Sam and I grab dinner.”
Marianne’s mouth went slack, but she quickly recovered. “Uh, sure. I could do that.” She grabbed Spencer’s towel and glasses from the chair. “Okay, buddy. Let’s go. Where’s your shoes?”
After gathering his shoes and change of clothes from the house, Spencer told Sam good-bye, then ran to the gate where his mom and Kevin waited.
“Sam, it was nice to meet you.” As she freed the latch on the gate, Marianne frowned and asked Kevin, “Can you help me with something real quick?”
He exhaled sharply and nodded. “Of course.”
He ruffled Michy’s hair, who’d run to the gate, looking like her best friend was leaving forever. “Don’t look so sad, piccolina. He’ll be back tomorrow.” He nodded to Sam. “I’ll be right back and we can figure out what’s for dinner.”
“More than tomato soup and grilled cheese?” Sam asked hopefully.
Kevin crinkled his nose and chuckled. “Yeah. I’d planned on more than that.”
Sam’s smile grew as she mentally rubbed her hands together. Me, too.
* * *
Kevin knew this conversation was inevitable, but he’d hoped to avoid it until Monday. Marianne, however, had less patience than him, and his hope had only been a pipe dream.
While she helped Spencer into the car, cranked the engine so the air conditioner would keep him cool, then shut the door to block his little ears from the conversation, Kevin stood by like a child, waiting to be lectured.
“You want to fill me in on what’s going on with your life, because I’ve obviously missed a few important changes.”
Kevin shook his head and studied the expansion joint in the concrete driveway. “You haven’t missed anything, sis. This isn’t exactly what it looks like.”
“What exactly is it?
“Sam’s a building inspector… the same one who shut us down yesterday.”
Marianne crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. “I see.”
Okay, that wasn’t the reaction he expected. How could she see anything when he still fumbled around in the dark? “You see… what?”
“You’re making nice and letting her kid swim in your pool so she’ll give us the CO.”
“What?” He drew back and did Erik’s squint-for-clearer-focus thing again. Which was absolutely ridiculous, because this particular move hadn’t proved any more effective than counting backward from ten. “No.”
Marianne rolled her eyes and pressed one hand to the hood of his truck while propping the other on her hip.
“Michaela and Spencer go to afterschool—”
“I got that part.”
He ran his tongue over the front of his teeth and glared. “You ready to let me finish?”
“Go ahead,” she said while spiraling her hand, motioning for him to continue.
“The kids had a plan to meet up at the Boardwalk today. Amazingly enough, it worked out. But Sam fell and sprained her ankle, so I brought them back here so the kids could still play.”
“And… based on the dinner comment, Kevin has plans to play as well.”
As his jaw creaked from the extreme pressure, she threw her palm out defensively. “Hey, I don’t care. I’ve never understood the Lizbeth thing anyway. I always figured it came down to great sex because that’s the only thing you guys could possibly have in common. I’m just curious what’s going on and wondering if Lizbeth knows she’s been replaced.”
“She doesn’t know— She hasn’t been— I just…” His shoulders slumped.
Just what? There wasn’t any denying his attraction to Sam. Hell, he’d been attracted to her yesterday when she shut his shit down. Today, she definitely wasn’t shutting him down in any way, and the already intense attraction had only grown.
Her two-piece bathing suit that revealed the perfect amount of cleavage while providing enough coverage to make his imagination work overtime drove his testosterone level through the roof and inspired all kind of XXX thoughts. The bedroom eyes she’d tossed his way, as well as the heat
Marianne’s mouth went slack, but she quickly recovered. “Uh, sure. I could do that.” She grabbed Spencer’s towel and glasses from the chair. “Okay, buddy. Let’s go. Where’s your shoes?”
After gathering his shoes and change of clothes from the house, Spencer told Sam good-bye, then ran to the gate where his mom and Kevin waited.
“Sam, it was nice to meet you.” As she freed the latch on the gate, Marianne frowned and asked Kevin, “Can you help me with something real quick?”
He exhaled sharply and nodded. “Of course.”
He ruffled Michy’s hair, who’d run to the gate, looking like her best friend was leaving forever. “Don’t look so sad, piccolina. He’ll be back tomorrow.” He nodded to Sam. “I’ll be right back and we can figure out what’s for dinner.”
“More than tomato soup and grilled cheese?” Sam asked hopefully.
Kevin crinkled his nose and chuckled. “Yeah. I’d planned on more than that.”
Sam’s smile grew as she mentally rubbed her hands together. Me, too.
* * *
Kevin knew this conversation was inevitable, but he’d hoped to avoid it until Monday. Marianne, however, had less patience than him, and his hope had only been a pipe dream.
While she helped Spencer into the car, cranked the engine so the air conditioner would keep him cool, then shut the door to block his little ears from the conversation, Kevin stood by like a child, waiting to be lectured.
“You want to fill me in on what’s going on with your life, because I’ve obviously missed a few important changes.”
Kevin shook his head and studied the expansion joint in the concrete driveway. “You haven’t missed anything, sis. This isn’t exactly what it looks like.”
“What exactly is it?
“Sam’s a building inspector… the same one who shut us down yesterday.”
Marianne crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. “I see.”
Okay, that wasn’t the reaction he expected. How could she see anything when he still fumbled around in the dark? “You see… what?”
“You’re making nice and letting her kid swim in your pool so she’ll give us the CO.”
“What?” He drew back and did Erik’s squint-for-clearer-focus thing again. Which was absolutely ridiculous, because this particular move hadn’t proved any more effective than counting backward from ten. “No.”
Marianne rolled her eyes and pressed one hand to the hood of his truck while propping the other on her hip.
“Michaela and Spencer go to afterschool—”
“I got that part.”
He ran his tongue over the front of his teeth and glared. “You ready to let me finish?”
“Go ahead,” she said while spiraling her hand, motioning for him to continue.
“The kids had a plan to meet up at the Boardwalk today. Amazingly enough, it worked out. But Sam fell and sprained her ankle, so I brought them back here so the kids could still play.”
“And… based on the dinner comment, Kevin has plans to play as well.”
As his jaw creaked from the extreme pressure, she threw her palm out defensively. “Hey, I don’t care. I’ve never understood the Lizbeth thing anyway. I always figured it came down to great sex because that’s the only thing you guys could possibly have in common. I’m just curious what’s going on and wondering if Lizbeth knows she’s been replaced.”
“She doesn’t know— She hasn’t been— I just…” His shoulders slumped.
Just what? There wasn’t any denying his attraction to Sam. Hell, he’d been attracted to her yesterday when she shut his shit down. Today, she definitely wasn’t shutting him down in any way, and the already intense attraction had only grown.
Her two-piece bathing suit that revealed the perfect amount of cleavage while providing enough coverage to make his imagination work overtime drove his testosterone level through the roof and inspired all kind of XXX thoughts. The bedroom eyes she’d tossed his way, as well as the heat
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