The Player (10 page)

Uncle Gene jumped out of his seat, sending the chair flying to the floor. There was panic in his eyes as he shouted, “Does anyone know the Heil Hitler?”

Blair grabbed Gene’s leftover beer and took a long drag.

The older woman was still hacking, but drool was now spilling out of her mouth and down her chin. From the way she was still breathing and as her face was pink instead of blue, it was clear the woman wasn’t really choking.

Garrett shook his head as he picked up a napkin and handed it to his aunt, but she batted it away. “It’s the Heimlich, Uncle Gene, and she doesn’t need it. She’s choking on her own self-righteousness.”

Neil reentered the restaurant as the manager and waiter rushed over to check on Aunt Debra.

“What in the hell happened?” Neil demanded.

Aunt Debra reached over and picked up the cat jar, shaking it at her son. “Dollar!” she choked out.

The waiter, probably worried about his tip, jerked Debra out of her chair and positioned her back against his chest, but he struggled to wrap his arms all the way around her to form the fist he’d need to give her the Heimlich. Out of apparent desperation, he pressed his palms against her instead and tugged her toward him, his hands cupping each of her breasts.

Garrett tried to keep from laughing as he shot a grin at Blair. “I think the waiter owes the kitty a few dollars for that move.”

Aunt Debra screamed and beat at the poor waiter’s hands. “I could sue you for that!”

The next couple of minutes were pure chaos as the manager tried to placate Aunt Debra—a task no human was capable of achieving. Neil stood in the mix with his parents and the staff, trying to get the full story of what had happened.

Blair and Garrett remained at the table, Blair sneaking glances at him, then looking away.

“I think Aunt Debra may have unintentionally forged a love connection.” He motioned to the woman who had landed in the man’s lap. She had moved to a chair, but they were still chatting.

Blair scoffed. “Like you believe in true love.”

He gave her a half-shrug. “Maybe I do.”

She shook her head. “You never used to.”

“People change.”

She stared at him for several long seconds, as though measuring the man she saw today against the man she used to know. A sardonic grin lifted her mouth. “No. Not really.”

Neil returned to the table but didn’t sit down. “I’ve gotten the situation under control, no thanks to you.” He shot Garrett a glare. “I’ve been called in to the hospital, and I’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

Blair looked up at him with a mixture of irritation and envy.

“We haven’t finished our discussion about babies yet,” his mother said as the manager walked back to the kitchen.

Blair’s jaw tightened, and she shot Neil an angry glare.

“Mom,” Neil said, grabbing the back of his chair and waiting until he had his mother’s attention. “I can tell from the look on Blair’s face that you’ve given her the grandkids speech again. I told you we’ll let you know when we decide to start a family. Blair’s career is on the rise. She doesn’t have the time or energy to deal with a pregnancy or a newborn right now.”

Garrett watched his cousin, stunned. This was the first time all evening he’d defended his fiancée to his mother.

Neil leaned over and planted a chaste kiss on her mouth. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “I thought you were spending the night.”

“I traded call.” He shrugged. “I’m juggling my schedule to accommodate my time off for the honeymoon.”

The look she gave him suggested she didn’t trust his answer, so Garrett was surprised when she relented. “Okay.”

Neil hurried out the door, and Aunt Debra squirmed in place. “After all the commotion, Gene and I should get settled in our hotel room.”

Garrett heard a hint of bitterness, and he wondered if she was miffed that she hadn’t been invited to stay at Blair’s or Neil’s.

Relief flickered in Blair’s eyes, but she flashed his aunt a polite smile. “That’s probably a good idea. We have a busy week ahead of us.”

Aunt Debra stood. “Come on, Gene.”

He looked confused. “But the waiter hasn’t brought the bill yet.”

His aunt smiled. “Blair’s a career woman, so I’m sure she’ll take care of it. Won’t you, dear?”

Her jaw tightened. “Of course.”

Aunt Debra and Uncle Gene didn’t waste any time before heading for the door. Blair turned her gaze on him, and he was suddenly keenly aware of the fact that this was exactly what he’d wanted all day. Time alone with her.

“You can go now.” Apparently she had other ideas.

“I’ll stay and help cover the tab. It’s the least I can do after stirring up trouble.”

“Then you must pay for meals right and left,” she said dryly. “Stirring up trouble seems to be something you excel at.”

He laughed, but he was nervous. “Which means I’m used to it, so you might as well let me. We could have another drink before we go.”

She studied him for a moment, and he was struck by her beauty for about the hundredth time today. The bitter thought crossed his mind again: had he not been such a fool five years ago, perhaps she would still be his.

Something flickered in her eyes. “Are you
sure
you don’t mind helping me cover the bill?”

Hopeful, he shook his head. “Not a problem.”

A wide grin spread across her face as she stood. “Thanks.” Then she headed for the door.

Dammit.
“Blair!” He jumped up and started after her, but the waiter ran over to block his path.

“Sir! You have to pay for the meal.”

Garrett pulled out his wallet. “How much is it?”

The waiter looked frustrated. “I don’t know. I still have to print off the bill.”

“Then do it.
Hurry
.” Blair was already out the door, and if he didn’t get out of here soon, she’d be gone.

The waiter didn’t seem to grasp his urgency and checked on another table before getting his bill. Since Garrett only had a twenty-dollar bill in his wallet, he was forced to wait.

Several minutes later, he signed the receipt and ran out the door, sure he’d missed her but desperate to try anyway.

The universe was obviously still rooting for him, because he found her sitting in a sedan, her hands covering her face. He walked over to the driver’s door and knocked on the window.

She jumped and lowered her hands. He was relieved to see she wasn’t crying, but her eyes were alight with a savage fury he recognized all too well. “Go away!” she shouted, but it was muffled by the glass.

“Open the door, Blair.”

“
Go away!
”

He leaned his backside on the car next to hers and crossed his arms.

She rested her hands on the steering wheel and stared out the windshield for several seconds before opening the door. “My car won’t start. I need you to figure out what’s wrong with it.”

He laughed, trying to hide his relief that she was actually talking to him. “Have we met? You know I don’t do anything mechanical.”

She pressed a button, then got out and walked to the front of her car and lifted the hood.

He dropped his arms and moved next to her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to figure out why it won’t start.”

“When did
you
become mechanical?” he teased.

She leaned down to look at something around the battery, then stood up. “I’m not. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to check.” She gave him a withering stare. “I wouldn’t put it past you to do something to it. You seem intent on talking to me. And yes, my assistant told me that you were trying to set up a lunch with me when you were at her desk.”

Garrett was relieved to know that little mix-up had been handled, but she obviously wasn’t any closer to agreeing to have a sit-down talk with him. Still, it was one less strike against him. He walked over and peered down at the engine. “Since we’ve already agreed that I’m physically—if not mentally—incapable of such an act of vandalism, let’s go with general car trouble as the reason your engine won’t start.” He had to admit that it would have been a great idea if, one, he knew how to do such a thing, two, if he’d known she would be here tonight, and three, if he’d known what make and model of car she drove.

She put her hands on her hips. “Did you arrange to be a groomsman in our wedding?”

“God, no. It’s like my worst nightmare come true.”

Her eyebrows rose, and her mouth pursed. “Are you saying my wedding is a nightmare?”

He shook his head. “Come on, Blair. Tell me about the last wedding you were in. Did you really want to be in it? Besides, why would I want to be in
your
wedding?” He stopped himself from adding “if I wasn’t the groom.”

She watched him for a moment, as though scanning him with a bullshit meter. She’d always been good at reading him. He must have passed because her hands dropped from her hips.

His shoulders relaxed. “I honestly had no clue you were Neil’s fiancée.”

“And what about the Norfolk case? Did you know I was on it?”

He held out a hand toward her. “No, I swear. They told me the attorney was B.A. Hansen. You went by Myers in law school.”

“So you would have turned both things down if you’d known?”

Would he? He wasn’t so sure. Especially since he’d given so much thought to their relationship over the last year. He would have sought her out if he’d thought there had been any chance she would listen, but now she was forced to endure him, which meant he actually had a shot. There was no denying that fate kept throwing her into his path. He could lie to her, but he’d never done that before. After all the stunts her father had pulled, she couldn’t abide liars or cheaters. He had no plans to be either to her. “No.”

She seemed to wrestle with herself for a moment, and then, without a word, she walked back to her car door and grabbed her phone out of her purse.

He wanted to stop her or ask who she was calling, but it occurred to him that he was turning into a stalker. So instead he returned to his post next to the car, crossing his arms and waiting for her to finish calling roadside assistance or whatever she was doing. Less than a minute later, she was cursing into the receiver. While Aunt Debra might not appreciate that character trait, Garrett had always thought it was sexy as hell.

“Two
hours?
That’s ridiculous,” she said in a frosty tone. “I don’t have time to wait
two hours.
”

“Blair,” he said, still resting against the car. “I’ll take you home.”

She gave him a dirty look and turned her back to him. “If you send someone sooner, I’ll pay the driver double.” She listened for several seconds. “What good is having a roadside service if you don’t show up in a timely manner?” But she hung up before the person on the line had time to answer.

“Blair, stop being so stubborn,” Garrett said. “Let me take you home.”

She put her hands on her hips and gave him a frosty glare. “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

He unfolded his arms. “What do you think I’m going to do? We spent the night together last night, and we didn’t do a thing.”

She sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. “We really didn’t?”

A grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “You don’t remember anything from last night, do you?”

She held his gaze, but her confidence faded. “Bits and pieces.”

“I was a perfect gentleman. I made sure you got to your room without being accosted.”

Relief washed over her face. Had she really thought him capable of taking advantage of her? She quickly regained her composure, then gave him a sarcastic leer. “And of course you stayed.”

“I offered to go spend the night in the airport, but you insisted I stay.”

Realization replaced the relief on her face. “It was
your
room, wasn’t it?”

His voice lowered. “It doesn’t matter, Blazer. We slept on the same bed, and nothing happened, which proves I’m trustworthy. Let me take you home.”

She flinched at the use of his old nickname for her, and her eyes filled with fire at the word
trustworthy
, but then some of the fight bled out of her. Even back in law school, she’d rarely showed extreme emotion. She had the ability to make most people wither with a mere glance, yet he knew there was more to her. The icy inaccessibility was her wall to keep the world from hurting her any more than it already had. And it was very effective. To his shame, he was sure he’d helped build that wall even higher. The key to Blair’s soul was in her eyes. To the casual observer, they were icy blue and full of intimidation, but if you held her gaze long enough, they turned a sky blue that pulled you in deeper. Most people were too intimidated to hold her gaze for long enough to see it. Had Neil?

She released a sigh. “Okay.”

He tried not to show his surprise, but her laughter told him he’d failed.

“You didn’t expect me to agree?”

He grinned and lifted his shoulders into a sheepish shrug. “I admit that I expected more of a fight.”

“Maybe I choose my battles now.” She pulled her purse out of her car and locked it. “Let’s go.”

He led her to his rental car across the parking lot and opened the passenger door for her.

She shot him a sarcastic glance. “No need to waste your gentlemanly manners on me, Lowry. This car ride won’t end with you in my bed.”

He grinned. “I have no such delusions. I’m merely being a Good Samaritan.”

“Trying to earn karma for all the wrongs you’ve committed?”

And if that wasn’t a well-deserved stab in an old wound. “I think it’s going to take more than a car ride to right all of my wrongs.” Rather than give her a chance to respond, he walked around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel, then started the car. “Okay. Where to?”

“Get on the highway and head east, and I’ll give you directions.”

This was his big chance to make some inroads, but he had no clue where to start. He was like a teenager on a first date. His sweaty palms slipped on the steering wheel, and his tongue was heavy in his mouth. He found it ironic that he was known for being able to schmooze anyone, yet now, when the gift of the gab actually mattered, he was tongue-tied. If Blair knew the truth, she’d love every minute of it. Finally, Blair caved to the silence.