When Kevin snickered, Nick shot him a frown. “Whose side are you on?”
“Will you really bake me brownies?” Kevin asked Jamie.
“Yes.”
Kevin turned back to Nick. “Sorry, broâmy allegiance is with the one who bakes the brownies.”
“Traitor.”
“You'd do the same and you know it. You ready to get to work?”
“Depends,” said Nick. “You gonna share your brownies with me?”
“Depends.” Kevin cut his gaze to Jamie. “Will you bake an extra-large batch?”
Jamie's lips twitched. “Done.”
Kevin turned back to Nick. “Yes. I'll share.
One
.”
“Fine.” He nodded toward Kevin's cast. “How's the leg feeling today?”
“Better than yesterday, not as good as tomorrow. It's actually my ass that hurtsâfrom all this sitting around. I can't wait 'til next Wednesday.” He looked at Jamie. “That's when the cast comes off. And the physical therapy begins.”
“What happened?” Jamie asked.
“Fell off a ladder on the job.” Kevin shook his head. “Broke my leg in two places. Required surgery. Now I have a plate and more screws than I care to think about holding me together in there and I've been in this cast for six weeks. Next up is several months of physical therapy.”
Liz reached for Kevin's hand. “We're lucky only his leg was broken. When I think about what could have happened . . .” She closed her eyes and a shudder shook her.
Kevin brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. “It didn't happen so don't think about it. I'll be up chasing you and Emily around in no time.”
“Speaking of Emily,” broke in Nick, “where is the love of my life?”
“Taking her afternoon nap,” said Liz. “She'll be waking up soon.”
“Emily's our baby,” Kevin explained to Jamie.
“And she's also my goddaughter,” said Nick. “And The Cutest Little Girl in the World.”
“I have to agree with that,” Kevin said.
“And you're totally unbiased,” Jamie said with a laugh.
Kevin grinned. “Totally.”
As if on cue, Jamie heard a baby voice say, “Mama, Mama, Mama.”
“I'm being paged via the baby monitor,” Liz said, pointing at a device that looked something like a handheld phone on the end table.
“I'll get her,” Nick said. He scooted around Jamie and turned down the hallway.
“I'm planning to grill steaks for dinner, Jamie,” Liz said. “Does that sound okay?”
“Sounds great. I'm happy to help.”
“Thanksâwith Emily now awake, an extra pair of hands is always appreciated. She may be the cutest little girl ever, but she's also very curious and into everything.”
“How old is she'?”
“Eighteen months.”
“I remember when my niece was that age. So busy, so cute.”
Just then Nick's voice floated through the monitor. “Hey there, sweetie. How's my favorite girl?”
His question was answered by a happy baby giggle and the words, “Uncoo Nic. Up.”
“You're getting so big, I can barely lift you.” Nick made exaggerated groaning sounds, as if he were lifting a boulder, followed by kissy noises and baby squeals of delight. “What's the big idea of napping when I'm around? That's not allowed.”
A few seconds later Nick entered the room holding an adorable toddler with her father's ebony hair surrounding her cherubic face in soft ringlets and her mother's amazing blue eyes. She had one chubby arm wrapped around Nick's neck and two fingers of her other hand in her mouth.
She blinked at Jamie, clearly wondering,
Who the heck are you?
Jamie smiled, waggled her fingers, and said, “Hi there, Emily. You sure are a cutie.” Emily pulled her fingers from her mouth and grinned, showing her tiny baby teeth. Then she saw Kevin and Liz, and her smile deepened, showing off a pair of deep dimples.
“Dada,” she said, and reached for Kevin.
“Oh, my gosh, she's absolutely adorable,” Jamie said.
“That's because she looks just like her mom,” Kevin said, settling his daughter on his good leg. He wrinkled his nose. “She may look really cute, but whew, she smells really bad.”
“I'm on it,” Liz said, plucking Emily up like a daisy, lifting her high and blowing on her tummy, an act that brought out a delicious baby squeal of delight. She turned to Jamie. “I'm not sure I have all the ingredients to make brownies from scratch. Would you be interested in checking the pantry while I change her?”
“As long as you don't mind me rooting around in your pantry.”
“I'll show her where it is,” Nick offered, then he laid a hand on Kevin's shoulder. “I'll meet you in the back room in a few.”
Kevin and Liz headed down the hallway and Jamie followed Nick into the kitchen. Bright golden sunlight streamed through a window that offered a view of a neatly landscaped, fenced-in backyard complete with a child's playhouse, a sandbox that looked like a giant turtle, and a swing set. As was her habit with every first-time visit to any kitchen, Jamie turned in a slow circle, absorbing the details of the spaceâpale oak cabinets, gleaming coffee-colored granite countertops, tiled backsplash, center island, and stainless appliances.
“Lovely,” she said. “Everything's up to date, and so beautifully done. And obviously new.”
Nick nodded. “Kevin finished it not long before his accident.”
“Did you help him?”
“Helped him finish. He was well into the project when I moved to Seaside Cove.”
“And I'm guessing you built the ramp outside to accommodate his wheelchair?”
“The trip down the stairs would have been pretty bumpy without it. The last thing he needs is for his leg to be jarred.”
Even though she'd suspected ever since he'd kissed her that he wasn't going off on drinking binges, it was now all perfectly clear. “This is where you've been when you're off on your âbenders.' ” She made air quotes around the last word.
“Guilty.”
“You're not out drinking, you're here working. Helping your friend.”
“Hey, we toss back a few brews at the end of the work day.”
Her memory kicked in and she frowned, and said slowly, “When we talked about the speculation as to where you went . . . you suggested you were helping a crippled friend . . . and you really are.”
“Well, he's only temporarily crippled, but yeah.”
“You told me the truth and I didn't even know it.”
“I told youâI don't lie.”
Something seemed to crack inside Jamie, then crumble to dust.
That would be your preconceived notions about this guy,
her inner voice whispered.
“How did the rumor get started that you go off on benders?”
Nick shrugged. “The first few times I came here, I stopped at Crabby's for a drink before crossing the bridge to go home. I guess I was pretty tired, bleary-eyed, and scruffy looking after a few days of much work and little sleep. Someone must have thought I was drunk, word got around, and boomârumor started.”
“Why didn't you try to correct the misconception?”
“By the time I heard the rumors, they were pretty firmly in place, and quite frankly, I didn't really care. Newcomers are always prone to gossip in small towns, so I figured actions speak louder than words and the longer I lived there, people would eventually figure it out. And as strange as it may sound, I found the situation kind of funny. I've always been regarded as something of a straight arrow, so I can't deny it amused me to discover this perception of me as a mysterious bad boy who went off on benders.”
“So you didn't do anything to disabuse me of the notion that you were Mr. Bender.”
“No. Yet it seems you've figured it out.”
“What if I hadn't?”
“I knew you would eventually. You're smart, and I'm patient.” He reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, a casual gesture completely at odds with the intense look in his eyes. His fingers lingered, tracing lightly around the edge of her ear, shooting a shiver of delight down her spine. “I'm willing to wait for what I want.”
Her heart stuttered. “Don't you ever get tired of waiting? Aren't you ever tempted to just reach out and grab what you want?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, his voice a soft, husky rasp that instantly brought to mind naked bodies, tangled limbs, and rumpled sheets. “I'm definitely tempted.”
His gaze wandered down to her toes and then back up, lingering for several seconds on her mouth. By the time he looked into her eyes again, she felt as if she'd been tossed into an oven set on
broil
.
He cupped her face in one large, callused palm and studied her with a half-heated, half-troubled expression. It was clear he wanted to kiss her, yet he made no move to do so. Jamie's pulse revved and she parted her lips, willing him to lean down andâ
“All clean and fresh smelling,” came Liz's cheery voice from behind Jamie, causing her to practically jump out of her skin. Heat filled her faceâoh, great, here came the blotchesâat being caught dying to be kissed in the kitchen of a woman she'd met ten minutes ago.
Nick's gaze lingered on hers for several seconds with a heated look she hoped meant
to be continued
before switching his attention to Liz and Emily.
Liz set the baby down and she immediately toddled to Nick, grabbed on to his jean-covered knees, looked up at him with an adoring grin, and said, “Up, Uncoo Nic. Up.”
Nick immediately picked her up, lifted her over his head, and lightly tossed her several inches higher and caught her. Emily laughed, then demanded, “Up!”
“Good luck with thatâshe'll never want you to stop,” Liz said. She turned to Jamie. “Did you check out the pantry?”
“Not yet. I was too busy admiring your kitchen.”
And ogling Nick. And hoping, waiting to be kissed, something I shouldn't be hoping or waiting for at all.
“It's beautiful.”
“Thanks. They did a great job. Let's take a look.”
Liz opened double doors to reveal shelves that ran from the floor to the ceiling. “This is great,” Jamie said, admiring the neat, well-stocked rows.
“Pull out whatever you need. If you're missing something we can walk to the marketâit's just up the road. Meanwhile I'll get Emily's after-nap snack going.”
In one smooth motion she plucked her daughter from Nick, set her in her high chair, then waved Nick out of the kitchen. “Shoo. You're in the way and we have girl stuff to do in here. I'll bring you guys drinks and snacks after Emmie's fed.”
“God knows I don't want to get embroiled in girl stuff.” Nick shot Jamie a wink, then strode to the high chair and pretended to nibble on Emily's tiny hand. She squealed and kicked her legs, and then he disappeared down the hallway. Seconds later she heard his deep voice mingling with Kevin's.
“What are they working on back there?” Jamie asked, pulling the items she'd need for brownies from the pantry.
“An extension. It adds another bedroom, a playroom, and a bathroom. This house was a lot bigger before we had Emily.” Liz set a handful of Cheerios on the high chair tray and Emily immediately popped one in her bow-shaped mouth. “For a tiny person she takes up a lot of room,” she said, dropping a kiss on her daughter's shiny curls.
“We considered buying a bigger house,” Liz continued while adding a few banana slices to Emily's tray, “but with the economy and real estate market the way they are, we couldn't be sure we'd be able to sell this house. Since Kevin can do the renovations himself, it just made better financial sense to add the extension. But then his accident happened, and things got crazy. It's been a real struggle.”
Jamie set the items she'd selected from the pantry on the center island, then leaned her hips against the polished granite countertop and watched Liz feed an enthusiastic Emily spoonfuls of what looked like applesauce. The baby alternately ate, grinned at Liz and Jamie, and batted her hands on the tray, causing the few remaining Cheerios to bounceâmuch to her delight.
Jamie laughed as her heart squeezed at the sight of that beautiful, happy baby, and at Liz, who practically glowed with pride and motherly love. And in a single heartbeat, Jamie realized that the internal tug pulling on her was envy. Because this lovely, cozy house contained everything she someday wanted. A loving marriage. And a child that was a product of that love.
And it also reminded her that there
would
soon be a new baby in her life. “My mom is expecting a baby,” Jamie said.
Liz looked up from feeding Emily and Jamie swallowed her chuckle at the surprise in her eyes. “Wow. You must have a really young mom. I was one of those âlate in life' babies, so that ship sailed long ago for my mother. Are you excited about it?”
“Excited and nervousâI've never been a big sister before, and I haven't spent much time around a baby since my niece was one and she's fourteen now. Seeing Emily has really upped the excitement factor.”
“She's a lot of fun. And a lot of work. But mostly fun. And she's an absolute
angel
when she's sleeping.”
The muffled sound of an electric saw floated in from down the hallway. “How soon before the extension is finished?” she asked, engaging in a game of peek-a-boo with Emily.
“By the end of Septemberâfingers crossed. Kevin's accident came at an especially bad time. Summer is his busiest season. With the economic downturn, jobs are scarce and he couldn't afford to lose any that he'd already contracted for, plus he needed to land as many future projects as possible. I seriously don't know what we would have done without Nick's help. He's overseeing all the jobs, and working himself to exhaustion on them as well.”