Playing For Keeps (15 page)

“What are you thinking about?”

She looked over at Eric when he spoke to her. He always seemed to know when something was on her mind. He insisted that her eyes and body posture gave her away. She knew it was probably true.

As a little girl when she looked into her father’s eyes, she had always known what he had been thinking. Even the night that he had been shot, she had been able to read the fear and the pain in his eyes. It had been something she had never forgotten.

At the time, she hadn’t known what the expression had meant, but eventually, she realized her father had known he wasn’t going to be with them much longer. In a way, she had known it as well. She looked up as Eric reached over and squeezed her hand.

“Whatever it is, try not to think about it. Your grandparents are here, and you are supposed to be enjoying yourself.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “You are right. I am starting to get wrinkles from frowning so much.”

She turned her attention back to her grandparents and laughed at her grandmother’s reenactment of her grandfather’s run-in with a deer. For some reason, her grandparents always seemed to have collisions with wildlife. It also seemed that her grandfather could move quicker than it looked. This was also the story that her grandmother had been making reference to earlier.

Their pizzas arrived, and they ate. Then it was their turn to share their stories of anything interesting that had occurred lately. The highlight of the subject was Kayla and her attraction to James. Keirra teased Kayla to the point that she threatened to poison her ice cream. Everyone let up, but the conversation became serious the next time her grandmother spoke.

“Does this man know you are attracted to him?”

Kayla sighed. “Grandma, he would have to be blind not to.”

Kayla retold the story of her encounter with James Feldon, and their grandparents leaned back in their chairs to listen. When she was finished they stared at her. “Sounds like a match made in heaven.”

Keirra looked over at Eric when her grandmother made the statement. He held Wade, and from the looks of it they were in a deep conversation with each other. Eric was listening intently to every word that Wade said. Her heart melted at the sight, and it was easy to imagine him taking the time and effort with his own children. He was definitely good with children in a way she would have never expected him to be. She would have thought he would have run off in the opposite direction at the thought of having to spend time with a child.

Her grandmother’s words to Kayla echoed in her head. What she had with him seemed to be a match made in heaven. She knew there was a risk when she had gotten involved with Eric. For some reason, dating an officer of the law bothered her but not as much. What scared her more now, was their relationship was working out well, too well. Right now, his job wasn’t the main issue because nothing had happened for it to be. Would his job ever become a strain on their relationship? If it did, could their relationship survive?

* * * *

“I have got to be losing my mind.”

Keirra said it more to herself than to anyone else. She was getting her suitcase ready for the trip to Atlanta. In the middle of the process, she began to doubt her sanity. Yet, she had good reason.

Knowing that she was going to be spending four days with his family was a little nerve-racking. One full day was fine, but four might be too much. After doing a quick check she zipped up the bag and sat it by the door. Eric would be there any moment. She grabbed her purse and suitcase before heading downstairs as quietly as possible. It was early, and she didn’t want to wake Kayla. She would call her a little later. Just as she made it downstairs she saw Eric’s headlights pull up into the yard.

She put her coat on and headed out the front door. Eric ran up to pick up her suitcase. Together they walked to his SUV. He opened the door then gave her a brief kiss on the lips. She slid into the vehicle with his help.

Eric placed her suitcase in the trunk then went around and slid in on the driver’s side. “Good morning.”

She smiled. “Good morning.”

“You can take your coat off before I start driving if you want. I will have the heater on.”

She took off the coat and secured her seatbelt. When she was finished, he backed out of the driveway, and they were on their way to Atlanta.

“You might want to sleep on the way down. We are going to eat early.”

She nodded again and closed her eyes, but sleep didn’t come, and it should have. When they made it to Atlanta, her eyes were still wide open. Eric pulled up to his parents’ home. He got their bags and made his way up the walkway. Arthur opened the door with a warm smile.

“
Buenos días
. Come on in, you two.”

They stepped into the house, and Keirra inhaled as she embraced Arthur. “Something smells really good.”

She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and it may have been a mistake because her stomach was about to embarrass her. Arthur must have read her mind.

“You two put your things up, and come and join Charlotte and myself in the kitchen.”

Eric nodded and led her down the hall. She looked at him in surprise when he led her past the guest room she had stayed in last time. Instead, he led her to his room. She shook her head.

“
Oh no
. Absolutely not.”

Eric laughed. “Sometimes I think that is your favorite phrase.”

She gave him a look of warning. “Well, most of the time, I think you are insane, and where has it gotten us?”

Her comment made him laugh even harder, but he continued into his room. She tried to take her bag from him but quickly discovered she was wasting her time.

She rolled her eyes in irritation. “I refuse to sleep with you in your parents’ home.”

“What is wrong with us sleeping in the same room?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing if it was actually sleeping you were thinking about doing.”

He stared at her with mock disappointment. “You wound me.”

Ready to do battle, she glared at him, but her stomach grumbled. “We will take this matter up once my stomach is full.”

He smiled and sat the bags down. She allowed him to lead the way to the kitchen. Charlotte had their plates ready, and Keirra sat down with a grateful thank-you in Spanish to Charlotte. A smile appeared on Charlotte’s face.

“You have been working on your Spanish.”

She gave a slightly embarrassed nod. “Eric has taught me a few phrases and words, but I can’t hold a conversation beyond a greeting yet.”

Eric grinned. “She is a good student, and she will be able to hold a conversation in no time.”

She felt a sense of warmth at his compliment as she began to eat, savoring the ham, eggs, and English muffins. She could tell he had been surprised when she’d asked him to teach her a few words of Spanish. As she stated earlier, it would take her some time to be able to hold a conversation, but she could probably walk around the kitchen and pronounce a few items in the kitchen, including those on her plate. Several minutes later, she pushed the plate away. Eric’s hand snaked out and grabbed the piece of ham and English muffin she had left on her plate, and they disappeared into his mouth before she could blink.

“You need any help, Mother?”

Charlotte nodded her head in the direction of the uncooked turkey. “You can stuff your brother.”

Eric laughed before standing up. He grabbed his plate and hers to take them to the sink. He washed his hands, and then dried them before patting the turkey.

“I will take good care of you.”

Keirra laughed. Delusion definitely ran in his family, which is why he fit so well into her own. A yawn escaped her, and she covered her mouth just in time to avoid being rude.

“Why don’t you go lie down and rest?”

Keirra shook her head. She would feel guilty about sleeping while everyone else worked. “I couldn’t leave you guys to do all the work.”

Charlotte waved a hand of dismissal. “The only thing that I’m preparing is the turkey and the cornbread stuffing.”

Eric nodded solemnly. “It is true, and I am taking care of the turkey, so it only leaves Mom with the dressing.”

“My daughters are making the vegetables and dessert.”

Feeling reassured that she wouldn’t leave the impression of a bad guest, she stood. She thanked Charlotte for breakfast, before walking over to give Eric a kiss, amazed at how easy the action came to her. She headed to Eric’s room, and she knew she should take her bag and head to the guest room but his bed looked so inviting. Maybe she should sit on it to see if it felt as comfortable as it looked. It did. As a matter of fact, it felt more comfortable than the guest room bed did. She couldn’t resist lying down. The bed was really comfortable. So comfortable that she fell asleep without realizing it.

* * * *

“Oh my goodness, everything looks great,” Keirra murmured.

Eric rubbed his hands in anticipation. “Yeah, but it tastes even better than it looks.”

Keirra stared at the food that covered the table and automatically thought about her sisters. She had talked to them briefly before sitting down to dinner with the Brooks. The one comfort she had was knowing her sisters were enjoying their dinner with the Strouds.

Charlotte beamed. “Thank you, dear. Now who is going to bless the food?”

Eric volunteered to do it. He took Keirra’s hand in his and blessed the food quickly and efficiently.

Soon food was being passed around, and Eric made her plate putting everything she asked for on it.

The first bite of food had her closing her eyes in pleasure. Everything tasted good.

“Are you okay?”

She looked up at Eric and grinned. “Yes, I am. I am glad you invited me.”

“I am glad you came,” Eric stated before he brushed a kiss across her lips.

“Ooh, Uncle Eric and Keirra are kissing at the table.”

Keirra laughed at Nina. Eric made a goofy face, and it made Nina laugh along with a few other members of the family.

“Did you have a chance to talk to your sisters?”

Keirra smiled at Irene’s question before nodding. “Yes, I did. They told me to tell all of you hello.”

“Maybe we will get a chance to meet them soon,” Gaia added.

Marianne grinned. “I am anxious to see if I can tell you guys apart.”

Eric laughed. “Trust me, you can. They might look alike, but that is where the similarity ends.”

Keirra shook her head. “Your brother is one of a kind. He was able to tell us apart from day one.

There are people who have known us for years and can’t tell us apart.”

Owen laughed. “My brother and I are three years apart, and people think that we are twins.”

Gaia rolled her eyes. “Those people are blind. You and your brother look nothing alike.”

Keirra found herself laughing. They were comical.

“Well maybe we can meet your sisters when we come to Baxley for Christmas,” Charlotte announced with a smile.

That caused Eric to look up quickly. There was a sincere look of alarm on his face, and Keirra tried not to laugh. It was nice to see the tables turned on him for once. His mother only smiled.

“What did you say?”

Charlotte looked at her son with innocence. “Well how long did you think it would be before we would come and visit you at your new home?”

Eric arched a dark brow in his mother’s direction. “Normally you ask a person if you can invade their house before you do it.”

Keirra tried to hide her amusement. “Yes, Eric. Just like you ask people where they want to go for the holidays.”

He issued her a warning glare, and she promptly ignored it. It only served him right for all of the headaches that he’d caused her with his underhanded scheming.

Arthur laughed. “You know your mother. She doesn’t ask to do anything, not when she doesn’t have to.”

Arthur managed to dodge Charlotte’s hand, and Eric looked at Keirra for assistance. She shrugged her shoulders. There was no way she was going to go up against the Brooks. There were times when she didn’t go up against her sisters, and she was only outnumbered by two to one there.

“Traitor,” he muttered, and she laughed.

“That may be, but I am on the winning side, and now I know where you get it from.”

Laughter sounded from around the table, and she watched Eric shake his head. Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle, and she could tell that he knew it. He gave her another look of irritation, and she smiled.

“It looks like you will have a full house for Christmas.”

Keirra looked up as Eric’s cell phone rang. She hadn’t realized how deep in thought she’d been. He looked at the caller ID and grinned before answering the phone. Even though she was sitting next to him, she only caught bits and pieces of the conversation as Eric talked. He put the caller on hold before looking over at her.

“Keirra, would you like to go out to eat with a couple of my friends?”

She gave him a look surprise. They had spent the day relaxing, and she was still trying to recover from yesterday’s Thanksgiving dinner. She had enjoyed spending time with his parents and listening to the amusing stories they had about Eric as a child. He had turned a dark shade of red under his tan when his mother brought out the photo book, but he had been a good sport.

After the photo book had been put away, Arthur had dragged Charlotte off upstairs and left them to watch movies in the family room. She and Eric didn’t have any plans, which was why an invite to dinner tonight had been the last thing she’d expected. “When?”

“Tonight.”

Her eyes widened, but she found herself nodding. What was she going to wear? Eric confirmed they would be joining his friends before ending the call. He hung up the phone.

“What is wrong?”

She sighed. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring anything nice to wear out, so I need to run to the mall.”

Eric smiled in return. “Well I despise shopping and only do it when I absolutely have to, but I know just the people that can help.”

Eric reopened the phone and dialed his oldest sister’s number. Gaia answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Gaia, how is it going?”