Love and Other Surprises (8 page)

They emerged five minutes later. Lauren’s mother bustled over and directed them to the dance floor, where the orchestra leader was announcing that the bride was about to throw her bouquet. Ali spotted Matt standing by the bandstand and was surprised at the surge of pleasure that shot through her. She’d halfway suspected he’d left after their dance.

Ali dutifully joined the throng of young women crowding to vie for the bouquet in front of the bandstand. Lauren caught her eye and smiled.

The orchestra played a drum roll. Lauren turned her back, drew back her arm and tossed.

Instead of heading toward the eager crowd of attendants waiting to catch it, the bouquet veered into the crowd of onlookers and sailed directly at Matt. He flung up his hand to avoid being hit in the face and reflexively caught the bouquet.

Matt’s first response was to glance at Ali to see if she were somehow responsible, but she looked as surprised as he felt. Matt suddenly realized the crowd was roaring with laughter, and decided his only course of action was to ham it up. He carried the bouquet through the crowd and presented it to Lauren with a snappy salute.

“I believe you misfired, madam,” he told her. The crowd laughed heartily.

The band began another drum roll and Lauren tried again. This time the bouquet headed straight to Ali.

“Oh! Look who’s going to be next!” someone shouted.

“Maybe this means she’s going to marry the guy who caught it first,” another voice said.

Matt watched a blush creep up Ali’s cheeks as she found herself the center of attention. She was shy! The realization generated a protective urge in him and he began to head toward her. From all the things Robert had told him about Ali, it had never occurred to Matt that she might be bashful. It was beginning to look like there were a lot of things about Ali that Robert had neglected to tell him.

Matt soon realized that the crowd was moving toward the front door and Ali was being swept along with it. Justin and Lauren were evidently ready to leave.

Someone handed Matt a small packet of birdseed as he followed the herd outside. He found Ali on the outskirts of the crowd and sidled up beside her. “Good catch,” he remarked.

She returned his smile. “You, too. In fact, this belongs to you.” She held out the bouquet. “Since you caught it first, looks like you’ll be the next to walk the aisle.”

Matt shook his head. “I’d rather walk the plank.”

Ali looked up at him curiously. “What do you have against marriage?”

Matt thrust a hand into his pocket, wishing he’d never broached the subject. “It’s not for me. I tried it once, and I make a point of never making the same mistake twice.”

“Once bitten, twice shy?”

“More like once nuked, twice determined to never let it happen again.”

Ali grinned. “I guess that means there’s no special woman in your life.”

He shook his head, suddenly consumed with curiosity about her own romantic status. He tried to adopt an offhanded manner. “How about you? Did you leave someone special in Dallas?”

“No.”

He should have hoped she had a fiance tucked away somewhere, that she’d come to Hillsboro after a lovers’ spat and would leave again as soon as they kissed and made up. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on her. But the truth was he’d held his breath until she’d answered, and felt a deep wave of relief at her response.

He looked away to cover his confusion and was glad when she changed the subject.

“They did a pretty thorough job on the car, didn’t they?”

Matt craned his neck and looked in the direction she pointed. The vehicle was so completely covered with shaving cream it was impossible to tell what color it was, much less its make and model. “It’s probably the most thorough job Derrick ever did on anything in his entire life,” Matt said wryly. “What a mess!”

“Here they come! Get your birdseed ready!” Ali yelled excitedly.

The newlyweds ran to the car, and Matt and Ali joined the crowd in pelting them with the seed. Justin struggled with the door on the passenger side as the seed storm continued.

“It looks like he’s having trouble with the lock,” Ali commented.

“Maybe the shaving cream fouled it up,” Matt said. “Look, they’re going around to the other side.”

With his arm protectively wrapped around Lauren to shield her from the onslaught of birdseed, Justin clicked his key remote again, then tried inserting the key in the door. Still no luck.

The crowd ran out of birdseed and began offering advice.

“Aie you sure you’re using the right key?” someone called.

“Jiggle the handle!” recommended another.

Justin cleared a spot on the window with his hand and peered in the vehicle. “Hey!” he yelled. “This isn’t my car!”

Matt threw back his head and whooped with laughter. “Derrick decorated the wrong car! Can you believe it?”

“But it’s got to be the right one! I pointed it out to Derrick myself!” Her forehead wrinkled in concern. “It’s a blue Camry, and it’s parked in the spot reserved for the groom’s car.”

A blue Camry?
Matt turned to stare at the vehicle, taking in details that had escaped his notice earlier. Tin cans dangled from two long ropes tied to the rear bumper. Plastic streamers were attached to the windshield wipers and the rearview mirrors, and “Hot time tonight!” was written on the back window in what looked like chocolate syrup. The only part of the car that wasn’t completely covered with foam was the license tag—and the numbers on it were naggingly familiar.

A sinking feeling hit the bottom of Matt’s stomach. “Oh, no,” he groaned. Ali had struck again.

“There’s
my car!” Justin announced, pointing to an automobile on the other side of the parking lot. He wrapped his arm around his bride and steered her toward it. “Thanks for the decoy, Derrick!” he called over his shoulder. “You saved us a stop at the car wash!”

Matt watched in dismay as the couple got in the vehicle and sped away, honking the horn at the well-wishers.

The crowd around them began filtering back into the building, leaving them alone in the parking lot. Ali turned toward Matt, her face a study of confusion. “I don’t understand. If Justin’s car was still in the parking lot, whose car is that?” She pointed at the shaving cream-covered vehicle.

A nerve twitched in Matt’s jaw. “Whose car do you think it is?”

“I have no idea,” Ali said.

“Let me give you a clue.” Even to his own ears, his voice was clipped and tight. “Who has sustained a head injury, caught a somersaulting dog and a bridal bouquet, and been in a mind-spinning state of confusion ever since you hit town?”

Ali’s hand flew to her mouth. Wide-eyed, she pointed back at the vehicle. “Yours?”

Matt nodded grimly.

“You have a blue Camry?”

Matt gave another reluctant nod. “Brand new. I’ve only had it three weeks.”

“And you parked it right there?” she asked.

Dadblast it! She
would
have to point out that the incident was at least partially his fault.

Matt rubbed his chin and gave his head a rueful shake. “I should have known something was wrong. That parking space was too good to be true—and in my experience, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.”

“Oh, Matt. I’m so sorry.” A smile ruffled the corners of her mouth.

Matt looked from her to the car and back again. He could tell she was trying hard not to laugh, but her eyes gleamed with amusement and her lower lip trembled with her effort to maintain a straight face. She broke into a grin and, despite his annoyance, Matt found himself returning it.

The next thing he knew, they were leaning against each other, laughing like tickled hyenas. They paused for breath, glanced at each other, and broke up all over again.

It felt great to cut loose like this, Matt thought with a little jolt of surprise. How long had it been since he’d laughed until his sides hurt? Too long. He’d been so busy working on the development, worrying about financing and generally being responsible that he hadn’t made any time for fun.

He caught Ali’s eye and burst into another round of laughter, putting an arm around her. She gave a little shiver and his arm tightened instinctively.

Was she trembling because she was cold or was she feeling the same surge of electricity, the one that was making him feel as though he’d touched a downed power line? He gazed into her eyes and her laughter abruptly ceased. Her lips parted and her breath came in fast little puffy clouds. His eyes riveted on her lips—lips so full and flushed and inviting that his head began lowering of its own volition.

The moment his mouth settled on hers, shock waves of pleasure pulsed through him. She moved her lips against his and reached her arms around his neck, pulling him down, and her responsiveness sent his temperature skyrocketing. He clutched her to him and deepened the kiss, laying siege to her lips like a man possessed.

What the hell was he doing? This was Robert’s little sister, for heaven’s sake. Any man worth his salt knew that you didn’t fool around with your best friend’s sister unless you were plenty serious about her, and he had no intention of getting serious about anyone, let alone a woman who would completely disrupt the calm, orderly life he’d built for himself.

He abruptly pulled back and dropped his arm from her shoulders. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I don’t know what happened. Must be the champagne.” He’d had less than half a glass, but it was the only excuse that came to mind.

“Weddings make people sentimental,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, that must be it.” He grabbed at the explanation, grateful for any excuse. “Well, you’re freezing. Let’s go inside.” Taking her by the elbow, he headed toward the building.

Ali walked stiffly beside him, her arms folded across her chest. Tension hummed between them, mounting into an awkward silence. Anxious to diffuse it, Matt strove for a conversational tone. “Don’t worry about the car. Anyone could have made the same mistake.”

He held the door open for her and she brushed against him as she walked through it. A burst of adrenaline again shot through him at the contact, and he leaned away from her to minimize the effect. She turned toward him in the foyer. “The least I can do is give you a ride home. In the morning I’ll bring you back and help you wash off your car.”

She was standing close enough that Matt could again smell her intoxicating scent. He was tempted; he could invite her into his house for a drink, and then…

What on earth are you thinking, Jordan?

“I’d better get that goop off the car tonight or it’ll ruin the paint job,” Matt said curtly. “But thanks for the offer.”

Ali brushed a stray curl from her forehead. “You’ll have to clean off the windows to even drive it to a car wash. I’ll go borrow some towels from the kitchen and meet you back outside.”

She darted down the hall before he could object, her high heels clicking on the terrazzo. Matt jammed his hands in his pockets and walked back outside to survey the damage.

Ali joined him a few minutes later, bundled up in a black wool coat and a knit cap and carrying a stack of towels and a pitcher of water. The bottom of her pink gown peeked out below the coat, giving her a waiflike appearance. She looked flat-out adorable, a fact that bothered him to no end.

“Thanks,” Matt said, taking the supplies from her and laying them on the ground. “I’ll take it from here.”

“But I feel responsible. I want to help,” Ali protested.

“You’ve done quite enough already,” Matt said. He wiped at the windshield with a towel. When he stepped back, shaving cream covered the front of his jacket and his slacks.

“Oh, dear,” Ali moaned. She picked up a towel and began dabbing at his jacket, slipping a hand inside it to get a better grip on the material as she worked. Matt stood motionless as she rubbed his chest, barely able to breathe. Her soft, heady scent teased his nostrils.

Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? Didn’t she realize he was a man? Despite the cold temperature, Matt began to break a sweat as she worked her way down his jacket. Heaven help him—was she going to try to clean his pants, too?

“Maybe you should just try pouring water on the windshield,” she suggested.

Much more of this action and I’ll need to pour it on myself.

Turning away abruptly, he picked the pitcher up off the ground and sloshed some water on the windshield, clearing a wide swath of glass.

“Thank goodness that worked,” Ali said.

Matt raked a hand through his hair. “Thanks for the help. I’d better hurry if I want to find a car wash open.” He took out his keys and unlocked the door.

“I’ll come with you.”

“No!” No telling what might happen if Ali got involved. Maybe the car wash would be out of water. Maybe the hose would spring a leak and he’d get completely drenched. Maybe dogs would somersault off the roof.

Or worse, maybe he’d give in to the urge he’d been fighting all evening and had already succumbed to once—to grab her in his arms and kiss her silly.

“It only takes one person to hold a water wand,” Matt said in what he hoped was normal tone. “Thanks, but I can handle it.” He got in the car and quickly closed the door, hoping the metal and glass would provide protection from his insane urges. Distance was the only sure cure. He suddenly felt the need to put quite a bit of it between them.

Ali waved as he sped away. The tin cans jingled and the streamers flapped as he drove out of the parking lot, but Ali felt none of her earlier amusement at the car’s appearance. Instead, the sight caused an odd emptiness to tighten her chest.

Her fingers drifted to her lips where the imprint of Matt’s mouth still burned. His kiss had affected her like nothing in her experience, leaving her dizzy and dazed and confused. How could a simple thing like a kiss make her feel like the world had suddenly careened off its axis?

Matt seemed to have recovered from it pretty quickly. In fact, he’d acted as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. And who could blame him? He probably thought she was some sort of jinx. Once more she’d created a problem for him, when what she’d wanted to do was convince him she was capable and competent and… desirable.