Love to Believe: Fireflies ~ Book 2 (26 page)

Sean took his time closing up the office, amused that Belle followed him from place to place. He drew the line at having a bathroom companion, but when he came back into the hall he found her sitting in front of the door awaiting his return. She greeted him as if he’d been gone a month, gyrating and whining and licking at his hands.

“Settle down.” He ran his hands through her fur and patted her ribs. “You’re coming with me.” He snapped her leash to her collar and headed outside.

After dropping off the kitten with Rebecca he’d gone home for lunch and walked back to work to enjoy the agreeable temperature. The weather continued to cooperate even this late in the day. A breeze ruffled his hair and cooled his skin. He figured another hour before sunset, and he welcomed the daylight savings change coming in another week.

Belle, it turned out, walked well on the leash and, though eager to please, it was clear she had received no training. When he told her to sit she lay down, and when he told her to stand she rolled onto her back, a little embarrassing while standing at the corner waiting for the light to turn. But what she lacked in understanding she made up for with enthusiasm, and when she managed to do the right thing Sean praised her with the hope that she’d remember it the next time.

When he reached his house, he came through the gate and set Belle free to run and explore the yard. She bounded from bush to bush, her nose twitching with delight. He sat on the porch stairs waiting for her to finish her explorations while the sun disappeared and darkness descended, casting shadows over the yard. She could keep up her pace all night long if he allowed it, but his stomach rumbled so he called for her to come. She pricked her ears, tilted her head, and took off with a leap to accommodate.

She flew toward him with no concern for distance and he braced himself for the oncoming body slam.

“Good girl, Belle. Good girl.” He showered her with appreciation for obeying his command even as he staggered backward. “We’re going to have to work on your arrivals, though.”

Belle swirled her tail and licked his chin as if it were covered with peanut butter.

Once inside he strolled down the hall to the kitchen and filled a bowl with water for Belle. He made a face, and watched in disgust as she guzzled and slobbered her way to the bottom of the bowl. She lifted her head and her muzzle dripped slimy water onto the floor, but her tongue lolled and her tail wagged, so Sean figured she was pleased with herself. He grabbed a handful of paper towels and mopped up the dog’s mess, then pulled a beer from the fridge, poked around for dinner--leftover pizza--and opened a couple cans of tuna for Belle. He mixed it up with some leftover chicken fingers because he couldn’t think of anything else, and while he downed a couple slices she inhaled the concoction he’d provided. He figured that would hold her until they got back from the pet store.

His glance caught the envelope lying on the breakfast bar. He grabbed it and his heart stuttered at the sight of his name written in Rebecca’s looping script. He knew from the weight and feel of it what it contained before he opened it, and he tamped down disappointment to find his house key with no accompanying note. He wondered if she had left it before or after he brought her the kitten.

The front door banged shut and Belle leapt forward, a single bark erupting. Sean grabbed her by the collar and a moment later Emma appeared in the doorway, looking every inch a co-ed in torn jeans and a low-cut sweater. Her swinging ponytail came to a stop when she rooted her feet to the floor, her blue eyes widening. She stared at Belle. Belle dropped to the floor and rolled onto her back. “Is that, like, a dog?”

Sean stuffed the key in his pocket and took a swig of his beer, eyeing Belle and considering her lack of scruples. “I hope that’s a rhetorical question.”

“Um, I’m allergic to dogs.”

Sean swallowed his grin. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t realize. I’ve made the commitment to adopt her, so...” He shrugged and let that hang while he set the beer bottle on the counter. “What do you want to do? You know, you being allergic and all?”

Emma backed up, staring at Belle as if she were the devil incarnate. “Well, I can’t stay here. I mean, I can’t, like, at all. My eyes are already starting to water and I’ll be sneezing in ten minutes. I need some Benadryl or something.”

“Your dad came into town today, didn’t he? Where’s he staying?”

“He’s staying with my Aunt Sylvie.”

“Right. Aunt Sylvie. Maybe you could...” Sean offered a meaningful shrug.

“Well, I don’t have much choice now.” She rubbed her nose and sneezed. “I needed your help again tonight with my prelaw--
achoo
! Omigod. Omigod. I have to get out of here.” Sneezing, she ran off down the hall. Sean tilted his head toward the sound of her feet pounding up the stairs and grinned.

He knelt and rewarded Belle with a vigorous belly rub. “Nice job. Wonder how she’ll manage at the office with you around,” he murmured. Belle wagged her tail and regarded Sean with dewy eyes. “You ready to hit the pet store, ditch that sissy collar and leash?” She wagged harder.

He loaded her into the Silverado and she jumped onto the seat eager to ride shotgun. His cell rang out and he glanced at the caller ID.

“Hey, Maddie, what’s up?”

“Just checking in with you, making sure you’re coming to TJ’s party on Saturday.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good. Listen, I, um, hear you have a new girlfriend. Why don’t you bring her with you?”

“Who told you that?”

“Brenna said you have a new girlfriend, that she’s kind of a big girl--not that her being big is, you know, a problem or anything,” Maddie rushed to assure him. “I mean, I’m proud of you, going for a plus-size girl. And that just came out so wrong. I just mean that Brenna told me about her. She didn’t insult her by saying she was big. She just said it as a description.” Maddie’s heavy sigh came through the phone. “I’m screwing this up.”

Amused, Sean said, “What else did Brenna say?”

“That she’s a beautiful blonde with big brown eyes, and that everyone is going to love her.”

Sean looked over at his plus-size girl who, at the moment, had her head out the window, ears blowing in the wind, tongue lolling, her slobber sliding down the partially opened window. He grinned. “She’s right about that.”

“Well, great, then. I can’t wait for Saturday. And you should see TJ. He’s so excited. I just want everything to be perfect for him.”

“I’m sure you’ve done a great job.”

“Sweet Lord, I hope so. Oh, and be sure you take a walk to the gazebo while you’re here. Edie’s in charge of the landscaping and she’s promised me it’s going to be perfect for the wedding come June.”

“If my mother said it, then it will be so.” Sean smiled and thought of Jack. “You sound happy, Maddie. Really happy.”

“I am,” she said, but Sean heard the catch in her voice, her tone low when she spoke again. “I’m so happy that I feel guilty sometimes.”

“Don’t. Jack wanted this for you, remember? You’re marrying the guy he picked.”

Maddie responded with a little laugh. “I know. Is that kind of weird?”

“Only if you don’t know Jack.”

They chatted for a few more minutes, and then hung up with Sean’s solemn promise that he wouldn’t show up at the party alone. Brenna’s deliberate miscommunication amused him, but he debated whether to applaud her wry joke or beat her senseless for stirring up a pot of innuendo.

It didn’t matter. Come Saturday, everyone would know the truth--that the new female in Sean’s life was a real bitch.

Chapter 13

Rebecca stared at herself in the mirror and groaned. She fingered her uncooperative hair and decided it resembled nothing short of a free-growing bush. She could hide a small child in there, for cripes sake. With a disgusted sigh she moved on with her self-perusal. She’d chosen a lightweight sweater in her favored emerald green, but what if it warmed up more than expected? Then she’d have sweat dripping between her boobs. She could wear a shirt underneath, but the girls were so small an extra shirt might flatten her into Gumby.

“What do you think, Amelia?” She turned to the calico curled up on her pillow. The kitten made a show of cleaning her tail and rear, hind leg poised toward the ceiling. “You’re right. Sean’s an ass and I’m wasting way too much time worried about this. So what if he’s coming to the party with his new sleepover girlfriend? Big deal. Who cares?” She stretched out on the bed and went nose-to-nose with the kitten. “Not us, right? We don’t care, do we? Not one little bit.” She kissed the kitten between its ears. Amelia batted at Rebecca’s chin in a half-hearted attempt to play. Rebecca scooped her up and nuzzled her. “Behave, okay? Don’t forget where the litter box is.”

Rebecca grabbed her purse and went outside to wait for Nate. She sat on the porch stairs and slid her sunglasses into position, reassured that in spite of the beaming sun, the mountain breeze carried a chill, proving her lightweight sweater to be the perfect choice for the day. Soon it would be warm enough for the swirling gypsy skirts and peasant blouses she loved.

She scanned her yard and made a mental note to trim the bushes across the front of the porch. Some crazy serial killer could hide behind them, just waiting to pounce and--and she really needed to stop watching those crime shows with Brenna and Maddie. Those two were a bad influence and she’d tell them so today, after a couple of margaritas.

The brown Bermuda lawn showed the promise of greening up in spots, and the daffodils planted around the sweet gum tree in the yard across the street pushed up emerald shoots through a graying groundcover of old pine straw.

Her grin faded as fast as it came. The dark sedan sat along the curb again, windows in shadow. She sat up from her slouch and tried to shake off the sense of being watched. She was being paranoid. Whoever drove the car probably lived in a neighboring house.

Then why isn’t it parked in their driveway?

A cool gust blew through the yard. Rebecca shivered and looked away from the car. She berated herself for being ridiculous. There was nothing ominous about a parked car.

She stood, intent on confronting whoever sat in the sedan, assuming there was someone in the car at all. Didn’t she have the right to know who it was that occupied a vehicle across from her house during random times of the day and night?

Watching her. Possibly.
But probably not
, she allowed.

The car zoomed away before she reached the end of her drive. She stood with arms akimbo staring after the vehicle, straining her eyes to read the license plate. Nate drove up from the opposite direction and she jumped when he honked his horn and waved.

“Hey, beautiful,” he called out the window of the truck, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners, mouth curved in a smile. “Sorry I’m late. You ready to go?”

She marched up to the driver’s side door. “Did you see that car pull away?”

“What car?”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not really.” She glanced up the street, frustrated. “Let me get my purse and we can go. Oh, and we have to stop for beer.”

Thirty minutes later, twelve-pack in tow, they turned off the rural highway onto the dirt road that cut through forested land and led to the old farmhouse where Maddie and Caleb lived with TJ, their dog Pirate, and an unknown number of barn cats that Maddie cared for. The house and property were purchased by Maddie and Jack after they wed, and four years after Jack’s death Maddie hired Caleb to renovate her kitchen. Love had bloomed amidst the sawdust, and now the Kinkaid and Walker clans prepared for the upcoming June nuptials of the happy couple. With Edie and Sada pushing the families together at every opportunity, it had become quite the merger.

They drove the half-mile stretch of dirt road in silence. Rebecca stared through the passenger window at the blur of trees and did her level best to ignore the knot developing in her stomach. Maddie had promised her margaritas with extra salt, and she licked her lips in anticipation. It would take more than one to dull the pain of seeing Sean with someone else.

Sean and Emma. Emma and Sean. All. Freaking. Afternoon.

Dear god, it promised to be a long day.

From the corner of her eye she saw Nate glance her way when she sighed, and she continued looking out the window to avoid a conversation.

She had talked to Brenna earlier and been surprised to hear her refer to Emma as “Sean’s gorgeous plus-size girl.” The only thing plus-size about Emma was her eye-popping boobage, but Rebecca had kept this observation to herself and changed the subject. The last thing she wanted to discuss with Brenna or anyone else was Emma’s abundant rack, so she gushed about her new kitten until she could almost hear Brenna developing an eye-tic and migraine over the phone.

“How much farther?” Nate’s voice broke the silence.

“Almost there. You’ll see the house right after the next bend, and you can pull up and park in the side yard. Just park where everyone else is.”

Rebecca’s heart lurched when the rustic house came into view. She focused her attention on the new paint job--confederate blue with white trim and black shutters--and the sprawling porch, sagging the last time she saw it, now rebuilt bigger and better by Caleb, and resplendent with hanging baskets overflowing with bougainvillea and myriad pots exploding with a rainbow array of plants. She wondered if all the flowering stuff was Maddie’s doing or Edie’s.

Nate parked his truck next to Brenna’s convertible Audi, and Rebecca made a quick scan of the other vehicles. Edie and Papa Ron were here, as were Rebecca’s parents. She heard a guffaw of laughter that belonged to Grampa Boone, so she checked him off her list, as well.

Her eyes landed on Sean’s Silverado. She gulped, grabbed her purse, and plastered on a smile.
Please God, don’t let my face erupt in splotches
became her silent plea.

Screw the margarita. A couple shots of tequila sounded better. So what if this was a party for a six-year-old?

She made a beeline for the porch and the kitchen door.