Only You (13 page)

K
evin woke to find Holly still asleep, lying on her side facing him. The kitten was batting at his head, and he picked it up and put it down at his feet, but it decided it was playtime. The clock read close to seven thirty, which meant the cat had been good longer than could be expected. If nothing else, the thing needed its litter box.

After three rounds of sex, he knew Holly was exhausted. She'd gotten worried when her cousin hadn't come home, but she'd finally gotten a text that her cousin was spending the night with her boyfriend. Which made him regret not insisting on taking her on the counter.

He slid out of bed and stepped into his jeans, then hurriedly shoved his arms into his shirtsleeves. The kitten had discovered Holly's hair and was about to pounce on it when he scooped it up and carried it downstairs.

A dark-headed woman sat at the kitchen counter, nursing a cup of coffee. She turned her head to look at him, a slow smile spreading across her face.

“Please tell me you live next door.”

He cocked his head. “Um…yes?”

“So was it the pasta salad or the pita sandwich that won you over?”

“Excuse me?”

“Last night's dinner. I made it for Holly to take to you.”

He smiled. “She won me over before I even saw the dinner.”

“She's a good person and she's been through a lot. She deserves a great guy, if you get what I'm saying.”

“I'm not sure if I'm a great guy, but I do want to get to know her better and I have no intention of hurting her.”

“I suppose that's all you can promise, isn't it?” There was a sharp edge in her voice, which he suspected had nothing to do with him and Holly. She stood and walked to the sink with her coffee cup, wobbling slightly. “There's definitely no promises in life.”

“Are you okay?”

“No. But thanks for asking.” She enunciated her words like a drunk person trying to appear sober. “I'm going to bed.”

She walked past him, over to the dining room table, glancing down at the papers spread across the top. “The wedding's going to be gorgeous.”

“Excuse me?”

“Her wedding. It looks a lot like the ones she used to plan when we were little.”

She was planning her wedding?
He walked over to the table and, sure enough, there were pictures of cakes and flowers and dresses scattered around. If she wasn't planning a wedding, she was definitely obsessed with one.

Holly's cousin started for the stairs, but then Kevin remembered her earlier remark and called after her, “You said you made dinner for Holly to bring to me?”

“Yeah. I pushed her to take you the lasagna, but last night's dinner was all her. She called me and told me she wanted to use it to win you over.”

His eyes sank closed and disappointment washed over him. He'd thought she was normal. He could have sworn she was normal. Yet she'd begun planning her wedding—
their
wedding—before they'd even slept together.

He'd broken his six-month ban to sleep with a crazy woman. This was a disaster.

The kitten squirmed on his arm. “I have to take the cat to do its business and get to work.”

“On a Saturday?” she asked at the bottom of the steps, sounding skeptical.

“Yeah. New job and all.”

“Yeah…right…”

He didn't give her time to call him on his bullshit, instead practically running across the front yard to his house. It occurred to him as he entered the house that he'd left it unlocked, which wasn't a smart move if there really were car break-ins in the neighborhood. Jesus. Had she made that up, too, so she'd look helpless and he'd stay to take care of her?

He took the kitten to the laundry-room litter box, afraid to let it do its business outside. Trying that last night had been what had gotten him into this situation.

How was he going to get out of this? He really liked her, but what sane woman planned her wedding before her first date? Still, he hated to just ignore her. Was there a kind way to say:
Sorry, I made a mistake. I didn't realize you were batshit crazy
?

He pulled out his phone and considered calling his sister to take him to pick up his car, but he needed advice, too, and he didn't exactly trust her decision-making skills at the moment. Instead he sent a text to Matt.

Any chance you can pick me up and take me to my car at Café Rustica?

It was early enough that he didn't expect Matt to respond immediately.

I have a T-ball game at 9. I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes and you can help me coach.

Coach a T-ball game? Why not? If nothing else, he could leave the house and avoid any awkward encounters with Holly.

I'll be ready.

He took a quick shower, hoping the calming effect of the water would help him figure out what to do.

Sex with Holly had been the best he'd ever had. And then the time they had spent just talking made it even more perfect. He'd thought she was what he'd been looking for—that puzzle piece that just fit—but that damned wedding planning—

Why couldn't women just be normal?

The kitten looked up at him through the shower door and mewled.

“Yeah, I know, buddy. Life sucks.”

He finished showering quickly and tugged on a fresh pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then tromped downstairs. He needed to get Megan to take the cat or admit defeat and give it a name. He wasn't ready to go that far yet.

A rap on the door made his heart stutter. Had Holly come over looking for him? But the door opened and Matt poked his head inside. “I'm a few minutes early, so I thought I'd come in and take a look at your project.”

Kevin snorted. “You mean disaster.”

Matt made a quick walk-through, silent the entire time until he ended up at the front door.

“Give it to me straight,” Kevin said, his back tense.

“There's a lot of work to do, but your sister has a good eye. I think it's a good investment.” He clamped his hand on Kevin's shoulder. “Let's get some doughnuts and coffee and eat them on the way to the field, which will give you plenty of time to tell me why you have the wild look in your eyes. We'll stop by your car after the game.”

“Worried I'll take off and skip the game?”

Matt crossed his arms. “Nope. I know you're too smart to break a commitment to your boss.”

A sardonic grin spread across Kevin's face. “Well, that's your first mistake—assuming I'm smart. It only took twenty-four hours before I broke our pact and jumped straight into the fire.”

Matt laughed, dropping his arms to his sides. “Ha! You didn't waste any time, did you?”

He grimaced. “I blame it on the alcohol.” Only he'd sobered up quite a bit before he'd carried her upstairs.

Matt released a sigh. “We
all
want to blame it on alcohol. Let's go, and you can fill me in on the ugly details.”

Kevin put the kitten in the basement with fresh food and water, then locked up the house and cast a long look at Holly's bedroom window before he climbed into Matt's truck.

“What happened?”

“I also give partial blame to the blind date my mother set me up on.”

Matt started laughing. “I definitely need more coffee. I could swear I heard you say you let your mother set you up on a blind date.”

“I didn't
let
her do anything. She tricked me into it. I thought I was meeting her and Dad.”

“She fixed you up with your neighbor?”

“No. She fixed me up with Bethany Davis from high school.”

“What? No way. Is she just as crazy as she was back then?”

“Even more so.”

“How'd your mother find her?”

“I'm guessing the country club. She's sure using it to her advantage since she coerced Dad to join a few years ago.”

“So you went home with her?”

“God, no. Why would you think that?”

“Dude, you're doing the walk of shame to your car. Or in this case, the drive of shame.”

“My car's still in the parking lot because I got drunk off my ass to make it through the dinner. I had to call my sister to come get me.”

“Bethany didn't offer to take you home?”

“Oh, she offered, all right. I gave her a hard pass.”

Matt laughed. “Is that why you're so grumpy? You got blue balls?”

Kevin sat back in his seat, his mood getting worse by the minute. “That's right, funny guy. Laugh it up.”

“So you left one date to go home and hook up with another woman?” Matt whistled. “And I thought Tyler was bad.”

“It wasn't like that,” he said a little too defensively, cringing at Matt's chuckle. “Megan took me home and I took that damn cat out back to pee.”

“Why didn't you just let it use the litter box?”

“Dude, I was drunk, okay? Obviously I wasn't thinking straight.”

“Obviously…”

“Holly's dog got through the fence to chase after the cat and she followed it back.” Was that all staged, too? To give her an excuse to talk to him?

“And then…?” Matt prompted.

“Then I saw her…she was still in her work clothes. This tight peach-colored skirt that clung to her ass and a low-cut top that showed off her…”

“And you were drunk. …”

“She said she was, too. She'd had a good day.”

“And you made it better?”

Maybe, but he had to have fucked up her morning just leaving like that. What if there was some logical explanation for her wedding photos everywhere? What if she was helping a friend? “Her dog freaked out the cat and it scratched my cheek. Holly saw the scratches and offered to get her first aid kit. So I went over to her house and she cleaned up the scratches.”

“And then?”

“And then one thing led to the other and I had the best night of my life.” He realized it really had been. He'd never connected with someone that quickly. He took a deep breath, trying to fight his rising panic. “I think I just fucked up.”

“Nah, it was one hookup. You can jump back on the womanless wagon. Call it Day One of your new virginity.”

That wasn't what he'd meant. What if he'd made a mistake about leaving her this morning? What if he had thrown away something that could have been amazing?

But Matt continued on, unaware of his inner dilemma. “What made you realize she was crazy?”

“I found wedding photos.”

Matt's eyebrows lifted. “She's married?”

Kevin shook his head. “No, like she was planning one. Cutouts from things she'd found online—you know: flowers, cakes, dresses.”

“One of those, huh?”

“But she didn't seem like it last night. In fact, she seemed like she thought I was just going to get up and walk home.” His panic increased. “Oh, Jesus. I really fucked up.”

“Well, hold on. Maybe not. Could they have belonged to someone else? Didn't you say she lived with her cousin?”

He paused to recall his conversation with her cousin, his heart sinking. “She does, but her cousin was the one who pointed them out. She said they were Holly's. She said it was the wedding she'd wanted as a kid.”

Matt cringed. “That sure sounds like a woman desperate to get married to the first man who comes along.”

“Her cousin said Holly asked her to make dinner so she could bring it to me.”

“I thought she showed up in your backyard to get her dog. Did she happen to have the dinner with her?”

“No.”

“Maybe she tried to bring it over while you were gone? But look at this this way: she's at home on Friday night, trying to land you with a tuna casserole.”

“Pasta salad and turkey-and-avocado pita sandwiches.”

He turned to look at Kevin. “Are you shitting me? Was it good?”

Kevin pinned his gaze on him. “Amazingly good.”

Matt shook his head. “It doesn't matter. What matters is that she's some kind of looney tunes who set her sights on you the day you moved in. She brought you a lasagna, for Christ's sake.” Matt turned to face him. “Take it from someone who knows all too well—when they want to rush to play house, all kinds of red flags are flying. Don't be an idiot and ignore them.”

“Yeah…”

“And don't worry about working on your house. After the game, I'll follow you home and we can spend the rest of the day working on ripping your house apart.”

“Only until three or so. I have plans.”

“Another date with your neighbor?” Matt laughed. “What's she bringing you tonight? Steak and baked potatoes?”

Kevin frowned. “I promised my mother that I'd go over this afternoon.”

“After she set you up on a blind date with Bethany Davis? I would totally blow it off on principle alone.”

“Like hell you would.” Kevin laughed. “Your mother would hand you your ass on a platter. And it's not just her. I promised my sister.”

“What's so important? A family dinner?”

Kevin considered lying, but Matt already thought he was an idiot. He couldn't make it much worse. “A baby shower.”

Matt burst into laughter. “You are so whipped. And you aren't even married. You need to stay away from women until you can grow a pair.” Chuckling, Matt tilted his head toward Kevin. “And you definitely need to cut your losses with your neighbor.”

Unfortunately, Kevin was sure they were talking about two very different losses.

H
olly woke up to an empty bed: both Kevin and the kitten were gone. Granted, it was after nine—she hadn't slept so well in years—but still, she should have found some sign of him. She went downstairs to see if he was down there or had left some kind of note. Nothing.

There had to be some kind of logical explanation, but damned if she could come up with one.

She started a pot of coffee, then looked at her phone to see if he'd sent her a message, which was ridiculous. She'd never given him her number.

He really had walked out on her.

She let Killer out, then grabbed her day planner and sat down at the counter, looking at her notes for the day. The day before, Nicole had given Holly a list of things to pick up before she showed up for the shower. With any luck at all, Nicole wanted Holly to help with the setup and then she could go.

But her thoughts kept turning back to Kevin. “Why did he pretend this was something when I'd made it so clear I didn't expect it to be more?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Melanie asked behind her, sounding groggy. “Men are dicks.”

Holly frowned. “Mel.”

“It's true and you know it.”

“I
don't
know. Kevin was gone when I got up.”

“So he didn't come back after all.”

Holly's face jerked up. “You saw him?”

“I'd just come home. He said he had to take his cat to do its business in the litter box.”

Holly pushed her hair from her face, totally confused. “What time was that?” They'd woken up around three a.m. for their last round. Had he gotten out of bed before that and she hadn't realized it?

“About seven thirty.”

“This morning?”

“Well, yeah.” Her brow lowered.

“Why were you home already? You said you were spending the night.”

Melanie grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. “When a man and a woman like each other, sometimes after they've dated a few times, they have sex. Or, in your case, they just have sex.” Her snotty tone was totally unlike her.

“Melanie, what's going on?”

“I broke it off.”

“With Darren? What happened?” Holly got out of her seat and pulled her cousin into a hug.

She rested her cheek on Holly's shoulder. “He's an asshole. All men are assholes.”

“Oh, Mel. I'm sorry. You really liked him.”

“I liked him. Past tense. Now I loathe him.”

“He obviously didn't deserve you.”

“Just like Kerwin doesn't deserve you.”

“His name is Kevin, and maybe he has a good explanation,” Holly said. “Maybe something came up.”

“And maybe monkeys are going to start flying out of my ass. Accept it, Holly. Men are assholes unworthy of our attention. We should vow to live lives of celibacy.”

After what Holly had experienced with Kevin the night before, celibacy was the last thing on her mind.

“I know that look.” Melanie said, pointing her finger into Holly's face. “You're going to give him another chance.”

“But what if he has a good reason?”

“He couldn't leave a note?”

There was one last place she hadn't checked. She ran to the front door and looked for a note on the porch or taped to the front door. Nothing.

“Face it, Holly. He got what he wanted. He's moved on.”

“You're right. He got what he wanted.” The truth was harder to accept than she'd expected. If it had been half as good for him as it had been for her, wouldn't he want to see her again? But, then again, he was a gorgeous man. Maybe hopping in and out of beds was what he did. She was sure he had his choice of women, and the woman on his front porch last night was Exhibit A. Besides, she had little to base his performance on. She'd slept with three other men, and two of them hadn't exactly been live wires out of bed, let alone in it.

Horror rushed through her head. What if it was her? What if
she
sucked at sex and just didn't know it?

“Okay,” Melanie said slowly, wrapping her arm around Holly's shoulders. “I don't know what you're thinking right now, but you're obviously overanalyzing it.” She led her to the bar stool and pushed her down. “Let me get you a cup of coffee. That will help put things in perspective.”

She leaned her elbow on the counter and rested her forehead in her hand. “That I got dumped by my own one-night stand?”

Melanie started to pour coffee into a cup.

“What if I completely suck at sex?”

“You realize that's, like, nearly impossible, don't you?”

“I don't know any such thing. It's not like you get a grade card at the end of a relationship. Attentive Girlfriend: B-plus; Cooking: D-minus; Sex: F.”

“Don't be ridiculous.” Mel handed her the coffee, along with a bottle of creamer. “Sex would be broken down into multiple categories, just like that row of checks, misses, and dashes for ‘needs work' on our grade-school report cards. You know—Blow Job: plus; Doggie Style: dash; French Kissing: minus; with ‘too wet and sloppy' in the comment box.”

A renewed wave of horror washed through her. “Oh, my God. I suck at sex.”

Melanie looked up at her in exasperation. “How many times did you do it?”

“What?”

“You know. How many times did he get off?”

“Melanie!”

“Just answer the question.”

Holly's face burned. “Three.”

Melanie rolled her eyes. “Trust me. He thought you were good. Otherwise he would have been out the door after the first time.”

“Are you sure? Maybe he figured he should get it while he could.”

“Please. I saw the guy. He could have a woman in his bed every night of the week.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Melanie gave her a piercing gaze. “Believe it or not, yes.” She leaned closer. “You said you didn't expect more than just last night, right?”

“Well, yeah…”

“You wanted a round of great sex, and you got it, right?”

“I didn't put it that way—”

“Was it good?”

Holly blushed. “Yeah.”

“All three times?”

Her blush deepened. “Yeah.”

“Well, there you go. Three rounds of amazing sex to tide you over until you dip your toe back into the asshole pool. It's better than what I got.”

Holly had been waiting for this opening. She'd known Mel would get there eventually. “What happened?”

“He turned out to be a complete ass, okay?”

“Mel, I'm sorry.”

Tears filled her cousin's eyes. “Why can't I find someone to love me, Hol?”

“Oh, Mel.
I
love you.”

“It's not the same.”

Her grandmother had said the same thing. “I know. But you need to love you first, Mel.”

A hateful look covered Melanie's face. “If that's not calling the kettle black. You won't even get pissed off that a man just slept with you and lied to you all because you don't think you deserve him.”

Holly gasped.

“Tell me I'm wrong.”

Tears stung her eyes, mostly because her cousin was being so blunt, but also because she could see some truth in her words. She didn't think she deserved him.

“Promise me you won't fall for some bullshit line he gives as an excuse. Because he lives next door and he's going to have an opening in his schedule. Ten to one he comes crawling back like the slime he is, trying to weasel another go at you.”

“Melanie, I never expected it to be a
thing
. I thought it would be a one-night stand.”

“Exactly. A one-night stand. Which means it's over.”

Holly closed her planner and headed for the stairs. “I have to take a shower.”

“Holly…” her cousin called after her. “You know I only tell you this because I love you and want the best for you. A quick roll in the sack is good every now and then, but if you sleep with him again, your heart's bound to get involved. And that will
not
end well.”

She knew that all too well, too.

“You deserve to have a
great
guy, Holly. Don't settle for an asshole.”

“You need to listen to your own advice,” Holly said without malice.

A wobbly grin lifted Mel's lips. “Maybe I told myself the same thing this morning.”

Holly pulled her cousin into a hug. “I love you, Mel.”

“I love you, too.” She dropped her hold. “Now you can run away like you always do.”

“No I don't—” She stopped, because she could see Mel was right about that, too. It had never occurred to her that avoiding relationships was also running away from them. “But in this case, I really do have to go. Nicole's daughter's baby shower is this afternoon.”

“Do what? Her daughter's
baby shower
?”

“When your boss jumps, you ask how high.”

“No, you find a new boss who doesn't ask you to jump at all.”

With any luck, she'd be able to start her own business in a few months. But her cousin misunderstood her silence, and when Holly stared to argue, Melanie patted Holly's cheek. “That's okay, little grasshopper. One fight at a time.”

The day Holly quit would be more like Armageddon, but she'd worry about that later.