More Than Friends (Kingsley #4) (28 page)

“
Well,
I’
m a nice girl
,
” Renee said primly, pressing her lips together.

“
Mmhmm
,
” Michael answered, smirking as the corners of her mouth trembled with repressed amusement
.“
And when I had to walk away from everything for a while at Cameron and Ma
c’
s wedding, and you came to find me? To check on me
?
”

“
Of course I did. Tha
t’
s what friends do
,
” she said, pretending to be casual.

“
Okay then
,
” he said, more confident than h
e’
d felt all evening
.“
How about when you cared enough to stay at the hospital with me? Not one of my regular average normal friends would have thought to do that for me. Just you. And then when you came home with me and stayed to make sure I'd be alright? Again, just you."

Rolling her eyes, Renee feigned exasperation and pushed her plate away. "Michael, I've slept at your house a thousand times," she said
.“
And I did that partially because I wanted to be kept in the loop about your mother. So I was using you for information, so there
.
” But she could
n’
t meet his eyes and the color that had risen slowly up the length of her neck and flooded her cheeks with pink was now flaming at the tips of her ears.

"Right. Okay
,
” he agreed, shrugging
.“
And all the times yo
u’
ve dropped by the shop to surprise me with lunch were just a humanitarian effort to see that I did
n’
t starve to death, right?Looking out for me for my mothe
r’
s sake
?
”

“
Exactly
.
” Her lips were quivering again, and when she looked up at him, her eyes sparkled with amusement.

“
The thing is, maybe if I had
n’
t already been thinking of things differently, I would
n’
t have seen any of it as anything more than you being you, just being a good friend. Maybe it would
n’
t ever have clicked for me. Not even the little things I did for you when you needed something, even though if I think about i
t
… you know,
I’
d have probablytold any other girl to call a plumber. Or animal control
.
” He met her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before he went on
.“
But it was
n’
t just friends, was it? Neither of us were just being friends to the other
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s probably true enough. I guess w
e’
re kind of stupid, huh
?
” She laughed again, shaking her head
.“
How the hell did everybody see it but us
?
”

“
I do
n’
t know
.
” Michael watched her, enjoying the easy grace of her movements, the comfort of her presence.
How could either of them not have noticed how perfectly well they fit together?
“
Ireally always thought we were just friends
,
” he said
.“
I mean, my brothers used to mess with me about us, but I just put it off as brother stuff and eventually they let it go
.
” He laughed, thinking of all the times h
e’
d gotten annoyed with his brothers for being stupid and trying to see romance where there was none. It turned out
he
had been the stupid one all along, too blind to see the right girl even when she was right in front of him. Watching Renee glance at her empty wine glass and then turn to the water glass sweating near her elbow, Michael made eye contact with the bored-looking server still hovering on the edges of their privacy, now somehow empty-handed, and arched a beckoning eyebrow.

The young man snapped suddenly to attention and made his way over to the table. "Would you like the next course now, sir?" he asked, his young voice still barely pretending to reach manly depth.

Renee hid a smile as Michael wondered if the boy was even old enough to have been serving the wine he'd tried to deliver to their table; not chancing to ask out of respect for his father's lifelong friendship with the owner of the restaurant, Michael chose instead to nod simply, adding quietly as the boy turned away, "And tell Alfonso to stop with the special treatment, okay?"

"Okay
,
” the boy answered with a quick grin, his shoulders slouching suddenly in relief. "Yeah, I can do that. And I'll just be right back with the food."

"No hurry," Michael answered. Once the young man had gone, Michael turned his focus back on Renee. "I figure if we're going to hog this table all night," he said with a shrug, "at least we can eat well."

The rest of dinner went well, and by the time Michael steered Renee back out to the restored Camaro in the parking lot of the restaurant, he was willing to bet that her veins had more wine in them than blood. Thinking of her riding in the passenger seat, he had discreetly stopped drinking wine and switched to water after the second course and now, as Michael drove, Renee sat back in her seat, quietly watching his hands as he shifted through the gears. Now and then h
e’
d look over at her, reveling in the peaceful little smile that hinted at the corners of her mouth; finally, he could
n’
t take it anymore.

“
Wha
t’
chaover there smiling about
?
” he asked, pulling to a stop at a red light. The road around them was deserted, and it had rained while they stayed late in the restaurant; pools of light from the street lamps made the asphalt shine with wetness.

In lieu of answer, Renee lifted one hand from her lap and dropped it lightly onto Michae
l’
s thigh, the secret smile on her lips growing slightly wider even as her eyes fluttered closed. By the time he drove up the driveway at his house, she was sleeping peacefully in the seat beside him, her breath a quiet whisper against the quiet of his thoughts, her hand a welcome and comfortable weight on his leg.

The next morning, she woke slowly, cautiously, one hand reaching out before her eyes opened to check the surroundings. From his place at the window, Michael watched her run one palm roughly over her face, watched her hesitate as she remembered where she was, watched her move her hand curiously to the other side of the bed. She frowned as she encountered the empty expanse of his pillow beside her head, and Michael braced his shoulder against the wall, enjoying the sight of the early morning sun on her skin
.“
I can feel you in here
,
” she said
.“
Watching me. How long have you been awake
?
”

“
Yo
u’
re cute when you sleep
,
” Michael said quietly; his voice gave him away and she turned her head against the pillow, her eyes opening on his face. He shrugged, turning to pick up the covered coffee mug on the dresser beside him
.“I’
ve been awake for a little while. Had a shower
.
” He walked to the bed, offering the coffee to her as he approached
.“
Made coffee. Ran out for doughnuts
.
”

“
Mmm, donuts
,
” she murmured, sitting up in the bed to accept the coffee.

“
Well
,
” Michael answered, laughing
.“
It worked on Harmony once. Obviously I did
n’
t ask for all the details, but I know that one time when Xander stayed with her when she still had her place, he woke up early one morning and brought her breakfast. Thought
I’
d give it a shot
.
”

Renee looked up from the coffee, pausing to inhale the scented steam that rose from the cup as she removed the lid
.“
You never brought breakfast to you
r
– to Nicolette
?
”

Her face flushed as she glanced around, making Michael laugh, and he stretched out in the bed beside her
.“
Maybe a few times, but I do
n’
t know why yo
u’
re looking for it. Geez, what kind of slob do you take me for? Besides, yo
u’
ve been in here befor
e
– you ever found a moldy pancake on the floor
?
”

“
No, tha
t’
s not it
,
” Renee answered, her eyebrows furrowing over her nose
.“
I do
n’
t know why
I’
m just getting hit with this right now, because I mean, I obviously knew bu
t
…”

“
But what
?
” he asked, turning so that his head rested in her lap.

She dropped a coffee warmed palm gently on his forehead, sliding it down into his hair as she leaned to set her coffee on the bedside table. When she looked down at him again, her hazel eyes were clouded with emotion he could
n’
t read, and his scalp pricked anxiously under her fingertips as she forced a smile
.“
This wa
s
… it was your room, was
n’
t it? With her
?
”

Michael sighed, reaching up to touch her face, to smooth the line that had appeared between her eyebrows
.“
It
is
the master bedroom
,
” he said quietly
.“
But she does
n’
t live here now, and she was
n’
t the one sleeping in my arms last night. She wo
n’
t be the person
I’
m sleeping with, the mother of my kids, the woman next to me sitting on the porch when
I’
m eighty. The past is in the past, remember
?
”

Shaking her head, Renee reached for her coffee and brought it up, the big mug hiding her face. She sniffed quietly, sipped the brew, and slipped her empty hand through Michae
l’
s hair again. He was still watching her face when sh
e’
d returned the coffee to the table and found the courage to look down at him again, and she smiled, embarrassed
.“
I really do
n’
t know wha
t’
s gotten into me
,
” she said
.“
It really is
n’
t like me to be insecure over things. Or jealous
.
”

“
Yeah, i
t’
s ridiculous
,
” Michael answered, jokingly
.“
You should really get that under control. I
t’
s bad enough I have to tolerate the snoring and the drooling, s
o
–“

“
Ahem. So, speaking of Xander and Harmony
,
” Renee broke in.

“– I was
n’
t
,
” Michael retorted, laughing as he turned his face away
.“
I was saying tha
t
– mmphphm
m
–“

His voice broke away as Renee firmly covered his mouth with both hands, and she gazed down at him, smiling
.“
Yes,
I’
m sure you were
,
” she said, her voice quivering with repressed laughter
.“
And since you were, is
n’
t Xande
r’
s bachelor party tonight
?
”

Biting gently on the palm that covered his lips, Michael grinned
.“
It is. A whole night of irrepressible debauchery. Yo
u’
ll be able to practice not being jealous since ther
e’
s bound to be lots o
f
– mphmmp! Stop doing that
!
” But as he lifted her hand from his mouth again, he kissed her fingertips gently and turned to sit up
.“I’
m just kidding, you know
.
”

“
I know
,
” Renee said softly
.“
And really, I hope you have fun tonight. I think Cass said Drew told her you guys were doing a barhop
?
”

“
Tha
t’
s the plan. But for now, did
n’
t you say you had yoga at noon? I think i
t’
s probably getting late, s
o
…”

The bedsheets went flying at that, and so did Renee. Michael grinned to himself as he watched her shapely rear end disappear through the bedroom door, thankful that h
e’
d thought to strip the cocktail dress from her nearly unconscious body the night before. H
e’
d left her panties on thoug
h
– this time a bright yellow thong with a pink guitar printed on the front, wit
h
“
Rock Sta
r
”
written along the neck of the guitar. He had smiled, realizing that the fabric that circled her hips had been printed with very faint lines of music, and decided to leave them on.

The shower turned on in the bathroom down the hall and Michael got up to make the bed, snatching his phone from the table to turn on some music. As the first notes of Warran
t’
s
Cherry Pie
filled the room, he straightened the bedsheets, stripped his pajama pants off and walked in his boxers to the bedroom closet. It was a large walk-in closet with double hanging rails that he had installed when h
e’
d married Nicolette and realized just how many articles of clothing she hadowned. He stood for a moment, remembering, looking around the now-empty space. His clothes were there, the suits h
e’
d worn when his siblings had gotten married, the few pairs of jeans and the shirts that he kept away from his work clothes, but the rest of the closet was an empty cavern. He had stared into the vacant space many times since the day his wife had left him, wishing her back again; he had stared into the space too, in hopeless despair, imagining that his life would always be as empty as his closet.

He was glad to have hope again, but as he reached for the dark-washed jeans h
e’
d planned to wear that day, Michael could
n’
t help waiting for something bad to happen. H
e’
d stopped drinking as much, too busy between work and Renee to overindulge, and everything had gone smoothly in the transition of their relationshi
p
– aside from the hiccup after their run-in with Nicolette. His mother was on the mend, his business was booming, and everything seemed suddenly easier.
Maybe too easy
. Michael shook his head and slipped his jeans on, thinking himself sill
y
… but he could
n’
t shake the nagging feeling that the last few weeks had been too easy.