Without a Net (13 page)

Max saw her from half a block away. She wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings—too busy trying to stuff a paper shopping bag into that voluminous purse of hers, while talking on her cell. He grinned. At least she wasn’t pushing a shopping cart this time.

“Yes, Quinn, I got it,” she said into the phone.
“I’ll be ready. Thanks.”

She glanced up, and nearly stumbled when she saw him.
The shopping bag tumbled to the sidewalk.

“Careful,” he said, bending to pick it up.
There were no handles, but the top was folded over several times, making it easier to grip.

Eva frowned and tucked the iPhone into her purse.
“I’ll take that, thanks.”

He glanced at the bag before handing it over.
A familiar red pharmacy logo stamped on the ubiquitous brown background had him sucking in a breath. “Is that what I think it is?”

She folded the bag more compactly and managed to shove it out of sight.
“If you think it’s tampons, then yes.”

He blinked, absorbing the implications. Tampons meant he was off the hook, free to continue on his unencumbered way.
He should be relieved. Overjoyed. Ecstatic.

But all he felt was let down.
As if someone had dangled the possibility of a reward in front of him, and then snatched it away. Sorry, not this time, pal. You want it, you’ve got to work for it.

He shook his head at his own folly.
Hooking up with Eva had messed up his thinking, big time. Imagine him trying to be a family man! Changing diapers, soothing hurts, helping with homework, coaching Little League. Crazy.

And yet…

He turned to catch up with Eva. There were already a bunch of parents milling outside the school gates. Just as well. What was running through his head right now wasn’t something he was willing to say out loud. At least not yet. Not until he’d given it a lot more thought.

They needed to spend time together, get more comfortable with each other first.
And Eva needed to get over her ridiculous insistence on keeping their relationship confined to work and sex. Who ever heard of a woman balking when a man offered her
more
?

He studied her profile, the tightly
restrained hair and determined chin, the austere business suit and frou-frou heels. It was those heels that gave him hope. That, and the memory of her breathy cries as she convulsed around him, head thrown back and nails digging into his skin.

Her voice interrupted his fantasy.
“What are you still doing here, Max?”

Clearly, this was going to be an uphill battle.
Good thing he wasn’t easily discouraged. He smiled. “I’m picking up Connor.”

“Where’s Nina?”

“At the ob/gyn with Paul.”

“Oh.” She took a moment to digest that.
“So you’re on kid duty?”

“Today and tomorrow,” he confirmed.
“Speaking of, how late can I come by tomorrow night?”

“Wait a minute.”
Her brows drew together. “Ben is supposed be at Connor’s tomorrow for a sleepover. Nina and I arranged it a while ago. And now you’re babysitting?”

He shrugged.
“She asked me this morning. Said she’d clear it with you later. It was kind of a last-minute thing. Paul’s case got settled, so they’re going out for a celebratory dinner.”

“You agreed to babysit Connor
and
Ben?” Her frown deepened. “I thought you were going to stay away from my son.”

It was his turn to scowl.
“I agreed to keep our relationship private. I did not agree to avoid contact with your son, or anyone else in your life, for that matter.”

“I’ll call Nina and reschedule.”

“Why? You don’t trust me?”

She hesitated.
“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?
You don’t think I can handle two boys?”

“Now that you mention it…”

“Fine.
Then why don’t bring Ben over and stay?” he said. “We’ll watch the kids together. And when Nina and Paul get home, you and I can take off.”

“I don’t think so.
Besides, I’m not in any position to host you tomorrow night.”

“Why not?
That was the plan.”

She gave him a pointed look.

“What, you’ve never had sex during your period?”

She glanced around quickly. “Will you keep your voice down?”

He leaned in, lips barely an inch from her ear. “Admit it, Eva. You know you want to. In the shower. Hot water pounding down on us. Wet tile against your back. Me, buried deep inside you—”

“Stop it,” she hissed, pushing him away.
Her cheeks bloomed with color, and before she dropped her gaze, he could see that her pupils had dilated, leaving a narrow blue halo around the periphery.

“So we’re agreed,” he said.
“Dinner with the boys, maybe a DVD, and then—”

She cut him off.
“I’ll think about it.”

The school gates opened, and he decided to let it go for now.
He’d talk to Nina as soon as she got home from the doctor. Maybe his sister could convince Eva to let the sleepover stand. If he could just figure out how to spin it, without giving too much away.

###

“You did
what
?” Max glowered.

Nina looked at him as if he were crazy.
Hell, maybe he was. After all, who willingly traded in a hot date to babysit not one, but two, eight-year-old boys? His offer to have Eva come over to help had been brilliant. He’d still get to enjoy her company, even if he had to keep his hands to himself, at least for first half of the evening.

Leave it to his sister to muck things up.

“I thought you’d be relieved,” Nina said. “Less work for you.”

“Since when have I complained about work?
Besides, we’re talking about entertaining eight-year-olds here. If I can deal with violent drunks and meth heads in the ER, I think I can handle a couple of kids.”

“Well, now you won’t have to.
Eva volunteered to host the sleepover, and I agreed.”

Max glanced toward the family room, where Connor and his father lay sprawled on the floor, taking turns firing angry birds at various pig configurations on an iPad.

Nina headed for the kitchen. “If you’re staying for dinner, you can set the table.”

Max trailed after her. “Maybe I’ll stop by and lend Eva a hand.”

“Why?
I’m sure she can handle a couple of kids.”

He frowned at having his own words tossed back at him.
“Didn’t you say that the point of having Ben over was to give Eva some time off?”

“Did I?” She washed her hands, then rifled through the fridge.
“Well, maybe Eva decided she’s had enough time off for the moment.”

Her sharp tone alerted Max to the possibility that his sister knew more than she was saying.
He set down the stack of plates and folded his arms across his chest. “What’s going on, Nina?”

She threw him a glance.
“You tell me.”

“I would, if I knew what you were talking about.”

“I saw your car parked in front of Eva’s house the other day.”

“So?
You were the one who suggested I hire her. We’re working on the marketing for my book.”

“At six o’clock in the morning?”

Oh. He tried to gauge how much trouble he was in. On the one hand, he was Nina’s brother, and that had to count for something. On the other hand, Eva was her best friend, and that was a bond most men would be wise not to test.

“I run in the mornings,” she said, keeping her eyes focused on the cutting board.
Max winced as the knife sliced repeatedly through a pile of raw vegetables. “The neighborhood isn’t that large.”

“Sp
it it out, Nina, whatever you’re trying to say.”

She set down the knife and wiped her hands on a nearby towel.
“Eva’s going through a rough patch right now. Her husband was a class-A jerk. Treated her like shit. The only person who didn’t see it was Eva. Now she’s left with a son to raise by herself, and a mountain of debt that she’s trying to work through. She’s vulnerable, and she doesn’t deserve to be hurt again.”

Max sucked in a breath.
“I wasn’t planning on hurting her.”

“I love you, Max.
But I’m not blind. Word gets around. You don’t plan on hurting anyone, but then you move on and it happens anyway.”

The silence lengthened.
Max unclenched his fingers. “What if this time I don’t want to move on?” he said. “Is it that inconceivable that Eva and I might be happy together?”

Nina stared at him.
“What about Ben?”

“I think it’s time I got to know him.
Don’t you?”

Max arrived with an extra-large take-out pizza, an assortment of specialty salads, and a box of triple chocolate chunk cookies from the Honey Rose Café.
He hoped the edible bribes, purchased from the café Eva was helping promote, would get his foot in the door. Plus it didn’t hurt to personally check out the competition. Even though Eva said the café owner was married and not in the running for her affections, Max subscribed to the “trust, but verify” philosophy. It had saved his ass multiple times while mountain climbing and scuba diving—activities that in retrospect seemed far less risky than his evolving relationship with Eva.

Reassured at least on one front, Max rang the bell, prepared to talk fast as soon as the door opened.
Turned out he didn’t need to. There was the sound of running feet, and then two faces appeared in the side window.

“Mom,
it’s Connor’s uncle!” The door swung open. “And he’s got pizza!”

Eva emerged from the kitch
en. “I was just about to start dinner.”

“Then I came right on
time.” He extended the cardboard box toward her. “Half cheese, half pepperoni.”

“Pepperoni?”
Ben’s eyes lit up. “That’s my favorite!”

Connor bounced on his toes.
“Mine too!”

Eva accepted the box and shooed the boys off to wash their hands.
In an undertone, she said, “This is cheating.”

Max shut the door and followed her to the kitchen.
“Would you have let me in otherwise?”

“No.”
             

“Then I did what I had to do.” He grinned and set the bag with the remaining food on the counter.
“You know what they say about love and war.”

She shook her head.
“Here, make yourself useful.”

He accepted a stack of plates, topped with napkins and silverware.
“You weren’t exactly playing fair yourself when you switched tonight’s venue.”

“Fine.
You can stay for dinner.”

He didn’t push.
One step at a time, he reminded himself.

Ben and Connor kept the adults entertained through most of the mea
l with commentary on the Franklin Follies, which had taken place in the school’s “cafetorium” earlier that day.

“If you want to see the show,” Connor said, “Aunt Eva filmed it.”

Max blinked. Having his nephew refer to Eva as “aunt” made him realize just how intertwined their families were. If his relationship with Eva didn’t work out, the fallout would extend beyond just the two of them. No wonder his sister was nervous.

Ben piped up. “Mom said we could help her edit the movie tonight!”

At his raised brow, Eva shrugged. “This is my third year doing it. It’s good publicity for the school, helps with fundraising. I couldn’t say no.”

“Can I watch?”

“I’m sure you have better things to do with your evening.”

“Can’t think of a single one.”

The boys enthusiastically seconded his request.

Everyone pitched in with the cleanup before migrating to
the living room, where Eva hooked up a computer to the big screen TV. Surrounded by the boys, who called out suggestions of where to fast-forward, and what to trim, Eva manipulated the video images, transforming nearly two hours of raw footage into a smooth montage of show highlights.

It was getting late by the time the boys scampered upstairs to brush their teeth and change into pajamas.

Max watched Eva pack away her equipment. “I’m impressed.”

“It’s pretty easy, once you get the hang of the software.”
She smiled. “I’m making you a book trailer this weekend. It’s all the rage these days for book promotion.”

“Can I help?”
He rose from the couch, wishing she’d stop moving long enough for him to sneak a kiss while the kids were otherwise occupied.

“I work better alone,” she said.
“But I’ll forward it to you once it’s done. If there’s something you want changed, you’ll let me know.”

Footsteps clattered down the stairs.
Max sighed and sat back down, adjusting his suddenly too-tight jeans. “Okay. I forgot to mention, I got the proof copy from CreateSpace a couple days ago.”

“I thought you weren’t going to do a print version.”

He shrugged. “I changed my mind after you said it would help at readings.”

“That’s great.
It definitely will. Your first reading is on the twelfth, by the way. At the Main Library on 6
th
and Santa Monica. It’s the day after the online launch party. Will the books be delivered in time?”

“Probably.”

She nodded and turned to the boys, who had appropriated an iPad from the coffee table and were bickering over which game to play. “That’s enough, Ben. Connor is your guest, so he gets first choice.”

“But
Mom…”

“After that you take turns.
You sure you want to sleep down here?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine. I’ll get the sleeping bags and pillows. Lights out in half an hour.”

Max saw his opportunity and got up
, ready to follow her upstairs.

Eva shot him a pointed look.
“You supervise.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine on their own,” he protested.
“Right, guys?”

She cut off their response.
“Five minutes per turn.
Uncle Max
will tell you when time’s up.”

Okay, so she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet.
He sank back onto the cushions. “Five minutes, got it.”

“I won’t be long.
Behave.”

Max didn’t know if that last command was for him or the boys.
He watched her march off, admiring her rounded derriere until it disappeared from view. Turning back, he noticed that Ben was watching him.

“So,” Max said.
“That was pretty cool, the way your mom edited the video, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.
She knows how to do a lot of stuff on the computer.” He glanced over Connor’s shoulder at the iPad screen, then got up and joined Max on the couch. “It’s her job.”

“What is?”

“Doing things on the computer.”

“Oh.
Well, she’s good at it.”

“I guess.
I just wish she didn’t have to work so much.”

Max didn’t know how to respond to that, so he kept quiet.

Ben picked at a loose thread along the seam of his pajama sleeve. “We used to do a lot more fun stuff together.”

“Oh?” Max glanced toward the stairs.
A little guidance on how to handle this tête-à-tête with Eva’s son would have come in handy just about now. “Like what?”

“I don’t know.
Stuff. Like going to the Tar Pits. Or Knott’s Berry Farm. Last year Mom promised we’d go to Travel Town, but then my dad got sick.”

“That had to be rough.
For you and your mom.”

Ben lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug.

“So,” Max said
, before he thought better of it. “You busy tomorrow?”

“Just karate in the morning.
Why?”

“How would you like to go to Tra
vel Town?”

Ben frowned.
“With you?”

“And your mom.
We’ll have to check with her, of course. Make sure it’s okay. But I have a feeling she’ll say yes.” If she didn’t kill him first.

“I don’t know.”
He eyed Max suspiciously. “So are you and my mom, like, friends?”

“Yes.”

“Like me and Connor?”

Max suppressed a smile.
“Sure.”

“Connor’s my best friend in the whole world.” He paused for a beat.
“Are you and my mom best friends?”

How was
he supposed to answer that? Sometime he wasn’t even sure Eva liked him. Or rather, she liked his body well enough. It was the rest of him she seemed to have misgivings about. And he’d be damned if he could figure out how to get her past that.

Max glanced at his watch.
“Look at that, it’s your turn on the iPad.”

The handoff went smoothly, and Max let out a relieved breath.
It occurred to him that maybe he’d been a bit presumptuous in promising Ben a trip to see the trains at Griffith Park. Eva wouldn’t thank him for it, especially if she had other plans for the weekend. Nor was she likely to be happy about Max horning in on her time with her son. Again.

He glanced up at the sound of her footsteps.
A rolled up sleeping bag came into view first. Max met her at the foot of the stairs, relieving her of both sleeping bags.

“Sorry it took so long,” she said. “It’s been a while since we used these.
They were buried beneath all sorts of other gear. Everything okay here?”

“Sure.”

She peered around him at the boys. Ben was busy flicking virtual Frisbees through hoops, Connor watching intently over Ben’s shoulder.

“Good.
I’ll go get the pillows.”

He watched her run up the stairs, grateful for the cover provided by the bulky bedrolls.
A minute later, Eva was back.

Ben glanced up just then and grinned.
He relinquished the iPad to Connor and jumped up. “Guess what, Mom?”

“What?”

“We’re taking you to Travel Town!”

“
Who’s we?”

“Me and Max.”

She raised a brow at Max. “Really?”

He nodded.
“We were hoping you’d agree. Ben really wants to go.”

Eyes narrowed, she unrolled and shook out one of the sleeping bags.
“We’ll talk about this later.”

“Please, Mom!
Please, can we go?”

Max decided it was time make a strategic retreat.
Maybe later tonight, after she calmed down, he’d have a better chance of pleading his case.

“I need to head out, guys,” he said.

Connor called out goodbye without taking his eyes off the screen. Ben smiled and said, “Thanks for the pizza.”

“My pleasure.”
He touched Eva’s arm lightly. Her rigid stance didn’t bode well. “I’ll call you later.”

He let himself out.
The evening might not have gone as planned, but it wasn’t a complete disaster. For now, that was enough.