Just for Fun (26 page)

“Great.”

They just looked at each other for a moment. And he just couldn’t help it. “What else?”

“What do you mean?”

“What else do I need to do besides look nice and show up?”

She wet her lips and for a moment he thought she was trying to stay calm. Then she gave him a smile that could have even been real. “Make small talk, drink champagne, tell me I look nice, don’t get upset if I don’t talk to you much because I’m schmoozing a bunch of other people and then make me come at least twice before you go home.”

He took a deep breath. “Sounds like I’m the perfect guy for the job.”

“That’s why I asked you.”

“It’s important to make sure things are perfect. Isn’t it?”

She took a deep breath and put a hand on her hip. “You know, Mr. Straightforward, it seems you’d like to say something to me.”

“I told you on the plane I didn’t want to do this.”

She frowned at him. “Okay, what will it take?”

He frowned right back at her. “What do you mean?”

“What do you want in exchange for going with me?”

Everything.

That was the problem.

But what the hell? You missed one hundred percent of the shots you never took. “Come over here every day this week.”

Her hand dropped from her hip and she stared at him. “What?”

“Come over here for dinner tomorrow night and watch TV with us until I need to go to work. Tuesday afternoon after school we’ll go to Jeni’s for Josie’s birthday party. Then Wednesday—”

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she interrupted.

Was that right? Hanging out with him and his family, doing regular stuff, stuff that didn’t include champagne and limos, wasn’t a good idea?

“That’s what I want.”

“You want me to spend time with you and your friends and family?”

“Yes.”

She just looked at him. Finally she asked, “Why?”

Why indeed? Why make it worse? Why ingrain her in their lives? Make them all miss her when she left?

Then he’d at least have company when he was miserable without her.

Maybe it would give her something more to miss as well.

“If you want me to fit into your life, make things easier on you, then I want the same.”

“How does me being here make things easier on you?” She was studying his face carefully.

Because she fricking made him happy. In spite of him knowing it would be short-lived.

“There are dishes that need to be done, laundry that needs folding…all kinds of ways you can make my life easier.”

She looked suspicious. “You’re going to make me do dishes?”

He couldn’t help it—the thought of Morgan in an apron, elbow deep in a sink full of dishes, made him smile. “Maybe.”

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll come over tomorrow.” She opened the door and pulled her purse strap up on her shoulder. “But the only way I’m touching your underwear is when I’m taking it off of you.” Then she blew him a kiss and disappeared through his door.

Not falling in love with him was getting more and more difficult to pull off.

She was fully and completely addicted to him. Meeting his dad and seeing more of his life made her like him, and want him, even more. It also helped her understand why he’d said no to her proposition.

But the suit comment had hurt. If he would have just come to the party with her, as her date, it might have meant something, but he was doing it because she was paying.

Which should have been fine. That was what she’d said she would do. Besides, she hadn’t been lying to him about this being a bad time for a relationship. She was working hard, hoping for a promotion that would take her almost two thousand miles away.

But it wasn’t fine.

She was falling for him. Or had already fallen. She also loved his best friend and dad, and she wanted to meet the rest of the people important in his life. It was a bad idea. She knew that. The more she knew about him, the harder it would be to leave him when it was time. But there was a draw she couldn’t resist. She wanted to meet these people, experience the people who knew him best, the ones who had his love and loyalty. Because one thing was clear about Doug—when he cared about people, he went all in.

It reminded her a lot of her dad.

A lot. “Hi, Dad.” Morgan propped herself up on the couch as the phone in her parents’ house only rang once.

“Hey, muffin!” He was always excited to hear from her and Maddie. He answered immediately when he saw their numbers. “What are you doing?”

“Checking in with my favorite guy.”

“Honey, if I’m your favorite guy, you need to get out more.”

She smiled. “I love you, you know that.”

“Of course I do. But you need a favorite guy your age.”

She sure did.

“What have you been up to?” she asked. One thing about her dad, he always made her feel like she was amazing.

“Working with Ted and Wes again.”

That would make the third time. They usually managed to get along for about eight months at a time. Then someone would do something, they’d fight and her dad would quit.

“Great, how’s it going?”

“Fine, fine.”

Work just wasn’t something her dad was particularly interested in.

“I’m taking your mom away for the weekend in a couple weeks.”

On the other hand, fun and frivolity was something Corey James could have long and detailed conversations about.

“Where are you going?”

“Kansas City. We’re going to stay in a great hotel, eat room service, shop. She’ll love it.”

She would
want
to love it, Morgan conceded. “Dad, you know I
work
in a great hotel right? I can get you a room any time.”

“Oh, sure, honey, I know. But we want to get out of town.”

“We have hotels in a lot of great cities, Dad.”

He should know that. Maybe he kind of did. But Morgan knew the family dinners where they talked about her and Maddie’s jobs were the ones Corey listened to with only half his attention.

“I can get you room service, tickets to shows, all kinds of stuff.” She could send her parents to Chicago for the weekend for practically nothing.

Morgan thought about that. She’d always wanted a job where she could have stability but have the money and benefits to afford to have fun too. But she hadn’t just gotten a job that paid well. She’d chosen a career in a field where luxury and fun were what she did every day, what she created for others and what she surrounded herself with. She made good money and was able to enjoy a lot of great things—hotel suites, fabulous food, private jets—all guilt free because it was work.

Wow. She’d just saved some big money on having a shrink show her that.

“Okay, well, I’ll call you next time,” Corey said.

Morgan figured the chances were about fifty-fifty he’d remember.

“Is Mom home?” she asked.

She needed her mom to tell her the job in California was the best thing to happen to her, that she’d be crazy to think about staying in Omaha, that the fun needed to come
after
the stability.

“Hang on. Love you, muffin.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

She did, but she needed to talk to the practical one.

“Hi, honey, how are you?” Mindy James asked a moment later.

“Good. Okay. I’m up for a promotion.” With her mom, she could not only talk about it, but lead with it.

“Oh, Morgan, that’s wonderful!” her mother gushed predictably. “Tell me about it.”

“It would be for manager of a new resort in the San Francisco area,” she said.

“California, wow. That’s great. It includes a pay raise, I assume?”

Morgan frowned. It was great. It did include a pay raise. And her mom’s enthusiasm about those things was what she’d thought she wanted.

“It does. But I don’t have it yet.”

“When will you know?”

“I’m not sure.” She shook her head. “That’s not why I’m calling,” she said.

“Oh?”

Morgan knew her mom wanted to know more but her mom also respected that Morgan was busy. A workaholic who hadn’t fallen far from the tree. So when Morgan tried to change the subject it was usually easy. “I need your recipe for tuna casserole.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. “Tuna casserole?”

“I haven’t had it in years and I’m feeling…nostalgic.” Ever since stepping through the door of Doug’s house she’d been thinking more about home and family.

“It’s easy.” Mindy rattled off the few ingredients and the instructions while Morgan scribbled. “You’re going to make tuna casserole?” she asked at the end.

Morgan smiled at her notes. “I think I am.”

Her mom probably wasn’t going to be the only one who was surprised by that.

She’d had to buy a casserole pan and a sleeve to keep it warm as she drove to Doug’s, but she proudly rang the doorbell with her very first homemade casserole in hand.

“Hi.”

He looked great.

“Hi.” She handed him the pan. “I brought dinner.”

She brushed past him as he took the pan and stared at it.

“Where did you get this from?” he asked, shutting the door behind her.

“What? The pan? I had to go shopping,” she confessed. “William Sonoma.”

He chuckled. “Of course.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Ever heard of Walmart?” he asked, heading for the kitchen.

“Sure.”

“Never mind.” He set the casserole on the counter and lifted the lid. His eyes widened as the aroma hit him. “Tuna casserole?”

She grinned and nodded. “What do you think?”

He put the lid back down and came toward her, a strange look in his eyes. He looked…turned on. Which was, of course, ridiculous. Instinctively she backed up but she was stopped by the table.

“I think,” he said crowding close, “that’s the sexiest thing you could have done.”

Okay, maybe that
was
desire she saw on his face. “Better than naked-under-a-trench-coat-on-your-porch?” she asked.

He cupped her face in his hands and said huskily, “Strangely enough, yes.”

Then he kissed her. He kissed her until she was hot all the way to her toes and wanted to smear tuna casserole all over her body so he’d start kissing other parts.

“Hi.”

She tore her mouth from his as Doug Senior rolled into the kitchen. She pulled her eyes from Doug Junior, somehow, and turned to smile at his dad. “Hi.”

The man had gone out for dessert last night so she and his son could have sex. It’s not like him catching them kissing should embarrass her. But it did. “I brought dinner tonight,” she said, waving toward the counter where the casserole sat.

“Yum.” Senior gave her a thumbs up.

“Best I’ve ever had,” Doug said near her ear.

He couldn’t have been talking about the casserole, because he hadn’t even tasted it yet.

Half an hour later, though, Morgan thought maybe she’d managed to make the best tuna casserole ever. The way the men ate it they were either starving to death or she was a tuna casserole genius.

Either way, it was fun watching them eat.

Doug had thrown a salad together and they had a package of Oreos in the cupboard for dessert. It was the best meal Morgan had eaten in a long time. The chef at the Britton Towers in Chicago would be appalled to hear it, she was sure, but putting Oreos on the menu might not be a horrible move.

When they moved to the living room to watch TV, Doug pulled her down on the couch next to him. She cuddled up immediately. Leaning against him, with his arm around her, his fingers toying with the ends of her hair felt so natural, like they’d done it a million times.

Doug Senior laughed at something on TV then and it hit her that she wanted to do it a million more times.

Morgan suddenly had to blink rapidly and knew she’d be unable to talk if they asked her a question. She was choked up over tuna casserole and evening TV. Bizarre.

The hour went quickly. They talked about nothing important and laughed easily. When the final commercial ended, Doug shifted.

“I need to get up,” he said.

Disappointed, she glanced at the clock. “Time for work already?”

“No, I have some time. Need to get Dad ready for the night.”

Senior was rolling down the hall, leaving them mostly alone. “Oh, so he just sleeps while you’re gone?” That made sense, she supposed. “What if he needs help with something?”

“He’s got his cell and can call me or my sisters. But everyone helps out. I work seven to seven, so leave around six thirty. Lisa and Kaitlyn, my sister and niece, come over around seven-thirty or eight and hang out and help him get to bed. Then Lance stops by around midnight when he’s getting home. Everybody rallies.”

“Who’s Lance?”

“Lisa’s hubby. He’s a cop. His shift ends at midnight so he swings by here on his way home. Then Jeni goes into the hospital at seven so she and the girls come by around six and wake Dad up and the girls watch cartoons or play until I get home just after seven. I do breakfast, get everyone ready for the day and off to school and stuff.”

“Wow, you have quite a system, don’t you?” His hesitation to travel with her made more sense all the time. Not just because of his dad’s needs but because of all the people affected. It was all balanced and it all worked. As long as everyone did their part.

“We do. It’s a good thing.” He leaned over and kissed her temple. “Stay? I’m gonna help Dad, but I’m not done with you yet.”

She grinned. “Definitely.” She wasn’t even near done with him either. Nor did she think she would be any time soon.

Doug stretched to his feet and grinned. “Make yourself comfortable.”

She watched him head down the hall and wondered if she’d ever met a guy like him before. She couldn’t imagine any of the men she’d dated in the past few years taking care of their fathers, especially if their fathers were in wheelchairs and needed special care.

He couldn’t just pick up and travel with her. That was clear. Dammit.

She wanted that. Now that it couldn’t happen she wanted it even more.

Morgan headed into the kitchen. She was restless. There had to be a way to do this. She could figure this out. Why couldn’t she have Doug and her job?