Mias eyes filled with tears and she shoved the door open and got out, brushing the dampness from her cheeks before anyone saw. Jack quickly followed, slamming the Mercedes door behind him as he watched the scene unfold. She joined him, leaning back against the car, her arms crossed over her chest.
Ben McMahon, you havent changed a bit, Elyse cried, her musical laugh filling the fragrant air.
Elyse Lovett, youve only gotten more beautiful.
Mia watched as Elyse hugged her father and a few seconds later, Ben led her into the house, leaving Mia to deal with Jack on her own. Why dont we get the bags and Ill get you settled in the guest house, she murmured.
They pulled the luggage out of the trunk of the Mercedes and walked around to the rear of the spacious home. Though the house didnt qualify as an estate, it was spacious and comfortable and one of the nicest properties in Marin County. Her fathers work had made it possible for the family to live without financial worries. But according to her father, Elyse and her three children hadnt been as lucky.
The guest cottage was located behind the house, set near the pool and the tennis court. As they walked down the path, she heard Jack chuckle softly.
What?
This is your guest house?
Is there something wrong?
No. Its just that its bigger than the house I grew up in.
Mia opened the front door and stepped aside to let him pass. She watched as he took in the beautiful interior. Her mother had redecorated both houses about five years ago and Mia had helped her with her choices. The guest cottage had been her favorite and she and her mother had been very proud of how it turned out. Mia had lived in the cottage the year after her mother had died, the space reminding her of the time theyd spent choosing colors and fabrics.
The bedrooms are back here, she said.
But he didnt follow her. Instead, he stood in the middle of the living room. Let me ask you a question. How do you feel about this whole thing? This visit.
Mia slowly turned, setting the bag down beside her. You mean our parents?
Dont you find it a littleodd?
She sighed deeply and smiled. Yes? Finally, someone who understood how she felt. Its not that I dont want my father to be happy. After everything thats happened, he deserves to find some happiness. But bringing a complete stranger into our family this late in the game just seems sounnecessary. I know he imagines himself in love with
Jack gasped. In love? Your father is in love with my
Well, he hasnt really said it, she interrupted. But hes been so excited about this visit. Mia paused. What about your mother?
She says theyre just friends. My father was her one and only.
Well, then, maybe thats the case. I shouldnt have jumped to conclusions. After all, at their age, romance seems a little too much to hope for.
Right. Those feelings go away once you turnwhat? Fifty?
Sixty, she said.
And theres the matter of the distance, Jack said. My mother lives in Chicago. Your father lives here. They could never carry on a relationship over that distance.
Absolutely right.
Jack frowned. Who knows, they might not even enjoy being together this weekend.
Yeah, maybe they wont even like each other. She met his gaze and saw the doubt there. Mia walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottled water. Would you like something to drink? Or maybe something to eat?
Do you have a beer?
She pulled one out and handed it to him, then opened a bottle of water for herself and took a long drink. She had to be very clever about this. After all, her father was in a very vulnerable state and Elyse was a beautiful woman. If she had no feelings for him, then everything was fine. But what if she developed feelings for Mias father, only to crush his heart later.
Mia pushed away from the counter. Why dont we get out of here and get some dinner? Im sure our parents dont need us hanging around, hovering.
She watched as he took a long sip of his beer. Even the way he drank beer was sexy, so casual, so masculine. Her breath caught in her throat and for a long moment, she didnt breathe. The thoughts running through her mind were just a little bit preposterous. And yet, she couldnt deny that Jack Quinns presence here was like a gift.
It had been too long since shed had a man in her bed. And now, shed been given the perfect opportunityhe was handsome, sexy, available and hed go home at the end of the weekend. Why not take advantage while she could?
She took another swallow of the water, but it went down wrong. Mia coughed, putting her hand on her chest. Her eyes began to water and Jack crossed the room and gently patted her back.
Are you all right?
His warm hand smoothed over her back and she nodded. But she wasnt okay. Her thoughts focused on his touch. She wanted him to kiss her, but she wasnt sure exactly how to make it seem as if it was his idea. IIm fine, she said, taking another sip of water. I think we should go.
Lead on, Jack said.
Mia walked toward the door, but she was sorely tempted to turn around and walk into the bedroom, just to see what hed do. If shed thought hed follow her, Mia might have tried it.
YOU HAVE TO TRY the fish tacos, Mia said, jumping out of the Mini Cooper and slamming the door behind her. Jack crawled out of the car and followed her up to the window of the roadside taco stand.
He stared up at the menu, working his way through the extensive list of choices. After finding their parents engrossed in a study of an old picture album, Jack and Mia had hopped into her car and driven toward the coast. Theyd pulled off the highway about fifteen minutes later at a small wooden shack with picnic tables gathered around it.
Ive never had a fish taco, Jack said.
Dont they have them in Chicago?
Were kind of hot dog and pizza people there, Jack explained. Although its a great city for food, so Im sure there are plenty of places to go for fish tacos. Ive just never had one.
Well, Mannys is the best, she said. Its been around forever. My girlfriends and I used to come here when we were in high school, looking to meet boys. Lots of surfers used to hang out here. Blond, tan, smelling like the ocean.
She ordered a basket of four fish tacos and a couple of beers. When the server handed her a tray, she turned and headed toward one of the picnic tables.
The songs had always touted the superiority of California girls, but Jack had never really seen the attraction. But here, beneath the late-afternoon sun, with a warm breeze blowing off the ocean, he couldnt recall ever meeting a woman more captivating than Mia McMahon.
She grabbed a taco from the basket and bit into it. Jack followed suit and when the mix of fish and fresh tomato and avocado and cheese all melded in his mouth, he groaned softly.
Good, right?
Wow. Really not what I expected, he said.
I know. She grinned. So tell me why you decided to come to California with your mother. Dont you have a job? Or are you a professional mamas boy?
Jack chuckled. I wasnt completely convinced that your father wasnt some kind of letch just looking for a little action from a sweet and trusting woman, so I decided to come along and check him out personally. And yes, I do have a job. Im a sports writer. What do you do? Let me guess. Youre either a professional houseguest insulter or a roadside restaurant critic?
Jack chuckled. I wasnt completely convinced that your father wasnt some kind of letch just looking for a little action from a sweet and trusting woman, so I decided to come along and check him out personally. And yes, I do have a job. Im a sports writer. What do you do? Let me guess. Youre either a professional houseguest insulter or a roadside restaurant critic?
Im a graphic designer. I have my own studio. We do a lot of work for restaurants and hotels in the Bay area. Menus, signs, point of sale displays. I designed the sign right over there for Manny.
Jack glanced over his shoulder. The dancing tacos?
Theyre not dancing, theyre hitchhiking, she said. This is a roadside taco stand. They want a ride. Mia frowned. I guess it does look like theyre dancing.
God, she was adorable, Jack mused. Everything she said was endlessly fascinating, even when it didnt make sense. He took another bite. Ive never seen tacos with legs and armsand faces, but they look good. Youre good.
That brought a laugh. And youre not a very good liar, she countered. Dont you think this whole thing is kind of strange?
Hitchhiking tacos?
No, my dad and your mom. Its kind of unexpected.
He drew a deep breath and nodded. My dad died twenty-two years ago. I was nine. And since then, Moms never shown the slightest bit of interest in dating. But she and your dad are old friends. Their families used to spend summers together. Its just a chance to revisit the past.
My father told me, about a year ago, that he could never see himself with another woman. That my mom was his one true love. I believed him.
Theyre looking for companionship, Jack said. Isnt that what people their age want? I cant imagine theyre in it for the sex.
She clapped her hands over her ears. Stop. I dont want to listen to that.
Jack reached out and pulled her hands away. At one time they were our age, he said. Im sure there were times when they felt that kind of gut-deep attraction for someone. You know, when you feel like you cant breathe and your head gets all fuzzy? He was very familiar with that feeling, since it had happened to him the moment hed first seen Mia.
She forced a smile. Yeah, I know. Mia reached for her beer and took a long sip. So do you really think that all stops at fifty?
He shook his head. No. But then, Im a guy. I cant believe its ever going to stop. Id like to think Ill be interested in sex until Im at least eighty or ninety years old. What about you?
I cant imagine my father having thoughts like that, Mia murmured.
I wouldnt worry about it. My mother is very comfortable in Chicago and your father is comfortable here. When you get to be that age, you just dont turn your life upside down and move away from the only home youve known for the past thirty years.
She finished her taco and nodded. We shouldnt get ahead of ourselves. But we should be prepared to discourage a romance. Mia sighed softly. It would just be so awkward. The holidays would be the worst. Having a stranger there, in place of my mother. It wouldnt feel right.
Who says shed want to spend the holidays here? Shes always spent Christmas in Chicago with our family.
See, thats what this leads to. It would be a nightmare. Im glad we agree that there should be no romance. If it looks like its getting too hot and heavy, were going to have to step in.
Now Im starting to feel like the parent, Jack said.
Its what happens. My father only dated one woman in his entire life. Hes not ready for romance.
They finished their tacos and beers, then carried their tray back to the window. Jack walked to the drivers side of the car and reached for the door, but Mia suddenly turned around to face him. But what if there is an attraction? she murmured, her gaze fixed on his. And what if they act on it?
He stared down at her. They were standing so close he could smell the scent of her perfume, could feel the heat from her body. Jack clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from reaching out and touching her. The breeze toyed with a strand of her hair and he imagined how it might feel between his fingers.
I suppose well deal with that when it happens, he said softly.
Jack leaned in slightly, testing, searching for an equal and opposite reaction. Her lips parted slightly and the need to taste her was almost overwhelming. His gaze drifted down to her mouth. But somewhere, in the back of his mind, a tiny voice told him to stop.
Indulging in his own attraction would be a huge risk. Though Mia was beautiful, she could also distract him from his purpose, which was getting his mother back to Chicago, safely and with her heart intact. And yet, even though his instincts told him to back off, Jack couldnt help but wonder what it would feel like to just let go.
He sucked in a sharp breath, then reached around her and opened the car door. We should probably get going, he murmured.
Right, she said, avoiding his gaze.
He smiled to himself as he circled the car. This was the last place on earth he would have ever expected to find a woman who tied him up in knots. Had he known hed meet someone like Mia, he might have decided to stay at home. Though it would be difficult, he was going to have to keep their relationship strictly platonic.
Unless, of course, she convinced him otherwise.
2
WHAT IS SHE LIKE? Is she pretty? Is she putting on the full court press or is she playing it coy?
Mia sighed, leaning back against the edge of the kitchen counter as she spoke on her cell phone with her sister Danielle. She seems really nice. And she is pretty in a very natural way. She has beautiful skin.
Probably had plastic surgery, Dani said.
I dont think so. I think shes just naturally beautiful. Like Mom. Mia swallowed hard. To be honest, I think Mom probably would have liked her. She peeked out the back door to watch her father and Jacks mother. They were enjoying cocktails on the rear terrace, caught up in another private conversation between the two of them.
Dani gasped. What are you saying? Are you saying you like her?
No! I barely know her, Mia protested. Im just saying that she isnt some evil stepmonster, out to steal all our fathers money and make our holidays a living hell. I dont even think shes interested in romance.
Every single woman is interested in romance. Especially with a rich and somewhat sexy guy.
Seriously, Im watching them right now, Mia said. All they do is talk.
What else have you found out?
Not much. Ive been a little preoccupied with other matters.
What could be more important than this? Dani cried.
Mia pulled the phone away from her ear and waited for her sister to calm down. Finally, after a few minutes, it seemed safe to proceed. She brought her son with her. And heshes Maybe it would be best to just say it out loud. Hes incredibly hot.
What?
Nothing, Mia said. II have to go now.
Hes hot? Whos hot? Mia, what is going on?
Ive got to run, Mia said. Call you later. She quickly turned off the phone, then silenced the ringer, as well. No doubt Dani would call Steph, and then Steph would be on the line in a few minutes demanding answers of her own.