His Kind of Wonderful (Sugar Bay #2) (22 page)

“No,” she yelled back. To Joe she whispered, “You’d better go. We can talk later.” They hurried to the front.

Joe looked torn. She knew he wanted to convince her to come clean to her family but she also knew the thought of facing Derek after what they’d just done wouldn’t be appealing to him either. She had her answer when he crushed her lips in one last kiss, then pulled open the door.

She sat at her desk and rubbed her throbbing lips in the wake of his departure.

“Who was that?” Her brother held his lucky tape measure in one hand.

“Just a tourist looking for directions.”

“You okay? You look kind of weird.”

“Thank you, brother. As usual, your assessment always touches my heart. Makes me feel so good.”

Derek grinned. “You look flushed. That’s what I’m trying to say, little pain. You’re not coming down with anything are you?”

A bad case of the ‘Joe’, but was that even a sickness? She didn’t think her brother wanted or needed to know how much she thought about his best friend.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll call Dylan and see if she can her make her special soup.” Derek left and she heard him directing the boys while they unloaded their loot.

She shook her head. One minute he was annoying and the next he was a loving big brother. It was hard to stay mad at him for any length of time. She knew Dylan would come tonight and watch her until she finished her soup. Being the youngest was great except when she wanted them to see her as an equal. Unfortunately, in their minds, she was the snotty kid they always took care of.

She sat in front of her laptop and opened a new file. Unseeing, she stared at the blinking cursor while her thoughts ran over today’s event. Today’s lovemaking was different than before.

She felt especially vulnerable. Their relationship—if one could call it that—wouldn’t last. Their limited time together made her feel needy as if every moment would be their last.

It was a terrible feeling. What would it be like when things went back to normal? She was kidding herself to think her heart had remained detached in her pursuit of knowledge. She wasn’t the type to have intimate relations without an emotional connection.

She was in love with him and that was the scariest part of it all. It was hard to hide. She loved everything about him—his charm, his tenderness, his work ethic, the fondness in which he spoke of his aunt, the way he loved George and the lengths he was willing to go through in order to protect him. Hell, she even loved the fierce way he protected his friendship with Derek.

She’d hoped he would be able to see her as more than his best friend’s little sister. But she could see, he treasured his friendship with Derek more and he wasn’t prepared to jeopardize it for what he perceived as Dani’s little experiment.

She thumped her forehead on the table.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She’d done exactly what he’d warned her not to do—fall in love with him and want more. Now she’d be like the others who mooned after him when he was done.

She’d let the fact he’d asked her to be his pretend girlfriend to screw with her mind. The truth was, if another girl had been on his mind at that moment, someone else would be in the position she was in. She was simply convenient and she needed to remember. There was nothing special about her.

He loved her family, but he didn’t love her. He was fond of her and was protective but that was Derek’s big brother attitude wearing off on him.

Joe didn’t have a family anymore. They were his family and she didn’t want to be responsible for destroying the bond because he didn’t love her the way she loved him. Once it was over, she would need to recover quickly and somehow find a way to return back to normal.

She would be a grown up the way she’d always wanted her siblings to treat her.

She didn’t want Joe to be alone.

For now she’d enjoy their pseudo relationship while it lasted. But when it was over, she’d let it go because that’s what you did when you loved someone. You let them go. You didn’t force them to bend to your will no matter how much you wanted to do so. That wasn’t love. It was power and manipulation and she didn’t want a love that had to be forced.

And that was that.

“Oh my God. This is amazing.”

“Contain yourself will you? All that moaning has people staring.”

“Hmm? Really?” She glanced around but didn’t notice anyone looking. Dani shrugged and took another bite. The orgasmic Key Lime Pie was a favorite at the Tilted Kilt and she was going to enjoy it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shift in his seat. She hid a grin behind her spoon.

“You sure you want me to stop because people are watching or because I’m turning you on?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him and surreptitiously stroked his thigh under the table.

He snatched her roving hand and shot her a mock glare. “Have you listened to yourself lately while we’re having sex?”

“Can’t say that I have. I’m usually on the cusp of losing my mind.”

He smirked. “You’re welcome.”

“Thank you.” She grinned. “And you’re welcome as well. Don’t think I haven’t heard you whistling in the kitchen, in the garage or basically everywhere so it’s not as if you’re not having a good time yourself.”

“The best.”

She sucked in a quick breath at his admission accompanied by the intimate smile he gave her. She swallowed her bite of key lime and chased it down with water. After Joe confronted her on about her writing, he hadn’t brought it up again. They continued to sneak around for ‘research’ opportunities, dodging Derek and his increasingly suspicious eyes. During the day they worked and played. She’d gotten better at stand up paddling and they ran almost daily on the beach together. Every night, they made the most of their dwindling time. As if they were both aware the end was near and they were filled with a desperate need to make as many memories as possible. The auction and the fans associated with it, seemed to disappear so she knew it was only a matter of time before she moved back in with Dylan and the girls. There wasn’t a reason to stay, except for, maybe, Lisa. Her behavior was still erratic.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the lovebirds.” Lisa stopped at their table with George beside her. The poor guy looked at them with apologetic eyes.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s leave them alone and go have lunch.”

“In a minute, George,” Lisa snapped and Dani could see the tension rise in Joe. She grabbed his knee under the table and patted it. He shot a grateful look her way and made an effort to relax.

“Honestly, I don’t understand what you see in her.” Lisa glared in Dani’s direction. “I’ll have you know—I would have been the best you ever had.”

“Now—“

“Hush, George. Let me speak.”

The fact that George put up with being spoken to in that manner was incredible and made Dani feel uneasy.

“Don’t bother, Lisa.” Disgust dripped from Joe’s calmly uttered words and Dani sat back in her chair for this long awaited set down. “It won’t be necessary. To be clear, I am not interested in anything you have to offer. I never have and never will be. I don’t know what happened to you. You used to be shallow and annoying but basically harmless.” He ignored her affronted gasp and continued. “But now, you’re shallow and a real bitch.” He looked at George. “I’m sorry you have to hear all this, George. I want you to know I have never encouraged her in any way.”

“I know that.” George looked disheartened.

To Lisa he said, “I’ve tried being nice. Tried ignoring you. Tried staying away until you got the hint. But short of beating you over the head, I’m not sure what else to do.”

“I’ll do the honors if you let me,” Dani muttered under her breath. When Joe squeezed her knee, she knew she hadn’t been as quiet as she’d thought.

“Out of respect for George, I’ve said nothing, but frankly, Lisa, your behavior baffles me. I’m not sure what George sees in you.”

Tears clouded Lisa’s blue eyes and her lower lip began to wobble. Dani could tell the woman hadn’t put on waterproof mascara and it was going get pretty ugly very soon.

Dani sat up, not wanting that to happen. Although she wanted Lisa to get the point, she hated being around crying people. She had a tendency to take empathy to an extreme and was afraid she’d cry as well but Lisa saved her by rushing out of the restaurant.

The silence after her exit was awkward. The other patrons who had presumably heard the exchange wore similar ‘oh, shit’ expressions while trying to appear as if they were minding their own business. George sank into the chair next to Dani and across Joe.

“I’m very sorry, George.”

“No, Joe, I knew her behavior made you uncomfortable but I didn’t say anything. I’d hoped if I made her happier, she’d get over her obsession with you.”

Dani remained silent wishing she were anywhere but here.

“I should leave.”

“No. Stay.” Joe’s hand clamped her knee in place. His grip was firm and bordered on desperate, so she sat back in her chair.

“Yes, Dani. Stay. Because of your association with Joe, you’ve had the unenviable task of being Lisa’s target and I don’t want my wife’s behavior to affect your relationship.” George took a breath and continued speaking to her as if meeting her eyes was easier than meeting Joe’s. She nodded, encouraging him. “Seeing Joe so happy lately has been the one highlight of this fiasco. For a long time I’ve worried he’s been rudderless—never committing and having no desire to do so. But I can see he’s been waiting for you all along. The other girls were a distraction. They didn’t have what you have, Dani. I knew when he first mentioned your name that you were the one. There was a spark in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.”

A sad grin lit his eyes and Dani’s heart ached.
If only that were true but she knew it wasn’t.
Joe was simply a good actor.

“I’ve known Joe for a long time now—since he was a kid. He was always a mischievous pain in the ass, an irrepressible imp really, but man he made me laugh. I was never worried about him messing with Lisa.” He looked straight in Joe’s eyes. “I never doubted you.”

Joe nodded, his grip on Dani’s knee tightened under the table and she was afraid he’d leave a bruise if he continued. She pried his grip off and threaded their fingers together, patting the back of his hand in comfort.

“Lisa is ten years younger than me but she’s not smart like you, Dani. She’s okay in that department—don’t get me wrong,” he rushed to clarify.

“For her entire life, her exterior packaging had been the focus—how she looked, what she wore, whether or not she was the most beautiful. That was her thought process. When I first met her, she was like a beautiful doll and I wanted to take care of her.” He sighed, sounding tired. “For a while she was happy. We had Collin and her focus was on him. She’s a good mother but now that he’s no longer little and needs her less, she’s lonely. Me being busy doesn’t make things easy.”

Dani nodded, trying to understand.

“She didn’t get from lonely to wanting Joe in one easy step.” George clarified. “No. She’d decided she wanted another baby. For a year we tried and even went to the doctor. I thought the problem was with me, but it turns out, Lisa had to have a hysterectomy.”

Dani ached for the woman despite her crazy behavior.

“She hasn’t said it so much but I think she feels less than a woman because that’s when she started craving male attention—specifically Joe’s.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, George.”

George nodded. “Thanks for listening. I hope you can forgive her now that you know.” He slapped his hands on the table and pushed his chair back. “I’d better go find her.”

They watched as he walked of the restaurant with slumped shoulders.

“Poor guy.”

“Yeah. It explains so much. I always wondered why he let her behavior slide. He doesn’t deserve it, that’s for sure. But he’ll stay with her because of Collin.”

“Probably,” she agreed and pulled her hand from his. Already, she missed the connection but they no longer needed to continue their ruse. “I guess this changes things.”

“How so?”

“You no longer have to worry about Lisa.”

“I guess not.”

Her heart sank.

He folded his arms over his chest and gave her a measured look. “
But
you don’t have to move out just yet.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” A clean break was better than her falling more in love with him while he tried to let her down gently. If she was going to have any chance of saving her heart, she needed distance.

He nodded as if the thought of them not being together anymore didn’t bother him. “So that’s it, then.”

“I guess so.” She injected a nonchalant quality to her voice. He wasn’t trying to change her mind and she’d die before she showed him how much she hurt.

It was odd how a few minutes could change things drastically. They’d started the lunch as lovers and confidants and now they were back to the way they were. A large chasm separated them despite their proximity. She glanced down at the once orgasmic key lime pie and pushed it away. She knew it wouldn’t taste the same.

“What the hell happened? One minute they’re good, the next…nothing.” Her husband said from under a towel. She winced at how hard he was rubbing. “It’s Dani isn’t it? She’s always been so stubborn if not flat out unreasonable.” Derek threw the towel in the hamper and stormed to their closet.

The sight of her hot husband wearing nothing but a short towel never failed to please her. Anabelle sat up in bed and watched with interest until he slid on a pair of pajama pants.

“All I know is Dani is back with Dylan and the girls in the farmhouse and—according to Charlie—Joe no longer eats sweets.”

Derek whistled. “That’s not good. That guy never says no to sugar.”

“Well he does now. Charlie says, he comes in to get stuff for the guys, but doesn’t order anything for himself.”

“Damn.”

“Mrs. MacKinnon is worried. He hasn’t been his usual charming self—not since Dani moved out.”

Derek shook his head and sat on the edge of their bed.