Chapter Eleven
Marissa closed her eyes and parted her lips. This was the guy who’d taught her how to French kiss and he was still a master. Not that he tugged her into the deep end of the sensual pool. He started out hot and gentle before progressing to hot and hungry.
Her sensual memory recalled his moves despite the long passage of time. Lightning flashed around her and the thunder mirrored the boom of her heart as his right hand moved from cupping her face to caressing her throat before lowering to slide beneath her robe and cup her bare breast.
It had been so long since she’d been kissed this way, touched this way. The last man to do so had been her husband. Her ex-husband. And he’d never really kissed her like this. He’d never touched her as if she were the most precious and sexy woman on the planet. He’d never made her feel treasured as well as desired.
Marissa needed this. And Connor was giving it to her. One kiss blended into several as he rhythmically brushed his thumb over her nipple. She was completely bare beneath the thin cotton of her robe. He had only to lower his hand over her hip to reach her feminine core. They were in the semi-darkness. What was to stop them?
Another bright flash of lightning brought with it a sliver of reality. Connor had come to check on her. His mother had probably sent him. That possibility was like a dash of cold water.
She broke away from him. “We can’t do this.” Her fingers shook as she refastened her robe.
“Why not?”
“Because your mother is next door. Your grandmother, too.”
“So?”
“So this is too weird.”
“Weird?” She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was clearly insulted.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Are you two okay in there?” his mom loudly called out.
“We’re fine,” Connor answered.
“You said you were going to check on Marissa because she’s scared of storms,” his mom said.
“Maybe he just made up the scared thing,” Grandma Sophie said loudly.
Connor turned to Marissa. “Okay, I can see your point now about the weird factor.”
Marissa opened the door to his family. “Connor didn’t make it up. Storms really do spook me.” So did sexy cops who kissed better than any guy she’d ever locked lips with. At seventeen, she’d thought Connor was an awesome kisser and she realized that hadn’t changed. It was a disturbingly exciting discovery.
“You were gone a long time, Connor.” His mom aimed a compact flashlight in his face. “I always travel with one of these, but we were getting worried.” Then she looked at Marissa, who was hurriedly checking her robe to make sure nothing was showing that shouldn’t be.
“We were looking for a candle,” he said.
“That was thoughtful of you,” Grandma Sophie said.
The lights went on as abruptly as they’d gone out.
“It sounds like the worst of the storm has passed,” Marissa said. “And the electricity is back on so I’ll be fine, Connor.”
“Don’t take a bath while there’s any lightning,” Grandma Sophie said. “I had a friend back in Chicago who was electrocuted by taking a bath. Lightning hit her house and traveled through the metal pipes.”
“Now you’ve given Marissa something else to spook her,” his mom said with a chastising look.
“What? What’s wrong with what I said?” Grandma Sophie demanded.
“I think we should leave Marissa in peace now,” Connor said. He herded his relatives out.
“I just didn’t want her to get electrocuted,” Marissa heard Grandma Sophie say as they all headed to Connor’s apartment. “Getting a shock like that would not be a good thing.”
Marissa raised her index finger to her lips, which still vibrated from Connor’s kiss. She was shocked at how much pleasure she’d gotten from the feel of his mouth on hers. Shocked and awed…and that wasn’t necessarily always a good thing. Not in her current circumstances.
* * *
“I raised you to be thoughtful,” Connor’s mom told him once they were inside his apartment. “Not to make out with the nice girl next door.”
“You’ve been trying to hook me up with her since the second you arrived,” he said.
“No.” She frowned her disapproval. “Not ‘hook up.’ You think I don’t go online and read the blogs and stuff? I know what ‘hook up’ means these days. It means sex. Marissa is a good girl. She’s not the kind you take advantage of. Not that you should take advantage of any woman. That’s not what I meant.” She paused. “Where was I?”
“You were telling Connor not to have sex with Marissa,” his grandmother said.
His mom nodded. “Right.”
“I don’t believe this,” Connor muttered. “I need a beer.”
“You don’t want to become dependent on alcohol,” his mother said, trailing after him as he headed for the fridge. “That’s a dangerous road. You saw what happened with your father. As the child of an alcoholic, you may be more prone to become one yourself, not to mention the fact that you’re a cop like him.”
“I’m not like him,” Connor said. He’d heard this lecture a million times before.
“I only know that you were not over there looking for a candle. Unless Marissa stores them under her robe?”
He wore his cop face and his most intimidating glare but his mom didn’t budge. So he tried logic. “The only thing Marissa and I have in common is that we are both anti-marriage.”
“Meaning you want to have sex with her and not marry her?” Grandma Sophie smacked his arm. “You were raised better than that.”
Connor didn’t say that he’d already had sex with Marissa when he was a freshman in college. He didn’t want to say anything. None of this was anyone’s business but his.
“What have you got against marriage?” his mother demanded.
“The fact that it ends in divorce,” he said.
“That is a problem,” his grandmother conceded.
“Marissa is still recovering from her divorce.” Connor said it as much as a reminder for himself as for his relatives.
“Then you need to go slow with her,” his mom said.
Connor set his beer on the kitchen counter. “She’s not interested.”
“She looked interested to me,” his mom said.
“Me, too,” his grandmother agreed.
“I am not having this conversation with you two. End of discussion.” He walked away and turned on the TV to a baseball game.
“If that’s what you want…then fine,” his mother noted. “End of that discussion for now. But please change the channel. I can’t stand to watch the Cubs lose another game.”
“Maybe they’ll win.”
“And maybe pigs can fly,” she retorted.
“Actually, they can at the Rhubarb Festival. One of the booths has plastic toy pigs you can toss at a pile of empty cans to see how many you can knock down.”
“Just one of the many things I’m looking forward to at the festival,” his mom said.
Connor was looking forward to the time when the festival was over and his relatives would head back to Chicago. He loved them, but he loved them more when they weren’t in his apartment grilling him about his sex life.
* * *
“Wouldn’t it be nice if you met a nice guy here in Hopeful and the two of you settled down to raise a family?” Her mom voiced the comment out of the blue as she and Marissa ate a packed lunch on a picnic table at the compact Book Street Park located across the street from the library. Marissa was on her hour lunch break from work, where things were crazy as they all geared up for the library’s participation in the Rhubarb Festival. The bottom line was that her mom’s tempting promise of cold shrimp salad was too hard to resist.
“Where is this coming from?” Marissa said. “I thought you wanted to talk about the Rhubarb Festival tomorrow and Jess’s birthday next week.”
“I do. That doesn’t mean I can’t share my hopes and dreams for your future along with my salad.”
“My hope and dream is to make it from paycheck to paycheck and to hopefully put a little away for emergencies,” Marissa said.
“Or you could hook up with a nice guy and let him take care of you.”
Marissa angrily jabbed a plastic fork into a plump shrimp. “The way Brad took care of me?”
“Obviously not. The sheriff is a nice guy. Granted, he wasn’t all that polite when you first arrived but he seems to have gotten over that. I really enjoyed the time we spent at his place with his mom and grandma. They seemed to have raised him right.”
Marissa stayed quiet. She should have said that she didn’t need a man to take care of her but the truth was that when she was lying awake in the middle of the night worrying about bills and debts, a part of her did wish for a partner to help her through tough times. A little help and moral support would be so nice.
That’s what she thought she’d have with Brad. Instead he’d left her empty and scared.
You’re tough, she silently reminded herself. You’re better off depending on yourself. Then you won’t be disappointed. If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself. That applied to moral support, too. Easier said than done, though.
“Let’s talk about Jess’s birthday,” Marissa said firmly. Anything was better than listening to her mom try to reunite Marissa with the guy who was Marissa’s first love.
“I thought I’d make her favorite red velvet cake.”
“Uh-huh.” Marissa was already thinking about work, making a mental list of things to be done before tomorrow.
“And I got her a gift card from her favorite online store.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I also dumped your dad and had sex with Jon Bon Jovi.”
Marissa almost choked on her salad but managed to keep a straight face. “How was it?”
Her mom threw a balled-up paper napkin at her. “You weren’t paying attention to me. I get enough of that from your father. I don’t need you taking a page out of his book. His ancient Egyptian book.”
“I’m sorry.” She squeezed her mom’s hand.
“You were always more like him than me.”
The accusation stung. “That’s not true.”
“You both stick your nose in a book and ignore the people around you.”
“You mean that Jess is more like you. Outgoing and a former beauty queen.”
“We share the honor of both being former Rhubarb Queens, that’s true. I just wish…”
“What?”
“That you were happy,” her mom said quietly.
“Yeah,” Marissa said. “I wish that, too.”
* * *
Connor glanced up from the paperwork he was dealing with on his desk to find Ruby Mae standing there with a look on her face that did not bode well for him.
He sighed and put down his pen. “What’s my mother done now?”
“She and your grandmother are driving me nuts.”
Welcome to the club, Connor wanted to say but didn’t. “I thought I was being polite by offering to give them a tour of the facility here,” Ruby Mae said.
“And?”
Ruby Mae stuttered and shook her head over her own inability to communicate her frustration with the situation.
That’s when Connor knew it was really serious. Ruby Mae was never at a loss for words. He’d heard stories about her going back decades. Even during the disastrous tornado, which had struck her first year on the job, she’d been in total control throughout the chaotic aftermath. Or so he’d heard and he believed. Nothing rattled her.
But then she’d never met “two Polish broads from Chicago,” as his paternal grandfather Buddy referred to them. They were indeed a force of nature.
Connor immediately went into triage mode. “Was any blood spilled? Any bones broken? Anyone seriously hurt?”
Ruby Mae shook her head. “Nothing like that. Not that I wasn’t tempted.”
“Where are they now?” he asked.
“Talking with the mayor.”
“Why? What did my mom do wrong?”
“Where should I begin?” Ruby Mae sank into the visitor’s chair across from him and briefly lowered her head to the edge of his desk before sitting up and glaring at him. “You should have warned me that they’re dangerous.”
“I wouldn’t go quite that far.”
“They wanted to look at our holding cells, so I showed them.”
Connor could see where this was going. “Don’t tell me you let them near the busted cell…”
“The one with the lock that doesn’t work? Of course I warned them not to touch that door. But did they listen to me? Nooooo.”
“So how did you get them out?”
“Who says I did?” Ruby Mae growled.
“You said they’re talking to the mayor.”
“That’s right. They called him on their cell phone to complain about cuts in our budget that don’t allow for the lock to be repaired. He came over to talk to them face to face. It was one of their demands.”
“Their demands?”
“Your grandmother came up with most of them. Better coffee was one of her demands and I have to say I go along with that one,” Ruby Mae admitted.
Connor closed his eyes and counted to ten.
“I don’t suppose we could just leave them locked up now that the mayor knows where they are, huh?” Ruby Mae’s raspy voice actually sounded a bit hopeful.
“I’m sorry they’ve disrupted things.” He was prevented from saying more by the arrival of Mayor Bedford.
“You certainly do have a unique family,” the mayor said.
Connor sighed. “Yes, I do.”
“Don’t worry. I called Digger Diehl. You know, the Drain Surgeon? Anyway, he’s also a locksmith. He got them out.”
“Too bad,” Ruby Mae muttered.
“What?” the mayor asked.
“It’s too bad they locked themselves in there. They don’t follow orders very well.” Rita Mae shot an it’s-your-fault glare at Connor. “I specifically told them to avoid that cell.”
“Anyway, all’s well that ends well,” the mayor said in that cheerfully hearty voice of his, the one Connor thought sounded like Santa Claus. “They told me how much they are looking forward to the town’s Rhubarb Festival tomorrow.” He puffed out his chest. “I may have bragged a bit about it.”
“Where are my relatives now?” Connor asked.
“At Cups Café, having lunch.”
Connor nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Such a devoted family man,” he heard the mayor say as Connor was leaving. “His grandmother told me how disappointed she is that he isn’t married yet.”
“She’s going to be even more disappointed when he reads his stubborn granny the riot act,” Ruby Mae said. “Talk about a train wreck.”
* * *
Connor walked into Cups Café to find his mother and grandmother calmly sipping coffee and eating grilled cheese sandwiches.
He could tell by the way that everyone in the place turned their heads to stare at him that they all knew about his family getting locked in the holding cell. The owner was one of Ruby Mae’s contacts. Or maybe his mother had filled in the large lunch crowd.
He yanked out an empty chair at their table.
“Connor.” His mother gave him a radiant smile. “I’m so glad you could join us for lunch.”
“Are you trying to get me fired and sent back to Chicago? Is that your plan?” he growled.
“Of course not.”
He could tell by her expression that his mother was telling the truth. But he could also tell that, in her eyes, the idea had some merit. She just hadn’t thought of it.
GM patted his hand. “You look like you’re having a hard day. Want some of my sandwich?”
“No. I want you two to stay out of trouble. Do you think you can manage that?” He glared at them both.
They serenely smiled back at him.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” his grandmother said.
“Getting locked in that cell? Ring any bells?” he said. “Demanding to speak to the mayor?”
“He seems like a very nice man,” his mom said.
“He’s married,” the woman at the next table leaned over to say.
Connor’s glare extended to her now as well. “We’re trying to have a private conversation here.”
“Then you shouldn’t have come to Cups,” the woman said before returning her attention to the menu.
He didn’t know who she was, but she was right. This wasn’t the proper place to have this conversation. “I expect you both to return to my apartment when you are done here.”
“We were just trying to be helpful.” His mom gave him one of her trademark reproachful looks meant to instill guilt.
“Well, don’t,” he said.
“You weren’t this crabby when you lived in Chicago.”
“Yes, he was,” GM said. “Sometimes.”
“Gee, thanks,” Connor said.
“You’re welcome.” She patted his hand again before holding up half of her grilled cheese sandwich. “Sure you don’t want a bite?”
“No, thanks.”
“Don’t you worry. We’ll cook you up something good for dinner,” his grandmother said.
He just prayed they didn’t cook up any more trouble.
* * *
“You owe me,” Marissa told Connor that evening as he walked by the library booth she was setting up for the Rhubarb Festival the following morning.
“I do?”
She nodded. “You owe me big-time.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Your mother and Spider got to talking in the library this morning and once she told him who she was, he talked her into setting up a Facebook account online using his laptop.”
Connor swore under his breath.
“He told her how she could post photos for her family and everyone to see. She was about to pull out your baby brag book when I interceded.”
“Tell me she didn’t flash that photo around,” Connor said.
“Did I hear you mention ‘flash’?” Flo asked as she walked by.
Marissa had seen Flo earlier setting up the divorce support group’s booth where they were selling homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam to raise funds. Their slogan was “We Help People out of a Jam.”
“Are you talking about the Rhubarb Flasher?” Flo asked Connor. “Is he back?” She looked around nervously.
“No, he’s not back,” Connor reassured her.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because he’s locked up in Statesville Prison in Illinois for unrelated charges.”
“Thank heavens for that,” Flo said. “Then I can look forward to a peaceful festival.”
As soon as she left, Connor resumed his earlier conversation with Marissa. “So did Spider get my mom on Facebook?”
“No, I stopped them in time.”
“How did you manage that?” he said.
“Do you mean how did I manage to do that with your ‘Resistance Is Futile’ mother? You have the same trait, you know. You also inherited her stubbornness.”
“She claims I got that from my dad. You really did talk her out of it?”
“I took her aside and told her about the dangers involved with social networking. We talked about the predators and the security risks. And then I helped her set up an account.”
“You what?”
“You heard me. But I did the privacy settings so the access was limited and we discussed inappropriate content and photos.”
“Is your mom on Facebook?” he demanded.
“Yes. Both my parents are.”
“Hi there,” her mom said as she joined them. “I finished our Women’s Club booth so I thought I’d stop by the library booth and see if you needed some help. But I see you’ve already got a nice strong man here to assist you.” She gave an approving nod at Connor’s presence.
“Connor isn’t pleased that his mother just opened a Facebook account,” Marissa said.
“Is this about the naked baby picture thing?” Marissa’s mom asked. “Because if it is, I can assure you both that as moms it’s our duty to embarrass our kids every chance we get.” She laughed at their aghast expressions. “I’m only kidding. Geez, can’t you guys take a joke? Oh, there’s Connie. I’ve got to run. We’re both judges in the Rhubarb Queen pageant tomorrow and there are still a few things to iron out yet.”
Marissa looked at Connor. “I’m sure they’ll behave.”
“Your mom and Connie?”
“Your mom and my mom.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Connor said.
“But then my bud Connor was born a doubter.” Marissa recognized the newcomer as Kyle Sullivan aka Sully. He’d recently spoken to her teen group about a day in the life of a firefighter. Sully was one of those guys who never met a woman he didn’t like, who could have posted for a Hottie Firefighter calendar, and who had a self-confessed thing for Chicago-style hot dogs served at a place by the interstate. His blue eyes and sun-bleached light brown hair made him look like a bit of a beach bum. But she had the feeling that when that fire alarm bell rang, he was all business.
“This place is as crowded as union Station in Chicago during rush hour,” Connor grumbled.
“It’s good to see you again, Marissa,” Sully said with a grin.
“What do you mean again?” Connor demanded.
“We hooked up at the library,” Sully said.
“Hooked up?” Connor was growling now.
Marissa couldn’t help it. She was enjoying Sully’s flirting and Connor’s apparent jealousy. She could have explained that Sully was a guest speaker. She probably should have explained. But she didn’t. Instead she grinned back at Sully, which didn’t please Connor one bit.
“She doesn’t need your help,” Connor told Sully. “She’s got me.”
“Does she?” Sully said.
“She does.” Connor stood there and crossed his arms as if daring Sully to proceed further.
“What if she doesn’t want you?” Sully said.
Both men turned to confront her. She sighed. The flirting game was clearly over and pissing rights were about to begin. They’d just converted her into a prize to be won. Or territory to be fought over.
Which was ridiculous. She knew from word around town that the two men were good friends. They were both probably having fun at her expense.
That possibility irritated her. “Go away. I don’t need or want either one of you. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“Translated, that means she wants you to go,” Connor told Sully. “And me to stay.”
“I think you’ve got that backward. She wants you to go and me to stay,” Sully said.
“If you both insist on staying then I’m putting you to work,” Marissa warned them. “The bunting needs to be hung from the top of the booth. The ladder is here.” She pointed to the back of the booth.
“I’ll do it,” Sully quickly said, shedding his white T-shirt. “It’s hot,” he explained with a grin.
Since Connor was in uniform, he couldn’t remove any articles of clothing. And when a moment later a resident from the Hopeful Meadows Senior Center asked for Connor’s help setting up their booth, he was duty-bound to go. But the glare he sent Marissa over his shoulder told her that this wasn’t over.
“He’s a good guy,” Sully told her.
Maybe, but was he the right guy for her? Marissa wished she knew the answer to that question.