WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine Edition (28 page)

Dane stared at the stool for a moment. Amanda
coughed to regain his attention. He looked up at her, his hands in
his pockets, tall and broad and somber, different from the boy she
once knew and yet so much the same. She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Wanna know a secret?”

“You’re holding my Mandy hostage in the city
and you’re just a cheap copy?”

“Ha ha.” She crooked her finger at him and
beckoned him toward the car. When he stood shoulder to shoulder
with her, she leaned against him and whispered, “Yesterday I caught
my parents making out in the backseat of this car.”

In the background, Grandpa hooted. “Elvira
and I use to — you know — like rabbits.”

Amanda thought,
Go away, Grandpa
. And
in a poof of white light, he vanished.

Dane squinted at the car window.
“Seriously?”

“Serious as a heart attack. I am never
getting that picture out of my head,” she said, only to realize
she’d already replaced the offensive image with a much better one
of Dane climbing out of the shower to greet her at the door,
wearing nothing more than a towel and a smile. Still, he looked so
serious and uptight, she had to do something to loosen him up. “I’m
never riding in this car ever again.”

Dane smirked. “It’s kind of cute.”

“What? That my parents are screwing their
brains out in the backseat of a car like a couple of teenagers?
They have a bed. Not to mention they have a door they can
shut.”

When he finally looked at her, there was heat
in his eyes and something more than affection. “You have to admit,
there’s something really hot about pretending you’re sixteen again.
Making out with your girl in the backseat of a car. Pretending it’s
her father’s car and you’re doing it for the very first time.”

She laughed and then she caught back the
laugh because she had an idea. “I wouldn’t know. I never made out
in the backseat of my dad’s car when I was sixteen.”

He paused … and took the bait. “Your mom’s
car?”

“Not even my date’s car. See what a poor
deprived teenager I was.” She shifted around until she stood almost
toe-to-toe with him. Dane kept his arms at his sides, so she
grabbed him by the shirt front, tugged him toward the car, and gave
him her best leer. “Want to show me how it’s done?”

“Geez, Mandy.” Grabbing her wrist, he tried
to pull back, but she could tell he wasn’t trying all that hard.
“Do you want to ruin our friendship?”

“No. I’m trying to figure out if you could be
my first honest to goodness Valentine.”

He kept following her. “We might never be
able to go back.”

“Why not? If we don’t like it, we’ll pretend
it never happened.” She saw heat in his eyes and the ever present
humor. “Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss me?
I’ve wondered what it would be like to kiss you.”

Against the back of her legs, she felt the
edge of the car seat and she let herself go, toppling backward into
the car and pulling him down on top of her.

He managed to absorb most of his body weight
with an arm on each side of her head, but he still landed on her
with a soft satisfying bump and grind. It was full body contact and
more pleasure than she’d experienced in eons.

When his mouth meshed with hers, Amanda
realized she had never felt anything so sweet or so heady, and
everything inside her paused to feel the impact of his kiss. Soft
and desperate and new mingled into one as he slanted his mouth
across hers, and she wrapped her arms around his back to hold him
closer still.

Definitely more than just friends. There was
passion in his kiss. But before she could suggest they go further,
he pulled back. “I can’t do this.”

She whispered, “What are you afraid of,
Dane?”

“Losing you forever.” His gaze was intense,
his frustration evident in the clench of his jaw. “You only think
you want me because it’s almost Valentine’s Day and you’re afraid
to be alone.”

Amanda’s heart thumped in her chest. She put
her hand to his face and felt the scratch of his whiskers against
her palm. “I don’t feel alone when I’m with you.”

She looked into his eyes. Deep, deep, deep
into his eyes.

He pushed up off of her and out of the car,
grabbing her hand to pull her up after him. “Come on, let’s get
this car decorated.”

His expression was closed, distant.

And she felt a crack in her chest, like she’d
already lost him.

Six

Amanda managed to avoid Dane for the rest of
the day, until she headed down to the restaurant for the rehearsal
dinner. She’d put on a simple skirt and blouse for the occasion,
and now she carefully walked through the snow. Guilt hit her square
in the gut.

What had she been thinking? She had wanted to
bring them closer together, but all she’d accomplished was to push
him further away. The smartest thing she could do was keep her
hands to herself, then immediately after the wedding, return to the
city.

The memory of her encounter with Dane in the
front seat of her mom’s car — and the kiss that followed — washed
over her. She felt her body flush, but she pushed it away.

There was a huge difference between lust and
love, she reasoned. She loved Dane like a friend, but she lusted
after him like a lover. Lust could be controlled, but love —

Dane fell into step beside her. “Hey there.
Still talking to me?”

“Always,” she replied easily.

They hit an icy patch on the sidewalk and he
held out his hand. “Hold on so you don’t fall.”

“Thanks.” She took his hand and smiled at
him. Yes, friends forever. She could do this, control her desire
and just be his friend. “So what have you been up to since this
morning?”

“Gramps wanted to make sure his clothes were
ready for tomorrow. How about you?”

“Grandma spent the afternoon fussing with
everything in her closet except her wedding dress. I can’t believe
how nervous she is.” The sole of her boot slipped against the ice
and as Dane grabbed her by the arm to steady her, they ended up
face to face.

She caught her breath.

Just like when she’d set eyes on him
yesterday morning, he looked tall and broad and strong.

There were times over the years when she had
cursed him, and times when she had loved him, but through it all,
their friendship had remained. No matter what happened after today,
she knew he’d always be her friend.

Her heart skipped a beat, only to do double
time in her chest. She focused on keeping the moment light. “Just
can’t keep your hands off me, can you?”

He looked down at her, his brows drawn
together in a frown. “You know I can.”

“Too bad.” She made a face at him and pulled
away. “Never mind. I’m okay now. I promise to be careful.”

Thankfully, it took most of her concentration
to maneuver her way over the ice and they walked the remainder of
the distance in silence. Once they reached the restaurant, Dane
took her coat and went to hang it up, leaving her alone to
regroup.

A repeat of this morning could ruin their
relationship, she knew that now. After just one kiss, they were
stumbling around each other like newly introduced strangers. So why
did she continue to taunt him?

Grandpa appeared beside her, his face almost
red with his glower. “Now she’s just rubbing Morty in my nose.”

Amanda followed his gaze to where Grandma and
Morty were seated at a table, the urn set on the middle of the
table like a centerpiece.

“She doesn’t even know you’re here,” Amanda
whispered as she headed across the restaurant toward the elderly
couple. “Doesn’t Grandma look radiant?”

“She’s making a fool of herself over that
bastard Morty.”

“Quit calling him a bastard,” she hissed. “He
had a mother and father, just like you.”

He turned his glower on her. “Are you
switching sides, too?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side, but isn’t it time
you let go? Grandma is trying to move on. You should, too.”

Grandpa poofed out, then reappeared on the
chair beside her grandma as Dane caught up to her. “Your parents
aren’t here yet.”

Amanda focused on ignoring the deep rumble of
Dane’s voice in her ear and the way her insides reacted with
pleasure. “Guess we should’ve gone home after the rehearsal and
checked the garage, huh? They better not mess up the
decorations.”

He laughed, which she took as a positive sign
because he hadn’t laughed with her since the kiss in the garage,
and took her elbow to guide her the rest of the way to the
table.

As they approached, Amanda noticed the
elderly couple looked stiff and unnatural. When they got to the
table, she asked, “Is everything okay?”

Morty huffed and pointed at the urn on the
table. “I’ve asked Elvira to leave that thing at home tomorrow, but
she refuses.”

Grandma sent him a look she only used when
she was mad.

Amanda sat down on an empty chair. “Grandma,
surely you don’t want Grandpa at your wedding.”

“For fifty-five years, he was my
husband.”

Morty tossed a crumpled wad of tissue at the
urn. “He’s dead. Get over it, Elvira.”

The restaurant door flew open, letting in a
blast of cold air, and Amanda’s parents rushed in. Her mom’s cheeks
were flushed from the cold, her eyes bright, her coat buttoned up
crooked. “I’m so sorry we’re late.”

“We had a flat tire,” her dad explained.

Amanda slid a glance toward Dane, who was
staring at them, laughter in his eyes. He pushed to his feet and
went to hold out the chair beside Grandma. “Here, Mrs. G. Sit down
and catch your breath.”

She stopped beside him and reached up to pat
him on the cheek. “You’re going to make some lucky mother a
wonderful son-in-law.”

Her mom sat down, pulled the scarf off her
head, and gave Grandma a peck on the cheek. It was clear by the
flat hair on the back of her head that she’d been laying on her
back since the rehearsal. “So what are we talking about?”

Amanda let out a heavy sigh. “Grandpa’s
urn.”

Her dad took the seat next to her mom and
leaned forward. “Ma, what’s this about?”

“My rights as a widow. I want George at the
wedding.”

Grandpa popped up in the middle of the table,
his head and shoulders sticking out above the urn. “That’s right,
Elvira. You tell Morty how it’s going to be. Don’t you let him
stomp all over you.”

Morty grimaced and rubbed his shoulder. “What
about my rights as the groom? I’m not going to live out the rest of
my life in the shadow of George’s memory.”

Grandpa George cackled. “Fricking Morty. Your
mother was a whore and your father was a bastard.”

Amanda stood up and grabbed the urn, which
thankfully made her grandpa disappear. Ignoring Grandma’s gasp and
Morty’s cheer, she stuck the black box under her chair. Sitting
down, she picked up her napkin and placed it on her lap.

“Morty has a point. He shouldn’t have to feel
like he’s in competition with a dead man.” Relieved she wouldn’t
have to stare at the ghostly figure of her grandpa anymore, she
picked up her menu. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

Her dad tapped her on the arm. “Don’t be rude
to your grandma, young lady. Put the urn back on the table right
now.”

“Don’t you dare listen to your father,” her
mom snorted as she shifted her chair away from her husband. “Morty
has a point. Elvira needs to let go. There shouldn’t be three
people in a marriage.”

Grandpa stuck his head and shoulders through
the table, and gave Amanda a death stare. “Morty was so ugly, his
parents had to tie a pork chop around his neck so the dog would
play with him.”

Amanda sighed and slumped on her chair. “Oh
crap.”

Grandpa turned his attention on his nemesis.
“Morty has to take Viagra to get it up. Morty is so slow, he thinks
he’s first. Morty is so —”

Morty rubbed his arm again, a pained
expression on his face, and toppled onto the floor.

Seven

The ambulance arrived in record time and the
emergency personnel stabilized Morty before whisking him away.
Amanda grabbed the urn from under the chair and along with everyone
else, piled into her dad’s car for the short ride to the
hospital.

In the waiting room, she tried to pass the
urn to her grandma, but Elvira pushed it away and plopped down on a
chair. Surprised, Amanda stood back and clasped the urn to her
chest.

Grandpa George appeared beside her.
“Bumpkin?”

She shook her head, and when he fell silent,
she turned her attention back to her grandma.

Gone was the radiant glow the elderly woman
had worn earlier. Now she looked old and frail and scared. “I don’t
understand. Morty just had a checkup. The old fool said his health
was better than the average fifty-year-old.”

Dora sank down on the chair beside her
mother-in-law and put one arm around her narrow shoulders. “He’s
going to be okay, Elvira. Isn’t that right, Tom?”

Tom slid onto the chair on the other side and
linked hands with his wife around his mother’s shoulders. “Morty is
strong, Ma. Have faith.”

Dane crouched down in front of Elvira and
took both her hands in his. “Grandpa loves you and he won’t go
without a fight.”

“You’re right. Your grandfather wouldn’t want
me to give up hope.” Grandma cupped his face between her hands and
her tear-filled eyes gazed at him with earnest. “Would you do me a
favor, Dane?”

“Anything.”

“When he wakes up, I’d like his room to be
filled with red roses and heart shaped balloons. Could you arrange
that for me?”

“You bet.” He leaned forward and kissed the
top of each of her frail hands before he pushed to his feet and
faced Amanda. His mouth was set in a taut, unsmiling line and as he
passed her, he quietly said, “I should call my parents, let them
know what’s going on. If there’s any news, come get me.”