Checking Holly Twice, page 6
I thought he’d let me go then, but instead he tightened his arm around me. Our eyes locked. “The First Noel” began to play. “This is my favorite,” I whispered.
“Me too.”
The muscles in his thighs pressed into mine. He smelled spicy and a little salty. I placed my thumb over the pulse in his neck. I looked over to see both kids staring at us. Had they never seen their uncle dance with a woman before?
“More, more.” Ruby clapped her hands. “Keep dancing.”
“I should stir the pasta.”
“I’ll do it,” Ruby said.
“No, I don’t want you to burn yourself.” I went to the stove to check my noodles. My cheeks were even hotter than the rest of me. I’d been completely lost in him for a moment, forgetting the kids were even here. I had a feeling a girl like me might be lost in him forever if I weren’t careful. This was a stop on a path toward healing, I reminded myself. Not the real thing.
The timer for the meatballs beeped. “I’ll get those,” Forest said.
Soon, I had the meatballs, pasta, and sauce all in the pot. While Forest lit the candles in the centerpiece, I helped the kids with their plates, making sure they had enough sauce and meatballs in proportion to the spaghetti. Forest poured us more wine and milk for the kids, and we all sat together at the table.
“To our unexpected guest,” Forest said, raising his glass.
“Thank you for taking me in, even after I smashed into your truck.”
“Thank you for this incredible dinner,” Forest said.
“Yeah, yum,” Ruby said.
We all clinked glasses before digging into our food. My appetite had returned with a vengeance. I ate with as much enthusiasm as the rest of them.
“I thought actress types didn’t eat,” Forest said.
“I eat,” I said. “That’s why I’m not skinny like so many.”
“You look just right to me,” Forest said.
“Me too. I want to look just like you when I grow up.” Ruby sucked in another noodle.
“I like the way I look, too,” I said. “But everyone’s always telling me to drop ten pounds.”
Forest’s gaze darted to my chest before returning to his plate. “You have everything in just the right places if you ask me. A bag of bones is no good to dance around the kitchen with, for example.”
I flushed, remembering the hardness of his muscles. “What are some of your traditions at Christmas?” I asked, hoping to distract myself.
“We always go into town on Christmas Day and go ice-skating,” Dane said. “After we open our presents.”
“Would you like to go with us?” Ruby asked.
“I don’t want to intrude on your family time,” I said.
“You won’t be,” Dane said. “Right, Uncle Forest?”
“If Holly would like to join us, then yes, we’re happy to have her.” He turned to me. “But only if you want to. You might enjoy a quiet day instead.”
“I’d love to go. Thank you.” Skating. How perfect for Christmas Day.
“Then we look at the gingerbread houses,” Forest said. “They have a contest every year, and the participants get a little crazy.”
“Last year there was a fight,” Dane said. “Between two old ladies.”
“I hope that happens again,” Ruby said.
I laughed. “That would be something to see.”
“It was embarrassing for all involved,” Forest said. “Grown-up people acting like idiots over some cookie houses. This town has some quirky people, as I’m sure you’ll notice tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait.”
We ate some more and laughed and talked until our plates were empty. Dane was the first to push his plate away and pat his stomach. “That was the best dinner ever.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said.
“May we be excused?” Ruby asked. “Dane and I have some secret things we have to do before bed.”
“By all means,” Forest said. “Take your dirty dishes to the sink, please.”
They jumped from their chairs and took their plates and silverware with them into the kitchen.
“What do you think their secret plans are?” I asked.
“They have to fill my stocking,” Forest said. “Every year Mrs. Knight takes them shopping on her own dime and they get stuff for me.”
“How sweet of her.”
“I wouldn’t have made it without her these last few years.” He gestured toward the windows. “She and my mother were best friends since they were little.”
“This wine was great with the sauce,” I said as I picked up my glass for another taste.
“Is it?” Forest shook his head. “I don’t know anything about wine.”
“This is a Chianti. Italian wine. Italian food.” Italy. I would be there in just over a week. I’d looked forward to the challenging role but also to spending time with Rhett during my off-hours. We’d had plans to explore as much as we could while we were there.
“I stood down in the cellar for a few minutes trying to decide which one. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of a sophisticated actress.”
I didn’t know if I liked him thinking about me that way. Was that all he saw? Someone aloof and untouchable?
Did I want him to think of me as touchable? I looked at his rough hand as it lifted his glass to his mouth. A firm mouth and strong jawline. What would a kiss from him feel like? Good, I thought. Really good. Was a fling what I needed?
No, not with a man like Forest. He was not a fling. He was a whole lifetime type of man. For some lucky woman out there. A normal woman with a normal life. One that could fall right into place here with him and the kids and school pickup lines and ice-skating parties.
“Thanks for all this.” He swept his hand over the table. “You made tonight special.”
“Being here with your kids is helping my broken heart more than I can say. Thanks for letting me crash your party.”
“You’ve livened the party up quite a bit.” He splayed his hands on top of the table. “I would never have come up with this great meal.” He sighed before finishing off the wine in his glass. “They need so much more than I can give them. But I’m all they’ve got.”
“You’re enough,” I said.
His mouth lifted into a reluctant-looking smile. “Thanks. I almost believe it when you say so.”
“How come you don’t have a woman in your life?”
“Lots of reasons. This is a small town, so it’s not like I can meet anyone I haven’t known too long to know all the reasons why they’re not for me. I have nothing to offer. I’m broke and have two kids. Not exactly a catch.”
I disagreed but wasn’t about to say so. “Do you ever feel resentful about the kids?”
“Not really. Family’s everything, you know. My sister trusted me with the two people she loved more than her own life. It’s my privilege to look after them. To love them.”
My eyes stung with tears. “That’s really sweet.”
“Where are you going after the new year?” Forest took his napkin from his lap and folded it back into a rectangle and set it next to his empty plate. “Did you mention a film?”
“Yes, in Italy. A two-month shoot, which really means three. Rhett and I were supposed to honeymoon in the South of France and then head over to Italy. He said he would take a few months off and be with me.”
“Did you ask him for that?”
“I did, yes. The only couples in Hollywood who last make sure they don’t spend too much time apart. I wanted us to have the best chance we could.” I twisted a corner of my napkin around my index finger.
“And he agreed?”
I watched him over the rim of my wineglass. Was he for real? Trustworthy? He seemed genuinely interested, but what if he were gathering information to sell to the tabloids? My lips involuntarily pressed together.
“What did I say?” Forest asked. “I can see I overstepped. Again.”
“It occurred to me that maybe you’re collecting information to sell the gossip rags.”
He laughed and set down his glass with a thump. “I can assure you that is not the case. Even if I were inclined that way, who would I give all this information to?”
“Bottom feeders. They’re all over LA, just waiting for someone to falter.” Or fall, as I’d done.
“I know we don’t know each other well, but you can trust me. During your time here and afterward, too. I’m broke, but I don’t sell out my friends. No matter how bad I need the money.”
“How bad do you need the money?” My friends. A warmth spread through me. I liked the sound of being his friend.
“Never mind all that. We were talking about you.”
“Tell me.”
He grimaced and adjusted in his chair. “I can’t make the mortgage in February. I’m going lose this place before the end of the coming year unless something changes. Even working two jobs, I can’t keep up. The loans they made against the house and property to do the remodel will be the death of this place. We might have been able to if I could get the inn filled, but it’s not happening. I’ve no idea what I’ll do or where I’ll go. The kids’ whole lives are here. Mine too, for that matter. I’m looking at having to rent an apartment in town.” He picked up the bottle of wine and shook it. “All done. I guess that means it’s time to do the dishes. Then I’ll have to get the kids to bed.”
Disappointment dampened my mood. I hadn’t wanted the evening to end. Still, I was tired too, from all the driving, then the emotions of crashing the car and coming here. “It was a big day.”
“No doubt.”
We both got up and started to clean the kitchen, falling into a rhythm much like our dance earlier, easy and unspoken. I rinsed, and he loaded the dishwasher. Soon enough, everything was done. I hadn’t wanted that to end, either.
“You must have people who do all this for you?” Forest hung a kitchen towel over the handle of the lower of the two ovens.
“No, not really. I don’t want anyone in my home. I’m paranoid about people selling my private life to the tabloids.”
“Wait, maybe I should rethink this. How much for a story?” Forest asked, eyes dancing. “Maybe I could pay my mortgage off.”
I chuckled as I squeezed the washrag dry and placed it over the faucet. “If you were smart, you’d blackmail me for the money.”
He sobered. “That must suck, never able to trust anyone.”
“It does.”
“All I wish is that my money problems would go away. Maybe being broke isn’t the worst thing.”
“No, besides health problems, money problems are the worst. I remember what it was like before my mom started pimping me out.” I told him how she’d set her sights on me making a living for both of us. “She saw an opportunity and went for it. I had my first job by the time I was Ruby’s age.”
“What gave her the idea that you would be good at it?”
“I was always singing and dancing around the apartment. She had wanted to be an actress but then got pregnant with me. Single mom type of situation.”
“She wanted to be an actress?”
“That’s right.” I laughed at his expression. “In LA everyone’s an aspiring something or other, including my mother. Not too hard to figure out how this all went down, right? She took me to an audition for a commercial and I got it. After that, it was one job after the other. I got the success she always wanted, thus making a complicated relationship with a narcissist even more twisted. She was controlling, which was bad enough, but she also was a wild spender. I had to go to court to get myself emancipated at sixteen, which was all over the news. My departure triggered her into a whole new level of crazy. She started this series of interviews where she portrayed me as abusive and unstable. It got so bad that I had to do something. She very nearly ruined my career. Everything she said was a lie, but the tabloids don’t care. If it’s salacious, they’ll run it. Finally, I had my legal team put together an agreement for her silence in exchange for a large amount of money.”
“She took the deal?”
“My mother’s all about herself. So, yes.”
“Do you talk to her at all?” Forest asked.
“No. As far I’m concerned, what I told the kids is the truth. I don’t have a family.” Tears pricked my eyes. Rhett was supposed to be my family. I looked up at the clock on the wall. Nearing eight. I was supposed to be at my wedding reception about now.
“Hey, you all right?” Forest asked softly.
“Yeah.” I waved my hand in front of my eyes. “This is simply an emotional day for me. I should have been married by this time.” I grabbed a paper towel from the rack and pressed it against my mouth. When I’d called Rhett to ask if the reports about him and Nicki Roland were real, he hadn’t even bothered to deny it. Not that he could have lied. I’d seen him with Nicki just like the rest of the world. The photographer’s long-distance camera was an excellent piece of equipment. Rhett’s tattoo of a gecko on his right forearm was unmistakable. “I was so stupid. I should’ve known he was cheating by the way he was suddenly always busy. He lost all interest in the wedding.”
“I’m sorry.” He came around to where I had my back against the sink. “I know how hard it is to be so easily cast aside. The woman I was engaged to got married to someone else a year later. You deserved better.”
“I guess so.” My voice cracked as I forced a smile. “Don’t be nice to me, it just makes it worse.”
“It seems to me that you need a little nice in your life.”
“This woman he’s with—she’s twenty-two, and so pretty. I mean, like no one I’ve ever seen. He couldn’t resist, I guess.”
“I don’t care what she looks like—no one deserves to be cheated on. Finding out about it from the television? That’s cold and cruel. When Loretta broke off our engagement, she at least had the guts to tell me to my face.”
“What he said to me when I asked him if the photographs were real—that’s not something I can forget.”
“What did he say?” He was inches from me now. I moved my gaze to look straight into his eyes. Flecks in his eyes were the color of dark tea. They sparkled from the pools of darker brown.
“He said it was my fault because I was selfish and cold like my mother.” Tears blurred my vision. I swiped at my cheeks with the back of my finger. “I don’t want to be selfish and cold.”
“You’re not selfish.”
“You don’t know me,” I said.
“I’ve seen you with my kids and how they responded to you. No one can fake it with children. They know a good person from the bad.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Now, as far as your coldness, I couldn’t speak to that. Unless, of course, you wanted to kiss me so I can judge for myself.”
“Kiss you?” I crossed my arms over my chest. Is that what I wanted? I did, but I didn’t want all the complications that came with it.
“Yeah, to give you a second opinion.”
“I’m quite certain that’s a terrible idea.”
The left corner of his mouth twitched. “So what if it is? It’ll be a moment in time. That’s all.”
“One moment in time. That’s all.” He was right. It’s not like any harm could come of it. I would be gone in just over a week. “I’ve been wondering what it would feel like to kiss you for most of the day.”
The creases around his eyes deepened. “You have?”
“How could I not? You’re about the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.”
“Bullshit. You’re around movie stars all the time,” Forest said.
“Not ones who look like you. There’s something to be said for authenticity.”
“Such an overused word.”
I touched my fingertips to his bottom lip. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”
“How could I not? You’re beautiful.” He dipped down to capture my mouth with his. The world fell away as I responded to his lips. He pressed me against the sink. I wrapped my arms around his neck and groaned softly when he broke into my mouth with his tongue.
“Uncle Forest?” A sweet, high-pitched voice pulled me back to reality.
Forest jumped away from me. “Ruby, what are you doing here?”
Her little brow furrowed. “I live here?”
I stifled a nervous laugh. What had I done? He wasn’t in a place in his life to join me for a little romp in the hay. These kids relied on him. Plus, they might get attached to the idea of my presence in the house on a permanent basis, which would not happen. And what if I fell too? A rebound kind of falling? It wouldn’t be real, but sometimes the heart didn’t know these things until much later.
“Did you finish your secret project?” Forest asked.
Ruby nodded and beamed up at him, then turned toward me. “Does this mean you’re staying here forever?”
6
Forest
I could have kicked myself. What was I thinking? The kids would jump to conclusions about any woman they saw me kissing in our kitchen. I’d been careful all these years never to bring a woman home or give them any hope whatsoever that I’d find someone to complete our family. I knew Ruby, especially, needed a woman around. From the look of sheer delight on her face, I could see she’d already planned the wedding and Holly becoming room mother in her classroom.
Dane burst into the kitchen and stopped when he saw all of us standing there. Holly’s face had reddened to the color of her spaghetti sauce. Her eyes reminded me of a startled animal, unsure whether to run or pretend to be invisible. I had no idea what I looked like, other than guilty. Ruby whipped around to address her brother. “They were kissing.”
“Kissing?” God bless him, Dane looked as disgusted as a boy of eight should be when faced with the idea of his uncle kissing a woman.
“Never mind all that,” I said. “Mrs. Knight brought us over some homemade peppermint ice cream. How would everyone like a bowl to go with a Christmas cookie?” The best way to distract them was through dessert.
