again, let me remind you there are children in the house."

  "Oh, yeah," Deedee said.

  "We can make up in the limo," Frankie suggested. "I'll have the chauffeur take a walk. A long walk."

  Deedee beamed. "Good idea."

  They hurried out the front door without another word.

  Billie and Raoul exchanged looks. "Would you care for more coffee?" she asked as if the entire incident had never occurred.

  "No, I need to plan my stakeout. Call me when it's convenient for me to come in with the heavy-duty spray." He started for the door and turned. "You know, this used to be a nice quiet neighborhood before the riffraff moved in."

  "Excuse me?" Billie said, taking offense.

  He let himself out and closed the door behind him.

  * * * * *

  Much later, when Joel and Christie were asleep, Billie lay alone in her bed and stared at the ceiling. She still felt the sting of embarrassment that Raoul had witnessed the craziness going on in her life. He had called her friends riffraff. Worse, her children had come home to an entirely different life from the one they'd left to go on vacation, and she wondered what her son and daughter must think. Not only that, Billie was too embarrassed and confused to call her parents because they would start asking questions about her wedding plans, and she had no answers.

  She had no idea where the relationship with Nick was going. Oh, he wanted her all right, that much was clear. But he had never once told her he loved her or if he was merely looking for her to keep his bed warm. He thought they'd make a good team. A good team! He'd offered security for her children, but he hadn't given any indication that he wanted to take an active role in their lives.

  And how about her? Did she love him enough to let go of all her doubts and try to build a future with him despite the odds? The double marriage might have started out as a joke, but it wasn't anything to joke about at the moment because neither of them knew whether to call it off or go along with it.

  She would have to deal with Max and Deedee on a regular basis if she married Nick, Billie reminded herself. They were both basically nice people, but she wasn't sure she'd like having her children exposed to them over long periods of time. They weren't her idea of perfect role models. From what she could tell, they drifted in and out of Nick's life as if he ran a halfway house for wayward cousins. It left her to wonder who else periodically occupied bedrooms in the comfy mansion. And there was Fong, the mystery man who had raised Nick. What on earth would they do with Fong?

  That left Sheridan. Would she be willing to back off or would she continue to haunt them? Despite what Nick had said about the relationship being over, Billie couldn't imagine a woman like Sheridan Flock—a woman accustomed to getting her way— simply disappearing into the woodwork.

  Billie didn't need problems. She had tried to protect her children to the best of her ability, giving them the love and security and strong sense of family that wasn't always easy to do when their father played only a part-time role in their lives. She'd tried to make their home a stable one, passing on the teachings she'd received as a child in hopes of turning them into two well-adjusted and productive adults. As far as she was concerned, raising a child was the single most important task there was.

  What kind of life could she hope to offer them if she became more involved with Nick? Or eventually married him?

  Billie stretched in her bed and absently ran her hand over the untouched pillow next to her. It was shocking how quickly she had become used to having a man in her bed—when it was the right man. She could close her eyes and recall the way Nick looked in sleep. She thought about the way the sheets rustled as he turned toward her, and the protective arm that kept her snug against him while she slept.

  She thought about their lovemaking, and as always, her stomach fluttered. Perhaps she was pretty hot stuff after all. She owed her children the best, she told herself. But what about her? Did she not deserve the best, as well? Even if it meant change?

  It did not strike her as being odd that she was not one who enjoyed change. It had to do with the divorce. It was the reason she'd struggled to keep the house. The upheaval following the breakup of her marriage had convinced Billie that everything else in their lives must remain perfectly intact. Her children would continue to live in the same house, attend the same school, enjoy the same friends, and so on. She had not even changed the shelf paper in her cabinets, and she'd balked when Christie wanted to redecorate her room.

  Four years was a long time to resist change.

  It was scary because Billie could not imagine loving another man as she did Nick. He was easy to talk to, and easy to love. He made her feel sexy, and he made her laugh. She thought about the way he'd stood in shocked silence when the dinner fire had been extinguished, and then offered in a matter-of-fact tone to take everybody out for burgers. It had been awful, but Billie loved him even more for remaining calm in the midst of a disaster. He was a man she could live with for a very long time, but only if they were both willing to make changes and take risks.

  It was her last thought before she drifted off.

  * * * * *

  Billie had not been asleep long when she heard the noise. Her eyes popped open, and she stared into darkness. Even though her mind was dulled from sleep, she knew something wasn't right.

  She had been dreaming that someone had come into her room. She had literally felt a presence standing over her, watching her while she slept. Then a noise so light that she might have imagined it, the sound of a footstep.

  She sat up. "Christie? Joel?"

  There was no answer. She reached for the lamp beside her bed, found the switch, and turned it on. Light flooded her room. She was alone. There was no sign that anyone had been there, but she sensed it. It was as though the air had shifted. She smelled something nice. Perfume?

  Her bedroom door was closed. Odd, because she always left it open in case one of the kids needed her during the night. A night-light in the hall made it easy for them to reach her room. The light gave off a soft glow so that if she got up during the night, her room was not cloaked in darkness as it had been when she'd awakened only seconds before.

  Had she closed the door tonight without thinking?

  Billie whipped the covers aside and hurried down the hall to her children's bedrooms, flipping on the light as she went. She almost tripped over a football entering Joel's room, but she found the boy sleeping peacefully in his bed. Christie was tucked beneath her cover as well. Buffy raised her head and wagged her tail at the sight of Billie.
/>
  Some watchdog, Billie thought, knowing that the animal would sleep through a demolition team.

  Next, Billie checked Deedee's room. She had heard the woman come in shortly after she'd gone to bed. She found Deedee in her bed, eye mask in place.

  Billie went through the house, turning on lights, checking closets. She looked in the garage. Everything seemed to be in place. She checked the back door and found it locked, then moved to the front door.

  The door was unlocked, even the dead bolt that Billie always locked because Deedee had keys for both locks. She had to choke back anger. Deedee had obviously forgotten to lock up when she came in. The thought that the woman had been so thoughtless annoyed the hell out of her, and she was tempted to go upstairs and wake her. Deedee might be an airhead at times, but there was no excuse for leaving the door unlocked, especially since the neighborhood had been plagued with break-ins.

  Deedee had to go.

  Chapter Eleven

  Billie awoke at six the next morning, tired and groggy after lying awake half the night listening for sounds. She climbed from bed and headed straight for Deedee's room. The woman was sound asleep and probably wouldn't wake till noon, if she were left alone.

  Billie had no intention of doing so.

  She tapped Deedee on the shoulder several times before pulling the mask from her eyes. "Wake up, Deedee," she said.

  The woman moaned. "This had better be good."

  Billie planted her hands on her hips. "You left the front door unlocked last night."

  Deedee yawned and sat up. "What are you talking about?"

  Billie didn't want to tell her about the noise that had awakened her during the night and risk having her tell the children. "I woke up last night and found the door unlocked."

  Deedee looked offended. "I'm not an idiot," she said. "I always lock the door, as well as the dead bolt. Besides, I used the back door last night because I didn't want to wake anyone. And guess what? I found it unlocked."