Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (23 page)

“Well, I’d ask if you wanted to . . .” Tony started, then shook his head. “Oh, hell, do you want to come over? I mean, Annabeth already knows you. No big deal.”

“I don’t want to impose. This is time you’re supposed to be spending with your family,” Nikki said, a far-away, hopeless kind of look on her face.

“No, no imposition at all. I’d really like for you to be there. I really don’t want this to end. We were having such a good time that I forgot about the game, remember? So come, please. It’s sort of Clayton’s birthday thing and there’ll be cake! Please?” Tony put his hands together in a praying gesture and made a big frowny face. Nikki laughed.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

Nikki stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Will you be so sick of me by evening that you don’t want to spend tomorrow with me?” she asked with a grin.

“Absolutely not. Matter of fact, if you’re already getting tired of me today, tell me now and I’ll insist you go home so you’ll be excited about seeing me tomorrow,” he laughed.

“No way! I’d love to come over to watch the game. And have cake!” Then she added, “I’d have to drive myself, though, so you’ll need to take me by the shop to pick up my car before. I’ll have to leave to go home and feed Bill and Hillary.”

“The Clintons are at your house?” Tony asked sarcastically, then laughed.

“They’re my dogs!”

“Are they Rottweiler’s?” He laughed even harder.

“No!” Nikki started laughing too. “They’re cinnamon toy poodles!”

“Bill and Hillary? What the hell?”

“Yeah, I know, but that’s what my kids named them and it stuck. Even worse, they’re brother and sister.”

“That’s just a little bit strange, don’t you think?” he asked, still chuckling.

“Maybe. But they’re just Bill and Hillary. You’ll understand when you meet them.”

“I can’t wait,” Tony said, and he meant it.

When he walked in the front door, Annabeth rounded the corner. “Where exactly have you been?” She was scrutinizing him a little too closely.

“Out. Where’s everybody else?”

“Hey, guys, Dad’s here!” Annabeth called out. Clayton appeared in the foyer, followed closely by Brittany and Katie. “So, Dad, where
have
you been?”

Tony thought carefully. “I was out getting some fresh air.” That sounded good.

“Alone?” If Annabeth was nothing else, she was persistent.

“I don’t have time to answer that. We have a guest coming over.” There – it was out.

“A guest?” Clayton jumped in. “Who’s this guest?”

“Just someone I know.” Tony decided to go for broke and braced himself. “Annabeth knows her too.”

For a split second Annabeth looked confused, but then a look of disbelief crossed her face as it sank in. “I know her. I know her? Nikki? The lady from the florist shop?” Annabeth’s voice was getting higher and more animated with each syllable.

“Take a deep breath and calm down. Yes. Nikki from the florist shop. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“So you really went over and met her?” Annabeth asked.

“Yes, nosy daughter.” Oh, what the hell – he plunged in head-first. “We went out on a date last night.”

“OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! DAD HAD A DATE!” Annabeth started screaming and jumping up and down, grabbing at Clayton, Katie, and Brittany, then turning her attention back to Tony. “You had a date! Why didn’t you tell us?”

Clayton moaned and shook his head. “Um, I think I see why he didn’t tell us. And I’d say this is exactly what he was trying to avoid.”

“Well, she’ll be here in a couple of minutes, so for god’s sake, calm down, okay?” Tony looked around nervously. “How’s the food situation? Is there something I need to do?” He sounded a wee bit frantic.

“Aw, how cute!” Brittany giggled. “Tony’s nervous about bringing his girlfriend home to meet the fam.” Katie started giggling too. Clayton rolled his eyes and watched Annabeth continue to bounce on her toes.

“We’ve taken care of all of it, Tony; we’ll just pop the casseroles in the oven later. Hey, does she drive a red SUV?” Katie asked.

“Yeah – is she here?”

“Looks like it.” Katie let the drape fall back over the front window.

“Okay. Please, everybody, behave. Please?” Tony begged, looking a bit worried.

“Dad?” Annabeth whispered. Tony turned to look at her and she mouthed,
I’m so happy!
She was grinning so hard that her face was bound to ache.

Tony opened the door as Nikki reached for the bell. “Come on in. Let me introduce you to everybody.”

They leaned against Nikki’s Escape at the end of the evening. It had been a long time since she’d been around that many happy people. Annabeth, Katie, and Brittany had treated her like one of the girls, and Clayton had reminded her a lot of her own Jake. She didn’t really want to leave, but she also didn’t want to wear out her welcome. They’d watched the baseball game; Cincinnati had won easily. Then they’d eaten the casseroles – poppy seed chicken and broccoli with cheese – that the girls had baked, and sat around for awhile shooting the breeze. And there’d been double chocolate cake! They’d even told her Tony’s family nickname, Tookie; seemed he hadn’t been able to say “cookie” when he was little, and the two older boys had mocked him with it. He, of course, hated it, but everyone had a good laugh about it. It had been so relaxed, and it felt so right to be there with them. She’d been pretty quiet, just trying to fit in, but they’d made sure she felt comfortable and included.

“So, we’re still on for tomorrow, right?” Tony asked.

“I can’t believe you still want to take me out tomorrow after you’ve spent all day with me today.” She smiled up at him.

“Unless you’re tired of me?” He looked down at her face in the darkness, and she felt something going on inside her, a warming, a thawing of something that had been cold and frozen over for a long time.

She shook her head. “Hell no. Don’t think that’s possible. I’ll see you at one o’clock tomorrow?” In answer, he put a finger gently under her chin, tipped her face up to his, and pressed his lips to hers. She put her hands on his waist and stepped into him, melding her lips to his, moaning softly as his arms enveloped her and pulled her even closer. Tony was surprised by the hunger rolling off of her, the way she met his kiss with her own urgency, no tongue, just a steady pressure that told him she didn’t want it to end any more than he did. When he finally released her, he leaned back and took in her face again, the glow he’d left on it and the pretty smile she gave him that told him she felt the same thing he was feeling, even if neither of them was sure exactly what it was.

“I’ll be waiting,” she whispered, breathless. Tony opened the door for her and she slid into her SUV. “So where are we going tomorrow?”

“That, beautiful girl, is the surprise.”

“So, did you like the show?” Annabeth, Katie, and Brittany bit their lips at Tony’s question.

“What do you mean?” Annabeth answered with feigned innocence.

“I know damn good and well you were watching us out the window,” he grinned.

“We were sitting right . . .” Katie started.

“Oh, good god, how stupid do you guys think I am?” Tony chuckled. “I just want to know – what do you think?”

Clayton was the first one to speak up. Tony could always depend on him for bare-bones honesty. “I really like her. She just has a way about her that makes you feel comfortable. It was like she’d always been here.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Katie chimed in.

“See, Dad, I told you she was really nice,” Annabeth added. “You really like her, don’t you?”

He thought for a few seconds before answering, then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. I really do.”

It was Brittany who walked right up to him, put her hands on his cheeks, looked straight into his eyes, and told him point-blank, “Tony, do it. Your heart is safe with that woman. I just know she’d never hurt you. Don’t you hurt her either, you hear me? I have a very, very good feeling about this.”

Tony took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, guys. I’m going for it.”

“Make it home okay?”

“Yeah, safe and sound.” After so long of having no one who cared, it seemed odd to have someone care whether or not she got home safely. “Bill and Hillary are fed, and I’m going to bed.”

“Did we wear you out?” Tony laughed.

Nikki giggled. “Pretty much! I haven’t had that much fun in a long, long time.”

“Good. I’m glad. We’re pretty good entertainment. So I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. It’s going to be hard to wait. Go to bed and get some rest. And think of me a little bit, would ya?”

“A little bit? I won’t be thinking about much of anything else. Night, Tookie.”

“Oh, god, not you too,” Tony groaned.

“Sorry! Just had to do it once. I’ll never say it again, I promise,” she giggled, making only a tiny attempt at being apologetic.

“I’ll forgive you – this once!” Tony chuckled. “Goodnight, beautiful girl,” he said and hit END.

She wasn’t stupid; she knew she wasn’t beautiful. But when he called her that, she felt like she just might be.

S
ometimes she wished she drank coffee. It would be a perfect morning to sit on the porch with a steaming mug. Nikki sat on the glider, drinking ice water and rocking. Her text notification pinged.

Hi, beautiful girl. Having a good morning?

She smiled. It was so gorgeous out for an early-May morning.
It’s beautiful out today. I hope we’re going to spend some of the afternoon in the great outdoors.

Yes. My idea of a great afternoon too. See you at 1.

See you then, handsome.
That didn’t sound very clever, but it was the only thing Nikki could think to say. She’d like to call him honey, or darling, or lover, but that would be too much too soon, although she’d called him all of those things to herself as she burned out more batteries in her vibrator the night before. How many orgasms had fantasizing about him given her? Three? Four? More? She couldn’t remember, but she’d certainly been exhausted. At one point, she’d thrown the vibrator aside and plunged in with her fingers, and she’d been surprised at how swollen and hard her clit had been. Her pussy had been aching, wanting to be filled, and that vibrator hadn’t been nearly big enough. She needed him badly, but she couldn’t say that to him, at least not yet.