The Last First Kiss (Harlequin Special Edition) (9 page)

Lisa had thought that herself initially, but her friend’s enthusiasm had made her overlook that point. “If it was that obvious and you knew that she was going to see right through it, why did you do it?”

“Because I knew she’d react this way.”

She could hear the smile in Paulette’s voice. “What way?” she asked, frustrated. “You know, until this minute, I didn’t think I was in jeopardy of coming down with Alzheimer’s so early, but now I’m not so sure I’m not already mired in it.” Drawing in a long breath, Lisa braced herself. “Paulette, what are you talking about? I’m not following you.”

“I know it sounds kind of involved,” Paulette allowed patiently, “but neither one of us has simple kids. Consequently, we’re engaged in a mental chess game. The only way to get Kara and Dave together is to make them want to outsmart us. Challenge them. Especially Kara. And I was right.”

If you say so,
Lisa thought. Out loud she asked, “Okay, so do you have any idea what they think they’re doing?”

“Does spring follow winter?” Paulette asked.

“With you I wouldn’t bet on it,” Lisa answered.

Paulette laughed. “Our kids are pretending to hit it off so that eventually they can break up dramatically—undoubtedly somewhere within our hearing range. The thought behind that—I’d stake my life on it—is that we will feel so bad that things didn’t work out between them and that they wound up in emotional pain because of us, we’ll swear off meddling in their affairs for the rest of their lives.”

“In other words, once this little three-act play is over, we’ll be back to square one and they’ll be no closer to a relationship with each other—or anyone else—than they were when we started,” Lisa concluded glumly.

She was about to ask what the point of going through these paces was if that was to be the outcome, but she never got the chance.

Paulette laughed quietly at the summation. “Not if I’m right.”

Lisa sighed. “Okay, I admit it. I’m the slow one,” she said, not believing it for a minute. “You’re going to have to explain what you mean by that.”

“What I’m counting on is that they’re both going to get so involved in pretending to fall in love, they won’t see it coming.”

Exasperated, Lisa enunciated each word slowly. “See
what
coming?”

“That they really are falling in love.”

Paulette was taking a great deal for granted here, Lisa thought. She wasn’t nearly as confident about the outcome as her best friend seemed to be. “And you think this is a sure thing.”

“Yes,” Paulette cried with feeling. “They’re perfect for each other. We both know they are. Besides, I saw the way they looked at each other when one thought that the other wasn’t looking. There’s definite electricity going on there.”

“Hopefully not enough to kill them,” Lisa murmured under her breath.

“Okay, I can see you definitely need convincing. I was saving this for last.” She paused for effect, then delivered her crowning glory. “Father Jack saw them.”

It was, Lisa decided, like pulling teeth. Except that Paulette really seemed to be enjoying this. “Saw them what, Paulette? Saw them what?”

“He saw them kissing. Your son was kissing my daughter. Or my daughter was kissing your son. Either way, lips were locked, and there was no one around to serve as an audience. Which meant they were acting on their feelings, not putting on a show for us.”

Lisa wasn’t so quick to celebrate. She’d always been the more practical one in their friendship. “Maybe they thought there was an audience. Or maybe they were practicing.”

It was obvious that Paulette didn’t think either point was valid, but she let them slide, saying, “I don’t care what the excuse is, as long as they wind up in love. You look best in green, by the way.”

That had come out of nowhere. “Thank you, but why are you telling me this?”

“So that you know what color dress to wear for the wedding,” Paulette explained cheerfully. “A mint-green dress. Cocktail length,” she added. “I’ll wear baby blue.”

Lisa could only laugh. There was no arguing with Paulette when she got like this. All she could do was go along with it and fervently pray that her friend was ultimately right. Because she really did want to see Dave and Kara together.

Chapter Nine

T
he doorbell rang.

Damn it, he’s early. Figures.

Luckily, this time so was she.

Nonetheless, Kara felt her pulse flutter a beat before she opened her front door. She told herself she was being stupid. This was Dave, someone she’d technically known for most of her life. When she got right down to it, she couldn’t remember
not
knowing him.

Nothing had changed, she argued silently, except maybe that he’d gotten taller, but then, so had she. Increased height was absolutely no reason for her pulse to skip a beat.

Stepping back, she opened the door wider. Dave was on her doorstep, looking ruggedly handsome in jeans and a Wedgwood-blue T-shirt—did he know that was her favorite color?

Oh, c’mon, Kara, how could he know that?

There was also an odd expression on his face as he looked at her. Was it just her, or was it getting warmer? The weatherman hadn’t said anything about breaking records today. But there was no denying that she certainly felt hot.

“You’re staring,” she admonished.

Damn it, he was, Dave upbraided himself. But she was wearing denim shorts. Incredibly short denim shorts—and had somehow managed to grow several more inches of leg than he remembered her having. The icy-blue halter top that accented her taut midriff and small waist didn’t exactly help keep his body temperature down any, either. Where was it written that skinny little brats could grow up to be sexy as hell?

Dave blinked to clear his head and refocus his eyes. “Sorry,” he murmured, “didn’t realize I was staring. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Anticipating our date?” Kara asked cheerfully, tongue-in-cheek.

Or, at least, she meant for him to
think
she was being flippant. Truth was, she’d had less than her usual amount of sleep herself for that very reason. She told herself it was because she wanted to pull this off properly in order to ultimately teach her mother and his a lesson, but there was a part of her that wasn’t really buying her own excuse. There was something about Dave, this new, improved model, that was definitely getting to her. Especially after she’d made the mistake of locking lips with him. Now all she seemed to do was think about that kiss. It was definitely getting in the way of her being her blasé self.

“Extra shift at the E.R.,” he told her. It was a white lie, but there was no way for her to check that out and it was a handy enough excuse to hide behind. He hadn’t counted on her reacting with concern.

“You want to reschedule?” Kara asked him. He expected her to say something like “Gotcha!” but she looked dead serious. “The fair’s here for another twenty- eight days.”

No, he didn’t want to reschedule. For a number of reasons. Not the least of which was that he’d psyched himself up to spend the afternoon and possibly the evening as well in her company.

He had no idea how she would react if he admitted that to her—most likely it would result in her torturing him one way or another—so instead he said crisply, “Don’t want it hanging over my head.”

Her smile slipped away. “Fine,” she retorted.

Served her right for trying to be thoughtful and put his needs first. Things like that were just wasted on someone like Dave. “By all means, let’s get this over with.”

She grabbed her oversize purse and walked out in front of him.

Giving him what amounted to the best view he’d had in a very long while.

Half an hour later, thanks to a decrease in morning traffic, they were meeting both their mothers at the entrance to the fairgrounds.

The two women were already there, waiting for them, which came as no surprise to Kara. She’d expected as much. Her mother waved with the enthusiasm of an Indy 500 starter signaling the beginning of the famous race.

May the better side win,
Kara said to herself, smiling at the two women.

“Lisa and I talked about it, and we don’t want you two to hang back just for us. Enjoy yourselves,” she urged with feeling. “Take in some of the rides. You’ll make more progress without us tagging along, dragging you down. We can all meet for lunch,” Paulette suggested, going on to name one of the booths specializing in barbecued spare ribs and a few other things guaranteed to make a cardiologist weep. “Say about one?” She looked over her shoulder at Lisa for confirmation.

“One’s fine with me,” Lisa responded, picking up her cue. She smiled at Kara, then at her son. “How about you two?”

“Whatever you want, Mom,” Dave replied. The easygoing response had Paulette smiling as she looked back at her best friend.

“I always thought he was such a good boy.”

Kara felt herself bristling. “Mom, in case you haven’t noticed, Dave’s not a little boy anymore. He’s grown up. We both have,” she emphasized. That she was suddenly championing Dave surprised even her.

Her mother looked completely unfazed by her argument. “Doesn’t matter how old you get,” the woman maintained. “You’ll always be my kid.”

Kara rolled her eyes, then turned toward Dave, who was acting like a spectator rather than a participant, she thought irritably. She took his side, why wasn’t he taking hers?

“Why do I feel as if I’ve just had a curse placed on me?” she asked wryly.

Her mother seemed to take no offense. “Because you’re as rebellious as I was at your age. Takes standing on this side of parenthood to understand what I’m feeling.” There was deep affection in her eyes as she ran her hand along her daughter’s cheek. “You will someday,” she predicted. Then, reverting back to her bubbly self, she concluded, “Until then, go, have fun.”

“You’re being kind of hard on her, don’t you think?” Dave asked once they were walking away from their mothers.

She didn’t like him pointing out her faults, especially when it seemed as if he was taking her mother’s side. “Did it ever occur to you that I might have to be? If I’m not, she’ll have me in a bib, a bonnet and a high chair in under an hour.”

He moved slightly to the side to avoid a group of five heading in another direction. The fairgrounds were already fairly crowded, he noted. “If that were the case,” he pointed out, “she wouldn’t be trying to get us together for the purpose of marriage, now, would she?”

Kara frowned. She might have known that Dave would be perverse. “Well, I can see why she likes you so much. I’m surprised my mother thinks that I’m good enough for you.”

He moved behind her, taking her arm to avoid walking into two teens busy texting, their eyes glued to their cell phone screens. Electronics should be banned in certain places, he thought.

“And I can see why you have trouble getting dates with that winning personality of yours.”

Her back went up instantly. “I get asked out plenty, thank you.”

“So why aren’t you with someone?” His eyes pinned her. “You’re certainly attractive enough.”

“I could ask you the same thing,” she declared tersely, then did a mental double take as Dave’s second sentence registered in her head. “What did you just say?”

Dave obliged and repeated, “Why aren’t you with someone?”

Kara shook her head. “No, not that. The other part.”

He knew what she was referring to the first time around, but decided to draw this out, curious to see her response. “You have a mirror, you know what you look like.”

This caught her completely off guard. “You think I’m attractive?”

The last time he’d said anything about her looks, he’d said she had a face that not even a frog would want. He’d been eleven at the time and she’d just put a red-striped ribbon snake on his shoulder. He didn’t know they were harmless and it had scared the hell out of him until he heard her laughing. He’d been furious.

Maybe he’d said too much, he thought. Still, she really was a knockout. Especially in that outfit. “What I think doesn’t matter. Certain things are just self-evident.”

What did she say to something like that? If she thanked him, she might discover that it was all a gag. But if he was serious, then shouldn’t she say something?

Kara shook her head. “I have no idea what to make of you.”

She saw the corners of his mouth curve. “Good. It goes both ways.” Dave looked out on the fairgrounds. “So, what do you want to go on first? How about the Ferris wheel?” he suggested since they were standing only a few feet away from the ride.

She didn’t answer him immediately, which was highly unusual for her. Ordinarily, no one could get her to stop talking. At least, that was the case with the Kara he remembered.

Looking at her more closely, he noticed that she seemed uncomfortable. What was that all about? he wondered.

“What?” he prodded. “You don’t like riding on Ferris wheels?”

“They’re fine,” she retorted a little too quickly and a little too forcefully. “C’mon,” she declared, looking for all the world like someone who had made up her mind to face a firing squad with bravado. “Let’s go.”

“Wait a second.” Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back and held her in place. He knew that look in her eyes. That was definitely fear. He put two and two together. “Are you afraid of heights?”

“No!” she cried angrily.

“You are, aren’t you?” It seemed incredible. She’d always been fearless to the point of being reckless. He tried to make sense of it. “But you used to climb trees like a monkey.”

She frowned, turning away. When he looked at her, she felt as if he could see right into her. “Very flattering image.”

She wasn’t denying it, which meant he’d guessed right. “What happened to change that?”

She shrugged, still avoiding his eyes. “I found out I can’t fly.”

The woman had to learn how not to talk in code. “Care to explain that?”

She looked at him resentfully. Why was he poking at her sore points? She hated admitting a weakness. Hated being shackled by fears. “I fell out of a tree, okay? I’ve been a little leery of high places ever since then. Satisfied?” she challenged.

“Okay, we don’t have to go on the Ferris wheel.”

Oh no, she wasn’t falling for that trap. “What? And have you hold it over me? No, thank you. We
are
going on the Ferris wheel.” Grabbing his hand, she pulled him after her as she deliberately walked toward the end of the line for the ride.

She didn’t get very far because he wasn’t about to allow himself to be dragged along. “What are you, twelve? If you’re afraid to go on, we don’t have to go on. Plenty of other things to do here. It’s not like it’s the only ride.”

She was not going to wimp out. Kara was determined to be brave.

“I’m facing my fears,” she announced between clenched teeth. But despite her yanking at his arm, he wasn’t budging. “Now what?” she demanded.

“I changed my mind.” His tone was simple, but anyone could see he was not a man who was about to be budged. “I don’t want to go on the Ferris wheel.”

She began to say something terse, then relented. Maybe this was his way of giving her a way out. She let go of his arm and stepped back to look at him.

“You know,” she began slowly, almost shyly, “if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were being nice.”

Dave looked at her, and the moment felt strung out in time, moving toward infinity. It didn’t help. All he could think about was her. About the way her lips had felt beneath his. The way her body, all soft curves, had yielded against his.

Damn if he didn’t feel a pull within him. With effort, Dave shut out the surge of desire that threatened to overrun him.

“But you know better, don’t you?” he asked quietly.

Before she could answer, they heard someone screaming for help. Turning, they saw a distraught-looking woman running in their general direction with a child in her arms. The little boy—he couldn’t have been any older than six—was bleeding from a gash on his forehead. His eyes, usually the liveliest part of a boy’s face, were shut.

“Help me!” the woman cried desperately as she ran, looking around wildly. “Someone please help me!”

Before Kara could do anything, Dave quickly moved in front of the woman, causing her to stop in her tracks.

“I’m a doctor,” he told her, his eyes never leaving hers. “Can you tell me what happened?” His voice was calm, soothing, in order to pull the woman back from the brink of hysteria.

Suddenly, the woman all but melted before him, her legs giving way as if they couldn’t support her any longer. Dave caught the little boy before she could drop him. At the same time, Kara grabbed the woman, keeping her reasonably upright.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” she told the woman, doing her best to mimic Dave’s tone. “Tell us what happened,” she repeated.

By now people were beginning to gather around them, drawn by the woman’s cries and the drama that was unfolding.

The woman looked at them, wild-eyed, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening herself. “He was running ahead of me and he tripped and hit his head on the side of a cart. I told him not to run, I
told
him,” she insisted frantically.

“Kids don’t always listen,” Dave assured her, his voice still low. He needed to keep her talking. “Go on,” he urged while he continued working on the boy, pressing a clean handkerchief against the gash on his forehead.