Karma (4 page)

Liza dropped her stare to the table. And here it came. The thing she hated talking about. “The McKnight name doesn’t exactly inspire confidence unless it’s in architectural design. At least not in Serendipity.”

“Because of Brian?” Faith asked softly.

Liza met her gaze. “You’ve heard, huh?”

Faith sighed. “Well, of course I remember the party all those years ago and Stuart Rossman’s death.” She spoke low, with sympathy and no rancor.

At the mention of the teenager’s senseless passing at a party thrown by her brother, nausea rose in Liza’s throat. “Yeah. And my brother hasn’t changed or sobered much since.” If anything, he’d gotten worse and a part of Liza blamed herself. “Brian’s been pretty much in and out of jail on one minor charge or another.”

“I’m sorry.”

Liza shrugged, pulling her armor around her emotions like she always did when it came to Brian. “Thanks, but it is what it is. Anyway, that’s exactly why nobody on the committee would listen to my ideas. You know what most of those old women are like. They barely tolerate me.”

Faith sighed. “Considering they ostracized my mother and the only reason I hold this position is because they need my house? Yeah, I know. I believe it’s called guilt by association.”

Liza couldn’t help but smile. “Good thing misery loves company then.” She shook her head and laughed. “Gotta love those clichés. They’ve been around so long for good reason.”

Faith inclined her head. “So, what’s your idea?”

Liza warmed her hands against her coffee cup. “Instead of using the money to beautify the already-perfect parts of town, which really makes this a committee in name only, I thought we could donate the proceeds to the youth center downtown.” She went on to explain why the center was important to her, but Faith’s eyes had already lit up and she was nodding in agreement.

“You’ve sold me without the explanation! My best friend, Kate Andrews, is a teacher who volunteers there after school and during the summers. My brother-in-law Dare works with the kids, and Tess spent some time there last summer. The center is important to my family too.”

Faith’s eyes sparkled as much as excitement pulsed inside Liza. Ignoring the mention of Dare, which wasn’t easy considering her body’s eager response to his name, Liza met Faith’s gaze. “You’re really on board!”

The other woman nodded. “Doesn’t mean the rest of the committee will be, but that will be our first order of business. Lobbying the members we know we can sway.”

Liza’s adrenaline spiked and she was unable to contain her enthusiasm. “You’re amazing! We’re amazing. We can do this. I know we can.”

“You bet we can. It’s time to change up the way this town does business and make a difference.”

“Here, here,” Liza said.

They touched their coffee cups together in a toast. “Let me do some prep work and see who I can get on board with the idea before we broach it at the next meeting. I’ll call you and we’ll get together soon to talk actual gala details, okay?”

Liza nodded. “Sounds great.”

Faith grinned.

Their cause was worthy, making Liza proud. And for the first time in years, Liza felt a kinship toward someone again and she looked forward to the renewal of their friendship, something she hadn’t had in her Serendipity life for way too long.

“Change your grip!” Dare called to fourteen-year-old Charlie Skeets, “Skeeter” for short.

The fourteen-year-old choked up higher on the baseball bat and got into position, waiting for the next pitch.

Dare coached a youth league, and this was the end of practice at the field near the lake on the edge of town. All he had left was Charlie’s at bat, a pep talk, and then Dare was out of here for the night.

Ten minutes later, he’d given each kid a summary of their strengths and weaknesses. When he finished, the kids scattered, some walking home together, a few lucky others picked up by their parents.

Dare put his spare equipment into the large duffel he kept in his trunk, hefted the bag over his shoulder, and headed
for his car, a black metallic Ford Edge. He tossed the bag into the back and wiped his dusty hands together before slamming the trunk, then walked over to the water fountain and rinsed off his hands.

No sooner had he finished and turned to leave than he collided with a jogger on the sidewalk. He’d raised his hands to block contact and he realized he now braced his palms against a very feminine chest. Soft, round, full breasts molded to his hand.

His body registered that fact and reacted accordingly.

“Sorry,” he muttered, taking a deliberate step back.

“Me too. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” a familiar female voice said.

Startled, Dare glanced up to see Liza pulling the iPod buds out of her ears. “Liza.”

“You,” she said at the same time.

He met her gaze and she blinked, focusing her coffee brown eyes on him. Touching her had nearly knocked him on his ass and her gorgeous eyes almost completed the job. Then there were the damp handprints he’d left on her chest, which he couldn’t stop noticing.

He had to divert his focus or he’d be in big trouble.

“I do have a name other than
you
,” he reminded her in a teasing voice.

“Officer Barron.” She ducked her head after she spoke.

This shy female was distinctly different from the take-charge woman he was used to seeing at the police station, softer and more approachable.

Dare found himself drawn to her even more. “I meant, I have a first name.” And he wanted to hear her say it.

She lifted her gaze. “Dare.” Her expression was wary but with a hint of a smile on her lips, she teased him with a glimpse of those sexy dimples in her cheeks.

“Better.” He allowed himself to take in her running gear, a pair of black shorts with white piping, a black tank that did little to hide her breasts, and a worn pair of sneakers.

“Do you always jog in the evening?” The sun was setting and he’d prefer she didn’t run here at night.

“No. I usually run in the morning near my house, but I had an early meeting today so I put it off till later.”

He nodded, feeling better about her jog. “Well, then, lucky me. Are you okay? From our collision I mean?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. I should have been watching where I was going, but I was distracted.” A blush stained her cheeks, making him wonder what she’d been thinking about.

“So was I.” He was even more distracted now.

Silence descended and she shifted from foot to foot.

“Well, I should get going,” she murmured.

He paused and before he could think about it, he said, “I was just going to get a slice of pizza. Want to join me?”

Her eyes flickered in surprise.

She couldn’t be any more shocked than he was, since he was scheduled to have dinner at his brother’s house in an hour. But he wasn’t ready to let her go.

“Umm…” She seemed to struggle with the decision and he knew he’d bail on the family if it meant the chance to go out with her.

“I can’t tonight. I have to work. I need to put the final touches on a presentation I have in the morning.”

He nodded, understanding but still disappointed. “No problem.”

He wondered if he should take it as an outright rejection, then realized she hadn’t said
I can’t
. She’d said
I can’t
tonight
.

“Maybe another time then.”

Her eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe he’d push the issue.

“Maybe,” she said softly.

His heart jump-started inside his chest and his thoughts immediately turned to what Cara had said about turning
things around. He’d always judged Liza harshly, but now he’d treated her to the real Dare and she’d softened.

“Can I walk you anywhere?” he asked, reluctant to let her leave.

She shook her head. “My car’s parked by my office,” she said, pointing down the tree-lined street.

“Be careful.”

“Always,” she said and treated him to a full-fledged genuine smile.

As he watched her jog toward her office, he realized something had shifted between them. And suddenly it didn’t matter who her brother was or what he’d done, Dare needed to get to know Liza better.

Liza reached her car. The BMW Z4 Roadster convertible was her baby. With its all-white outside with black interior, she loved the vehicle. She opened the car and grabbed the bottle of water she’d stowed in the back, guzzling it down, not caring if it gave her a cramp later. Her mouth was dry and her heart was racing—and the solid jog she’d been on before bumping into Dare Barron had nothing to do with it.

He did.

The man, in his gray Champion sweats that molded to his firm thighs and groin and the white T-shirt stained with dirt and sweat, had her drooling. She’d smacked right into him and he’d cupped her breasts, leaving them damp, her nipples hard and aching.

And then he’d asked her to dinner. As if the last time she’d seen him they hadn’t been adversaries arguing over the necessity of arresting her brother.

She wiped the sweat from the back of her neck and leaned over in an attempt to catch her breath. Because she knew she’d never regain her equilibrium ever again.

* * *

Dinner at the mansion. Dare would give anything to eat alone and have time to think. Instead, he had to deal with the weekly family dinner, all the while pretending he wasn’t preoccupied with thoughts of Liza McKnight.

He ought to be glad she’d turned down his dinner invitation. This get-together wasn’t optional for anyone named Barron. And the only way he’d get through it was to force Liza to the back of his mind. He’d think about her and how he’d move forward later. Now he stared up at the mansion, reminding himself why he was here.

What had started as a strained weekly event to give his half sister, Tess, a sense of normalcy had morphed into something all three brothers enjoyed. Of course it helped that the two Barron wives, Faith and Kelly, insisted nothing short of death would be an acceptable excuse, but over time they’d all come to like the sense of family these dinners gave them. One they’d lacked for too long.

By now Dare ought to be used to the monster mansion Ethan owned, but the sheer size never ceased to amaze him. They’d grown up on the other side of town in a small house with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, which was tiny in comparison to most homes in the area. Back then they’d been a family of five with their share of problems, including three rambunctious boys. Ethan, the oldest, caused his share of trouble and had had his own room. Dare shared his bedroom with Nash.

Everything had been normal until one night after Ethan turned eighteen and was arrested. Their parents went to bail Ethan out and were killed by a drunk driver on the way to the police station.

Had Ethan stuck around to raise his siblings?

Hell, no, he’d taken off for parts unknown, not coming home until ten years later.
Almost one year ago,
Dare thought. Time they’d spent first fighting, then forced to get
along when Tess ended up on Ethan’s doorstep, the product of an affair nobody knew their father had had. She’d been a juvenile delinquent, dropped off by her half sister, Kelly Moss. She and Tess had the same mother.

A clusterfuck of a mess that somehow had brought them all together as a family. Including his middle brother Nash, who was now married to Kelly.

Shaking his head, Dare rang the doorbell, not surprised when the delinquent herself answered the door. Except Tess now bore no resemblance to that messed-up kid. Gone was the black hair with a purple stripe, eyebrow ring, and all-black clothing topped with an ever-present army jacket and combat boots she’d even worn in ninety-degree heat. Instead, she dressed in a pair of leggings and a concert T-shirt. Bare feet peeked out, toes revealing royal blue nail polish. And her hair was a light brown, her blue eyes pronounced in her tiny face.

“You gonna stare at me all night or are you coming in?” Tess asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Okay, so the sarcasm occasionally remained, Dare thought with a grin, but the Tess standing at the door was a normal teenage member of the Barron family.

Dare pulled her in for a hug. She squirmed but accepted the gesture. “You’re the last one here. Let’s go eat.”

“I need to wash up first.” He headed to the downstairs bathroom, cleaned up the best he could, and met Tess again outside the door. Apparently she’d decided to wait so she could drag him into the dining room.

Just like she said, he was the last one in and, as usual, the most underdressed. But the family was used to him in his uniform or his sweats or even a pair of old jeans.

“You’re next to me.” Tess pointed to their side of the table.

Ethan sat at the head, Faith by his side, then Nash and Kelly on one long side, Dare and Tess across from the newly married couple. Their wedding had been a Christmas event,
family only, in the mansion, just like Ethan and Faith’s had been in October.

Dare was the lone bachelor.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said instead of dwelling on that subject.

“No problem, we just sat down because Rosalita said dinner was ready and Miss Impatient here insisted she needed bread or she’d pass out.” Faith shot a fond look at Tess.

“You indulge the brat,” Nash said under his breath, but the grin on his face gave his true meaning away.

“I heard that,” Tess said through a mouthful of buttered roll.

“You were supposed to.” Nash winked at her.

The rest of the family rolled their eyes and laughed.

Nash and Tess had had the rockiest time coming to terms, but Tess now idolized all three of her brothers equally. Nash and Tess just liked to give each other the hardest time. Like real siblings, something Dare had desperately missed when he’d gone to live across town in the Garcias’ foster home without Nash.

“So, what’d I miss?” Dare asked.

Rosalita, Ethan’s housekeeper, who he liked to say came with the house, began serving dinner. To Faith and now the rest of them, Rosalita was like family, as she’d worked for Faith’s parents when they’d lived here, and she’d practically raised Faith. Now she was helping out with Tess.