Chemical Attraction (6 page)

“I smelled your cologne from the door,” she replied.

“Ouch, you’re breaking my heart.” Grinning, he picked up his menu. “What’s good here?”

“Everything, especially the pies,” she said, sipping her iced tea.

“What are you having?”

“My usual – patty melt with fries.”

When the fifty-year-old waitress came over, Joe ordered for both of them. Wearing a beehive and chomping on her gum, she raised an eyebrow to Madeline before she left.

“All right, I know why you did that, but don’t do it again. I won’t be controlled by anyone.”

“That’s good to know.” He took her hand and kissed it as the waitress watched from behind the counter. “As long as we work together, we won’t have a problem, but I’m in charge. You will do this my way. Am I clear?”

She folded her arms across her body. “Fine.”

“Your body language suggests you’re mad at me. We’re supposed to be having fun.”

“My body language is right, but I get your point.”

The waitress, who looked like Flo from TV Land reruns, set their food on the table and asked if they needed anything else.

“Cindy, add to our bill a cherry and an apple pie. We’re going to a party later,” Madeline said, smiling.

Cindy winked and left. He grinned as he reached for the ketchup bottle. Madeline could improvise. It would make working together easier. It was one less thing to worry about. Having to wait again to talk business, he asked about Sylvia. Madeline told him that her aunt had made her feel welcome when she moved here. She helped find the loft by the riverfront and acquainted her with the smaller community.

“That was a very nice thing you did for her last night. She misses my uncle terribly. They danced the day before he died. You made her night.”

“I like your aunt. You have the same sense of humor,” he said, gulping his tea.

“Does that mean you like me?” She grinned.

“I’ll show you how much if I get the chance,” he mumbled as Flo brought the pies and bill.

“Oh, you’ll get the chance,” Madeline whispered.

“You are too damn tempting,” he said, shaking his head. He was definitely playing with fire. “Ready?”

“Yeah, I’ll get the tip.”

“Oh no, my girlfriend doesn’t pay for anything.”

A couple of woman in the booth next to them smiled at his comment. He slid a ten out of his wallet and picked up the boxes. After paying at the counter, they left for his car.

“Are there any quiet places to talk around here without people listening in?” he asked as he opened the car door for her. After starting it up, he immediately put the windows down. “We could drive around, but my air doesn’t work.”

“We could go to my apartment, but it’s an old building and unreliable. The heating unit and central air are in a constant battle. They usually run at the same time.”

“I’ll have to sneak you into the B & B. Sylvia did warn me about having women over.”

“Great, and I’m the tart you bring there. I have an ice queen persona to protect with my colleagues.”

“Oh, really? I think you blew that when you kissed me on the dance floor.” He laughed as he turned onto Pine Street toward Eva’s house. “Besides, your aunt has an agenda. We might as well humor her.”

Madeline stared out the window with the pie boxes on her lap. “I’d prefer to sneak in. I don’t think she’d approve.”

Opening her door, he held the pies while she stood. When his cell phone rang, he handed them back and checked the Caller ID. “I’ll meet you inside. I need to take this.” He turned away. “Lily, my love, how’s my favorite girl?”

“Uncle Joey, you’ll never guess what happened.”

He smiled. “Did mommy have the baby?”

“Yes and I have a brother now.”

“That’s great, babe. How’s Mommy doing?”

She giggled. “Do you want to know my new brother’s name?”

“What’s his name?”

“Joseph Robert Morgan. Daddy said we can call him little Joey. Isn’t that cool?”

“That is way cool. Can I say hi to your dad?”

Taylor was overdue when Joe was there last week. She had wanted to come to the banquet, but Stuart had put his foot down. Years ago, Joe had helped save Taylor’s life from a stalker who had wanted more than massage therapy from her. Grateful, Stuart had teased, saying that they’d name their first-born son after him.

“Hey, Joe, you know I keep my promises. Although, Taylor doesn’t know if she can handle two Joeys in the family.”

“Stuart, I don’t know what to say. How’s she doing?”

“She’s sleeping, but Lily couldn’t wait to tell you the news. How’s the new lady friend?” He chuckled into the phone.

“God, Eva’s got a big mouth. When I’m done here, I’ll stop in to see my new nephew.” Smiling, he hung up and wiped his eye with the back of his hand.

“He’s talking to his favorite girl, Lily,” Madeline said, frowning, at the front door.

Taking the pies, Eva grinned. “Lily is our eight-year-old niece. She and Joe are very close. He’s cool Uncle Joey.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“So you like my brother. Is it more than just fun?” Eva asked, taking the pies out of the boxes.

“I just met him,” she said, leaning against the kitchen counter as Joe walked in.

“I am an uncle once more.”

“I got the call earlier. The poor kid’s stuck with such a lame name though,” Eva replied.

“What’s the name?” Madeline asked.

“Joseph Robert,” Eva replied.

Madeline laughed and watched Joe hug his sister. She enjoyed the sibling banter. It made her wish she wasn’t an only child.

Joe mockingly pushed Eva away. “It’s a great name and I predict brilliant things from that kid. And you have a big mouth. Where’s Matt?”

“He’s in the backyard wiping down the patio furniture. Here’s a clean towel to help.”

After kissing Madeline on the cheek, Joe left through the slider. Surrounded by privacy fence, the four deck chairs and the large wooden picnic table with an umbrella sat next to the gas grill.

“Hey, how was your night?” he asked, holding out the clean towel.

“Better than yours,” Matt replied, pointing to the other chair.

He wiped it down and then sat in it. “Where’s David?”

“He wasn’t too happy with us this morning, but he and his friends will be back. They always return for food.”

“Do you ever fish off the boardwalk?”

“Only when I want to catch carp. How was it this morning?”

“I didn’t catch a damn thing.”

Matt sat in one of the chairs and raised his eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me why you’re really here?”

He leaned back against the cushion. “What do you mean? I’m here for your food.”

“If you hinder my job in any way, I’ll kick your ass all the way to lockup. I won’t care who you’re related to,” Matt said causally.

He sat forward in his chair and ran his hand through his hair. “What gave us away?”

“I know you and I know Madeline. When she changed tactics so quickly, something was up. Eva’s suspicious, too.”

“I’ll keep you informed. When I know, I swear, you’ll know,” he replied. Matt nodded as Eva shut the slider with her foot. She and Madeline carried long necks of Miller Lite. Handing one to Joe, Madeline sat in the chair next to him. “Thanks,” he said absently.

If Matt had figured it out so quickly, so could others. This would create a major problem with his sister’s curiosity. Her interrogations in college always had him squirming. She would pick up on a look, a pause, or a word, then press him for its meaning. He’d seen Eva leave his friends disoriented, and they were cops. He hoped Madeline could hold her own until he had a chance to talk to her. He didn’t need their cover to fall apart already. This was one more thing to keep him up at night. He jumped realizing that Madeline had spoken to him.

“Sorry. What did you ask?”

“I asked if you were okay. You’re too quiet,” Madeline said.

“I was just thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Eva said.

“Okay, little Miss Stripper,” he replied, smiling.

She grinned back at Joe. “Madeline, how many fish did you catch today?”

“Okay, you two,” Matt replied, shaking his head.

“Madeline, you talked to quite a few people last night,” Eva said, sipping her beer.

She glanced at Joe. “Yeah, it’s the part of my job I hate. We always worry about our funding and need the support from just about everybody.”

“How’s your research going?” Eva asked.

“I’m working on helping the brain heal with nanodrugs.”

“So you’re manipulating the brain?” Joe asked.

“Well, sure, that’s what drugs do. They heal, but they also create chaos within the whole body. I want to make it specific to an area without side effects,” she explained, leaning back.

“Have you gotten very far?” Eva asked.

“We’re finally at the animal testing stage, but nanotechnology is being used in a lot of things you probably use now.”

“I can’t image what,” Joe replied, chugging the rest of his beer.

“Well, like sunscreens and water filtration. My sunglasses have a glare-reduced coating for protection. Even computers have nano-thin layers of magnetic materials for more storage. My lab’s working on a specific drug delivery system. Our drug, once implanted in the brain, will have huge potential,” Madeline said as David and his friends came through the gate by the side of the garage.

“Hi, guys, there’s pop in the cooler,” Eva yelled. David gave her a cold look before he leaned over the container by the slider. She turned to Matt. “Is he still upset with me from this morning?”

“What happened this morning?” Joe asked her. Instead of answering, Eva carried her beer into the house. “What’d I say?”

Matt glared at David as the gang walked to the picnic table. “Let it go.”

“I’ll see if she needs any help,” Madeline said.

Madeline kissed Joe’s head as she stood. Damn—his kiss on her hand at the restaurant, his kiss on her cheek in Eva’s kitchen, and now her lips on his temple—he felt a zap each time. He squeezed her hand and smiled. As he watched her walk away, he sighed at those long sexy legs.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Matt said under his breath before joining the guys at the table. The band had played so well last night that three people had hired them for paying gigs this fall.

“And how many phone numbers did you get?” Joe asked.

“David got two numbers, the rest of us one each,” Jimmy replied.

“Not bad for your first performance. Once you’re comfortable on stage, you can pick a girl in the crowd to sing directly to her,” Joe said with a chuckle.

“Does that work?” Nelson asked.

“In college, I dedicated a whole set to a woman. We played ‘Legs,’ ‘Pretty Woman,’ ‘Wild Thing,’ and a few others.” He remembered and laughed.

“Wow, really?” Tyler asked.

“And did you get the girl?” Madeline asked, standing behind him.

“Well, no, but the crowd ate it up and begged for more.”

“And if I remember right, Taylor married the guy she was with,” Eva stated, sitting next to Matt.

“Jeez, you sure know how to wreck a great story,” he said as the guys burst out laughing.

After dinner, the guys quizzed Joe about being in a band while Eva cleared the table. Madeline came in a few minutes later and offered to help. “Sure, it’s your fault I’m doing these. I had a bet with Matt. He said you and Joe would kiss before the night was over. Thanks a lot, Maddy.”

Laughing, Madeline picked up a towel. “I’ll dry. It’s the least I can do.”

“Hey, I have a meeting with Susan Dolan at BennTech about the flu vaccine. We’ve been under a lot of pressure to have it ready early. I’m not sure where her office is.”

“That’s not a problem. Security sits at the front desk. Once you sign for a visitor’s pass, they’ll walk you to her office. Eva, I’m not sorry you lost the bet.”

Joe met Madeline in the kitchen. “Ready to head out?” he asked her.

“Thanks for having us over,” Madeline said, giving Eva a hug.

So it’s ‘us,’ is it? Eva’d pursue a line of questioning with her brother later.

“How do you want to do this?” Joe asked, stopping along Sylvia’s street.

“More than likely, she’s in the kitchen. If you block the doorway, I’ll sneak past,” Madeline replied, taking the key to his Blue Room.

At the front door, he peeked through the window and saw the light on in the kitchen. With Madeline at his heels, he stopped at the kitchen’s entranceway. Sylvia flipped through her worn recipe book while Madeline continued down the hall.

“How’d it go with Earl?” Joe asked.

Not saying a word, she looked up from her book and shook her head. The hallway floor creaked. He covered it with his own body movement. He suddenly felt bad for teasing her earlier.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked.