Only You (23 page)

She took the envelope and broke the seal. “I feel like we should have a drumroll or something.”

He tapped his fingers on the armrest in a mock drumroll and grinned.

She pulled out the paper and held it up. “I can't read it.”

“Why not?”

She squinted. “It's too dark. It's practically illegible. Take your pick.”

“I'd let you use the flashlight on my phone, but I left it home.”

“I've waited forever and I
have
to know.” She stood up, her foot catching on the edge of the pool, and she started to wobble.

Kevin was up in an instant, dropping the kitten in the chair as he stood and reached for her. But his foot slipped and he fell, taking her down with him. He twisted just before they reached the bottom of the shallow pool, turning her to the side so he didn't land on top of her.

They lay there for a second before she said, “I never realized these inflatable sides made such a comfortable pillow.”

He grinned and she burst out laughing as they lay in the cold twelve-inch-deep water, their faces inches apart. But after a few seconds their laughter died and the amusement in his eyes turned to desire. Slowly he began to slide his hand up from her hip toward the curve of her breast.

The light in Melanie's upstairs window flipped on and Holly giggled. “Mel's gonna be pissed that we woke her.”

Kevin's hand froze, and he looked worried.

But Holly suddenly remembered how they'd ended up in their predicament. “The paper!” She bolted upright and twisted around to find the paper floating on the water behind her. She picked it up and groaned when she saw that the ink had bled, then handed it to him. “Please tell me that you really know and you're just teasing me.”

He sat up next to her, grimacing as he squinted at the slip. “I don't.”

“Can you read it?” she pleaded.

“I don't think so.”

The back door flew open and Melanie stood in the opening, glaring at them with a hand on her hip. “What are you doing out here?”

Killer ran out and jumped into the pool, landing on Holly's lap.

Holly gave her an innocent look. “We're taking a midnight swim.”

Kevin laughed, but Melanie did not look amused. “It's one thirty in the morning. Get inside before you wake the whole neighborhood and Mrs. Darcy calls the cops.”

“We're doing something important.”

Her cousin scowled, then said sarcastically, “Yeah, I can see that.”

“No, seriously. We were about to find out the sex of Kevin's kitten, but the paper got wet.” She snatched it from Kevin's hand and held it up.

“Is this some new sex game? Because honestly, it sounds a little perverted.”

Kevin burst out laughing.

Holly started to stand and her foot slipped again, making her land on Kevin. Hard. He grunted and she burst out in giggles.

Melanie groaned, walking down the steps.

Holly pushed out a sigh. “He took the kitten to the vet and they put its gender on a paper in an envelope but now we can't read it.” She waved the paper, showing the bleeding print.

“Oh, for God's sakes.” Melanie scooped the anxious kitten out of the chair and walked to the back porch, then held its butt up toward the porch light. “It's a boy. Happy now? Come inside.”

“How could you tell?” Holly asked, her mouth gaping.

“It's called anatomy, Hol. Maybe we should have a refresher course before Mr. Handsy goes for Round Two.”

Holly looked down and realized that Kevin's hand had a firm grip on her ass.

Kevin stood and reached down to Holly, helping her onto the grass, before he leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Then he took the cat from Melanie and left.

K
evin spent the morning working on his house, purposely leaving Holly alone. Something had happened at the wedding reception—a switch had been flipped inside him. Holly was worth fighting for. Worth waiting for. They'd moved at light speed when they met, but he was willing to slow things down and prove this wasn't just about sex. He wanted
her
. If he had to wait until after her big wedding to have her, he would simply bide his time.

In the meantime, he planned to court her.

Tyler and Matt were sure to get a good laugh over that.

By one o'clock he'd showered and changed, coming up with a lame-ass excuse to see her, finally coming up with settling the bet over Whiskers' gender. Not that they'd ever come to an agreement about the particulars of the bet, but that could work in his favor since Holly had won. So he didn't have
all
the details worked out—he'd just wing it.

He stood on her front porch and was about to knock when he heard Melanie's angry voice inside.

“It's not her anymore, Holly.”

“Sometimes it's not,” Holly agreed. “But sometimes it is. And when it is, Grandma Barb asks for you. She misses you, Melanie.”

“
I can't do it!
”

“You can't run away every time we have this conversation, Melanie!” Holly's voice rose. “You accuse me of running away from relationships, but you're the one running right now.”

“You think I'm running?” Melanie responded in a hateful tone. “How about if I run to Kiera's?”

The front door opened and Melanie stood in front of him, her purse slung over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him. “Holly, your booty call is here.”

He expected her to get in a few more jabs, but she bolted for her car and drove away.

Holly stood in the doorway, looking up at him in surprise.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I'm fine.”

“Are you sure? You don't look fine.”

She released a loud sigh. “I'm sad for my grandma. I'm not sure I can face the disappointment in her eyes when she asks about Melanie, but I can't not see her.”

“You're between a rock and a hard place,” Kevin murmured, studying her face.

“Yeah.” She walked back in and snagged her purse off the table.

“I take it that you're headed to see your grandmother now.”

“I thought I could give her one of the centerpieces from the wedding and then the nursing staff could maybe pass out the rest or put them in the dining hall. The residents really love it when they get flowers.”

It was so much like something she would do, it didn't surprise him. “Need help when you get there?”

She glanced over at his house and smirked. “Trying to get out of working on your house?”

“Is it that obvious?” He laughed. When Holly looked uncertain, he added, “Have I mentioned how awesome I am with older people? You saw me with my Gram.”

“Why would you want to come?”

He hesitated, worried his answer would scare her off. “The truth?”

“Yes.”

He studied her face. “I want to meet the woman who is so special to you. I want to know the woman you're talking about when you mention her with so much love in your eyes.”

Her eyes glistened with tears. “Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you.”

He'd do just about anything to see that look of happiness in her eyes.

They took her SUV, Holly driving and telling him about some of the residents in the home until she pulled into the nursing home parking lot. Then suddenly her gaiety faded to seriousness.

“It's hard for you to visit?” he asked softly.

“Every time I see her, I'm flooded with guilt.”

“Why?”

“I put her here.”

The devastation in her voice rocked him to his core. “Holly, from what you told me, you didn't have a choice.”

“It still doesn't make it easier.”

“How often do you come to see her?”

“I try to come every day, but sometimes I miss a day, like I did yesterday.”

He stared at her in surprise. How had he known her a week and a half—seeing her almost every day—and not known this?

She looked over at him with tears in her eyes, reading the shock on his face. “You couldn't know. I don't talk about it. It's too hard.” Then she opened the door and climbed out.

Kevin met her at the back of the car and pulled the box out of the back while she swiped at her eyes.

“Is my mascara smeared?”

“No, Holly. You look beautiful.” And she did. She was wearing a pink summer dress that made her pale complexion rosy. Her hair was in a ponytail, high on her head. If she heard the longing for her in his voice, she didn't let on.

“Okay. Let's do this.”

He followed her through the front door, waiting for security to buzz them through the second door. She glanced over at him. “She has her good days and her bad. If it's bad, we probably shouldn't stay long. You might confuse her.”

“Okay.”

They walked past a sunny room with several older people playing board games and making art projects before they went down a hall and then stopped at a door that had the name Barbara on it. There were pictures of an older woman decorating the door, and he noticed that Holly was in several of them.

Holly took a deep breath, steeled her shoulders, and walked in.

An older woman sat by the window, looking out onto a small garden.

“Good afternoon, Grandma!” Holly said in a cheerful voice. “I brought you presents!”

The woman turned to face them, a bright smile on her face. “There's my Sunshine.”

Holly leaned over and gave her a long kiss on the cheek, then glanced out the window. “Oh. The yellow roses in the garden are fading.”

“It's a wonder they lasted this long.” Her grandmother looked up at Kevin. “I see you've brought a young man with you. I approve.”

Holly laughed. “Grandma, there's nothing to approve. Kevin moved in next door.”

“Did the Fergusons move?”

“No, the other house.”

Her eyes widened. “You moved into that rat trap?”

He laughed, shifting the box to his hip. “It's a long story, but yes.”

She shook her head and looked at Holly with pity. “So your new friend's crazy.”

Holly laughed, then graced him with a dazzling smile that stole his breath. “Yeah,” she told her grandmother. “One could argue that he is, but I'll keep him around.”

Holly tried to take the box, but Kevin held tight and asked, “Where do you want me to put it?”

“I can take it, Kevin.”

He still held on. “I know you can, but there's no need to when I can put it wherever you want it.”

“Fine,” she said, sounding exasperated. “On the table.”

Kevin set the box down and turned in surprise when he heard Holly's grandmother chuckling.

“I see you finally met someone you couldn't boss around.”

Holly rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about? There's plenty of people I can't boss around. My boss. Melanie. You.”

The older woman waved off her statement. “I'm talking about the men in your life. All a bunch of spineless ninnies.”

“Grandma!”

Kevin laughed. “She bosses me around plenty. Sometimes I obey her and sometimes I don't.”

The older woman laughed again, then broke into a phlegmy cough. When she settled down, she winked at him. “Choosing your battles, young man? Wise.”

He nodded with a grin. “Yes, ma'am. My own grandmother taught me well.”

“So why aren't you dating this handsome man?” she asked Holly.

Holly reached into the box. “Because that's not an option, Grandma.”

“Well, why the hell not?”

“Grandma!”

She narrowed her eyes at Kevin. “Why aren't you dating my lovely granddaughter?”

He paused, certain that Holly didn't want her to know the full reason. He turned his questioning gaze to Holly.

“Grandma, men and women can just be friends. Sometimes they work better that way.”

“I call that bullshit, but I'll let it drop”—she pointed her finger at Holly and then Kevin—“for now.”

Kevin laughed, but Holly groaned. “You'll be just disappointed with my answer next time.” She grinned. “Now behave, or Kevin won't ever come back to see you.”

Kevin tried to hide his surprise that she was considering bringing him back.

The older woman's face lit up. “What's in the box?”

“Something pretty for your room.” Holly handed her a vase with the roses, and the older woman set it in her lap, tears filling her eyes.

“They're beautiful.”

“They're left over from the wedding reception yesterday. Remember the Murphy wedding?”

Her grandmother's eyes lit up. “I should have recognized them from your notebook. They look just like you planned.”

“Well, the bride's mother didn't want them, so I decided to bring them to you. I was so happy when the bride picked them out. I know they're your favorite rose.”

“Pashminas,” she whispered, lifting the vase up to her face, then looking up at Holly. “How are mine doing in the yard?”

Holly shot Kevin a panicked look. While she hadn't told him the Pashmina roses hadn't done well, it wasn't hard to figure out they were included in the group of suffering plants.

“They're gorgeous,” Kevin said, leaning against the wall. “Stunning.”

“Really?” she asked, looking relieved. “My husband gave them to me when we were first married. A wedding gift.”

“What?” Holly asked. “You never told me that.”

The older woman didn't answer, just looked at the flowers on her lap.

Holly looked upset, and Kevin resisted the urge to pull her into a hug. Instead, he turned his attention to her grandmother. “How long were you married?”

“Thirty years. Not long enough before his heart attack. And then my two boys were killed a year later.” Her eyes filled with tears again, and she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “My Sunshine and Storm Cloud got me through the pain. I don't know what I would have done without them.”

“No more of that kind of talk. Mel and I…” Holly sniffed, looking dangerously close to crying. She took a breath and pulled out another vase. “I have fourteen more of these. What would you like to do? I can set them up around your room so you're surrounded by them.”

Her grandmother shook her head. “That would be selfish of me. Let's share them. Help me up.”

Holly smiled and looked toward Kevin. He picked up the box and followed them through the halls, giving out flowers to her grandmother's friends like he was Santa. The residents squealed in delight and Kevin was filled with more contentment than he'd felt in ages. When they'd finished, they went outside and sat in the garden while Holly told her grandmother about last night's wedding reception, answering her many questions. Kevin piped up from time to time, adding details that Holly glossed over.

“I wish I could have been there to see it,” the older woman said.

“I would have taken pictures with my phone, but I was too busy,” Holly said, sounding apologetic.

“But she'll have some next time,” Kevin said. “I'm her new assistant, so I can take them.”

Both women gaped at him, Holly looking more surprised than her grandmother.

“That was a joke, Kevin.”

“Not to me.” Then he changed the subject, telling the older woman about his Gram and her current career as a yoga instructor.

“I wish we had something like that here,” she said with a frown. “Something other than painting.”

Kevin grinned. “I bet Gram would love to teach a class before she goes back to Wisconsin or wherever she's going next. But I have to warn you. My Gram's a wild one.”

The older woman clapped her hands together. “The wilder the better.”

They walked her back to her room and she cast a glance at Kevin, then pulled Holly into a tight hug. “You remember what I said. You hear?”

“Yes, ma'am,” she said dutifully as she stepped back.

The older woman reached for Kevin and gave him a hug.

“It was wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Greenwood.”

“None of that Mrs. Greenwood nonsense,” she said. “Either call me Barb or Grandma.” She patted his face, searching his eyes. “Promise me I'll see you again.”

His smile fell and he turned serious. “I promise.”

“Good.” Her hand dropped. “Now I'm exhausted, so help me to my chair.”

They got her settled and her eyes drooped.

Holly was silent until they got into her car, and then she turned to him, looking angry. “Why would you promise her such a thing?”

“That I'll come back? Because I will.”

“But…” She frowned. “Why did you tell her you were my assistant and that you'll take photos for her?”

He said patiently, “Because I asked if I could try out for your assistant position.”

“There
is
no assistant position.”

“Well, there should be. That's too much for one person to do. I plan to talk to my mother tomorrow.”

“What?” Panic filled her eyes. “You can't do that! She'll think I'm incompetent.”

“That's ridiculous, Holly.”

“You can't say anything. You have to stay out of it.”

“Fine, but you have to let me help you with your next wedding.”

“That's my big one. The Johansen wedding.”

“The wedding-dress designer?” he asked. When she looked surprised, he grinned. “I pay attention. And if there was ever a wedding you needed help with, it's that one.”

“You can't be my assistant, Kevin. There's no pay.”