Flirting with Disaster (25 page)

“Or before,” she said. “I think I'll check in from time to time to make sure Maggie's treating you right.”

Josh shook his head at this belated display of maternal concern. He was way past the age when he needed anyone looking out for him, but, belated or not, he had to admit it felt good knowing that Nadine genuinely cared. It had been a long time since he'd believed anyone gave two hoots what happened to him.

 

“Nadine doesn't approve of this,” Maggie said when Josh was in the truck and they were headed for her place. She looked oddly shaken by that.

He shrugged. “Doesn't matter.”

“I thought she liked me.”

“She does. It's the situation that has her acting a little crazy,” he explained. “I never thought I'd live to see the day when she'd worry about my sleeping arrangements.”

“What exactly is she worried about?” Maggie pressed.

Josh glanced at her. “I've already told you that it's not important.”

“I could just ask her.”

“I'm surprised you didn't.”

“Well, she wasn't as straightforward with me as she appeared to be with you. I just picked up on this weird vibe that she wasn't entirely happy with the situation.”

His lips twitched. “Since your curiosity was obviously all stirred up, why didn't you roll down your window and eavesdrop?”

“That would be impolite,” she said primly, then added with a note of disgust, “besides, you have power windows and I couldn't get the damn things down.”

Josh laughed. “Then you did consider the idea?”

“Of course.”

“Maggie, you don't need to worry about my mother. Maybe the mother we ought to be worrying about is yours. How is she going to take this new development?”

“She'll deal with it,” Maggie said. “She won't have any choice.”

“You know, it's ironic how much those two women have in common,” Josh said. “You sure as hell wouldn't guess it to look at them. Something tells me when news of our living arrangements gets out, they're going to be thick as thieves trying to decide what to do about it.”

“They don't scare me,” Maggie said.

Josh studied her unconcerned expression and shook his head. “They probably should, darlin'. These two are not lightweights when it comes to causing a ruckus.”

“And we're not two teenagers sneaking off to some lovers' lane,” Maggie countered. “We're both adults. I know exactly what the score is and so do you.”

Josh thought about Nadine's belief that Maggie didn't have a clue what this move meant to him. Now was not the time to fill her in.

Besides, after he'd spent a couple of days dodging hose and lacy bras hanging from the shower rod or tripping on a pair of high-heeled sandals she'd tossed carelessly aside, he'd probably tire of the whole domestic-bliss thing. In fact, he was counting on it.

 

Her carriage house felt smaller with Josh underfoot every time she turned around, Maggie thought with annoyance. It had been different in that hotel room in Savannah. They'd been there for one reason and they'd spent most of their time in bed.

Now, with all the careful rules spelled out about their living arrangements and the fact it was just about protecting her from Brian, they spent way too much time avoiding the bed. Josh was taking the whole bodyguard thing to an extreme. She couldn't figure out when on earth he was sleeping, since he was wide awake on the sofa when she went to bed and wide awake at the kitchen table drinking coffee when she got up.

She took two days of this before she finally lost her temper. Climbing out of her cold and lonely bed at three in the morning, she went downstairs and spotted him sitting outside on the patio. She couldn't help the sudden rush of sympathy at the loneliness radiating from him. She had to find a way around or over or through that wall he'd built since moving in here. She knew it had something to do with whatever Nadine had said to him.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she took a seat beside him.

“This isn't working for me,” she said bluntly.

He turned to stare at her. “What?”

“You living here.”

He regarded her with a stunned expression. “I've been doing my best to stay out of your way.”

“That's just it. It's weird. You're acting as if we hardly know each other. I thought—” She cut herself off before she could say that she'd thought it would be different, that they'd grow closer with him living under her roof.

“You thought what?”

“That we were past this awkwardness,” she said finally, then decided to be perfectly honest. “I thought you'd be sleeping upstairs with me.”

Josh met her gaze, then sighed. “To tell you the truth, that's what I thought, too.”

“Then why are you downstairs while I'm in my bed all alone?”

“It seemed like a good idea to put a little distance between us.”

“Why?”

“I can't protect you if I'm distracted,” he said.

“Baloney!” she said at once.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Not buying that one?”

“Not even close.”

“I thought it was pretty good.”

“For a professional bodyguard,” she agreed. “Not for a man who's been my lover. Dammit, Josh, if your feelings have changed, I have a right to know about it.”

“My feelings haven't changed,” he told her. “That's the point, I guess.”

“I'm sure that makes perfect sense to you, but not to me.”

“It was something Nadine said,” he admitted, confirming Maggie's suspicion. “She told me I was going to move in here and find all the things that had been missing in my life.”

“Such as?”

“Little things, I guess,” he began as if he was struggling to put it into words. He regarded her earnestly. “It's a home, Maggie. I never had that. This place is filled with heirlooms. It's filled with memories. I told you before that there was never anything like that in my life. Walking through these rooms, seeing the old family pictures, being surrounded by all these things that mean something to you, it makes me want something I can't have.”

Maggie thought she was finally beginning to get it. “You can have anything if you want it badly enough.”

“I wish I could believe that.”

“What is it you want that you think you can't have?”

“Roots, I suppose.”

Her heart turned over at the wistfulness in his voice. “You know, Josh, seeds don't have any roots when you first put them in the ground. They have to be nurtured. Next thing you know they're deep in the earth and a plant is flourishing.”

He regarded her bleakly. “You can say that because it's something you've had all your life. It's harder to believe when you've lived the way I have.”

“Maybe that's where faith comes in. You have to start somewhere, Josh.”

He lifted his gaze to hers. “You know when it really hit me? I was in the bathroom, putting my toothbrush in the holder next to yours. Seems like a silly thing, doesn't it? But it hit me right in the chest that this was what it was like for two people to be together. It's a million tiny, intimate things that add up to a relationship.”

“But it always starts with just one thing,” Maggie said. “Like a toothbrush.”

“And then what? Our underwear's all mingled together in the laundry? You steal the toast off my plate?”

She tried to fight a smile and failed. “If I promise never to steal your toast or turn your underwear pink by washing it with my red bra, will you come to bed with me? Please?”

He stared at her with undisguised longing. “I want to.”

“Then do it, Josh. Don't try to analyze it or predict where we're heading. Just come to bed tonight. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”

“Not fifteen minutes ago, you wanted me to move out,” he said wryly.

“No, what I said was that it wasn't working for me the way it's been the last couple of days,” she corrected. “I've been feeling isolated and alone. I like what we have together. I don't want to lose it, certainly not because either one of us is scared about what the future might hold.”

He looked deep into her eyes and he must have found whatever he was looking for, because he finally nodded. “You're right. It would be foolish to walk away from something we both want.”

Maggie stood and held out her hand. “Just so you know, it's not just about the sex.”

He grinned at last, ignoring her outstretched hand and looping an arm around her shoulders. “Never thought it was.”

“Yes, you did. You're a man, aren't you? Men always think it's just about the sex.”

“I'll prove it,” he retorted. “There will be no sex.”

Maggie nudged him in the ribs. “Bet I can make you change your mind.”

He gave her a bland look. “You can try.”

She slipped her arm companionably around his waist and snuggled against his side as they walked toward her room. “I've missed this.”

“What? Arguing with me?”

“Feeling close to you.”

He sighed then. “Me, too, darlin'.”

 

Once he'd made the move from the sofa into Maggie's bed, Josh kept waiting for panic to start clawing its way up the back of his throat, but a week later, it hadn't happened. Instead, it felt right, just the way the sight of those two toothbrushes side by side had felt right.

Even so, he kept reminding himself he was staying at Maggie's because Brian was on the loose. He told himself that would make it easier for him to go when the time came. Since the lie was beginning to wear thin, he was relieved when Saturday rolled around and he knew they'd be surrounded by other people all day long. Maybe that would help him keep things in perspective.

Instead, he arrived at the site and Nadine was immediately in his face.

“You look like hell,” she declared. “Aren't you getting any sleep?”

“I'm getting plenty of sleep,” he assured her. It was just coming in fits and starts since he and Maggie couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other for more than an hour at a time.

“Where's Maggie? Does she look as worn-out as you do?”

“Even if she does, I would advise you against commenting on it,” he said.

Nadine rolled her eyes. “Give me some credit. I'm a woman. I'd never tell another woman she's a mess, unless, of course, it's someone I'm not overly fond of. So, where is Maggie?”

“I dropped her off at the gallery, as a matter of fact. She has a lot of work to catch up on. She's going to spend the morning over there, then come by here later.”

“I thought you were supposed to be watching her every second,” Nadine said.

“I had a chat with Detective Ryan. He's got someone stationed right outside the gallery. Maggie will be fine there for a few hours. She needs a break from me, anyway.”

Nadine grinned. “Oh, really? Having trouble keeping your hands to yourself?”

“Mother!”

“Oh, for goodness' sake, I know how these things work.”

“Yes, I imagine you do,” he said. “How are things with you and George?”

“I wish you'd stop trying to make something of that,” she said. “George and I are just friends.”

“When have I heard that before?”

“Coming out of your mouth with regard to Maggie,” she retorted. “Though in your case it was a blatant lie.”

“And it's not in your case?”

“No. George is going to help me find a job, so I can stay here and find a decent place of my own.”

“I thought by now you'd have found some way to suggest moving in with him.”

Nadine looked about to utter a quick denial, but then she shrugged. “In the past, I might have.”

Josh heard something in her voice he'd never heard before—caution. He studied her curiously. “What's different this time?”

“I'm just starting to figure out who I am.”

Josh regarded her with surprise. “You've never known that before?”

Nadine shook her head. “I always let myself be defined by the men I was with.” She smiled at him. “I owe it to you, you know. Making me work here has turned things around for me. I've realized that I have a lot to offer besides my body. I might even take some college classes one of these days.”

He stared at her in shock. “You're kidding!”

“Why shouldn't I?” she asked defensively.

“There's no reason at all why you shouldn't. I'm just surprised you want to.”

“To be honest, so am I, but George says I don't have to study for a degree. I can just take classes that interest me. He's taking art appreciation right now, something he never had time for years ago when he was getting his business degree. I thought I might sign up for music appreciation with him next semester.”

“Good for you,” Josh said, his admiration deepening.

“We're going to take tango lessons, too.”

“George is going to take tango lessons?” The image boggled Josh's mind.

Nadine grinned. “I've told him it's a very sensual dance. I think that convinced him.”

“Then there
is
a relationship here.”

“There's a friendship,” she corrected again, then winked and added, “with sexual overtones. Maybe it's something you and Maggie should try to get the hang of.”

“Maggie and I are doing just fine,” Josh said.

At least he thought they were, as long as he didn't think too far into the future. Maybe that was how relationships worked, like a twelve-step program—one tentative, hopeful day at a time.

I
t was still a shock to Maggie to walk into her house and find telltale evidence that a man was living there. Not just any man, she amended. Josh.

He'd kicked off his filthy work boots in the front hall, which might have made her cringe a few weeks ago. Now it merely made her smile. There were sports magazines mixed in with her interior-design and regional-lifestyle magazines. She found two coffee cups left in the kitchen sink and two juice glasses, one of them extra large. The laundry basket was overflowing with his jeans and work shirts.

It was the latter that actually shook her. She picked up one of his
work
shirts and breathed in the masculine scent that was all Josh. In one way it was still an alien, unfamiliar scent. In another it had become an aphrodisiac.

Panic began to twist in her gut. She had never gotten this far in a relationship before, had never allowed anyone to get this close. She'd been intimate, but there was a huge difference between allowing a man into your bed and permitting him to share your life. She'd always been about doing the unconventional. This seemed a whole lot like conventional. What was she thinking?

“Hi, honey, I'm home!” Josh called out just then, his tone filled with amusement at the trite phrase.

“How can he joke about this?” Maggie muttered, tossing aside his shirt and retreating to the kitchen, where she could pour herself a much-needed glass of wine. Out of habit, she pulled a beer from the fridge for Josh, then cursed yet another sign of this recent domesticity.

He walked into the kitchen and, as it had for more than a week, her heart did a little stutter-step at the sight of him. He leaned down, kissed the stuffing out of her, then reached for the beer she'd set on the counter. When he glanced back at her, he frowned.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said.

His gaze narrowed. “Not buying it. Try again.”

“Okay, it's this,” she said, gesturing around vaguely.

He merely looked confused. “The kitchen?”

She scowled at him.

“Okay, not the kitchen. You're going to have to clarify, sugar.”

“You, me, all this domestic bliss,” she said. “Doesn't it scare you?”

A grin began to spread across his face. “Bliss, huh? Yeah, I guess it should.”

“But it doesn't?”

“A little, but not nearly as much as I thought it might,” he admitted.

Maggie was unreasonably irritated by his reaction. “I'm doing your laundry, dammit. You're fixing my breakfast. Doesn't that bother you?”

“You want me to do the laundry, too?”

She studied his expression to see if he was making fun of her, but he looked totally sincere. “It's not about who does the laundry,” she said impatiently.

He pulled out a chair and gestured toward it. “Sit down and tell me what's really going on here.”

Maggie sat, but she couldn't find the words to express what was bothering her. “I don't know exactly,” she said finally. “I got home just now and I looked around and you're everywhere.”

He feigned indignation. “Are you suggesting I'm a slob, Magnolia?”

Her lips twitched despite her sour mood. “No, of course not. You're actually amazingly neat. It's the implication, I think. You're really living here.”

“That's what we agreed to,” he said.

“I know.”

“Then what's the problem?”

“I like it,” she said at last. “I didn't expect to, but I do.”

“And that's what scares you?”

She nodded.

He hunkered down in front of her and gazed into her eyes. “Me, too. Sometimes, anyway,” he admitted. “But there's nowhere I'd rather be.”

“And that's not just because of Brian?” she asked.

He shook his head, his eyes still locked with hers. “Not anymore.”

Maggie sighed. “Same with me.”

He studied her intently. “Feeling better now?”

“I guess.”

“You feel like having dinner now? I'll cook.”

She laughed at the offer. “Not in my kitchen you won't,” she said. “Last time you cooked dinner, it took me two days to clean up the mess.”

“But, admit it, the food was excellent,” he said.

She stood up and he pulled her into his arms. Maggie lifted her mouth to his. “Dessert was better.”

He chuckled. “Want to have dessert first tonight?”

“You read my mind.”

 

Maggie couldn't imagine who was working on Amanda's house this morning, since half the people she knew kept popping into Images. Dinah was just the latest.

“Why are you here?” she asked wearily when Dinah settled into the chair beside her desk and took a sip of the latte she'd brought with her. She seemed prepared for a long visit.

“I thought we could catch up.”

“It hasn't been that long since the last time we saw each other,” Maggie reminded her.

“A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. How's it working out with you and Josh under the same roof? Are you getting any ideas?”

“Such as?”

“Making it permanent, of course.”

“Josh had a minor freak-out when he saw our toothbrushes lined up,” Maggie told her. “I freaked when I saw our laundry sitting beside the washer. Does that sound like two people who might walk down the aisle anytime soon?”

“He might have freaked, but he didn't bolt,” Dinah pointed out. “And you didn't kick him out. I'd say that's significant.”

“I suppose.”

“Let's cut to the chase, Maggie. How do you feel about him?”

Maggie couldn't seem to stop the dreamy expression that she knew was washing over her face. “He's sexy and exasperating, gorgeous and annoying, protective and irritating.”

Dinah's grin spread. “Admit it, Magnolia. You're in love with him. What did it? The whole protective thing?”

Maggie thought about it, then nodded. There was little point in trying to keep it from her best friend. Besides, maybe she needed to test saying the words aloud, see how the notion of love felt.

“That was a big part of it, I think. No man has ever thought I needed protecting before. Maybe Josh has gone a little over the top in that department, but it's so sweet. When it's not exasperating me, his attitude makes me feel cherished.”

“Is he in love with you?”

Maggie's shoulders sagged at the question. “I don't think he has the first clue that love doesn't have to be this huge, sweep-you-off-your-feet craziness. Sure, there's passion, and goodness knows we have that, but it's about the million and one little things that make a relationship work. Nadine never set that example for him. I think all of her relationships involved high drama.”

Dinah's grin spread. “And yours didn't?”

Maggie winced. “You have a point, but with Josh it's different.”

“Then it's up to you to show him how to make this work.”

“That could take forever,” Maggie said with a trace of her usual impatience.

“There you go,” Dinah scolded. “You always want what you want when you want it. Some of life's most valuable things are worth working for and waiting for. Cord could probably explain that one to you better than I can. It's still astonishing to me that he waited patiently for so many years for me to wake up and realize what a remarkable man he is.”

“What if I work and wait and Josh still doesn't get it? He's happy enough with the way things are now. I don't see him taking any big leaps toward making anything permanent.”

“At least you'll know you gave it your best shot,” Dinah said. “But when have you ever not gotten what you went after?”

“There was Cord,” she reminded Dinah, half in jest.

“You bought a date with him at a charity bachelor auction,” Dinah scoffed. “That hardly constitutes one of your trademark campaigns to get your own way. Besides,” she added with a grin, “you were competing with me. You didn't stand a chance.”

Maggie laughed. “True enough.”

“With Josh, you have a clear field. No competition at all.”

“I thought there might be with Amanda for a time,” Maggie admitted. “She's beautiful and sweet and has those three darling kids. I thought Josh's protective instincts would go into overdrive.” She shrugged. “Turned out I was wrong. I really do think they're just friends.”

“If you ask me, Amanda has other fish to fry,” Dinah said.

Maggie's mouth dropped open. “You're kidding! Who?”

“Caleb,” Dinah said with the confidence of a trained observer.

“What? Caleb's got a thing for Amanda? Are you serious? How did I miss that?” Maggie asked, bemused by the notion.

“Haven't you ever noticed the way he's always right by her side when he senses anything might be upsetting her? She turns to him instinctively. I'm not sure she even realizes what's going on, but he's been a real rock for her. She counts on him. I predict one of these days those two will wake up and see what's right under their noses, and when they do, watch out.”

“Dinah, Caleb's a minister!” Maggie protested, then chuckled. “'Course he's also a man.”

“And quite a hunky one, for that matter,” Dinah added. “Have you seen that man with his shirt off?” She fanned herself dramatically.

Maggie covered her ears. “Stop saying things like that. I'm pretty sure there's a place in hell for people who ogle ministers.”

“Okay, okay. I'm just saying I don't think you need to give another thought to Amanda and Josh.”

Maggie nodded. “Actually I think the biggest problem I'm likely to face with Josh is all in his head. He's not going to fall into my arms, at least not on a permanent basis, without a fight.”

“Just be sure before you go down that road that you are absolutely certain about what you want,” Dinah warned. “I'd hate to see his heart broken because you were just playing some game to prove you could get him.”

“I would never do that,” Maggie retorted indignantly.

“You would and you have,” Dinah said. “Mostly to annoy your mother.”

“My mother does not have anything at all to do with my relationship with Josh,” Maggie asserted.

“She did at the beginning. You can't deny that.”

Maggie would have denied it, but she gave the idea a moment's thought and realized Dinah was probably right. Old habits died hard. Josh's initial appeal probably had had a lot to do with the likelihood her mother would have a cow when she found out Maggie was seeing him.

But she was long since over that. She really was.

Wasn't she? The question lingered in her head long after Dinah had gone.

When her mother called to insist she come to Sunday dinner, Maggie realized she had a chance to find out how much influence Juliette still had over her decisions. It was something she needed to know before things between her and Josh went any further.

 

“What do you really know about this man?” Maggie's mother demanded before they'd taken their first sip of the cold-soup course at Sunday dinner.

They were dining alone. Maggie's father was playing golf. That alone was enough to make Maggie suspicious about her mother's motives for inviting her over. Her father played golf on Sunday only when his wife had an agenda he might not approve of.

“I know enough,” she said calmly, hoping they could get through this inquisition without a major blowup. She'd been through enough of them over the years, and they'd all ended badly.

“Really? Have you met his family? Aside from that common mother of his, that is.”

Maggie saw red. “Nadine is not common,” she said furiously. “She's a perfectly nice woman who hasn't had the same kind of opportunities you've had.”

“She is most definitely not like us,” Juliette said with a little huff.

“You mean rich and stuffy?”

“No, I mean she lacks breeding. It's not her fault, of course.”

Maggie was stunned by her mother's words. Juliette had her standards, but she'd never behaved so snobbishly.

“Where is all this coming from?” she asked. “I thought you liked her. You seemed to think she was a breath of fresh air that day at lunch.”

“I was rather fascinated at first, mainly because she rattled George. And I appreciated the fact that she stepped in to help you clean up the gallery,” she said grudgingly. “That doesn't mean I approve of her as your mother-in-law.”

Maggie bit back a groan. “Who said anything about Josh and me getting married?”

“Then you're not serious about him?”

“I don't know where our relationship is headed,” Maggie admitted.

“Then why on earth is he living under your roof?”

“To protect me from Brian.”

“The man who destroyed Images?”

“Yes. He's still on the loose.”

For a moment, Juliette looked so shaken that Maggie regretted saying anything. As usual, though, her mother promptly rallied.

“I wonder if your father knows that,” she mused. “He would put some additional pressure on the police chief, I'm sure. He certainly doesn't hesitate to call him about everything else.”

Maggie remembered the call that had been made to the chief to make sure George couldn't succeed in making trouble at the site. “Did Dad happen to talk to him about making sure that nothing held up the work on Amanda's house?”

Juliette shook her head. “The way I hear it, that was Big Max's doing.”

“You're sure?”

“Of course, I'm sure. Your father spoke to Max and told him what George had been up to. He asked if it was what Max wanted. Max picked up the phone right then and there and made the call.”

“Well, I'll be,” Maggie said. “That's encouraging, don't you think so? Maybe his attitude toward Amanda is softening.”

“I hope so,” Juliette said. “But we're getting offtrack, Magnolia. I'm interested in where you see this situation with Josh heading. He's sleeping in your bed, I imagine.”