Just in Time (7 page)

“She know who you are?”

“Nah. Nobody does, because I didn’t sign my real name to the release.”

“Makes it not legal, then.”

“Who cares? And, all right, one person knows. Faith knows. Because she’s a bloody stickler, isn’t she. I handed over the money to rent the apartment for three weeks up front, no fuss, no muss, and what does she do but ask for my passport all the same? Told me I could be running from the law, for all she knew. Me.”

“Imagine that.”

“And I wouldn’t put it past her to do her research, because she’s just that way.”

“She could be publicizing you, then, for that site. Her very own New Zealand rugby star. Step right up and see him up close and personal, girls!”

“Not exactly a star in the States, though, am I. I don’t think anybody here even knows what rugby is. They probably think it’s a type of carpet or something. Anyway, I won’t be a rugby star at all if this deal works out, and who’ll care what I do then? It’s a whole new, free world. Anyway, Faith’s not like that. She’s…she’s straight. She’s—she’s good, I guess.” He got a little embarrassed, and went on hastily, “But yeh, it’s a gamble. When in Vegas, eh. Besides, I love to live dangerously.”

“So you’re working with her,
and
living in her place? That’s some fast moving, brother. How long did that take, a day?”

“Well, she
is
my dinner date tonight. Her and her mum, because her mum owns the building. So she can vet her new tenant. I’m not moving that fast at all, but I got dinner all the same, and I’ll be working on the rest of it, no worries.”

“You’re meeting the mom? Sorry to tell you this, but that doesn’t usually translate to, ‘Hey, baby. Let’s do it quick and dirty and move on.’”

“Don’t remind me.”

When Faith had come back over to Mrs. Ferguson’s apartment with the rental agreement and the keys that first day, it had been a real struggle not to betray the anxiety attack she’d had in her bathroom in the interim. What had she been thinking, suggesting that he live next door to her, after looking at him half-naked in the studio? Especially after that little scene in his own bathroom. He was looking for some easy companionship during his holiday, it was clear, and what could be more convenient than getting it from his next-door neighbor?

She knew all that. She did. And she wasn’t stupid. She knew what he was offering, and that it wouldn’t be enough for her. She’d only end up feeling used, because she couldn’t do casual sex. She just wasn’t built that way. And she especially couldn’t do it with Will. The exact thing that made it so hard to say no—that was the reason she had to say it. Because he didn’t just make her heart beat faster, he made her laugh, too. Because he’d been so sweet about Mrs. Ferguson. Because his hand had felt so good around hers, and when he’d asked her to be his friend, had smiled at her like that, she’d melted a little.

She’d checked him out online that same evening, of course, once she’d seen his passport and found out his real name. She didn’t know anything about rugby. She didn’t even know anybody who knew anything about rugby. But it was easy to see that he was a star—and not just in New Zealand. He was, in fact, the brand-new starting “Number 10” for a New Zealand rugby team, and before that, he’d been the starter on a top Australian team. A little more research had told her that the 10 was the director of the offense. The quarterback, in other words, although not the captain.

Will Tawera—because that was his real name—was, in fact, a very big deal back home, and in some other parts of the world, too. And for some odd reason, he was modeling for what must be peanuts to him, and living in Mrs. Ferguson’s apartment. She’d love to think that had something to do with her, but it seemed awfully unlikely. And anyway, she wasn’t going to be some incognito star athlete’s Part-Time Good Time. She had more self-respect than that.

Well, once he met her mother, she probably wouldn’t have to worry about him trying again, because Bella Goodwin had a tendency to come on strong.

“I want to meet him,” her mother had said when Faith had called her with the news that she’d rented the apartment, and her mom, of course, had pried out all the details. “A hot model? From New Zealand? Bring him over.”

“Mom,” Faith had sighed. “He isn’t going to want to come to dinner with my mother. I’ve known him for one day.”

“You could be in over your head,” her mother had insisted. “I’m getting a vibe, and you know I trust my vibes. If I’m wrong, he’ll say no to the invitation, and I’ll be satisfied. If I’m right—and honey, if he’s renting Mrs. Ferguson’s apartment, he’s doing it for a reason—I think he’ll say yes. And then, we’ll see.”

And her mother had been right. He’d said yes.

It didn’t take long for things to get out of hand. In fact, it took about five seconds.

Her mother came to the door of the modest ranch house at Faith’s knock, preceded by a cascade of yapping—Montclair, her little poodle, on the job.

“Hi, Mom.” Faith gave her mother a hug that was returned with interest. “This is Will.”

“Bella Goodwin.” Her mother held out a hand to Will, looking as neat and pretty as always in a pale-blue sweater and cream pants, both of which showed off her still-excellent figure. She cocked her head of neatly bobbed platinum hair at an angle and smiled up at him. “Now, aren’t you just the nicest surprise?”

Which sounded pleasant enough, but Faith wasn’t relaxing. Her mother’s ways were devious.

Will laughed, the easy, rich sound filling the little hallway, an influx of testosterone into Bella’s feminine surroundings. The half-circle of mahogany table was set with a vase of calla lilies tonight, the crystal chandelier sparkled overhead, and Will stood, big and brown, in the center of it all, flashing a smile that competed with any chandelier.

“Didn’t think I was a surprise, but we’ll hope it’s nice. I’ll do my best. And who’s this wee fella?” He crouched on the oriental hallway rug to give Montclair’s fluffy gray head a rub, sending the little dog into a frenzy of tail-wagging ecstasy.

“That’s Montclair. Oh, my, the accent,” Bella said. “That’s just the cherry on top of the ice-cream sundae. I do like some decoration at my dinner table.”

“Mom,” Faith said, “you’ll embarrass Will.”

“Oh, I don’t think Will’s easily embarrassed,” Bella said. “I think Will’s heard it all before.” And there she went, X-ray vision at work.

“Now, that’d be telling.” He rose to stand with another grin. “And I’m thinking you’ve heard it all before yourself, because if I’m decorative, I’m not the only one here. I’ve been trying to get Faith out with me for days, and now I get a double dose of Goodwin girls? My mum always did say I was born under a lucky star.”

“You have not been trying to get me out with you for days,” Faith said, feeling the treacherous color rise in her cheeks. Her mother never blushed, and Faith never failed to.

“No?” he asked. “Who asked you out for coffee yesterday? And who said no?”

“Ah…I had work to do.”

His smile was all for her now, those eyes gleaming. “Yeh. I remember. Work. But I’m here now, because I
am
a lucky man.”

“Oh, boy,” Bella said. “Come have dinner. It’s getting too warm in here for me.”

A break, then, that Faith sorely needed, while she helped her mother dish up, and then they were sitting around her round oak dining table, set with pretty lace placemats, having dinner. Dinner, and that was it.

“You know, I can’t believe it,” Bella said, taking a dainty forkful of, yes, eggplant casserole. Which Will was eating, too, because he was polite. “Here’s Calvin getting back into the skin trade again, after going respectable for so many years, just like me. Makes me think that I should see if I’ve still got it.” She gave her hair a little pat. “Nah. I know I’ve still got it. But maybe not with my clothes off.”

Faith concentrated on her chicken medallions. “My mother was a showgirl,” she told Will with resignation. How long had that taken? Fifteen minutes?

“Seriously?” Will asked. “Awesome. With the…” He gestured towards his own head. “The feathers on your head and all?”

“That was me. And those headdresses weighed a ton, I’ll tell you. Calvin started out as a photographer for the casinos himself. That’s how we met. He’s known Faith since she was a little girl. And the two of us—we had a good time together, back in the day.” She sighed. “We both had our share of adventures, but we were each others’ go-to, when we needed a friend. He’s never been a smooth talker, but that’s overrated. Always good for a nice, comforting—”

“Too much information, Mom,” Faith put in hurriedly. “Will does not need to know that.”

“Well, it’s all a good twenty years ago anyway.” Bella shrugged and took another ladylike bite. “And if I’ve shocked Will, let’s say I’m surprised. He’s a model himself. He’s been around the block.”

“Well, I’m not quite a model,” Will said. “But I’m not too shocked, no.”

“Mm-hmm.” Bella nodded. “Just breaking into the business, are you?”

Will seemed to be having trouble keeping a straight face. “You could say that.”

“Then you should know that Faith’s the one who really gave you your big break,” Bella said. “And that she’s got more power there than you probably realize. Assistant? Maybe so and maybe not.”

“Mom—” Faith said again.

“Oh, shush, honey. I’m proud of you. Calvin was just thinking about taking some stock photos,” she explained to Will. “Dime a dozen. The rest of it—that was all Faith.”

“Ah,” he said. “The website. And the writing contest.”

“Well, yes.” Faith needed to change the subject. She’d known bringing him to dinner would be a bad idea. If her mother pulled out the album with her publicity photos, Faith didn’t care, she was hauling Will off pronto. Bella was trying to get a rise out of Will, or expose him, or warn him off, or something. Faith couldn’t tell
what
she was trying to do, but it was making her more than a little nervous. “I thought, if Calvin was going to be taking pictures for stock photo sites anyway, we’d try something new with it, hopefully something more lucrative. Especially for me, since I’ll be managing it. If it works, I could get a full-time job out of it. That’s the point. And it’s not the skin trade. Really, Mom. The skin trade?”

“I’m beginning to see what you meant about being very busy,” Will said. “What with the erotica management and all. Nightmare, thinking all that up, eh.”

“Would you stop—” she began, and broke off.

“What? Teasing you? Nah. Sorry. Can’t. Too easy.” His smile was slow, and now she was nervous for more reasons than one, because that smile was sending tingles down her spine. And more than her spine.

“Oh, honey, the whole thing was her idea,” Bella assured him. “My hard-working, proper daughter. My naughty side is coming out in her at last, but in a whole lot smarter kind of way. She’ll never let it get the better of her. The erotica contest, the special website, even the idea of the big Polynesian warrior and the little blonde girl? Beauty and the Beast, because she knows that never gets old. That was all Faith. You’re just part of the plan.”

Will was still looking at Faith. “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Of course not.” Faith tried to ignore the warmth that she could feel creeping up from the all-too-wide boat neck of her sweater. Her chest was heating, and her cheeks were glowing, too, and he was watching it happen. “That sounds terrible. I was just trying to think of something more interesting, something that would make it…work. Which, yes, was out of self-interest. My job with Calvin’s only half-time, but if this takes off, with me handling the marketing end, I could drop my other job.”

“Oh, no,” Will said. “And me getting so attached to my apartment manager. What if I have a power failure in the night? Who am I going to call?”

“I told you.” She was trying not to smile, but she couldn’t help it. She knew he was just being smooth, just flirting, but he was so…so tempting. “I’m very busy. I wasn’t talking about the apartment management. I also work in marketing communications for the Roundup. The casino. Very, very busy.”

“Well, then,” Will said, “I’d better do my bit, I guess, to help you on your way. Be the very best Beast I can be, inspire as many dirty stories as I possibly can. As it’s for such a good cause.”