Luck of the Draw (A Betting on Romance Novel Book 1) (8 page)

Kate rolled over, spit out her night
guard and berated herself for not letting the call go to voice mail. “Hi, Ma.”

“She hasn’t been herself lately.”

Kate blinked at the clock on the nightstand and stifled a groan. “And you had to call me at 5:30 in the morning to tell me this?”

“Is it that early? I tell you, I’ve been doing this new yoga routine. It’s amazing. It’s called ‘Awaken the Dawn.’ I feel so refreshed! You should try it.”

Kate flopped back onto her pillows. “I’ll get right on it.”

“Anyway, ever since she choked on that chicken bone over Memorial Day weekend, she hasn’t been herself. I blame the caterers. Why would they leave a plate of chicken wings in plain sight knowing what a weakness it is of hers? You know she can’t help herself. Plus the canapés were soggy, but don’t get me started.”

“Have you taken her to the vet?”

Her mother harrumphed through the telephone line. “They insist there’s nothing wrong, but I can tell. A mother knows. Your father pooh-poohs it, but I think she had a near-death experience. She won’t talk about it, though, even to the psychiatrist. I’m at my wit’s end.”

“They have psychiatrists for
dogs
now?”

“Bhardwaj doesn’t call himself that. He’s more of a shaman, dog-whisperer-type. My yoga instructor recommended him. He’s very spiritual.”

Kate lolled her head toward the window as the first rays of morning sun crept across the ceiling.

“Anyway, she’s been listless for nearly a week. Do you think she could be depressed?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s something else.”

“I thought of that. You know your father had his dressing room re-carpeted last week. I told him to specify formaldehyde-free, but did he listen? It smells awful. You don’t think those fumes could be causing her nerve damage, do you?”

“It’s unlikely.”

“You’re right. No sense taking chances. I’m calling the vet as soon as we hang up. Oh, but that’s not why I called. I need your mailing address.”

“What for?”

Her mother’s voice grew hushed. “I picked up the remains yesterday, but Rosaria is throwing a fit about having them in the foyer, so I’m going to send them to you.”

Kate tried to process what had her mother’s housekeeper/cook so up in arms. “What?”

“You know.
The remains
,” her mother whispered again.

Oh
God.
Randy’s ashes
.

“Anyway, I need to get them out of the house. Rosaria keeps mumbling the rosary and crossing herself and carrying on about how it isn’t natural to have dead bodies sitting around in boxes in a person’s foyer, and frankly, she’s disturbing my chi with all of this. I mean, I have Sandy to worry about...”

Kate’s mind scrambled to keep up. “But why do you have them?”

“Oh, the crematorium called your father’s office when they couldn’t reach you at home. It’s been two months and they wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten them, so I picked them up. What a rigmarole
that
was! They almost didn’t give them to me. Anyway, they’re here now, so I need your address. I’ll have Jill FedEx them this afternoon.”

Oh
Lord, is it even legal to FedEx something like that?

Kate didn’t bother to point out that her father’s secretary probably wouldn’t appreciate having to handle her dead husband’s remains any more than Rosaria. And there was no use suggesting they could stay in Connecticut until she returned home.

Promising to e-mail Jill her address, Kate said her goodbyes then let out a choked, semi-hysterical laugh.

Great. How was she supposed to find her passion with
dead Randy
sitting around in a box?

CHAPTER SEVEN
____________________

“I
HEAR YOU’VE GOT A HOT YOUNG widow living next door now.”

Jim rolled his eyes and stared at his life-long friend, Alex Lamont. “You shouldn’t socialize with Carter so much. It’s bad for your health.”

Alex shrugged. “I would have been socializing with you, but he warned me you were in a foul mood. You missed a good game last night.”

Jim ignored him and grabbed a package of hamburger rolls off the shelf.

Alex pointed at the display. “Get some hotdog rolls, too. No, not the wheat. The good kind.”

Jim grabbed a jumbo pack of hotdog rolls and pushed the grocery cart ahead of him.

“Tell me again why we’re grocery shopping instead of, hell, anything else?” Alex pressed.

Staring at the jars of condiments, Jim blew out a breath. “I volunteered.”

“Why?” Alex grabbed a jar of mustard off the shelf and held it out. “Is brown the same thing as Dijon? Susan said she wanted Dijon.”

“I think I flashed the hot young widow next door.”

“You
what?
” Alex fumbled the mustard jar then set it carefully in the cart.

Jim’s voice was a low mumble, “I was skinny-dipping last night
—”

“And you do this often?”

He gave his friend a hard look. “Do you want to hear or not?”

Alex absently threw a couple jars of relish in the cart. “Absolutely.”

“Long story short—I felt like a swim and when I stopped by this morning so she could help me move an extra sofa into the cottage, she blushed. And maybe snickered. It was hard to tell.”

“You go for an impromptu swim in the buff, and you think you’ve been caught because she looked flushed while hauling heavy furniture?”

“Yes.”

Alex rolled his eyes and pushed the cart toward the ketchup and chili sauce. “Your conscience is working overtime. Did she say anything?”

“Of course not.”

“Then we’re really only going on speculation at this point.”

“Alex, I think I know when I have or have not flashed a woman.”

“That much experience, eh? I thought this was an infrequent thing.”

“I’m getting the lettuce and tomatoes,” Jim announced, pushing the cart purposefully down the aisle.

“Oh, no. You don’t get to change the subject that easily. This sounds like a problem. Do your clothes fall off often? How did this happen? I don’t think I’m the only one concerned about this…”

“Very funny. I had a fire call. I was hot and sweaty, and I thought I’d take a swim to cool off. Clean up. Enough said. But this morning, when I offered to lend her that extra couch from my basement—because Grams took most of the furniture when she moved out—we get onto the porch with it and her son yells, ‘watch out’ because we’re knocking into the light fixture. And
she
says, ‘Don’t worry.
It doesn’t work, anyway
.’” Jim stopped meaningfully.

“So?”

“So, I asked how she knew, and she said she’d come out last night to drink her tea on the porch after her son went to bed… She was on the porch, Alex.
After dark.”

Alex stopped the cart with his foot. “Wait a minute. Are you
insane
? You’re after another woman with a kid?”

“Out of everything I said
that’s
what you focus on?” Jim pushed the cart forward. “And I’m not after anybody. She’s my neighbor. I was being neighborly. I brought her a couch.
I
wasn’t the one skulking around in the dark
spying
on people...”

“Technically, I think you’re both guilty of skulking.” Alex shook his head. “Why can’t you hook up with a nice single woman with no strings attached? Just once?”

“I’m not hooking up. Or dating. I’m taking a break. I enjoy being a bachelor.”

“Since when?”

Jim scowled at Alex’s dubious expression. “I’m not Carter. I can live without a new woman around every corner. I have hobbies. Interests.”

“Name one.”

“I don’t know. I used to carve. I could do that again.”

“Like that’ll last.”

“Your point?”

“My point is you’re a serial monogamist. You go from one, long, ill-fated relationship to another. Before Justine there was Megan. Before that, what was it? Leeann? Lee?”

“Leah.”

“Right. And let’s not forget Velcro Veronica
.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call her that...”

“Did she ever let you out of her sight? Anyway, you can’t
not
be involved with a woman. It’s who you are. Trouble is you always pick the wrong ones. Women with issues. And baggage.” He wheeled the cart toward the produce section. “You want my advice?”

“No.”

“What you need is a woman who just wants to have fun. Skip the heavy stuff. And the needy ones. And definitely skip the ones with kids.”

“You’re a regular poster child for fatherhood. Does Suz know you talk this way?” Jim gave up trying to open the plastic produce bag he’d been struggling with and tossed a bunch of tomatoes loose in the cart. “Anyway, easier done if I avoid women altogether. Not so easy if they’re at Grams’ barbecue.”

“It’s your fault for inviting her.”

“I didn’t. Grams must’ve called her.”

“Ah. So
she’s
at your Gram’s house and that’s why we’re here?”

Jim threw a head of iceberg into the cart. “Bingo.”

Alex shook his head. “There’s something wrong in the universe when a single, heterosexual male has to hide from women for his own safety.”

“Tell me about it.”

“That was a joke, man. Suck it up. I highly doubt she’s going to jump your bones at your Grams’ barbeque just because you flashed her. You’re not that good-looking.”

“Thanks.”

Alex grinned. “Anytime.”

“C
AN
I
HELP WITH ANYTHING?” Kate hovered near the kitchen door, assured for the hundredth time that Liam was perfectly fine playing in the sand box with his newfound friends, twins Jimmy and Alexi Lamont.

Ruth Pearson waved Kate in. “Please. My granddaughter is driving me crazy.”

The granddaughter in question pushed an enviable mass of auburn hair over her shoulder and eyed a jumbo pack of ground beef with distaste. “I was just asking where everybody was. All my relatives seem to be conveniently late.”

All
her relatives? Great. Any hopes of avoiding Jim were quickly diminishing. As if this day hadn’t been awkward enough with him delivering that couch and flexing tanned muscles all over the place while Kate pretended she hadn’t seen him in all his glory. Lovely.

But Ruth had insisted she come, and seeing as Kate was staying at Ruth’s cottage for free for the next couple months, it seemed rude to say no. Kate washed her hands. Nothing said she couldn’t hide in the kitchen for as long as possible. “I can help make burgers if you’d like.”

Ruth’s granddaughter heaved a grateful sigh and pushed the package of ground beef forward. “
Thank you
. I cannot handle meat. By the way, I saw you drive in earlier. Your son’s adorable. I’m Grace.”

Kate smiled and nodded awkwardly, her hands already in the hamburger. “Thanks. I’m Kate.”

“So you’re staying in Sugar Falls for the summer?”

“Yes. At least that’s the plan for now. I’m on... leave.”

“Like a sabbatical kind of thing?”

“Not exact
—”

“Grace, before you embarrass yourself,” Ruth cut in, “you should know
—Kate is recently widowed. I’ve invited her to stay at the cottage to have some peace and quiet.”

Grace’s eyes grew huge. “Widowed? I am
so
sorry. How did it happen?”

“
Grace.
”

“It’s okay,” Kate assured them. “It was a car accident.”

“Oh, no. What happened?”

“
Grace!
” Ruth hissed.

Kate stared at the raw beef in her hands, looked up. “The truth is, nobody knows. He was an alcoholic, but he hadn’t been drinking. It was late at night. He was driving too fast to make the turn. They said there might have been fog or maybe an animal was in the road...” Kate trailed off. Who would ever know what happened that night? Although the animal theory never struck Kate as likely. Randy used to yell
ten points!
each time he accidentally hit something, as if they were playing some macabre video game and he hadn’t just run over a living creature.

Grace didn’t say a word, her mouth a silent ‘oh.’

Kate went back to shaping hamburgers. “I’m sorry. That’s probably more than you wanted to know.”

Grace went to Kate then, throwing her arms around her, momentarily knocking the breath out of her. “Oh, God,
no!
I’m an idiot for prying. I’m so sorry I put you on the spot. How awful!” She gave Kate another squeeze, and when Kate pulled back she saw tears pooling in Grace’s eyes.