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“Sure.” Beth leaned toward the window. “I can see them playing in the yard. It looks like a game that involves far too much running for the time of day.”
Cindy glanced at the clock on the oven. It was nearly two. “The swim meet is at five. I should probably bring them in to rest for an hour or so.” She walked to the window and stared out.
Their house was at the end of the cul-de-sac. Beyond that was a wide expanse of grass and trees with a walking path down the center. The greenbelt was the main reason she and Nelson had bought this particular lot when they’d had the house built. It gave the kids a great place to play. The area was quiet and secluded, safe.
“Don’t you ever get tired of being alone?” Beth asked.
“You mean lonely?” Cindy glanced down at her friend. She shrugged. “Sure, but I don’t want the kids hurt again. It was hard enough for them when their dad left.”
“Maybe they’re not the only ones you’re scared about. Maybe you’re also worried about yourself.”
“I can’t deny that. I’ve been hurt, too. I’m beginning to think it’s easier not to try.”
The timer went off. Cindy moved to the oven and pulled out the cookies. She couldn’t imagine herself dating. When would she have time? Nelson only took the kids every other weekend. She wanted them to remember their childhood as happy, not a collection of baby-sitters because their mother was too busy trying to have a social life.
“We’ve had this conversation before,” Beth said.
“Yes.”
“You’re being very stubborn.”
“Probably.”
“I care about you because you’re my friend.”
Cindy set two trays in the oven and set the timer again. “I know you do. I also know you’re sweet enough to change the subject.”
Beth pursed her lips as if she wasn’t going to agree, then she nodded. “Just this once. Now we can talk about Mike some more.”
Cindy groaned.
“Darren and I are having a barbecue a week from Saturday. You’re invited. Bring Mike.”
“What if he doesn’t want to come?”
“He has to. Everyone wants to meet him. It will be fun. You’ll see. Besides, you have to show him around sometime. You can’t imagine the phone calls I’ve been getting.”
Actually, Cindy could. She’d gotten a few of her own. Everyone was curious about “Grace’s bodyguard broth-er.” “I can’t decide if it’s the fact that he’s single or if it’s his career that has everyone so curious,” she said.
“It’s both.” Beth rose to her feet and walked to the refrigerator. “Is it all right?” she asked, motioning to the door.
“I’m sorry. I should have offered. Grab me a soda, too, please.”
Beth pulled out two diet sodas. She handed Cindy one, then popped the top on the other. After taking a long drink, she set it on the counter and began sliding cooled cookies into a plastic container.
“Mary Ellen called to find out if I thought she should offer to cook him meals,” Beth said.
Cindy snorted. “Yeah, right. Does this mean she’s done having her way with the delivery guy?”
“Probably not. But I would say the affair is winding down. You know how she likes to have someone waiting in the wings.”
“Mike is in a weakened condition,” Cindy said. She finished spooning out the last of the cookie batter and set the bowl in the sink. “I’m going to have to protect him from Mary Ellen. That brunette bombshell could kill a man.”
“That’s not all,” Beth said. She sauntered over to the sink and turned on the hot water. “Everyone is very intrigued by the fact that he’s staying here with you.”
“What?” Cindy spun around and turned off the faucet. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t get mad at me. I’m not making up the rumors, I’m just telling you. After all, it’s been two years since Nelson left and you haven’t been on a single date. Now you have a naked man living in your house.”
Cindy leaned against the counter and sighed. “He’s not naked,” she said weakly, then wondered if it really mattered. She knew how people talked in small communities. Gossip spread faster than fire ants. Nothing was as interesting as what everyone else was doing.
“I hope you’re telling everyone he’s been injured,” she said. “My goodness, he can barely walk to the bathroom unescorted. We’re not having wild sex. My children live here.”
“The sex doesn’t have to be wild, if that would help.”
Cindy just stared at her.
“Fine. Disappoint all your friends. See if I care.” Beth squeezed soap into the large mixing bowl and swished it around. When the water was sudsy, she picked up the measuring spoons and cups and dropped them in. She reached for a dishcloth. “It hasn’t even been a week, so I’ll forgive you for not having had sex yet. But you have to give me something. Have you at least seen him naked?”
“Beth!”
“Oh, please say you have.”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”
Beth looked at her, then at the dishes. “If you see him naked, will you tell me?”
“I’m not going to see him naked.”
“But you have to.”
“Why?” Cindy stared at her friend. “You’ve finally slipped over the edge, haven’t you? You’ve lost your fragile hold on reality.”
“Of course not. It’s just...” Beth drew in a deep breath. “I met Darren in college. I hadn’t dated much in high school and he was the first man I, you know, did it with.” A spot of color appeared on her cheeks. “I talk big, but the truth is, I’ve only been with Darren. I’ve never even seen another man’s...” She cleared her throat. “I just want to know what he looks like.”
Beth was up to her wrists in soapy water. Cindy took a step closer and gave her a hug. “You’re a terrific friend. I was a virgin when I met Nelson, too. So I haven’t seen anyone else naked, either.”
“It’s just so unfair.” Beth glanced at her, blue eyes dancing. “Men see women naked all the time. It’s in magazines, in the movies. Maybe we should take advantage of that for the next school fund-raiser. We could hire men to walk around naked. Think of the cover charge to get in. It could be a couple hundred dollars. We could buy a lot of sports equipment with that.”
Cindy released Beth and stepped back. “You are crazy.”
“It’s a great idea.”
“No.”
Beth finished washing the measuring cups and rinsed them. “Can I at least go check and see if Mike really has on underwear?”
“No.”
“But if I peel the covers back slowly, he won’t even—”
“No! I mean it, Beth.”
“You’re no fun.” She rinsed her hands and grabbed a towel.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
Cindy walked Beth to the door. “You want some cookies?”
“Save them for Mike. He’ll need his strength to survive around here. Don’t forget. Next Saturday. Say, six o’clock?”
“I’ll ask him, but if he doesn’t want to come, I can’t make him.”
“Of course you can. Bat your eyes. If that doesn’t work, try a low-cut T-shirt.”
“Sorry, they’re all like this.” She fingered the neckline of her crewneck shirt.
“So disappointing. If you’re not going to be a little more wild, I might have to find another single friend.” Before Cindy could answer, Beth gave her a hug. “Take care of yourself and that hunk of yours.”
“I will.”
As Beth crossed the street, Cindy glanced around the house toward the greenbelt. About eight children were playing together in the shade of a pecan tree. She wondered where they got their energy. It was about ninety-four degrees and the humidity was nearly that high. Just standing in the open doorway was making her sweat.
She stepped inside and shut it behind her. The timer on the oven dinged.
After taking out the last batch of cookies, she put a couple of cool ones on a plate, then poured a glass of lemonade. A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost time for Mike to wake up. In the last couple of days, they’d settled into a routine. He slept for an hour in the morning, then right after lunch. He spent his afternoons reading or watching TV. Every day he was getting a little stronger, but he wasn’t going to be back at work anytime soon.
She carried the plate and glass into the bedroom. He was sitting up against the pillows.
“I thought you’d still be asleep.”
“Oh, really? But the conversation you and your friend were having was so interesting.”
She started to set the plate down, then froze. Heat burned her cheeks as embarrassment flooded her. “You heard us?” she asked, her voice a squeak.
“I don’t know if I heard all of it, but I heard enough.” He studied her. “I never knew what women talked about when they were alone. I think it was better that way.”
She cleared her throat. After setting the plate and glass on the nightstand, she brushed her hands against her shorts. Her conversation with Beth had been completely innocent, she reminded herself. And private. It wasn’t his business.
Except Beth had asked about seeing him naked.
Cindy glanced at his bare chest, then raised her gaze higher to his face. He’d shaved that morning, although he hadn’t had the strength to stand. She’d had to bring a chair into the bathroom for him. She could see the strong lines of his face and the slight tilt at the corner of his mouth. One eyebrow raised expectantly. She didn’t know if he was annoyed or mad.
“It’s Friday,” she said at last. “If it makes you feel any better, on Monday we generally discuss women being naked. We try to be fair about it.”
Mike grinned. Cindy returned his smile, her relief tangible.
“Beth sounds like a scary lady,” he said.
“She’s really very nice. Oh, did you hear about the barbecue?”
“Just a word here and there.” He’d been asleep until a strange woman had tiptoed into his room. Their conversation had carried to him in the quiet house, although when they ran water in the kitchen, it drowned out the sound of their voices.
“Everyone will want to meet you,” she said. “You’re something of a local celebrity. Not just because you’re Grace’s brother, but what with your work and the injuries...”
He remembered his sister’s instructions to be nice to her friends. “I’ll go,” he said, and knew he would hate everything about the evening.
“It’s not until a week from Saturday. I’m sure you’ll be better.”
“I hope so.” He flexed his sore leg and winced.
“I need to change the bandage,” she said.
He nodded and flipped back the covers. Cindy went into the bathroom and came back with a small box containing her supplies. She took her nursing very seriously. As he scooted over to give her more room, she settled on the edge of the mattress. He grabbed his leg below the healing bullet wound and raised it while she slipped a towel underneath.
“We’re getting to be quite a team,” he said.
“Practice.” Her hands were small but sure. She gave him a quick, apologetic glance, then carefully removed the bandage.
She studied the hole in his thigh. It was sort of lumpy and still red but it wasn’t infected and didn’t bleed anymore.
“I think it’s better,” she told him.
He leaned back as she continued her treatment. Over the smell of disinfectant, he caught the fragrance of her perfume. In the last four days, he’d accepted the fact that she was only ever going to wear shorts and a T-shirt around him and that he’d better get used to long honey-colored legs taunting him at every turn. He wondered how men in the suburbs got anything done with all these half-naked women around. Maybe they became immune, or didn’t bother noticing. If so, they were fools.
Having Cindy bend over his injury, with her light brown hair falling loose and her face all scrunched up with concentration, was the best part of his day. Her friend across the street might be all hot to see him naked, but he didn’t think Cindy ever noticed he wasn’t wearing anything but briefs. To her, he was simply Grace’s brother. Almost a eunuch.
Of course, if he kept noticing the way her breasts moved, she would soon have proof he was very much a man. Instead of indulging himself, he forced his thoughts elsewhere. In the last four days he’d learned two things. First, Sugar Land, Texas, wasn’t like anywhere he’d ever been before. Even sleeping half the day away, he sensed the difference. Second, Cindy Jones wasn’t for him. He might admire her legs, and the way she filled out her shirt, but she was as off-limits as his best friend’s wife. If he had a best friend. She’d just admitted she’d only been with one man in her life. He’d never dated anyone for more than a month. He didn’t believe in relationships, she needed to be married.
She applied a fresh bandage. “The kids are outside playing,” she said and stood up. She reached for the pair of jeans she’d folded earlier and placed on the footboard. “If you can get dressed and out to the family room before they come inside, that means you get to control the TV remote. If you don’t, they have the power.”
He shuddered at the thought. “Do you know what’s in those cartoons?”
“Yes, that’s why I try to be out of the room.” She tossed him the jeans, then bent over his duffel bag and dug out a T-shirt. “Think of it as your aerobics exercise for the day. A race for the remote control.”
His heart was already getting a workout, he thought, watching the way the fabric of her shorts pulled tight around her derriere. The feminine curves tempted him. He didn’t know what the problems had been in her marriage, but he was willing to bet her husband hadn’t left because he wanted someone better-looking. If Mike was wrong, her husband was a fool.
Cindy tossed him a T-shirt then started for the door. Before she left, she glanced back at him. “About Beth,” she said, then nibbled on her lower lip. “She’s just talking. She tries to be very worldly and all, but she’s in love with her husband. She’d never actually do anything.”
“I know.”
“I just didn’t want you to think that she was like that.”
“Maybe when I meet her, I should offer her a quick look.”
Cindy laughed. “Only if I can be there to see the expression on her face.”
