Roadside Attraction (Castle View Series Book 2) (8 page)

Sandy Castle looked at him as if she could measure his valor and bank account in one glance. She held her hand out. “Any friend of my daughter’s is welcome in my home. Please call me Sandy. I hear from Tami that you’re an excellent cook.”

Maggie squeezed her eyes shut. If Tami had told Mom that, she must have also told her about finding Josh in a bath towel in Maggie’s home too early in the morning for it to be accidental visit.

Josh handed over the flowers and wine and somehow also shook hands with Maggie’s mother. He sensed Maggie’s discomfort and picked up the conversation. “I’m helping your daughter out since her chef quit unexpectedly this week. My family owns a restaurant in L.A. Papa started the high-end Mexican craze. We’ve done fine dining since the place opened. Of course, I enjoy more rustic service.”

“You’re at the right place then. I don’t know where Maggie learned her lovely plating because here at the house growing up, we always served family style. And typically, we’re a meat and potatoes family.” Sandy opened the door to the kitchen and walked Josh inside, leaving Maggie to follow.

The smell of corn roasting on the grill out the back door filled the room along with what she thought was a potato gratin getting ready to leave the oven. Mixed in to make her mouth water, Maggie could smell her mom’s pot roast. Maggie’s stomach growled in spite of herself.

“I make a mean beef tamale. I’ll have to make up a batch and bring them over to you.” Josh glanced around the full kitchen. He walked up to one of the boys and asked, “Are you Mark or Brad? I hear I need to stay clear of both of you.”

Mark looked over at Maggie. “He’s funny.” He shook the outstretched hand and then turned Josh to the left. “Brad’s over there with the bored expression on his face. He tends to read his email most of the time he’s here and then exclaim over some emergency at the winery so he can leave early.”

“I do not.” Brad put his cell in his jacket pocket and held out a hand to Josh. “So, you’re Maggie’s new cook?”

“Chef. The title is chef, not cook.” Maggie stepped next to Josh and put her arm in his. “And he’s also my friend, so be nice Brad.”

“Nice is not in his emotional makeup,” Tami called from the table where she was talking to Shane. “Josh, this is Shane Bell, the boy who lived.”

Shane stood up and shook Josh’s hand. “I hate it when she calls me that.”

“Good story?” Josh glanced at Maggie.

The boy shrugged. “It was my fault. I was trying to man up for the guys at school and took a stupid dare.”

“A dare that almost got you turned into tiger food.” Maggie looked up at Josh. “The kid got into the sisters cage and if Tava hadn’t been feeling protective, he would have been dinner.”

“Wait, Tava, isn’t that the blind tiger?” Josh put his arm around Maggie.

She went on to tell the story of how they’d first met Shane. And when Sandy called them all to the dining room table, Maggie had just finished telling about how the kid had been sleeping in the barn.

“You’ve got cojones , kid. That’s all I can say.” Josh looked around the kitchen. “Anything I can carry in?”

“Thanks for asking, but Abigail and I have it handled.” Sandy nodded toward the other room.

“And me,” Becca chimed in.

Sandy ran her hand down Becca’s wild red hair. “Oh, dear, how could I have forgotten all the things you did to help? Like eat all the olives.”

“I only ate the green ones. I don’t like black olives.” Becca hugged the older woman. But then Mark pulled her up onto his shoulders.

“Time for a real dinner.”

Becca shrieked as they left the kitchen.

“The family just keeps growing.” Sandy put her arm in Josh’s and led him toward the dining room. “So tell me about your family, dear.”

Maggie watched as he disappeared and wondered again if this had been a mistake. In a few weeks, Josh would be gone and she’d have to explain that no, he wasn’t coming for dinner again. Brad put his hand on her back and gently aimed her toward the other room.

“You might as well keep going. You started this, now you’ll have to see it to the end.” Brad smiled down at her. “He seems like a nice guy.”

“But?” Maggie halted before they left the kitchen. “What’s wrong with him?”

Brad held up his hands. “I didn’t have a but. Honestly Maggie, I’m happy for you.”

She studied him for a minute then relaxed when the next shoe didn’t drop. “He is a great guy.” As they walked into the already full dining room, Maggie realized how much she truly enjoyed spending time with Josh. Crap, she had it bad. When he left, she would be devastated.

***

Josh heard the angry voices muffled through the den door. Maggie, her brothers, and her mother had gone into the room after dinner to talk about something over an hour ago. He’d worked with the kids and Abigail to clean up the table, wash the dishes, and put the food away. Now, the kitchen and dining room were spotless, and still, no one had emerged from the den.

Abigail had taken Becca home to work on some sort of project. Since school was out, Josh assumed it was an excuse so she could get her daughter away from the raised voices. 

Now, he sat in the living room with Shane and Tami, no one saying much. When the doorbell rang, Tami popped up. “That’s my ride back to school. Tell Maggie I’ll call her when I get back in the dorm.”

Tami grabbed a duffle she’d stuffed behind the couch. She put her hand on the door, then ran back and gave him a quick hug. “You’re a nice guy, Josh Reyes. Be good to Maggie.”

“Nice meeting you.” Josh called after her as she ran through the doorway. Shane stood next to him.

“She’s the best.” He stared at the door with such a puppy dog look that Josh couldn’t help feeling sorry for the kid.

“Isn’t she a little old for you?” Josh looked down at the lanky teenager. He couldn’t be more than sixteen.

A frown covered Shane’s face when he shifted his gaze from the closed door to Josh. “We’re just friends. Jeez.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I guess I misread the look you were giving her.”

Shane shrugged. “Anyway, I’ve got a term paper due tomorrow so I better get at it. Summer school sucks. You want something to drink before I go upstairs.” He glanced at the door to the den. “They might be a while.”

“I’m good.” Josh sank back into the couch resting his arm on the back. He couldn’t very well just hike into town. Maggie was his ride and even if he wanted to take her car to go home, he didn’t have any keys. He’d just wait it out. They’d have to be done sooner or later. He picked up a magazine and started leafing through the pages.

A few minutes later, he heard the den door slam and Sandy Castle stormed out of the room and up the stairs. Apparently whatever discussion they’d been having was over and done. When Maggie came out of the room, her eyes were swollen and the tear ruined mascara made them look huge.

He wanted to go put his arms around her, tell her it would be okay, no matter what the ‘it’ actually was that had upset everyone in the room. He stood as she came into the living room.

“Oh, Josh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize we’d been talking that long.” She looked around the room. “Where is everyone?”

“Abigail, and Becca went home. Shane is upstairs. And Tami’s ride back to Seattle came to get her about twenty minutes ago. She said she’d call as soon as she was in the dorms.” He stroked her arm, lowering his voice even though the brothers were in the foyer, talking between themselves. “Are you okay?

“I’m fine. Mom’s just stubborn. And the boys, well, they’re idiots. Instead of making it seem like this Destiny chick needed Mom, they decide to go all in with the truth. Can you believe that?” She sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue. “Like Mom was ever going to accept that she needed help. Or a babysitter, as she called it.”

“Want to go back to the house and I’ll make you some dinner?” Maggie looked dead on her feet. The woman who could work in the restaurant all day and still have energy to skinny dip looked drained by the emotional encounter.

She put her head on his chest as they walked to the front door. “Sounds like heaven.”

The phone rang at ten the next morning, and Maggie reached over a still sleeping Josh to grab it from her bedside table. “Hello?”

“Sorry, I woke you. I waited until after my first class and everything, but I’m going into chemistry lab and I won’t be able to call until late this afternoon, so I didn’t want to wait.” Tami chattered into Maggie’s ear. It was like having the kid here in the house. The run-on conversation made Maggie smile.

“So what’s so important that you had to talk to me?” Maggie sat up in bed and watched Josh sleep. His dark hair curled at the base of his neck, totally cute. She wanted to run her fingers through it and that thought brought her back to last night and, she cut the memory off without a chance to get her aroused. She was talking to Tami for goodness sake. 

“One, I wanted to tell you I got back to campus safe and secure even with hitching a ride with a guy from my photography class. He lives in Spokane and appreciated having someone to split the gas cost.” Tami paused, apparently waiting for Maggie’s reaction.

“Good to know. I’m still not comfortable with you riding with a stranger. I could have come to get you. Or you could have taken the car back. There are other options than depending on the kindness of strangers.” Maggie watched as Josh rolled over, blinking at her.

“Tami,” she said, covering the mouthpiece.

He nodded then stood up, his back to her. He walked to the bathroom and then turned around. “Shower,” he whispered.

When he’d left the room, Maggie realized she’d been holding her breath. She released it and then focused on Tami. “So what’s number two?”

“I wanted to tell you I approve of Josh.” Tami kept going over Maggie’s protest. “Look, I know you didn’t date when I was in the house and I appreciate you taking care of me. But I’m an adult now, and you’re free to date, or marry, or even take off on a motorcycle with a hot guy. You need to have a life Maggie. It makes me sad to think you’re just working and not living.”

“Honey, I appreciate the thought, but Josh and I are just,” Maggie paused, wondering exactly what she and Josh were. Friends with benefits? Star-crossed lovers? Or just two adults having a good time together. That. Maggie decided. That’s what we are, the last one.

“Lalala, I don’t want to hear the details. You’ll have me warped for life. All I wanted to say was you didn’t have to put me into the equation if you were trying to make future plans. Maybe you’d even have your own baby. Wouldn’t that be cool? Of course, motorcycles don’t have car seats so he couldn’t ever be able to take the kid to daycare or anything.” Tami paused and Maggie heard church bells ringing the hour on campus. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you on Sunday.”

“Study hard goofball.” Maggie disconnected the call and returned her cell to the nightstand. Tami was a good kid, but she worried too much. Now she was all up in arms because of the lack of a car seat for an imaginary baby. Maggie was still getting used to waking up next to this hunk of a man in her bed.

She heard the water turn off and Josh appeared, his hair still wet and a towel wrapped around his waist. It was a good look for him, she had to admit. He leaned over and kissed her. “Tami’s something else. She was looking for answers about the two of us all day yesterday. But I think, finally at the end she realized she could trust me.”

“Tami’s not a trusting type. I guess it’s from when she was a kid, but she doesn’t let many people into her private circle. And yet, you’re there. You must have done something to make her believe in you.” Maggie watched as he pulled a bag out of her closet and started rummaging through his jeans.

“I don’t know what.” He didn’t look at her as he shook out a clean t-shirt.

“When did you bring that?” Maggie stared at the army duffel bag. He must have gotten it from a surplus store, right? He’d never mentioned serving in the military. Again, another question she didn’t know about the guy who she invited into her house and to temporarily share her life.

“Yesterday.” He put on his jeans and leaned over to kiss her. “Is it a problem?”

She thought about that question during her shower but by the time she got into the kitchen to get coffee, Josh was gone.

A note set on the table. One line in what Maggie now recognized as Josh’s neat handwriting.
Needed to think
. She went to the living room but didn’t see him walking down the road toward town. The restaurant was closed on Sundays and Mondays. He probably was heading to his motel room. They hadn’t had a fight. They hadn’t even had cross words. Of course, why would they? They weren’t in a real relationship.

She returned to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Josh was only here for a couple weeks. He’d been clear on that first night that he wasn’t looking for something more permanent and what had she done? Took him to meet her family, introduced him to Tami and he even had a duffel of clothes in her closet. She frowned as she thought about the bag and went back to her closet.

The green duffel was gone.

She sank onto her bed and wondered if that one question about when he’d brought the extra clothes had sent him away.

“Maggie, you don’t even know there is a problem.” She spoke the words aloud, trying them out for a ring of truth. But if there wasn’t a problem, why did he need to think? She went back to the kitchen, grabbed her laptop, and started working.

When everything else failed her, there was always work.

***

Josh reached the outskirts of town and instead of stopping at the motel, he kept walking until he was at Norm’s Auto Body. The portly owner sat at his desk, watching a made for television movie. The channel, Josh was pretty sure had been on one of those women’s networks. Norm looked up and with his remote switched off the television.

“Darn cable. Five hundred channels and not a darn thing good on to watch.” He ran his sleeve over his eyes. When he saw Josh watching, the big guy shrugged. “Allergies.”

Josh didn’t think it was allergies, but he let the comment slide without taking away the guy’s man card. Norm had been tearing up, that was obvious. He changed the subject. “So have you heard anything on my part?”

Norm frowned. “You know, it should have arrived this morning. My delivery hit about ten, but all I got was a piece for Mrs. Angles’ transmission. The woman has babied that Fiat for years and now it’s breaking down, just when she needs it to get her husband back and forth for his chemotherapy. I told her she should just buy a new car. It’s going to be pricey, keeping that old thing going.”

“So, the part for the bike didn’t come?” Josh interrupted the man. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the Angles, but honestly, he didn’t even know them.

Norm hit a key on his computer keyboard and started typing after the screen came to life. “No, and like I said, that’s weird.”

Josh waited as Norm searched his ordering system, then the man leaned back. “Serious? I can’t believe this.”

Josh leaned forward, trying to decipher the screen. “What?”

“They sent my part to a Norm’s in Boise. They did this last year too. I guess the guy works on a lot of bikes, so when they saw the order, they coded it wrong.” He shrugged. “What can you do? Everything’s handled by these computer systems and some chick in Buffalo.”

“So you’ll have to order it again?” Josh groaned. He needed to get going sooner than later. Besides Maggie introducing him to her entire family, he had started to enjoy spending time at the restaurant and, if he was totally honest, with her. He needed to get out of here before his feet grew some kind of roots in this small, close community.

“Nah, I’ll call the other Norm and have him ship it up to me. I should have it tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest.” He picked up the phone. “I’ll call him right now unless you need to talk about something else?”

Josh needed to talk about Maggie and his feelings and why he was even in St. Josephs, but he shook his head. “I’m good. You have my cell right? So you can give me a call when the bike’s ready to pick up?”

Norm nodded and dialed the number. “You betcha.”

As Josh walked back to the motel, he passed by the barbershop. Sam waved at him and pointed with a comb, as he probably told the customer sitting in his chair about the new visitor to St. Josephs. Of course, he wasn’t just a visitor, was he?

Maggie’s face popped into his mind as he walked down the street and saw the fish guy’s truck parked in front of the grocery store. Was he selling yesterday’s catch? This town seemed linked, one person at a time. Not like California. Even though Santa Maria was small, people didn’t connect like they did here. People weren’t part of Maggie’s life there. Here, everywhere he looked, he could see a piece of her.

Face it Josh, you’re long past a one-night stand here.
He stopped cold on the sidewalk. The statement was truth. He kept walking to the motel and thought of a plan to make this all work out. By the time he sat on his bed in the dingy room, he thought he had the answer.

Knocking on her door a couple hours later, he had his plan in place. All he had to do was get her to agree. In theory, that was the hard part so he had stopped to buy a bouquet of flowers as well as a bottle of wine. The clerk said the wine was produced by Castle View Winery’s so he hoped Maggie would like it, even if she probably could just call her brother over to get a case if she needed it.

She opened the door, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, messy like she’d just gotten out of bed. Instead of a cute nightie or pajamas, she wore jeans and an old Seattle t-shirt. “Done thinking?”

Her tone told him she hadn’t been happy with his disappearing act earlier that morning. He held out the flowers and wine and stepped into the foyer, closing the door behind him. The house wasn’t as grand as her mother’s place, but it was comfortable and Maggie had taken great care with the country decorations. “I am, and I think I have my answer.”

She followed him into the kitchen. “So you just leave and then think you can just come back without any explanation?”

“No, I’m planning on explaining, but first, I want to ask you one question.” He turned toward her and set the flowers and wine on the counter. 

“What’s your question?”

He took her into his arms, his body reacting to the softness of her skin, even when the tightness of her muscles indicated she was totally pissed at him. “Will you leave with me when the bike’s fixed? I want to share my adventure with you.”

She looked up into his face, appearing to search for a clue to his question. A clue to how she should answer. Maggie shook her head. “You can’t be serious. You’ve seen my life. I’m keeping my brothers from killing each other. And Mom, well, she puts on a good show, but she’s not doing good. Then there’s Tami…”

He put a finger on her lips. “Who is off to college and doing great, from what I can see.” He led her to the couch and sat her down, keeping his arm around her as he joined her. “I know we don’t know each other well. We’re good together. I’ve never been this comfortable with someone so fast. We’ll cross Canada, then drop back down to the states on the east coast, hit all the tourist traps, then go south, crossing over the United States again. Then we’ll hit Mexico and head on down south.”

“Where do you plan on stopping?” She relaxed into his body. “The tip of South America?”

He chuckled. “Maybe. Or maybe we’d tire of the road and settle down in some seaside cottage.” He nuzzled her neck. “We could get a puppy.”

“Mr. Domestic strikes again.” She drew a shape on his leg with her fingernail. A question mark from what he could feel. “What if I wanted more than just a puppy?”

He put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, you can have a cat too. I should have expected that from someone who had a tiger sanctuary. But a rescue kitty, not one of those exotic hairless ones. They’re ugly.”

“You’re judgmental. And I wasn’t talking about a kitten.” She crossed her legs and scooted back farther on the couch. “I have to admit, it’s an attractive offer even if it’s totally unrealistic.”

“Maybe I can sweeten the deal a bit.” He leaned over and kissed her, pressing his body close to her softness, already noticing how much she had relaxed. Maggie worked too hard and worried about too many things. She needed a break. “I’m a lot of fun. You’ll get used to the road, I promise.”

She pulled him closer and returned his kiss. She pulled his shirt off over his head, then her phone rang.

He leaned closer, gently biting her bottom lip. “Let it go to the machine.”

She slipped out from under him. “Sorry, it might be an emergency.” She pushed a button, then said into the phone, “This is Maggie.”

He watched as she sank back into the couch. “Hi Mark. No, this is a good time.” She looked over at him and rolled her eyes.

Josh stood and went to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he took out two Cokes and carried them back to the living room. Maggie was still talking, but now she was pacing the room. He held out the soda can and she pointed to the coffee table.

“Look Mark. I don’t know what you expect of me. I’ve already cut marketing by fifty percent. Any more than that, I might as well just drive door to door with a plate full of brownies to give away. I won’t have money for anything else.” She stopped at the roll top desk that was in the corner of her living room and took a loose hair clip, sweeping her hair back and off her shoulders.