Unexpectedly Yours (6 page)

Heat climbed in his veins, causing him to huff in frustration. He had to stop daydreaming about Hannah because it was over and there was no way they’d repeat it. Besides, he had a big problem on his hands. What to do about Otto? He couldn’t leave his grandpa after his fall last night, but he was also supposed to be driving back to L.A. today. Filming started on Monday, and he had contractual obligations.

He was still tossing up possibilities when his cell phone rang. It was Malcolm, his TV producer, and the news he had made Derek straighten up with a jolt. Filming had been postponed for at least two weeks because of a union dispute.

“So I don’t need to be in L.A. for another two weeks?” Derek had to confirm.

“Uh-huh. Why? Something holding you up in Pine Falls?” Malcolm asked.

“Yeah. My grandpa’s causing me some headaches.”

“Well, you got two weeks to sort that out, buddy. I’ll call you later.”

Derek hung up and tossed the cell phone aside to rub his hands over his face.

He would have to hire a caregiver for his granddad to come in for a few hours each day. Otto would most likely make a fuss, but with his leg causing problems, there was no other option. He’d call an agency today and enquire about likely candidates.

And in the meantime, he could at least make the house safer for an aging man in his seventies. There were a few loose tiles on the kitchen floor, and the faucets were stiff and leaky. He walked through the rest of the house, making mental notes of what needed doing. A grab rail and a non-slip mat in the shower were essential. The screen doors were difficult to operate for a person with crutches or a walking stick. And he would definitely make some shelves for the storeroom.

It felt good to make a list of chores. Fixing things and working with his hands always calmed him down. This was what he was good at. This was something he could control.

What would Hannah think when she found out he wasn’t back in L.A.? Would she be embarrassed? Would she try to avoid him, pretend nothing had ever happened between them? He’d had plenty of one-night stands before, but never one like this. Never with someone he’d crushed on for years, someone who had been and was still important in his life.

Maybe it was best just to go with the flow and handle the situation as it came up. No point getting worked up for nothing. He and Hannah had always known they’d meet again in the future; they just hadn’t figured it would happen so soon.

He would play it cool, he decided. But deep down, cool was the last thing he felt about Hannah.

Chapter Six

Later that day, Hannah had just stepped out of the supermarket with her bag of groceries when she bumped into Amber holding a takeout coffee.

“Ooh, this is lucky,” Amber exclaimed after they’d exchanged hugs. “I was just about to call you.” She hooked her arm through Hannah’s, and they began walking up the main street toward Amber’s store.

“Yeah?” Hannah eyed her cautiously, wary of the look on her friend’s face.

“So? How did it go last night?”

“Uh, it went fine.” Hannah shifted her gaze to the sidewalk, hoping she wouldn’t start blushing. She was no good at lying, especially to her friends.

“How late did you leave Jimmy’s?”

“Not late. Not late at all.”
That
was the truth.

Amber seemed slightly disappointed at that. “Not late? So Derek didn’t buy you another drink?”

“He did, but that was it. I had a day shift today.”

They reached the hardware store that Amber owned and operated. “Come in and chat,” Amber said, tugging at Hannah’s arm.

Hannah wasn’t too thrilled about being under Amber’s microscope for much longer, but her friend gave her no choice, pushing her into the store before whipping off the
Back in five minutes
sign from the glass door.

“Did he give you a ride home?” Amber asked before taking a large gulp of coffee.

“Um, yeah, he did.” Hannah stopped. She transferred her bag of groceries from one hand to the other. Amber was gazing at her, and as her friend’s scrutiny continued, a tide of heat began to creep up Hannah’s neck, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Oh my G-God!” Amber spluttered, droplets of coffee spraying everywhere. “Did you
sleep
with him?” Her shriek reverberated off the walls, and Hannah thanked her lucky stars the store was empty. “You did!” Amber pointed a finger at her in triumph and did a little victory dance on the spot. “You did. You slept with Derek Carmichael. Omigod! Come on, you can’t deny it.”

Sighing, Hannah rolled her eyes at her friend who was grinning from ear to ear. “Okay, yes. If you must know, I did spend the night with him.” She lifted her head, trying to appear as dignified as possible.

“Oh, yes, I most definitely must know.”

“You can’t tell anyone,” Hannah pleaded. “I don’t want Caleb finding out.”

“I can’t even tell Nicole?”

“Okay, Nicole, but no one else. Promise?”

“Sure.” Amber made beckoning gestures with both hands. “Now let’s hear the details. The juicier the better.”

Hannah sucked in a breath. “I can’t tell you the details!”

“Ooh, was it that dirty, huh? I’m not surprised. That Derek is one sexy hunk, and from the look of him I’d say he knows his way around in bed. Just tell me one thing. Is he well hung?”

The image of Derek’s naked body that had taunted Hannah all day burst into vivid color, and the memory of everything he’d done to her last night sent her blood pressure soaring.

“Yes, he is,” she said, unable to suppress the grin spreading across her lips.

“Ha, I knew it!”

“It was a one-time thing. It’s not going to happen again.”

“Why not? Sounds like you barely got enough last night.”

“Oh God, Amber. Don’t talk crazy. Derek is halfway back to L.A. by now. It’ll be
months
before I see him again.” Which was a relief, so why did that make her heart pinch just a little?

The doorbell chimed, and a customer walked into the store.
Derek
. Hannah’s mouth fell open.

“Derek?” Her voice squeaked. “W-what are you doing here?”

Well-hung Derek, who was supposed to be hundreds of miles away from here, stepped toward her. “Change of plans. I’m staying for a couple more weeks.”

Staying? A couple more weeks? No, this can’t be happening. He shouldn’t be here at all!
Her shopping bag slipped from her numb fingers and plopped to the floor, spilling some of its contents.

“Let me get that for you,”
spectacularly
well-hung Derek said.

Oh God, was she ever going to stop blushing? She dropped to her knees at the same time he did, and their heads almost collided.

“Sorry,” she muttered, reaching for a can of tomato soup.

“Here you go.” He helped her to her feet and handed her the shopping bag.

A light sweat had broken out between her shoulder blades, and her hair was sticking to her neck. “Why—” She cleared her throat, trying in vain to calm her racing heart. “Why the change of plans?”

“My filming schedule got changed. Plus, I need more time to sort out my grandpa’s care. So it’s all serendipitous.”

No, this was the opposite of serendipitous. This was a fricking nightmare. She forced herself to make eye contact and was instantly caught by the piercing blueness of his eyes. Was he thinking about last night? She hunted through her mind for something neutral to say and came up with, “Did you know Amber owns this store?”

“Yeah, she told me last night.” A slight smile crinkled his mouth. “That’s why I came here.” He turned to Amber. “I’m looking for a grab rail to install in the shower.”

Amber, who’d been unusually silent so far, set aside her coffee and stepped up. “Yes, I have a few models. I’ll show you where they’re kept.”

“I’d better get going,” Hannah said, quickly moving toward the door.

“Hope I’m not chasing you away.” His blue eyes swept over her, like he was revisiting the things they’d done together.

“I-I was leaving anyway. See you, guys.”

Derek gazed at her for another moment before he nodded, and from behind him, Amber gave her an exaggerated wink. Hannah exited the store, but instead of walking back to her car, she loitered in the doorway of a vacant building nearby, her mind racing, until five minutes later Derek reappeared.

The moment he spied her, his eyes lit up, making her heart skitter. Why did he have to be so damn gorgeous?

“Hey, Hannah,” he said.

“I need to talk to you.”

Before she could continue, a car rolled past them, the female driver giving them a hard, curious stare. Hannah’s heart sank as she recognized her manager at the wheel. Trust Vera to catch her loitering with the hottest guy in town. The car revved up as if Vera was showing her disapproval.

With a sigh, Hannah returned her attention to Derek. “Did Amber talk to you about…anything?” she asked.

“We had a pleasant discussion about screws and drills.”

She sucked in a breath. Screws and drills. Why did hardware sound so dirty when Derek talked about it? “Nothing about us?”

“No.” He looked at her more closely. “You told her about last night?”

“I didn’t
tell
her. She guessed.” Hannah chewed on her lip anxiously. “Are you really staying another two weeks?”

“Yes. I can’t leave my grandpa at the moment. Last night—while I was with you—he slipped and fell.”

“Oh, Derek, I’m so sorry. Is he badly injured?”

“No, just a few bumps and bruises. He managed to haul himself to bed.” Derek grimaced. “He was supposed to call me if he had any problems, but of course he didn’t. I’ll have to hire a care assistant for him. In the meantime, I’m doing a few repairs around the house to make it safer for him.” He motioned to the bag tucked under his arm.

“That’s very good of you.” Especially since Otto wouldn’t appreciate Derek’s efforts.

“You know he’s a doomsday prepper? He’s hoarding all this food, fuel, medical supplies.”

“Wow. So he thinks the end of the world is nigh?”

“That, or it’s just his way of telling the rest of the world to get lost.”

“Well, at least he’s making plans for survival.” She felt more than sympathy for Derek. He worried about his granddad, even though Otto didn’t deserve it. “You could offer to make him a proper fallout shelter.”

“Ugh, don’t encourage him.”

“That might be a spin-off from your
Better Homes
show—‘Better Fallout Shelters.’”

He smiled slowly. “With handy tips like ten ways to cook lentils and beans?”

“If the fallout shelter is crowded, maybe go easy on the beans.”

Derek chuckled. “Good point.” Then his smile faded a little. “So I had to stay, even if my filming hadn’t been delayed.”

“Yes, I realize that, but I just didn’t expect to bump into you so soon.”

“You don’t have to sound that disappointed.”

She shifted under his scrutiny. “You should have warned me at least.”

“I don’t have your phone number.” His eyes narrowed. “So you
are
having regrets.”

He stood there, legs spread apart, six-foot-three of hard, sexy male, with a wistful expression on his face that caught at her heart.

“No, of course not.” Her voice softened. “I just don’t want people to find out what we did.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell Caleb.”

“It’s not just Caleb. I don’t want people gossiping about me.”

“You don’t care about gossip.”

“Yes, I do. This is a small town. People around here know you’re a TV star, and they still remember my mom running off with a guy ten years her junior. I don’t want to be compared with her. I don’t want people calling me a—a cougar.”

Derek tipped back his head and let out a laugh that came from the depths of his chest. “You? A cougar?”

Oh, she wanted to hit him. Her hands curled into fists. “I’m glad you find it so funny.”

“It is funny.” His grin was as wide as the Grand Canyon. “I’d love it if you went all cougar on me. I can just see you all glammed up in a hot, tight dress and killer heels and fake eyelashes.”

“Oh yeah? And would you like being called a boy toy?”

He shrugged, eyes simmering. “I’d like to be your boy toy. A lot.”

Why was it so hard resisting him? “You can’t be my toy anything. We’re not going to repeat last night, remember?”

He sighed. “Yeah, I remember.”

“From now on, we’ll just treat each other like we used to.”

“Are you going to tell me to get a haircut and do my homework?” The teasing light was back in his eyes.

“If you don’t watch out, I will.” She glanced about as several more cars streamed by and hitched up her bag of groceries. “I’d better get going. Good-bye, Derek.”

“Don’t look so worried. I’ll be out of your hair in two weeks.”

She hurried away, feeling Derek’s gaze still pinned on her. Two more weeks of Derek in town. How would she cope? She’d just have to avoid him as much as possible. Her job and her search for a new home would keep her occupied, and Derek had his grandpa to worry about. They didn’t need to see each other for quite a while.

The thought should have reassured her, but instead it left her feeling rather flat.

Hannah frowned at the text message from her brother on her phone, wondering why fate was conspiring against her.

Derek’s coming 4 dinner. Okay with u?

Caleb had only texted her an hour before he was due at her place, and without a thought had invited Derek along. But then again, Caleb had been bringing Derek to dinner for years, most often without any prior notice. So she couldn’t be too mad at him. She couldn’t be too mad at Derek for accepting the invitation, either. Caleb would’ve thought it very strange if Derek turned down the chance to catch up with them. But how was she going to act as if everything was normal all night? What if she slipped up and gave herself away by staring at Derek for too long or touching his leg or something?

She tried to distract her worries by checking on the chicken roasting in the oven and making gravy. When the front door opened and two male voices sounded in the hallway, she stiffened, hastily wiping her hands before tidying her hair and clothes.

She’d just whipped off her apron when Caleb and Derek sauntered into the kitchen. While Caleb landed a kiss on her cheek in greeting, Derek hung back, his expression bland and unreadable.

“Hope you don’t mind my dropping in like this,” Derek said when she was free.

“Of course she doesn’t mind.” Caleb clapped a hand on his shoulder, looking surprised. “This is your second home, remember? You’re welcome here anytime. You’re like family.”

Derek’s deep blue eyes held Hannah’s, and her heart twisted at her brother’s words.

“Caleb’s right,” she said quietly. “You’re like family.” And therefore out of bounds.

They sat around the kitchen table, and Caleb carved up the chicken while Hannah ladled out roast potatoes, carrots, and peas. She couldn’t settle, not with Derek sitting at right angles to her, so close to her that every once in a while his knee bumped hers under the table, triggering a flush of memories in her. Caleb did most of the talking and luckily didn’t seem to notice the tension between Hannah and Derek.

“You’re a big kahuna now,” Caleb ragged Derek. “Got your own fan club yet?”

“Why?” Derek replied. “Do you want to be the secretary?”

“Oh, sure. Then I can tell your fans about all the mischief you used to get up to.”

“Fine by me. Everyone loves a bad boy.”

Derek’s eyes were on Hannah again, and hers on him. It seemed she couldn’t go five minutes without taking a peek at him, and Caleb must have been blind not to have noticed. Either that, or his sister and his best friend having the hots for each other was such a ludicrous concept it never entered his mind.

“Don’t they, Hannah?” Derek’s question jerked her back.

“You’re not a bad boy anymore.” Although he did still get pulled over by the cops.

“I’m not? So I’m a respectable guy any girl could take home to meet her parents?”

The loaded meaning behind his question made her tense up. What did he want from her?

“Oh, absolutely.” She went for a lighthearted tone. “You’ll be running for town councilor before too long.”

“Town councilor, huh? So can I count on your vote?”

His muscular arm brushed against hers, sending a frisson of heady attraction through her veins. She swallowed, aware of her brother’s presence.

“That depends on your policies.”

“Oh, she’s tough,” Caleb crowed at Derek. “You’ll have to work harder on Hannah.”

“I don’t mind.” The heat in Derek’s eyes told her how much he wanted to work on her.

Before her blushing got out of control, Hannah pushed her chair back from the table. “Enough of that. Is everyone ready for dessert? I baked pecan pie.” Derek’s favorite. She must have subconsciously been thinking of him this afternoon.