Stray Hearts (13 page)

“No. I don’t.”

“Are you going to tell me not to give him any more Yum-Yums?”

“No. I don’t think I am.”

“Good. Now, why don’t you go home and start dinner? Clyde and I haven’t finished our conversation.”

“Be happy to.”

“If you make Beanie Weenies again, I’m burning the kitchen down.”

“Gotcha.”

He slipped out the door, then stopped and leaned against the wall as Kay resumed her talk with Clyde. He told himself that taming this particular tiger was nothing more than a challenge to her, like scrounging donations for the shelter. But as he listened to her murmur honey- laced words of endearment to that decrepit old cat, he wondered if maybe she was losing her heart to an animal after all.

 “Good news,” Matt told Kay when she got home from the shelter. “No Beanie Weenies. Tonight we’re getting a decent meal.”

“What?”

“Becky just called. You remember her, right? She was the one who took care of Chester. Her husband, Jerry, got a new barbecue grill and she invited us for dinner. I told her we’d come.”

“We? As in both of us?”

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

Kay stopped and stared at him. “I don’t know Becky very well. Are you sure she wants me to come, too?” “Positive. They’re grilling steaks.”

“Steaks?” Just the word made Kay’s mouth water. “What time?”

“Seven o’clock.”

“Good. I have just enough time to take a quick shower.”

“Fine. But I’m right behind you, so don’t you dare use up all the hot water again.”

Kay flashed him a quick smile and trotted up the stairs. Then it occurred to her that if only he’d join her in the shower, they could use up the hot water together and forget about going to Becky’s house at all.

When they pulled up to Becky’s house, Kay decided it looked just as she’d expected it to. The lawn was a little overgrown and scattered with kid toys, and a wreath on the door said “Welcome Friends.”

Becky greeted them at the door with hugs, and Matt handed her the bottle of wine he’d brought. Then he caught sight of a droopy-diapered toddler hiding behind Becky’s leg. He reached down and scooped him up with a flourish. “Hey, Bobby-baby! How’s it going?”

The baby grinned and grabbed Matt’s ear, practically yanking it off the side of his head. Matt countered with a tickle to his tummy, which made the baby squeal with delight. All at once Kay had a flash of Matt as a father. He’d be one of those guys who got down on the floor and played with his kids, who did the peekaboo thing and carried them around on his shoulders, who gave them heaping doses of love and encouragement and just the right amount of discipline. Kay had always been leery of motherhood, wondering if she’d be as cold and demanding to her children as her mother had been to her. But with a man like Matt who clearly loved kids, she could actually see herself—

Good Lord. Where had that ridiculous flash-forward come from? In the span of thirty seconds, she’d pushed them out of the
good friends
category right into
married with children
.

They followed Becky into the kitchen. Becky set the wine down on the counter, then opened the back door. To Kay’s dismay, three big, hairy canines of questionable parentage squirmed into the house. Becky swept the baby from Matt’s arms, and he greeted each of the dogs in turn. They sniffed and circled Kay, too, and she managed to pat each of them with at least a modicum of enthusiasm.

“Good job, Kay,” Matt whispered as they followed Becky into the backyard. “I think they like you.”

She rolled her eyes. He smiled broadly, then slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little hug. A shiver of delight passed through Kay when he touched her, and despite the unexpected flurry of dog activity, she was suddenly very glad she’d come.

“Hey, Jerry!” Matt said, shaking the man’s hand. “That’s a good-looking grill you’ve got there.”

“Yep. All the bells and whistles. Becky didn’t think I needed a new one, but she’ll change her tune once she tastes the steaks.” He smiled at Kay. “So, Matt. You gonna introduce me?”

“Kay, this is Jerry Green. Jerry, Kay Ramsey.”

Jerry wiped his hand on his barbecue apron and shook her hand. “Hear you’re a volunteer over at the shelter.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“So is that how you two met?”

Kay glanced at Matt. “Uh—yes. I guess it is.”

Jerry winked at Matt, and all at once something dawned on Kay. Becky and Jerry thought they were a couple, and that’s why she’d been invited tonight. Suddenly Kay felt as if she was here under false pretenses. Matt, though, didn’t appear to be giving their obvious misconception a second thought.

As it turned out, Jerry was right about his grill. The meal was perfect. The wine Matt had brought turned out to be pretty good, too, Kay decided, as she started on her second glass. When it got dark and the mosquitoes started to swarm, they went inside. Kay sat down on the love seat, and when Matt sat down beside her it struck her how small a piece of furniture it really was—very small and very cushy, with a definite little dip between the cushions.

Becky put the baby to bed and Jerry went in search of his new CD. Matt draped his arm across the sofa behind Kay’s head and settled back with a sigh of contentment.

“That was a great dinner,” Matt said. “It’s nice to have a real meal for a change.”

“So you didn’t like my macaroni and cheese last night? I think I’m insulted.”

“Nonsense,” Matt said. “It was delicious. My doctor says I should get more sodium and preservatives in my diet.”

“Okay. So I’m not a gourmet cook. I suppose I should have asked you to give me your recipe for that masterpiece you created with Spam last week.”

“No!” Matt held up his palm and shook his head, a look of horror on his face. “No. Let’s stick with your macaroni and cheese. It’s wonderful. And what a thrifty shopper you are. All the ingredients were right there in that little blue box for what—twenty-nine cents?”

“Twenty-three cents. I had a coupon.”

Kay caught herself meeting Matt’s eyes just a little longer than she really should. She tore her gaze away, only to notice that the love seat had forced them so close together that her leg rested against his. She shifted awkwardly in the other direction.

“Uncomfortable?” Matt asked.

“I thought you might be.”

“Just relax, okay?”

Kay knew he was just being nice, as Matt always was, but the low, whispery tone of his voice made it sound like so much more. She took a deep breath and another sip of wine, feeling an incredible urge to shift back toward him again. Even with a few inches of space between them, she could feel the heat from his body mingling with hers.

Jerry and Becky sat down again, and the four of them chatted away most of the next hour. Matt told Becky and Jerry about the most recent donations Kay had arranged for the shelter, which made her blush with delight, and Becky added that the Cat Room had never looked better or the cats happier.

Unfortunately, as they talked, at least one of Becky’s three dogs sat at Kay’s feet the entire time, mugging for attention. One would scamper off, only to be replaced a minute later by another one, like some kind of canine tag team.
She’s the one,
they were saying in silent dog language.
She doesn’t like us. Let’s see what we can do about that. I’ll take the first shift.

Surprisingly, though, as the evening progressed, Kay found her guard slipping, and once she even patted one of them on the head without thinking. And she knew it was because her attention was focused almost exclusively on Matt, her internal antenna tuned to every breath he took, every move he made, every brush of his leg or his arm against hers, no matter how insignificant The wine was making her feel warm and a little woozy, or was that just because Matt was sitting so close he could have turned and kissed her? If she let her mind wander just a little, she could almost make herself believe that she and Matt were the couple Jerry and Becky assumed they were.

“Oooh! Dessert!” Becky hopped to her feet. “I almost forgot Kay, would you help me?”

No. I want to stay right here, exactly in this spot, for the rest of my life.

“Sure.” She got up obligingly and followed Becky to the kitchen. Becky cut a few gigantic pieces of cherry pie and put them onto plates. She handed Kay the ice cream and a scoop.

“You know,” Becky said, “Matt looks great tonight.”

Kay smiled, deciding it never hurt to speak the truth. “He looks great every night.”

Becky laughed. “No. I mean he looks happy, relaxed. I haven’t seen him like this in a long time.”

“I think he just likes being around people.”

“He likes being around you.”

Kay froze. “Uh, Becky...”

“I watched him go through that divorce, you know. It was pretty wicked. I don’t like to speak badly of anyone, but in his ex-wife’s case, I’ll make an exception. Matt’s a great guy. She didn’t deserve a man like him.” She smiled at Kay. “I’m glad he’s finally found someone who makes him happy.”

“Becky, I think you’ve got the wrong idea here. Matt and I are just friends.”

Becky looked at her with disbelief. “But you’re living together, aren’t you?”

“Matt’s just doing me a favor. I was a little short on cash and I had to move out of my apartment, so I’m borrowing his spare bedroom for a few months.”

“Oh.” Becky looked disappointed. “I’m sorry, Kay. I just assumed...” Her voice trailed off. She returned the knife to the cherry pie and cut another piece. “So,” she said offhandedly, “have you ever thought about Matt... you know...like that?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Not even a little?”

Good Lord. She couldn’t remember a moment in time she
hadn’t
thought of him “like that.” Suddenly all the frustration she’d felt for the past several weeks bubbled up inside her until she thought if she didn’t tell someone she would explode. She squeezed her eyes closed painfully, then let out a sigh of resignation. 

“Okay. Maybe a little.”

“A lot?” Becky said.

Kay laid the ice cream scoop on the countertop. She glanced out to the living room and saw Matt still engaged in conversation with Jerry. She faced Becky. “Yes. All right. A lot.”

“Well, thank God. I didn’t think you were blind.”

Kay sighed with frustration. “I think about him all the time, Becky. Matt’s wonderful. He’s sweet and he’s kind and he’s just about the most attractive man I’ve ever met.”

“And don’t forget sexy.”

Kay looked at Becky with surprise.

“Hey, just because I’m married doesn’t mean I can’t look.” She smiled. “So what’s the problem?”

“He’s not interested.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Kay’s heart leaped with faint hope. “Why not?”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“When?”

“At the shelter. And tonight. Pretty much all the time. Haven’t you noticed?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes I think maybe...and then...” Kay twisted her mouth with frustration. “If he really is interested, why doesn’t he do something about it? It’s not like he hasn’t had the opportunity.”

“Hmm.” Becky shook her head, as if something just wasn’t right “Kay, I watched that man tonight. He’s barely taken his eyes off you. He praised you to the heavens for the work you’ve done around the shelter. And you should have seen him follow your every little move when you got up to help me get dessert.” Becky shook her head again. “Nope. He wants you. I’d stake my life on it.”

“Then why doesn’t he let
me
in on it?”

“Maybe you just need to give him a little more time. He went through the killer of all divorces, and he’s under a lot of pressure right now with the shelter and all. Just give him some time.”

Time. If that’s all she thought it would take, she’d wait for him forever.

“After all,” Becky added with a smile, “I don’t think Matt’s blind, either. You’re perfect for him. You’re smart, you’re pretty and you’re an animal lover. What more could he possibly want?”

Chapter 9

It was nearly ten o’clock before they said good-night to Becky and Jerry, and Matt wished the evening could have gone on forever. As the night wore on, that tiny love seat where he and Kay sat had seemed to grow tinier still. They gave up trying to keep a respectable distance and relaxed against each other, so close that Matt could smell Kay’s peach-scented shampoo, hear the soft jangle of her bracelets when she took a sip of wine, and savor the warmth of her body next to his. And now, as they drove home, Kay’s hand rested against the console between them, and it was all Matt could do to keep from reaching over to lace his fingers through hers.

He’d told himself when they’d arrived at Becky and Jerry’s that they were just two good friends sharing an evening with two other good friends. That lasted right up to the moment Kay sat down in a lawn chair and crossed her legs, giving him an unrestricted view from her tanned thighs all the way down to her pink-polished toenails peeking out from her sandals. Then they landed on that love seat together, and it wasn’t long before his thoughts had wandered into truly uncharted territory. Erotic territory. Territory one did not explore with a mere friend.

Kay gave him a lazy smile. “That was a fun evening.”

“Yeah,” he said. “It was. Maybe we can return the favor and have Jerry and Becky over sometime.”

“If we plan on feeding them we’d better take out extra liability insurance.”

“Why? So you can fix your macaroni and cheese?”

“No. So you can fix your Spam...stuff. Or we can cook together and make..." Kay started to giggle. “Spamaroni and cheese.”

Matt laughed. “Now,
that
would be something.”

“Going down, or coming back up?” Kay giggled again. Then those giggles erupted into laughter, which made Matt laugh even harder. That led to the formation of other combinations of their respective specialties, such as tuna- noodle soup and wiener nachos and oatmeal pot pie, and soon they were laughing so hard that Kay got tears in her eyes and Matt came within inches of wrapping the car around a stop sign. By the time they made it home, Matt was basking in that feeling of relaxed euphoria he got whenever he laughed himself silly. And it didn’t escape his attention how distant those memories were.