Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel) (36 page)

Maggie shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun as she looked up at the tall, lanky man. His mussed dark hair, boyish grin, and blue eyes shining behind his glasses made her heart do a little flip, and she smiled. “Wow. You are such a nerd.”

“Yes, I know.” He grinned back. “But I am a nerd willing to grill dragon meat and feed it to you on a plate, so how do you want it?”

“Medium-rare, hold the scales,” she said and grinned wryly at him.

“Ahh. Dost thy lady have a touch of nerd-dom herself?” he teased.

“Evidently so,” Maggie said. “Now, go cook.”

He gave her one more pose, swooshing the spatula in a zee motion to mimic Zorro, then stuck the BBQ tool between his legs. With a last nod and a ‘m’lady’, he galloped to the grill where Jake was laying thick pink hamburger patties across its surface.

Meeting Jake this afternoon, Jeremy had been a little intimidated by his FBI status– and the fact that Jake actually lived out the adventures Jeremy only dreamed and invented imitation digital worlds about. But Jake’s easy manner and laid back attitude put Jeremy at ease, and they soon joked and bantered with each other like old college buddies.

Jake took one look at Jeremy and his BBQ spatula stallion and dropped his head in shame. “Really, Dude?” Jake asked. “The only thing you’re missing is the sound effects,” he said and mimed the coconut clapping horseless knights of Monty Python.

* * *

“Haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time,” Sunny said as she pushed Maggie’s legs aside and sat on the end of the chaise.

Sunny wore her curly hair in a haphazard knot on top of her head. Her feet were bare and her toenails sported a glossy bubble-gum pink polish.

“I’m glad to know I’ve still got that smile,” Maggie said.

“Who knew it would take an elvin-filled video game and a tall, cute nerd to find it again?” Sunny teased.

Maggie laughed. “Who knew?”

* * *

Drew watched his mom flirt playfully with Jeremy and shook his head as he watched the guy brandish his barbeque spatula sword.
Dude.

He had been surprised when upon returning from three days of hot, exhausting soccer camp, his mom had sat him and his brother down and explained she had been seeing someone.

“That’s cool,” Dylan had said, shrugging his shoulders. “Do we have anything good to eat
?
I hope you went to the store while we were gone.”

Dylan wandered into the kitchen, the discussion about his mom’s love life accepted and dismissed as he opened the pantry to a fresh array of Pringles cans and Hostess boxes.

“Thanks, Mom,” he called back into the living room where Drew still sat, eyeing his mom with suspicion.

“Who is this guy?” he asked. “Where did you meet him
?
How well do you know him?”

Maggie filled him in on the meeting at Sunny’s, her secret video game addiction, the shared encounters with Jeremy in the magical game world, the subsequent phone calls, and the courtship of Jeremy. She was surprised when his first question was, “So you really have a level eighty character in World of Warcraft?”

She laughed. “Yes, I really do.”

“That’s cool, Mom, but I’m reserving judgment on this guy ‘til I meet him. Does he really write video game software for a living
?
And makes money at it?”

“I guess. Have you heard of the game
Call To Action
?”

He nodded. “Of course. Who hasn’t?”

“Well, evidently Jeremy created and designed it.”

“No way.”

“Way.”

“Huh. I’m liking this guy more and more.”

And he did like him. Jeremy had come over early to pick up Maggie and the boys for the barbeque, and they had some time to get acquainted.

The
Call to Action
video game had sealed the deal for Dylan, but Jeremy had soon won over Drew as well.

* * *

“You’re doing great with them,” Maggie had said when they had stepped into the kitchen to get some drinks.

“That’s because I
am
one of them,” Jeremy joked. “Sometimes I still feel like a nerdy teenage boy, and I created several of my games as an escape where that gawky teenage boy who’s hiding in his room can be the hero in an adventure of his own making. They are my test market.”

She laughed and shook her head as she loaded a tray with a bowl of salsa, cans of soda, and a glass of ice for herself.

Jeremy opened a bag of tortilla chips and poured them into a bowl. “Seriously Maggie, I think your boys are great. You’ve done a really great job with them. I was raised by a single mom, and I know what it’s like to have a dad that’s MIA.”

He reached down to touch her cheek and tilted her head up to look into her eyes. “I really care about you, Maggie. I can’t believe I found you, and I know how blessed I am to have you. I’m not going to do anything to hurt you or your boys.”

Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat as he bent down to lay the slightest kiss on her lips. She felt one more layer of the ice that had trapped her heart crack and melt away as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Twisting her hands into his hair, she pulled his face closer to hers and deepened the kiss.

His arms wrapped around her waist, and his long fingers splayed against her back as he pulled her tight against him.

“Mom
!
Are you bringing chips or what?” Dylan yelled from the living room.

Maggie pulled her face back, but Jeremy held her for a moment, keeping her trapped with his eyes.

“I sure am crazy about you,” he said and pulled her in for one more, hard kiss, capturing her mouth with his as he conveyed his feelings through his lips.

He released her, grabbed a corn chip, and popped it into his mouth. “Now let’s go feed those boys.” He picked up the bowl of chips in one hand and the tray of drinks in the other.

* * *

Drew had watched his mother emerge from the kitchen that morning, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining, and he couldn’t remember seeing her look so happy. The creases in her forehead and the worry lines around her mouth that had appeared after his dad had left seemed to have vanished and been replaced with a softness around her eyes. She almost seemed to glow.

He watched her now, that glow still apparent as she laughed at some story Sunny told her. Their heads were bent together like two young girls on a playground sharing secrets.

He felt a weight lift from his shoulders as he realized his mom was going to be okay. He had considered putting off college this year to work and be closer to home, but he suddenly felt like things were going to work out, and she would be okay if he went to the state university.

The sound of laughter drew his attention away from his mom. His heart quickened as he watched Piper laughing as she and her cousins launched a surprise Super-Soaker attack on Matt.

Cassie yelped as an errant spray caught her along the side of her hair, but Matt had already jumped up and was chasing the kids through the yard. Within seconds, he had wrestled a squirt gun from his daughter and was pumping the handle and aiming for Piper’s back.

“Uncle Matt!” she shrieked with laughter as a stream of water hit her squarely in the back.

“Drew, help me,” she called, running toward him. He set down his root beer as Piper ran past and tossed him one of her squirt guns. He ducked and narrowly missed a long stream of water coming from Matt’s weapon as he and Piper raced around the side of the house, shooting cold sprays toward Matt and Tyler as they ran.

* * *

Sunny laughed as she surveyed the scene in her backyard. Jake and Jeremy stood at the grill, beers in hand, watching in amusement as Matt and the kids chased each other with squirt guns. Cassie’s voice got higher and higher as she tried to protect the food from the water fight while shouting for the kids to “Cut that out!” and “Put those squirt guns away
!
Someone’s going to get hurt!”

Edna and Roy sat to the side of the mayhem in adjacent lounge chairs. Edna calmly flipped through a magazine, and Roy appeared to be taking a nap, his Stetson leaned low on his face. His arm stretched across the chairs and rested lightly on Edna’s leg and in between pages, she would set her hand down gently on his.

Sunny’s gaze moved back to Jake, and she smiled as she watched him talking to Jeremy. The highlights in his blond hair caught the late afternoon sun as he causally leaned a hip against the deck railing. He wore his standard khaki board shorts, flip flops and a faded light blue t-shirt that
read
,
I’m what Willis was talkin’ ‘bout
.

He turned as if he could feel her eyes on him, and his face broke into a grin, his teeth dazzling white against his tan skin. The party in the backyard seemed to fade into the background, and all she felt were Jake’s eyes on her. Her skin warmed as she felt his gaze caress her body. His smile shifted, and his eyes softened, and she suddenly felt the urge to cover herself up as if he could see right through her clothing.

Oh hell, let him look.
She pulled back her shoulders and brazenly stared back with what she hoped were her best
bedroom eyes
.

Dun-Dun. Dun. Dun. Du-du-du.
The musical notes of the theme from Mission Impossible floated through the air, and everyone stopped and turned to Jake.

“Hey, it’s my mission, and I can choose to accept it.” Jake grinned as he flipped the phone open.

“Landon here,” he said. He passed the barbeque tools to Jeremy as he moved to a less populated area of the yard. Sensing it was official business, the party stayed silent and watched as Jake nodded and went through several ‘
uh-huh
’, ‘
I see
’, and ‘
all right’s'
.

He closed the phone and bent his head as he rubbed his eyes, then turned to the group. “That was Tom Mansfield, the detective on Walter’s case. He called with some new information on Walter’s whereabouts.”

“Well, what did he say?” Edna asked. Her magazine slipped from her hands and landed on the grass, the page open to an article offering,
Six Sex Tricks He Wants You to Know
.

The water fight had ceased, and the group moved closer to Jake, surrounding him as if he were a sponge sucking them all in. They were a somber group, each prepared to hear the worst.

“First of all, they’ve ruled the fire an accident. They pinpointed the ignition point as the back corner of the garage and some faulty wiring. They’re assuming the combination of cleaning products and old rags must have caused a spontaneous combustion
.
Walter had a full propane tank for his grill in the garage and that was the catalyst for the explosion.”

“Who cares about the explosion?
!
What do they know about Walter?” Edna cried.

“At this point, nothing new. The fire was just an odd coincidence that happened around the time Walter went missing.”

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as Jake continued, “They’re closing the case on the fire, deeming it an accident with no human casualties.”

“Then where is he
?
Is he dead
?
Do you still think someone murdered him?”

“Murdered who?” asked a familiar voice from behind them. “And what the hell happened to my garage?”

28

“Walter,” Edna said, her hand moving to cover her mouth as she turned. “Oh, my God in heaven, Walter!”

The group turned, stunned, and stared at Walter Mead, their missing neighbor, as he stood in the entrance to the backyard. He looked tan and healthy in khaki slacks and a yellow golf shirt.

His expression changed from perplexed to shock as Edna let out a sob and catapulted across the yard to throw herself into his arms. Her bony shoulders shook with sobs, and Walter automatically rubbed her back and murmured
soft
'
there-there’s
'
and
'
it’s all right's
'
.

He looked at Sunny over the top of Edna’s silver-curled head. “
What
is going on?”

Edna pulled back and tilted her head up to his as she caressed Walter’s cheek. “You’re alive,” she softly said. Then she pulled her skinny arm back and slugged him in the bicep. “We thought you were dead, you ornery old cuss. Where the hell have you been?”

The group broke into relieved laughter. Edna stepped back, and Sunny moved forward to wrap her arms around Walter’s waist. “We are so glad you’re okay.”

“Why don’t you have a seat, Walter,” Cassie said. “I’ll get you some lemonade, and you can tell us where you’ve been the last month. There was an explosion in your garage and for the last several weeks we all thought you were dead.”