Married in Seattle

“My sister’s here,” he answered. Nancy stood with her arms folded, frowning at him with unconcealed disapproval.

  “Anyone else?” Lindsey asked, then added snidely, “Especially someone named Sandy.”

  It sounded as if Lindsey was jealous on her mother’s behalf, which was ridiculous. The kid would be glad of an excuse to get rid of him. “No. Sandy left a few minutes ago.”

  “So you were with her,” she accused.

  In light of the confrontation he’d just had with his sister, Steve’s hold on his patience was already strained. “Is there a reason for your call?” he asked bluntly.

  “Of course,” Lindsey muttered with an undignified huff. “I want to know what you said that upset my mother.”

  “What I said?” Steve didn’t understand.

  “After you called, she told me to order pizza for dinner and then she said I could have anything on it I wanted. She knows I like anchovies and she can’t stand ’em. Then,” Lindsey said, after a short pause, “the pizza came and she looked at me like she didn’t have a clue where it came from. Something’s wrong and I want you to tell me what it is.”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Mom’s just not herself.” Another pause, a longer one this time. “You’d better come over and talk to her.”

  An invitation from the veritable dragon of a daughter herself? This was a stroke of luck. “You sure you can trust me?” he couldn’t resist asking.

  “Not really,” she said with feeling. “But I don’t think I have a choice. My mom likes you although I can’t figure out why.”

  The kid was a definite hazard to his ego, but Steve decided to let the comment pass.

  “You think your mother’s upset because I broke our dinner date?” he asked. “Well, I’ve got news for you—she’s the one who called it off. She said it was no big deal.”

  “And you believed her?”

  “Shouldn’t I?”

  Steve could picture the girl rolling her eyes. “Either you aren’t as smart as you look, or you’ve been in prison for so long you don’t know anything about women.”

  Steve didn’t find either possibility flattering. “All I did was phone to tell her I was going to be late. What’s so awful about that?”

  “You were late because you were meeting another woman!”

  “Wrong,” Steve protested. “I was helping another woman. Actually two women, one of whom was my sister.”

  “Don’t you get it? My dad left my mother because of another woman. He made up all these lies about where he was and what he was doing so he could be with her.”

  “And you’re worried that your mother assumes I’m doing the same thing? Lindsey, isn’t that a bit of a stretch?”

  “Yes…no. I don’t know,” she said. “All I know is you canceled—”

  “She canceled.”

  “Your dinner date because you were meeting another woman—”

  “Helping another woman and my sister.”

  “Whatever. All I know is that Mom hasn’t been the same since, and if you care about her the way you keep saying…”

  “I do.”

  “Then I suggest you get over here, and fast.” The line was abruptly disconnected.

  Steve stared at the receiver, then replaced it, shaking his head as he did.

  “What’s wrong with Meg?” Nancy asked.

  Steve shrugged. “Darned if I know. No one ever told me falling in love was so complicated.” Having said that, he marched out the door.

  Nancy ran after him. “You’re in love with her?”

  “I sure am.”

  A huge smile lit up his sister’s face. Steve stood next to his car, wondering if he was seeing things. A smile was the last reaction he would’ve expected from Nancy.

  He muttered to himself on the short drive to Meg’s house. He didn’t stop muttering—about women and daughters and sisters—until he rang the doorbell.

  The door was opened two seconds later by Lindsey. “It took you long enough,” she said.

  “Lindsey, who is it?” Meg asked, stepping out from the kitchen. She’d apparently been putting away dishes, because she had a plate and a coffee mug in her hand. “Steve,” she whispered, “what are you doing here?”

  “Have you had dinner yet?”

  “Not really,” Lindsey answered for her mother. “She nibbled on a slice of pizza, but that was only so I wouldn’t bug her. I ordered her favorite kind, too.” She paused and grimaced. “Vegetarian. Even though I like anchovies and pepperoni.”

  “Weren’t you hungry?” Steve asked, silencing Lindsey with a look.

  Meg raised one shoulder in a shrug. “Not really. What about you? Did you get anything to eat?”

  “Nope.”

  “There’s leftover pizza if you’re interested.”

  “I’m interested,” he said, moving toward her. Lindsey was right—Meg seemed upset.

  “You’re not going to eat, are you?” Lindsey demanded.

  “Why not?” Steve asked.

  The girl sighed loudly. “What my mother needs here is reassurance. If you had a romantic thought in that empty space between your ears, you’d take her in your arms and…and kiss her.”

  All Steve could do was stand there and stare. This was the same annoying girl who’d been a source of constant irritation from the moment they’d met. Something had changed, and he didn’t know what or why.

  “Lindsey?” Meg obviously had the same questions as Steve.

  “What?” Lindsey asked. “Oh, you want to know why I changed my mind. Well, I’ve been thinking. If Steve really meant what he said about being friends, then I guess I’m willing to meet him halfway.” This was said as if it had come at great personal sacrifice. She turned to Steve. “Actually, I can’t see any way around it. It’s clear to me that my mother’s fallen in love with you.”

  “Lindsey!”

  Steve enjoyed the way Meg’s blush colored her pale cheeks.

  “And it’s equally clear to me that Steve feels the same, especially if he was willing to put up with all my insults. Frankly, I can’t see fighting it any longer. What’s the point? And really, I can’t keep a constant eye on you two. I do have my own life.”

  Lindsey’s change of heart was welcome news to Steve. The kid held the all-important key to Meg’s heart. He’d never win her love, if he didn’t gain Lindsey’s approval first.

  “Don’t get the idea I like any of this,” Lindsey added—to salvage her pride, he guessed. “But I can learn to live with it.”

  “Great,” Steve said, offering her his hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

  Lindsey studied his hand as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to touch him. But once she did, her shake was firm and confident.

  “You’re nothing like you were supposed to be,” she muttered under her breath.

  “I apologize for being such a disappointment,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Can’t do anything about that now. Mom’s crazy about you.”

  “I think she’s pretty terrific, too.”

  Lindsey sighed. “So I noticed.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Meg asked.

  “Nothing,” Lindsey answered with exaggerated innocence. She looked at Steve and winked.

  He returned her wink, pleased to be on solid ground with the girl. “Did someone say something about pizza?”

  “I did,” Meg told him. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll microwave the leftovers.”

  “Mother,” Lindsey groaned. “I thought I could count on you to be a little more romantic. Or do I have to do everything myself?”

  “What did I do wrong now?”

  “Couldn’t you make Steve something special?”

  Meg took a moment to think this over. “I’ve got chicken I could make into a salad. If he doesn’t like that, there’s always peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.”

  “I’d rather have the pizza,” Steve interjected. He didn’t want Meg wasting her time preparing a meal, al
l in the name of some romantic fantasy. He wanted her to talk—and to listen.

  Before Lindsey could protest, Steve followed Meg into the kitchen. “Do you know what that was about?”

  Meg smiled and opened the refrigerator. “Nope.” She took out the pizza box and set it on the counter.

  Steve climbed onto the stool. “So what happened earlier?” he asked.

  Meg hesitated, separating a piece of the pizza. “I suppose Lindsey called you?”

  “Yes, but I was already on my way over here.”

  He saw that she avoided his eyes, as she made busywork of setting two huge slices of pizza on a plate and heating them in the microwave. “After your phone call, I had kind of a panic attack.”

  “About?” he prompted.

  “You…Us.”

  “And?”

  “And I worked it out myself. I felt pretty foolish afterward. I realized you aren’t the same kind of man Dave was…is. If you call to say you’re helping another woman, then that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

  “You thought I was seeing someone else?” Lindsey had implied as much, but he hadn’t taken it seriously.

  “I feel silly now,” she said, setting the sizzling pizza slices in front of him. She propped her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her palms. “It was as if the craziness of my marriage was back. You see, at one time I tried to believe Dave. He’d make up the most outrageous stories to account for the huge periods of time he was away from home, and like a naive idiot, I’d believe him.” She paused. “I guess because I wanted to. But Dave’s not my problem anymore.”

  “A leopard doesn’t change his spots,” Steve said, finishing off the first slice. “If Dave cheated on you, he’ll cheat on his present wife, too. It stands to reason.”

  “I know. From what Lindsey said after her last visit to California, Dave’s marriage is on shaky ground. I’m sorry for him and for his wife.”

  Steve offered Meg the second slice, which she declined. He’d just taken a bite when the low strains of soulful violin music drifted toward them. Steve glanced at Meg and she shrugged, perplexed.

  Lindsey appeared in the kitchen, looking thoroughly disgusted. “You two need my help, don’t you?”

  “Help?” Steve repeated. “With what?”

  “Romance.” She walked into the room and took Steve’s hand and then her mother’s. She led them both into the living room. The furniture had been pushed to one side and the lights turned down low. Two crystal glasses and a bottle of red wine sat on the coffee table, ready to be put to good use.

  “Now, I’ll disappear into my room for a while,” she said, “and you two can do all the things I’ve read about in novels.”

  Steve and Meg stared blankly at each other.

  “Don’t tell me you need help with that, too!”

  “We can take it from here,” Steve was quick to assure her.

  “I should hope so,” Lindsey muttered. With an air of superiority she headed up the stairs.

  The music was sultry. Inviting. Once Lindsey was out of sight, Steve held his arms open to Meg. “Shall we dance?”

  Steve could’ve sworn she blushed, very prettily, too, before she slipped into his embrace. He brought her close and sighed, reveling in the feel of her.

  “I’m not very good at dancing,” she murmured.

  “Hey, don’t worry. All we have to do is shift our feet a little.” He laid his cheek next to hers.

  He’d never had the time or the patience for romance. Or so he’d believed. Then he’d met Meg and his organized, safe, secure world had been turned upside down. Nothing had been the same since, and Steve suspected it never would be again.

  Even Gary Wilcox seemed to recognize the difference between Steve’s attitude toward Meg and his attitude to the other women he’d dated over the years. Steve didn’t know how his foreman had figured it out, but he had. Of course, inviting Meg and Lindsey to the shop might have given Gary a clue. The idea of letting Lindsey see him at work had been an excuse; in reality he’d been trying to impress Meg, show her how successful he was. Prove to her that he was worthy of her attention.

  Steve had always kept his personal life separate from the business. His personal life—that was a joke. He’d worked for years, dedicating his life to building a thriving business. He’d been successful, but that success had come at a price. There was very little room in his life for love.

  But there was room for Meg and Lindsey.

  Meg’s lithe body moved with the music provocatively, seductively, against his. He wanted to hold her even tighter, kiss her, caress her…

  They stopped moving, the pretense of dancing more than he could sustain. “I want you so badly,” he whispered.

  Meg sighed and raised her head so their eyes met in the dim light. “I want you, too. It frightens me how much…”

  He ran his fingers up through her hair and held his breath as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers. “Oh, Meg.” He kissed her over and over, unable to get enough of her.

  The sound of a throat being cleared suddenly penetrated his brain.

  Lindsey. Again.

  Steve groaned inwardly. Slowly, reluctantly, he loosened his grip on Meg and eased his body away from hers.

  She resisted. “Don’t stop.”

  “Lindsey’s back,” he whispered.

  Meg buried her face in his sweater.

  “Hello, again,” Lindsey said cheerfully from the stairs. “It looks like I returned in the nick of time.” She pranced down the steps, walked over to the wine bottle and sadly shook her head. “You didn’t even open the wine.”

  “We didn’t get a chance,” Steve muttered.

  “I gave you twenty minutes,” she said. “From what I can see, that was about five minutes longer than I should’ve waited. You’re a fast worker.”

  “Lindsey,” Meg said, in what was obviously meant to be her sternest voice. Unfortunately, the effect was more tentative than severe.

  “I know I’m making a pest of myself—and I apologize, I really do. But we’ve been talking about this stuff in my sex-ed. class, and there’s a case to be made for abstinence.”

  “What’s that got to do with your mother and me?” Steve made the mistake of asking.

  “You don’t really want me to answer that, do you?” Lindsey asked. “Mom’s flustered enough as it is.”

  “I guess not.”

  “We could discuss safe sex, if you want.”

  Steve watched in fascination as Meg’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Lindsey!” This time her mother’s voice was loud and clear. “You’re embarrassing me.”

  “Sorry, Mom, but I figured we should raise the subject now instead of later.” She dropped down on the sofa, then reached for the wine bottle and examined the label. “It’s a good month, too. September. Brenda’s uncle bought it for us. He said it wasn’t a great wine, but it’d get the job done.”

  Steve’s hand gripped Meg’s shoulder. “It was, uh, thoughtful of you.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled broadly. “But we were going for the romantic element.”

  “Now,” Steve said, “would you mind if your mother and I talked? By ourselves? We didn’t get much of a chance to do that earlier.”

  “I suppose that’d be all right—only I need to know something first.” She set the wine bottle down and looked intently at Steve. “Are you going to marry my mother?”

  Meg made a small mewling noise that suggested she was mortified beyond words. She sank onto the ottoman and covered her face with both hands.

  “Well, are you?” Lindsey pressed, ignoring her mother entirely.

  Steve couldn’t very well say he hadn’t been thinking along those lines. There’d been little else on his mind for the past few days. He loved Meg. When he wasn’t with her, it felt as if something was missing from his life. From his heart.

  Steve had never imagined himself with a ready-made family, but he couldn’t see himself without Meg and Lindsey. Not now.

&nb
sp; “I believe that’s a subject your mother and I need to discuss privately, but since you asked I’ll tell you.”

  Lindsey got to her feet and Meg dropped her hands and looked up at him.

  “You’re going to marry us, aren’t you.” Lindsey’s words were more statement than question. A satisfied smile lit up her face. “You’re really going to do it.”

  “If your mother will have me.”

  “She will, trust me,” Lindsey answered, looking gleeful. “I’ve known my mother forever and I’ve never seen her this gaga over a man.”

  “I can do my own talking, thank you very much,” Meg said. “This is the most humiliating moment of my life—thanks to you, Lindsey Marie Remington.” She stood, hands on her hips. “Go to your room and we’ll talk when I’ve finished begging Steve to forgive you.”

  “What did I do that was so terrible?” Lindsey muttered.

  Meg pointed to the stairs.

  It looked as though Lindsey was about to argue; apparently she thought better of it. Her shoulders slumped forward and she moved slowly toward the stairs.

  “I was just helping,” she said under her breath.

  “We’ll talk about that later, young lady.”

  Lindsey’s blue eyes met Steve’s as she passed him. “I know I’m in trouble when she calls me young lady. She’s mad. Be careful what you say. Don’t ruin everything now.”

  “I’ll try my best,” Steve promised.

  Meg waited until her daughter had reached the top of the stairs before she spoke. “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about that.” Although her voice was calm, Steve wasn’t fooled. Meg was angry, just as Lindsey had said.

  “I’ll have Lindsey apologize after I’ve had a chance to cool down,” Meg was saying. “I don’t dare speak to her now.” She paced the carpet. “I want you to know I absolve you from everything that was said.”

  Steve rubbed his jaw. “Absolve me from what, precisely?”

  “I want it understood, here and now, that I don’t expect you to marry me.”

  “But I like the idea.”

  “I don’t,” she flared. “Not when my daughter practically ordered you to propose. Now,” she said with a deep breath, “I think it might be best if you left.”

  Steve tried to protest, but Meg ushered him to the door and he could see that this wasn’t the time to reason with her.