Swept Away (11 page)

Fisher had invited her to Mario’s for pizza. Lily suggested they bring the pizza back to her place instead. They’d have a little wine, maybe catch a movie or two. Throw in plenty of discussion about life in general and men in particular, and they’d have themselves a party.

“Would you prefer red or white?” Lily welcomed Fisher into the kitchen with a smile. “Or I have beer.”

“I usually just have beer.” Fisher set the pizza in the center of the table. “So wine sounds good. What would go better with sausage, fresh mozzarella, and basil pizza?”

“We could open both,” Lily suggested. “And do a taste test.”

“Now you’re talking.” Fisher found the plates and glasses while Lily opened the wine.

“This is an interesting combination.” Lily handed Fisher a glass of Chardonnay and lifted the lid of the pizza box.

“I kind of discovered it by accident.” Fisher took a sip and smiled. “I wanted tomato and basil, Carson wanted sausage and mushroom, but Cody doesn’t like mushrooms or roasted tomatoes.”

“Does Cody always get what he wants?” Lily had a feeling she already knew the answer.

“Pretty much.” Fisher shrugged, dishing up the pizza. “Until you.”

So much for keeping a low profile.

“So did Cody say something?” Lily wondered just how much Fisher knew. “Should I be worried about ending up on the front page of the
Prospector Springs Sentinel
?”

“Oh, he’s got it bad.” Fisher giggled like a seventh grade girl. “He actually asked me for advice.”

There was just a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“But since I’m the only other woman who’s ever turned him down,” Fisher picked a piece of sausage off her pizza and popped it into her mouth. “I guess he figured I’m an expert.”

“So, you turned him down.” Lily studied Fisher’s expression. A look of regret flashed across her face. “And now you’re wondering if you missed out?”

“Oh, hell no. We’re good friends now.” Fisher’s tanned skin deepened a shade. “Besides, he hit on me, like, five seconds after we met. He’s way out of my league, and I didn’t know how to respond. So he moved on to someone else. Several someone elses.”

“But you like him.” Lily could see her new friend consider denying it. But Fisher seemed uncomfortable coming up with anything less than the truth.

“Like I said, we’re just friends.” Fisher swirled the wine in her glass, avoiding Lily’s gaze. “I won’t get in your way.”

“What if I told you I’m not interested in Cody?”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Fisher looked up with surprise. “I mean he’s good-looking, strong, sexy…” She actually sighed. “And he’s determined. I know he can seem kind of laid-back and all, but when he really wants something, he’s unstoppable.”

“And you think he wants me?”

“I know it.” Fisher drained her glass. “Let’s see how the red wine tastes with this pizza.”

“Sure. But I’m thinking we need to make this a slumber party.” Lily put the white wine in the fridge and poured the Zin.

“I’ve never been to a slumber party.” Fisher held up her glass.

“To your first.” Lily offered a toast. “We should go all out—paint our toes, watch scary movies, or would you prefer a romantic comedy?”

“Considering my love life, I think a scary movie would be more realistic,” Fisher said.

“So, Cody doesn’t know how you feel?”

“What’s the point?” Fisher shrugged. “Especially since he’s completely into you.”

“The thing is, I’m just not into him.” Because she couldn’t get his brother off her mind. She let out a frustrated sigh.

“What about Carson?” Fisher must have sensed where her thoughts had gone. “He’d be a great catch.”

“I’m not looking to catch a man,” Lily insisted. “Besides, I don’t think he’s interested.”

“He could be interested. But…” Fisher leaned forward, as if she was about to divulge top-secret information. “Carson would cut off his right arm for his brother. As long as he thinks Cody has a chance, he’ll back way off.”

“I never should have gone on that bike ride.” Lily shook her head. “But I swear, I thought Carson was coming too.”

“It would just be easier to give in to Cody,” Fisher said. “Carson would never move in on his brother. Never.”

“You’d think it would be easy.” Lily reached for a second slice of pizza. “I mean, they look the same. They kind of sound the same. But I just don’t react the same. It’s weird, because it’s a physical thing…”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Fisher offered an all-too-knowing grin. “I admire and respect Carson. He’s a great guy, and he’d be a terrific boyfriend. But…no one gets my blood pumping quite like Cody. Even though I know he’s bad for me.”

“A heartbreaker?”

“Yeah, except I know that deep down, he’s a good guy, too.” Fisher took a long sip of her wine. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

“Sounds like he just needs the right woman to nudge him along.” Lily gave Fisher a friendly shove.

“He seems to think that woman is you.” Fisher focused on her last few bites of pizza.

“I doubt it.” Lily decided to confess. “I’m going to have a baby.”

“You’re pregnant?” Fisher eyed Lily’s wineglass suspiciously.

“Not yet.” Lily lifted her wineglass in acknowledgement. “I’m going to use an anonymous donor. Hopefully by Labor Day I’ll have a due date.”

“Wow.” Fisher sat silently for a moment, digesting the information. Then she smiled. “You have to admit, Cody would make pretty babies.”

“He’s not interested in being a father.” Lily wondered if the same could be said for Carson. “And I’m not interested in putting that kind of pressure on any man.”

“Cody’s got issues with his own father, that’s for sure.” Fisher’s lighthearted tone turned serious, and just a little sad. “He’s never forgiven the man for abandoning them.”

“I’ve heard bits and pieces about their childhood. How sad to lose their mother like that.”

“At least their grandparents were there in the beginning.”

Fisher helped clean up the dishes and they settled in the living room. She filled Lily in on the twins’ early years. They’d lived with their mother’s parents, until they got too old to care for them.

Lily gathered up her pedicure supplies—two plastic tubs filled with warm water, peppermint foot scrub and lotion, nail polish in several colors, and those little foam thingies to stick between their toes while the polish dried.

“You still up for a scary movie?” Lily brought up the menu of movies available for download.

“Sure. Unless you want to just hang out and talk.” Fisher slipped her feet into the foot bath. “Tell me more about this donor thing.”

“I have my first appointment the middle of June.” Lily scrubbed her feet as if she could rub away the frustration at having to wait. “It’s just a consultation. I guess they’ll make sure I’m serious about becoming a single parent.”

“Is this something you’ve been thinking about for a long time?” Fisher’s tone suggested she wasn’t quite sure how deep she should pry.

“My ex-husband was infertile. We’d been trying for years.” Her words dripped with regret. “He was also unfaithful.”

“What a bummer.” Fisher sounded so sincere that Lily couldn’t help but feel a kinship with her.

“Yeah, a real bummer.” Lily sighed, lifting her foot and rubbing it with a towel. “But it would have been worse if he’d only been unfaithful.”

“I guess you’re right.” Fisher was still soaking her feet, in no hurry to get to the next step. “No father is better than a lying, cheating, no-good… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t judge someone I’ve never met.”

“No, it’s okay.” Lily flashed her new friend a warm smile that came from feeling like she had a true ally. “I was thinking the same thing. Except I sometimes wonder if it’s selfish of me. I’ll always wonder if my child will be missing something.”

“I was raised by just my Dad,” Fisher admitted. “There were times when I wished more than anything to know my mother, but…” She shrugged, wiggling her toes in the footbath. “I always knew Dad was there for me. And at least I didn’t have to spend all my holidays shuffled from one house to the other.”

“I thought once my dad moved out, my parents wouldn’t fight over me anymore,” Lily said. “It only got worse.”

She shuddered at the memories. But it was still better than having no parents at all. Poor Carson and Cody. Yet they had managed to build something special with their company. With each other.

“So tell me, how long have you worked for Swift River Adventures?” Lily desperately wanted to change the subject.

“Three years, now.” Fisher pulled her feet from the water. She patted each foot dry before slathering them with lotion. “I planned on moving on once I got my masters, but I like it here. It’s like being part of a family.”

“And the fact you’ve got a thing for Cody?”

“Not a thing. Just…” Fisher reached for a bottle of nail polish—the bright pink, sparkly one. “Maybe if I was more girly, he might not see me as just one of the guys. Most of the time I’m cool with it. It helps when we’re on the river, you know. I like being treated like an equal. But sometimes I wish he’d realize I have actual feelings. And, you know,
needs
.”

“I’m too often treated like a delicate flower.” Lily reached for the soft shell pink, then traded it for the drop dead red. “Like I need to be sheltered or protected. Carson actually asked me if Cody was bothering me. Like I couldn’t handle a little flirtation.”

“Maybe he’s jealous.”

“No. That’s not it.” Lily smeared her nail polish and wiped it up with her thumb. Her concentration was definitely not on the job at hand.

“He’s used to seeing Cody get what he wants.” Fisher concentrated on her pedicure. “And we all know that Cody wants you.”

“Then I think we need to work together to change that.” Lily worked on her other foot. “I’ll continue discouraging him. And you, my friend, should let him know how you feel.”

“I couldn’t do that.” Fisher said. “Besides, I’ve been trying to help him get closer to you. I can’t just backpedal and put the moves on him myself.”

“Sure you could.” A devious plan sprang to Lily’s mind. “Or you could give him really bad advice, the kind that would make any woman run the other way. Then you could be there to pick up the pieces.”

“I couldn’t lie to him.” Fisher twisted her long braid, uncomfortable with such trickery. “I just couldn’t.”

“No, I don’t suppose you could. But you could teach him how you would want to be treated. Maybe even offer to let him practice with you.”

“I wouldn’t know how to do that either.” Fisher stared down at her toes, a flush creeping up her skin that had nothing to do with the wine. “I mean, how do you tell a guy after three years that you’ve changed your mind—you do want to sleep with him?”

“We’ll come up with something.” Lily wasn’t sure what she wanted more, to get Cody off her back or to get him to see what a gem Fisher was. “We’ve got all summer, right?”

* * * *

Carson sliced up some chicken breast, bell peppers, and onions for a quick fajita dinner. He needed to get a few things off his chest and Cody always listened better when he had a full belly. Staying home would minimize the distractions they’d have if they went out.

“Dinner’s just about ready.” Carson added a squeeze of lime as the finishing touch. “You want to grab a couple of beers and we’ll eat outside?”

“Sure. Smells good.” Cody pulled two bottles from the fridge, grabbed the salsa and a bag of tortilla chips, and took them out to their deck.

Carson pulled the warm tortillas from the oven and set up a fajita bar on the kitchen island. He set the pan with the meat, onion, and pepper mixture on a trivet, even though the guy at the home improvement store had told him he could set hot pans directly on the engineered stone. He and Cody had built the house together; each had made their mark on the design. Cody had insisted on a large deck and plenty of room for entertaining. Carson’s only requirement was that they each had their own bathroom. He didn’t want to worry about walking in on some woman in the middle of the night.

They dished up their plates to take out on the deck. Carson wasn’t sure if he should lead off with the problem Lily found on the books or with his planned trip to Utah. A trip that was now in serious jeopardy.

“How was your trip?” he asked as Cody sat down. When had they become an old married couple?

“Fine. Not much to report.” Cody spooned extra salsa on his fajitas before taking a bite.

“Meet anyone interesting?” Carson really did sound like a suspicious wife.

“Not really.” Cody didn’t seem to remember not to talk with his mouth full.

“Any single women?” He could only hope. For Lily’s sake.

“I didn’t ask.” Cody swallowed, then took a slug of beer. “Not interested. Any woman I meet on a day trip would be like mining for pyrite. I’m holding out for the real gold.”

“Lily?” She was no get-rich-quick scheme, that was for sure.

“Don’t worry, I’m not just looking to dip my oar—”

“I wasn’t going to lecture you…”

“Really? Because I was hoping you would.”

“Can’t we have a conversation without you getting all defensive?”

“Not lately.” Cody took another big bite.

“Look, there are some things we need to talk about.” Carson tried to keep his voice neutral. To not sound judgmental.

“I’m not going to discuss Lily with you,” Cody said between bites. “So you can just lay off.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know what she found?” Carson knew he wouldn’t be able to resist finding out.

“As long as it wasn’t the birthmark on your left thigh,” Cody joked. As usual, it had sexual undertones. “I don’t really care what you two have been putting your heads together about.”

“Even if it’s your money too?”

“What money?”

Now he had his attention. This could be worth whatever amount was stolen or moved or whatever if he could get Cody more involved.

“Lily found some suspicious entries in the bookkeeping.” Carson kept his voice steady, not letting on that he was really worried.

“No shit?” Cody’s voice lacked the usual joking note. “Like embezzlement?”

“Maybe.” Carson’s fajita sat like a huge boulder at the bottom of his stomach. “She’s still looking into it.”