Mythe: A Fairy Tale (14 page)

“No, no, it’s not that,” Manda denied quickly. She sighed again and blushed. “It’s just a little unnerving taking you to my house. It’s really nothing fancy,” she admitted in a rush.

“We’re not impressed by ‘fancy,’” Richard assured her kindly, “and we don’t judge people by what they own. But I’m sure your home is lovely. After all, a home reflects the person who lives there.”

Manda grimaced. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Both men chuckled as she turned into her neighborhood. She wound her way through the maze of house-lined streets and pulled into her garage before finally working up the courage to ask the question that had been lurking in the back of her mind.

“Why
are
you doing this, anyway?”

“Doing what?” Josh asked, puzzled.

“Going out of your way like this just to make Katie feel better. It’s very nice of you, but it’s definitely above and beyond the call of duty. I’m sure you could think of better ways to spend your time.”

“We’re not going out of our way at all,” Josh said, shaking his head firmly. “We really
want
to take you and Katie out tonight. It will be a lot of fun.”

“We enjoy your company, Manda. You act like this is some sort of hardship for us, but it’s not at all.” Richard sounded so earnest that Manda was convinced that the two men really did want to go on this outing, which surprised her. The famous Raines brothers were not at all what she’d originally anticipated. She was more and more impressed with them with each passing day. She felt a tiny bit better about letting them into her home. She took a deep breath.

“Shall we go in then? I’d like to change and freshen up a bit before we go get Katie if you don’t mind.” She slid out of the car and Richard and Josh followed suit, but Richard paused with his hand on the open car door.

“Are you sure, Manda? If you don’t want to invite us in, we can just wait in the car.”

Manda answered with an apologetic grin. “Don’t be silly. Of course you should come in. We can’t let our insecurities rule us, after all.”

“Words of wisdom,” Richard commented appreciatively, shutting the car door and following Manda and Josh into the house.

Chapter 7

M
anda finished rubbing the sunscreen onto her arms and laid back in the chaise lounge. She fanned her hair out around her shoulders to let it dry in the sun and closed her eyes. She usually would have chosen a chair in the shade, under one of the many umbrellas scattered around the pool, but it had been an unusually cool summer and it was a little too chilly in the shade this late in the season. Today was the last day the pool would be open this year, and tomorrow Katie and Robbie would be going back to school.

Manda could make out their voices clearly among the others at the neighborhood pool. The two children laughed and chattered happily with their friends. Both her niece and nephew were very strong swimmers, and she knew several of the other mothers were watching all of the children with eagle-eyes, so Manda relaxed and let her mind drift to the events of the previous two days.

In spite of her fears, Josh and Richard had been gracious and complimentary guests.

“This isn’t what I expected at all after seeing your office,” Josh exclaimed, “but I really like it.”

“It’s beautiful. You’ve created a very peaceful sanctuary for yourself. Remind me to let you decorate my next place.” Richards praise was genuine, and Manda immediately felt silly about her nervousness. She looked around, trying to see her home as they must see it—as someone seeing it for the first time would.

Hardwood floors stretched throughout the ground level, while the cool, earthy colors that covered the walls throughout the open floor plan were echoed in the curtains and upholstery. Mixed amongst comfortable seating, clean-lined hardwood furnishings added their own rich glow to the space.

Manda had simply tried to create rooms that she herself enjoyed and was comfortable in. The result, she now decided, was very welcoming. The furnishings were beautiful and well-made, but casual enough to be homey and relaxing. She supposed “peaceful sanctuary” was an apt description.

A warm glow of relief and pleasure filled Manda as she led her guests through her family room, kitchen, and dining room, to her living room.

“Thanks! Make yourselves at home. I’ll only be a minute. Can I get either of you something to drink?”

“No, thanks. I’m fine,” Richard replied, settling himself into the overstuffed sofa.

“Nothing for me, thanks,” Josh echoed, taking a chair by the window.

“Well, if you change your mind, help yourself to anything in the fridge. The glasses are in the cupboard by the sink.”

It took Manda less than ten minutes to change from her blouse and sandals to a t-shirt and sneakers, then quickly run a brush through her hair and freshen up what little makeup she wore. She skipped back down the stairs, grabbing a light jacket from the closet at the bottom.

“Okay. I’m ready,” she announced as she retrieved her phone and wallet from her purse and slid them into the pockets of her jacket. Thus armed for their outing, she led the way back to her car.

The rest of the evening flew by. They collected Katie from Emily and Andy’s house, where Manda briefly introduced Richard and Josh to her slightly flustered sister and brother-in-law. After a casual dinner at Katie’s favorite Chinese restaurant, the foursome tackled the local miniature golf center. It had an extensive and elaborate layout, with four separate themed courses. As she’d expected, Manda was by far the worst player, while Katie, Richard, and Josh all vied for the lead. Manda suspected the two men were letting Katie win most of the time.

Josh and Katie were enthusiastic and lively, feeding off of each other’s energy. Josh went out of his way to be kind and charming to the younger girl, and the two were inseparable all night, often hurrying ahead and leaving Richard and Manda to trail after them. Manda, being the unashamedly bad player that she was, always took longer to complete a hole than the others, and Richard would wait patiently for her each time, smiling in amusement when she would occasionally give up and push her ball into the hole with her foot.

The evening was entertaining and relaxed. It was almost as if the four of them had known each other for years instead of merely days. There were no awkward silences, merely occasional, comfortable lulls in the conversation, and Manda found herself unwinding—a fact that surprised her, given the way Richard’s company tended to make her pulse accelerate. That was a particularly pleasant and enjoyable tension though, and it coexisted oddly with the pleasant relaxation she felt.

Manda had half expected their evening to be cut short by flocking fans, and was relieved when her fears proved to be baseless. Although there were a few looks and whispers, their fellow golfers were amazingly respectful of their privacy, and the evening passed without incident. It was only when they were preparing to leave that a small group of girls who Katie had recognized from both school and the pool approached. Addressing Katie timidly, they asked if she would introduce them to Richard and Josh. Katie looked at Josh uncertainly, seeking his approval and beamed happily when he immediately stepped forward with a smile.

Josh and Richard both greeted the girls, signing autographs and posing for pictures, then Richard retreated back to Manda’s side while Josh engaged his young fans in animated conversation
—
eliciting repeated fits of giggles from them. Katie had taken up a proprietary position at Josh’s side and his arm was draped casually over her shoulders. Manda noted that Katie’s classmates seemed to regard her with no small amount of awe.

Manda chuckled softly and leaned closer to Richard, speaking in an undertone. “I think Katie is going to be something of a celebrity when she goes back to school.”

Richard grinned and responded in a similarly quiet voice. “I think that’s what Josh is going for. That won’t cause any problems, will it?”

Manda shook her head, regarding her niece fondly. “No. She’s very sensible. She takes everything in stride.”

After several more minutes, Richard sighed. “I’ll have to go collect my brother. There’s no telling how long he’ll be stuck there if I don’t. He’s not very good at extricating himself yet. He’s always afraid of hurting someone’s feelings.” Richard rejoined Josh amid the cluster of girls and quickly excused his brother and Katie, managing it so deftly that the faces he left behind were smiling happily. When her three companions rejoined her, Manda noted how satisfied Katie looked—so satisfied that, had she been a cat, she would surely have been purring.

Manda arched one eyebrow. “Enjoying yourself?”

“More than you can believe,” Katie replied smugly. “Did you see Andrea, the short blonde girl?” She waited for Manda’s nod of acknowledgement. “She overheard Kristin and a couple of my other friends at the pool, talking about how I’d met Josh and Richard—and gone to the concert and backstage and everything—and she’s been telling everyone that I was lying about the whole thing. I guess she knows better now!” Katie sounded
amused, but not spiteful or vindictive. Manda marveled again at how mature and sensible she was. She could at times be as giddy and frivolous as the next teenage girl, but when it really mattered, she was wiser than her thirteen years would suggest. Manda sometimes envied her poise and self-confidence.

When they were all back in Manda’s car, with Josh sitting in the back seat with Katie this time, Manda watched Katie’s reflection in the rearview mirror as the girl snuck starry-eyed looks at the handsome young musician. Manda sighed to herself. It would seem that she wasn’t the only one who was in danger of developing an unrealistic infatuation with one of the Raines brothers. Katie was only thirteen though, and could be excused for having silly crushes. Manda herself had no such excuse. Determined to bury her own rebellious emotions, Manda started the car. “It’ll be a lot quicker getting you back to the hotel than it was getting to my house. We won’t have to fight traffic at this time of night.”

“There’s no need for you to drive us back.” Richard looked startled by the idea. “We’ll see you and Katie safely home and then we’ll be on our way. I’ve already called for a car. I imagine our driver is waiting at your house as we speak.”

Manda quickly altered her course in response to this new information, changing lanes to turn right toward home rather than left toward the interstate. “That was very thoughtful,” she said with an appreciative smile, though in truth she regretted that this would shorten her time with him.

When Manda rounded the corner nearest her house she immediately spotted the black Mercedes parked in front. Disappointment stole over her as she realized the evening was coming to a close. Her resolve to maintain an appropriate emotional distance from Richard was definitely being tested on this outing and, if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that when she was with him she simply didn’t care. It was only her pride combined with the certainty that he wasn’t interested in her romantically that kept her from making a complete fool of herself, as so many other women had done. Stories about Richard and these silly women were constantly splashed across the covers of the tabloids.

Manda pulled the car smoothly into the garage and turned off the engine. “Well, that was fun,” she said. The words came out more wistfully than she intended.

“Yeah, it was,” Katie agreed, echoing Manda’s tone.

“Thank you both for a great evening,” Josh said with a sigh. “I can’t remember when I’ve had such a nice time.”

Manda turned around in her seat to face him. “If that’s true, you really do need to get out more,” she informed him dryly. “Have anything fun planned for the weekend?”

Josh responded with another sigh, which earned him a sympathetic smile from Richard.

“I’ve been a slave-driver lately and Josh has been cooped up in the hotel a lot. He’s getting a little stir-crazy I think. We don’t have any plans for the weekend, but we’ll find something to do. I just don’t know what yet.”

The two men had then said their goodnights, seen Manda and Katie safely inside, and gone. 

*****

Manda was abruptly called back to the present by a shower of cold water droplets raining down onto her sun-warmed skin. She gasped and jerked semi-upright in her lounge chair.

“Sorry, Aunt Manda,” Robbie apologized. “I didn’t mean to get you all wet. I just need my goggles.”

Her nephew stood beside her chair, dripping water onto the concrete. He snapped his head around quickly as one of his friends called to him from the pool, spraying Manda with another shower of droplets from his dark brown hair—almost black now that it was wet.

“Hey!” she complained mildly, drying herself off with her towel. “Cut that out!”

“Oops! Sorry!” Robbie repeated sheepishly, stepping back a few feet.

Manda fished through her tote bag with one hand until she found the requested goggles and then tossed them to her nephew. He grinned at her, crinkling his freckled nose, his brown eyes sparkling.

“Thanks!” he called as he raced back to the pool.

“No running!” Manda called after him, knowing she would have to repeat the reminder numerous times before the day was over. She sighed contentedly and relaxed back into her chair in happy anticipation of the coming evening. She’d taken Katie home Saturday morning, after which she’d done a few chores around the house. Her mind had been determined to linger on the previous evening and she’d been unable—okay, unwilling—to discipline it toward safer subjects. Instead she kept recollecting the forlorn look Josh had adopted when she’d asked them about their weekend plans. Surely they would find something to do. Surely they weren’t spending all weekend cooped up in the hotel.