Just Destiny (15 page)

“St-e-v-e,” Sophie squealed, scrambling out of the box and running over.

He squatted down and frowned. “Hey, muffin head. Aren’t you cold?”

She wagged her head back and forth.

Annie ended her phone call and jumped up. “Surprise.” She gave him a quick kiss. “This darling little sandbox was half off—I just couldn’t resist. I thought it’d be a great way to entertain the kids while we grilled and had drinks.”

No doubt it was a great sale; there probably wasn’t much demand for sandboxes in the fall. “Isn’t it a little cold to be playing in a sandbox?”

“Don’t be silly. We can always move it to the lawn or driveway if you want, but I can see the kids through the kitchen window.”

Sophie manned the yellow watering can and sprinkled water on a bucket of sand while Josh smacked the top. “More, Soph.”

“No, it’s fine. What’re you doing here?” he asked.

Annie pointed to a cloth Trader Joe’s sack. “I thought we’d surprise you with fajitas.”

“Steak?”

She smiled. “No, silly, chicken. We’re cutting back on red meat, remember?”

Since when? He loved steak. But he also loved Annie’s fajitas. Chicken would do.

“I would’ve had it ready by now, but I forgot the code to your garage and we were locked out.”

Steve didn’t remember ever telling her the code, but as his fiancée, she probably should have a key to his house—after all in about five months she and the kids would be moving in.

“The kids are starving. They should have eaten half an hour ago.” She headed toward the house.

Steve accepted the grocery bag she handed him, unlocked the back door and stood aside for Annie to precede him.

He glanced back at the kids. “You guys don’t leave the patio without me or Mom, right?”

“Uh huh.” Josh slapped the shovel on the top of the bucket of sand.

Steve changed out of his suit and into a T-shirt and jeans. He rummaged through his desk. “I must have another spare key…” He’d gotten two when he’d made a copy for the Harrisons. Reaching deep into the drawer, he fingered an envelope with a key in it. Pocketing the key he headed to the kitchen.

Steve mixed Annie a gin and tonic and got himself a beer while she microwaved macaroni and cheese for the kids and prepared a salad and fajitas for them. The second dinner was over, the kids wanted to go back in the sandbox. Steve opened the heavy sliding door for them. “Watch your sister and remember not to leave the patio, okay?”

Josh nodded and ran over to the dump truck as Sophie headed for the watering can.

Steve stacked the dinner dishes and, with a finger in each glass, carried them to the sink. “Have you decided between the Country Club or the Yacht Club yet?” He squirted dish soap on the sponge.

“We picked the Yacht club weeks ago, remember? And Debra almost has the save-the-date video ready to send out, and I sent you the link to our website earlier this week. Did you like it?” She sat on a stool and leaned on the counter.

“Yeah, it was great.” He vaguely remembered clicking through some silly, frilly website filled with sappy pictures Annie had hired a photographer to take of them after they’d gotten an engagement photo to satisfy her. Save-the-date video? Come on, it was just a wedding, not a state dinner. He scrubbed the stainless steel salad bowl, around and around.

Look at her, she’s happy. Don’t bring her down. Be supportive
.

He tossed the spotless bowl in the drying rack. “So. What now? I have some time tonight; want to go over the guest list?”

“Done.”

“Right.” Of course it was. O-kay. “Do you need help picking out the invitations or,” gulp, “flowers?” He knew
nothing
about flowers, but he wanted to be supportive and involved. “Or maybe we could pick a honeymoon spot?”
That
he could do. “How about a tour of Italy? Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany? Or—” he dried his hands and circled her in his arms, “a romantic ten days in Paris?” He turned Annie so she faced him. “I’ve never been to Italy or France, have you?”

Annie pulled out of his arms. “After college Suz and I bummed around Europe for a month.” She wrinkled her nose. “You’re not missing anything. They don’t even speak much English—I mean they
can
, they just
won’t
—unless you make them. They want to make tourists try to speak their language—not very friendly.”

Okay, so Europe was out.

“A Bora Bora honeymoon would be romantic. All that sugary white sand and clear, warm water.” She drifted off, her expression softening in a faraway dreamy look. “Everybody raves about the St. Regis.” She brightened and her body fairly hummed with excitement. “We could stay in one of those gorgeous over-the-water villas like Nicole Kidman.” She snuggled against him. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

A beach vacation? That was kind of sedate, but…“If that’s what you want.”

Annie looked outside and frowned. She got up and slid the door open. “Where’s Sophie?”

Josh sat alone in the sandbox, using a truck to demolish a huge sand hill. “She wanted more water for her moat.” Josh looked at the hose lying curled next to the house, then whipped his head back at his mother. “Where is she?”

“Sophie?” Annie left the house looking right and left. “So—phie?”

Steve hurried after her. “Sophie.” She wanted more water? He looked toward the lake in time to see the three-year old waving her yellow watering can a foot from the beginning of the dock.

“Sophie, no!” Steve bellowed. His heart flipped into overdrive as he leapt over a lawn chair and sprinted down the hill. “Don’t move!”

With one foot on the edge of the dock, Sophie swung around and froze. Her eyes widened in surprise, seconds before her face crumpled into a hurt, frightened look. Steve scooped her up before he’d even stopped moving, and jogged in a semicircle away from the water. Chest heaving, he pressed her close as anger swamped him. “Jesus fucking Christ!”

“Dad—dy” Sophie sobbed. “Dad—dy.”

He carried the howling child a hundred feet from the lake and set her down on the grass. “Are you okay?” Hands on his knees and chest still heaving, he bent over to look at her face. “Why’re you crying?”

“Mom—my!” she wailed. “I. Want. My. Mommy,” she sobbed, stopped between words to gasp and shudder as she stumbled toward the house.

Annie swung Sophie onto her hip and cuddled her close. “You’re okay, baby. You’re not hurt.”

“Steve yell at me.” Sophie hiccupped, rested her head against her mother’s neck, and scowled at him, accusing.

Damn
right he yelled. She could have drowned.

“He said a bad word.” She had the nerve to tattle.

Annie frowned at him over her daughter’s head.

“Uh-oh—You’re in trouble,” Josh said.

Steve slammed his hands on his hips and scowled at Annie. He cocked his head sideways and raised his eyebrows in silent question. Really? Seriously? The kid disobeyed the rules and Annie’s going to censure
him
?

He took a deep breath to summon patience. Steve ducked his head to look Sophie in the eyes. “Sophie, you know the rules. It’s not safe for you or Josh to go near the water without an adult. We talked about it.” Almost every damn visit.

Sophie turned her head away and started crying again.

Annie rubbed her back and cuddled her closer. “Shh. Shh. You’re okay. Steve doesn’t know what a great swimmer you are.” She kissed her forehead. “You just scared him.”

Steve froze. He jabbed his index finger toward the lake. “That water’s like forty-five degrees.” She could have died from hypothermia if she hadn’t drowned. He knew they should present a united front, but this was a safety issue he would not give on.

He clamped his jaw shut to keep from scaring Sophie more and stalked away. Goddamit. Now he was going to have to put up a fucking fence. He looked over his shoulder and scowled at Annie, letting her know that this was
not
over. He marched to the patio.

“You’re mad,” Josh said, galloping at his side.

Steve slowed so Josh could keep pace. “Yup.”

“Sophie was bad. She broke the rules.”

Steve looked down at Josh’s guileless upturned face. “You’re the big brother. You were supposed to be watching her,” he reminded.

“Sorry.” Josh hung his head. “Do you still love us?”

Steve sat on a chair and pulled him onto his lap. “Of course. We’re buds. But you’ve got to follow the rules because they keep you and your sister safe, right?”

Josh nodded.

Steve hugged him close as Annie approached with Sophie. Annie set her daughter down. The preschooler studied the flagstaff and poked her bare toe at an anthill. Annie nudged her.

Sophie wrapped her arm around her mother’s leg and peeked at him. “Sorry for scaring you.”

“And?” Annie prompted.

“I won’t do it again.”

Steve leaned forward. “You’ve gotta follow the rules, Soph. I have to be able to trust you, right?”

She popped her thumb in her mouth and rubbed her head up and down against her mom’s leg.

“You’re forgiven.” Steve held up his palm. “High five. Thanks for apologizing.” He kissed her cheek.

“Mama made me,” she whispered.

“I know,” he whispered back, then blew in her ear to make her giggle.

“Hello? Sorry to interrupt…”

Annie whipped around and frowned as her ex-husband approached.

“Daddy!” Sophie screeched, bolted from Steve’s embrace and threw herself at her father. Ryan scooped her up and settled the preschooler on one arm, then stretched out a hand to Steve, “Steve. Annie.” He looked at her and then back at Steve. “Sorry to barge in like this, but I saw what happened,” he inclined his head toward the lake, “down by the water, and I’m afraid it’s my fault.”

Annie stared at her ex-husband, having trouble comprehending that he was actually there in Steve’s backyard, when his words sank in. Of course it was his fault. Ryan always screwed everything up.

“Ryan.” Steve shook his hand and stood back, waiting.

“Thanks for reaching Sophie before—he frowned and swallowed hard. “When I waved, it never occurred to me that she’d run down to the water—she about gave me a heart attack. Thank God you saw her.”

“You waved to her?” Of all the stupid things. What kid wouldn’t run to see her daddy? Of course it never occurred to him. Nothing ever occurred to Ryan. “What were you doing out there?” She didn’t even know he knew where Steve lived. She narrowed her eyes. “Were you spying on us?”

Steve put a hand on her shoulder. “Annie…”

“I was giving my new boat a test run—”

 And you
just happened
to run by Steve’s house?” She crossed her arms over her chest. How dare he spy on them? She knew her engagement so shortly after the divorce would upset Ryan, but she’d just thought it’d shake him up, not turn him into a stalker.

He nodded. “When I saw the kids playing outside, I waved. I wasn’t even sure Sophie saw me until she ran down the hill.” He hugged her close and looked at Steve. “Thanks.”

Annoyance rose in her as Ryan spoke directly to Steve, ignoring her as if she had no part in watching her kids—like he was the responsible adult. Ha! Like Ryan had a responsible bone in his body—who was he to judge? She was a responsible parent. She hadn’t taken her eyes off Sophie for more than a minute. If Ryan hadn’t lured her down to the water, none of this would have happened. As it was, Sophie had been perfectly safe. Thanks to Ryan, she’d been raised around the water and learned to swim before she could walk.

She crossed her arms. “It’s not as if she can’t swim.”

Ryan frowned at her over their daughter’s head. “Nobody could survive long in that cold water, Anne.”

Annie scowled at him. He knew she hated being called Anne.

Sophie tucked her head into Ryan’s neck and he kissed her forehead.

“Is that your new boat, Daddy?” Josh asked, his eyes lit with an excitement that fueled resentment in Annie. All Dad had to do is show up with a new toy and he was golden.

“Can we go for a ride?” Josh looked from Ryan to her and back again.

Great. Now she had to be the bad guy. Again. She gave Ryan a hard look.

“Sorry, Pal.” He handed Sophie to her. “Another time. It’s getting late and you guys probably should be in bed.”

He stood there looking tan and fit in his usual Gore-Tex khakis, topsiders and a windbreaker. The wind ruffled his short auburn hair. Annie watched him, surprised her ex was behaving responsibly.

“Aww, pleeease?” Josh looked at her, pleading. “Mom?”

“Don’t bug your mom,” Ryan said. “Maybe next week after school. I’m off early Tuesday, if it’s okay with Mom.” He looked at her for permission. She had the kids during the weeks and every other weekend.

Annie nodded.

Ryan smiled and nodded. “Then it’s a date. Well, I’ve got to get back.” He looked to the water where a huge sailboat waited, gently bobbing in the waves.

Steve turned with Ryan and headed down the hill toward the dock.

“I’ll talk to a fencing company next week,” Steve told Ryan.

“Not a bad idea. I’ve seen some unobtrusive iron fences.”

Annie put Sophie down. “You guys get your backpacks ready and then stay here. I’ll be right back.”

She followed the men down the hill, half listening to their discussion about fences, still having trouble believing Ryan had just dropped by. Both men were broad-shouldered and fit, though Ryan was several inches shorter than Steve. But Ry had a smile that could charm a beggar out of his last dollar. And he could just turn it off, because Annie didn’t like her fiancé and ex being so comfortable with each other. Suddenly the idea of a house on the golf course seemed a necessity—at least there Ryan couldn’t just pop in. Though Steve didn’t seem too annoyed at her ex’s impromptu visit.

She paused as Ryan shook hands with Steve and got into his little dinghy. Ry sped back to the huge sailboat. As he approached the back of the boat and climbed aboard, she frowned at the large slanted script across the stern. Annie Girl?

She hated sailing. Why’d Ryan named his boat after her? She
wasn’t
impressed—okay, she was a little impressed. What girl wouldn’t like a boat named after her? And he’d told Josh no himself and hadn’t made her be the bad guy. Maybe their divorce was finally making him grow up. Good for him. His next wife would thank her.