Lila's Thunder: The Almeida Brothers, Book One (11 page)

Jack’s eyes met hers and they smiled at each other, their shoulders beginning
to slowly shake until both of them were full blown laughing.  It was a laughter that was so heartfelt and potent that tears came to Jacks amused eyes.  He reached out and cupped Lila’s smiling face in his hands, watching her longingly and slowly pulling her in for a kiss.

But Lila quickly drew away, looking back to Jack’s grandmother
, who was now squinting into the car from the brownstone’s staircase while adjusting her bifocals.  Thank god the woman was blind as a bat. 

“Jack, not i
n front of your grandmother,” she said, blushing softly.

Jack’s hands went from Lila’s cheeks and into her hair.
  “Lila she can’t see the tip of her nose let alone whether or not we’re kissing through the tinted windows of my truck.”

“I know, I just… I just don’t want to take any chances.”

Because of Chase?  Jack wanted to ask, but he stopped himself.  Instead he stared into her eyes intensely, wondering if it wasn’t a good thing that his grandmother had put a stop to this whole thing before anyone got hurt.  “All right,” he said, his eyes falling to her sweet mouth.  He could still feel its warmth, its softness, her full lips pumping him.  “Let’s go,” he demanded, adjusting himself before throwing open the driver’s side door.

Lila watched him go, keenly aware of the complete change in attitude that her rejection had brought alive
in him.  “Damn,” she said to herself, before throwing open her own door and hopping out.

His grandmother sure did have great timing.

Chapter 6

Jack’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he climbed the steps of his brownstone with Lila in his wake. “Grams!”

Jack’s grandmother, Bitsy
Halloway, shook her full head of silver hair and bounded down the steps, screaming the entire time, before leaping into his arms. She placed large, sloppy kisses on his cheeks.  As his grandmother attacked him with love all Jack could decipher were her ear splitting screams. ‘I love yous’ and ‘my handsome boys’ all muddled together to create a barely discernible sea of words that not even he could fully comprehend as her bright blue eyes danced with glee.  He steadied himself on the steps while wrapping his arms around her and returning her embrace, unable to stop himself from smiling.  It had been a long time since someone had hugged him so tightly, so sincerely.

Lila had followed Jack from the truck and now watched quietly from
the bottom of the steps, her arms crossed over her chest.  With a hand over her smiling lips she looked to the open doorway with amused eyes and nodded her head at the man she recognized as Frank Halloway, the groom who’d married Bitsy at Lake Tahoe.  When their eyes met, Frank stepped away from where he'd been tucked into he corner of the doorway and squeezed past Jack, who was still being held in a chokehold by his grandmother.

Frank was an abnormally thin man, one of those lucky people
who could eat whatever they wanted and never gain a pound, and he had a long sad face that completely contradicted his personality.  It was graciously offset by a pair of friendly blue eyes and a shiny bald head.  Lila remembered meeting him at the wedding two years ago and he’d been a pleasure to be around.

“Lila James,”
 Frank observed, making his way to the bottom of the steps.

“
Well if it isn’t Frank Halloway,” Lila said, opening her arms and giving him a friendly hug.  When she pulled away she motioned to him.  “I’m surprised you remember me.”  She’d been just one of the two hundred and fifty guests that had attended him and Bitsy’s wedding at Lake Tahoe.

“Well how the hell could anyo
ne forget such a gorgeous face,” Bitsy cried.  Sometime during Lila and Frank’s hello Bitsy had unleashed Jack and was now making her way to Lila.  The two women shared a hug, both laughing as they pulled away.  Jack watched quietly. Bitsy placed her hands on Lila’s arms and sighed dramatically.

Lila looked between Bitsy and Frank.
  “Am I mistaken or should I be wishing the two of you a happy anniversary?”

Bitsy threw her head back in delight.
  “Two years and counting,” She said. “Can you believe it?  We decided to come to the city to surprise my two beautiful grandsons for our anniversary week.  It was such a treat seeing them at the wedding but lord knows they never visit, so I’ve taken matters into my own hands.” She stopped talking and smacked her teeth at Lila, shaking her head in wonder. “What a doll you are.  What an absolute doll.”  Bitsy placed her hand over her heart. “The way you've taken such wonderful care of my grandson. I almost cried when I heard he’d been accepted to Harvard. What a turnaround. That boy was an absolute wreck when he lost his mother, god rest, and you just came along and made it all go away like magic.”

Lila knew that Chase had always been closer to his mother than his father, but she was hesitant to speak on his behalf.

“When we saw Chase dancing at the wedding we were sure we were hallucinating. Dancing!” Frank winked his approval at Lila.

“He’s a good kid,” w
as all Lila could say.  Her eyes jumped to Jack, who was staring at her intensely.

Bitsy continued. “I just can’t thank you enough, Lila.
  Chase was on a dark path and you saved him.  You really did.”  Bitsy took one of Lila’s hands in her own and sighed deeply, looking around. “And where is he? Where’s Chase?”

Lila blinked.
  “Oh, well, Chase....”

Jack interjected. "He's with a study group."
If he told her Chase was, for some reason, busing tables at a restaurant that he and Lila would be subjected to a flurry of questions he wasn’t sure they were ready to answer.

Bitsy’s
eyebrows jumped to the top of her head and she looked at Jack.  Then Lila.  Then Frank.  Then back to Lila.  “So you two are here…”  She turned to Jack. “Alone?”

Jack could only stare blankly at his grandmother, knowing that this wasn’t going anyplace good.

Bitsy fluttered her lashes at Lila. “Well when I said you were taking wonderful care of my grandson I suppose I should have made it plural.”

“It’s nothing like that, Mrs.
Halloway, Jack was just giving me a ride home from the restaurant...” Lila realized how that sounded and bit her tongue, catching Jack’s eyes over Bitsy’s shoulder.  He was shaking his head in defeat.

“A r
ide home from the restaurant,” Bitsy repeated.  “Well…”  She trailed off, suggestively.

Lila scrunched her nose.
“I should probably go..."

Bitsy, Frank and Jack all frowned at her as if they couldn't believe she would even think of leaving which made Lila all the more anxious.

Bitsy took Lila's arm. "Oh nonsense, darling, Frank and I would love it if you came inside to catch up."

Lila smiled at her warmth. "That really means a lot Bitsy, but I know Jack hasn't seen you in a while.
  I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding,"
Jack interjected, holding Lila's challenging gaze with one equally as strong.  "Come up."  His words were more of a demand than a question.

Lila shook
her head.  "This is family time guys.  I really-- I should go."   She kissed Bitsy's cheek quickly before waving and making her way down the sidewalk.

As she walked off
, Jack bounded down the stairs, brushing a comforting hand against his grandmother's shoulder before sweeping past her and chasing Lila down the street.

Frank and Bitsy shared a knowing look.

---

"Lila, wait." Jack raced after Lila, taking her arm in his hand as he circled in front of her,
blocking her path breathlessly. "Hey, hey!"

Lila sighed helplessly, coming to a reluctant stop.  She could feel
her arm heat up where Jack was holding it.  "Jack," she relented, shaking her head.  "This isn't a good idea."

He held her gaze steadily.
  "What about what just happened in the truck?"  His eyes studied hers. "Love 'em and leave 'em, huh?"

A slow
smile worked at her lips. "It was just the one time, right?"

"Does it count if we didn't
even get a chance to finish?" he asked, bending down so they were eye to eye.  He placed his hands on her waist and squeezed.

Lila smiled.

He swallowed hard.  "I'm not sorry it happened."

She licked her lips.
Over his shoulder, she was sure she saw the blue truck from the coffee shop the other day rolling slowly down the street.  She watched it until it was out of sight.

He
watched her lips as she licked them, unaware at her momentary distraction. "Are you sorry?" he whispered.

Closing her eyes, Lila tilted her head to the side, and then opened them before shaking her head no.

His eyes grew cloudy.  "Come inside."

"Jack, what if Chase sees?"

"Then he sees," Jack beamed.  He was so sick of all of this.  Sick of hiding the way he felt.  With every second that passed with her waist in his hands, allowing him to touch her, hold her, he was sick of it a little more.

Lila was shaken by the way Jack was looking at her.
  So open and honest.  "It's not a good idea," she said, again.

--

"More tea, Lila?" Bitsy chirped.

Lila looked up from her seat at Jack's kitchen table and
blushed as Bitsy offered her the fourth re-fill of the night.  Before she answered her eyes flew to Jack across the table, who was watching her with kind eyes.  "Sure, Bitsy, thank you."

"So," Bitsy started.
  Having been the life of the tea party for the last hour, none of the other three patrons at the table were surprised as she began speaking. "I remember the first moment I met you," she said to Lila.

"Oh, yeah?"
  Lila asked as Bitsy re-took the chair opposite her. "I hope I was at least, semi-sober."

Jack and Frank laughed softly as Bitsy waved a playful hand.
  "You were lovely.  It was our wedding reception and you and Chase had just finished dancing, rather horrifically might I add, to--"

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love,"
Jack finished, staring across the table at Lila.

Bitsy snapped a finger. "Yes.
  And I remember telling Frank that I had never seen my Chase as brilliantly happy as he was at that very moment.  Didn't I tell you that Frank?"

"You did,"
Frank confirmed.  Lila was sure she sensed tightness in his voice.

"Yes
, and the moment that song ended I remember that Chase took your hand and dragged you across the dance floor towards me.  He was moving a mile a minute, and you were struggling to keep up in that tiny purple dress you had on--"

"Blue..."
  Jack corrected.

"Was it blue?" Bitsy beamed.

"…It was blue."

"It was blue."
  Lila nodded, giving Jack a look.

"Well, anyway!"
Bitsy's eyes widened.  "Chase dragged you over to me and introduced you to me as his date."

"I remember,
"  Lila said, softly.  "I could have killed him."

"Oh you turned just about as red as a young lady of your complexion is capable of turning."

Lila chortled against her tea, nearly spitting it out.  Across the table Jack was giving his grandmother a look of disbelief.

"He said you were the love of his life."

The smile had fallen from Lila's face and she was now staring at Bitsy intently.

"I told him that sixteen year olds didn't have loves of their
lives," Bitsy continued.

Lila sighed deeply.
  "I remember."

Bitsy cleared her throat. "Now my youngest grandson has always had a flair for the dramatic... so I didn't think much of it."
  She paused for a moment.  "But that was two years ago... he's on his way to Harvard now... and you're still here."

Lila took a moment.
"Yeah."

"Having dinner with my first grandson?"

"Grams," Jack jumped in.

Lila held his gaze, and then looked back to Bitsy.
  "Yeah, we had dinner."  She felt like she was on trial.

"So!"
  Bitsy took a heavy sip of her tea, "You and Jack had dinner together.  How nice." Bitsy's shoulders shook.  "I would just love it if all five of us could have dinner together before we left."

Jack's eyes widened in Lila's.

Bitsy placed a small hand over Jack's strong arm. "Someplace bright and festive.  Where did you guys go tonight? Maybe I'd like it?"

"Bitsy,"
 Frank warned.

Bitsy blinked innocently, but Frank knew her too well.

Lila cleared her throat.  "We went to Lavo."

"
Lavo... well..."

"It was a busi
ness dinner, Grams," Jack jumped in.  "We were only there to discuss her submitting her resignation."

"Resignation!"

Jack nodded. "Now that Chase is going to Harvard, Lila was insistent that she put a little distance between the two of them since..."  He motioned to Bitsy. "They
are
very close."  His eyes went to Lila.  "I didn’t want to accept her resignation because while she and Chase
are
very close I have seen nothing but improvement in him since the moment she came into his life.  He wouldn’t be the man he is today, nowhere near the man he is, without her.”

Lila took in his words, speechless.

Jack held her gaze as he went on. “But, despite my best efforts, she insisted that her work was done. She didn't think it would be fair to Chase to stay in his life when she knew he’d be out on his own soon."

“And I suppose driving her home in your truck was a part of her resignation?” Bitsy giggled gently.
  “Any special women in your life these days, darling?”

Jack’s jaw tightened.
“Enough, Grams.”

"Well anyway, t
hat was very adult of you, Lila.  And very sensitive towards what's best for Chase. I'm very impressed."  She nodded, before sitting taller in her seat and looking back to Jack. “Are you working tomorrow night, dear?”

Jack stopped in mid sip.
  “I’m always working.”

“Not tomorrow night you aren’t.
  You, Chase, Frank, Lila and myself are all going to have dinner. Make reservations.  Someplace decorative.”  Bitsy shook her shoulders in delight.