Fender Bender Blues Read online

  “Well that makes sense,” Rach said, feeling sorry for her neighbor now. She sighed. “And now I’ll have to take it all down.”

  Mrs. Jacobs grinned and pushed up the bill of her hat out of her eyes. “Not too soon, I hope. Brightens up the block.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “A picnic,” Craig mumbled as he parked under the shade of an elm. He didn’t picnic. There wasn’t time in his schedule for that sort of thing, but he’d accepted Rick’s invitation without hesitation. Maybe it was his subconscious telling him he needed a break. Or maybe it’s because you knew Red would be here. He’d told himself to stay away, but he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. When he tried to concentrate on business, he’d picture Rach.

  The scent of fresh cut grass and fragrant flowers traveled to him on the soft, warm breeze. A feeling of tranquility rushed over him. When was the last time he’d taken an afternoon off?

  Too long. He couldn’t even remember. Leah had picked the perfect day to do what Craig would normally call bumming it.

  He squinted against the sun, shielding his eyes with one hand against the blinding light. He spotted Leah and Rick and started toward where they sat on a blanket near the pond, their arms wrapped around each other and laughing. Craig had never seen Rick so happy before. Their mom was ecstatic, but she’d started bugging Craig again about finding a woman and settling down.

  When he spotted Rach sitting near the couple, he slowed his steps to check her out before anyone noticed. She was beautiful, even with a huge straw hat sitting on top of her head. He smiled—the hat fit perfectly with her personality. Nothing she’d done since he met her had been ordinary.

  “You came!” Leah greeted with a warm smile. Rach wasn’t as pleased to see him and he wasn’t surprised.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He went straight for Rach’s blanket, ignoring Rick’s raised brows. He stood over her while she pretended he didn’t exist. After a few moments it dawned on her that he wasn’t going to leave and she tilted her head under the large hat to look at his shoes. She then made a slow sweep up to bestow an unimpressed glare upon him.

  Wow. Her incredible eyes stared into his. He didn’t understand the quickened heartbeat and the warmth washing through him when she was near. It wasn’t something he could control. Why he was infatuated with her was a mystery. But he was. And she’s probably crazy. His last experience with her had been nothing short of bizarre. Who hangs Christmas lights in April to piss off a neighbor?

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She stared at him.

  He sat down beside her, close, and enjoyed the way her glances went from pissed to nervous in a millisecond. He grinned and made a show of cozying into her side and her eyes narrowed again.

  “I’m sitting, what does it look like,” he stated, feeling foolish sprawled beneath the tree in an expensive suit. He felt…wrinkled. He smoothed out his slacks. Rach snickered and he drew his brows together in annoyance. “What?”

  “You don’t do this well, do you?”

  “What’s that?” He wasn’t sure what she meant, but didn’t like the insinuation.

  “Relax.”

  “I relax just fine, thanks.” His reply had come out more moody than he intended. Her simple statement hit too close to home and he tried his best to sprawl out despite the restrictive clothing. He took off his suit jacket and tossed it behind them on the blanket.

  “Would you like a sandwich?” Leah asked, pulling bottles of tea, wrapped sandwiches and containers of cold salads from a cooler.

  “That would be great, thanks.” He swatted at a fly hovering too close to his head.

  “Turkey or ham?” she asked, holding up two sandwiches wrapped in white paper.

  “Turkey.”

  Leah grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “That’s Rach’s favorite, too. She hates ham. Luckily, I made extra turkey just in case you were a turkey guy, and in case Rach’s bottomless pit of a stomach wanted two sandwiches.”

  He smiled. “In that case, I’ll take ham.”

  Rach mumbled something and he ignored her. He took the sandwich from Leah and ducked as she tossed one over his head to Rach, who caught it easily. He blinked in relief when he bit in and tasted smoked turkey. Leah winked at him and tossed him a bottle of tea and a small container of potato salad.

  Unable to help himself, he tugged on the brim of Rach’s hat.

  “Yes?” she sighed, but a smile tickled the corners of her lips.

  “Just wondering if you feel okay today. You’ve gone a few minutes without insulting me.”

  He sucked in a breath as her lips went into a full-blown smile.

  She shrugged and said, “We have a few hours. I figure there’s plenty of time.”

  She tucked long legs under her body Indian style, the smooth, creamy pale skin of her knees peeking out at him from the hem of the dark brown capris she wore. She wiggled bare toes painted a dark red. When had the sight of slim feet and manicured toenails become so alluring? Tally squeezed in between them and Craig scooted over to make room. She laid her muzzle on her paws and Craig shifted his attention there, giving her an absentminded pat. He attempted to keep his eyes riveted to the dog, but for some reason they wanted to keep looking at Rach. He gave in and glanced over at her.

  A droplet of mayonnaise dribbled over her bottom lip and her pink tongue darted out to lick it up. Lucky mayo.

  “Besides,” she added between bites, “I came here to eat, not make you feel bad about yourself.”

  “Gre-at,” he answered, coughing to mask the break in his voice. He turned his attention to his sandwich. A hunger for something other than food helped him finish off the sub in minutes but he was left unsatisfied. He was thinking of her lips, the taste of her and the feel of her in his arms. Should have sat on the other blanket.

  Still hungry, he reached for the potato salad and dug in. Her eyes were like a laser on the back of his head and without looking up from the Tupperware, he asked, “Now what?”

  “Nothing,” she sniffed.

  He shifted to eye her warily. “Since when do you answer me with single words?”

  “Since I decided I’m not talking to you,” she answered with a shrug, crumpling up the white paper wrapper from her sub. She tossed it to Leah and said, “Not very much, anyway.”

  Craig set the container down and leaned his face in close to her neck and enjoyed the startled jerk of her shoulders. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. But the move backfired because the scent of her was as intoxicating as he knew it would be.

  His breath shifted a few strands of hair at the nape of her neck and he whispered, “Why, because you want me?”

  Maybe if he’d have said something else she might have leaned in, closed the gap and sealed the deal with a nice kiss. Instead she rolled her eyes and pushed him away, and he chuckled.

  “Oh, bite me.”

  “My pleasure,” he grinned. He waggled his brows and made another move at her neck but she held up the potato salad to stop his advance.

  “You’re incorrigible,” she said, breathless, her cheeks flushed.

  She’s enjoying this. The thought pleased him.

  He settled back onto the blanket, propped up by his elbows, and stared out at the lake. Rach was on her back beside him now with the floppy hat propped over her face and her arms laid out above her head. Her blouse tightened over her chest, pressing against her small breasts. He could see her nipples through the material and the familiar rush of heat pooled low in his belly.

  Craig glanced up to watch Rick and Leah strolling beside the pond, holding hands. When had they left? He hadn’t noticed. His sole attention was on Rach—she’d captured it since the moment they’d met. The woman beside him wiggled an arm, shooing off a fly that had landed on her wrist and the urge to caress her there was strong. Craig forced his eyes away from Rach and her soft skin, back to his brother and his girlfriend on the other side of the pond.

  Rick’s arm was draped around Leah�
��s tiny frame, over her shoulders. He was a goner. In the last few weeks since he’d met Leah, Rick spoke of nothing else and he spent every moment he wasn’t working with the woman.

  He looked down at Rach and asked, “So where’d you get the hat?”

  “Mrs. Jacobs, my neighbor, gave it to me as a bribe. She’s trying to convince me to keep the yard ornaments up awhile longer to torture Mrs. Petska because they’re having some sort of feud about trimming trees and painting porches,” she said in one long breath from beneath the hat. “Guess she got a couple of these things while she was down in Georgia visiting her sister. Isn’t it ridiculous?”

  “Ridiculous is a good word for it.” He fingered the brim again and she swatted his hand away. He grinned. “This Mrs. Jacobs, she approves of the gnomes?”

  “Yeah, she’s a hoot.” She laughed from under the hat, and asked, “What do you think about the flower?”

  “Hm.” He inspected the flower in question—a big, gaudy yellow rose not made of any material that could pass for the silkiness of a real rose petal. It was rough under his fingertips. “It’s really ugly.”

  “You betcha.”

  He couldn’t see her face, but the lilt in her voice told him she was smiling. He leaned back on his elbows and gazed up at the tree they lounged under. The soft sway of the droopy branches and green leaves were soothing and he closed his eyes while the warm breeze brushed his skin. He took a deep breath of honeysuckle and fresh cut grass. “I’m glad I came, this feels great.”

  “It’d be more relaxing if you took off your shoes and rolled up your sleeves. We’re in a park; it’s what you’re supposed to do.”

  Instead of arguing, he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, then kicked off his shoes. After a moment’s hesitation he removed his socks and wiggled his toes. Craig smiled.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” She peeked at him from under the hat. The soft smile on her lips nearly took his breath away.

  “It is.” He wanted to pout when she dropped the hat back down over her face and her smile disappeared.

  “How old are you?” Rach asked, a little muffled from beneath the hat. He shifted beside her so he lay on his side and propped his head up on his hand. His eyes followed the curve of her exposed legs, skin creamy and smooth. He wanted to reach out and run his hands up under the hem of her capris.

  “Why?” he asked, distracted, wondering how she’d react to his fingers on her arm.

  “Because I want to know, that’s why.”

  “I’m thirty-six.”

  She whistled between her teeth. “Wow, that’s old if you ask me.”

  He grinned at her weak insult. He tugged the hat off her face and dropped it out of her reach behind his back. “I didn’t ask.”

  She gave a noncommittal shrug and closed her eyes, leaving him an opportunity to study her face. She had the best bone structure he’d ever seen. High cheekbones with a light spattering of freckles falling over her nose spoke of timeless beauty. She didn’t wear much makeup and her face was all youth and innocence. So contrary to the feisty woman he’d come to know. He was tempted to drop a soft kiss on her small nose.

  He glanced around the park to see if anyone was watching. No one was. He could swoop in for a kiss and no one would catch him. No one would care, he told himself. She won’t mind…

  Her full, wide lips begged for kisses and so did the little cleft in her chin. Lord knew he’d studied her heart-shaped face and memorized the details there.

  “I can feel you staring.”

  Craig smiled down at her. She had gorgeous lashes, long and thick and dark auburn. What would she do if he kissed her eyelids?

  “So what.”

  She peeked at him with one green eye. “So stop it.”

  “And if I don’t?” Maybe she’d tackle him, push him down on the blanket and…

  She didn’t. She promptly closed her eye and went back to pretending indifference. “I’ll hit you, that’s what.”

  “Not if I do this, you won’t.”

  And he leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

  He’d only meant it to be a short kiss, but the pleasure of touching his lips to hers kept him there longer. He savored the feel of her soft skin, marveling at the contact. His eyes drifted shut and her lips fell open just enough to let him inside. Her tongue was velvet soft and warm against his and the slow mating of their mouths quickened his heartbeat even as he told himself, It’s no big deal, just a kiss.

  A lie.

  Her hand rose to touch his chest, soft yet firm. She didn’t push him away and she wouldn’t. She nipped his bottom lip and sent heat sliding through his body. The woman could kiss.

  She whispered soft against his lips, “Now why don’t you admit that it’s you who wants me.”

  Craig blinked his eyes open and found her looking up at him with a sated and pleased expression on her face. And she looked…turned on. If he hadn’t been in a public park he’d be tearing at her clothes. God, she was beautiful.

  He flopped onto his back and looked up at the tree and glimpsed the blue sky through the foliage. He should be working. He had paperwork to go through, checks to sign. Instead he was lying beside an exasperating woman who drove him crazy with lust. You don’t want a relationship with her or anyone. You still haven’t gotten rid of Maggie yet.

  “I haven’t been laid in awhile, that’s the problem.” As soon as he said it he wanted to bite his tongue. He had no idea why the words had crossed his lips, they weren’t meant for voicing. Immediately he wished he could take them back.

  He closed his eyes tight, expecting her to punch him, but instead she scrambled to her feet. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know she’d left. Too late, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  Craig stayed there on the blanket for a few minutes longer, his eyes shut, wondering why he’d been such a prick and told himself not to care about it.

  But it did matter. Somehow it mattered a lot. Since she drove in front of his car, she was all he could think about. Somehow in the last few weeks he’d become attracted to her, despite their inability to get along. And it confused the hell out of him.

  He opened his eyes and sat up. A quick glance around the lake showed Rick and Leah still strolling on the other side. But Rach was gone. Craig considered going to her house, it was only a few blocks away, but pride and disgust with himself had him storming to his car.

  Her fault, he thought to himself on the drive home. Something about her brought out the obnoxious jerk inside of him. Craig sighed and shut the front door quietly.

  His answering machine blinked in the corner but none of the messages would be from Rach. She didn’t have his number and he doubted she’d ask for it any time soon…or ever. He left the machine alone, knowing at least one, if not all messages, would be from Maggie. With the afternoon sun still shining through the windows, he fell asleep in the large, empty bed with the unopened briefcase beside him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “He’s going to ask me to marry him.”

  Rach choked on her rum and coke. Leah sipped at her drink as if she’d made a casual comment on the weather then leaned over the table to beat on her back once, twice, three times until Rach finally caught her breath.

  Through watery eyes, she stared at Leah, horrified, and asked in a weak whisper, “Are you freaking kidding me?”

  “Huh?” Leah asked against the loud noise of the packed bar. The Saturday night party crowd wasn’t what Rach wanted to deal with tonight, but Leah had insisted. Rach used the cocktail napkin to wipe the running mascara and eyeliner from beneath her eyes, wondering if her best friend had brought her here for this conversation.

  Leah shrugged. “I don’t mean tonight or possibly this month—I’m just saying he’s going to.”

  “Jesus, Leah, you could have been a little more specific!” Rach accused. Leah smiled and slipped her drink straw between pearly whites, sucking in half of the bright blue liquid from the small glass.


  “Sorry. Thought that would liven you up a bit.”

  “Why do you say that?” She narrowed her eyes. Leah wasn’t making eye contact, which meant she’d either seen Craig and Rach kissing in the park or… Or Craig was squealing. The rat, she thought with a scowl.

  “No reason.” Her shrug and bright smile weren’t convincing.

  Rach crossed her arms and sat back against the booth. “Oh knock it off. You know you can’t lie to me so spill it.”

  Leah sighed and set her drink aside. “It’s nothing. Just Craig told Rick that you two have kissed three times now. You haven’t been talking to me about it which means you’re either in love or you’re embarrassed.”

  Rach gave a hysterical chortle. “I’m not in love with him! Sheesh! I didn’t tell you because it’s not a big deal. I don’t even like the guy. Did he mention he’s the one who kissed me? Again? I’m the innocent one.”

  Except I kissed him back.

  “Whatever,” Leah replied. “People who hate each other don’t take breaks from hating each other to make out.”

  Good point. But she wasn’t about to agree out loud.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  Their heads snapped up at the very deep voice of a good-looking man in a black button-up work shirt and a baseball cap. His eyes were on Rach.

  She was about to tell him she’d love for him to join them when Leah butted in and rudely said, “Our boyfriends are joining us.”

  The disappointment was apparent, but he kept his smile. “That’s unfortunate for me. Listen, I’ll be here a few hours with my friends if you change your mind and want some company.”

  He walked away and Rach turned irritated eyes on Leah for butting in and ruining her chance at possibly forgetting Craig’s existence. “What the hell, Leah!”

  Ignorant to Rach’s displeasure, she grinned. “You’re the one who keeps saying you’re not looking for a relationship, so I just did you both a favor.”

  Rach gawked at her in amazement. Leah had been pushing her to start dating again and now that she’d been ready to give a good-looking man a chance, she’d sent the man away without batting an eye.