Overheated

CHAPTER EIGHT

RECOVERING FROM THE LONGEST, most passionate kiss in history, Crystal scrambled to comb out her mussed ponytail and fix her smeared lipstick, while Larry retrieved a couple of bottles of wine.

She straightened her top and smoothed the front of her pants, stuffing her feet back into her shoes.

“The world won’t stop turning if we’re five minutes late,” he pointed out.

“But Nash will get suspicious.”

“So what?”

“So, I thought we were trying to be discreet.”

“I’m pretty much over that.”

She paused on the way out the door. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I guess if you’re willing to be seen with me in public, I can handle being seen with you.”

She started back down the stairs. “How truly magnanimous of you.”

He followed behind. “Isn’t it though?”

They exited through the front door.

Rufus opened one eye to watch them leave the porch. But then he sighed and closed it again as they headed down the dirt path to Nash’s house.

The trees closed in around them. The light from Larry’s porch faded, while Nash’s house lights brightened in the distance. On the starlit pathway, Larry casually slipped his hand over hers. She was instantly filled with a sense of comfort and security.

She glanced up at his profile.

He reacted by looking down as they walked. “What?”

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

He slowed to a stop, turning to meet her eyes, his tone low. “But it’s something, isn’t it?”

She agreed with a nod. “It’s something.”

He leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. “You’re an amazing woman, Crystal Hayes.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, Larry Grosso.”

She saw him smile.

“Later?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, and they continued down the pathway.

Nash was standing on his massive cedar deck, spatula in hand, burgers sizzling on the grill. Pot lights decorated his lush lawn, while overhead beams glowed burnished amber against the polished wood.

He nodded toward the open glass doors. “Beer in the fridge, or there’s a corkscrew on the counter.”

“You have a gorgeous home,” said Crystal, gazing in awe at the ultra modern kitchen and the sparkling pool and hot tub combination off the far edge of the deck.

“Thank you,” said Nash.

“He uses it to seduce women,” said Larry, heading through the door with the wine.

“I imagine it works quite well,” said Crystal.

Nash grinned unrepentantly.

“You probably want to stay away from my sister,” Crystal joked.

“I wouldn’t go near a woman who didn’t know the score,” Nash assured her.

Crystal’s gaze slid to Larry as he opened the wine. Did Larry think she knew the score? Had he concluded-like so many men in the world-that she took sex casually?

The vibes she was getting from him felt sincere. But maybe it was all part of a game. And maybe he thought she was playing along.

He looked up, met her eyes and smiled. “Red or white?” he called.

“White, please,” she answered, the intimate smile reassuring.

“Grab me a beer?” asked Nash, closing the lid on the propane grill.

Larry stepped out of the kitchen, a glass of red and one of white dangling from the fingers of one hand. In the other, he held Nash’s beer. He handed them each their drink. Then he gestured to a cushioned love seat grouped with a couple of chairs around a low oblong table.

Nash turned out to be a marvelous cook. He produced gourmet burgers with salsa and avocado on homemade multigrain buns.

He’d only lived on Myrtle Pond for two years. Like Larry, he’d bought an aging house and rebuilt.

Crystal tried to press him for details of his life before the bait shop, but he was vague, other than to say he was an architect who’d given up the rat race. He clearly enjoyed having Larry as a new neighbor, and the men engaged in several good-natured arguments about the best way to redesign Larry’s Victorian.

Mostly, Crystal got lost in the detail.

Around midnight, her cell phone rang. Surprised, she extracted it from her handbag, trying to figure out who might call so late.

“It’s Amber,” she said to Larry, noting her sister’s number with a sigh of frustration.

She flipped open the phone. “Hello?”

“Auntie Crystal?”

Crystal came alert, sitting up straight with shock at the sound of her niece’s voice. “Jennifer? What’s wrong.”

Jennifer sniffed. “Mommy’s not home yet.”

“Are you alone?” Damn Amber. Damn her. Damn her.

Larry came to his feet.

“Lisa Beechman’s babysitting.”

“Who’s Lisa Beechman? Where’s David?”

“David’s in bed. Lisa says she has to go home now. She’s really mad. I tried and tried Mommy’s number.” Jennifer’s voice broke, and Crystal’s heart squeezed tight.

“Honey, can I talk to Lisa?”

Nash was silent, while Larry was giving her a what’s up? look.

“I’ll go and get her,” said Jennifer in a small voice.

Crystal covered the mouthpiece. “Amber’s out, and the babysitter has to leave.”

Larry glanced at his watch.

Nash stood. “I’ll get the truck and tell Hank to turn on the runway lights.”

“Thanks,” said Larry.

“Hello?” came a clearly annoyed girl’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Lisa? This is Jennifer’s Aunt Crystal. Do you know where Amber went?”

There was a chopped sigh. “Somewhere with that guy.”

“Zane?”

“Yeah. I guess. She promised she’d be back by ten. I have to work tomorrow, and there’s no way-”

“Can you hang on for another…” Crystal glanced at Larry.

“Forty-five minutes,” he said.

“Forty-five minutes?” Crystal finished.

“Isn’t there anyone closer?”

Crystal thought of her mother, but her parents would be asleep. It would take them half an hour to get there. And she could well imagine the family turmoil if she brought her parents into the middle of this one.

“It’s the best I can do,” she told Lisa. “I’m really sorry. We’re coming in by plane, but we’re all the way out at Myrtle Pond.”

The young girl heaved another sigh.

“I’ll pay you double,” Crystal offered.

“I guess,” said Lisa. “It’s not like I’m gonna walk out on two little kids.”

Unlike their own mother, came Crystal’s immediate and uncharitable thought.

“I’ll be there just as soon as I can,” she pledged. “Can I talk to Jennifer again?”

“Just a sec.”

Larry took Crystal’s hand, urging her to her feet and pointing to where Nash had the truck running.

“We’ll get our stuff later,” he told her as they started down the deck stairs.

“Hello?” came Jennifer’s little voice.

“Hi, honey. Did your dad come back?”

“Yes,” said Jennifer in a small voice.

“I’m on my way over so that Lisa can go home.”

“’Kay,” said Jennifer.

“Can you hang on for just a little while?”

“Uh-huh.”

Larry boosted Crystal into the truck, and she slid across the seat to make room for him beside her.

Nash put Rufus in the back and, once in the truck, he pulled it into gear.

“Is David asleep?” asked Crystal.

“I think so,” said Jennifer.

“Can you check? Can you make sure he isn’t having any bad dreams?”

“Okay.”

“Thanks, honey. And I’ll see you soon. I’ll sleep there tonight, then it won’t matter how late your mommy gets home.”

“Will you come and tuck me in?”

“Of course, I’ll tuck you in. I’ll give you a big old hug and a smoochie kiss.”

“I might be in David’s room.”

“Then I’ll find you there.”

“I might be asleep.”

“I’ll hug you anyway.”

“’Kay.”

“You ready to say goodbye?”

“I guess.”

“Okay. Goodbye, Jennifer. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Auntie Crystal.”

Crystal flipped the phone shut, silently cursing Amber’s carelessness.

Larry stayed silent, but she could see his jaw was tense.

“My sister,” she explained unnecessarily. “I guess she forgot about the time.” Crystal waited for cutting words of condemnation against Amber.

“Then we better get you over there,” Larry said simply. “Is Jennifer okay?”

“She sounded upset, but I think she’s hanging in.” Gratitude rose in her chest for his matter-of-fact reaction to the problem.

Crystal’s heart went out to her little niece. And though she wasn’t admitting it out loud, she was furious with her sister. She was a mother, not just a party girl.

“Zane is back or he never left,” she told Larry, watching the headlights bounce along the dark, rural road.

“So I gathered.” His tone was grim.

“I’m guessing they’re drunk,” she admitted.

Larry nodded in the dim light from the dashboard.

“The important thing is Jennifer and David,” she said out loud, more to herself than anyone else. She wanted to rail at Amber, but that would be unproductive at the moment.

Larry gave another nod.

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” she asked him.

He turned his head to look at her. “I wish there was somebody for me to be mad at. I don’t know Amber, and I’ve never met Zane. None of this is your fault, and it damn sure isn’t the children’s.”

“I ruined your evening.”

His arm went around her shoulders. “Amber ruined yours.”

“At least we’d already eaten the burgers,” Nash offered.

Crystal couldn’t help a small smile. “There is that.”

“I take it your sister has a loser boyfriend.”

“Ex-husband,” Crystal said. “The father of her two children.”

Nash nodded, fighting the potholes as he sped along the road to the airstrip.

“Thank you for driving us,” said Crystal.

The big man shrugged. “I wish I could do more.” He glanced over her head to Larry, some kind of silent message passing between the two men. “Anything else you need?”

“We’re good,” Larry responded.

“What’s Zane’s last name?” Nash asked.

The question surprised Crystal. “Crandell,” she answered after a moment.

Nash nodded thoughtfully but didn’t explain further as they came around a bend in the road. “Looks like Hank’s got the lights on.”

Larry gave Crystal a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll have you back home very soon.”

LARRY WASN’T IMPRESSED WITH Amber’s apartment. It wasn’t so much that the furniture was worn, the carpet patchy, or that smells of fish and beer wafted in from the hallway. What worried him were the unwashed dishes and the fast-food cartons littering the dining room table top.

He handed a fifty to the teenage girl who left to drive herself home.

“Amber is usually neater than this,” said Crystal, gathering up the burger wrappers and cardboard cups.

“You don’t have to apologize for your sister.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

But Larry could tell by the expression on Crystal’s face that she knew exactly what was wrong. Ex-husband Zane was wrong.

“Leave the mess,” Larry told her. Amber needed to take the responsibility for herself.

Crystal crossed the galley kitchen and kicked open the door beneath the sink, depositing the trash. “I can’t leave the mess. The kids need to eat breakfast here.”

“We’ll take them back to your place.”

“Without asking Amber?”

Larry reluctantly conceded she had a point. He wasn’t sure what the law would say about removing the children without their mother’s permission. On the other hand, Amber had basically abandoned them, and Crystal was family.

“She’s not usually like this,” Crystal stressed, disappointment and frustration showing on her face. “They don’t have a lot of money. But then neither do I.”

He moved into the kitchen, taking her by the shoulders. “This isn’t about money. It’s about responsibility. You can’t feed your kids fast food then take off partying half the night. Do you honestly think Amber will get up to make them breakfast?”

Something banged against the outer door. A key scraped the lock, while a woman’s high voice giggled on the other side.

Larry turned, putting himself between Crystal and the doorway.

It yawned open.

A tall, blond, willowy woman’s eyes went wide beneath her heavy mascara. “Who are-”

“It’s me, Amber.” Crystal stepped out to where her sister could see her. “Where’ve you been?”

Amber’s expression turned defiant. She sauntered the rest of the way into the apartment, dropping a jeweled purse on the tattered table beside the door. A man appeared behind her, and Larry held his gaze for a long second.

He was thin and long limbed. His hair could have used a cut, and he sported a straggly goatee on pale, sallow skin. His eyes had the glaze of liquor and recreational drugs.

Neither of them spoke.

“Well?” Larry prompted. “Crystal’s wondering where you’ve been.”

“Out,” said Amber, plopping down on the couch. “The Flambé Bar, the Harold Club. Oh, and the Buzz Bomb. That was a blast.” She turned to Zane. “Wasn’t it, baby?”

The man gave a slow, slick smile. “A blast.”

Crystal elbowed her way past Larry. His instinct was to stop her, but he didn’t want to overstep his bounds.

“You told Lisa you’d be home by ten.”

Amber’s fuzzy eyes narrowed in puzzlement, then they opened wider in comprehension. “Oh. You mean the babysitter?”

“Jennifer called me,” said Crystal.

Amber waved a dismissive hand. “We were only a little bit late.”

Zane moved forward. “Yeah. What’s the big deal?”

Larry stepped forward, too, positioning himself behind Crystal. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared at Zane. “Time for you to say good night.”

Zane opened his mouth, but then apparently thought better of it. He leaned down to give Amber a slack kiss. “Later, babe.”

She whirled her head around to look at him. “Will you call tomorrow?”

Larry felt Crystal tense beneath his hands.

“Yeah. Sure. Got some business to take care of in the morning.” Zane shot Larry a smug look that said he was a freewheeling, high roller of an entrepreneur.

Larry took in his sad manicure and bargain basement shoes, and remained completely unimpressed.

Zane made a gun out of his thumb and forefinger, aiming it in Larry’s direction before pulling the trigger. Larry supposed it was meant to intimidate, but Zane was the one walking away, so it came off as desperate and pathetic.

The door shut behind Zane, and Crystal immediately confronted her sister.

“You can’t do this, Amber,” she warned.

“Do what? Have a little fun? Party with my husband? I got a frickin’ babysitter, didn’t I?”

“You were almost three hours late coming home.”

Amber sighed, and tipped her head back on the couch. “The band was awesome.” Then she started humming a song.

“You want me to take the kids home with me?” asked Crystal.

Amber’s head snapped up. “No. I don’t want you to take my kids home with you. I’m here now.”

“Will you feel like getting up in the morning?” Crystal tried.

“I’ll be fine. The school is having sports day tomorrow, and David’s going to a birthday party after that.”

“Did you remember to buy a present?”

“Of course I remembered to buy a present. Who the hell died and made you the lifestyle police?”

“Crystal,” Larry interrupted. “Didn’t you promise Jennifer you’d say good night?”

Crystal stared at him for a moment, as if she’d just remembered he was there. Then she gave a nod and rose from her chair. “I’ll be right back.”

Larry waited until Crystal disappeared down the hall. Then perched on the edge of the chair she had abandoned.

“I’m Larry,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Amber,” Amber responded, suspiciously.

Larry nodded, glancing around thoughtfully. “Struggling to hold it all together, are you?”

She shrugged. “Been busy lately.”

“With Zane?”

“Yes. With Zane.”

Larry nodded again.

“What?” she asked sharply.

Larry decided there was no percentage in beating around the bush. Crystal did enough of that for both of them. He was going for broke.

“You can do better than him.”

“Better than Zane?”

“A lot better. You have two kids to think about.”

“Zane’s their father.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s good for you.”

“How would you know? What makes you an expert on what’s right for my kids? Two parents getting back together, that’s what’s right for my kids.”

“Keeping you out three hours late isn’t right.”

“How do you know I didn’t keep him out?” She plunked a throw pillow into her lap. “Maybe I don’t want to be Mommy twenty-four seven. You have any kids?”

“I have a son.”

She glanced pointedly at her watch. “Where is he now?”

“He’s an adult.”

“Where’s his mother?”

Larry kept his voice even. This wasn’t about him. “She died.”

Crystal reappeared, and Amber glanced from Larry to Crystal and back again. “What’s the story with you two?”

Crystal looked startled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why are you together at one in the morning?”

“We were on a date,” said Larry.

“You don’t think he’s a little old?”

“Amber!”

Amber gestured at Larry. “Well, he’s out here giving me a lecture on how I can do better than Zane. Maybe I think you can do better than Larry.”

“I’m quite sure she can,” Larry said quietly.

“I can’t,” said Crystal. “And I don’t want to. And how the hell did this get to be any of your business?”

“You’re in my house, talking about my relationship.”

Crystal took a deep breath. “You’ll get the kids to school tomorrow?”

Amber glared at her.

“Okay,” said Crystal, moving toward the door.

Larry rose to go with her.

“You and Zane are your own business,” Crystal conceded. “But if you go out with him again, you call me. I’ll babysit. Anytime.”

The anger went out of Amber’s expression. “Thanks, sis.”

“You’ll call?”

“Of course.” Her laughter tinkled lightly. “Why would I say no to free babysitting?”

Crystal glanced at Larry, knowing he was the one who had paid Lisa tonight. He gave her a subtle shake of his head. He had no desire to make an issue of it. Jennifer and David were great kids. He had no objection at all to kicking in for their care.

He and Crystal walked silently down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk where Rufus waited in the car.

“I really don’t know what to say,” she finally offered.

He hit the unlock button on the car, heading for the passenger side to open her door. “Neither do I,” he told her honestly. “The weekend didn’t exactly end the way I’d expected.”

She coughed out a laugh. “It didn’t turn out anything like I’d expected.”

Larry smiled in return as he opened the door.

She paused partway in. “Want to do it again sometime?”

“All of it?” he asked, not bothering to mask the hope in his voice.

“Any and all,” she replied.

“You busy next weekend?”

“Nope.”

“You busy tomorrow night?”

She shook her head.

“What about now? You busy right now?”

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “I really have to sleep.”

He smoothed back her hair. “Of course you do.” It was one o’clock. And there was no good place for them to sleep together. He didn’t want to take her to a motel.

Maybe he’d rearrange his house tomorrow, move his old bed into the guest room and buy a brand new one. He was single now, and it was time for him to make the space his own.

He shifted his hand so it was cupping her cheek, leaning down to give her a gentle kiss on the mouth. “Dinner at my place tomorrow?”

She drew back, giving him a questioning look.

“I want you to see it,” he told her.

There were so many things he wanted to show her, to tell her, to discuss with her. He knew his emotions were running way too hot, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He was a revving engine, and she was nitrous oxide.

“Tomorrow,” he promised.

“Love it,” she responded with a smile.