Sizzling (12 page)

* * *

LORI HAD A RESTLESS NIGHT and a difficult morning. She couldn't
seem to concentrate on what she was doing, mostly because she kept
reliving her conversation with Reid.
While she knew he was
telling the truth, she still had trouble believing any woman could
reject him so easily. Sure, he was too good-looking to be real but he
was charming and fun and just thinking about having him kiss her
again was enough to make her weak at the knees, which made her want
to pound her head against the wall out of sheer humiliation, but
there it was. The reality that Reid was the kind of guy women loved.
Even smart women who knew better. Apparently self-awareness was very
different from immunity.
She couldn't get her mind around the
fact that someone he'd been in love with had walked away from him.
Had, in fact, rejected him cruelly. There had to be more to the
story.
Lori knew many of her questions would never be
answered— especially the one about why this was so fascinating
to her. She didn't want to know the answer to that.
She
finished clearing the dishes from lunch and loading the dishwasher.
Then she went to check on Gloria.
Her patient was reading in
bed. Gloria set down her book when Lori entered the room.
"My
oldest grandson's wife is coming to visit," Gloria said, her
voice sounding more resigned than pleased. "She had a baby
recently. The biological father came from a sperm bank, if you can
believe it. I'll never understand why Cal wanted to get back together
with a woman who would do that sort of thing. He could have done so
much better than some breeding cow who…"
Lori
raised her eyebrows.
Gloria drew in a breath, then let it go
slowly. After a second, she spoke again. "My grandson's new wife
is coming by to visit. She's bringing her new baby. Won't that be
lovely?"
Lori grinned. "I think you'll enjoy the
company."
"I like babies," Gloria said slowly.
"Regardless of where they…" She paused again. "Penny
is very pretty. I'm sure her baby will be especially
attractive."
"You're making progress," Lori
told her. "How does that feel?"
"Awkward and
foolish most of the time," Gloria admitted. "But you're
right. It makes a difference. I want my family in my life and if this
is what it takes, then I'm willing to do it."
"The
things we do for love."
Gloria stared at her. "Or
don't do. Why aren't you married?"
"No one
asked."
"I find that hard to believe. You're
perfectly capable."
Lori knew that there was a genuine
compliment buried in the less than elegant words. "I should have
that stitched on a pillow. 'Perfectly capable.'"
"You
know what I mean. You're the sort of woman who would make someone a
good wife."
"You'd think that, wouldn't you? But
apparently men everywhere decided they could live without me."
She spoke lightly, not wanting to admit there might be any pain
inherent in her situation. She was nearly thirty years old and no man
had ever fallen in love with her.
Her sister's theory was that
she deliberately picked men she could never care about so it was
easier for her to keep her distance. Lori wasn't sure. She'd never
been in love, so maybe Madeline had been right. And she did tend
toward men who were safe.
Except for Reid. Not that she could
ever really care about him, but he was someone she could dream
about.
She'd gone her entire life without having a crush on
someone. Why did she have to have one now? And on him?
"You're
not sexy enough," Gloria said.
Lori stared at her.
"Excuse me?"
"Men are stupid about sex. Always
have been. You don't try to make yourself attractive."
"I
dress appropriately for my job."
Gloria shook her head.
"Don't pretend that this is how you are during the day and it's
totally different the rest of the time. You've made a career of
blending into the background. I'm not fooled. Hand me my
purse."
Lori reached for the leather handbag by the
bookcase and passed it across to her patient.
"Maybe I
like my life," she said, more than a little annoyed. "Maybe
I don't appreciate your criticism."
Gloria slipped on her
reading glasses and pulled out a Palm Pilot. "I'm the queen
bitch, girly. What makes you think I care?"
Lori tried to
hide her smile, but couldn't. "You're not all that."
Gloria
looked at her over her glasses. "I'm all that and more. Write
this down." She read off a phone number. "You want Ramon
and only Ramon. Tell him I sent you. That should put the fear of God
into him."
"Who, exactly, is Ramon?"
"My
hairdresser. And don't panic. I'm an old woman and he does what I
say. But with your hair, he could do something amazing."
Lori
resisted the need to finger her long, wavy hair. It had always been a
disaster she didn't know how to control. Deep down inside, she'd
always wondered if a great cut could make a difference. But she'd
been afraid to try before, so she'd left her hair long and kept it
back in a braid.
Still, she was tempted. Would changing her
hair make Reid see her differently? And how much did she hate that he
was the first place her mind zipped?
"Thanks," she
said. "I'll think about it."
"You'll call,"
Gloria said. "That's an order."
"Yes,
ma'am."
"Good." She glanced at the clock. "Now
put my purse away and help me to the bathroom. Penny will be here any
minute."

* * *

TWENTY MINUTES LATER Lori opened the door to find an attractive
woman holding a baby on the wide porch. The woman seemed tense and
apprehensive.
"Penny Jackson," the woman said with a
tight smile. "Not Buchanan. Which I'm sure Gloria hates. For a
woman who was a pioneer in her day, she has some very particular
ideas about the rest of the world. Not that I care. I don't care.
Except she's Cal's grandmother and my grandmother-in-law, so even
though I don't want to care, I actually do."
She paused,
sucked in a breath and seemed to relax. "You're probably
thinking you don't want to let the insane inside. I totally get
that."
Lori grinned. "I'm a professional. The insane
don't scare me."
"Good to know. What about mean old
ladies?"
"I'm fearless."
"I wish I
was."
"You will be. I'm Lori Johnston, Gloria's day
nurse," she said as she stepped back. "Come on in."
"Do
I have to?" Penny asked, but she stepped inside. "I'm
married to Cal, Gloria's oldest grandson, which you might have
figured out from my senseless rant. This is Allison."
Lori
stepped close to smile at the baby, ignoring the audible ticking of
her biological clock. All she had to do was see a small child and her
body sent up hard to ignore get-pregnant-now messages.
"She's
beautiful," she said honestly, gazing down at the sleeping
baby.
Allison was all pink skin and pale wisps of hair. She
smelled like powder and vanilla and her mouth was that perfect
rosebud shape women spent the rest of their lives trying to
duplicate.
"I think so," Penny told her. "You
should see Cal. He's crazy about her. I know some men are freaked out
about babies, but he's not. He wants to be a part of everything. He's
even crabby that I'm breast-feeding because it means he can't help."
She sighed. "He's a great guy."
Lori felt a flicker
of envy. Not because she was the least bit interested in Penny's
husband but because she was stupid enough to want a great guy for
herself. Which wasn't likely to happen. She had never been in love.
Not even once. Obviously there was something wrong with her.
Her
lack of love wasn't all one-sided— after all, no one had ever
been in love with her, either. Although she wasn't sure if that made
the situation better or worse.
Lori grabbed the large diaper
bag hanging from Penny's shoulder.
"I'll put this in the
kitchen for you," she said. "Would you like anything while
you're visiting Gloria? Tea? Decaf? A sandwich?"
Penny
sighed heavily. "I want to say a speedy escape, but I have a
reputation for being tough. Difficult even. I once stabbed a man. It
was an accident, but still. I refuse to be afraid of one small old
woman."
Lori felt her eyes widen. "You stabbed
someone?"
Penny shrugged. "Assuming I survive this,
I'll give you the details." She raised her head and thrust out
her chin. "Okay. I'm braced."
"You don't need
to be braced," Lori told her. "You'll do fine. Gloria has
changed."
"So I've heard, but as I've yet to see any
flying pigs, I'm reserving judgment."
Lori resisted the
need to say, "You'll see." Instead she led the way into
Gloria's temporary quarters.
"Penny's here," she
said as she stepped aside to let in Cal's wife and the baby.
Gloria
raised her bed and smiled welcomingly. "Penny! How delightful to
see you. Thank you so much for coming. I know you must be busy,
between taking care of Allison and cooking those delicious meals at
the restaurant."
Penny came to a stop and stared at Lori,
then looked back at Gloria.
"Come here," Gloria
said, coaxingly. "Oh, what a beautiful little girl. So precious.
She's perfect and she looks just like you."
Lori did her
best not to look smug as she stepped out of the room and shut the
door behind her.

* * *

AN HOUR LATER Cal arrived with Reid on his heels. Both men
carried large takeout bags from the Downtown Sports Bar. Lori knew
that was where Reid supposedly worked, although he hadn't been going
in much. Not that she blamed him. The whole world wanted to talk
about how lousy he was in bed or find out if he wasn't. Under those
circumstances, she supposed that laying low made sense.
"Your
wife and daughter are already here," Lori said as she took the
bags from Cal. "I'll get this ready to serve. Do you want to eat
in Gloria's room or the dining room?"
Cal glanced back at
Reid who tilted his head toward the study, where Penny and Allison
were still entertaining Gloria.
Cal looked doubtful. "I
want to be in the mood to eat."
"You will be,"
Reid told him. "Trust me. Go on. Say hello. Give it five
minutes. If she bugs you, we'll eat out here."
"You're
setting me up. I can feel it."
"Would I do that to
you?" Reid asked, looking innocent.
"In a
heartbeat." Cal disappeared down the hall.
Reid followed
Lori into the kitchen.
"How's it going with Penny?"
he asked.
"I haven't heard any screaming, so that's a
good thing."
"It is."
He began unpacking
the bags. She did the same, trying not to say anything as she opened
containers of chicken wings and various sauces, spinach-and-artichoke
dip with chips, fried shrimp, potato skins and taquitos.
Behind
her, she heard a low chuckle. She turned to find Reid grinning at
her.
"Say it," he told her. "You're dying to
yell at me about the food, aren't you?"
"I have no
idea what you're talking about."
"Liar."
He
was standing close enough for her to see the various shades of brown
and gold that made up his irises. His lips curved into a smile that
made her insides get all squishy. Suddenly nothing about the food
bothered her. Instead she wanted to press up against him and have a
second go-round of that kissing action.
Several things
prevented her from acting on any impulses. For one thing, except for
the brief greeting at her house, he'd never tried to kiss her again,
which wasn't a good sign. For another, they weren't alone in the
house. But the real reason was she was terrified of being
rejected.
Reid was the kind of man who took what he wanted.
She was right there, practically begging. His lack of response was
answer enough.
"You hate the food," he said.
It
took her a second to figure out what he was talking about. "I'm
sure it's fine."
"It's not healthy."
"I'm
not going to be eating it."
The right side of his smile
curved up a little more. "Come on, Lori. Give in. You want to
yell and I'm willing to listen. You might even get through to me.
Look at all that fat, those empty calories. Not a vegetable in sight.
Well, except the spinach and artichokes. So that's something,
right?"
Thoughts of kissing faded as indignation flared
inside of her. She knew that he was baiting her and didn't mind in
the least. A loud argument about his disgusting eating habits might
make her forget how much it hurt to want someone who didn't want her
back.
"You're a grown man, not some teenager," she
said. "You know better. Worse, you've been a professional
athlete. I know you've been educated on what is best for your body.
If you expect any kind of peak performance, you have to give your
body something to work with. This garbage will kill you. That's the
bad news. The good news is you'll go slowly, so you'll have plenty of
time to enjoy your fade to black."
"That's my girl,"
he said.
She narrowed her gaze. "I'm serious. Eat a real
vegetable. Some fruit. A lean protein. With this kind of food, you
might as well drink drain cleaner and be done with it."
"He's
not going to listen."
She turned and saw Cal standing in
the doorway to the kitchen. "I know. I'm ranting because I need
to, not in an effort to change him."
"That makes
sense." Cal walked toward her. "Although if anyone could
get through to him, I'm guessing it would be you. You seem capable of
working miracles."
For a second her heart froze in her
chest. She felt the absence of beating and a distinct coldness.
She
could change Reid? How? Because he'd said something to his brother?
He'd hinted that he cared about her, or that he…
"I
don't know what you did to Gloria," Cal continued, "but
it's damned incredible."
Oh. Right. Gloria.
Her
heart resumed a disappointed beat.
"I only pointed out
the possibilities," she said, going for cheerful and hoping she
didn't fail. "She made the decision to change. It's a work in
progress and she's doing great."
"More than great,"
Cal said. "I don't know how to thank you."
"No
thanks are required."
Reid put his arm around her
shoulders and hugged her close. "Can I pick 'em or what?"
"You
don't get credit for me," Lori told him, ignoring the heat his
touch generated. "The nursing agency sent you a list of names
and you picked me at random."
Reid looked wounded. "You
don't know that."
"I'm willing to put money on my
guess."
"She doesn't take your crap," Cal said.
"I like that."
"She keeps me honest," Reid
said. "No one's done that before."
Lori tried to
take pleasure in the compliment but she didn't want to keep Reid
honest. She wanted to keep him up nights with unquenchable desire.
Like that was ever going to happen.
"Honest, huh?"
Cal raised his eyebrows. "Interesting."
"Yeah,
yeah. Fascinating," Reid grumbled. "Let's eat. Gloria must
be hungry."
Lori wrinkled her nose. "There's no way
your grandmother will eat this horrible, greasy food."
"You
think you know everything," he said, stepping away from her.
"But you don't."
Then he handed her the plate of
wings with the bowl of dipping sauce in the middle.
"Cal,
grab the rest of this," he said. "I'll bring in plates and
napkins. Tell Penny I don't want any complaints about the food. Now
that she's a hot chef, she complains too much."
Lori felt
awkward as she carried the food into Gloria's room. There was a
little too much family for her comfort and she didn't want anyone to
think she assumed she was one of them.
But when she entered
the study, the number of chairs pulled up to Gloria's hospital bed
indicated a party of four joining the elder Buchanan.
Lori
hovered and fussed with the food and the plates until Reid pushed her
into a chair and took the one next to her.
"I should—
" she began, only to be cut off when he handed her a plate
covered in fried food.
"Eat," he said.
"But…"
He
picked up a taquito and placed it between her lips. "Eat."
She
ate.
Conversation flowed easily. She listened, rather than
participated, as they talked business and family. She'd already met
Walker and could place him, but Reid and Cal's sister, Dani, was
still a mystery to her.
"Walker has a handle on the
business," Cal was saying. "Sales are up at The
Waterfront."
"I'm a little annoyed by that,"
Penny admitted. She'd placed the baby on the bed next to Gloria and
pulled up the side bars to keep everyone safe. "I was gone for
nearly two months. How could sales be up without me there to
supervise the meals? I hate the thought of being
replaceable."
"You're never that," Cal told
her.
Gloria chewed, then swallowed. "Obviously you left a
well-trained staff in place. Plus, Walker mentioned something about
an increase in advertising. That wouldn't have helped if not for your
excellent menus."
Cal and Penny exchanged a look of
surprise, then Penny murmured, "Thank you."
Lori
felt like a proud parent watching a child in her first play. She
wanted to remind them all that Gloria wasn't really evil. She'd just
lost her way. But Lori didn't want to break the mood by saying that.
Instead she enjoyed the death food and the way Reid sat close to her.
Was it totally stupid of her to pretend that this was real? That she
was one of them and that Reid…what? Cared about her?
The
longing was as intense as it was foolish. If she were friends with
someone in her situation, she would tell her friend to get over the
guy who was out of reach and move on with her life. That time spent
dreaming was just a waste.
Reid passed her a couple of chicken
wings. "Secret recipe," he whispered in her ear. "You'll
love them."
As he spoke, he winked. Talk about charming.
Now that she knew a little more about his past, she couldn't keep
telling herself he had the emotional depth of a cookie sheet. There
was more to the man than just good looks and a way with women.
The
information hardly helped her situation. He was still as out of reach
as the moon and she was nothing more than a coyote howling for what
she would never have.