Winning the Right Brother (9 page)

Only he wasn’t asleep. He was right there in the kitchen when she came around the corner, and she actually crashed into him before she could stop herself.

He jumped away from her like he’d been shot.

“Holly!” he said, backing up to the other end of the kitchen. She must really have startled him.

And then, just as she’d feared, the sight of him brought back her dream in living color and she felt herself blushing. “Um, is Will up yet?” she asked to cover.

“Yes, he’s—”

“Here I am, Mom. Wow, you’re up early! I told Coach you wouldn’t be awake until twenty minutes before you had to leave for work.”

“Right. Well, I wanted to get an early start. You, too, I see. And you, Alex.”

“I’m on my way out the door now,” he said quickly. “And I’ll be back pretty late tonight. Go ahead and have dinner without me. I’ve got a lot of administrative chores to take care of, and then there’s the Steeltown game to prepare for. I’ll see you at practice, Will.” He started to head for the back door.

“Hey, Coach!” Will called out.

“What?” Alex answered over his shoulder, sounding impatient.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked significantly, indicating his mother.

Alex looked back at her, nonplussed. “Oh. Right.” He paused a moment, frowning, and then backtracked for the living room.

“What’s going on?” Holly asked Will.

“You’ll see,” he said.

Alex came back carrying a gaily if inexpertly wrapped package.

“Here,” he said without much ceremony, plunking it down on the kitchen table in front of Holly. “Something for you that Will and I picked up yesterday.”

Holly had forgotten the present that the two of them had hidden from her. She ripped open the bright paper and gasped when she saw all the CDs that spilled out.

“These are all… How did you…” She got it suddenly and smiled at her son. “You told him what to get.” She turned the smile on Alex. “And you spent way, way too much money on these. I should be mad, but…this really helps,” she said. “I mean, I know we’re not going to recreate everything we had, but this—well, this helps a lot. Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Alex said. “I mean it, Holly. You and Will lost so much, and it’s going to take a long time to
put it all back together again, but if I can do anything to help, you only have to ask.”

She smiled at him a little crookedly, and he smiled back at her, the warmth she’d begun to rely on lighting up his blue eyes.

“Have dinner without me tonight,” he said again, heading to the back door. “See you later, Will. I hope you have a good day back at work, Holly.”

“Thanks,” she answered, but he was out the door and she didn’t think he’d heard her.

A little odd, but very sweet, was Alex McKenna. If someone had told her seventy-two hours ago that’s how she’d be characterizing him today, she would have laughed at them.

A few minutes later Holly was sliding one of her new CDs into the car stereo and backing out of Alex’s driveway.

She’d picked one at random and it turned out to be Van Morrison, an album she hadn’t listened to in a while. The music tugged at her, and she remembered the conversation yesterday between Alex and Will. About music being a map of your soul.

She braked at a stoplight and her fingers drummed against the steering wheel. She wasn’t sure she wanted anyone running around with a map of her soul. Definitely not Alex.

Just as she was thinking that the light turned green and the next song began. It was “Moondance,” and in the blink of an eye Holly was engulfed in an old memory.

It was prom night, and Brian, now a freshman in college, had come home to be her escort. They were still boyfriend and girlfriend, and Holly was sure she loved him, although he seemed even busier and more ambi
tious now that he was actually taking the pre-law classes he’d dreamed about.

Still, he had taken the time to come home for her prom. Holly appreciated the gesture even though they didn’t really have a good time. Not a bad time exactly, just not a good time. Neither of them was big on dancing. Brian would never engage in anything so frivolous, and Holly was too shy to dance in public, although she loved to bop around in her room at home.

They decided to leave early. Brian went to say his goodbyes and get their coats, while Holly went to get one more glass of punch.

She was waiting for Brian at the edge of the dance floor, gazing wistfully at all the couples—the band had just started to play Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” which was one of her favorite songs—when someone came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

She could tell it wasn’t Brian. There was something a little too…well,
physical
…in the way those arms felt against her, in the way those hands moved slowly over her hips.

“Want to dance?” a voice said softly in her ear, and Holly twisted around to see Alex McKenna standing there, his face only inches from hers, his blue eyes glinting with mischief and something else.

Holly pulled away sharply, angry at the way her body had responded before she’d known it was him.

She had caught glimpses of Alex all evening, dancing with a dozen different girls—bad girls mostly, including her friend Brenda, but a few good girls, too—all of whom had seemed only too happy to be in his company.

Holly had noticed the contrast between his partners
and herself. Her dress had a high collar and big puffy sleeves, and the white satin material made it look a little like a wedding gown. The girls Alex favored tended to wear red or black, cut low in the front or the back or both, with spaghetti straps or no straps at all. Some of them had come here with dates, some alone, but all of them seemed more interested in Alex than any other guy in the room.

Alex had come stag, of course. He wasn’t exactly the boyfriend or prom date type. Truth be told, Holly had been surprised to see him here at all, and in a tux no less.

Of course he didn’t look like any of the other boys, despite being dressed exactly the same. He had none of the stiff, awkward formality that made them look like kids playing dress up. In fact, he looked oddly debonair, with his bleached blond hair looking natural for once instead of spiked up, and wearing his tux easily, comfortably, as if he’d been born in it.

“I know you want to dance,” he said now, his eyes challenging her to deny it. “I’ve been watching you move your hips to the music while stick-in-the-mud Brian lectures about life.”

His eyes were bright as he stepped close to her. “Just one dance, Holly,” he said seductively, his mouth near enough that she got a whiff of his breath.

“You’re
drunk,
” she said accusingly, taking a step back.

He grinned at her wickedly. “Maybe a little,” he admitted.

She glared at him suspiciously. “You didn’t spike the punch, did you? Because if you did—”

“You’ll tell on me? Don’t worry, Holly, you don’t need to get your panties in a twist. I didn’t spike the punch.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small
silver flask. “See? Just for me. You and your boring friends don’t have to worry.”

“My friends are
not
boring.”

Alex slipped the flask back in his pocket. “Well, maybe not as boring as your date. Where is the college boy, by the way?”

“He’s getting our coats,” she said stiffly. “We’re going home.”

“Right.” Alex pulled back a little. “Heading out to do the nasty, I suppose,” he said, his voice unconcerned.

“Of course not,” Holly snapped. “God, Alex, why do you always have to be so crude?”

He stared at her. “You’re leaving your prom early and it’s not to have sex?”

“That’s right,” Holly said coldly. “Brian respects me.”

“He respects you,” Alex repeated. He shook his head slowly. “What I’m thinking right now can’t be true. It’s too pathetic even for Brian. But is it possible he’s been dating you for two years and never in all that time made a move?”

Holly glared at him. “Of course he’s made a move. Brian’s a fantastic kisser.” Actually that wasn’t the case, but she’d be damned if she’d let Alex know it.

“A fantastic kisser. Right. I’m not talking about kissing, Holly. Have. You. Had. Sex.”

“Of course not!” Holly said, outraged that he’d asked her that and outraged that she was even standing here having this conversation. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”

Alex took two quick steps and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking at her with unexpected intensity in his blue eyes.

“A girl who deserves to be with a guy who appreciates what he’s got. If you were mine, Holly, I’d seduce you every night of your life. I’d throw you on the back of my bike and take you somewhere private, somewhere I could find out what’s underneath all this.”

His eyes roved downward, and in spite of her high collar and puffy sleeves Holly felt exposed under his gaze, vulnerable. His hands moved to her waist, and she had been so slender back then that his thumbs and fingers had almost met as they circled her. She had never realized how big and powerful his hands were, and yet his touch was unexpectedly gentle.

She had never felt so fragile and feminine. Brian’s hands were much smaller.

His eyes met hers again. They were so blue, so penetrating, and they seemed to see things other people didn’t. Things that no one should see. When he spoke his voice was low, and rough with some quality she couldn’t name.

“Brian doesn’t seem very curious about what’s inside this package, but I am. Why are you with him, Holly? Why do you hide behind all this?” Somehow she guessed he wasn’t just talking about her prom dress.

His hands were still on her waist, but now they moved up her torso, slowly, until his thumbs just brushed the underside of her breasts.

She’d never felt like this before. There was a strange, hollow feeling in all of her bones. She closed her eyes, unable to move, and when Alex spoke again his voice was right by her ear.

“You don’t belong with him,” he whispered.

She was standing on the edge of an abyss. One step and she’d go over.

Her eyes flew open. “I
hate
you,” she spat at him, finally finding her voice. She shoved him away from her and looked desperately around for Brian, furious at herself for the melting heat she’d felt at his words, for the goose bumps he’d raised with his touch and most of all for how long it had taken her to push him away.

Alex backed off. “Maybe you hate me, but at least I’m
alive,
” he said nastily. “Near as I can tell, Brian’s ready for the undertaker. And you? Let’s see, what’s the word I’m looking for? Starts with F and rhymes with rigid—”

Brian finally made his appearance, saving Holly from making a scene at her own prom by punching Alex in the face. She’d grabbed Brian by the arm and stormed away, refusing to look back at Alex and unable to speak until she’d had a few minutes to cool down.

But that hadn’t been the end of that memorable evening. With Alex’s words and Alex’s taunting expression playing over and over in her head, Holly had practically attacked Brian in the front seat of his car.

Abruptly, Holly came back to the present.

Oh, well, at least she could laugh about it now. Sort of. And one good thing had come out of that night. A great thing, actually. Will.

Holly sighed as she pulled into the company parking lot. Alex had always had the ability to get under her skin, whether he was making her furious or making her hot. The night of the prom…yesterday in her bedroom…last night’s dream.

At least she didn’t have to worry about him flirting with her anymore. Ever since she’d asked him to stop doing that with her, he’d gone along with her request. She’d asked for friendship and that’s what she was getting.

And Alex’s friendship was a gift she should be grateful for. He was generous and kind, and he made her laugh, and Will was crazy about him. That was what she wanted. A good, safe friendship. Not the other stuff. The dangerous, pulse-accelerating, nitroglycerin stuff.

Yes, Alex was giving her what she wanted. Trying to not feel depressed at that knowledge and resolving to put Alex firmly out of her mind for the next eight hours, Holly stepped out of her car and prepared to once again take the world of financial planning by storm.

W
ell, it was working. Sort of. Alex supposed he should consider himself lucky that Steeltown was going to present such a challenge Friday night. Preparing for the game kept him from thinking about Holly every five minutes.

Unfortunately, he didn’t feel that lucky. Steeltown was big and mean, and had a reputation for playing dirty. Late hits, personal fouls, all the things no coach liked to think about, especially with a young, light, inexperienced squad.

He worked his kids hard, telling them in no uncertain terms that the team they were about to face, on their turf, was going to be their toughest test yet.

He was proud of them, Alex thought when he’d wrapped things up and sent them to the showers. If guts and hard work could do it, they’d hold their own against Steeltown Friday night.

Now if only he could hold his own against Holly Stanton.

Last night they’d eaten at the mall after their afternoon of shopping. Tonight, Alex stayed resolutely in his office until he figured Will and Holly had finished dinner, trying not to think of how fun it would be to share a meal with them at his big dining room table, the one he hardly ever used since he usually ate off a TV tray in the living room.

It was easy to imagine what it would be like. Mother and son would talk and laugh and include him in all their jokes and affection and warmth. Alex was amazed at how much he wanted that, and then realized he was having a fantasy about Holly that for once had absolutely nothing to do with sex.

Alex sighed and filed the last of his paperwork, grabbing his jacket from the door and turning out the light. He shut and locked his office door and walked along the silent, empty corridor toward the exit.

Sometimes it felt a little strange to be back in this place. It also made the don’t-think-about-Holly project tougher, since his memories of high school were all intertwined with memories of Holly. It was good to be back, too, though. It gave him a chance to redeem himself, to make up for the mistakes he’d made as a teenager by helping other kids avoid them.

As hard as it was to live in the same town as Holly Stanton, Alex knew he belonged here, at least for now. He liked this town and he liked the kids he was coaching. He believed in them. They needed him. Well, they needed someone, anyway, and he’d do until someone better came along.

Alex grinned as he pulled into his driveway. Hell, he
even liked his drafty old house. He was almost looking forward to the off-season, when he’d have time to take care of it. By then, maybe Holly and Will would be gone and he could get his sanity back, too.

Alex walked through the front door and knew immediately that something was different. He turned on the light and looked around.

The place was
clean.
Someone had vacuumed, and dusted and done something that made the whole place smell fresh and crisp and lemony.

“Alex, is that you?” Holly called out as she came out of the kitchen, wearing jeans and his Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt. He was going to let her keep it, because to ever wear it himself after it had been on her, drenched in her warmth and her scent, was not going to be possible. She was holding some kind of cleanser in one hand and she looked guilty.

“What did you do?” he asked suspiciously.

She looked guiltier. “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to do the whole stereotype. You know, waltz into the bachelor’s house and wield domestic tyranny. It’s just I don’t think you’ve dusted since, well, forever, and I didn’t want Will developing asthma or anything. Especially now that I’m counting on him to get a football scholarship, join the NFL and buy me a yacht.”

Alex folded his arms. “I have so dusted.”

She raised an eyebrow. “There are dust bunnies in this house that could do battle with Godzilla.”

“I’ve never seen any dust bunnies,” he said.

“That’s because they were under the couch and behind furniture, places I don’t think you visit very often.”

“Well, there you go. I mean, who cleans under stuff and behind stuff? That’s just a little too anal-retentive
for me. I’m a free and easy kind of guy,” he added, a grin breaking through his mock-defensiveness. Truthfully, it was fun to come home to a house that looked and smelled this good, especially when he hadn’t had to do any of the work. Not that he’d mind doing the work if this was how Holly liked things.

“I would’ve done this if you’d asked,” he told her. “You’re a guest. You shouldn’t have to clean.”

“Oh, I didn’t mind. I like to keep busy.” She turned back toward the kitchen. “There’s leftover chicken casserole if you want some,” she said over her shoulder, and Alex followed behind her like a homing pigeon, telling himself it was because he was hungry even though he’d had a huge sandwich at the deli on his way home.

“Mmm, smells good,” he said, looking around in amazement at his now sparkling-clean kitchen. “Wow, Holly. This must have taken hours.”

“Not really,” she said, scooping some casserole onto a plate and handing it to him. “And like I said, I was glad to have something to do. I hardly saw Will at all today. We had dinner together, but he did homework at the table and then went straight upstairs to do more. He’s got a big history test tomorrow. And…”

She hesitated, sitting down at the table. Alex sat down across from her and took a bite of casserole. “Truthfully,” she went on, “I was glad for the distraction. I filled out the insurance paperwork today and it was kind of…depressing.”

He stopped eating. “Holly, I’m sorry. That must have been awful.”

“The paperwork part wasn’t so bad. I even keep a household inventory in a safe deposit box, like the in
surance companies tell you to but no one ever does. So the contents form was pretty easy to fill out…except…”

Her eyes filled with tears suddenly, which she did her best to blink back. “Sorry. But there was no place on the form for Will’s baby pictures, or the drawings he brought home from kindergarten, or the Mother’s Day card he made in third grade…or…”

He reached across the table and covered her hand with his.

“Sorry,” she said again, taking a deep breath. “I know the important thing is that Will and I got out safely. It’s just…everything’s gone. The paper chains he made for the Christmas tree when he was seven—” She smiled through her tears. “Every year he begs me not to put them up, but it’s not Christmas without them.” Her smile faded. “The pictures are the worst, though. I have the more recent ones on my computer at work, but not Will’s baby or toddler pictures. The ones I took before I had a digital camera. I always meant to have them scanned…but…”

“That’s rough, Holly. I’m so sorry.” He racked his brain, trying to think of some way to help. He hesitated. “Would your parents have any copies of those? Or…would Brian?”

She blinked in surprise. “To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about that. Of course they might. It couldn’t hurt to ask, right? My parents, anyway,” she amended. “I don’t enjoy talking with Brian at the best of times, and I really don’t feel like dealing with him now. He doesn’t even know about the fire yet, unless Will called him.”

“Holly, why did you—” He stopped suddenly.

Holly waited a moment. “Why did I what?” she asked finally.

Alex shook his head. “It’s not important.” Without realizing it, he’d started to stroke the back of her hand with his thumb. Now he let her hand go as casually as he could. He knew from experience that even when he was touching her to offer comfort, his libido could get carried away.

“Okay, now I’m curious. What were you going to say?”

He shrugged. “It’s just…talking about Brian made me wonder…”

“Wonder what?”

“The same thing I’ve wondered ever since high school,” he admitted. “Why you ever went out with the guy. But you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

She shook her head at him, but she was smiling. “You always told me what a jerk he was.”

“Yeah, and a lot of good that did. So what was the attraction?”

She sighed. “I only figured it out after things were over between us. After my parents kicked me out and I was on my own. Dating Brian was really more about them than me. I’d always worked so hard for their love, their acceptance, and Brian was exactly the kind of boyfriend they always wanted me to have. All form and no substance, just like them.” She spoke a little bitterly, and Alex wished he’d kept his mouth shut.

“Hey, you don’t—”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind you knowing what an idiot I was—especially since you knew already. You told me the truth about Brian from the beginning, and I never listened. All I did was hate you for it.”

His heart contracted. “Holly, I—”

“It’s okay,” she said again, with a crooked smile. “I don’t hate you anymore.”

He couldn’t find anything to say to that.

“By the way,” she was saying now, “I found out something else when I was doing the forms. My insurance policy covers living expenses in the event of a loss. So Will and I could be out of here in a few days if…”

“You want to leave?” He was surprised at how much he hated the idea, even though he’d been thinking just a few hours ago about getting his sanity back once Holly and Will were gone.

She bit her lip. “It’s not that I want to leave. You’ve been so great to Will and me…but we have to be cramping your style a little.”

“What style? I don’t have a style. You’re not cramping anything. And why would you want to stay in a hotel or an apartment? You’ve got a whole house here.”

“Your house,” she reminded him. “And we are cramping your style, or at least your social life. You had a call from someone today. Just before you got home, actually.”

Damn. “Who was it?”

“She said her name was Amber. I let the machine pick up, so you can listen to the message yourself.” Her cheeks turned pink. “I had the impression she wanted to come see you. For an, um, overnight.”

He leaned across the table for emphasis. “Listen to me, Holly. I’m not seeing anyone right now, and I don’t plan to see anyone in the near future. Amber and I broke up more than a year ago. Maybe she was looking for a hookup, but I’m not. Okay? You and Will aren’t cramping my style. And I’d like you to stay here.” He pulled back a little. “If you want to, that is.”

“I want to,” she said. “I mean…if you’re sure….”

Relief flooded through him. “I’m sure.”

A smile spread across her face. “Okay, then, we’ll stay. Until you get tired of us, that is.”

Until he got tired of them? Holly and Will had been here two days, and already he could hardly imagine the house without them.

And Holly even looked beautiful under fluorescent kitchen lights.

She covered a yawn with her hand and rose to her feet. “It’s getting late—I guess I should say good-night.”

She went upstairs to her room and his mind flashed to the memory he’d tried to repress all day—the image of her lying in bed, drenched in moonlight, murmuring his name in her sleep.

He waited until he heard her bedroom door close before he went upstairs himself.

He could tell that the hallway and bathroom had been part of her cleaning spree, but when he opened the door to his bedroom, it was obvious she hadn’t been in there. It felt a little depressing, stale and dusty and unloved.

The way his whole house would feel once she left.

It was a cool October evening, perfect football weather, and Holly sat in the stands next to Tom Washington’s parents. She’d thought about Alex a fair amount last night and during work today, but for the last hour and a half she hadn’t thought about him at all, even though he was right below her, clearly visible on the sidelines.

She was too busy thinking about the game.

The score was tied. There were three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, second down and eight with Weston on their own thirty-five yard line. For the twenti
eth time that night Holly jumped to her feet in outrage. “Did you
see
that?” she said to David and Angela Washington, waving her hand toward the field. “How could the ref miss that call? Pass interference! That should be a fifteen-yard penalty and an automatic first down.”

“Not only that,” Angela said, and if looks could kill there was one referee who would have been good and dead. “They roughed the passer, too. Charlie’s still down.”

It was true. A sudden hush fell over the crowd, home fans and visitors alike, as Weston’s trainer trotted out onto the field to look at the Wildcats’ starting quarterback, Charlie Mazillo, who was lying on his side clutching his left leg.

“Oh, no,” David Washington said. “I think it’s his knee.”

Whatever it was, it had obviously ended the game for Charlie. He had to be helped off the field, leaning on his coach and his trainer, to a round of obligatory applause from the stands.

“Those
bullies,
” Holly said furiously. “I can’t believe they’ve been getting away with this kind of crap all night. My God, these are high school kids.”

Angela shook her head. “Yes, but this is Ohio, and we play our football for blood.”

“Alex doesn’t,” Holly said, her voice positive. “He plays to win, but he doesn’t play dirty.”

David sighed. “Alex is rare. He’s a coach who plays the game the right way and can still maintain a winning record. Most of them can’t manage that.”

“And to think I was starting to
like
this game. Maybe I had the right idea all along.”

“Hey,” Angela said suddenly, looking down at the sidelines. “Coach is sending Will out there.”

Holly gripped the other woman’s hand in sudden panic. Her baby boy, going out on that field to face that gang of thugs?

Angela patted her on the back. “Don’t worry. Will’s tough, and he’s smart. He can handle it.”

“What do you mean he can handle it? He’s fifteen years old. Charlie’s a senior and
he
couldn’t handle it.”

“The referees will call a cleaner game after this. They’ll have to.”

“Oh, sure they will,” Holly muttered, watching Will trot out to the huddle. Even from up here she could tell he was panicking, too. This wasn’t a series or two in a game they already had sewn up. This was three minutes to go in a tie game, a game they’d only kept tied by the incredible play of their starting quarterback, who’d just been injured by a vicious hit from the Steeltown defense.