The Player (2 page)

Ever since, he had moved from one fling to the next like a water droplet on a hot skillet. It had been fun at first, but over the last year—with the big three-o on the horizon—Garrett had changed. He was ready to settle down with someone, but none of his relationships seemed to last longer than a couple of months.

The problem was simple, the solution less so: no one could live up to his ex-girlfriend Blair Myers. They’d shared a connection the likes of which he’d never found with anyone else, and he was becoming increasingly convinced that he
wouldn
’
t
find it with anyone else.

Garrett had to admit that it rubbed like hell that his cousin was getting married. The guy had to be the most boring person on the planet, not to mention the most annoying. Garrett assured himself that his bride-to-be was surely some milquetoast woman who was eager to settle with
Dr.
Neil Fredrick in their suburban house with two-point-five kids. He would come home from the hospital talking about which bacteria had given someone the squirts, and his wife would serve up pot roast and boiled potatoes.

But that didn’t make Garrett any more eager to take part in the War of the Ring, which had reached a boiling point now that the wedding was only a week away. Too bad Nana Ruby, the family matriarch, had taken it upon herself to assign him the role of peacemaker. Without bothering to consult him first, she’d arranged for him to be a last-minute groomsman in the wedding. He hadn’t even planned on going—he’d tossed the ivory invitation into the trash the moment it arrived, knowing he’d only received one at Nana Ruby’s behest—and he had plenty of work to do in San Diego. But Nana didn’t want excuses; she wanted to know that he would show up in Kansas City with a smile on his face and keep the peace.

And no one said no to Nana.

“I’m leaving the success or failure of this wedding in your hands, Garrett Michael Lowry,” the older woman had barked into the phone.

Garrett had snickered in response. “That seems like a huge responsibility, Nana. Are you sure you want to leave that to me? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m more of an instigator than a peacemaker.”

“Ain’t your high-falutin’ job all about making people come to some kind of agreement? You should be doin’ the same for your family.” Nana Ruby made no secret that she didn’t take much stock in higher education. Born and raised in the Ozarks, she’d gotten a ninth grade education and a doctorate at the University of Hard Knocks, a school she claimed was more beneficial than all those hoity-toity colleges. Garrett had always appreciated Nana’s unique charm, so he let her insults roll off his back. Neil, on the other hand, not so much.

“I don’t always help them come to an agreement, Nana. Sometimes the judge has to lay down the law.” He had paused for a moment before chuckling again. “Kind of like you, when it comes to Mom and Aunt Debra.”

“Don’t you try sweet talkin’ me, you devil child,” she’d grumbled.

“Sweet talk
you?
I’d be a fool to try. You’d rather have a cup of vinegar than a pot full of sugar.”

“You’re damn straight. Now get your ass to Kansas City, and you better have things under control by the time I drive up there on Wednesday.”

Garrett had hoped his mother would give him an out. He was her golden child, particularly after his sister’s recent out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Never mind that Kelsey was thirty-one years old and an executive sales manager for a national cellular phone service, making a six-figure income. In his mother’s eyes—or more importantly, his Aunt Debra’s—Kelsey had tarnished the Lowry side of the family. Frankly, Garrett thought Kelsey had dodged a bullet by not marrying her on-again, off-again boyfriend, who seemed incapable of holding a steady job. But all either sister cared about was whether Kelsey’s loser ex had put a ring on it.

While Garrett found it irritating that his mother would let his backwoods aunt’s attitude sway her, he was opportunistic enough to take advantage of his mother’s current desire to keep him happy.

Of course, she’d denied him, insisting that his inclusion in the wedding would be good for family unity.

“
How
will it be good for family unity? It’s only going to stir up more shit.”

“Language, Garrett,” she’d chastised. “You know your aunt can’t abide cursing.”

“See? All the more reason for me to stay away and not upset the carefully constructed apple cart.”

“If your nana wants you to be there, who are we to question it? She knows what she’s doing,” was all his mother would say.

His mother was up to something, all right, and it sure as hell wouldn’t help him play peacekeeper.

The only bright spot was that Neil was probably even more irritated about Garrett’s inclusion in the wedding party than he was.

Perhaps their mothers’ habitual animosity added fuel to the fire, but the cousins had never gotten along. While Garrett had always loved the two weeks a year he spent on his widowed grandmother’s acreage, spending it with Neil had added a partial dark cloud. Nana had taught both boys about the farm—from livestock to gardening—but while Garrett had soaked up the knowledge, reveling in it, Neil had whined so much, Nana had finally agreed to let him stay in the house with a book while she made the farm rounds with Garrett. But the annual visits had stopped in high school
—
which
might
have also coincided with Garrett playing a practical joke on his cousin involving horse dung. And while Garrett didn’t miss his mealy-mouthed cousin, he did miss his one-on-one time with Nana. So, while he technically could have told Nana Ruby no, he respected her so much, he would have done anything she asked of him. Not that he’d ever admit it. So he’d gone to work on Monday, told the senior partners he had a family emergency, and bought a late afternoon ticket to Kansas City.

Too bad Garrett had spilled the slightly amusing, slightly sad tale of what the
emergency
actually was, because as soon as he did, his boss decided to use it to
his
advantage.

Earlier that afternoon, Garrett had been packing his messenger bag when his boss walked into his office looking like he’d won the lottery.

“Since your emergency isn’t so emergent, you can do some work while you’re there.”

Garrett patted his bag. “That’s what I’m planning to do, Matt.”

Matt shook his head, his grin so wide it was a wonder his face didn’t split open. “Nope. Congratulations. You get to take the depositions on the Norfolk case.”

Garrett’s mouth dropped open. Could this trip get any worse? He shook his head in dismay. “No.
Anything
but that.”

His boss only laughed and dropped a huge file on Garrett’s desk. “Look at it this way. Now you don’t have to take vacation time.”

“I’ll take the week off without pay to get out of this.”

“Too late. It’s already been decided by the big guy upstairs.” He pointed his finger toward the ceiling. “He figures you’ll do a better job than Lopez has done. The client’s lost confidence in him, and you have a reputation of being a barracuda, so . . .”

Garrett groaned and picked up the file, flipping through the pages. “Dammit. I hear the attorney representing the wife is a real bitch.”

Matt laughed. “You don’t know the half of it.” He looked over his shoulder at the door, then turned back to Garrett and lowered his voice. “Rumor has it she made Lopez cry.”

Garrett started to laugh before realizing he was the one who had to fill Lopez’s shoes.

“Lopez’s assistant will email you more details about the case, but the file should be enough to get you up to speed. Your first deposition is tomorrow at ten and should get the week rolling.”

“
First
deposition?”

His boss laughed. “There are multiple people to depose in this case. The wife. The husband. The girlfriends. Plural.”

“I’m flying home on Sunday, Matt. And I supposedly have wedding activities on Thursday and Friday.”

Matt headed for the door and called over his shoulder, “Don’t come back until they’re all done.”

The wedding itself had begun to look like a cakewalk.

But now he was grounded in Phoenix for the night, and while he didn’t regret missing an early start to the wedding festivities, he didn’t want to delay the depositions. He had no desire to stay in Kansas City a minute longer than necessary, and he was pretty sure Nana wouldn’t see work as an excuse to get out of forced family fun.

But all thoughts went out the window when he ventured down to the bar at the hotel he’d booked. Because he recognized the woman sitting at the bar.

It was her, the woman who’d ruined all other women for him.

Blair Myers.

He blinked, certain his mind had given up and induced some type of psychosis, but the look of recognition in her own eyes proved she was real.

She was more beautiful than he remembered her. She still wore her blonde hair long, and it hung loose, though slightly mussed—totally unlike the put-together woman with whom he’d spent nearly a year. She wore a black skirt and a light gray silk blouse that clung to her breasts. Her four-inch black heels rested on the metal footrest attached to the bar. Her clear blue eyes were focused on him.

It took him a full three seconds to come to his senses and another couple to figure out what to do. Did he ignore her? Did he say hello? He knew what
he
wanted to do, but what did
she
want?

In the end, his feet made the decision for him. He found himself moving toward her, and he stopped only a few feet away, his pulse pounding in his head. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous, and from the way she was clutching the tumbler the bartender had just handed her, so was she.

What did he say? A half a dozen things popped into his head.
I miss you.
You look good. Are you happy? There
’
s not a day that goes by that I don
’
t regret what I did.
But the only thing that came out of his mouth was “Hi.”

She continued to stare at him, her gaze slightly unfocused.

“Can I sit?” He motioned to the stool next to her.

His question snapped her out of her daze. She gave him a half shrug, then turned to face the bar. “I can’t stop you.”

He took the fact that she hadn’t kneed him in the balls as a good sign. He slid onto the leather stool as she leaned her elbows on the counter, swaying slightly. No one else would ever notice, but he’d spent the better part of a year studying her instead of his law books. The Blair he knew didn’t get drunk. “What are you doing in Phoenix?”

“Passing through.” She took a sip of her drink.

He was going to need fortitude. He flagged down the bartender. “I’ll take a draft beer. You got Coors?”

The bartender nodded and went to get his drink. Blair chuckled, but it was a brittle sound. “You still drink that crap?”

“Crap?” He leaned his forearms on the bar. “It’s made from pure mountain spring water.”

She laughed, a genuine laugh, and something in his chest seized with a longing that caught him by surprise. He’d missed her, but the ache was even stronger now that she was beside him.

She turned to him, her gaze searching his face. “Are you married?”

He couldn’t believe he was sitting with her now. Maybe this was the universe giving him a gift he didn’t deserve, or maybe it was some uniquely horrible form of torture. Either way, he’d take it, but he had to tread lightly. He wanted to tell her what an idiot he’d been, but he needed to take this slow or he would scare her off. Every moment he had with her was a gift, and he wasn’t about to screw that up. He forced a chuckle. “What do
you
think?” He instantly knew it was a mistake.

“Still footloose and fancy-free, huh?” She waved her glass to accentuate her words.

The bartender handed him his beer, and he grinned. “Since when did you start saying things like ‘footloose and fancy-free’?”

“Since I drank three whiskeys, two of them doubles.” She lifted her glass in salute and took a sip. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

He smirked, even if his heart wasn’t in it. “You bet I am. You?” He glanced down at her left hand, and his heart sank.

She held up her hand, the better to blind him, flashing a gold ring with multiple diamonds.

He swallowed his disappointment and for a moment actually considered getting up and walking away. He wasn’t sure he could sit here and pretend to be happy for her, or that his mind hadn’t spun into overdrive with excitement and possibilities the moment he saw her, but he also wasn’t sure he could live with himself if he acted that way. After all, he was the one who’d left and hurt her all those years ago. He owed her more than that. “Really, Blair? You don’t seem like the marrying kind.”

“People surprise you.” She grinned, but there was a bitter note in her voice.

He wanted to apologize—every fiber of his being demanded that he apologize. But he couldn’t. Despite what she thought, he knew her. The second he apologized, she’d kick his ass—probably physically as well as verbally—and walk away forever. Blair couldn’t stomach any sign of weakness, especially in herself. If he let this conversation get even borderline sappy, it was done.

“So tell me about the poor fool you ended up with.” He forced a grin.

She lifted her eyebrows. “Why? So you can make fun of him?”

“Depends. You know me. I make fun of anyone who believes in the Hallmark version of love.”

She laughed. “We both did.”

Yet she’d loved him once. And even though neither of them were sappy, what Garrett and Blair shared had been intense yet fun.

“Remember Anti-Valentine’s Day?” she asked, laughing as she watched him.

His breath caught in his throat. Her face was less than two feet away, and he had a powerful urge to lean over and kiss her, but that would ruin everything. He pulled himself together.

“How could I forget Anti-Valentine’s Day?” They’d gone out of their way to do the exact opposite of a typical Valentine’s Day celebration, opting for Chuck E. Cheese and arcade games and crappy pizza rather than roses and wine. Then Garrett led her to the roof of his three-story apartment building, where he’d set up a telescope, and showed her the star he’d bought for her and named Blazing Supernova. When she argued that the speck of dust he’d bought her wasn’t a supernova, he told her she burned brighter than any star in the sky, though of course he teased her too, so it wouldn’t come across as sentimental. And he gave her a plastic ring he’d won at Chuck E. Cheese, telling her that someday he’d give her a real ring, but it would be on October 14, because it was the farthest a person could get from Valentine’s Day.