One Perfect Kiss

  “Oh, that bastard,” Chelsea said with a frown.

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Des said, offering up a sympathetic look. “Cheaters are the worst.”

  “I thought I really knew him, you know? And it turned out I knew nothing about this man I thought I would end up marrying. How could I be so utterly clueless?”

  Jillian leaned over and laid her hand on Josie’s. “It really was him, not you, Josie. You can’t take the blame for his failings.”

  “Jillian’s right,” Emma said. “That’s on him, not you.”

  Loretta nodded. “Josie, you have to realize not every guy is like your ex-boyfriend.”

  “Sure, I know that.” She knew they were right, but after Dylan, it had been hard for her to trust her own judgment with men. So she’d dated sporadically, but she’d never fallen in love. She’d learned to be adept at putting up a wall, guarding her heart so she never got hurt.

  She thought she’d become an expert at that after her mother, but Dylan had somehow gotten through.

  Never again.

  And now, as she listened to her best friend talk about falling in love after dating Jeff for only a few short weeks? She had to admit she was afraid for Jillian’s heart.

  The last thing she wanted was for Jillian to get hurt.

  Maybe she could talk Zach into doing something couple-y with Jillian and Jeff, so she could watch how Jeff treated Jillian. Then again, what would she even look for? She wasn’t exactly the best judge of a guy’s romantic intent, was she?

  “Are you okay?” Jillian asked later in the evening when they took a break from their book discussion to have a piece of the amazing blueberry streusel Megan had made.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet tonight.”

  “Have I?”

  “Yes. And we’d both gone on and on about this book, yet I’m the only one gushing about how amazing it was.”

  Maybe she had been thinking about the past and love and trust and all those things that had reared their ugly heads in their earlier discussions instead of focusing on what she should have been focusing on, which was a great book.

  “You’re right. Sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

  Jillian rubbed her arm. “What’s wrong, Josie? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

  Anything but this. The last thing she wanted to do was put doubt in Jillian’s mind about Jeff. Or about love and relationships. Jillian was euphoric right now, and Josie refused to be the one to burst her bubble of happiness.

  At least not right now. Not until she could gather some intel about Jeff.

  So she plastered on her happy smile. “Thanks, Jillian. But I’m really okay. It’s just school stuff.”

  “Are you sure it’s not your ex-boyfriend that’s weighing on you?”

  She waved her hand in dismissal. “Oh, God, no. He’s so far in the past, I never even think about him anymore.”

  “But you brought him up tonight, and I feel like that’s my fault.”

  “It’s not your fault. Please don’t take the blame for something that happened to me several years ago. Trust me when I tell you I’m over it—and over him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “One hundred percent sure. So sure, in fact, that I’m contemplating another slice of the streusel.”

  That seemed to appease Jillian, since her focus turned to the dessert. “Ooh. Tempting. I think I’ll join you.”

  In the future, Josie was going to have to leave the past where it belonged. Because nothing good ever happened from dredging up old wounds.

  From now on she intended to stay in the present, where she’d focus on having fun. And not falling in love.

  So, after book club, she intended to go home, and maybe give Zach a call to see if he wanted to have some fun. She wanted to talk to him anyway, to make sure they were on the same page—the fun page.

  The other night with him had been amazing, she thought as she got into her car and drove home. And maybe a little too intense, at least on her part. Which was why she wanted to gauge how he’d felt about it. Though he had called her the next day, she’d had a million errands to run and a to-do list a mile long, so she’d told him she was busy. And then there were planning things to do for school, and she’d been avoiding him all week.

  So maybe she’d pushed him away a little.

  Or a lot.

  Defense mechanism much, Josie?

  Okay, fine. So she’d been hiding from Zach. Time to fix that. She could already envision inviting him over. Or maybe she’d surprise him and go over to his place. Either way, they’d get naked and have some sexytimes. That would definitely improve her mood.

  But when she pulled into her driveway, a familiar figure was sitting on her front porch, and all her plans for tonight scattered along with the leaves blowing around her front yard.

  She got out and walked up the steps to her porch, stopping at the top to see the way-too-thin woman huddled up on her porch swing.

  “Was wonderin’ when you’d get home, Jo Jo. I’ve been waitin’ here for hours in the cold.”

  Josie heaved a sigh, her stomach filled with dread. Why couldn’t she have a normal life, be excited at the prospect of seeing this woman? Instead, she knew what this meant. And the battle that was coming.

  She pushed off the concrete column and headed toward the swing. “Hi, Mom.”

  Chapter 20

  * * *

  AFTER LOSING LAST night’s football game by one lousy point, Zach was in a foul mood. He never took it out on his players, who’d played their hearts out until the final buzzer sounded. In fact, they’d taken the loss worse than he had, so he’d had to pump them up and tell them they’d played better during this loss than they had during all their wins so far this season. He told them stories about his time playing pro football, about how the tough losses hurt and how he’d had to pull himself up, determined to play harder and better the next game. He’d also told them how to grab a takeaway from a loss, how to always make it a learning experience. And as he’d watched their faces, he knew they understood. It would make them all better players.

  But it still hurt to lose, and the only person he’d admit that to was himself.

  It didn’t help that two of his players had ended up benched because of grades, either. One of them had been Paul Fine, who continued to be a problem. Despite Zach’s working one-on-one with Paul, his home-life issues were still interfering with his school and athletic life. So today, Zach and his assistant coach had a meeting with Paul and his parents.

  Or, at least, Paul’s mother, who had been the only one to show up. So while he had Paul outside walking the track, he and Larry White, his assistant, sat in the office with Laurel Fine, who looked like she was going to crumple to the ground in a pile of tears any second. She was twisting her fingers together, and her gaze flitted between the two of them.

  “My, uh, my husband said to tell you he’s really sorry he couldn’t make it today,” Laurel said. “He, uh, he had to work.”

  That was a lie, since Zach had contacted Luke to see if he could do a check on Jimmy Fine. He’d finally been picked up for dealing crack last week and was currently sitting in county jail.

  “What can we do to help Paul, Mrs. Fine? He’s not turning in his assignments, and if he continues to get low grades, he’s off the team.”

  She shuddered in a breath. “He loves to play so much. Please don’t do that.”

  “That’s out of our control,” Larry said. “He has to do the work.”

  Laurel swept her hair off her face. “I work two jobs just to pay the rent. Jimmy, he … he does what he can, but Paul … well, I’m doing the best I can.”

  Zach saw the tears well in her eyes. He’d always prided himself on knowing what to do. This time, he didn’t have a clue. So he got up and dragged a chair over so he could sit face-to-face with Laurel.

  “What do you need, Mrs. Fine?”

  Tears spilled fro
m her eyes. “Okay, so I lied before. My husband’s in jail. Paul’s upset. I’m upset. I can’t make ends meet by myself. I don’t know what I need other than I want my kid to be okay. Out of all of this, I just need my kid to be okay.”

  He nodded. “All right. Let’s get Paul in here and talk to him.”

  They brought Paul in. He wasn’t happy when Zach told him he knew about his dad. At first, he was mad at his mom, but Zach and Larry straightened him out in a hurry and told him he needed to step up and quit thinking this was in any way his mother’s fault. The only one to blame for what happened was his dad, and now was the time for the two of them to stick together.

  After a while, Paul took his mom’s hand and told her that his father was an asshole. Zach let that one slide, especially since he tended to agree with the kid.

  Zach made some calls to a few charitable organizations, and some food and rent donations were made so Laurel and Paul could have some breathing room to get back on their feet. He gave Laurel some information about getting Jimmy the hell out of her life and away from her and from Paul if that was what she wanted. While Laurel was talking to Larry about all of that, Zach talked to Paul and told him this was his last chance to stay on the football team, and he’d understand completely if football was no longer his priority, considering everything else going on.

  Paul looked him in the eye. “Coach, football is the only thing keeping me from losing it right now. I need this.”

  “Well, you’re good at it, so I’d like you to play. But you have to do the schoolwork.”

  Paul nodded. “I’ll get it done.” He paused, then said, “I’ll try. Some of it’s hard.”

  Zach considered Paul’s admission, then said, “How about we arrange for a tutor? There are student tutors who can help you with some of the hard stuff.”

  Paul frowned. “They’ll think I’m stupid.”

  “Hey. Just because you need some help doesn’t mean you’re stupid. And none of the tutors we use pass any judgment. They’re all good kids. Just like you. Let them help.”

  “Okay.”

  Paul went silent, so Zach started to wrap up all the paperwork for Laurel and Paul to take home with them. “Coach?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks for … all this. For helping my mom. It means a lot to me. Nobody has ever cared about me …about us like that.”

  It had to have been tough on the kid, having a parent like his dad who thought only of himself. “I care. All the coaches care. And you’re welcome.”

  “I don’t know how to pay you back.”

  Zach stood and came around his desk. “You pay me back by passing your classes. I need you on my team.”

  Paul stood and held out his hand. “Consider it done. I won’t let you down.”

  For the first time this school year, Zach believed Paul was telling the truth. More important, that Paul believed he could do it. And that belief in himself would carry him a long way. “I know you won’t.”

  After Laurel and Paul left, Zach headed home to pick up Wilson and then out to run a few errands. Although it was mid-October, the weather was nice today, so he cracked the window, allowing Wilson to breathe in some fresh air. The dog shoved his nose into the corner of the window and snuffled.

  “You like that, don’t you?” he asked.

  Wilson replied by whimpering and put his paws up on the door, lifting his nose even higher. While Zach stopped at the light, a police car pulled up next to them, and suddenly Wilson started barking.

  Zach grinned as he realized it was Luke McCormack in his squad car, accompanied, as always, by Boomer, his K9 German shepherd. Luke signaled for him to follow, so when the light turned green, he followed Luke’s car to the parking lot of Bert’s, one of Zach’s favorite places to eat.

  Zach parked and went around to lead Wilson out of the car. Luke was already standing on the sidewalk with Boomer. The two dogs did a greeting sniff-off, and Zach was happy that Wilson behaved himself. He shook hands with Luke.

  “How’s it going?” Zach asked.

  “Pretty slow Saturday. Thought I’d stop in for some lunch. You game?”

  “Definitely. What about the dogs?”

  Luke led Boomer over to a spot away from the door, but still visible through the windows, and attached his leash to a metal hook inserted in the ground. He gave Boomer a command, and the dog sat. “He’ll stay there.”

  Zach looked from Boomer over to Wilson. “Not sure my dog is as well trained as yours.”

  “You’d be surprised how one dog will mimic another. Come on, give it a try.”

  Wilson was a good dog, but also very excitable, especially around other dogs. But Zach attached Wilson’s leash to the same hook and gave him the sit command. Wilson smiled up at him with an “I Don’t Think So” look.

  Zach crouched down. “Don’t make me look bad in front of the cop, dude.”

  Luke laughed.

  “Sometimes you have to be stern.”

  “Stern? Wilson’s a cute ball of fluff. How am I supposed to be stern with him?”

  “I didn’t say mean. Just … authoritative. Like this.”

  Luke walked over and gave Wilson a very firm sit-and-stay command.

  Wilson sat like a champion, and Luke started walking toward the front door of the restaurant, so Zach followed.

  “It’s just that he’s intimidated by the badge and all.”

  Luke slanted a smirk at him. “Uh-huh. And maybe you shouldn’t coddle the fluffball so much.”

  “I’ll work on it.” Luke was probably right in that Zach felt sorry for Wilson’s circumstances, so he wasn’t training him properly. He’d have to change that.

  As they went inside, they waved to Charlotte and Bert, who were busy working behind the counter.

  Anita came over, looking like Anita always looked with her streaked blond-and-brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, a pen stuck behind her ear, and an impatient look on her face. “Take a seat, and I’ll be with you soon.”

  Zach smiled. Anita was one of the first people he’d met when he’d moved to Hope. And Bert’s had been one of the first places he’d eaten. He’d come back a lot since then, because of the great food and friendly people who had made him feel welcome.

  Luke led them over to a booth near the window, where they had a great view of the dogs. Surprisingly, Wilson had lain down next to Boomer and was sound asleep.

  “Your dog is a good influence on my dog,” Zach said.

  Luke smiled. “You have a good dog without my dog influencing him. You just have to work on your training skills.”

  “Yeah? You wanna train me to train him?”

  “In my spare time when I’m not working with my own dog or the other two dogs at home or taking care of my kid or my house or making sure my wife is happy? Sure.”

  Zach laughed and put his hands out. “Okay, fine. I get it. You’re a little busy.”

  “Just a little.”

  He noticed Luke didn’t even pick up a menu.

  “Cheeseburger?” he asked.

  Luke nodded. “Same for you?”

  “Yup. They make the best cheeseburgers here. I’ve never tasted better.”

  “Same.”

  Anita came over and pulled her order pad out of her apron and the pen from behind her ear. “Cheeseburgers with the works?”

  “Yeah,” Luke said. “With fries and a glass of iced tea.”

  “Same for me,” Zach said.

  “You got it.”

  Anita walked away, and Zach settled against the back of the booth. “How are the wife and baby and dogs and house thing going?”

  “Couldn’t be better. Michael grows and changes every day. He’s talking up a storm now, getting into everything—like a toddler does.”

  “So it’s fun? The whole having kids thing?”

  Luke looked over at him and gave him a straight look. “It’s fun. A lot of responsibility, and some days it’s exhausting. But seeing that little kid that’s a part of you and a pa
rt of the person you love? Man, there’s nothing better.”

  “I can see that.”

  Anita brought their drinks, so Zach took a sip of his iced tea.

  “Why, you thinking about having some?”

  Zach slanted a grin at Luke. “Not at the moment. You know, I’ve never given much thought to having kids. When I first came out of college, it had all been about football. Then I got hurt and had to change my focus, so it all became about teaching—and football, just at the high school level.”

  Luke grinned. “You’re a good teacher. And a great high school football coach.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So you’re thinking of settling down?”

  Zach shrugged. “I don’t know. No one has come my way to make me think that.”

  Until Josie.

  “You sure about that? I’ve seen you with Josie Barnes.”

  Obviously, he wasn’t the only one who’d thought that. He wondered if everyone else had noticed the thing he had going on with Josie. “Yeah, there’s Josie.”

  Anita brought their food, so he didn’t have a chance to comment any more than that. And maybe he shouldn’t comment at all since he didn’t really know what was going on with Josie and him.

  They’d had a hot night together last weekend, and then … nothing. He’d had to leave her in the middle of the night because of Wilson, but he told her he’d call her the next day, which he had. He thought maybe they could have lunch together.

  So he’d called her, and she’d told him something had come up and she couldn’t see him that day. Which he thought was no big deal. Stuff happened all the time.

  Except when he’d asked her out the next day, she’d told him she was busy. So he told her to let him know when she was free.

  He hadn’t heard from her all week. He’d seen her at school and she’d been her normal, polite self, but that was it. So he had no idea what was up, but he figured if she wanted to see him again, she could let him know.

  “So, what’s up with you and Josie?” Luke asked.

  Shit. “Honestly? I don’t know. It’s like we get close, then she backs off.”