Love a Little Sideways (9 page)

He didn’t take long enough, though, and when the crowd around the group campfire spotted him, they didn’t accept him waving off their invitation. After stowing his toiletries back in his tent and draping his swim trunks and towel over one of his tent’s ropes, he grabbed a bottle of water from his cooler and went to join the insanity.

“Want a s’more?” Bobby asked him, swinging an almost-liquid marshmallow on a stick in his direction.

Drew flinched away. “No, thanks. You should get that onto a cracker before—”

The melted marshmallow slid off the stick and hit the ground in a white, sticky lump Drew knew would end up on the bottom of somebody’s shoe before the night was over.

“Oops.” Brian wandered away. “Mom, I need another marshmallow.”

From his vantage point just outside the perimeter of the circle of camp chairs, it looked to Drew as if there were at least a half dozen marshmallows being waved over the fire, so he stayed where he was. Liz was sitting across the fire from him, laughing with her aunt and Rose, and he watched her for a while.

She looked relaxed. Happy. Drew enjoyed seeing her surrounded by her family, and the bond she’d managed to keep with them despite being all the way across the country for so many years impressed him. Family was obviously important to her.

“You know they’ll keep offering you s’mores until you eat one,” Mitch said, stepping up beside him. “The sooner you give in, the sooner they stop waving flaming marshmallows at you.”

As if she’d heard him, Steph moved toward them, holding a s’more in her hand. “Drew, do you want a s’more?”

This one was premade, not offered up in the form of molten marshmallow dangling from a stick, so he figured Mitch was right. It was probably easier to give in. “Thanks.”

He had a mouthful of very sticky sweetness when Brian looked over and saw him. “Hey! How come you didn’t want my s’more?”

He shrugged, unable to talk even if he’d wanted to, and Mitch came to his rescue. “Because Steph had put it together already. You know, I don’t think Ryan’s had a s’more yet. He loves s’mores.”

Since Ryan was over near Liz, they’d have a few minutes of peace. “Brilliant move.”

“Being with these kids makes me wonder how Rose kept her sanity. I think we were almost as bad.”

“There were some moments for sure.” He saw Ryan trying to get marshmallow out of his hair, glaring in their direction over the top of Bobby’s head, and nudged Mitch. “There’s going to be payback.”

“Remind me not to ride behind him.”

Drew laughed, and his gaze shifted from Ryan to Liz. She was watching him and, when his eyes met hers, she gave him a warm smile. She had a smudge of chocolate at the corner of her mouth and he wanted to cross the distance between them and wipe it away.

Maybe it showed, because her cheeks got a little pink and her gaze flicked to Mitch before she turned back to Mary and Rose.

“We’re going to get sucked into going on a big group ride tomorrow,” Mitch was saying, “but once they’re all in the pool or hiding in the air-conditioning, we’ll head back out on the trails and blow off some steam.”

Sounded like a good plan to Drew. He definitely had some steam to blow off, though he wasn’t sure if one tank of gas in the ATV would be enough. He might have to do laps around the trail system before he found any relief.

* * *

It took about two minutes for Liz to come to the realization she was maybe a little too old to sleep on the ground in a cheap, nylon tent.

Privacy had been first on her priority list and, since both cabins were rented and she couldn’t afford an RV, her own tent had seemed like a brilliant idea. Now she realized comfort should have ranked up there, too. And judging by the damp chill setting in, she should have sprung for the nicer tent.

When her hip started throbbing because the foam pad under her sleeping bag offered a lot less protection from the ground than the label had advertised, she rolled onto her back. Maybe she should take a walk to the bathhouse and then accidentally wander into one of the RVs, with their lovely pullout couches. She could claim she was sleepwalking.

Unfortunately, running through the options of alternate accommodations to sneak into made her think of Drew and his big tent. Or, to be more precise, the very comfortable-looking, very large air mattress she’d seen him inflating earlier. It would easily fit two, especially if there was cuddling.

Liz groaned and threw her arm over her eyes as if she could block out the images that popped into her head. Thinking about Drew and cuddling wasn’t going to help her sleep. All that would lead to was tossing and turning and, with the crappy mat under her, she’d probably be black and blue by morning.

She’d tried her best to ignore him at the campfire, but he’d been in her line of sight. And once he’d relaxed and started talking to the other guys and laughing, she’d barely been able to keep her eyes off of him. He fit in with her family so nicely, probably because he’d always been around them, and she was tempted to leave her chair and join in the conversation. But her aunt had been determined to make up for all the years Liz had been away by talking to her all night. Which was fine. She’d missed Aunt Mary, who’d done her best to co-mother them along with Rosie after their mother died.

But with everybody else being part of a couple, it was hard not to imagine sitting next to Drew around the fire, holding hands like some of the others.

When she opened her eyes to find the sun beating down through her cheap tent, Liz was surprised to realize she’d not only fallen asleep, but slept through the night. Then she rolled onto her side and groaned.

The water ball of doom game had to be responsible for the heavy sleep, just as it was for the muscles screaming in protest. The hard ground had just been the icing on the cake.

After a few minutes, she managed to get turned around to face the door, snagging her bathroom bag along the way. After working the zipper up, she crawled out of the tent into the already humid morning.

“Do you need help?”

Liz tilted her head back to look up at Katie. “I haven’t actually tried to stand up yet, so I’m not sure.”

“I’ll wait.” Katie, who was staying in the small cabin with Josh, had her shower bag with her and her hair was wet. None of the cabins had bathrooms, so she had to walk back and forth. “There’s a set of bunk beds in our cabin, you know. You could sleep in there.”

Sure, because nothing spiced up a vacation for a new couple like the guy’s older sister sleeping in the same room. “I’m okay, really. I like camping. I just need to never, ever play water ball of doom again.”

“There’s a reason it took so many women to watch the little ones in the shallow end.”

“Lesson learned.” Liz finally pushed herself to her feet, grimacing as her muscles stretched.

“You’ll be happy to know breakfast is almost ready. Probably less happy to know they’re already dragging out the riding gear.”

Liz actually groaned aloud. “There aren’t enough ATVs for everybody. I’ll be noble and volunteer to stay behind.”

“Um, they’re getting around that by making it a couples ride. That way there’s two to a machine.”

“Nothing makes a single girl feel more included than tacking the word
couple
before an event.”

“Mom said you can just ride double with Drew, since you’re both single.”

Since Katie’s mom happened to be Rose, Liz bit her tongue. Hard. She hated matchmaking, especially when it wasn’t subtle and they were trying to hide the fact they’d already made that match once. And having her legs wrapped around Drew for half the day? They were trying to kill her, obviously, and the water ball hadn’t done the trick so they’d upped their game.

“Hey, you’re both single,” Katie said in a voice that dripped with suggestion. But then she laughed. “I guess not. He’s Mitch’s best friend, so that’s out.”

“Ten minutes,” they heard Lisa yell from her site, which doubled as breakfast central.

“Crap. I need to hurry or I’ll be licking the crumbs off everybody’s plate.”

Liz was ready in fifteen minutes, so she managed to snag some scrambled eggs and a couple slices of bacon before the horde went back for seconds. She even treated herself to a mug of real coffee instead of making a cup of the instant she’d stashed with Mitch and Paige. After sleeping on the ground, she deserved it and, as long as she only had one, it wouldn’t bother her too much.

Much too soon, the breakfast debris had been cleaned up and it was time to hit the trails. It was tempting to come up with an excuse not to go, but the only thing they’d accept would be not feeling well and she had no doubt either Rose or her aunt would give up their riding to stay with her. She sucked it up and took the helmet Paige handed her.

“What are you going to wear?”

Her sister-in-law shook her head. “I’m not riding.”

“That’s not fair. If I have to go, so do you.”

“If anybody but Rose or Aunt Mary asks, I just don’t feel like it, but—”

“Oh my God.” Paige was pregnant.

“Shh!”

“Sorry. Do you know for sure? At dinner, you didn’t say anything.”

“I was starting to be hopeful by then but I didn’t want to jinx anything. Now I’m sure, but I’m not very far along at all, so we don’t want everybody to know.”

“I want to hug you and jump up and down and cry.”

Paige smiled. “That’ll look odd since you can’t tell anybody why.”

Another baby. This was why Liz had come home, so she could be a part of these family moments, and it took all of her willpower not to tear up. While jumping up and down. “I’m so happy for you.”

Everybody was waiting, so Liz put the helmet on and buckled the chin strap, then took the goggles Paige offered. When she turned toward the machines, she realized she didn’t have to spend half the day with her legs wrapped around Drew after all.

“I’ll ride with you,” she said to Mitch.

He gave her an
oh
,
hell no
look. “Why?”

“Because your machine is bigger than Drew’s.” It was a sound excuse.

“His has a passenger seat on it.”

Damn. “I can sit behind you.”

“Until you fall off the back.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, hoping he got the full effect through the goggles. “I’m not going to fall off.”

“You will when I wheelie and dump you off because you’re uncomfortable on the rack and won’t sit still.”

“Fine.” She walked to the machine Drew was already sitting on and climbed into the passenger seat. Luckily there were handholds, so she was spared having to wrap her arms around his waist, but there was nothing to be done about the fact he was sitting between her legs.

“Chicken,” he said in a low voice, so only she could hear him.

“Just trying to save us both some awkwardness.”

He shifted on the seat, pushing back a little against her. “I don’t find it awkward at all.”

Because they were surrounded by her family and slapping him upside the helmet might draw attention, she reached down and pinched his ass hard. “Behave.”

“It was Rose who suggested you ride with me.”

“That’s what Katie said.” She regretted now telling him Rose might have maneuvered him next to Liz deliberately on the Fourth. It could be a little weird for him.

“Do you think she told my dad?”

So he wasn’t really thinking about the matchmaking. He was worried Andy might say something to Mitch, even an accidental slip, because the more people who knew a secret, the less likely it was to be kept. “I’m pretty positive she didn’t. And we know she didn’t tell Fran, since the entire town doesn’t know.”

He laughed and hit the throttle, falling behind the line of four-wheelers heading out of the campground to the trails. When he hit the first bump, Liz realized she was going to spend every single mile bracing herself to keep a little distance between her body and his. With her muscles already beat to crap by the water ball game, she anticipated a very long, cozy ride.

Chapter Nine

Drew had to admit the view from the picnic area they’d ridden to was worth the mile after mile of being painfully aware of Liz’s body pressed up against his. He could see for miles, the horizon line made jagged by northern New Hampshire and Vermont’s mountainous terrain and the hills littered with splotchy shadows made by puffy white clouds.

With his stomach full from hot dogs on the hibachi they’d strapped to the grill of Leo and Mary’s machine, Rose’s macaroni salad and Mary’s brownies, he found a mostly flat-topped boulder he could sit on fairly comfortably and watched the others.

It wasn’t long before Liz’s laughter caught his attention and his gaze moved to her as if she was somehow magnetized. She was standing with Mitch, Sean and Josh, and her brothers were obviously regaling her with one hell of a story, based on the expressions and exaggerated hand gestures.

It would be criminal to do anything that might come between Liz and Mitch, he told himself. Even if Mitch could eventually come to terms with the fact his best friend and little sister had some kind of thing going on, it would cause friction and she didn’t need that so soon after coming home. She was still rebuilding the family bonds after years of a long-distance relationship with them and, no matter how much he might want to, Drew couldn’t throw himself in the middle of that.

In his peripheral vision he saw Ryan approaching and tore his attention away from Liz and her other brothers. “Did you have one of those brownies?”

“I had three of those brownies and I’m sure I’ll be sorry later.” Ryan loomed over him. “Sitting over here feeling guilty?”

Drew glanced up at him, then looked around nonchalantly, as if he wasn’t trying to make sure nobody else was within earshot. “About what?”

“The fact you never told Mitch you slept with our sister?”

He didn’t want to lie to Ryan and deny it, but he didn’t want to offer up a confirmation, either, in case the guy was just fishing. So he said nothing.

Ryan snorted and shook his head. “Doesn’t take a genius, you know. You and Liz both left the reception and when she came downstairs for the cake cutting, it was pretty obvious what she’d been doing. And who she’d been doing it with. I guess I was the only one paying attention.”

“It’s not that big a deal. We’re not teenagers.”

“If it’s not a big deal, why didn’t you tell him?”

Drew would have walked away, but there really wasn’t anywhere to go and he didn’t want Ryan’s family thinking they were arguing. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

“My brother, his best friend and my sister? You couldn’t pay me to jump into that drama, thanks.”

“But you’re in it now.”

Ryan turned and leaned against a tree, so his back was to his family. “Because you’re not doing as good a job as you think of hiding how you feel about her. And if things blow up in your face, it’s going to make Rosie and Aunt Mary unhappy. Nobody wants that, especially this week.”

Since Drew wasn’t really sure how he felt about Liz, he didn’t know what it was he wasn’t hiding. “Liz and I are friends. There was a thing. It was short and it’s over and it hasn’t happened again.”

“But you want it to.”

What he really wanted was to throw Ryan over the side of the hill, but he shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled at Lauren, who was watching them from across the clearing and probably wondering what Ryan was talking about so intently. “Who wouldn’t want to? She’s hot as hell, you know.”

“Shit. No, I don’t know. Don’t want to.”

“Hey, you brought it up.” Drew chuckled when Ryan gave him a sour look. “But I’m looking to get married and start a family. That’s no secret. Your sister’s enjoying her life as it is right now and has no interest in a relationship. So, like I said, we’re friends.”

Ryan stood up straight, shaking his head. “But seeing Mitch and Liz together is making you feel guilty and I’m telling you that you need to bury it. Bury it deep and then bury the shovel, or it’s going to be an ugly mess.”

“Trust me, if I could bury the guilt deep enough, I would. It feels shitty. But it’s not a onetime thing I can shove under the bed. Every time I see her, I want to see her more, which makes my guilt as far as Mitch is concerned ongoing.”

“If you think you and Liz might go somewhere, which I have to admit is a little weird, it’s on you to pull him aside and talk to him. Don’t blindside him.”

Drew would have said more, like maybe reminding him that Mitch’s feelings were pretty damn important to him, too, but Kevin and Beth were gravitating toward them now and this wasn’t a conversation he cared to have overheard.

“Having a good time?” Drew asked them when they got close enough.

Kevin nodded, even though his face scrunched up a little. “Pace is a little slow, but it’s still better than working.”

Kevin owned a sports bar in the city as well as being a partner in a restaurant in snowmobile country, so work wasn’t too much of a hardship for him. “How about you, Beth?”

“Still not sure I’m a fan of four-wheeling, but I’m a fan of getting a break from Lily.” She sighed. “I should feel bad about leaving her. She’s a handful.”

“Emma and Paige can handle Lily, Brianna and Johnny.” Kevin looped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Even if they just throw them all in Liz’s tent and zip it up.”

They all laughed, but still didn’t miss Leo yelling, “Let’s pack it up!”.

Drew shoved himself off his rock and made himself useful helping pack up the debris of their picnic before reuniting with Liz at the machine they were riding.

She grabbed her helmet from where she’d tossed it on the rack, but paused before putting it on. “You and Ryan looked pretty serious for a few minutes. Everything okay?”

He ignored the fact she’d been watching him and focused on the conversation he’d had with her brother. There was no reason to make things any more awkward. “Just business stuff, I guess. The ATV trails back home and stuff.”

Fortunately, she seemed to believe him. “Time to ride them now, not talk about them.”

“You want to drive for a while?”

She laughed, then shook her head. “I’m a bit rusty, so I probably shouldn’t have a passenger.”

He was relieved. Not only because he preferred to have control of the machine himself, but because her sitting between his legs seemed even more intimate than him being between hers.

Once she was settled behind him, he fired the engine and waited for the others to pull out. After a couple of miles, he felt her relax against him. Her hands rested at his hips and he found himself seeking out the smoother paths on the trail, avoiding rocks and ruts, so she wouldn’t pull herself back from him again.

Ryan’s advice about the shovel ran through his head, but it was hard advice to take when Liz’s body was draped against his. The aches and pains of water ball and tent sleeping were forgotten and he could have ridden all day.

* * *

Liz wasn’t sure what was up with Drew, but he’d definitely been giving off a weird vibe since they got back from the ride. He’d been so relaxed while they were riding, even resting his left hand on her knee for a while during a smooth section of trail, but as soon as they got back to the campground, he practically ran away from her. She’d barely seen him other than when they’d all eaten supper together.

He either wanted her and he was going to have to man up and face her brother, or he didn’t and he needed to stop touching her. In the meantime, she and Katie were going to sneak into the pool while the kids were trying to kill each other with tetherball.

She felt ridiculous sneaking around the far side of the campground after she’d changed into her suit, but if the kids found out there was an adult in the pool, they’d be cannonballing in from all sides before she even had her feet wet.

Katie was waiting at the gate and Liz chuckled when she did the latch as quietly as possible. Then they tossed their towels on the ground so they wouldn’t advertise their presence hanging on the fence.

“I’m almost afraid to talk,” Katie whispered. “I’m convinced they have some kind of super-hearing radar system.”

“I know what you mean.” Liz sat on the edge and dangled her feet in the pool, sucking in a breath at how cold the water was.

“I mean, they’re great kids. And fun. But sometimes they can be a bit much.”

Eventually both women worked their way into the pool, until they were floating on the surface, staring up at the sky. Liz couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so relaxed, and she found herself smiling at a small cloud that looked vaguely like a rabbit.

“Josh and I have been talking about kids a lot,” Katie said after a few minutes. “He said Andy’s getting older and he needs sons to chop wood and mow the lawn so they don’t have to do it anymore.”

Liz laughed, but then remembered they were in stealth mode and slapped her hand over her mouth. “That sounds like my brother.”

“He’s kidding, of course. I mean, they’ll have to do that, but that’s not why he wants to have kids.”

Treading water, Liz pushed her hair back out of her face. “What about the barbershop?”

Katie sighed. “I’d keep it open until I was very pregnant, then maybe do a couple of hours a day. Then everybody would have to survive five or six weeks without a haircut. Josh and Rose are convinced that together they can take care of a baby, especially if I cut back the shop’s hours a little.”

“I have no doubt Josh and Rose can take care of a baby, but it sounds like a lot on you.”

“I think, with four of us at the lodge, we can make it work.”

Liz tried to imagine having a baby come into her life and couldn’t. She felt so unsettled and, while she couldn’t imagine a better support system than her family and Rose, she wasn’t prepared for that kind of commitment. But the idea of Josh and Katie raising the next generation of Kowalskis at the Northern Star with Rosie’s help made her throat tighten a little. At least she wouldn’t miss it.

“Hey,” a male voice said from outside the fence and Liz sighed as they both turned to see Sean leaning on it. They’d been found. “Just wanted to give you a heads-up that some of us guys are heading out for a ride, but the kids have talked the other adults into bringing them to the pool for a swim before they start getting ready for bed. They’ll be here any minute.”

“It was fun while it lasted,” Katie said mournfully.

They wrapped up in their towels and left the pool area in the knick of time. The kids whooped and hollered as they ran by, which always made Liz laugh. The running did them no good since they couldn’t go in before the adults got there and they were taking their time.

Liz and Katie parted ways, since the cabin and her tent were in opposite directions, and Liz took a shortcut around the bathhouse. She was rounding the corner, paying attention to her wet sandals slipping in the fallen pine needles, when she ran into a very solid chest.

She almost lost her footing but Drew grabbed her by the elbows and steadied her. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Sorry.” She sounded breathless to her own ear and felt ridiculous.

“Have I told you how much I like that swimsuit?”

She realized her towel had slipped and was in a terry puddle at her feet. “I don’t think you have.”

“I like it a lot.”

They couldn’t be seen from either the pool area or from where the guys were getting the ATVs ready to go out, and she realized this was as alone as they’d been since they got there. “I heard you guys are going out for a ride.”

“Yeah. We’re all going to pretend we’re teenagers again without getting ourselves killed.”

His grin made her want to melt up against his body, which wasn’t too far away since he was still holding her arms. “Don’t get
too
stupid.”

“I’m trying not to do anything stupid.”

He was staring at her mouth and, with a shiver, Liz realized he wasn’t talking about four-wheeling anymore. As much as she’d resolved earlier he needed to be all in or stop touching her, she couldn’t bring herself to step back. Instead, she inched closer.

“What are you doing, Liz?” he asked in a low, husky voice.

“I’m trying not to do anything stupid.”

His hand moved from her elbow to her hip and he tugged a little, pulling her up against him. When he brushed his cheek over hers, his breath hot against her skin, she shivered.

“I shouldn’t kiss you,” he whispered.

“I shouldn’t let you.” She tucked her arms under his so she could run her hands up his back. Even through his T-shirt, she felt his muscles quiver at her touch.

“Why can’t I stop thinking about you? Why do I
have
to touch you?”

She could hear the battle he was waging with himself in his voice. He obviously felt like he was doing something wrong, but didn’t have the strength to stop doing it. Maybe it was up to her. If she shut him down, that would save them both some angst and drama.

But she thought about him, too. She wanted him to touch her. Before either of them could do what may or may not be the right thing and back off, she turned her face and pressed her lips to his.

“Where the hell is Miller?” Mitch yelled, and Drew physically flinched.

“I have to go.”

She pointed at his shirt. “Your shirt’s a little damp. From my bathing suit, I guess.”

“I’m putting a sweatshirt on before we go out, anyway.” He took a couple of steps, then paused and looked back, as if he was going to say something else.

“They’re waiting.” She didn’t want to hear whatever it was. An apology. A reminder nobody could know Drew had been kissing Mitch’s little sister at the bathhouse.

She wondered if that’s how he thought of her in his head while he was beating himself up.
Mitch’s little sister.
Screw that. She had her own identity, thank you very much.

Without saying another word, she ducked into the closest bathroom and bolted the door. After a few minutes, she heard the gravel crunch as he walked away. She stayed where she was until she heard the roar of the four-wheelers driving away.

* * *

Pounding through the woods, Drew had no room in his head for woman or best friend issues. His concentration was focused on the trail—every rock, bump, rut and corner rushing at him—and it felt damn good.