Flirting with Disaster (24 page)

He glanced at her. “I don't want you getting the idea that this is just about me getting into your bed.”

“Since we've pretty much established that I
like
having you in my bed, I don't think that'll be an issue,” she said candidly. She thought about his proposal for some time, then said, “Okay, you can move in.”

“Thank goodness,” he said.

“You sound awfully relieved,” she noted.

He grinned. “I had a plan B. It was a little over the top.”

“Which was?”

“You don't want to know.”

“Oh, I want to know,” she assured him. “You don't want me to know in case you have to use it later.”

“That, too,” he conceded. He reached for her hand and wove his fingers through hers, then lifted their hands and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Thank you for being reasonable.”

“I'm always reasonable,” she said stoutly.

When his laughter filled the cab of the truck, she was tempted to take back her offer, but then she chuckled, too. Who was she kidding? She was
never
reasonable.

And the fact that it hadn't scared Josh away was absolutely mind-boggling.

A
s satisfied as he was with Maggie's agreement to let him move in, Josh began to seriously worry when they'd driven for miles without getting a call from Cord. Something was obviously up at the gallery, and he didn't like his gut-deep sense that it wasn't good.

“Why do you think Cord hasn't called back?” Maggie asked eventually, her tone echoing his worry. “Something's really wrong. I can feel it.”

“Let's try not to imagine the worst,” Josh told her, even though his mind had traveled down that same path.

Just then his cell phone rang. At last! He had to gently bat Maggie's hand away to keep her from grabbing it from him. Whatever the news was, he wanted to be the one to hear it first.

“Cord?”

“Yeah. Sorry to take so long to get back to you, but I wanted to gather all the facts before I called.”

“What the hell is going on? Is Ellie okay?”

“Ellie's fine. So is the gallery, but not for lack of trying on someone's part,” Cord said, his voice tight with tension.

“Tell me.”

“Someone started a fire out back in one of the trash bins. They set it so it blocked the back exit. It was also close enough for the door to catch fire, which I'm sure was just what they had in mind. By the time Ellie smelled the smoke at the same time the alarm went off, there was a pretty good blaze going back there. The fire department got here before there was any damage inside, but the whole place reeks of smoke. We've got fans going now.”

“Water damage?”

“None. The worst of the fire was contained outside in that trash bin. I've arranged for the waste management company to haul away the trash bin as soon as the police and fire department give the okay. And I've already gone to get a replacement for the back door. I got a metal one this time.”

“Thanks, pal. We'll be there in another forty-five minutes or so. Stick around, okay?”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Cord assured him. “I can't help thinking how much worse this could have been if the fire had been set at night or at either Maggie's home or Ellie's.”

“Believe me, the same thought has already crossed my mind,” Josh said.

“You having any luck on that plan we discussed earlier?”

“Taken care of,” Josh replied.

“Well, that's something at least.”

“Yeah, but is it enough?” Josh said, his gaze shifting briefly to Maggie, who was looking way too pale. “See you soon and thanks, Cord. I appreciate it.”

He hung up slowly, expecting Maggie to deluge him with questions. Instead, she was strangely silent.

“How much of that did you get?” he asked.

“Enough to know that I'm not going to like the rest,” she said. “What happened?”

“Someone set a fire out back.”

What little color there was in her face drained out. “Ellie?” she asked.

“She's okay. The smoke detector went off and she smelled the smoke and got help before there was any damage inside the gallery.”

“God,” Maggie said. “You were right. Brian really
is
messed up, isn't he?”

“I'd say so. The cops will get him, though, Maggie. And in the meantime, we'll make sure you and Ellie are safe. Do you trust me to see to that?”

“I know you'll try,” she said wearily, then lay her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.

It wasn't the ringing endorsement Josh might have preferred, but it was something, at least from a woman who had plenty of well-honed trust issues.

 

Maggie didn't want to get out of the truck when they finally arrived at Images. Despite Josh's reassurances that there'd been no serious damage, she didn't want to see one more shred of evidence of just how dangerous and out of control Brian was. The sight of the fire truck that remained at the scene was proof enough of that. It shook her in ways that the vicious vandalism had not.

Before she could tell Josh she wanted to go home, though, Dinah was opening the passenger door of the truck. Ellie was with her, and Warren was lurking behind them, his expression filled with concern.

“Are things so bad you thought it smart to have a shrink here in case I flip out or something?” Maggie asked the two women.

“Everything is just fine inside,” Ellie said, “I promise. Warren stopped by just after I called the fire department. He stuck around to help.”

“And you?” Maggie asked. “How are you?”

“A little shaky, but mostly from the adrenaline rush wearing off.”

“You should be home resting,” Maggie told her.

“I agree,” Warren said, putting an arm around Ellie's shoulders protectively.

What was that about? Maggie wondered. Interesting.

Then Dinah said, “Ellie refused to leave till you got here. Vicki's inside, too. I think she has designs on one of the firefighters.”

The comment actually succeeded in making Maggie smile. Things were getting back to normal if Vicki was using the fire as an opportunity to go on the hunt for a new man.

Inside, there was a faint whiff of smoke in the air, but the huge fans that had been brought in had dispersed most of it. In the back with the new door already in place, it didn't look as if anything had happened. She couldn't bring herself to open the door and look outside, though. She was relieved that Warren and Ellie hadn't come into the back with her. Dinah, however, hadn't left her side.

“Sit,” Dinah ordered. “You look a little shaky.”

“I'm okay,” Maggie said, but she sat just the same.

“I think you should come and stay with Cord and me,” Dinah said decisively. “I won't take no for an answer.”

“And interrupt the eternal honeymoon? I don't think so,” Maggie retorted. “Besides, I got a better deal.”

“Oh?”

“Josh is moving in,” she said, then quickly added, “temporarily.”

Dinah's mouth gaped. “You agreed to that?”

“It seemed like the sensible thing to do.”

Dinah's lips curved. “Sensible, huh? Did you agree to this before or after you heard about the fire?”

“Before, as a matter of fact.”

“Even more telling.”

“Oh, go stuff a sock in it.”

“The response of a woman who knows I'm right. Josh is moving in because you like the idea, not because you're scared. If it were just a matter of being scared, you'd be moving in with us or your folks.”

“You don't know what you're talking about,” Maggie said.

“Tell me that when he's still underfoot months from now,” Dinah responded cheerfully.

“That is
not
going to happen,” Maggie replied.

But somewhere deep down inside, she was very much afraid that it might. Now,
that
was something that should really terrify her. Strangely, it did not.

 

Josh swung by the motel to pick up his things before taking Maggie home. He didn't want to risk letting her out of his sight, mostly because he feared she'd change her mind if she had time to think about letting him move in with her and all the possible motives he might have for requesting it, motives that went beyond her safety. He was a little muddy on that himself.

When he pulled into a parking space outside his room, Nadine immediately appeared next door. “You're home,” she said, her face alight with curiosity. “Did you and Maggie have yourselves a real good time?”

Maggie emerged from the truck and Nadine flushed. “Sorry. I didn't see you in there,” Nadine apologized, though she didn't look especially contrite.

To Josh's relief, Maggie merely looked amused.

“That's okay,” she assured Nadine. “You're a mother. You have a right to ask your son if I've kept him adequately entertained.”

“That is not what I was asking him,” Nadine protested weakly. “Not exactly, anyway.” She shrugged off her obvious embarrassment and, hands on her hips, demanded, “Okay, are you two ready to admit you're an item or what? I'm getting tired of pretending I don't see what's going on right under my nose.”

Josh scowled at her. He figured the only way to shut her up about his personal life was to put her on the defensive. “What is it you think you see, Mother, or do I even have to ask? You always did start hearing the wedding march sometime after the first kiss. Are you hearing it when you're with George Winslow?”

Nadine scowled at him. “Don't drag George into this conversation. It's about you and Maggie.”

“Maggie and I are just fine,” Josh claimed. At least he thought they were. They might not have defined where they were or where they were going, but the current setup seemed to suit them. He'd see how it wore on them after he'd moved into her place for a few days. “I'm going inside to pack a few things.”

Nadine's eyes widened. “Pack? You just got back.”

“And now I'm leaving again,” he said tersely, then went inside and shut the door behind him. He didn't want Maggie seeing the inside of this dump.

He could hear the murmur of voices outside the door, so he threw his stuff into a suitcase as quickly as he could to get back to the two of them before Nadine pried too much information out of Maggie. He had a hunch she might not be as reticent as he'd prefer.

When he stepped out into the bright sunlight, Nadine was alone and Maggie was back in the truck. His mother regarded him speculatively.

“What did you say to her?” he demanded. “If you did anything to upset her, I will never forgive you.”

“Oh, for goodness' sake, calm down. Maggie's not upset. I just gave her a few things to think about.”

“Such as?”

“That's between Maggie and me. Now I have a couple of things to say to you.”

“I don't want to hear them,” Josh said adamantly.

“Do you actually think that's going to stop me?” she asked, regarding him with amusement.

“Okay, fine,” he muttered, resigned. “Get it over with.”

Her gaze was steady. “You've never done anything like this before,” she said quietly.

“Like what?” he asked, immediately defensive.

“Moved in with a woman.”

“How the hell would you know that? You haven't been around in years.”

“Okay, then, I'll ask. Have you ever lived with a woman?”

He felt as uncomfortable as he had at seventeen when Nadine had handed him a condom and told him to remember what it was for. “No, but I don't see what that's got to do with anything. Nor do I see how it's any of your business. Besides, Maggie and I are not living together the way you mean. We're sharing her house for the time being so I can keep an eye on her. Did she tell you about the fire?”

Nadine's eyes widened. “What fire?”

He gave her the condensed version. “And that's why I'm moving in,” he concluded, ignoring the fact that the timing of the decision had been slightly different. This scenario would make sense to Nadine and get her off his case.

“Then you'll be sleeping in a guest room or on a sofa or something?” his mother asked, still skeptical.

“It is definitely none of your business where I sleep. I'm drawing the line right there, Mother.” He tossed his bag in the back of the truck and started to step inside. “This discussion is over.”

Nadine latched on to his arm. “Hold on just a minute and look at me, Josh Parker. I may not have earned the right to tell you what to do, but I am your mother, so I'm entitled to worry about you. No matter what you say to me or what you tell yourself, this is a big step. Don't do it if you're not making a statement to Maggie about your intentions.”

“My intention is to protect her from that psychopath.”

Nadine gave him a knowing look. “I know that's probably what you're telling yourself.”

“It's the truth, dammit!”

She regarded him sympathetically. “Oh, sweetie, I think you want much more than that. I think you're going to walk into that house of hers and find everything that's always been missing in your life and it's going to kill you when the crisis is over and you have to leave.”

Josh was startled by her insight. He wanted to deny that there was any truth at all to her claim, but he couldn't. “Maybe so,” he admitted. “But that's a small price to pay to make sure Maggie's safe, don't you agree?”

“Be honest with her, Josh,” Nadine said urgently. “Tell her now that it's about more than that. Tell her you're in love with her and you want it all.”

He closed his eyes, still trying to block out the truth in his mother's words. If he admitted that he loved Maggie, then he had to face the fact that the rest was true, as well, that it would kill him to walk away when Brian was behind bars.

“You know,” Nadine said quietly, “Maggie might surprise you. She might be just as much in love with you as you are with her.”

For the first time in years, Josh looked into his mother's eyes and saw the real concern there. When had their relationship changed? When had she once again assumed the role of parent? Didn't she know it was too late now? He'd needed her years ago and she hadn't been there, not the way he'd wanted her to be. Unfortunately, he couldn't waste time exploring all that ancient history now.

Instead, he said, “I can't take that chance. Because if you're wrong, she'll keep me out and I have to be there now.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I knew you'd say that.”

“How?”

“Because you've always put everyone's needs before your own, even mine at a time when I didn't deserve it.”

“I'll be okay, Mother. I've always been okay.”

“Yes, I imagine so. You're a lot stronger than I ever was. But something tells me you'll pay a terrible price just the same.”

“You know, I used to think I was the strong one and you were weak,” he said with rare candor. “But I've developed a whole new appreciation for you since you've been here. I think you're the strongest person I've ever met. Now, let me get out of here before Maggie changes her mind. I'll see you on Saturday.”