All In The Game (Dearly Beloved) (2 page)

Rita choked back a laugh as she followed behind. “That is exactly my point.”

“That the seams should be checked?” Amanda queried in a purely innocent tone as she walked to the register. Once there, she told Mrs. Silverman she’d decided to leave the sleeves as they were.

But Rita, who clearly was not going to drop the subject, kept up the diatribe on the way to the car. “No. I’m talking about all men are ‘good guys’ in the beginning. When Ralph left and headed for the Bahamas, you swore you would never look at another man—and to your credit, you didn’t for a long time.”

“Never is a very long time.” Amanda held up her hand to keep her friend from making a comment. “Before you bring it up I know I said that if I did meet someone special they could spend the night but they had to take their dirty laundry home with them.”

“Right. So here you are, ready to start all over again.”

Honest to God. If they weren’t in a public parking lot Amanda was tempted to give Rita a good smack. However, patience had always been her strong suit, so if she could just hold out for a while longer maybe she wouldn’t have to kill the woman and stuff her body in the dumpster by her car.

Instead, she smiled sweetly. “This time it’s different. Keith is kind and thoughtful.”

He also made her skin tingle and her bones mold like putty in his hands. Ah yes, that’s what she would think about rather than murdering her friend in the middle of a busy parking lot.

Rita opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat. “You make him sound like a boy scout. Kind and thoughtful does not a marriage make. It takes more zing than that.”

Before she could stop herself Amanda blurted, “Who said there’s no zing? He can make my toes curl.”

“Ah ha, you’ve been holding out on me. I’m glad to hear that. You had me wondering if there was any fire down below.”

As Amanda buckled up her seatbelt she felt the blush start at her neck and spread over her face. She was not going to share details about the trip to Tarpon Springs with Keith last weekend. Rita had been on duty and she hadn’t gotten around to telling her.

“The topic of ‘fire’ is not on the table for dissection. All I will say is that the flame burns brightly and let it go at that.”

“That’s a start in the right direction. You never were one to kiss and tell so I’ll let you off the hook for a while. What does Adam think of Keith? Has he given you two his blessing?”

“Why in the world would I need Adam’s blessing? I’m of age to make my own decisions.”

“He’s your son, for God’s sake. Has he ever even met Keith?”

“As a matter of fact Keith was in Chicago for a meeting last week and they met for lunch. They got on great. Adam said they had a lot to talk about. They both love football.”

Rita frowned and shook her head. “Unbelievable. An opinion should not be given after one lunch or liking football. I think you are headed for disaster.”

“You know what? I think you’re wrong in this case. With your blond hair and peaches and cream complexion, you’ll look terrific in the smoky lavender shade you chose.”

Rita laughed out loud. “I do believe that is the nicest way someone has ever changed the subject and told me to mind my own business at the same time.”

Chapter 2

Keith Manning and his best friend, Sid Sullivan, walked into the 19th Hole Lounge, took seats at the mahogany bar and ordered schooners of beer.

Sid took a long sip, then wiped the foam from his upper lip with the back of his hand. “Man, that sure tastes good going down. I thought I was going to melt out there before we reached the ninth hole. Don’t know how I made it to the eighteenth.”

Keith gave his friend a light punch on the arm. “You’re a piece of work. It’s early in the morning on a gorgeous July day. There’s no humidity for a change and there’s a nice Gulf breeze blowing. To please you, I even agreed to use a cart to get around the course.”

“I don’t usually play in the heat of a Florida summer day because it’s too damn hot. And what’s with this descriptive blowing breezes and gorgeous days shit you’re coming out with all the time? Next thing I know you’ll be doing Tai Chi or taking ballet.”

“What’s wrong with saying it’s a gorgeous day when it is?” Keith gave his pal’s paunch a friendly pat. “You wouldn’t mind the heat so much if you dropped a little tonnage there, old buddy. Ever thought about joining the local gym?”

Swiveling on the stool, Sid rested one elbow on the polished bar and batted Keith’s hand away. “Since you decided to get married again you’re turning all poetic. What happened to the guy who used to go bar hopping with me...go fishing...have bike weekends up in Myrtle Beach? Huh? What happened to him?”

“He fell in love with a beautiful lady whom he’s going to marry. You can strike him from your list of full-time traveling buddies.”

“So, you’re going to drop out of life and live happily ever after or some shit like that?”

Keith happened to look at the mirror over the bar and saw the foursome who’d played behind them enter the room. They all seemed to be having a good laugh—except for one guy who was busy peeling several bills from a roll and handing them to his smiling buddy.

Maybe if Keith and Sid had played for money, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. Too late now. From the way Sid bulldogged his way through the topic, he was on a roll.

“Who says I’m going to drop out of life? You’re still my friend. Didn’t I ask you to be my best man?”

“Yeah, big deal.” Sid took a long pull on his beer. “I still don’t see why you have to get married. You could just have a relationship. You know get all the perks without...”

Keith set his jaw and held up his hand with the palm out. “Stop right there if you want to remain my friend. Sometimes you don’t know when to butt out, Sid. With that attitude about women, it’s no wonder you never got married.”

“Don’t get all bent out of shape, man. The only problem I have with women is that they always want a commitment. That can really infringe on a guy’s freedom.”

“You honestly believe that?”

“Sure I do.”

“No wonder you’re still single. As for you, I’ve always thought you weren’t afraid of commitment, you’re afraid of women.”

Sid held up two fingers, signaling the bartender for another round. “That’s so not true. I love them.”

“Sure you do,” Keith said with a chuckle. “As for me, I was married a long time and I miss the companionship of a woman. I love being with Amanda, doing things with her. She even hopped on the back of my Harley last Saturday for a ride up to Tarpon Springs and lots of good Greek food.”

“Bet she made you wear a helmet,” Sid said as Jake, the regular bartender delivered the requested beers.

“She didn’t make me. You know damn well I always wear a helmet when we ride. I got her one, too. She’s agreed to go with me to the next Daytona meet.”

“See, there goes another one of things we did together. Guess she’s going to the Sturgis rally as well?”

“Nope. She said she’d do Daytona but she’d have to give a long road trip some thought. As for North Carolina, I said I wasn’t going to Myrtle Beach, at least not this year. I do plan on hitting the next rally in Sturgis though. I’ve always wanted to ride through South Dakota.”

Just then a rowdy group came through the door, calling out their order to Jake. Sid leaned in closer to Keith to be heard. “No shit? Sturgis? I’ve been looking forward to that road trip. The last thing we’d need is for you to bring along the little woman.”

“You’re starting to become a royal pain in the ass, Sid. What would be so terrible if Amanda came with us? Unlike you I don’t pick up a woman at every stop.”

“Boy you’re really getting riled. I was only making a comment. We’ve done a lot of things together over the years. You getting married will change all that.”

Keith picked up his cold beer and took a swig. He needed to control his temper. Keeping his tone even, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with change. It’s good for you. Plus, the fact that I like waking up next to a woman rather than being alone in bed.”

“I guess that’s where we differ, ole buddy, ole pal,” Sid said as he rolled the sweating beer glass in his palms. “I enjoy being with a woman, even being in bed with one, but I don’t want to live with one on a day-to-day basis. Marriage comes with a whole bunch of strings which is how women turn men into puppets.”

Stunned by the sarcastic tone and choice of words, Keith perceived his friend through different eyes. “Sometimes I wonder what bad experience you had in the past that has made you think this way. It also makes me wonder how we’ve been able to remain friends.”

Sid finished his beer and slapped his buddy on the back. “I don’t like to talk about the past because it’s over. As for the friendship, sometimes I marvel that we’re friends at all considering you’re a Republican and I’m a Democrat. You like Italian food while I—”

“I get it. We’re different in a lot of ways so don’t belabor the point.”

“Good. Now that we have that subject taken care of, you don’t need to be troubled. I’ll behave myself at the wedding.”

“Maybe one of these days you’ll let me know what happened in your life to make you so anti-marriage.”

Rather than look his friend in the eye, Sid stared at the ceiling. “There’s not enough liquor in the state of Florida to make me tell that story.”

“Okay. I won’t pry but I’ll lay you odds that one day you’ll spill your guts. If not to me, to somebody.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Sid said over his shoulder as he walked to the exit.

Keith watched his friend go out the door. In all the years he had known Sid he had never heard his friend speak as seriously as he did these last few minutes. Whatever happened had clearly changed his life.

Enough worrying about Sid. Keith walked outside, pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Amanda’s number. She answered on the first ring. “Hi, honey.”

He hesitated for minute until he recalled that she had caller ID. “Hey, babe what do you say we meet for dinner?”

He heard the smile in her voice when she said, “Name the time and the place and I’ll meet you there.”

“I thought we could go to The Captain’s Net. I know how much you love their calamari. We can sit out on the lanai.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I have to go back to the office and do some dictation. I’ll pick you up around five. Love you.”

As he slipped the phone into his pocket he caught a glimpse of Sid standing by his car a few slots away, rolling his eyes with his hands on his neck in a mock strangle hold and making gagging sounds.

He gave his friend a wry smile. “One of these days I’ll make you eat your sound effects and I won’t even let you use ketchup to help you swallow them.”

Chapter 3

Amanda was waiting by the window when Keith pulled up in front of the house. She watched him walk up the sidewalk and let out a heavy sigh. Yes, indeed. That was how the man made her feel. He took her breath away.

She met him at the door. “Do you want to have a drink before we head out?”

“Why don’t I order a couple of martini’s for us when we get there? Then we can sit, sip and talk about the upcoming events.”

Something was wrong. She could tell by the tone of his voice and the hunch in his shoulders. This was not the man she adored, the one who squared his shoulders then took on the world. Adding to that was the uncertainty in his warm brown eyes. She couldn’t bear it if he got cold feet this close to the wedding. “Is everything all right, darling?”

“Absolutely. Do you know that you’re the very best thing that has ever happened to me?” he asked before taking her in his arms to waltz her around the living room in time to the ballad playing on the radio. The song ended, he dipped her back and soundly kissed her.

When he helped her to stand upright she rested her hands on his chest to gain her balance before running them through his dark curly hair. She pulled his head down so it rested against hers. “That takes a load off my mind. Let me get my purse and we can be on our way. Rita and I were so busy shopping today that we ended up skipping lunch because she had go home and get some sleep before going on duty. I went back to my office and finished a few reports for the boss.”

“I thought lunch was the most important part of shopping for women. It isn’t?”

Amanda gave him a friendly elbow poke in the ribs. “You’re such a comedian. Come on, let’s go.”

****

When they were first seated on the restaurant’s lanai, the area was almost deserted. By the time they were served their drinks and appetizers the place was full.

Keith scanned the screened area that featured big paddle fans and Areca palms. Since it faced east, it was peaceful and cool, making the time spent out here comfortable.

He raised his glass to hers. “To us.” He nodded toward the crowded tables. “This is why I like to get here around four-thirty. By the time we’re ready to leave there will be a crowd waiting for a table.”

Amanda reached over and patted his hand. “I understand. When you’re hungry you don’t like to wait for anything.”

With brow furrowed, he asked, “Am I that bad?”

She gently grazed his arm with the tips of her finger nails. “Of course not. I’ve just observed that you get really antsy when you have to wait. Not to change the subject, but you seem to be very uneasy this evening.”

“No I’m not,” he said, a shade too defensively.

“I’m going to ignore the tone of your denial. Now are you going to tell me what’s bugging you or do I have to pull out the dental tools?”

“That obvious, huh?”

She nodded. “To me you are. I’m getting to know your body language.” She stifled a laugh when he waggled his eyebrows. “Be serious. Something’s definitely bothering you. I could tell by the way your shoulders slumped when you were walking up my driveway. Now spill it.”

“Sid and I played golf this morning and he—.”

He hesitated for a second or two so she finished his sentence. “And he wanted to know why you were dumb enough to get married again.”

“How did you know?”

She snickered. “Because I had the same conversation with Rita.”

He cocked his head to the side and knitted his eyebrows in a questioning look. “Is there something wrong with us, babe?”