Busted. Her face burned as though his words were a blowtorch and she rushed across the room to slap the light switch off. In the faint glow of moonlight penetrating her curtains, she went to her couch and tried to get comfortable. It wasn’t quite long enough, but she curled up under the light cotton blanket and closed her eyes.
Getting caught staring on the first night was embarrassing, but at least he wasn’t a mind reader. There was no way he could guess she’d been wondering what he wore from the waist down.
“Good night, Emma.”
The quiet, husky voice in the darkness made her shiver. “’Night, Sean.”
A little less than seven hours of tossing and turning later, Emma’s question was answered—much to the detriment of her recently revived libido.
At some point during the night, Sean had thrown off the sheet. Probably right around the time he rolled onto his stomach. With his hands shoved under his pillow and one knee drawn up a little, she had a clear view of his ass—showcased perfectly in dark blue boxer briefs.
Even though she was careful not to look directly at the ass in question, Sean stirred. He shoved his face a little deeper into the pillow and stretched one of those not-quite-awake stretches that made his entire body—and hers—vibrate and the muscles of his back ripple.
Since there was no way she couldn’t stare directly at that view, but she didn’t want to get caught looking again, Emma scrambled off the couch. Grabbing the stack of clothes she’d put out the night before, she went into the bathroom and closed the door against temptation.
When she emerged a while later, refreshed and dressed and ready to face the day, Sean was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrubbing his face with his hands. He’d thrown on a pair of jeans, but she noticed immediately he hadn’t done up the fly.
“Good morning,” she said, injecting a little more cheer into her voice than she felt.
“Morning.”
So, not a morning person, then. Since, unlike her, he hadn’t had any problem falling asleep, she didn’t think he was still tired. “If I know Gram, she’s already working on breakfast and I didn’t get my lack of cooking ability from her.”
“I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
He didn’t seem inclined to make conversation, so she left the room and followed the heavenly scent of coffee and bacon to the kitchen. “Morning, Gram.”
Cat paused in stirring a big batch of scrambled eggs in her favorite cast-iron skillet, which had been sadly neglected in her absence. “Morning, sweetie. Is Sean up?”
“He’ll be down in a few minutes.” Figuring it was something a domesticated woman would do, she fixed him a cup of coffee along with her own. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for us.”
“Don’t think I didn’t see the boxes of doughnuts and instant oatmeal in the pantry. And cooking for one isn’t any fun.”
Emma didn’t think cooking for any amount of people was fun, but she wasn’t going to turn down a homemade breakfast. “I was able to rearrange a few things to get a couple of days off, but Wednesday I have a job I have to do. And Sean, of course.”
“I knew you’d be busy this time of year, so I wasn’t expecting you to keep me company every minute. I’ll probably go into town and see some old friends.”
Emma smiled, but a slight tremor racked her insides. The nearest town, where they’d always gone and Emma had gone to school, wasn’t a small town, but it wasn’t big, either. Knowing Gram was probably in contact with old friends, she’d been pretending she was engaged there, too. Her own friends knew the truth, but anybody in Gram’s circle was convinced Emma was engaged, even though they’d never met the lucky fellow.
It had been a careful balancing act. Sean tended to travel to the town where his family lived so he could visit them at the same, she told people. And sometimes they’d just missed him. Or he’d gone back to Maine for a visit but work had kept her from accompanying him.
Hopefully all her groundwork wouldn’t crumble under Gram’s scrutiny.
“Something smells good,” Sean said as he walked into the kitchen. And like any good fiancé, he slid an arm around Emma’s waist and leaned in for a quick morning kiss, smelling of shampoo and shaving cream and toothpaste.
It was over almost before she registered his intention, but she managed not to jump back like…how had he put it? A virgin at a frat party?
“You’re in for a treat,” she said in a surprisingly normal voice. “Gram’s scrambled eggs are to die for.”
“So what’s the plan for today?” Gram asked while dishing up the eggs and bacon.
“Whatever you want to do.” Emma handed Sean his coffee cup.
“We should go buy a new grill,” Gram said. “And I’ll see if there’s any decent salmon to be had.”
Emma nodded. At least grill shopping meant going to the city rather than in to town. One step at a time. One day at a time. That’s how they’d get through the month.
And, God help her, one kiss at a time.
Sean got the summons he’d been dreading in the form of a voice mail left on his cell phone while they were struggling to get the new grill out of the back of the truck.
“Sean, it’s Aunt Mary.” As if any other woman in his life ever used that tone of voice with him. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I want to see you. Today. Alone. Don’t make me come looking for you, young man.”
Yeah, he was in trouble. And it was own damn fault because he should have known his cousins couldn’t keep their mouths shut. They never had. Especially Mikey. He was always the rat growing up.
He gave Emma and Cat a song and dance about promising his uncle he’d give him a hand changing the oil in his riding lawnmower and made the drive over like a criminal being marched into the courtroom to face the judge. This judge, though, would whack the shit out of him with kitchen utensils if she didn’t like his answers.
He was already exhausted and a confrontation with his aunt was the last thing he wanted. The clock on Emma’s bedside table had read one in the morning when a sound had penetrated his sleep. A sleepy, sexy and definitely feminine moan wasn’t a bad thing to wake up to, except when the female was sleeping on a couch across the room. Alone.
She’d quieted after that single sound, but his body sure as hell hadn’t. As a result, he’d drifted in and out of a tortured sleep and woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
Aunt Mary was in the kitchen—as usual—when he arrived and right after pointing him in that direction, Uncle Leo disappeared into his den and closed the door. Chicken.
She started in on him the second he crossed the threshold from the living room. “I was wrong about you all these years. I always thought you were a smart boy, but you don’t have the brains God gave a jackass.”
“Aunt Mary, I—”
“Don’t you Aunt Mary me, Sean Michael Kowalski. I should go get my wooden spoon and thunk some sense into that thick head of yours.”
Sean sighed and tried to school his expression into something closer to contrition than belligerence. Not that she wouldn’t see through it, but he made the effort regardless. “I’m just helping her out for a few weeks so that—”
“Helping her lie to her grandmother, you mean.”
“I know it sounds bad, but—”
“Because you were raised better than that.”
He’d known this wouldn’t be easy, but he’d been hoping to at least finish a sentence or two. “Can I talk? Please?”
“When you have something sensible to say.”
He gave himself a few seconds so none of his frustration would show in his voice. Hopefully. “Remember after high school when I dumped my bike and I told you I had a bruised elbow and a little road rash?”
She pinned him with a look that made him want to squirm. “Yes.”
“Well, I dumped my bike because a truck hit me. I also had a bad concussion. And four broken bones.”
Her expression froze for a few seconds, but then he saw the comprehension in her eyes, followed by an unholy gleam of pissed off. “You little bastard. Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t want you to worry. You wouldn’t have believed I was okay without leaving your family to come take care of me and Lisa was so pregnant she was going to pop any day.”
“You’re my family, too, and don’t you forget it.”
“You would have been stressed out for no reason because there was nothing you could do. I didn’t want that for you so I talked the others into lying for me. It’s the same situation Emma found herself in, more or less.”
She glared at him, her arms folded across her chest. “Protecting weak, old women from the truth, you mean?”
Oh, hell no. “You are not weak or old, Aunt Mary, and neither is Cat. I know you’re upset about this, but I bet you’ve hedged around the truth a time or two to keep somebody you love from being unhappy.”
When she didn’t respond right away, he thought maybe she was softening. “I don’t like this at all, Sean.”
“I gave her my word.” That was the bottom line.
Her mouth tightened. “And?”
“And…” He took a deep breath. “If you can’t back me up on this, I’ll have to keep Cat away from here. And she knows you’re nearby, which means I’ll have to say we had a falling out.”
“Don’t threaten me, young man,” she said, but her tone was a little softer. She of all people knew Kowalski men were stubborn and meant what they said.
But the last thing he ever want to do was have conflict with this woman. He loved her too much. “I’ve seen them together and Emma was right. Cat’s a lot happier now, thinking we’re engaged, and that’s all Emma’s trying to do. Please, Aunt Mary. I gave her my word.”
She sighed—the deep, meaningful sigh only a mother could really master. “What is it you want me to do?”
“Cat wants to meet you. Maybe have dinner. I was thinking…
hoping
you and Uncle Leo could have a barbeque.”
She was still considering it when Joe walked into the kitchen and stopped. Sean watched him take in his mother’s body language and turn to retreat.
“Joseph, did you know about this craziness Sean’s involved with?”
The guy gave him a look promising retribution in the near future and turned back to his mom. “Yes, I did.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“It wasn’t my place, Ma. And they’re not hurting anybody.”
“It’s wrong.”
Joe smiled what was probably supposed to be a placating smile, but his obvious amusement at Sean’s predicament was ruining it. “It’s wrong that Emma wanted her grandmother to enjoy her new life in Florida?”
“Don’t get wise with me, Joseph. That’s not the issue here.”
“It
is
the issue,” Sean said, drawing his aunt’s gaze back to him. “Her grandmother’s peace of mind is exactly the issue.”
She stared at his face intently for what seemed like forever and he hoped like hell none of his own doubts showed there. “Saturday. Anytime after three and we’ll fire the grills at five.”
“Thank you, Aunt Mary.”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut and play along, but if she asks me outright if you two are up to no good, I won’t lie.”
He couldn’t see why Cat would ask a question like that. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“Go before I change my mind.”
He went, Joe on his heels, and didn’t stop until he was safely in the driveway. “Your mother can be a scary lady sometimes.”
Joe leaned against the fender. “How the hell did you talk her into it?”
“I told her I’d have to stay away—claim we had a falling out—if she didn’t.”
“Ouch. But I hope you realize Ma was the easy part.”
That was the easy part? He didn’t think so. “What do you mean?”
“What are you going to do about the five kids who know that not only were you not engaged last week, but that they haven’t been writing letters for Lisa to send to you at Emma’s house for the last year and a half.”
“Shit.” Every time he thought he had his eye on the ball and could smack it out of the park, it curved on him again. “I didn’t even think of them. Dammit.”
Joe laughed and slapped him on the back. “We’ll take care of the kids. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks, man.” He started to climb into his truck, then stopped. “Look, I know this is funny to you guys but don’t forget it’s not a joke to Emma and Cat. If we blow this, her grandmother’s going to be really upset.”
Joe grinned and slapped the side of the truck. “Come on, cousin. You know we’ve always got your back.”
“Yeah, that’s where you usually stick the
Kick Me
sign.” His cousin was still laughing when he backed out of the driveway.
“I never would have guessed something with orange juice
and
soy sauce in it could taste so good,” Emma said, leaning back in the lawn chair with a sigh. They’d demolished Gram’s honey-ginger grilled salmon in record time and she had no desire to move.
“I’ll write the recipe down for you.”
“I’ll just screw it up anyway.”
Gram laughed. “All you do is mix the ingredients together, pour it in a bag with the salmon and half an hour later, give it to Sean to throw on the grill. He cooked the salmon to perfection tonight.”
Of course he did. As he’d told her earlier, she had nothing to worry about because the Y chromosome came with an innate ability to master the barbeque grill.
“The salad was good, too,” Sean said.
“Thanks,” Emma muttered. “Even I can’t screw up shredding lettuce.”
The man looked incredibly relaxed for somebody who’d been raked over the coals by his aunt and was now relaxing with two women he barely knew. She, on the other hand, felt like she was detoxing. Jumpy. Twitching. A trickle of sweat at the small of her back.
Sean stood and started gathering dishes, but held out a hand when Emma started to get up. “You ladies sit and visit. I’ll take care of the clean-up.”
Once he was inside, Gram smiled and raised her eyebrows. “He does dishes, too? No wonder you snapped him up.”
It was tempting to point out a few of his less-attractive traits, like the fact he was a sexist baboon who wouldn’t let her drive. But he was doing a good job of convincing Gram he was Emma’s Prince Charming, which was the whole point, so she bit back her annoyance with the Saint Sean routine. “He’s a keeper.”
“Something’s bothering you. Tell me what it is and you’ll feel better.”
Emma really doubted that. She made a conscious effort to relax her face. “It’s nothing, really. Work stuff.”
“Really, Emma, I won’t be bothered if you and Sean have to work tomorrow. I understand you’re very busy. And I’m proud of the fact your business is doing so well.”
“It
is
going well.” Emma gave her grandmother a genuine smile. “The summer people love to show off my work and then all the other summer people just have to have me, too.”
“That’s wonderful, dear.” Gram took a sip of her iced tea, then set the glass on the patio table. “But I want to hear more about Sean.”
“Um…like what?” She knew he didn’t like broccoli or peas.
“Oh, I don’t know. How does he like working for you? Since you’re the owner, will he be a stay-at-home dad once you have children?”
Emma was pretty sure Sean’s ideal wife would be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen with a baby on one hip and a laundry basket on the other, but she didn’t say so. “Him working for me isn’t really long-term. He’s just not sure what he wants to do yet. And we’ll figure out the baby thing when the time comes.”
In other words, she had no clue, but she hoped Gram wouldn’t figure that out. Maybe if she was vague enough, whatever Sean would say about the subject wouldn’t contradict her. She sipped at her iced tea and concentrated on not looking stressed out.
Gram reached over and touched her hand. “Are you happy?”
And there it was—the million-dollar question. Everything she and Sean were going through was meant to convince Gram the answer to that question was a resounding
yes.
“I’m happy, Gram. I really am. My company’s thriving and I…have Sean. And, even though I miss you, I love knowing you’re having a great time in Florida with your friends.”
“You should see us down there. That warm sunshine does wonders for the body and we feel ten years younger, at least. You should see Martha line dance! That woman can shake and shimmy like a twenty-year-old.”
Emma laughed, trying very hard not to visualize Martha—who could only be described as stout—shaking and shimmying. “I loved the pictures of you swimming with the dolphins.”
“That was amazing! You wouldn’t believe how friendly they are.” And, as Gram started telling her the story, Emma felt the tension easing out of her body.
At some point Sean joined them, bringing a fresh pitcher of iced tea with him, and they sat on the deck listening to Gram talk about frolicking in sunny Florida until long after the sun had set. And then, once Gram had gone up to bed, Emma and Sean faced each other across the patio table.
“I like Cat,” he said, once her grandmother was safely out of earshot. “This isn’t quite as hard as I thought it would be.”
“It’s going better than I thought,” she agreed. “I’m still having a hard time believing it might actually work.”
“She sure does love Florida.”
“I could tell that even over the phone. When she started talking about moving back, I knew I had to do something.”
He smiled, his eyes warm. “Even if it was crazy.”
“I think the words you used were
batshit
crazy.” She watched his brow furrow for a moment, as though he was trying to remember saying it. “But Lisa also told me the tall and hot part of it, so I didn’t take it personally.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about the hot part right before we go to bed.”
Good point. “You think you can stick this out for a month?”
“Told you I would.”
“And you’ve got Gram wrapped around your little finger already. I’ll have to start complaining about you once in a while or when it comes time to tell her I broke up with you, she’ll never believe it.”
“True. Maybe you should tell her
I
broke up with
you.
”
Emma tossed a balled-up napkin at him. “Funny.”
“You can worry about that later. For now, your grandmother believes you’re madly in love with me and that’s all that matters.”
“So you’re telling me Emma’s grandmother actually fell for it?” Kevin dredged a fry through a puddle of ketchup and popped it in his mouth. “I don’t believe it.”
Sean shrugged. “I’m tellin’ you. She doesn’t give us funny looks or anything.”
He’d taken off midmorning to give Emma and her grandmother some time alone since he and Emma would be working the next day and because, after three days of pretending, he needed a break. He’d done some errands and then showed up at Jasper’s Bar & Grille to see what was going on. He’d gotten there just as Kevin’s wife and daughter had arrived to visit him during his lunch break and they’d invited Sean to join them.
Beth slid Lily’s high chair closer to her seat and farther from Kevin’s. The tot was trying to trade her cut-up banana for her daddy’s fries, not that Sean blamed her. “I have to admit, I didn’t think it would work.”
“Neither did we,” Sean told her and they all laughed.