Summer Kisses (22 page)

Sandy selected two tall glasses from a cupboard and set them on the granite island between them. “What do you mean?”

Jill scrunched her nose at the memory. “It was the same day that you and my parents walked into Derrick’s apartment and found us on the floor.”

“Ahh. That’s right. I never heard the full story.”

“I had gone to Derrick’s apartment to invite him to go with us to Ryan’s doctor appointment. Derrick was icing his sore knee, but he wanted to go, so I gave him some ibuprofen and then helped him to his room so he could dress. It sounds silly, but we tripped over a backpack and fell onto his bed. He sort of fell on top of me, or maybe I fell on him, I can’t remember—”

Sandy waved a frustrated hand through the air. “Forget about all that. Skip to the good part.”

“The bed frame broke next—”

“Leave it to a bunch of guys to put a bed together.” Sandy retrieved a pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator and filled their glasses.

“Yes, well, the frame broke, we rolled across the mattress, and then I did what hundreds of females had surely done before me…I wrapped my arms around Derrick Baylor’s neck and I kissed him.”

“And then what?”

“Well, that’s when you and my parents showed up.”

“Oh.”

“After everyone left, Derrick helped me to my feet. As I gazed into his eyes with ‘do me, take me’ scrawled across my forehead, hoping to finish the kiss, he took a step back and apologized.”

Sandy set the pitcher down. “He didn’t.”

“He did.”

“That’s horrible.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“What did you do next?”

“I grabbed my purse and got the heck out of his apartment before I did something really stupid, like jump his bones.” Jill moaned. “You should have seen me. I went all hot and heavy on him. It was pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic. I know you said that he had his eye on Maggie, but I would have sworn he only had eyes for you when we were all square dancing in the barn.”

“Yeah, well, remember when Derrick first came to my apartment and he had a black eye?”

Sandy nodded.

“It was Maggie’s husband-to-be, Aaron, who punched him.”

“How do you know that?”

“Derrick and I ran into Aaron at an art festival after the doctor’s appointment.”

Sandy rubbed her temple, trying to take it all in.

“It’s worse than that,” Jill went on. “In the parking lot, before leaving for the doctor’s appointment, Derrick pulled me aside and said the kiss was a mistake and that he takes full responsibility. He said if we’re going to be friends then we need to keep things cordial between us. After that, he squished his big body into my tiny car. He looked ridiculously uncomfortable and I was glad.”

Sandy sipped her iced tea. “This doesn’t make sense. Men don’t squish into tiny cars with a bad knee and send flowers every day just for the hell of it. I understand that he wants to be close to his son, but none of this adds up. Derrick must have it bad for you. Maybe he just doesn’t realize it yet. Men are dense that way, you know.”

“Well, he did seem sort of jealous after he found out that Nate—you know, the pediatrician—wanted to take me to dinner and a movie.”

“I realize we have both been incredibly busy,” Sandy said, “but why didn’t I know any of this?”

Jill sipped her tea. “I thought I told you. Nate and I are old friends. He’s handsome and sweet, and he’d be considered a fine catch by most, but I only agreed to go out with him because my pride had been shaken that same morning. He was called away for an emergency before the date ended, which was just as well since I couldn’t get my mind off of Derrick.”

“Derrick Baylor is turning out to be more than a puzzle. Maybe I’ll ask Connor about his brother when I see him this Friday.”

“Connor, as in Derrick’s brother, Connor?”

Sandy smiled. “That’s the one.”

“He called you?”

“Not exactly. I called his office and made an appointment.”

“He’s a gynecologist.”

“Exactly.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Jill asked since Sandy had a tendency to do things she later regretted.

“I know what I’m doing.”

Jill shook her head. “You are
bad
.”

Sandy smiled. “I’m so bad, I’m good.”

Helen Baylor stared up at the ceiling and watched the moonlight filter in through the blinds. “Phil, are you awake?”

Her husband rolled from his side to his back. “I am now.”

“I’m worried about Maggie and Aaron.”

“They’ll work things out. Just give them time.”

He closed his eyes again and she listened to his deep, even breathing, hoping the sound would lull her to sleep.

No such luck.

“If Derrick would just talk to Aaron,” she said, “tell him he wishes him and Maggie well, then Maggie and Aaron could move on with their lives. Why is Derrick being so stubborn?”

“Because he is his mother’s son.”

Helen smiled as she curled up next to her husband, something she always did when she had too much on her mind and couldn’t sleep. “What do you think about Jill Garrison?”

He adjusted his arm so her head fit neatly in the crook of his arm. “I think she’s a lovely girl. I told you that. We’re lucky to have her as part of the family.”

“Where were we when Derrick was off collecting money for his sperm? Why would he do such a thing? Where did we go wrong?”

Phil reached out a hand and brushed his fingers across her cheek. “Kids do funny and unpredictable things. I’m sure he had his reasons at the time, but he can’t turn back the clock. And besides, Jill seems like a good woman and we got a fine looking grandson out of the deal. I can’t complain.”

“I think I should pay Jill a visit. Derrick sounded confused the last time I talked to him. He could probably use my help. What do you think?”

“I think you should remember what happened the last time you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong.”

She made a tsking sound. “Connor needed to know what his wife was up to. He deserved to know.”

“Nothing good came of his knowing about her drug problem, though.”

“I hope you’re not blaming me for her overdose.”

“Of course, I don’t blame you. Don’t be silly. I just think people need to figure things out for themselves—without others meddling into their private matters.”

She pulled away from him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just that everything seemed to fall apart quickly after you told Connor.”

“Once Connor knew what he was dealing with, he was able to get her help. Amanda would have conquered the drug problem, too, if that drug dealing monster had stayed away like the court had ordered.”

“Addictions aren’t easy…mostly because the monsters, in some form or another, are always there lurking in a corner, waiting for a weak moment.” He reached for Helen and coaxed her back toward him until she rested her head on his chest once again.

“Do you think Connor will ever forgive me?”

“I think he already has. He just hasn’t realized it yet.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“We’ve been married for nearly forty years. You know I always am.”

She pushed him gently and they both chuckled, but she knew she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. The wheels in her head were turning, making a racket as they went round and round, causing her to worry about Jill and Ryan and Derrick. Instinct told her that Jill and Derrick were meant to be together. Now if she could just get her son to open his eyes.

~~~

“Oh, my God! It’s Derrick Baylor,” a willowy blonde cried out from the other side of the grocery store.

Jill looked up from the cucumbers in the produce section and watched two women, one blonde and the other brunette, approach Derrick, one fawning over him while the other shuffled through her purse, looking for something for him to autograph.

Derrick had insisted he go to the store with Jill. Ever since he had helped her with Ryan when she thought he was sick, Derrick had been sticking to her like glue. She wasn’t complaining, though. Between taking care of Ryan and keeping up with her editorial commitments, she needed all the help she could get. To make matters worse, her mother had called to tell her they were heading back from San Francisco and would be stopping by. Jill insisted on cooking them dinner. She hoped they could all bury any bad feelings and move on. She also hoped that a nice quiet dinner would give her parents a chance to hold their grandson.

The tall blonde gave up looking for a piece of paper and asked Derrick to sign the back of her shirt instead. She pushed her hair high on her head and turned about to give him access. He did as she asked, and then laughed at something she whispered into his ear. The brunette wasn’t the sort of girl who liked to be outdone. She lifted her shirt high enough to show off her bellybutton ring and asked him to sign her flat-as-a-board stomach.

Derrick was in charge of the grocery cart and Ryan, who happened to be fastened to the carrier buckled to the front of the cart. Ryan was growing more restless by the minute. He cried out, letting Derrick know enough was enough.

“Sorry girls, but it looks like my son needs me.”

“He’s so cute,” the woman said as she reluctantly pulled her shirt back into place. “I didn’t know you had any kids.”

The blonde slipped a business card into the front pocket of his jeans. “Let me know if you ever need a babysitter.”

“Yeah, okay,” Derrick said as he unbuckled Ryan from the carrier and held him close to his chest.

Jill left the cucumbers and got as far as the broccoli when she saw the women walk off. Derrick was smiling at Ryan, and he lifted him high enough in the air so he could kiss the tip of his nose.

How many years, Jill wondered, had she longed for exactly this sort of moment with Thomas? She and Thomas had been introduced by her parents when she was eighteen and a freshman at NYU. The attraction between the two of them had been instantaneous and they were engaged before she turned nineteen. After Thomas graduated from law school, her father hired him as an in-house attorney at his law firm in New York. She’d spent many hours dreaming of someday having Thomas’s baby. She’d always wanted a large family and she’d always imagined sharing the joys of parenting with someone she loved.

With one hand holding his son, Derrick used the other hand to push the cart her way. “I think I’ve got this whole baby thing down to a—”

A long burp cut him off in mid-sentence.

Jill laughed at the wide-eyed surprise on Derrick’s face as they merged together in the aisle. Whenever they spent time together, she found herself laughing. “It’s a good idea to always put a cloth on your shoulder before you burp him.”

“You don’t say?”

She helped him place Ryan back in the carrier. When that was done, she used baby wipes to clean the spit-up from his shirt. “There. You’re good to go.”

He pushed the cart while she followed at his side. “Is it always this difficult for you to grocery shop?” she asked him.

“What do you mean?”

“All the fans stopping you every few minutes and asking for autographs.”

“Oh, that. Sure, it takes time, but as far as I’m concerned, handing out autographs goes with the territory.” He pulled the business card from his pants pocket and shoved it into her baby bag. “In case you ever need a babysitter.”

Once again Jill found herself staring into expressive brown eyes. Judging by the lines crinkling the corners of his eyes when he smiled, he’d spent a lot of time outdoors and even more time laughing. She liked this man, Ryan’s father, a man she had no business liking. Her parents would never approve. They had a habit of pigeonholing people. They considered athletes to be overpaid and pampered. They would not approve of his jeans or untucked button-down shirt. They would not care for his tousled hair or his brawniness, a sign of arrogance in their eyes. No, they would never learn to like anything about Derrick Baylor. And although she knew it wasn’t fair or right, the realization made her like him even more.

“So what are we going to cook for your parents?” he asked.

“We?”

He followed behind as she pushed the cart to the meat section. “I’m not invited?”

She picked out a pork tenderloin and placed it in the cart. “Well, it’s just that—”

“You don’t think I stand a chance in hell of ever gaining their approval, do you?”

“Where were you when they took us out to dinner last week? They aren’t regular people, Derrick. They’re judgmental and—”

He laughed as he threw an arm around her shoulder and drew her in close. “Lighten up. I was only teasing. I have no intention of barging in on your dinner. You and Ryan need to spend some time with your family alone.”

“I think somebody wants to talk to you.” She gestured with her chin toward a man standing behind him, a handsome, slightly older man with striking blue eyes.

Derrick turned about. “Max!” he said.

The two men shook hands, clearly excited to see one another.

“Jill, this is Max Dutton, one of the best linebackers in NFL history.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Max said, “but I appreciate the compliment.”

Max stepped forward and shook Jill’s hand. He wasn’t as tall as Derrick, but what he lost in height, he made up in width—all muscle and brawn. “And who is this little guy?”

“This is our son, Ryan,” Derrick told him.

“I hadn’t heard.” Max slapped Derrick on the back. “Congratulations.”

“How many kids do you have these days?” Derrick asked Max. “Every time I see you in the paper, it seems Kari and you are having another baby.”

Max grinned. “Our oldest, Molly, graduated from USC a few years ago and now she and her mother are busy writing a mother-daughter nutrition book together. The youngest, Austin, will be a year next month. I finally got myself a boy. Not that I wasn’t fine with all girls, because I was. Girls are fun. I should know since I now have four of them.”

“You
have
been busy.”

“I better let you two lovebirds go,” Max said. “I just ran inside to grab milk, but then I saw the two of you looking into one another’s eyes as if time had stopped and that’s when I realized it was somebody I knew. We’ll all have to get together sometime. Kari would love to meet Ryan and your lovely wife, Jill.”