Leave the Lights On (17 page)

Whoa.
She stopped herself the second the thought crossed her mind.
Way too soon to even think about that.
Hell, he hadn’t even told her he loved her yet.

Yet. Would he? Did he? He’d been through so much, what if he just needed to have some fun for a while? Needed the comfort of an old friend and then wanted to move on? It wouldn’t be unreasonable. He’d been with Chrissie for so many years, then in recovery. It would be totally understandable if he wanted to live a little. Date tons of women. Play the field.

Oh God.
The only thing that had bothered her about learning that he was a virgin was the nagging thought that if they stayed together she’d be his one and only. Nate hadn’t been able to stay faithful to her for two months of marriage. How could she possibly expect Parker to be happy with just her for his whole life?

It was almost unthinkable, and yet she wanted it to be possible more than she’d ever wanted anything.

Joey interrupted her thoughts. “Earth to Sophie. You want salt on your margarita?”

She shook her head. “No, thanks.”
I need to stop obsessing.

Parker came up behind her and murmured in her ear. “Where were you just now?”

“Hmm?” she asked, trying to focus on stirring the potato salad.

“You were a million miles away. Joey almost used the BBQ tongs to stir the margarita, and you didn’t even notice. You okay?”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m here. I’m fine. He really almost used the tongs?”

“One margarita, no salt.” Joey handed her a glass and raised his. “To old friends making new memories.”

Parker raised his glass, and all three of them clinked. “I’ll drink to that.”

“Cheers.” Sophie took a sip, savoring the cool lemon-lime liquid as its tanginess filled her mouth. New memories sounded like a great idea.

Parker removed the last steak from the grill and set the platter on the wooden picnic table.

Sophie had been chatting with Joey nonstop. “I see your dad all the time. He seems to be doing well. How’s your mom?”

Joey put a heaping spoonful of potato salad on his plate. “She’s good. Her MS is really under control now. New meds. She’s super busy as usual.”

“How many of your brothers and sisters still live at home?”

“Three. Maria and Dave are both still in school. Dave’s getting his MBA, and Maria’s doing some sort of nursing internship this summer. The rest are still in the house, causing trouble.” Joey smiled but he looked bothered about something.

“They’re amazing, you know, your folks. My parents had a hard enough time with just me.”

“Agreed,” Parker said. “I don’t think my dad could have handled more than me either. Your parents are goddamned saints.”

Joey nodded, biting into an ear of corn. “They are. You know when I got my contract the first thing I offered to do was buy them a new house, and my dad flat out refused. ‘That’s your money. You’re earning it. You use it. We’re fine.’” Joey nailed his father’s voice as he mimicked him.

Parker could almost hear the exact same words coming out of Mr. Nardo’s mouth over a decade earlier. There had been a baseball camp Joey and Parker both wanted to attend. Best camp in the Northeast and expensive as all get out. With five kids and one on the way, Mr. Nardo hadn’t been able to afford the tuition on a mailman’s salary.

Parker’s dad had offered to pay for both of them, saying it was worth it to him to have the boys together at the camp, but Mr. Nardo wouldn’t hear of it. Had it not been for a last-minute grant from the town athletic department, Joey wouldn’t have been able to go. Parker wondered if Joey or his dad had ever figured out that the grant had been started that year, or that it had been sponsored in part by Wood Landscaping.

“Be glad your parents are happy for you and want you to do what you want. My dad still treats me like I’m in middle school.” Sophie poked at the fruit salad on her plate.

“I thought they moved down to Florida,” Joey said.

“They did, but my dad has a way of making his presence known no matter how far away he is.”

“Your dad always scared the crap out of me.” Joey shoved a forkful of potato salad in his mouth.

“Every man with a daughter hated you. You had good reason to be scared,” Parker said, wondering what Sophie’s dad was still giving her grief about. He knew they’d had a problem with the divorce, but she hadn’t mentioned anything recently. He made a mental note to ask her later.

“True enough.” The grin on Joey’s face made him look exactly like he had in high school. Handsome, evil and unwilling to take no for an answer to anything.

“I certainly had a few girlfriends whose fathers would have been happy to string you up from the nearest pole.” Sophie snorted, shaking her head. “You still leaving a string of broken hearts wherever you go?”

“I don’t know about broken hearts, but I haven’t settled down yet if that’s what you mean.”

“No girlfriend?” Sophie asked.

“No one special.” Joey eyed Sophie in a way that caught Parker’s attention. “Haven’t found the right girl. Yet.”

She smiled, clearly oblivious to the look Joey was giving her. A look that made Parker’s stomach tense. He knew that look. He’d seen it a thousand times over the years.
He still has a thing for Sophie. Not that I can blame him. I do too. But now she’s mine.

The words startled Parker as they formed in his head.
She’s mine
. Was she? She’d used the word girlfriend and was inviting him to things like her friend’s wedding, but she’d only been divorced for six months. Was she ready to commit to a relationship yet? Was he?

Ready or not, he realized with a swift kick to the head, that he already was. Totally committed.
Holy shit
.
When did that happen?
Somewhere between a decade-long crush, a first kiss and several earth-shattering nights of passion, his feelings for her had deepened beyond what he’d expected.
Jesus. I’m falling in love with Sophie.

Joey filled everyone’s glasses with the last of the margaritas.

“So good,” Sophie said, taking another sip. “Did I hear you say you’re looking at houses?”

Joey nodded. “Realtor and I narrowed it down to two. Wanna see?”

“Sure.” Sophie scooted closer to Joey as he scrolled through images on his phone. “Oh wow. That’s some house.”

Parker’s stomach tensed as Joey turned the phone so he could see. “Some house” was an understatement. “Nice.”

Joey shrugged. “It’s a cool place, but I think this one’s my first choice.”

“Whoa,” Sophie said, her eyes bugging. “Is that whole front wall glass?”

“Yep.” Joey held the phone out.

The tightness in Parker’s stomach seemed to be spreading up through his throat.
I’ll never be able to afford a place like that.
He hated himself for thinking that, but it was true. No matter how successful the landscaping business was and how comfortable his lifestyle might be, it would never compare with what Joey had in front of him.

Joey tucked the phone into his pocket and went back to eating. “All I know is whatever house I wind up taking, I’m gonna need a hell of a lot of furniture for it. The stuff in my apartment would barely fill one room of these places.”

“I can help with that,” Sophie said, a big grin spreading across her face. “I help all my bridal clients set up their wedding registries. I know all the best places for furniture and some awesome interior designers.”

Her willingness to help was sweet, yet it set Parker totally on edge. The thought of her spending time helping Joey fix up his bachelor palace was enough to make his already tense stomach turn into a mass of knots.
I can’t offer her the same things he can.

Joey knocked him on the shoulder with the back of his hand. “What about you? You gonna help decorate the new place? Maybe we can go to Spencer’s in the mall and get some good posters.”

Parker laughed. “You mean you don’t still have your old ones?”

“Actually I think I do, in my parents’ attic.”

“Well, there you go then. Problem solved.”

Sophie swatted each of them on the back of the head as she got up to start clearing the dinner plates. “You two are impossible. I’m so taking you shopping before you destroy a perfectly good house with black lights and velvet.”

Joey rolled his eyes at Parker. “Women.”

Parker tried for a smile. “You gotta love ’em.”
Especially this one.

By the time they’d finished clearing the table and polished off most of Sophie’s triple berry pie and all the ice cream, the fireworks started.

Sophie grabbed a blanket and shook it in the air so it tented and lay flat on the grass. “Come on, guys, tradition.”

They took their spots on the ground with Sophie between them, watching as the multicolored sprays of light flashed in the sky above the treetops.

“Still the best view of the fireworks,” Joey said.

“Best view ever.” Parker turned his head to look at Sophie and slipped his hand into hers.

The feel of her skin against his, her fingers slipping between his, made him shudder in spite of the warm humid night.

When the finale came, the entire sky lit up, the ground beneath them shaking from the consecutive explosions. “That was awesome,” Joey said. “This is the most relaxed I’ve been since the season started.”

“Good.” Sophie gave Parker’s hand a quick squeeze before she let go and sat up. “You guys up for a swim?”

“Always,” Joey said, tugging off his shirt as he popped up off the blanket. “Last one in’s a rotten egg.” He took off running toward Sophie’s yard.

Instinct almost made Parker run after him, but he didn’t.

“I can’t believe you’re not trying to beat him.” Sophie stared at him, her eyes wide with shock.

“Gotta let him win once in a while. Besides, I’ve already got what I want right here.” He pulled her into a kiss that made the fireworks they’d just watched seem like a sparkler on a birthday cake. With her in his arms, he had everything he wanted, which thrilled and terrified him in equal amounts.

Jesus. I’m doomed. And I don’t even care.
He kissed her harder, pulling her so close the rest of the world disappeared.

Chapter Twenty

Parker had tied his tie three times and the knot still wasn’t right. “Fuck.” He yanked it off and started again. Over under around and… “Dammit.”

“Everything okay in there?” The sound of Sophie’s voice startled him. He hadn’t realized she’d arrived.

“I can’t get this stupid tie right.” He stared into the mirror and took a deep breath, raising his arms to try again.

Sophie inserted herself between him and the dresser, her lovely face tilted up at him, eyes clear and calm. “Why don’t you let me give it a try? I had to wear a tie every day when I worked at the catering hall. I used to do this for half the employees.”

Parker sighed and let his hands drop. “Go for it.”

She worked intently, her long fingers maneuvering the slippery fabric. Her hair was pulled back on both sides instead of loose like she usually wore it. It accented her beautiful, heart-shaped face, making her eyes look even bigger, her chin pointier and her cheeks all the more kissable.

“How’s that?” she asked, giving the knot a final adjustment as she smoothed his shirt collar down.

Parker stepped to the side and looked in the mirror. In less than two minutes she’d managed to do what he’d been attempting for half an hour. “It’s perfect.”

Sophie beamed. “You look pretty damned good in a suit.”

“You look amazing.” His eyes raked over her. She wore a simple black dress, sleeveless that wasn’t even low cut, but it fit her curves so perfectly she looked sexy as hell. The dress stopped just above her knees, showing off her perfectly shaped calves. Her heels, also plain and black, were so high they made her whole body look different. Her posture was straighter, her center of gravity different, her movements more poised and graceful.

She gave a little curtsy then smoothed her hand over his lapel. Even the slightest touch from her was enough to improve his mood. “Ready to go?” she asked.

His frame of mind instantly darkened. “You know you really don’t have to come. This is gonna suck.”

Sophie stepped toward him. Standing right in front of him with her sexy pumps, she was still easily six inches shorter than him, but what she lacked in height she made up for in determination. Planting a hand on either side of his face, she tipped his head forward until he had no choice but to look her straight in her crystal-clear eyes.

“I’m going. You’re going. We’re going.” She pulled him forward, giving him a quick, gentle kiss.

Parker would have much preferred throwing off all their fancy clothes and spending the evening in bed but he knew she was right. They had to go. Well, he had to go. And he also had to admit he was glad she was insisting on joining him. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out why anyone would volunteer to attend this, but the only thing worse than going would have been going alone.

He plucked his car keys off the dresser and shoved his wallet into his pants pocket. “Let’s go get this over with.”