The Accidental Encore Read online

  “I’ll be there,” Craig said before pocketing the phone and zoning back in on the trim.

  Or trying to zone back in on the trim. He couldn’t get thoughts of Allie out of his head. He’d gone straight to the computer when she’d left and looked up Steve Kellman, the architect. He looked like a prick and sure sounded like one in his snappy two paragraphs about his white picket fence upbringing and the type of woman who would make him complete. Craig wanted to twist the trim in half just thinking about him making a move on Allie.

  He’d just talked himself out of doing anything harmful to the trim when Tommy Steen, cabinetmaker extraordinaire, walked in, his tool belt swinging in rhythm to his gait. “Archer. What’s up, man?”

  He offered his knuckles for a bump. Craig tucked the pencil behind his ear and obliged. “Just a whole lot of kitchen to work on.”

  “So I see.” Tommy stood in the center of the room, hands on his hips, and turned in a circle. Craig could see the wheels in motion in Tommy’s head. “Nice space.”

  “It is now. You should have seen it before I took that wall out and got all the original stuff out.”

  Tommy crouched to examine the flooring Craig had discovered under two layers of linoleum. “They just don’t build houses like they used to, do they?”

  “That’s for sure. Did you get my plans?”

  Tommy slung his head toward the front of the house. “They’re in the truck. I wanted to get a look at the space first.”

  “Look all you want. They want to be in the house by Thanksgiving, so we’ve got plenty of time to do this right.”

  “I do everything right,” Tommy said with a goading smile. “Did I hear you say you’re online dating?”

  Hell. Just what he didn’t want to talk to his contractors about. “Maybe.”

  “You know, since the divorce, I’ve been dating online.” Tommy shook his head. “I’m more confused about women than ever.”

  “What do you mean?” Craig asked.

  “I mean I don’t get it, man. Melody and I didn’t have sex for almost two years before the divorce. I couldn’t get my damn wife to have sex with me, and yet the only thing these ladies want is to have sex. I want to call Melody up and tell her that I may not be attractive to her, but these other women out here can’t get enough of me.” He took his hammer out of his belt and absently twirled it around his finger like a gunslinger. “And the hell of it is, I don’t want to have sex with any of these women. I still want to have sex with my wife.”

  “Really? All of them want to have sex?”

  “Well, maybe it’s just me.” He smiled and shot the hammer back into his belt. “I’m not looking to have any more kids. I’ve already got three of them. I seriously think the women who are beyond the kid stage just use it like an escort service. I know I shouldn’t complain, especially after my dry spell, but it makes me feel kinda used.”

  Interesting. If a five-foot-eight, overweight, balding carpenter had women throwing themselves at his feet, Craig was more than a little afraid of what he’d find. After all, he did have a full set of hair. But as Tommy went out to his truck to get the plans, Craig decided a quick romp in the sack with Emily might be just what he needed to get Allie out of his head.

  ***

  Leah was more than polite and profuse in her apology for her behavior the previous night at Craig’s house. Allie felt as though she were stepping into a television drama when she entered the Archer house on Thursday night. They all greeted her at the door, Mark, Carolyn, and Leah. The only ones missing were Craig and Blackjack. She wished they were around to deflect attention.

  After the lesson, Leah thanked her and went upstairs to her room before Allie even had her bags packed. Mark and Carolyn walked her to the door.

  “I can’t thank you enough, Allie, for everything you’ve done for Leah,” Mark said. “Craig explained how helpful you’ve been with her while we were on our honeymoon. And last night…”

  Allie felt uncomfortable. Mark seemed genuine—he didn’t have a disingenuous bone in his body, but Carolyn was eyeing her nervously and offered to walk Allie to her car after grabbing a sweater from the coat rack in the foyer.

  Carolyn seemed more formidable tonight with her wool pants and tidy makeup. Although Allie was taller than the petite brunette, she felt as if she were about to receive a scolding. She was pretty sure she deserved it.

  “I’m not trying to overkill the thanks, Allie,” Carolyn began. “But I know what you said to Leah the other night. She told me you were trying to make her understand how I felt moving in here with her and Mark.”

  Allie stopped walking and turned to face the woman she’d thought of quite regularly that day. “I feel like I’m butting my nose in where it doesn’t belong. I am, I know I am, but Leah opened up to me while you were gone about her concerns about all of you living together. I spoke to her about my experience with my stepmom and tried to advise her to make more of an effort than I did at her age.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Allie shrugged. “I have a terrible relationship with my dad and stepmom and my behavior growing up is the main reason why. It probably wasn’t all my fault, but since I’ll never know for sure, it seems the most likely excuse.” Allie passed her bag to her other arm and cinched her coat tighter. The temperatures had dropped and she knew Carolyn had to be freezing in her thin sweater. “Leah and her dad are so close. They have such a special relationship.”

  “Yes, they do. I’m having trouble…I mean, I’m not sure…” She ducked her head, tucked her hair behind her ears, and looked up at Allie with doleful eyes. “I’m floundering, as I’m sure you can tell. We talked about what happened, about how she can’t run to Craig every time she feels upset. She agreed to be respectful and I’m doing the same. We’re all walking on egg shells.”

  Allie remembered the polite silence that reigned in her father’s house on the rare occasions they weren’t fighting. She much preferred the fighting. “You probably will, for awhile.”

  “I start my new job next week. I know I’ll be slammed for a couple of weeks, but I’d like to meet for lunch one day if you’ve got the time. I could use some pointers with Leah and you know her better than I do.”

  “I’m not sure how much better I know her,” Allie said. “She’s only just opened up to me.”

  “That’s more than she’s done for me. Please,” Carolyn begged. “I don’t know who else to turn to.”

  Oh boy. Getting more involved with the Archer family didn’t feel like such a good idea. “Okay, sure. Go on in. You’re freezing. Call me anytime for lunch. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

  Allie watched Carolyn go inside as she started the engine. She turned up the heat and backed out of the driveway wondering how she’d gotten so drawn into the lives of her client. She’d befriended the father, counseled the girl, and now agreed to help the stepmom. Not to mention her burgeoning friendship with Craig. How would he feel about her meeting Carolyn for lunch? She wondered if she’d tell him.

  Chapter 18

  “Wow, you’re as pretty as your profile picture.” Allie thought the same could have been said for Steve Kellman. “That almost never happens.”

  She knew Steve wasn’t lying. She’d heard it from every man she’d ever met online, but it still annoyed her to hear it. Don’t be so hard on him, she told herself as they stood in line for their tickets from will call. “You must be a hockey fan?”

  “I used to play.” He took a sip of his non-fat latte. She’d ordered her usual from the coffee shop where they’d met: a large cinnamon blend with cream and sugar. Did she really want to date a man who was more concerned with calories than she was? “So you teach music?”

  “Piano. My clients are kids, mostly.”

  “All day with kids?” He visibly shuddered. “You’re braver than I am.”

  “I like kids,” she said in defense of her profession and her students. “They’re refreshingly honest.”

  He held up his hand and Allie n
oticed his large class ring. He already mentioned he went to Stanford and UC Berkeley. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I like kids. I mean, I want to have some. Someday. But I wouldn’t want to be around them all the time.”

  Allie took a gulp of coffee and hoped the date would improve. It was going to be a very long night. He got their tickets and led her to their seats behind the Gladiators’ bench. “So how long have you been in Atlanta?” she asked.

  “Couple of years. I moved out after college.”

  “Quite a change from California.”

  “I grew up in Maryland, so I was ready to head back east.” He flashed a perfect smile to show off his over bright teeth. He’d either had them whitened recently or this was his first coffee ever. “Never did quite fit into the California scene.”

  The music blared and their conversation stopped while the teams were introduced and, after much fanfare, the game began. “I’ve been to San Francisco,” she said once play had been underway for a minute or two. “It’s beautiful, but I don’t think I could live there.”

  “The people are different. The lifestyle’s different. It was fun for a while, but I’m glad to be back.”

  “Do you think you’ll stay in Atlanta?” she asked.

  He shrugged and kept his gaze on the ice. “Depends. I like my job and I like the city, but I’m not opposed to moving. I’m young, I’ve got no real ties here, so if the right opportunity came up, yeah, I’d consider moving again.”

  They lapsed into silence and Allie took another sip, wondering if perhaps he’d like to know anything about her. This wasn’t an interview, and she’d learned pretty much everything she cared to know so far. He was a west coast educated architect with a job he liked, but didn’t love. He was good looking, better looking than most of the guys she went out with, and from his comments about having kids way in the future, he had no interest in settling down. Why, she wondered, did he choose to go out with a woman who spent her time with kids and desperately wanted to find her soul mate? She made a mental note to revisit her profile and reread her ‘About Me’ paragraphs.

  “Do you ski?” he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

  “Pardon me?”

  “Ski? Snow ski? I’m going out to Utah in a couple of weeks.”

  “Oh, no. I’ve never been.”

  “I can’t wait. The slopes on the east coast don’t compare to the fresh powder in the West.” He eyed her over the lip of his cup. “We should go some time.”

  “Ummm,” she said and inwardly flinched. Who asked a woman to go away on their first date? More importantly, did he think she’d agree to go? She glanced at her watch. An hour into her date and she was already bored. They had, it appeared, zilch in common.

  As she watched the players skate around the ice chasing the puck, she thought of Craig and wondered how his date with Emily was going. She didn’t like Emily Brand, the perky paralegal with fake auburn hair and a profile that read like she’d been created for men. Who had time to teach yoga and spin class while hitting the trendy hotspots all over town? They were probably done with drinks by now. Were they having dinner? Why did she care?

  He bought her a slice of pizza and a beer at half time and found a small thread of common ground discussing their parents. Steve’s divorced when he was little and, strangely enough, he seemed to enjoy playing one off the other. “My dad paid for college after my mom threatened to sue him again. They hate each other.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Mine do, too. I have a hard time picturing them being in love.”

  “Mine weren’t,” he said. “They got married because she got pregnant with me. I don’t think they were ever happy.”

  “Sad, don’t you think?”

  He took a bite and shrugged. “I’ve got a friend from college who got his girlfriend pregnant. He tried to do the right thing by getting married, but they’re struggling. He’s trying to finish his degree, she’s nagging him all the time about the baby. I think they’d have saved themselves a huge headache by not getting married at all.”

  A giant red flag waved in front of Allie’s face, blinding her vision before it swooped away and she was watching him chew. Not get married? She couldn’t imagine that would be better for any of them.

  “You know, my girlfriend Melissa has a new baby. They did it the right way—they fell in love, got married, and then had the baby. She tells me all the time how hard it is to focus on her marriage now that the baby’s here. I think new parenthood is just tough at first.”

  “But marriage throws a whole other layer of complication into an already complicated situation,” he countered. “Both parties want to have a baby, fine. Do it. But don’t add marriage into the mix unless you both want it in the first place.”

  “You see, I think we’re too cynical based on our situations,” Allie said. “That, to me, is the worst part about having divorced parents. We can’t even think about marriage without doubts creeping in.”

  “Fortunately,” he said with a charming grin and an irritating wink, “I don’t ever think about marriage. You ready to head back to our seats?”

  She wanted to say no. She really did, but he hadn’t said or done anything wrong. She liked discussing heady topics, she liked digging beyond the ‘what do you do for a living’ questions that seemed to dominate these tedious first dates. Steve, it seemed, wanted to keep it light. Keeping it light, Allie knew, meant there wouldn’t be a second date.

  ***

  Craig accepted his second drink and closed out the tab while Emily was in the bathroom. He wasn’t sure he wanted to have dinner with her, but didn’t think it wise to keep the tab open, as she’d had no problem sucking down two fifteen dollar glasses of wine and seemed headed for a third.

  There hadn’t been any lapses in conversation, not with all her talk about yoga and the gym where she taught spin three times a week. Apparently she forgot to update her profile to mention that she’d been laid off as a paralegal, which would explain her gusto for expensive wine on someone else’s dime.

  He signed his name, left a generous tip, and considered eating at the bar. He was hungry and he didn’t feel right ending the date when she’d had two glasses of wine without any food on her stomach. He thought of Allie and how lightheaded she’d been after just one glass of wine. He cursed himself for thinking of Allie. Again.

  When Emily returned and hopped onto the barstool like a teenager, she flashed a brilliant smile and Craig told himself he could man up and handle another hour with the annoying little cheerleader.

  She downed her last sip of wine and drummed her fingers on the bar. “Boy, it’s really getting crowded in here.”

  He had to lean in to hear her and caught a whiff of her overly sweet perfume. “Yep. I guess it’s to be expected on a Friday night.”

  “I don’t ever come here,” she confessed. “The crowd is so…” She looked over her shoulder and scanned the room. “Old, I guess.”

  Old? Where did she normally hang out, a dance bar? “You okay to drive home?” he asked. No way was he paying for dinner when she’d just called him old.

  “Yeah, sure.” She slid off the bar stool and pulled her mini dress down before sauntering toward the entrance with her fur lined jacket slung over one shoulder. Craig felt as if he’d spent the evening with a hooker.

  She gave him an uncomfortable hug in the parking lot that did nothing to peak his interest and left him smelling like her perfume. Perfect. He started up the truck, backed out of the space, and considered going somewhere, anywhere to ease the discontent with his night. It was still early, only eight o’clock, and he could think of nothing more enticing than an evening at home with his dog.

  He headed for home with thoughts of Allie at the hockey game stuck in his head. The game was just getting started. Was she hitting it off with Steve Kellman, graduate of the Berkeley school of Architecture? Would she kiss him? Sleep with him? He forced his hands to unclench from the wheel and took a calming breath. He had to stop thinking about
Allie, wondering where she was and whom she was with. He wasn’t going to ask about her dates. He wasn’t going to contact her at all. She spelled trouble with a capital T and he didn’t need any more drama in his life.

  Two hours later, with his feet propped up on his desk and her profile pulled up on his computer, he cursed himself when the phone rang and her name popped up on caller id. Damn. He shouldn’t answer. He should let her think he was still with Emily.

  “Hello?” he said on the third ring.

  “Hey, I saw you online.”

  He dropped his feet and sat upright with a jolt. How did she know he was looking at her profile? “How?”

  “I’m on LoveFinders.com. You have a smiley face next to your name, which means you’re online.”

  Great. Nothing like being caught in the act. “Oh. What are you doing online? I thought you had a date?”

  “I did. It was kind of a bust. I’m looking at my profile to see why I keep attracting the same kind of guys.”

  “What kind of guys?” he asked as he felt himself relax for the first time all night.

  “A little immature.”

  “Immature?” Craig chuckled. “He couldn’t have been more immature than Emily.”

  “I could have told you she was immature,” Allie said.

  “How? And why didn’t you?”

  “I looked at her profile. I wasn’t checking up on you,” she immediately amended, “I was just curious. Anyway, I’d guess she was a club-hopping adolescent.”

  He wouldn’t admit she’d nailed Emily, not when he couldn’t keep the admiration out of his voice. “You’d be close. I could have told you Kellman was a prick.”

  “I didn’t say he was…that word. I said he was immature.”

  “Whatever.”

  “So how did you know?”

  “Every architect from a fancy school thinks his shit doesn’t stink. Let me guess, whatever job he has now it just a stepping stone to bigger and better?”

  “Probably. He’s not tied to anything, or looking to be.” She sighed and he wished he could see her face. “I mistakenly assume these guys are looking for someone special to share their lives, when really, they’re all just looking to have a good time. I like to have a good time, but I feel like the only person on the planet who’s looking to find one person to spend the rest of my life having a good time with.” She laughed. “And now you know I’m a typical female nearing thirty.”