The Accidental Encore (16 page)

Chapter 17

Craig wasn’t surprised when he saw his brother’s number on
his cell phone. Mark was either going to thank him or give him a hard time
about Leah.

“Hey,” Craig said to break the ice. Mark couldn’t be mad at
a man who sounded like he didn’t have a care in the world. “How’s it going?”

Mark huffed out a breath. “That’s a loaded question. Look,
I’m sorry about last night.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“Leah. I’m just not sure what to do with her lately.”

“Talking to her would be my suggestion.” Craig measured the
stain grade trim and marked his spot while cradling the phone between his ear
and his shoulder.

“I have. We have. We talked for a long time last night.
She’s feeling displaced by Carolyn and Carolyn’s feeling in the way. I should
have listened to you when you tried to tell me to have them spend time together
sooner.”

“Too late to worry about that now. How’d you all leave
things?”

“We’re all going to try and understand how the other feels.
Respect is the number one priority in the house, and that should eliminate a
lot of our troubles.”

“Good. I don’t like the idea of Leah walking to my house at
night.”

“Me neither,” Mark said. “I don’t think she’ll pull another
stunt like that again.”

“I hope not.”

“So,” Mark said with a distinctive change to his voice.
“What’s going on with you and Allie?”

Here we go, Craig thought. He should have known Mark would
hone in on her like a drone missile. “Nothing.”

“Nothing? The last person I expected to see at your
house—at night—was Allie.”

“She and Leah have a bond. I told you I called her when Leah
got her period.”

“Yeah, but…what was she doing there? And more importantly,
how long did she stay after we left?”

“I called her because Leah mentioned something Allie said to
her. I thought Allie had given her the idea to run away and I was pissed. I was
wrong, believe it or not, but I called Allie so she could clean up the mess I
thought she made.”

“And that’s it?”

He thought of Allie last night, the feel of her hand on his
chest. He only wished it was the first time he’d thought of her that day. “Of
course that’s it. What are you getting at?”

“She’s a beautiful woman,” Mark prodded.

“I’ve got eyes, Mark.”

“So what are you waiting for?”

“Why are
you
asking me that question? She’s been at
your house twice a week for years, befriending you daughter, having intimate
dinners.” It wasn’t until he’d said it out loud that he realized he was
jealous.

“I was dating Carolyn.”

“She was 700 miles away and you weren’t exactly committed.”

“I’ve never been one to juggle women, Craig. Besides, she’s
Leah’s piano teacher.”

“Exactly. And she’s not my type.”

“Ha!” Mark barked into the phone. “She’s exactly your type.
I thought…”

“What?” Craig asked quickly, a little too quick to hide his
interest.

“I thought it might freak you out how much she looks like
Julie.”

Craig sagged against the counter. Allie looking like Julie?
“How so?”

“Come on, Craig. She’s blonde, beautiful, a little bit
mysterious.”

“Allie’s nothing like Julie. I didn’t even put that together
until you mentioned it.”

“And now?” Mark asked.

“And now I have to get back to work. Some of us do that,
Mark. Work for a living.”

“Yeah, some of us do,” Mark said with a snicker. “You’re not
one of them.”

“You’ll be happy to know I’ve got a date tomorrow night.”

“Really? With who?”

“Her name’s Emily Brand. She’s a paralegal who likes dogs
and sports.”

“Why does it sound like you answered a personal ad?”

“Get with the times, Mark. I met her online.”

“You?” Mark sputtered. “You’re online dating?”

“Yep. Allie helped me get set up with that, too.”

“So all roads lead back to Allie.”

“I’m hanging up now, Mark. I’ve got work to do.”

“You coming to Leah’s game on Saturday?”

“I’ll be there,” Craig said before pocketing the phone and
zoning back in on the trim.

Or trying to zone back in on the trim. He couldn’t get
thoughts of Allie out of his head. He’d gone straight to the computer when
she’d left and looked up Steve Kellman, the architect. He looked like a prick
and sure sounded like one in his snappy two paragraphs about his white picket
fence upbringing and the type of woman who would make him complete. Craig
wanted to twist the trim in half just thinking about him making a move on
Allie.

He’d just talked himself out of doing anything harmful to
the trim when Tommy Steen, cabinetmaker extraordinaire, walked in, his tool
belt swinging in rhythm to his gait. “Archer. What’s up, man?”

He offered his knuckles for a bump. Craig tucked the pencil
behind his ear and obliged. “Just a whole lot of kitchen to work on.”

“So I see.” Tommy stood in the center of the room, hands on
his hips, and turned in a circle. Craig could see the wheels in motion in
Tommy’s head. “Nice space.”

“It is now. You should have seen it before I took that wall
out and got all the original stuff out.”

Tommy crouched to examine the flooring Craig had discovered
under two layers of linoleum. “They just don’t build houses like they used to,
do they?”

“That’s for sure. Did you get my plans?”

Tommy slung his head toward the front of the house. “They’re
in the truck. I wanted to get a look at the space first.”

“Look all you want. They want to be in the house by
Thanksgiving, so we’ve got plenty of time to do this right.”

“I do everything right,” Tommy said with a goading smile.
“Did I hear you say you’re online dating?”

Hell. Just what he didn’t want to talk to his contractors about.
“Maybe.”

“You know, since the divorce, I’ve been dating online.”
Tommy shook his head. “I’m more confused about women than ever.”

“What do you mean?” Craig asked.

“I mean I don’t get it, man. Melody and I didn’t have sex
for almost two years before the divorce. I couldn’t get my damn wife to have
sex with me, and yet the only thing these ladies want is to have sex. I want to
call Melody up and tell her that I may not be attractive to her, but these
other women out here can’t get enough of me.” He took his hammer out of his
belt and absently twirled it around his finger like a gunslinger. “And the hell
of it is, I don’t want to have sex with any of these women. I still want to
have sex with my wife.”

“Really? All of them want to have sex?”

“Well, maybe it’s just me.” He smiled and shot the hammer
back into his belt. “I’m not looking to have any more kids. I’ve already got
three of them. I seriously think the women who are beyond the kid stage just
use it like an escort service. I know I shouldn’t complain, especially after my
dry spell, but it makes me feel kinda used.”

Interesting. If a five-foot-eight, overweight, balding
carpenter had women throwing themselves at his feet, Craig was more than a
little afraid of what he’d find. After all, he did have a full set of hair. But
as Tommy went out to his truck to get the plans, Craig decided a quick romp in
the sack with Emily might be just what he needed to get Allie out of his head.

***

Leah was more than polite and profuse in her apology for her
behavior the previous night at Craig’s house. Allie felt as though she were
stepping into a television drama when she entered the Archer house on Thursday
night. They all greeted her at the door, Mark, Carolyn, and Leah. The only ones
missing were Craig and Blackjack. She wished they were around to deflect
attention.

After the lesson, Leah thanked her and went upstairs to her
room before Allie even had her bags packed. Mark and Carolyn walked her to the
door.

“I can’t thank you enough, Allie, for everything you’ve done
for Leah,” Mark said. “Craig explained how helpful you’ve been with her while
we were on our honeymoon. And last night…”

Allie felt uncomfortable. Mark seemed genuine—he
didn’t have a disingenuous bone in his body, but Carolyn was eyeing her
nervously and offered to walk Allie to her car after grabbing a sweater from
the coat rack in the foyer.

Carolyn seemed more formidable tonight with her wool pants
and tidy makeup. Although Allie was taller than the petite brunette, she felt
as if she were about to receive a scolding. She was pretty sure she deserved
it.

“I’m not trying to overkill the thanks, Allie,” Carolyn
began. “But I know what you said to Leah the other night. She told me you were
trying to make her understand how I felt moving in here with her and Mark.”

Allie stopped walking and turned to face the woman she’d
thought of quite regularly that day. “I feel like I’m butting my nose in where
it doesn’t belong. I am, I know I am, but Leah opened up to me while you were
gone about her concerns about all of you living together. I spoke to her about
my experience with my stepmom and tried to advise her to make more of an effort
than I did at her age.”

“I appreciate that.”

Allie shrugged. “I have a terrible relationship with my dad
and stepmom and my behavior growing up is the main reason why. It probably
wasn’t all my fault, but since I’ll never know for sure, it seems the most
likely excuse.” Allie passed her bag to her other arm and cinched her coat
tighter. The temperatures had dropped and she knew Carolyn had to be freezing
in her thin sweater. “Leah and her dad are so close. They have such a special
relationship.”

“Yes, they do. I’m having trouble…I mean, I’m not sure…” She
ducked her head, tucked her hair behind her ears, and looked up at Allie with doleful
eyes. “I’m floundering, as I’m sure you can tell. We talked about what
happened, about how she can’t run to Craig every time she feels upset. She
agreed to be respectful and I’m doing the same. We’re all walking on egg
shells.”

Allie remembered the polite silence that reigned in her
father’s house on the rare occasions they weren’t fighting. She much preferred
the fighting. “You probably will, for awhile.”

“I start my new job next week. I know I’ll be slammed for a
couple of weeks, but I’d like to meet for lunch one day if you’ve got the time.
I could use some pointers with Leah and you know her better than I do.”

“I’m not sure how much better I know her,” Allie said.
“She’s only just opened up to me.”

“That’s more than she’s done for me. Please,” Carolyn
begged. “I don’t know who else to turn to.”

Oh boy. Getting more involved with the Archer family didn’t
feel like such a good idea. “Okay, sure. Go on in. You’re freezing. Call me
anytime for lunch. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

Allie watched Carolyn go inside as she started the engine.
She turned up the heat and backed out of the driveway wondering how she’d
gotten so drawn into the lives of her client. She’d befriended the father,
counseled the girl, and now agreed to help the stepmom. Not to mention her burgeoning
friendship with Craig. How would he feel about her meeting Carolyn for lunch?
She wondered if she’d tell him.

Chapter 18

 
“Wow, you’re as
pretty as your profile picture.” Allie thought the same could have been said
for Steve Kellman. “That almost never happens.”

She knew Steve wasn’t lying. She’d heard it from every man
she’d ever met online, but it still annoyed her to hear it. Don’t be so hard on
him, she told herself as they stood in line for their tickets from will call.
“You must be a hockey fan?”

“I used to play.” He took a sip of his non-fat latte. She’d
ordered her usual from the coffee shop where they’d met: a large cinnamon blend
with cream and sugar. Did she really want to date a man who was more concerned
with calories than she was? “So you teach music?”

“Piano. My clients are kids, mostly.”

“All day with kids?” He visibly shuddered. “You’re braver
than I am.”

“I like kids,” she said in defense of her profession and her
students. “They’re refreshingly honest.”

He held up his hand and Allie noticed his large class ring.
He already mentioned he went to Stanford and UC Berkeley. “Don’t get me wrong,”
he said. “I like kids. I mean, I want to have some. Someday. But I wouldn’t
want to be around them all the time.”

Allie took a gulp of coffee and hoped the date would
improve. It was going to be a very long night. He got their tickets and led her
to their seats behind the Gladiators’ bench. “So how long have you been in
Atlanta?” she asked.

“Couple of years. I moved out after college.”

“Quite a change from California.”

“I grew up in Maryland, so I was ready to head back east.”
He flashed a perfect smile to show off his over bright teeth. He’d either had
them whitened recently or this was his first coffee ever. “Never did quite fit
into the California scene.”

The music blared and their conversation stopped while the
teams were introduced and, after much fanfare, the game began. “I’ve been to
San Francisco,” she said once play had been underway for a minute or two. “It’s
beautiful, but I don’t think I could live there.”

“The people are different. The lifestyle’s different. It was
fun for a while, but I’m glad to be back.”

“Do you think you’ll stay in Atlanta?” she asked.

He shrugged and kept his gaze on the ice. “Depends. I like
my job and I like the city, but I’m not opposed to moving. I’m young, I’ve got
no real ties here, so if the right opportunity came up, yeah, I’d consider
moving again.”

They lapsed into silence and Allie took another sip,
wondering if perhaps he’d like to know anything about her. This wasn’t an
interview, and she’d learned pretty much everything she cared to know so far.
He was a west coast educated architect with a job he liked, but didn’t love. He
was good looking, better looking than most of the guys she went out with, and
from his comments about having kids way in the future, he had no interest in
settling down. Why, she wondered, did he choose to go out with a woman who
spent her time with kids and desperately wanted to find her soul mate? She made
a mental note to revisit her profile and reread her ‘About Me’ paragraphs.