Charmed (Contemporary Romance) (7 page)

“Mom, why aren’t you rocking out?” Timmy interrupted her temporary peaceful mood.

“Because I’m driving.”

“That never stops you!” Michael said.

Timmy reached forward and pulled Jamie’s hair out of her ponytail. “There, now you can rock out.”

“I’d rather not rock out today. I have to keep my eyes on the road.”

“But Mom, you really like this song,” Michael pleaded. “We’ve got the drums and the guitar, and there aren’t any other cars on the road.”

“That’s right.” Nick looked over at her. “It’s not like there are other cars on the road.”

Jamie shot him a look, and he glanced back at her innocently. “I’m just saying — I see no reason for you not to perform.”

“Really, you see no reason why I’d be reluctant to perform?

“None at all.” Nick shot her an adorable and wicked look.

“Well, you know, I might be persuaded to perform if you help out with the vocals. But only if you know every single word and you sing really, really loud,” she bluffed.

“Do you think I won’t know every single word? Or do you think I won’t sing in front of you?”

Jamie shrugged.

A moment later, the chorus came on, and he began singing. Every word. And he wasn’t making a fool of himself — he was good.

Timmy and Michael cheered and really got into their own performances, singing along, mostly fumbling the words. They stopped at a red light. Nick looked at her expectantly, daring her to keep her side of the bargain.

“Nick won, Mom, now you have to rock out,” Timmy called.

“It wasn’t a contest.”

“But he
won
!” Michael cheered.

Jamie shook her head, laughed, and gave in. She began singing along, just as loud as Nick. Moments later, she began dancing in her seat and whirling her hair around. The one thing she could never resist was making her children laugh. Nick looked over at her, his eyes bright, his smile genuine.

The light turned green, and Jamie swept her hair out of her face. She continued to sing along with them as the car zipped down Old Meadow Road. The tight coil in her chest was slowly unwinding.

They passed her house, and Nick turned around to get a better look. “What are those pieces of wood in the backyard?”

“The swing set our darn Uncle Justin won’t find time to put together,” Timmy answered.

“Timmy, you know better than to repeat that.”

A minute later they were about to turn into Nick’s driveway, but something didn’t feel right. It seemed ridiculous to leave Nick stranded in his home without a car. Anyone else would undoubtedly see him through his predicament. “If you want, we can take you to buy a new battery. The store’s only a few minutes away, and your car is less than ten minutes away.”

Nick looked over at her, surprised. The idea that he’d again think she was coming onto him popped into her head, but she pushed it away, feeling certain her offer was just the natural thing to do.

Nevertheless, she caught herself biting the inside of her cheek. Nick responded with an, “Uh, yes. If you’re sure you don’t mind. I’d really appreciate it.”

“Can you leave me at Grandma and Grandpa’s?” Michael requested. “I’m tired. I don’t want to go to a store.”

Jamie glanced back through the rear-view mirror at a pouting Michael. “Me too.” Timmy yawned.

Okay, she hadn’t expected this. She didn’t want to be left alone with Nick. “Your parents’ house is on the way. Will they mind?” Nick asked.

Jamie smiled at that, allowing her to relieve some of her anxiety. Her parents were constantly badgering her to leave the kids with them more often so she could go get a social life.

When they pulled up to her parents’ house, her mother was outside, and the kids ran into her arms. Jamie asked if she could watch the kids, explaining Nick’s predicament.

“Yes, this is great!” Isabella clapped her hands together. She must’ve realized she was being way too enthusiastic because she added, “I mean, I’ll have the kids all to myself — your father won’t be home till five.” She then hugged Nick, and inquired after Emma and the school. It was obvious to Jamie that her mother was excited because she was talking fast, her New York accent was creeping in, and she was gesturing a lot.

Somehow, they’d ended up at the kitchen table having a snack with the kids and her mom, even though they’d both refused, twice. It was twenty minutes before they were able to get away.

After Isabella’s high-energy, non-stop chattering, the ride to Brooks Hardware Emporium was relatively quiet.

“So, who else do you listen to, besides The Stones?” Nick asked.

“Let’s see.” She clicked her tongue. “I like Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, B.B. King … and probably too many to name.”

“Well, Mrs. Sullivan, I’m impressed.”

“What’s on your playlist, Dr. Grey?”

Nick shifted in his seat to get the iPod he’d grabbed from his car out of his pocket. His head tilted toward her, and she caught the scent of his shampoo. It was very masculine, and it had an immediate effect on her breathing.

He went through his playlist while Jamie nodded her approval. He seemed to be into folk rock and classic rock and … “Elton John?”

“What’s wrong with Elton John?”

“Nothing! I like Sir Elton, it’s just — you don’t seem like the Elton John-type.”

“Really? What type am I, then?”

“I don’t know, you have a doctorate — aren’t you supposed to listen to classical music and opera while you look down your nose at popular culture? But then, you’re also a savage hockey brute, so maybe some hard core, very angry heavy metal?”

Nick laughed. “Let’s just say I like all kinds of music, as long as it makes me feel something.”

They stopped at a red light. “Me too. It’s almost haunting sometimes, when lyrics and music come together in a certain way, echoing something you feel.” She glanced over at him and caught him watching her. He looked into her eyes and they studied one another, a moment too long for comfort, before each quickly snapped their head in another direction.

• • •

They reached the coffee shop a while later, and Nick asked Jamie to stay to make sure the generic battery brand Mr. Brooks carried fit properly.

He tried to put the new battery in while Jamie looked over his shoulder, wanting to learn because she needed to know how to do these things on her own now. He could feel her soft breath on his neck, and he was having a hell of a time focusing.

On top of that, she smelled great. He thought it must be some sort of cream or lotion because the scent wasn’t perfume-like. It was both sweet and sensual, sort of like vanilla and whisky. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was driving him nuts.

“What’s this?” she asked, leaning forward and pointing to a curious-looking bolt. Her hair brushed his arm, and he was now aware of her breath near the back of his ear. When he turned to explain, he banged his head on the open hood.

“Ouch!” Jamie cried as he got up.

Nick sat down on the front bumper and rubbed his head. “It’s good to know you feel my pain.”

She checked his head and Nick swallowed hard as her fingers sifted through his hair. “Oh, geez, there’s a little bit of blood. I don’t see a bump or anything, but I’ll go inside and get some ice just in case. Would you like me to grab some coffee for you, too?”

Nick agreed to coffee, even though he’d already had some before his battery died. If she stayed away a few minutes, getting the battery installed would be a breeze.

Attracted to her as he undoubtedly was, he’d figured Jamie to be safe because she wasn’t looking for anything, and he had nothing to give. But now, his head throbbing, he realized she was a bit dangerous.

He installed the battery and closed the hood of his pickup just as Jamie came out saying, “Here’s your ice. And here’s your coffee.”

He put the ice to his head just as a car pulled in beside them. “What are you two doing here?
Together
?”

Nick recognized the voice before turning around.

“Justin!” Jamie sounded happy to see her brother.

“Just spending some time with your sister.” Nick smiled wide.

“We’re replacing a battery,” Jamie explained, rolling her eyes at Nick. She leaned into Justin’s car and planted a kiss on his cheek. Something pricked Nick’s chest, and he realized it was the first time he’d actually been jealous of Justin Viera.

Justin pointed to the bag of ice on Nick’s head. “You know, a real man can do something as simple as change a battery without harming himself.”

“Play nice, now,” Jamie warned.

“A real man drives a truck, Viera, not a minivan with an
I heart Justin Bieber
sticker on the window,” Nick shot back.

“Okay, leave it for the rink, guys. Your little hockey season is coming up soon, I’m sure you can wait a bit longer,” Jamie intervened, laughing.

“
Little
hockey season?” Nick echoed in mock astonishment.

“You’re clueless.” Justin shook his head at his sister before turning back to Nick. “Do you need my little sister to change the oil for you, too, or can she leave?”

“Oh, she can leave. But I think she wants to stay and enjoy her coffee. Come on, Jaime. Let’s go sit in my pickup.”

Jamie shook her head at both of them.

Justin put his car in reverse and slowly pulled out, glaring at Nick, who grinned and waved in return.

“You know, it’s hard to believe you and Justin are thirty-seven.”

“Age is just a matter of perception. Truth is, I feel more like a twenty-eight-year-old now than when I was twenty-eight. When I was twenty-eight, I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

“You weren’t even close to behaving like a twenty-eight-year-old — you were both behaving like teenage boys.”

“Trust me, we weren’t. If Justin would’ve caught me talking to his sister when we were teens, the manager of the coffee shop would be breaking up a fight right now.”

“It was that bad, huh?”

“That bad.” He touched the scar on top of his right eyebrow. Justin had a deeper one right above his knee, courtesy of Nick.

Jamie turned to walk toward the outdoor patio, saying, “I’m going to sit and finish my coffee before I go.”

He followed her, watching how her long hair brushed her small waist. Unwilling to leave her company just yet, he took a seat facing her, saying, “Thanks for your help, Jamie.”

“Sure, anytime.”

They sipped in companionable silence until an idea occurred to him, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up, so he began with, “So, what do you do with yourself on weekends? Do you ever get any alone time?”

Jamie shot him a funny look, but didn’t answer. He looked at her expectantly, “Well?”

Finally, she said, “I’m sorry, Nick. It’s been fun, but I’m not done raising my kids, so I’m really not looking to fill my alone time with anyone.”

Nick looked back at her as if she were crazy. But then, slowly, it dawned on him. He’d basically asked her the same thing she’d asked him before he’d gone into his whole
I’m done raising kids … I’m not looking to fill up my time
speech.

He hung his head. “Did I really sound that arrogant?”

“Yes.” She laughed.

“Are you ever going to let me forget it?”

“I’m a Viera — it’s in my DNA to never let you forget anything potentially humiliating.”

“It can’t be in your DNA because I’ve always gotten along just fine with your parents.”

Nick was quiet for a moment, enjoying her laugh. Physical attraction aside, he liked Jamie and her kids. Today they had latched onto the initial connection they’d shared that very first day. He thought he had ruined it for good, but the impish light was back in her eyes.

He’d been asking about her weekend because he wanted to help her with the swing set strewn around her backyard, but he didn’t know how to offer. It wasn’t about returning the favor she’d done for him today, though he could present it that way. It was about the feeling he’d gotten when he saw it. He knew how difficult being a single parent could be at times, not wanting to rely on anyone, yet needing a break once in a while.

A swing set for the kids would be a break for Jamie, too. Something they could entertain themselves with. It would give her a bit of alone time. “What are you doing tomorrow morning, specifically?”

Jamie blinked. “Hanging out with the kids at home … ”

“Then how about I come by and help you put the swing set together for Michael and Timmy? I’d love to return the favor you did for me today. It wouldn’t even be the first swing set I’ve helped someone from school put together.”

“You don’t have to return the favor, okay? Justin will get to it, I guarantee it.”

“Listen.” He faced her. “Emma’s off at college, hockey practice is at least six weeks away, and
someone
spread a rumor that I have a huge ego, so I’m not getting asked out much lately. You should repay me for spreading that nasty rumor by giving me something to do. Old guys — lonely guys — need projects. I go nuts when I don’t have enough to do.”

“I’m sure there are quite a few women at The Golden Meadows Retirement Community who would be delighted to have you ask them out. They can also find plenty of handyman things for you to do, if that’s really how you want to spend your Saturday mornings.”

Nick laughed and got up to leave. It seemed Jamie wouldn’t be taking him up on his offer. He threw his empty coffee cup into the trash, called, “Thanks again, Jamie. See you at school,” over his shoulder, and headed to his truck.

“Wait,” She called. He watched her hesitate. “Have you really helped others from school like this?”

“Sure. And a few moms have babysat for me. Accepting help is no big deal, Jamie.”

“Then I think I’ll let you help with the swing set tomorrow … if you really want to, that is. I’ve got so much work next week and having it up will help keep them busy so I can catch up.”

And the strangest feeling, something like joy, shot through him.

“Besides, it’ll drive Justin crazy to know you helped me put the set together. Sisterly love aside, he can be a bit of a smart-ass sometimes.”

He turned to share his most evil smile, but was instead caught by the look on her face. A breeze blew her hair away from her face and he studied her for a moment, noticing a change. She seemed less guarded, but more vulnerable.