Barbara Freethy - Some Kind Of Wonderful (11 page)
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eight
Matt stepped out of Caitlyn's car and stared at the large expanse ofmanicured green lawn leading up
to a stately Spanish-style house with
white stucco and a red shingled roof. The house was in St. Francis
Wood, a San Francisco neighborhood he had never seen. And what a
neighborhood it was, with large homes set on even larger lots, an
unusual occurrence in a city where most houses shared walls and
backyards. But these homes were set apart, as if daring anyone to
compare them to each other. And
this was where Caitlyn had grown up.
Matt had never really felt a class distinction with a woman before, but
he had to admit that he felt like
he should be using the servant's
entrance. He glanced over at Caitlyn, wondering if she, too, was having
second thoughts about having asked him to come to brunch, but she was
busy unhooking Emily's car seat.
His breath caught in his chest at the sight of her feminine form,
alluring in a tantalizingly thin floral dress the color of pink roses.
Her legs were bare, her feet encased in thin strappy sandals, and her
long blond hair was pulled back in a gold clip at the base of her neck.
She was pretty, a ray of sunshine, a golden
girl. He took a breath of
much-needed air and wondered what the hell he was doing with such a
girl.
"I've got her," Caitlyn said with a smile, holding the car seat aloft.
"I think Emily has gained weight. She feels heavier."
"I'll take her," he said gruffly, still annoyed with himself and his
ridiculous attraction to someone completely wrong for him.
"What did I say?" Caitlyn asked.
Once again she surprised him with her perceptiveness. Didn't she ever
miss anything? "Nothing. Let's
get this show on the road."
"All right, but you'll have to lose the scowl first."
He forced a phony smile on his face. "Better?"
"Not much. Relax, Matt. They're not that bad."
"Tell me again who will be here," Matt said as they walked up the
flower-lined path.
"My parents, Marilyn and Colin, my cousin Jolie and her parents, Sharon
and Brady, my aunt and uncle, and maybe the Myers, their best friends."
"And Brian."
"Yes, at least that's what he said. No one else saw fit to mention he
had an invitation. They must be
going for the surprise attack."
"My favorite kind." Emily made a little gurgle, and Matt flung Caitlyn
a grin. "Speaking of surprises, I doubt they're expecting the two of
us. Don't you think you should have called?"
"There's always enough food to feed an army. Don't worry. No one will
care that you've come with me."
"Oh, I think they'll care. And so do you. That's why you brought me."
She put a hand on his arm, her brown eyes suddenly serious. "I brought
you because I really need a friend today. And while Jolie is my dear,
dear friend, she's always torn between the family commitment and the
friendship thing. Since you don't know any of them, you'll have to be
on my side. I know we're not really friends, but maybe just for today
you could fake it?"
She seemed unsure of his answer, and it surprised him, reminding him
that this beautiful, bright woman had demons of her own to fight. "I'm
on your side, Caitlyn. And I won't be faking it."
"Thanks." Caitlyn led him up the front steps. She took a deep breath,
then rang the bell.
"Don't you have a key?"
"I don't like to use it. When they have to answer the door, it reminds
them that I don't live here anymore, and I don't have to do everything
they want me to do."
"Honey, if you're relying on a doorbell to state your independence, I
think you've got a ways to go."
"It's a start. Mother!" she exclaimed as the door opened to reveal a
stunningly beautiful blonde in a turquoise linen dress.
Matt had to stop his jaw from dropping. From Cait-lyn's description,
he'd been expecting someone formidable, stern even, but this woman was
laughing and smiling and offering her daughter a hug. Then she turned
her bright blue eyes on him with genuine curiosity.
"Hello," she said.
"This is Matt Winters," Caitlyn said. "My mother, Marilyn Devereaux."
"It's a pleasure," Marilyn said. "And who is this darling with you?"
She leaned over and took a deep breath. "I love the smell of babies.
Isn't she just precious?"
"This is Emily, Mart's niece," Caitlyn explained. "He's baby-sitting
for a few days."
"How wonderful. I love a man who is good with children. I'm afraid
Caitlyn's father was always a bit
too vague to be trusted with the
details," she said with a charming laugh. "But come in, please. We're
so happy to have you here. Any friend of Caitlyn's is a friend of ours."
Matt stepped through the front door, feeling like Alice going down the
rabbit hole. The house was exquisitely decorated, hardwood floors,
antiques, mirrors ... it all passed in a blur as they walked through
the living room, dining room, and family room to the backyard, where a
redwood deck spanned the entire length of the house. The rest of the
group was sitting at tables on the deck, drinking what looked to be
champagne cocktails. The gathering was rich, sophisticated, and out of
his league. What on earth would he say to these people?
Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about conversation, because Emily
proved to be an incredible icebreaker. After the introductions, he set
her car seat down on the table, and the ladies in the group immediately
encircled the baby, each pleading with Caitlyn for a chance to hold
Emily. She laughingly
told them to take turns, sending Matt a warm
smile of her own. Caitlyn was pleased that the baby was getting all the
attention and so was he.
Caitlyn's father had barely said hello to Matt. Colin Devereaux was
engrossed in a conversation with someone named Jack Myers about the
temperature conditions on a distant planet and an experiment
to be
conducted by astronauts aboard the space shuttle. The man didn't even
notice the people moving around him, the other conversations, the
housekeeper serving appetizers, the music playing softly in the
background. No wonder Caitlyn had said her father lived on another
plane.
"So you're Matt," a woman said, speculation ringing in her voice as she
stopped next to him.
Matt glanced warily at the beautiful redhead with the stunning figure.
She seemed to be the only female
in the garden unaffected by baby mania.
"I'm Jolie," she reminded him. "I'm Caitlyn's partner in crime, or at
least I used to be. You seem to have taken my place."
"Only temporarily," he said hastily, not sure he liked the inquisitive
gleam in Jolie's eye.
"That's a shame. I haven't seen Caitlyn smile like that in a long time."
He followed her gaze, watching as Caitlyn swung Emily up into her arms
as naturally as if she were Emily's mother. It struck him how good she
was with the baby, how suited she was to motherhood. She was meant to
be married, to be loved. He could easily see her with a bunch of kids
running around her legs, laughing, squealing, loving her. And this
setting fit her perfectly, too, the gardens, the champagne, the beauty
of it all. Maybe Caitlyn was right. Maybe she didn't need to read the
newspaper. Maybe she didn't need to know all the bad stuff.
They might live in the same apartment building, but they did not live
in the same world, and he couldn't start thinking they did. Caitlyn
wasn't his girlfriend, and hell, Emily wasn't even his baby. He had to
remember that, remember all of it, before he got sucked into wanting
all of this to be his.
"I'm surprised Caitlyn brought you," Jolie added, drawing his attention
back to her.
He folded his arms across his chest, trying not to look any more
uncomfortable than he felt.
"Don't worry, I know which fork to use."
"Ooh, touchy, aren't you? I just meant that Caitlyn doesn't usually
bring eligible men anywhere near her mother," Jolie said. "Marilyn is
like a shark. She can smell fresh blood from a mile away."
"I'm not eligible."
Jolie raised an eyebrow, perusing him in such a way that another man
might think she was actually interested in him, but he had a feeling
she was more interested for Caitlyn's sake than for her own.
"You look pretty eligible to me," she purred. "I don't see a wedding
ring."
"That doesn't mean I'm available."
"I don't see a girlfriend either."
"That is none of your business. And Caitlyn and I are neighbors, that's
it."
"Whatever you say."
She didn't believe him, and to tell the truth, he wasn't so sure he
believed himself. It certainly didn't explain why he felt like kissing
Caitlyn every other second, or why watching Caitlyn with Emily made
him
feel protective of both of them.
"How long will you be watching your niece?" Jolie asked.
"I'm not sure."
"Then you and Emily will be quite a distraction for our Caity. She
loves kids, always has. How about you?"
"I—I never thought about it."
Matt looked up as another man stepped onto the deck—Brian. He wore
slacks and a sport coat almost identical to the one Caitlyn's father
was wearing, Matt realized. In fact, as the younger man greeted the
older one, they could have been mistaken for father and son. Caitlyn's
father's
face lit up as he drew Brian into his conversation. It was quite a
different response than Matt had received, although he supposed an
astrophysicist had more in common with Colin Devereaux than a
newspaperman who
spent more time investigating the underworld than the
heavenly sky.
"Ah, that's the reason you're here," Jolie murmured. "Caity suspected a
setup." She nodded approvingly. "Good for her. Better to attack than to
go on defense. Don't you agree?"
"That's always been my motto," he said, deciding he liked Jolie despite
her prying. She struck him as a woman who'd seen a few games played in
her life and had figured out a way to win. She also appeared
to be
loyal to Caitlyn, although Matt knew that alliances could be deceiving.
"He's here," Caitlyn said tightly, joining Matt and Jolie, having
successfully handed Emily over to her mother. "Look at him, he's the
prodigal son come back."
"Maybe if you told us all what happened," Jolie said pointedly, "we
could treat Brian accordingly."
Matt shot Caitlyn a curious look. Why hadn't she told her parents and
her best friend that she'd been devastated by Brian's departure when
she was still in the hospital? Was she protecting him? If so, why?
Because she still loved him? Because she was thinking of going back to
him? For some reason the
thought of that disturbed Matt more than he
cared to admit.
"Oh, dear, I hope this won't be awkward," Marilyn Devereaux interrupted
as she joined them with Emily in her arms. "I thought it might be nice
for you and Brian to meet on neutral ground, Caitlyn. I didn't know you
were bringing another man."
"This is hardly neutral ground, Mother," Caitlyn retorted. "And you
might have consulted with me first."
Good for you,
Matt silently
cheered her on. Despite Marilyn's charming
manner, he had a feeling this
was a woman who had her iron fist hidden
in a velvet glove.
"I'm sorry, dear. I've been so worried about you. You haven't been
yourself. And I hate to see you just drifting along. You haven't even
been able to draw lately. And you know how much you love to draw." Her
expression changed to inquisitive as she turned her attention to Matt.
"Are you an artist, too,
Mr. Winters?"
"I'm a reporter for the
Herald
."
"How fascinating."
He suspected that the fact he was with Caitlyn was what made him most
fascinating to her.
"And you're single?" Marilyn continued.
"Mother!" Caitlyn protested.
"I'm just interested, Caitlyn."
Emily started to squirm, and Marilyn Devereaux wrinkled her nose as the
four of them were suddenly assaulted by a distinctive odor. "Oh, dear,
not exactly conducive to brunch."
Matt took Emily into his arms. In truth, he was jus! as relieved to
have this female to deal with; at least she couldn't ask personal
questions or examine him like a bug under a microscope.
"Why don't we take Emily inside and change her?" Caitlyn suggested.
"You should speak to Brian, Caitlyn,"' Marilyn protested. "He's trying
so hard to understand you, dear. Please give him a chance, I think it
would be good for both of you."'
"I spoke to him last night. Didn't he tell you?"
"He told me that you think it might be better to stay apart." Marilyn
shook her head at her daughter. The expression in her
eyes expressed frustration and disappointment. "He still loves you,
Caitlyn. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable," she said to Matt,
who was trying to bounce Emily into better spirits.
"I don't mean to
intrude into whatever relationship you and Caitlyn have. I'm just very
concerned about my daughter."
"I'm fine," he said shortly. "Don't mind me."
"Caitlyn and Brian were engaged, and they broke it off at a very
difficult time, due to circumstances beyond their control," Marilyn
continued. "I think they should talk."
"I'm standing right here, Mom," Caitlyn said with annoyance.
"I can see that. But I'd like you to be standing over there." Marilyn
tipped her head toward Brian.
"I'm going to get the diaper bag," Matt said, eager to get away.
"I'll come with you," Caitlyn replied. "I'll talk to Brian later."
Matt followed her to the French doors leading into the family room.
They were almost home free when Brian stepped away from her father with
a wary smile and greeting.
"You remember Matt and his niece, Emily?" Caitlyn said politely.
"Yes," Brian said with a nod, not looking at all pleased to see Matt
again. "He's your . .. neighbor."
Matt didn't like the way Brian said the word neighbor, as if he were
spitting out something distasteful. "Honey, I think we should change
the baby," Matt said, deliberately implying that Caitlyn was more to
him than a neighbor. He didn't know why he did it, because he certainly
hadn't intended to give Caitlyn's family the wrong impression, but
there was something so smug about Brian that his competitive
instinct immediately sprang to the fore.
Caitlyn's jaw dropped at his endearment, but Matt didn't wait for a
response from either her or Brian.
He headed into the house and scooped
the diaper bag off of a nearby table.
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