Dipping In A Toe (3 page)

“Hey, Matt.” Rick stood and motioned to his brother at the far end of the table. “Send down the box with sausage.”

“Mom!” Sadie sidled up behind me and leaned an elbow on my shoulder. “There you are.”

I twisted around to look at my daughter’s curious smile. “Hey, babe. Having fun with your friends?” Sadie and Adam. Realization hit hard, and I stilled. Guilt clenched my chest tight and I scanned the room for Adam. Since my arrival, I hadn’t once checked on my kids, hadn’t made sure they had food or drinks. This was so unlike my usual behavior.

“Yep.” She bobbed her head in a vigorous nod and loose tendrils fell across her eyes.

I reached out a hand and brushed them aside, tucking them behind her ear. “Seen your brother lately?”

“Here’s your pizza, Jessa.” From a couple feet away, Rick held out the box. “Hey, Sadie.”

“Thanks.” I lifted out a piece but now didn’t think I could swallow past the sudden lump in my throat. How could I have been so distracted not to check on them?

“Can I have some, please?” Sadie slipped her coltish legs through the narrow space separating us and plopped down on the bench.

“Sure, there’s plenty.” Rick tilted the box toward her.

“Thanks.” Sadie grabbed a slice, propped her elbows on the table edge, and started munching.

My glance slid over her head to meet Rick’s amused gaze. I wondered how he felt about her squeezing her way between us. Us! How could I think in that way? A surprised jolt went through me and my gaze went to Sadie’s face. The burning question was what Sadie felt about finding me here at the Grants’ table and sitting right next to her coach.

Christy’s youngest daughter, Trini, bounced up to the table and tapped Sadie’s shoulder. “Come on back to the games, Sadie.”

“I can’t.” For a few seconds, her head rested on my shoulder before she reached for another slice. “I’m out of tokens.”

“Can’t let that stop your fun, sweetie. Let me take care of that.” Rick’s mom stood and shook a paper bucket that rattled with metallic clanking.

Shaking my head, I waved a hand, indicating she should sit again. “That’s okay, Shirley. Sadie’s used her money.”

“Oh, let her.” Reaching around behind Sadie, Rick trailed fingers along my shoulder. “Mom really gets a kick out of treating the kids. She supplies them to all the team members.”

Irritation at his interference rose and my expression tightened. This was not his decision to make. Sounds of laughter, conversation, and electronic pings reminded me of where we were, and I glanced around the table. Maybe not the best place to point out who should make that choice. Plus one look at my daughter’s hopeful face forced me to waver.

With raised eyebrows, Rick jerked his head toward the playroom and winked.

I forced a weak smile and gave Sadie a quick one-armed hug. “Go ahead, sweetie.”

“Yea, hurray!” Sadie wiggled off the bench and dashed off to meet up with Shirley at the end of the table.

I bit my tongue, restraining a warning against not running inside. Wanting to explain my initial objection, I angled toward him. “Your mom didn’t have to do this.”

“Jessa, Jessa…” His head shook.

At his cajoling tone, I stiffened and flattened my hands on the table. “But
I
should be keeping a better eye on my kids.”

A deep, raspy chuckle sounded. “Why do you think I asked them to wear their team shirts? Keeping track is so much easier.” With a conspiratorial look, he leaned close and nudged his shoulder against mine. “Don’t spoil Mom’s fun. Two grandkids are not nearly enough for all her loving attention.”

The logic of his words swayed me. I looked deeply into his blue eyes and my stomach quivered. What was wrong with the kind, generous woman wanting to treat the kids? But the bigger question was, why did all my control slip away in this man’s presence? “You’re a hard man to argue with.”

A toned shoulder rose and fell in a casual shrug. “So don’t try.” With lithe moves, he stood, stepped over the bench, and held out a hand. “Let’s go have ourselves some fun.”

“No, really...” A feeling I could only describe as giddiness bubbled in my veins. I hadn’t played arcade games in years, probably since college.

“Let me impress you with my skills.” He puffed out his chest and pretended to buff his nails on his shirt.

If only he knew how much he’d already impressed me. I let myself be pulled to a stand and grabbed my purse. “Lead on.”

Rick swept me through the arcade, stopping at machines that flashed, chirped, and clicked. We watched the points rack up and cheered at his impressive successes. My attempts were met with lots of helpful comments, much laughter, and his good-spirited statements about practice making perfect. He then led me to a miniature bowling alley with a series of rings on the backboard. “Have you played this before?”

“Nope, I’ve just watched my kids.”

“You have to try.” Hand resting on my shoulder, he positioned me in front of a lane and leaned down to feed tokens into the machine. When the wooden balls released with hollow clunks into the chute, he leaned, picked up one, and placed it in my hand. “Here, get a feel for it.”

At the press of his strong fingers around mine, I shivered, relishing the goose flesh that rippled my skin. His touch felt caring and warm and I wanted it to go on forever. But the thunk of a ball on a nearby lane and the laughter of passing kids reminded me our actions were on display. “Okay, and I know the goal is to get the most points.” I eased my body forward, breaking contact but immediately missing his touch.

“Wait, there’s a technique.”

Such confidence in his tone. Brows drawn tight, I glanced over my shoulder. “A technique? On this super-short alley, with a small wooden ball? You do know I have bowled once or twice before.” I used a shorter version of my bowling swing, and the ball slammed into the top of the alley and rolled around the outer circle. The score was only ten points. Maybe that was too much swing. “Okay, maybe I do need specific instructions.”

A hand braced on the left side of my waist and he urged my right hand back. “Slow on the back swing, release at the end of the alley. Make sure your hand points to the center ring.”

All along my back heat from his body infused mine, and I almost swayed. This crazy attraction had grown to something quite overpowering—and scattered my thoughts.

“See, if you step to this side, the ball has a better chance of landing in the high-scoring ring in the corner.”

His hands closed around my waist and scooted me several inches to the right. I couldn’t deny liking the physical connection. With each rolled ball, I was more than willing to let Rick show me how to improve my technique, a much more personal act than watching him play.

“That’s the last one. Here are our winnings.” Rick leaned over and tore off a long string of colored tickets. “What prize will you choose, Jessa?”

I’d already received my true prize—the time spent in his company. But a small token would be a fine remembrance. “Let’s go look at the choices.” On sheer impulse, I grabbed his hand while turning toward the prize counter, only to be accosted by a slim arm hugging my waist.

“Mama, I’m tired.” Sadie burrowed her head against my chest. “Oh, look at all the tickets. What will you get?”

Automatically, my hand moved to cradle her head. At the tone in my daughter’s voice and the use of
Mama
instead of
Mom
, I switched from a woman enjoying a handsome man’s attentions to a single mom with responsibilities. I searched the room for Adam’s brown-haired head and waved to get his attention. “Rick, tonight’s been great, but I’ve got to get the kids home.”

For just a moment, his gaze narrowed on the two of us. “Of course.” He nodded, turned to scan the arcade, and swept a hand toward the restaurant. “Adam, come along.”

With my kids in tow, I walked to the long table in the restaurant and said my goodbyes to Rick’s family. “I enjoyed meeting you all. Thank you for including me at your table.”

A chorus of goodbyes sounded as Rick cupped a hand on my elbow. “I’ll see you out.”

With a smile, I turned and pressed a hand to his chest, surprising myself at the intimate gesture. Under his shirt were tight muscles and warm male skin. My heart rate kicked up a notch. “No need to, stay with your family. I’ll say goodnight here.”

“What and have Aunt Helena berate me for not acting like a proper gentleman?” Hand splayed over mine on his chest, he played at being affronted by raising his eyebrows and dropping his jaw.

Laughter bubbled up, and I let him guide us through the exit door into the still warm evening air. Bracelets jangling, I fumbled in my purse for the keys and punched the alarm button. The taillights flashed only thirty feet away. “See, the car’s in sight and we’re safe.”

“Not good enough.” He shook his head at me and then waved a hand in the air. “Race you kids to the car.”

My body tensed as thoughts leapt to potholes and gravel, and cars that wouldn’t see them in time to stop. I pressed my lips together to hold back a cry of warning.

With laughter, Sadie and Adam galloped off and Rick followed, jogging with exaggerated arm swings and steps.

Adam won, Sadie pouted—a typical result. By the time I reached the car, the kids were buckled in and Rick held open my door. I tossed in my purse and rested a hand on the doorframe. “Thanks again, Rick. I can’t remember Pizza Palace being this much fun before.”

“All in the company.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss on the back of my knuckles while keeping his heated gaze locked with mine. “If certain people with big eyes weren’t too close, this would be on a tastier part of your anatomy.”

My skin tingled and a thrum of desire flashed through my body. Was the man trying to make me faint? “I appreciate your discretion.”

“Goodnight, Jessa.” He bent low and waved into the interior of the car. “G’night, kids. You both swam great today.”

“Bye, Coach.”

With a reluctant move, I eased into the car and closed the door. When a knock sounded on my window, I jumped. Starting the engine, I lowered the automatic window. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” Rick waved the string of paper tickets and pointed at them. “I’ll turn these in for a prize. Then I’ll have an excuse to see you again soon.”

His genuine smile was infectious and I felt my lips spread into a heart-felt response. “Sounds great.” Especially the part about seeing him again. “I saw a—”

“Don’t tell me. I want to surprise you.” Stepping back, he tapped the car roof twice and then jogged back toward the building.

If the man only knew. My shoulders slumped and I put the car in gear before edging forward.

“But, Mom, you hate surprises.”

I met Sadie’s gaze in the rear view mirror. Exactly.

Chapter Four

Over the next several days, I waited on pins and needles like an anxious sixteen-year-old for Rick’s phone calls. Our talks included a retelling of the various events from our respective histories.

“I can’t believe you trashed the family car.” I couldn’t suppress a hearty laugh.

“Yeah, Matt and I were showing off for our dates. Some guy challenged us and we blew a gasket on the family station wagon.” His deep chuckle joined hers. “That was a long walk home.”

“And I’m one of those people who didn’t get my license until after high school.”

“What?”

His surprised exclamation jolted my ear. “My family only had one car and I didn’t see the need. Besides, my older sister included me with her circle of friends and someone else always drove.” I twirled a tendril of hair, debating if I should tell him the rest. “Plus by senior year, I was going steady with Dylan and he had his own car.”

The next time we talked, Rick chose the subject.

“Best achievement in grade school, huh?” My thoughts flew back over the decades to Oak Grove Elementary and my various accomplishments. “My third grade teacher loved Japanese culture and taught us a painting technique using thin watercolor and a straw. My creation won second place in the school art fair.”

“Hey, that’s great. Do you still have it?”

“I don’t, but my mom might.” Adjusting my position on the sofa, I tucked a foot underneath my leg. “What about you?”

He cleared his throat. “The school held an end-of-year picnic with all sorts of games. I won the kite-flying contest in the fifth grade.”

“Did you make the kite yourself?” I thought back to Adam’s interest in kite building and how Dylan had insisted the store-bought ones were better.

“Of course. Took me a couple weeks to build. The next time I went flying after the contest, I crashed it into some trees. That was that for the Soaring Cube.”

“You named your kite?” This man surprised me, and I couldn’t keep a happy smile from spreading.

Each time we talked, I discovered something new about his past—his love of mystery novels, the broken arm from a tree-climbing fall, his collection of vintage baseball cards.

Of equal importance, I had dared to share a bit more about myself. Dylan had been my high school sweetheart, and I had little practice revealing personal details to other men.

After the third or fourth call, I looked forward to hearing Rick’s deep voice and wondered what else I’d learn about this man who was becoming special in my life. Sometimes all I wanted was someone who listened, really listened, to my opinions.

But every time we tried to set up a time for a quick cup of coffee, one of my kids’ activities or a volunteer responsibility conflicted. How had my family become so overbooked with outside activities? The days stretched into weeks, and I relied on these nightly phone conversations.

One Saturday afternoon around five, I’d just emptied the fourth load of laundry into the washer and carried a basket of towels to the couch. On the television, a fashion-conscious amateur sleuth was about to unmask the true culprit. Movies on women’s channels were such a guilty pleasure. At least, my life wasn’t as bad as some of the heroines of these movies—although I had to admit, they sure had better wardrobes.

The doorbell rang with a staccato peal. I slung the towel I was folding over my shoulder and walked to the door. One hand braced on the antique glass knob, I stretched to gaze through the peephole.