The Accidental Encore Read online

Allie reached for her coat and spied her bag where she’d left it, leaning against the kitchen island where Craig stood. She jerked her arms into her coat and retrieved her bag, holding her ground even as Craig refused to move and forced her to stand within inches of his broad chest. Damn him, he smelled even better up close.

  “You don’t like the lasagna?” he asked.

  “I’ve lost my appetite.”

  “Ms. Allie,” Leah whined as only a child could do. “Please don’t go.”

  “I’m sorry, Leah. I’ll see you Thursday.”

  She sniffed at Craig and bolted for the door.

  ***

  “I can’t believe how rude you were.” Leah picked up her plate and scraped her practically uneaten dinner into the trash.

  “Me?” Craig asked. “She hit me.” He pointed down to his leg. “I’m injured because of her.”

  “You both said the light was green. What if it was?”

  Craig scoffed. “That never happens.”

  “Doesn’t mean it didn’t, and it doesn’t mean you should have yelled at her. I like Ms. Allie.”

  “Yeah, well, she needs to learn how to drive.”

  “And you need to learn how to be nice. What if she doesn’t come back?”

  Craig took a deep breath. He was the adult in this relationship. He needed to start acting like one. “How long have you been taking lessons from Allie?”

  Leah pouted. “Three years.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Do you really think she’s going to give up on you after three years simply because I yelled at her?” And for damn good reason.

  “No.”

  “Okay, then. She’ll be back.” And he sure as hell wouldn’t ask her to stay for dinner. He sat down and finished eating with the accompaniment of Leah’s piano music from the den. He dragged his computer back to the table and tried to focus on work. He wanted to get the windows in before he started on the plumbing and HVAC. He needed to demo the wall between the living room and den before the electrician got started. He was in the mood for demo work.

  When the phone rang, Leah stopped playing. From the excited sound of her voice, Craig knew Mark was making his nightly call. He had just loaded the last dish into the dishwasher when Leah carried the phone to him and announced that Mark wanted to speak to him.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” she said before taking the stairs two at a time.

  “Hey,” Craig said. He cradled the receiver between his chin and shoulder and closed his laptop so he could sponge off the table. “How’s the honeymoon?”

  “Good. Great. How is everything at home?”

  “Perfect. Course you know Leah likes me better than you.”

  “I don’t think that’s true now that you yelled at Allie.”

  “Jesus, your kid’s got a big mouth.”

  “The biggest. So she’s the car you hit?”

  “No, I’m the car she hit. She may be easy on the eyes and a competent piano teacher, but she can’t drive worth a damn.”

  Mark chuckled. “I wondered if you’d make a move.”

  “Thanks for the warning, by the way. As it stands, none was needed. What a tight ass.”

  “Listen, Craig, Allie may look like your standard male fantasy, but she strikes me as being pretty vulnerable. Lose your edge or I’m going to have to look for a new teacher, and I really don’t want to have to do that.”

  “You may have to when Carolyn gets a load of her.”

  “Carolyn’s not the jealous type. And she’s got nothing to worry about.”

  Craig knew that saying women weren’t jealous was like saying the sky wasn’t blue. But leave it to his baby brother to see the sunny side of life. “Whatever you say.”

  “You know, since the wedding’s over and all the craziness has died down, I’ve had some time to think. Things are going to be different when I get back.”

  “What do you mean different?”

  “I mean I’m going to be married. I am married, and I know you’re not going to feel comfortable coming over the way you always do.”

  The stab of hurt was quick and lethal. “Are you trying to tell me to stay away?”

  “No, not at all.” He blew out a breath. “I’m screwing this up badly. What I’m trying to say is that we want you around, Carolyn and I. We don’t want you to feel left out or replaced.”

  “Look, Mark, I know what you’re trying to do and I appreciate it, but you’re right. Things have changed. It’s time for me to get my own life.”

  “Craig…”

  “No, I’m okay with this. I’m looking forward to not feeling so chained to you and Leah.”

  “Is that how we’ve made you feel?”

  “No, hell, now I’m screwing this up badly.” It was time to be honest, and leave it to him and Mark to do so over the phone. “You and Leah got me through the worst that could happen. I needed to feel needed after Julie died. I feel like we raised her together.”

  “We did. No question, Craig, we did.”

  “But she’s half grown already, and she needs a woman in her life. The three of you are going to have an adjustment period when you get back, and I’d already planned on making myself scarce. It’s for the best.”

  “I never could have gotten through any of it without you, Craig. All of it—losing Becca, raising Leah. Carolyn and I wouldn’t even have had a chance if you hadn’t watched Leah every other weekend so we could get to know one another.”

  Enough, Craig thought. Listening to this was worse than giving the best man speech at the wedding. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a regular saint.”

  “When was the last time you went on a date?” Mark asked.

  “Don’t go trying to fix me up now that you’re happily married.”

  “I’m not going to fix you up; I’m just worried about you.”

  “No, you’re not. You don’t want to be the only one yanked around by the ball and chain. I’m perfectly happy on my own.” And matrimony held less than zero appeal after his first marriage.

  “I never said anything about marriage. I said date.”

  Craig had to think back. His last date was a fix up, and a terrible one at that. “I let Jimmy talk me into taking his wife’s best friend to dinner. I’ll never do that again.”

  “I think it’s time for you to let someone in. I know it’s hard, especially after what happened to Julie, but I want you to be happy.”

  Who said he and Julie had been happy? he wanted to ask his brother, but he knew better than to speak ill of the dead. If he hadn’t told Mark the truth before, he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him now. “I am happy, so just keep your ideas to yourself.”

  “Fine. Tell Leah I’ll call her tomorrow.”

  “She won’t care,” Craig teased.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  Chapter 6

  “You should have seen him,” Allie huffed, “all smug and self-righteous. I had half a mind to punch him in the face.”

  Melissa reached over and tugged on Allie’s sleeve. “Can we slow down a little? You forget I’m pushing thirty extra pounds.”

  Allie slowed from a run to a jog. “Sorry. Do you need a water break?”

  Melissa pointed ahead to where the jog path forked and a pretty bench sat by the river. “No, not yet. Let’s stop by the bench and cool down. If we stop now, I’ll probably cramp, and Henry likes to look at the ducks.”

  Allie glanced at the baby, happily chewing on a multi-colored rattle, his angelic face red from the brisk air. “Do you think he’s warm enough?”

  “He’s in head to toe fleece. He’s probably sweating.”

  “His cheeks are red.”

  Melissa pulled back the retractable cover of the jog stroller and peered over at her son. “His ears are covered. Trust me, if he were uncomfortable, he’d let us know.”

  They slowed to a stop by the river and Allie stretched her quads while Melissa sat on the bench and gulped down water. “I know this is good for me, but damn, I hate it.”

&n
bsp; Allie sat down beside her, her breathing back to normal. “Do you want me to push him back? I don’t mind, and I think you need a break.”

  “Maybe,” Melissa said. “Let me rest for a minute and I’ll let you know.”

  “So what am I supposed to do?” Allie asked.

  “About the guy? What can you do?”

  “I have to see him again this Thursday at the lesson. What am I going to say?”

  “Why do you have to say anything?” Melissa glanced at Allie and lifted her brows. “Sounds to me like you’re interested.”

  “What? No.” She thought of Craig, looking down his crooked nose at her. “He’s arrogant and not all that attractive.”

  “Not all that attractive?”

  “Well, his attitude is a big turn off.”

  “Speaking of turn offs,” Melissa said. “Who’s the big date with on Friday?”

  Allie blew out a breath. She dreaded her date already and that wasn’t the attitude she needed when venturing back into the dating pool. “He’s a dentist. Divorced. No kids.”

  “I thought you didn’t go out with divorcees?”

  “I’m loosening my standards a little. I’m not budging on the kids, but just because a prior relationship didn’t work out, that doesn’t mean I should dismiss him altogether. What if his wife cheated on him?”

  “Or what if he cheated on his wife?”

  Allie tried to shrug away the unease in her gut. “I’ll never know if I don’t go out with him.”

  “True.” Melissa huffed out a big breath. “But all I’ve ever heard from you is about the sanctity of marriage. I don’t think you could fall for someone who walked away from that commitment, no matter what the circumstances.”

  Sometimes Allie hated that Melissa knew her so well. “Just because my parents’ divorce ripped a hole in our family and, let’s be honest, my sense of self doesn’t mean I can’t respect someone else’s individual circumstances.”

  “Allie.” Melissa laid her hand over Allie’s. “It’s okay for you to go out with total strangers you meet on the Internet, but do me a favor and be honest about your reasons.”

  “Fine.” Allie pushed off the bench and began pacing around Henry’s stroller. “My criteria are too stringent to pull up anything other than strange men who look like serial killers. If I want to go out with a professional man in his thirties, I’ve got to be prepared for some baggage. That’s just the cold, hard truth. And let’s face it,” she added with a point to Melissa’s innocent face. “I’m no virginal teenager. My relationship with Nick probably equates to a bad marriage.”

  “Except he never pulled the trigger.”

  Allie stopped pacing and stared out at the river. “If he’d proposed, I would have married him. I would have married him and then been left to make really hard choices when he cheated on me.” She thought of Nick, so handsome, so perfect for her in every way but the one that really mattered. “Thank God he never proposed.”

  Melissa eased off the bench and stretched her hands in the air before draping one arm around Allie’s shoulders. “I’m glad he’s out of your life, Al. He was never good enough for you.”

  Allie laid her head on Melissa’s shoulder, so grateful for her friend’s support, even if she was wrong. Nick left because she wasn’t good enough for him. “It doesn’t matter now anyway.” Allie grabbed the stroller handle and turned Henry around. “I read this article in Self-Love magazine that said you can’t appreciate a good relationship if you haven’t experienced a really bad one first.”

  “Self-Love Magazine?” Melissa handed Henry the rattle when he began to fuss at leaving the ducks behind.

  Allie shrugged and began to jog. “I know it sounds hokey, but I think it’s true. Looking back, lots of things about my relationship with Nick were messed up, and it never occurred to me to take a stand or rock the boat. I didn’t have any other long term relationship to compare it to.”

  “No, you didn’t have the backbone to confront him.” She met Allie’s accusing stare with one of her own. “Whenever he did or said something that bothered you, you’d complain to me or one of your girlfriends, but you’d never complain to him.”

  “I just didn’t think any of it was worth a fight.”

  “He wasn’t worth the fight. There’s a difference.”

  Allie snorted. Easy for her to say. “You and Ben never fight.”

  “Ha!” Melissa clutched her side, but kept up the pace. “We just don’t fight in front of you.”

  “But you never complain about him.”

  “Allie, I purposely don’t complain to you about him because I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful for my husband. You know as well as I do that you’re a little sensitive in that area.”

  “So you censor your comments with me?”

  “No, I just don’t bitch to you about Ben. I have plenty of other girlfriends and fellow moms for that.”

  Allie stopped jogging and frowned at her friend. “Well, what kind of friendship do we have when you can’t be honest with me about your life?”

  “We have a very good friendship. And I am honest with you, but I don’t think you want to listen to me gripe.”

  “You listen to me gripe all the time.”

  “I know,” Melissa said and started jogging again, forcing Allie to do the same. “And hearing you gripe about men really helps my marriage.”

  “How?”

  “When Nick cheated on you, Ben and I talked about cheating, in real terms. It was the first time we’d ever drawn that line in the sand without just assuming it was there.”

  “So when my relationship crashed and burned, your marriage got stronger?”

  “Exactly. And remember when you went out with that guy who only took you to sporting events on your dates?”

  “Yeah.” Allie wasn’t sure where Melissa was going.

  “Well, it made me think about when Ben and I first started dating. We used to go to clubs and restaurants and we’d take turns choosing. After we got married, we only did things with his friends and went to games and concerts of his choice. I put my foot down, and now our rare evenings out are spent doing things we both want to do.”

  “And all this happened because of me?”

  Melissa cocked her head and smiled at Allie. “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Well. Perhaps I should charge you a fee for these marriage sessions I didn’t realize we’ve been having.”

  “I’d say the therapy works both ways.”

  Allie would have quickened her pace to outrun Melissa if she didn’t have the extra weight of the stroller holding her back. As it stood, they were neck and neck. At least Melissa had stopped talking and let Allie digest what she’d learned. The more she thought about what Melissa confessed, the more everything about their lives bounced around in her head, the more she realized what she’d already known: dating sucked. And that, she knew, did little to help her attitude about her upcoming date.

  ***

  Craig dropped the sledgehammer and pulled a section of sheetrock away from the stud. The annoying pain in his knee didn’t stop him from enjoying the destruction of a wall that served no better purpose than to close off a corner of the house. Besides, he needed the exertion, the feel of something powerful in his hands and the sweat that crept down his back.

  Mark had zoned in on a sore spot and Craig hadn’t been able to shake his mood ever since. So what if he didn’t date? What was the point? He wasn’t looking for a relationship, and whenever he needed sex, he always had his hand if a willing woman couldn’t be found. He’d found quite a few willing women in the last couple of years.

  He’d spent too much time with Mark and Leah, thinking of the three of them as a unit, a family. He’d known for a while that Mark and Carolyn were getting serious. At first, when Mark had asked Craig to watch Leah while he went out of town for the weekend, he hadn’t mentioned a woman. But Mark, being Mark, couldn’t keep a secret for long. He’d met someone. She lived in Chicago. They were se
eing each other. Their no strings, no expectations weekends together went beyond serious when Mark proposed.

  Craig was envious of his brother, for more reasons than just because he was moving on. Mark had grieved for Becca because he could. He knew what they’d had, what he’d lost. He could mourn for the wife who’d loved him and given him his child. If only Craig could’ve had that chance.

  He shook off his mood when Davis Hollingsworth walked in, his Italian loafers popping like dry wood on the unfinished floor. He stood at the threshold between the kitchen and the newly opened room with his hands on his hips.

  “Wow, that really opens things up in here,” Davis said. “I’m glad I let you talk me into this.” He walked around the studded wall and waved his hand at the electrical wires running between them. “What are you going to do with all this stuff?”

  What do you think I’m going to do with it? Craig wanted to say, but he bit his tongue and said, “Reroute it through the ceiling and the adjacent walls.”

  Davis spun around and took in the bottom floor. “I gotta tell you, man, I hope you can put this bitch back together.”

  “Rehab work is ugly at first. Trust me, you’ll be happy with the finished product.”

  “I damn well better.” The words were said with a cocky smile and Craig didn’t take it personally. Davis had taken a chance on him, and if the nervous tapping of his foot didn’t give away his second thoughts, the constant hair flipping would have done it. “Jimmy knows I’ll kick his ass if you screw this up.”

  “Jimmy’ll kick my ass if I screw this up,” Craig said and pulled another hunk of sheetrock out from between the studs. “But he won’t have to. My work’s as good as my word.” Craig tossed the sheetrock into the growing pile in the corner by the window. “Did you come by for a reason or did you just want to see how she’s coming?”

  “A little of both. Stacy had some ideas for the kitchen she wanted me to run by you.”

  “Okay.” Craig dropped the hammer and clapped some of the dust off as he walked to the kitchen.

  “She wants an island, like we talked about, but we went to some friends’ lake house last weekend and they have this huge island with stools and a sink. Her eyes bugged out, and then she winked at me. All I’ve heard about since is the island.”