Out of Her League (14 page)

He blinked at the unexpected ice in her voice. Where had that come from? He
’
d heard teenaged girls could switch moods in a heartbeat, but he
’
d yet to see such behavior from Toni. Still, he
’
d only had her for a few weeks.

“
Checking up on you?
”
he repeated.

“
Asking me what kind of ice cream I had, like I didn
’
t go to the DQ or something.
”

“
Where else would you go?
”

She peered at the television.
“
Inspiration Point?
”

He followed her gaze and saw the Fonz escorting a duo of giggling, taller women to just that location.
“
They have one of those here?
”

“
I doubt there
’
s a Point, or even a Hill, but I
’
m sure they have a make-out place.
”

“
And if they do?
”

She returned her gaze to Joe and anger flashed in her eyes.
“
What are you asking me? If I
’
ll go there? Or if I
’
ll tell you where it is?
”

“
Why would
I want to know where the equiva
lent of Inspiration Point is?
”

“
According to the papers, you
’
re quite the ladies
’
man.
”

Joe winced.
“
You read about me in the papers?
”

She shrugged but didn
’
t answer him.

“
I did a lot of things I
’
m not proud of,
” he ac
knowledged.
“
Before I met your mother and after.
”

Toni stiffened.
“
Like having me?
”

“
No! You
’
re the best thing that ever happened to me. One of the few things I
am
proud of.
”

She didn
’
t look convinced. Why would she be? She barely knew him.

“
I just want you to be happy here, baby. With me.
”

“
I
’
m not a baby anymore. I haven
’
t been for a long time.
”

“
I know, and I
’
m sorry I missed it.
”

“
Missed what?
”

“You're
being a baby.
”

“
Well ... you did.
”
Belligerence colored her voice.

Joe sighed. He felt as though he was walking on thin spring ice and could break through into cold deep water at any time.

“
I can never get back those days no matter how badly I want to, no
matter how sorry I am for screw
ing up. But I can be with you now. And if you
’
ll let me, I want to be your dad.
”

“
You
are
my dad.
”

“
Just because your last name is Scalotta and my name
’
s on your birth certificate doesn
’
t give me the right to be your dad. I have to earn that privilege, and I
’
m willing to do whatever it takes.
”

If he could only figure out what that was.

Toni didn
’
t say anything---didn
’
t dispute or agree. Instead, she turned
around and walked upstairs with
out even a good-night. Joe let her go. They both had to get used to each other before they engaged in deep conversations about the past.

Or maybe Joe was just too chicken to hear what he had done that was so bad she could not bring herself to love him. Because maybe it was so bad she would
never
be able to love him. And cowardly though it was, he
’
d rather not know that his dream might not come true.

The next day Toni was even more quiet than usual, and Joe didn
’
t pester her. She would have to come to him on her own.

When Joe was ready to leave for the school board meeting that night, he found her sitting in the living room with a book open in her lap and the television blaring a music video. Her hair still wet from a shower, she wore her sleeping-cat pajama shirt, and curled bare legs beneath the knee-length hem.

“
How can you read and watch TV at the same time?
”
Joe asked.

She shrugged.
“
I always have. You should see me
study
and watch TV.
”

Joe frowned. Didn
’
t sound productive to him, but that would be a discussion best saved for fall, when school started.
“
I
’
m going to the board meeting. It probably won
’
t take more than an hour.
”

“
Okay. Adam
’
s coming over.
”

Joe already had his hand on the front doorknob. After that announcement, he walked back into the living room.
“
For what?
”

“
Huh?
”
She looked up from her book, her eyes unfocused, no doubt still thinking of the story—or Vaughn.

“
What
’
s he coming over for?
”

“
To watch television. His mom
’
s going to the same meeting as you.
”

That threw Joe for
a minute. Why was Evie at
tending this
“
welcome to the neighborhood
”
thing? Maybe she was on the welcoming committee.
“
And the twins?
”

Toni rolled her eyes.
“
Are not my problem. But Adam said they were at a bowling party tonight, or he
’
d be stuck watching them.
”

Joe grunted. Toni was right. The twins weren
’
t his problem—at the moment. Toni was.

“
I assume you
’
ll put on pants before he gets here.
”

“
Why?
”

“
Toni,
”
he warned.

She laughed.
“
Yes. I
’
ll put on pants, and a shirt, even.
”

When Joe hesitated, she waved toward the door.
“
Have a nice time. See you later.
”

“
I
’
m not sure I like the idea of him being here while you
’
re alone.
”

“
Jeez, Joe. We
’
re gonna watch a movie. Besides, you
’
ll be back in an hour. What could happen?
”

Joe knew very well what could happen, but since she didn
’
t seem to, he didn
’
t want to give her any ideas.
“
All right. See you.
”
He started out once more, then poked his head around the door.
“
Soon,
”
he remind
ed her. She just raised her eye
brows and stared at him, unsmiling.

Joe
’
s uneasiness followed him all the way to the meeting. It only increased when he walked in on a room full of people who took one look at him and immediately started whispering.

Scalotta
didn't
appear
too pleased at the size of the welcoming committee.
Fancy that
.

He stood in the doorway. Actually, he filled the doorway, and for
a minute Evie just sat back and enjoyed the view. She
’
d never seen him in anything but T-shirts. Tonight he wore a powder-blue dress
shirt, the cuffs rolled up to just below his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. Evie nearly groaned. The man had a way of playing to her weaknesses.

The shade of that shirt brought out the intense blue of his eyes. A
s he scanned the room, she shiv
ered. Very few men—heck, very few humans—had eyes that shade of blue. He was impressive—the stuff outright fantasies were made of.

Unfortunately, she
’d been having quite a few fan
tasies lately—and Joe was always in them. Like the one last night, where she
’
d imagined him without a shirt, out in the sun, on a beautiful summer day. He
’
d been painting her house—something she badly needed done but couldn
’
t afford. His muscles, all of them, had glistened, and not with the pretty-boy oil bodybuilders used but with a combination of sunshine and well-earned sweat.

Joe was not a boy. Thank God. She really did enjoy looking at men who were built like him—tall and firm, and large in all the right places. Too bad he was off-limits to all but her secret fantasies.

Since she was an underpaid,
overworked, over
tired, school-teachi
ng mother of three, Evie contin
ued to fantasize. She was entitled.

How much hair did he have on his chest? How much did she like? Just a little, so she could see all that glistening skin. Presto chango—just what she wanted.

Washboard stomach? You betcha.

Pants tight over the rear but loose enough at the
waist to gape and allow a teasing hide-and-seek glimpse of a golden line of hair leading down to
—

“
Evie?
”

She opened her eyes to find the subject of her fantasy leaning over her. With the harsh light of the fluorescent bulbs behind him, his hair looked more silver than blond and his eyes had gone dark.

“
Oh, yeah.
”
The two words escaped before she could prevent them. The tone of voice—husky, sexy, inviting—was not one she
’
d ever heard herself use.

Joe blinked as if the lights had suddenly blinded him, or as if he
’
d also heard a stranger
’s voice com
ing out of Evie
’
s mouth.

“
Pardon me?
”

Evie blushed. She couldn
’
t help it. Even though Joe had no idea she
’
d just been having mind-sex with him, she still wanted to crawl in a hole and pull the hole in after her. Just because she hadn
’
t had sex in ... oh ... six years did not mean she had the right to conjure visions in t
he midst of a school board meet
ing—no matter how appealing they were.

Evie sat up so fast that her tailbone bumped against the metal foldout chair, and she hissed with pain.

“
You okay?
”
Joe asked, holding out his hand.

She ignored the hand, even though the palm was wide, the skin tanned and the fingers long—just the kind of hand she l
iked. The man who owned it prob
ably knew just what to do with it to make her every fantasy come true.

Her entire body went hot, and she pulled on the scooped neckline of her ivy-green dress, hoping a little air would help. It did not.

“
Evie?
”

Joe appeared worried now, and she couldn
’
t blame him. She was acting like a lunatic.

“
I
’
m fine,
”
she hastily assured him, more to get him to back off than because she was fine.

The way he loomed above her made Evie
’
s flushed skin tingle. The way he smelled... She caught herself breathing deeply of his scent and mind-cursed both hi
m for smelling that way and her
self for being aroused by it. Joe Scalotta smelled better than any man had a right to—like summer heat and winter breezes, picnics and ice skating, lemonade and hot tea.