Daisy's back in town

Chapter Seventeen

Driving wasn't as easy as Nathan thought it would be. On his second day of driver's education, he got to drive aSaturn. Not exactly his idea of a hot car, but the other class had to drive a station wagon. By the third week, he'dmastered the Saturn and figured he was ready to take his new dream car for a spin. Jack's Shelby Mustang. Jackdidn't know it yet, but Nathan wanted to drive that car. Bad.

After the first week, he'd made a few friends with some of the other boys in his class. They didn't ride horses orlisten to crap-ola music. Some of them did chew tobacco, though, which was cool with Nathan.

On the day of classes, his mom dropped him off in front of the high school. He usually walked to Jack'safterward because it was only a few blocks away. He'd been in Lovett for a month now, and he guessed it wasn'tas bad as he thought it was the first few days he'd been here. He liked working in Jack's garage. He likedshooting the bull with the other mechanics, he thought as he walked to the back of the school.

Jack had shown him the business side of running Parrish American Classics, and it looked pretty cool. Maybehe could come here and work next summer too; and when he graduated from high school, he could work withJack and Billy full-time.

That'd be tight, but his mom would have a fit. She wanted him to go to college like his dad. She talked about itas if he had no say in it at all. She was trying to run his life like he was a little kid.

Nathan picked up a rock from the blacktop and threw it at the basketball backboard like he had that day he'dfirst met Jack. The rock fell to the ground and he kicked it.

He didn't know what to call Jack anymore. Calling him Jack felt weird, but he couldn't call him dad. His dadwas Steven Monroe, but Jack was starting to feel like his dad too. They got along pretty good now. Sometimesafter work, they just hung out and talked about cars and stuff. He'd gone over to Billy's and met the rest of thefamily, too. Billy's little girls screamed and giggled a lot, and the middle one ran with her head down and youhad to watch out for her.

Jack usually invited his mom to come along, and it was kind of like they were a family, but not. SometimesNathan caught Jack looking at his mom like he loved her. Then he'd blink or look away or say something andNathan would think he was imagining things. If Jack was in love with his mom, Nathan really didn't know howhe felt about that. Maybe it was okay since Jack was his dad. Sort of.

Jack had only made him mad one time. Nathan had gotten angry at his mom on the Fourth of July, and he'dyelled at her because she wanted to know where he was going and what he was doing. Jack had given him areally hard look and said, "You don't talk to your mother like that. Now apologize."

He would have apologized anyway. His mom bugged him sometimes, but he loved her. He hated to see how sadit made her when he yelled. It made him feel like his chest was caving in, but he never realized he was doing ituntil it was too late.

Nathan started across the field to the opening in the fence. It was Saturday and he didn't have work. Maybe he'dgo take a nap for a while or play the XBOX that his mom had brought back with her when she'd gone to Seattle.

His footsteps slowed as he watched Brandy Jo move through the opening and walk toward him. She wore a reddress with tiny straps and big chunky flip-flops on her feet.

"Hi, Nathan. I haven't seen you in awhile. What are you up too?"

"Taking driver's ed." He stood up a little straighter, then slouched to put his hands in his pockets. Brandy Jo wasabout the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Even wearing those big shoes, the top of her head barely reached his chin.

He got that caving-chest feeling, only this time it had nothing to do with his mom. "What are you doing here onSaturday?"

"I forgot my sweater in the school."

The sun shone in her dark hair, and when she licked her pink lips, his stomach twisted. "Need help?" he askedand almost groaned out loud. Of course she didn't need help.

"No, but I'd like your company."

He swallowed and tried not to smile. He nodded and said, "Cool."

"When are you going to get your driver's license?" she asked as they walked around the side of the school.

"I have to take the test pretty soon." Her bare arm bumped him right beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt and hisshoulder kind of tingled.

"I got my license last month," she said.

"Do you have a car?"

She shook her head and her hair brushed the tops of her shoulders. "Do you?"

"Jack is going to let me drive his." He bumped his arm into hers to see what would happen, and the tingletraveled across his chest.

"Who's Jack?"

"He's... like my dad."

She looked up at him through her big brown eyes. "What do you mean? 'Like your dad'? Is he your step-dad?"

"No. He's my real dad, but I just met him about a month ago."

She stopped on her big flip-flops. "You just met him?" she asked, in the drawl of hers that he was starting tothink was real cute.

"Yeah. I've always known about him, but when my dad died ...When my first dad...other dad..." ...He sighed.

"It's confusing."

"My mom's been married three times," Brandy Jo told him as they started toward the front again. "My daddydied, but my baby brother's daddy lives in Fort Worth. I have another step-daddy right now, but it's not lookingtoo good. Everybody's family is confusing for one reason or another."

They walked side by side into the building, bumping arms and pretending it was an accident. Brandy Jo foundher sweater in the art room and somehow by the time they walked back outside, Nathan held her hand in his.

His throat kinda closed, and then she smiled up at him and he thought his heart stopped. It squeezed light and hewas afraid he'd pass out right there next to the stupid boulder with the words "Lovett Stallions" chiseled in it.

Right there beneath the hot Texas sun. Right in front of the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. He really didn't want todo that.

Nathan looked down at Brandy Jo as she talked about her family. He squeezed her hand, and she moved closeruntil their arms touched. His heart swelled like a balloon in his chest and it felt good and horrible andoverwhelming. He'd never been in love before. Well, except with Nicole Kidman, but that didn't count. But onthat day, beneath the endless blue sky over his head, Nathan Monroe fell in love for the first time in his life.

Daisy stuck her thumb in the end of the garden hose and sprayed down the hood of her mother's Cadillac withwater. Then she plunged a soft sponge into a bucket of soapy water and washed dirt from the car. The hotafternoon sun beat down on her, and she could feel it toast her shoulders, chest and her back above the scoop ofher red tank top.

She'd spent most of her day over at lily's, cleaning house and doing laundry while Lily sat on the couch with hercast resting on pillows. Lily's divorce was final now, and her lawyer had come through for her. He'd showed thejudge bank statements prior to Ronnie draining the account, and the judge had ordered Ronnie to pay Lily tenthousand dollars, monthly child support, and he had to pay Pippen's medical insurance, too.

Her mother was still over at Lily's fetching and toting. Daisy knew that her sister was having a hard time doingsimple tasks since she'd come home from the hospital. She didn't mind helping out, but Lily's messed up lifehad put Daisy in a bad mood.

Actually, it was more than just a bad mood. She felt unsettled, but lily had very little part in that. Lately, Daisy'smood had more to do with the sum total of her life rather than just one piece. She was anxious to get on with herlife, yet scared and uncertain. Her house in Washington hadn't sold yet, but it had only been on the market forabout a month. She was moving forward with her plans to open a photography studio, yet she felt a stitch ofanxiety when she thought of leaving Texas. It seemed to her that one moment she was crystal clear about whatshe wanted, and in the next she was confused as hell.

She'd gone out twice with Matt and she'd had a good time. But when he'd kissed her, she'd known therewouldn't be a third time. She was in love with someone else, and it wasn't fair to Matt.

Daisy leaned as far as possible over the Caddy's hood and washed a spot she'd missed. She glanced up as one ofthe biggest reasons for her confusion pulled his Mustang beside the curb in front of her mother's house.

Jack got out of his car and walked across the yard toward her. A lock of dark hair hung over his forehead, andfor once he wasn't wearing a hat. Sunlight refracted little blue pinwheels off the lenses of his sunglasses. Hisgreen shirt buttoned up the front and he wore faded Levi's. It was Saturday and he hadn't shaved. Dark stubbleshadowed his face and drew attention to the sensual lines of his mouth. Every time she saw him, her heartsqueezed a little while her head told her to run screaming in the opposite direction.

"Hey there," she said as she straightened and rinsed soap from the hood. "What are you up to, besides no good?"

"I'm looking for Nathan. I thought he might stop by my house after his driver's ed class, but he didn't."

"He's not here yet," she said and could feel his gaze on her from behind his glasses. "I'm sure be here soon ifyou want to wait.'"I'll wait a few," he said as he glanced down the street. He'd been doing that a lot since they'd returned from thelake about a month ago. Undressing her with his eyes then turning away. Of course it was entirely possible thathe wasn't even looking at her with any more interest than a bug. It was very possible that she was imagining itall. Kind of like wishful thinking. Which made her not only sad and pathetic and extremely delusional, but ascrazy as the rest of her family. Scary thought.

She picked up the bucket and hose and moved to the opposite side of the car from Jack.

"Tomorrow night, Billy and some of the guys are getting together to play football over at Horizon View Park."

He rested his weight on one foot and returned his gaze to her. "I talked to Nathan about it the other day, and hewas going to get back to me about whether he could make it."

"We don't have anything planned, so I don't have a problem with him going." Daisy set the bucket on theground and raised the hose to the roof of the car. "Tackle or flag?"

"Flag football is for sissy men," he scoffed as he moved to stand directly across from her. "And girls."

She decided to let that one pass. "I don't want Nathan to play without a helmet and pads."

"We'll make sure he has all the right equipment." He tilted his head to the side as if he where sizing her up too.

"Why don't you come on down in one of your old cheerleader outfits? You can do cartwheels and backflips likeyou used to." The corners of his mouth slid upward into a purely carnal smile. "Or those toe-touch jumps. Youused to give a beauty of a crotch-shot."

Daisy's thumb found the end of the hose again and water sprayed across the roof of the car, hit Jack's chest andshoulders, and splattered his sunglasses.

"Oops," she said and removed her thumb.

His brows lowered and disappeared behind the lenses. "You did that on purpose."

She gasped. Scandalized. "No. I didn't."

"Yes," he said very slowly, "you did."

"Wrooong." She shook her head, stuck her thumb in the end of the hose again and hit him dead center in hischest between his shoulders. Water sprayed up to his chin and down to the front of his shirt. "Now that," shesaid when she pulled her thumb out, "was on purpose."

"Do you have any idea," he spoke as he removed his sunglasses and stuffed them in the pocket of his soggyshirt, "what I'm going to do to you?"

"Nothing."

His green gaze promised retribution as he walked around the hood of the cat "Wrooong," he mimicked her.

She took a step back. "Stay where you are."

"Scared?"

"No." She took another step back.

"You should be, baby girl."

"What are you going to do?"

"Quit movin' and you'll find out."

She stood her ground, raised the hose and shot him in the head with a stream of water. He ducked, and beforeshe could even think to run he was on her, pinning her against the back passenger door and wresting the hosefrom her hands.

"Jack, no!" She started to laugh. "I'll never do it again. I swear"

He looked down into her face and water ran from a lock of hair hanging above his forehead and dripped on hischeek. His long eyelashes were wet and tangled on the ends. "I know you won't," he said as he pulled out thefront of her tank top and shoved the hose inside.

"That's cold - auggg!" She grabbed his hand and attempted to wrestle the hose from her shirt.

"Laugh it up, funny girl." He pinned her with his body and was getting just as wet as she was.

"Stop!" Water shot between her cleavage and ran down her stomach. Her nipples puckered from the cold.

"That's freezing."

With his face just above hers he said, "Tell me how sorry you are."

She was laughing so hard she could barely talk.

"Sooooo sorry" she managed as she tried to squirm her way out from beneath him. His hips held her exactlywhere he wanted her.

'That's not good enough." He pulled the hose from her shirt and dropped it on the ground. "Show me," he said,his voice rough.

Daisy's laughter died on her lips and she looked into his face. Really looked at the desire shining through hisgreen eyes. He stood with his feet on the outsides of hers. His thighs, hips and lower abdomen pressed into her,and she was suddenly aware that at least eight inches of him was very happy to see her. A ribbon of warmsensation uncurled in her stomach. Her heart told her to stay while her head screamed at her to run. "How?"

"You know how." He lowered his gaze to her mouth. "And make it good."

She ran her cold hands up his wet chest and shoulders and through the side of his hair. She lifted her face andslid one hand to the back of his head. She touched her mouth to his and she felt her heart expand. It filled herchest and made breathing difficult and there was no denying it for exactly what it was. She'd felt it before. Onlythis time it was stronger. Less confused. Like turning the camera's focus ring until it was very clear.

She was in love with Jack Parrish. Again. Her heart had won this round.

The thinnest slice of sunlight separated their mouths. They both held their breaths; their gazes locked. Waitingfor the other to make the first move.

Daisy gave him a sweet little peck. "Is that good?"

His lips brushed across hers as he shook his head.

"Try again."

"How about this?" Her lips parted and she touched the seam of his mouth with the tip of her tongue.

He sucked in a breath and his voice was rough when he asked, "Is that the best you can do?"

She raised a hand to the side of his face and brushed her fingers against the stubble of his jaw. "No, but don'tthink you can handle the best I can do."

"Try Me."

Daisy's eyes drifted shut and she melted into him just a little. The tips of her breasts brushed the front of hisshirt and her nipples puckered from more than the cold. Warmth spread across her flesh and settled between herlegs. She pressed her open mouth to his and kissed him. At first she gave him soft teasing kisses that had Jackchasing her tongue for more. A frustrated groan rose from his chest, and he tilted his head to one side andturned up the heat. He forced her mouth open wider and took over.

With their lips locked together, he wrapped his arms around her and took a step back. He grabbed her behind inhis big hands and pulled her onto the tips of her toes.

He drew back and looked into her face. "You feel good." Very slowly he let her body slide down his, then hepulled her back up. "No one has ever felt as good as you." His mouth covered hers again. Cold water from thehose ran across her toes as the kiss turned hot.

Behind her, Daisy heard someone clear his throat, a split second before Nathan's voice penetrated her lust-filledhaze. "Ah, Mom?"

Jack raised his face, and she dropped onto her heels and spun around. "Nathan!" It took a few dazed momentsfor her to realize that he wasn't alone. A teenaged girl stood next to him. Nathan looked from her face to Jack'sand his cheeks turned deep red.

"How long have you been standing there?" Jack asked, his voice calm and collected for a man who'd just hadhis hands on Daisy's behind, sliding her up and down his body.

"We saw you from down the street." Nathan returned his gaze to Daisy. He didn't say anything more and shecouldn't tell what he was thinking.

Daisy forced a smile on her face and said, "Are you going to introduce your friend?"

"This is Brandy Jo." He pointed toward Daisy. "That's my mom and Jack."

"It's a pleasure to meet y'all."

Daisy moved to take a step forward but Jack's hand on the waistband of her shorts kept her in front of him. Shelooked up over her shoulder at him, he raised a brow, and the light dawned. Jack was using her for cover. Shefelt heat creep up her neck to her cheek. Just like Nathan. The only person who didn't seem embarrassed wasJack.

She turned her attention to Nathan and Brandy Jo.

"Do you live close by?" she asked, to cover the awkward silence.

"Over on Taft." Brandy Jo glanced up at Nathan. "The first day Nathan and I met, I told him that we're kind ofrelated. My aunt Jessica is married to Ronnie Darlington's cousin Bull."

Well, at least she wasn't a blood relative to Ronnie. "Lily and Ronnie's divorce was final a few weeks ago."

"Oh. I didn't know that." She smiled and said just above a whisper, "Ronnie's a dog and no one could figure outwhat Lily ever saw in him."

Brandy Jo was obviously a smart girl.

"I came by to talk to you about that football game tomorrow night," Jack said.

"And you couldn't find anything to do until I got here, so you decided to make out with my mom in the frontyard?"

Daisy's mouth fell open.

Jack laughed. "It seemed like a good way to pass the time."

Daisy turned around and looked at him.

"What?" he said through an evil grin. "You thought so too."