With a Little T.L.C. Page 6

  Joe cleared his throat. “Liz Anderson, I’d like you to meet my brother Nick and his fiancée, Abby.”

  Joe stared at Liz, waiting for her reaction. He wasn’t disappointed. Her eyes opened wide and the color in her cheeks deepened to a becoming pink. Her smile faltered and when he met her gaze, she quickly looked away.

  She shook hands with both of them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Same here,” Nick said, slipping his arm around Abby’s waist. She briefly rested her blond head on his shoulder, snuggling into the embrace.

  Lucky son of a gun, Joe couldn’t help thinking. The thought was brief, but the stab of envy was much longer and sharper. They made a terrific-looking couple. Nick’s tall, dark good looks were an attractive counterpoint to Abby’s petite, blond prettiness. Nick deserved someone as sweet and loyal as Abby. It had taken him quite a while to get over a particularly nasty rejection. When he had, he and Abby had fallen in love.

  “In a few weeks, Abby’s going to be my sister,” Joe said. He knew it was a low blow, but he couldn’t help emphasizing the last word after she’d raked him over the coals.

  Liz’s full lips turned up slightly in a wan smile. “Is that so?”

  Abby’s blue eyes sparkled with happiness. “Can’t be soon enough for me. Not only do I get the best guy in the world, but I also get to be a part of the best family in the world.” Her brow wrinkled thoughtfully. “Joe, did I thank you for helping me pick out Nick’s wedding gift?”

  He grinned. “Yup. Just now,” he said meeting Liz’s sheepish gaze.

  “Liz, this is adorable.” Rosie met her gaze after opening the gift she’d brought for the birthday girl who was more interested in the paper than the present. She held it up so everyone could see. “It’s a wooden puzzle that spells out Stephanie’s name.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Liz said.

  After a dinner of barbecued steak, baked potatoes and a big Italian antipasto salad, the family had gathered underneath the brick patio for gift opening. Surrounded by a tricycle, an orange and yellow plastic car, and other toys too big to wrap, Rosie and Steve had taken over the task of opening the waiting mound of gifts to speed up the process.

  Liz sighed, wishing the lucky little girl would be able to remember this moment and how much this big family loved her. If only every child could know that feeling, it would make growing up as carefree as it should be. She couldn’t help wishing that her own formative years had been more untroubled.

  Liz sat on a loveseat-sized glider with Joe beside her. Since he’d found her with Alex and Luke, he hadn’t left her side. As promised. He also hadn’t rubbed it in that she’d been wrong to think the worst of him when Abby had called to remind him of the shopping trip. She felt lower than a snake’s belly and didn’t think the feeling would slither away until she told him she was sorry.

  “It’s time for cake,” Flo said.

  She and Tom went into the house and brought out two—one for the adults and a cupcake with a candle in it for the birthday girl. Steve had put her in the highchair set up outside. When her grandpa set the cupcake on her tray, she tentatively touched a tiny finger to the icing. After tasting it, she went after the remainder with gusto.

  Liz was completely charmed as the toddler squished her hands in the confection then rubbed it in her hair—to the accompaniment of groans by her parents.

  When she had decimated the cupcake, Rosie said to her husband, “Bath time—again.”

  Steve nodded and lifted her from the chair and the threesome disappeared inside.

  Flo put her empty cake plate down on the table. “You know, I just had our home movies transferred to video. Would you like to see them?” she said to Liz.

  “I’d love to,” she answered truthfully.

  She was curious to see what Joe looked like as a boy. Was he always the family charmer? Or had he acquired the talent at the onset of puberty and his attraction to the opposite sex? Not fair, she reminded herself. She’d been proven wrong about him and was deeply ashamed of herself for automatically assuming the worst—again.

  The family filed into the house and Liz was about to fall into line.

  Joe put a hand on her arm. “You don’t really want to see movies, do you? That’s more of a snooze than phenobarbital.”

  “On the contrary, I would thoroughly enjoy watching the ‘little Joey’ show,” she said with a grin.

  He shook his head and automatically blocked her path. “That does it. You’ll have to get past me to see it.” Then he threw up his hands and in the dim light she saw his grin. “Look who I’m talking to. Miss Do-as-I-say-or-I’ll-twist-your-ear-off.”

  Liz couldn’t help laughing at him even though she had mixed feelings about her choice of after-dessert entertainment. It was safer inside, surrounded by his family. Outside was a lovely summer evening with a romantic sky full of stars and a full course crow dinner. After learning that the phone call he’d received had been perfectly innocent, she owed him an apology. Best to get it over with. When Joe tugged her from beneath the patio cover to a spot by the pool, she didn’t protest.

  The night was warm, with a hint of breeze blowing. Malibu lights illuminated the whole backyard and the pool area. Joe sat on the edge of the pool and stuck his bare feet in the water. He patted the cement beside him and she only hesitated a second before accepting his invitation. She slipped off her sneakers and dipped her feet into the soothing water.

  A big sigh of contentment escaped her. She was amazed how comfortable she was with him now that she’d let her guard down. She’d felt his magnetism right from the beginning and had been fighting against it. Now she knew resisting was an exercise in futility. But before she could completely relax, there was something she had to do.

  “Joe, I want to apologize to you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m sorry I questioned you that day. When Abby called, I automatically assumed it was a woman—”

  “And you were right.”

  “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” She let out a long breath. “Okay. I insist you make it as hard on me as you can. I sure didn’t go easy on you. It would make me feel better if you just rub my nose in how awful I was to you.”

  “Would I do that?”

  She slid him a sideways glance. “Yeah. And I don’t blame you. Believe me, I’ll feel a lot better if you make this just as difficult as possible. I deserve it. My only excuse was that every time I saw you, there was a different woman.”

  “Ah yes. What was it you said? I had a revolving door for a heart.” He grinned. “Not that I owe you, but the tall blonde you saw me with really was my secretary. I told you about her, the one who had a baby. Not only did she drop off a gift for Rosie, she was at the hospital because she was pregnant and having tests.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, resigned to taking what he had to dish out. She owed him that. Even if he’d been less than a gentleman to one of her co-workers. “However, in my own defense, I have to say that I probably wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions if it hadn’t been for the way you dumped Trish.”

  He tensed beside her. “Trish Hudson? You mentioned her before, that day at the beach.”

  She read the look of intensity on his face and had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this. “What?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know. I wouldn’t call our parting of the ways a dump.”

  “She found you with another woman.”

  “What?” He stood up and jammed his hands on his hips. Even in the dim light she could read anger, betrayal, and self-righteous indignation on his face. If he was acting, it was an academy award caliber performance. What was going on?

  She stood up, too. “Trish said she broke it off when she dropped by your condo and found you with another woman. She admitted that you’d never actually agreed to an exclusive relationship, but she was hurt just the same,” Liz finished doubtfully.

  He shook his head and there was a bitter twist to his mouth. �
�Interesting interpretation. And a complete fabrication. But why would you believe a guy who doesn’t know the meaning of the word longevity or sincerity?”

  “Try me.”

  Surprise flashed into his eyes. Then he nodded. “I took her out a few times. She was getting serious and possessive. I didn’t feel the same way. I prefer to be straightforward and told her that. I said I’d like it if we could remain friends. End of story.”

  Maybe it was the way he said the words, completely without embellishment, but she knew he was telling the truth. “Now I feel like a jerk, times three,” she said.

  “You believe me?” he asked, obviously surprised.

  “Yeah,” she said nodding. “I do. Trish the dish has been caught in a couple of lies—calling in sick to go away for a long weekend, having someone else punch her in when she’d taken a longer lunch. Stuff like that.” She shook her head. “Even knowing that about her, I was quick to take her word over yours. Joe, I can’t even begin to tell you how very sorry I am. Can you forgive me?”

  He paced on the pool deck for a few moments, then stopped in front of her and looked down. The scent of his aftershave drifted to her, making her insides quiver. He was so close, she could feel the warmth of his body. God help her, she wanted him to touch her, hold her. Kiss her? Yeah, that too. Especially that, even though it was not the brightest thing to do.

  Finally he said, “Yeah. I forgive you.”

  His words made her relax, even though she didn’t understand how he could so easily let her off the hook. “Just like that?” she asked.

  “What can I say? I’m a great guy.”

  “I’m beginning to see that. Anyone else would have seen that from the beginning. Anyone but me.”

  “Why is that, Liz?”

  His tone—warm, welcoming—invited confidences. If nothing else, he deserved an explanation.

  She sighed and sat on the chaise lounge next to the pool. He sat on the matching one next to her and their bare knees brushed, sending a jolt of electricity through her. She pushed the sensation aside. After misjudging him so badly, she owed him an explanation.

  “I already told you I’m an only child. As far as I know.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You remind me of my father, Joe.”

  “With a lead-in like that, I’m not sure I want to hear this.” He laughed without humor. “Not to mention that when a guy is sitting under the stars with a girl, he doesn’t especially want to hear that he reminds her of her father.”

  Her heart pounded. Did that mean he wanted to kiss her, too? If that was true, she was even more humbled. After the way she’d treated him, that he could still be nice to her was amazing.

  She met his gaze. “What I meant to say was that I was attributing behaviors to you that you didn’t deserve based on what my father did.”

  “And what was that?”

  “He was handsome as sin. He was an unfaithful playboy who broke my mother’s heart on a painfully regular basis. I don’t ever remember a time when he wasn’t cheating on her. From the time I was a little girl I would wake up and find her waiting for him to come home. Sometimes he didn’t show up at all. When he did, usually he reeked of perfume and didn’t bother to hide the lipstick smudges on his shirt.”

  He reached over and wrapped his big warm hands around her smaller ones. That comforting gesture sent a feeling through her, a sensation that she was safe and protected. It was something she had never felt before. It was a warm, cozy, wonderful feeling that, oddly enough, made her afraid too. It was something she never wanted to count on because she couldn’t trust it.

  When she tried to pull her hands away, he wouldn’t let her. He held on, gently but firmly, and squeezed reassuringly. “I’m sorry, Liz. That must have been hard for you. And it does help me understand.”

  “There’s more.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me. I can see that this hurts you a lot.”

  “Yeah, but I need to clear the air, get it off my chest. I was terrible to you and you didn’t deserve it. I’m so ashamed. My behavior was reprehensible. The least I can do is tell all.”

  He nodded slowly. “Okay.”

  She cleared her throat. “Mom and Dad stayed together. For my sake. But he was never really there.” She thought about the day’s birthday festivities and laughed a little bitterly. “Would you believe I was envious of Stephanie tonight? Pretty funny, huh?”

  “Why?”

  “Because everyone in this family loves her enough to take time out of their busy lives to acknowledge her first birthday. And except for the pictures, she won’t even remember.” She looked at the pool, the light at the bottom. “It was usually just me and Mom on my momentous occasions.”

  “Your dad didn’t show, not even for birthdays?”

  She shook her head, willing the tears she’d never shed not to fall now. “Not graduations or awards ceremonies or prom night. Why would he when the flavor of the month was so much more exciting?”

  “Where is he now?” There was an angry edge to his voice.

  She’d never heard that particular tone from him before. Was it on her behalf? What would he say if she told him it got to her even more than his charm?

  “He died the year I started nursing school. My mother had thought there was life insurance. But he’d borrowed against it until everything was gone. No doubt he had to spend money to impress whatever woman was in his life. Mom and I moved to a smaller apartment. I worked my way through school.”

  “What happened to your mom?”

  “She died about a year after he did. I suspect of a broken heart. She loved him, in spite of the fact that he didn’t know the meaning of the word faithful. Unlike your parents.”

  “Yeah,” he said grimly. “Thanks to them, I’m no longer looking for someone.”

  Chapter Five

  “I don’t understand that.” Liz was sincerely interested in his answer.

  Now that he’d shot down her suspicions, she really and truly wanted to believe he was telling the truth. She wanted to trust that he wasn’t just fabricating this story to lull her into a false sense of security. But it was awfully hard to swallow. As a boy, he’d grown up in a stable family. As a man, he had everything—looks, enough personality to charm a determined hermit, and financial security. If nothing else, women would come on to him in mind-boggling numbers increasing the probability that he would find someone. Why would a guy turn his back on that? And what did his parents have to do with his decision?

  Joe let her hands go and ran his fingers through his hair. The gesture was almost angry. He stood up and his big body blocked out the Malibu lights, putting her in the dark.

  “I’m a pretty competitive guy,” he said. “It’s not always a good thing. I tend to calculate my chances of success. I hate to lose.”

  “Funny, I thought we were talking about romance. I was paying attention. I missed the transition to a marathon.”

  “From what I’ve seen love makes the iron man competition look like an ice cream social.”

  “Really?”

  He turned and met her gaze. “I’ve watched guys I went to high school and college with fall in love, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. The next thing I knew, they’d split for one reason or another and then it’s all about hurt and blame and making the person they supposedly loved pay. Alimony, child support, not to mention the emotional cost. A friend of mine is going through hell right now. His ex is using the kids as a weapon. She makes his life miserable, changes the rules, holds him to the letter of their agreement. No flexibility at all. It stinks.”

  “That’s a shame. Everyone loses. Especially the children. Take it from someone who knows.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “It seems wrong to use the legal system for revenge.”

  This was a side to him that surprised her, a depth she hadn’t suspected. She’d thought he was all charm and as shallow as a puddle. For some reason she felt the need to poke holes in h
is cynicism, bolster his boyish enthusiasm.

  “Surely there are happy couples out there. What about Rosie and Steve?”

  He shrugged. “That’s different. They’ve known each other since they were kids. I think they’ve always been in love.”

  “I’m not sure why that’s different. But, okay.” She thought for a minute. “Nick and Abby?”

  “Same thing. They have a long history together. Nick gave her her first job and helped her after her folks died in a car accident. She raised her younger sister Sarah and he was there for both of them.”

  “And suddenly it turned to love?”

  “I hear that skeptical note in your voice. I wouldn’t describe it like that exactly. I think it was always there from the moment they met and it just took time for them to figure it out.”

  He met her gaze. “Okay, and then there’s my parents who have been together over three decades. They’re disgusting the way they still hold hands, make goo-goo eyes, etcetera.”

  “I think that’s sweet.”

  “Yeah. But given today’s divorce statistics, who can match that?”

  “So you’re not going to try?”

  “I have tried.”

  “A lot?” she asked. She attempted a teasing note in the question, but found the subject still rubbed a raw spot inside her. Why? What possible difference could it make to her whether or not he had dated a lot? She had no intention of being next in his line of hopefuls.

  He smiled. “I suppose a lot. I’ve met quite a few women.”

  “I’d be surprised if you hadn’t.” A guy as good-looking as him would have to barricade the door of a monastery to keep the hussy hordes at bay.

  “You didn’t let me finish. I’ve met and dated a lot in my time, but I don’t think love is in the cards for me.”

  “Because it hasn’t happened?” Say yes, she thought, not willing to analyze why she cared whether or not he’d been in love.