The Troublemaker Next Door

Chapter 4




Maddie could barely breathe. The feel of Flynn’s mouth on hers sucked away her breath, her reason, her ability to think. His lips felt a lot different than they had yesterday. Still firm beneath her, he now exuded some kind of attractant because she wanted nothing more than to wrap her legs around his waist and hold on for the ride. And that scent. He wore a subtle cologne, a hint of citrus and man that made her want to snuggle close and sniff him while she rubbed all over his kick-ass body.

His lips teased, gentle yet persistent. He didn’t rush her, and to feel a man like Flynn exploring like he had all the time in the world turned her knees to jelly. She’d never before experienced a kiss that put her at the center of a man’s world. His concentration focused on her, on tasting her. With a slow swipe of his tongue, he coaxed her to open her mouth. When she did, he slid his tongue inside, grazing her lips and teeth. Then he stirred her entire body into a rhythmic beat. His tongue entered and retreated, as if he was making love to her mouth.


She groaned, totally turned on, especially when he moaned and deepened the kiss.

Her nipples hurt, hard and sensitive. Her body throbbed, and she swore she’d need to change her panties after this.

Flynn let her go to get another breath of air. She drew in a deep breath seconds before he descended again, this time less careful, hungrier. Still, the aggravating man didn’t touch her with more than his mouth, and the frustration built. She wanted his hands on her, to cup her breasts, slide between her legs, and make her feel so good.

It had been more than two months since any intimacies with Ben, and even those had been scheduled around his work or hers. Nothing spontaneous, and nothing nearly as good as this kiss from a man she’d just met.

A large hand settled on her rib cage, and she trembled. She absolutely loved having her sides stroked. Trust Flynn to accidentally find a sweet spot.

He gripped her tighter then released her, rubbing his fingers against her ribs with shocking potency. Then he broke the kiss, breathing hard. “Maddie. Holy shit.” He leaned his forehead against hers, and to her surprise, he shook like she did. “I didn’t mean to… That was… I just wanted to say thanks.”

He pulled back, took his hand away, and placed it on the counter again. Not touching, but so close, he overwhelmed her with his size and strength. The pulse beat at his throat, and he swallowed hard.

What could she say? “You’re welcome,” came out in a throaty whisper.

“God, you’re beautiful.” He stroked a finger down her cheek then shook his head and stepped back. “I need to go. Some things to do before tomorrow. So I can count on you to show on Saturday at two?”

She nodded, not sure she could speak again.

“Great.” He winced. “I can’t think beyond good and great right now.” He didn’t make sense, but then, he didn’t need to. Not when he could kiss like that.

Still bemused, she walked him to the door and waved when he left.

Not sure she liked what she’d just turned into, Maddie forced herself to put on her shoes and go out for a walk. She locked the door behind her, tapped the key in her pocket, and lost herself in a muddied knot of sensation, images of a half-naked Flynn, and the uneasy notion that she’d somehow traded one obsession for another. Her work for the knockout plumber.

She returned to the house a few hours later to find two very annoyed women waiting on the front step.

“About freakin’ time.” Vanessa ripped the key from Maddie’s hand.

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

Abby scowled. “Locking the door is good. Locking it when the key’s not”—she lowered her voice—“in its hiding spot is annoying.”

Maddie cringed. Her fault, totally, since she’d taken the spare key from the flower pot yesterday. She had no intention of explaining why she’d been so distracted this morning, so she fibbed just a bit. “I’m sorry, guys. My head’s not right. I can’t stop thinking about work.”

Abby raised a brow. “Oh? I was thinking a handsome man with flowers turned your head.”

Maddie concentrated on thinking about work and work only. Fred, remember what he did to you. “Yeah, about that. Flynn came by to invite us all to his mom and dad’s next week. Barbecue on Saturday. He also gave me flowers. Said he felt bad about what happened to me on Friday.”

Abby started to soften. Vanessa wasn’t moved.

“Yeah, whatever.” Her cousin huffed. “Next time, moon around town after the key’s back in the pot.”

“Oh, ease up, hard-ass.” Abby took Maddie and ushered her inside. “So what did your wandering thoughts tell you to do?”

The three of them walked through the house and pushed through the back door. They sat on the porch, staring at the masses of flowers and vegetables. A few butterflies appeared, and the scent of honeysuckle relaxed Maddie enough to share what she’d tentatively planned.

“Something Flynn said yesterday had me thinking.”

“I’ll bet it did.” Vanessa wiggled her eyebrows.

“Get your head out of the guy’s pants.” Maddie frowned, inwardly telling herself the same thing. “After the initial panic of losing my job, I thought about all the places I’d send my resume, hoping Fred wouldn’t blacklist me before I could find something else. I’ve always planned to one day run my own firm, but not yet. I don’t have enough in savings, the clients, or the plans vested to start my own firm.”

“But…” Abby encouraged.

“But then Flynn mentioned staging.” At Vanessa’s blank look, she explained, “You know, when someone wants to sell a house but their furniture makes the place look too small or too ugly? Then stagers come in and move the furniture around. Sometimes, depending upon how involved they get, they can paint the place, rent and position new furniture, all to make it more appealing to home buyers.”

“Oh right. I watch those shows on TV all the time.” Abby nodded.

Vanessa frowned. “Don’t Robin and Kim already do that?”

“Kind of.” Maddie needed to call them, to see what her friends thought of the idea. “Our firm—I mean, Hampton’s Designs—used to use them to rent furniture and stage it when we sold ideas to clients. Kim and Robin mostly purchase the furniture in their warehouse for rentals. But I’d be designing with it.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. You can still do interior decorating, but with so many people trying to buy and sell nowadays, you hit a decent market. Now you just need to figure out how much it will cost to do business, and to see what your competitors are up to.”

Trust Vanessa to have to throw in some suggestions. Give the woman an inch, she’d run over you by a mile. And with her big feet, she’d hurt you when she finished.

“Thanks.” They sat together enjoying the sunlight.

Vanessa, not surprisingly, had to ruin it. “So the flowers…”

“Yeah, the flowers.” Abby leaned closer. “How come Flynn didn’t bring me any? I was the nice one. I didn’t say anything about men being pricks and hating them all.”

Vanessa laughed. “Nice. No wonder he seemed so scared at the door.”

“He wasn’t scared.” Maddie glared. “It was very thoughtful of him to bring flowers. And the invitation wasn’t just to me, it’s to all of us.” When Vanessa and Abby exchanged a glance, she snapped, “What?”

Abby answered, making no effort to hide her grin. “Your lips look a little bruised, Maddie. And Flynn didn’t just bring you cheapo carnations. That’s a date bouquet if I ever saw one.”

“You write fiction. What do you know?”

Vanessa had to chime in, “She knows plenty. Remember, she listens to those bozos every Friday night, for their ‘man talk.’ Personally, I think she gets off on the voyeur aspect of spying.”

Abby blushed. “I listen. I don’t look.”

Vanessa shrugged. “Whatever. So Abby, is Flynn dating anyone right now?”

“No, he’s not dating anyone right now, you big-footed heifer. He broke up with his last bimbo over a month ago.”

“Perfect.” Vanessa clapped her hands and smiled at Maddie. “Now you can be his bimbo.”

Maddie wanted to slap her cousin silly. Instead, she counted to ten before she answered. “You’re hilarious. Ha ha. I’m not a bimbo, and I’m not into men right now. Or women,” she added before Vanessa could add another obnoxious comment. “I don’t want to date anyone.” Yeah, hormones, listen up. No more men. Kisses or no kisses, he’s not my type. He’s too good-looking. Too muscular. Too everything. “Remember, I broke up with Ben too. I didn’t just lose a job. Besides, I have too much at stake right now. It’s going to take all my energy just to get this job thing going.”


Vanessa nodded. “You do have a point, and it’s nice to see you behaving rationally about it. Research, planning, talent. You can definitely make a go of it if you do it right.”

“Thanks, I think.”

“No, that’s a compliment.” Abby nodded. “She said the same thing to me when I decided to stop working for other people and work for myself. At first she called me nuts for quitting my day job to write. Because let’s face it, how many wackos out there with a blog are writing right now? I’m a wacko, and I write. But I had a vision.”

“And another job or two to back you up,” Vanessa said drily. “You segued into your own business before you ever considered writing full time. Now you make ends meet, barely, mind you—”

“Thanks so much.”

Vanessa continued. “But you’re smart about it. You’re dedicated to your work, and it shows. And now you’re venturing into, well, I won’t say virgin territory, but those smutty books are making you some serious cash.”

Abby’s lips flattened. Oh boy. Not this argument again. “They’re not smutty books, Vanessa. They’re erotic romance. Not dirty, not porn, not smut. It’s about love experienced through sexual connection. Something you wouldn’t know much about.”

Maddie’s thoughts immediately went to Flynn. “And on that note, I’m out of here. I have some stuff to do, calls to make.” Neither roommate looked up as she left, engaged in a familiar argument that would build until Abby stormed away madder than a scalded cat.

Once upstairs in her room, Maddie sank back onto her bed and wondered if she was doing the right thing. Granted, she’d been through a lot the past few days, but going it on her own? That was a lot to take on. Could she do it? Did she really have the nerve to try?

Not short on gumption, which she’d inherited from her mother, Maddie had been working since she could remember. Just her and her mom, and they’d never had much money. Every paycheck stretched thin. They scrimped and saved no matter the occasion. Second-hand became second nature, and Maddie had learned to make a dollar stretch like nobody’s business.

Even Vanessa didn’t know how bad it had been. When Michelle Gardner took her daughter to see relatives for a week or two during the summer and on odd holidays, the visits remained short and sweet. For years Maddie had begged to stay longer, until during one visit she’d overheard her grandmother bashing her mother. Apparently the mistake of getting knocked up at sixteen with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks never went away, no matter how hard her mother worked to make things right by Grandma Gardner.

Maddie had never known her father, a man who supposedly had his own troubles. Her mother never spoke ill of him. Hell, she never spoke of him, period. The woman had too much on her plate to worry about a deadbeat ex-boyfriend.

Michelle worked extra hard to make up for her youthful indiscretion. Too full of pride, Maddie had once heard her aunt say of her mother. But Maddie didn’t think her mother had enough pride. At forty-four, with no education but the GED she’d managed to earn after giving birth to her daughter, the woman still worked seven days a week. Chapped hands, premature gray hair, and back problems made her mother look a decade older than her age. Yet the woman acted so pleased to still be living on her own, with no help or handouts from anyone. It saddened Maddie to return home, seeing her mother so physically beat down.

The stubborn woman repeatedly refused Maddie’s offer to move her out West. She wouldn’t allow Maddie to give her money either. Her mother had friends and a routine she had no plans to give up, especially not for a daughter she’d raised to be independent.

Maddie thought again about calling her mother for support. Mom would understand, and she’d offer both sympathy and sound advice, but Maddie didn’t want to let her down. Every accomplishment, every accolade she’d earned had made her mother so proud. She didn’t want to add her mom’s disappointment and worry on top of her own anxiety.

With a deep breath, she rose from the bed and sat at her vanity, now free of any and all makeup. She plunked down her laptop and started researching, starting her life over from scratch.

***

Three days later, Maddie sat outside the Starbucks on Queen Anne on a sunny afternoon, glorying in the day. Her meeting with Kim and Robin had been more than productive; it had been enlightening. Not only were her friends excited for her to start her business, they’d wondered what had taken her so long. With them behind her, she planned to make a real go of things. Her fears of being two doors from the poorhouse had faded, though not disappeared completely.

At the thought, she knew she needed to bite the bullet. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother’s number. Despite the time difference, she knew Michelle Gardner would be hard at work at the diner.

Her mother answered, breathless. “Maddie?”

“I knew I needed to get my caller ID changed,” Maddie teased then took a sip of her latte. “How are you, Mom?”

“Great, now that my baby girl has finally called. Hold on a sec.” She muffled the phone, and Maddie could hear her ask for a few minutes.

Maddie would have felt bad about interrupting, but since her mother never did anything but work, the woman could use a spare minute to take a break.

“So why haven’t you called me in forever? I was getting worried, Madison.”

Maddie had talked to the woman two weeks ago. Her mother had a definite knack for instilling remorse, deserved or not. “Sorry, but I’ve been busy with work and trying to keep Abby and Vanessa from killing each other. Abby’s got deadlines, and you know that’s always a rough time to get through.”

Her mother laughed. “I love that girl. So creative. And how is your cousin, anyway? Still trying to boss everyone around?”

“When isn’t she? She’s Aunt Loretta’s daughter, go figure.”

“Poor kid.”

Maddie snorted, thinking the same. She made small talk with her mother, wanting to but not quite having the courage to mention her new venture as an entrepreneur. She wanted to prove to herself she could succeed before telling her mother.

For a few minutes, they discussed the diner, her mother’s new neighbor, and life on the East Coast versus Maddie’s cooler summer out West. Finally a conversation that didn’t veer into Maddie’s personal life, of which her mother never seemed to approve.

“And what about your doctor? You haven’t said anything about Ben.”

Crap. Might as well get it over with. “Ah, we’re no longer together.”

“Good. I never liked him. Though I did get worried that he lasted longer than the others you’ve dated.”

Maddie hadn’t expected her mother to be pleased she’d once again broken up with someone. “What? Why?”

“He was too stifling.”

She thought her mother had liked Ben. A doctor with a decent background, and he’d always paid when they’d gone out. Maddie had never talked bad about him. So what wasn’t to like? “You never even met him.”

“I didn’t need to.” Her mother sniffed. “Everything you described about him sounded just like all the others you’ve dated. Dull. Not a challenge, and not what you need, honey.”

They’d had this conversation more times than Maddie liked to count. Maddie tried to change the subject. “You know, Mom, it’s surprising how nice it is today. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. And for once, Starbucks isn’t overcrowded.”


“I know I made mistakes with you.” Her mother talked right over her. “I showed you how to be strong. You’re one of the hardest workers I know. But sometimes, in a relationship especially, you have to give and take. I never had that with your father because we were so damn young. I spent my youth trying to prove myself to my parents, who only ever saw what they wanted to see. But honey, I see your successes. I know you’re smart.”

Would she still think that if she knew Maddie had quit her job?

“When it comes to business, you have a terrific head on your shoulders. But your heart? Not so much. Don’t do what I did. Don’t bury yourself in work and forget about living. If you don’t trust, you won’t get hurt. But you won’t live either.” She could almost see her mother making that stern face and shaking a bony finger at her. “I know what Ben and those others gave you. Sex may be necessary at times, but it won’t fill your holidays and special moments with joy. It won’t hold your hand and walk with you to the movies. And it won’t make you less lonely either. You need to find a man who fulfills who you really are.”

God, not this again. She wanted to crawl under a rock when her mother mentioned s-e-x. Though they always spoke openly with one another, Maddie at times wished they had more secrets. “Okay, Mom. I’m hearing you.” Way too clearly.

As if her mother had conjured him with talk of sex and fulfillment, Maddie watched a way-too-familiar face round the corner onto Queen Anne. Dressed in jeans and a green T-shirt that clung to every ridge and divot of muscle, Flynn McCauley strutted down the sidewalk like he owned it. He nodded to several people along the way, the hottie obviously a mainstay in the Queen Anne district. Drawing closer, he approached the coffee shop as if pulled by invisible strings.

Despite trying not to look directly at him, she knew the second he saw her because his eyes widened and his lips curled.

Great. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since Sunday. This would only add to her sleepless nights. Before she could get up and sneak back inside, he waved at her. There went her chance to indulge in a good dose of self-preservation.

“Hello?” Her mother raised her voice. “Maddie? Are you still there?”

“Sorry.” Time to check for signs of drool. Good Lord, Flynn was hot, and way too much to handle while speaking with her mother. With her luck, her mother would insist on a conversation about available men while Flynn hovered nearby. “I have to go, Mom. I love you. Talk to you next week, I promise.”

Her mother sighed. “I know, I know. You don’t want to hear it. I’m sorry, but someone needs to tell you how to—”

“Mom. I really have to go.”

Her mother muttered under her breath and finished with, “Fine. I love you too. Bye.”

Maddie disconnected just as Flynn sidled up to her table. She forced a natural smile and tried to ignore the racing of her pulse. “Well, hello, Flynn.”

“Maddie Gardner. My day is looking even brighter. Mind if I sit?”

Resigned, she nodded. “Sure. Have a seat.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw a woman at the table behind Flynn ogling him. To help him out and no doubt prevent him from a future case of something contagious, she raised a brow at the woman. “Can I help you with something?”

The woman blushed and turned around, no doubt embarrassed to be caught staring. Smug and not sure why, Maddie tried to view Flynn’s surprise visit as nothing more than a chance meeting between acquaintances. No reason she should be feeling so nervous or excited. This was Flynn, her neighbor’s brother. He’d fixed her sink, for heaven’s sake.

She hadn’t realized she’d been tapping her fingers on the table until Flynn glanced down at her hands.

“You okay?”

No. I’m not. I want to have smokin’ hot sex with you then send you far, far away, wouldn’t paint her in a favorable light, so she blamed her mother. “I just talked to my mom. I’ve been better.”

He chuckled. “Hold that thought.” He returned minutes later. But he’d been gone long enough to allow her to get her hormones under control.

Or so she’d thought. When he sat and focused all that male attention on her, her palms started to sweat.

He tipped his head back and took a deep draught from a bottle of something orange. She couldn’t look away from the cords of his throat as he swallowed.

He finished half his drink and smacked his lips. “Man, I needed that. So tell me about your mom.”

She concentrated on her cup and intentionally eased her clenched thighs. Then she took another sip of coffee before speaking. “How much time do you have?”

He grinned. “Come on. She can’t be that bad. You’re nice enough. Kind of.”

She liked his teasing. “Funny guy. My mother calls me once a week. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, once every other week. She loves me and she means well, but she’s always trying to tell me what to do.”

“I know the feeling. Hell, my mother lives a few streets down from Mike’s. I see her all the time because I practically live at his place.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Funny I hadn’t seen you before last week. I mean, I’m there practically every Friday. We play cards, the four of us. Me and my brothers and Brody.”

“Seems like a nice crowd.” A sexy crowd. All of his brothers looked alike. Strong, handsome, and too tempting to a woman who wanted little to do with men. Even Brody had been more than attractive, and she wasn’t into blonds.

“They are. Except for my nephew. He’s a schemer. Too smart for his own good.” Flynn smiled.

The clear affection for his family gave her another insight into his character, one she couldn’t help liking. Maddie didn’t come from a large family, by any means, but she’d do anything for her mother, Vanessa, or Abby. Blood or not, her extended family meant everything to her. Something she and Flynn seemed to have in common.

“Colin’s cute. He looks just like your brother.”

Flynn frowned and took another sip of his soda. “Mike’s a friggin’ taskmaster. After you left the other day, he made me clean the place from top to bottom. Like he had nothing to do with the beers and half a pizza that disappeared in his big mouth.”

Flynn looked so put out. She had to laugh. “That’s nothing. I think Vanessa does white-glove tests when we’re not around.”

He chuckled. “Your house looked barely lived in. Trust me. You want to see a mess, you should see Brody’s work in progress, as he calls it. He’s a pig.”

“But not you?”

“Nah. I like to be organized. Can’t function if I can’t find my crap right away. Of course, I’ve been told that’s because I’m always late for everything, so I need it where I can find it before I have to dart out the door.” His phone buzzed right then. “Hear that? My alarm so I won’t be late. I’m turning over a new leaf.” He winked at her.

“Late for what?”

“I’m due to meet Brody for a consult on a new job.”

“Oh. Do you guys have an office around here?”

“No. I left my truck at Mike’s while we worked out of Brody’s. I need to pick it up and drive to the customer.”

“Well, good luck on your consult.”

He stood to leave, and she already missed his company. Which was stupid. He was nothing more than the neighbor’s brother. Besides, she’d see him soon enough at the coming barbecue.


“See you Saturday, right?”

“You’re reading my mind.” She nodded. “I’ll be there. It’s really nice of your parents to invite us.”

“Well, you can thank them by showing up and being extra nice to their charming son.”

She blinked at him, all innocence. “Which one?”

“That would be me. Feel free to ignore the other Neanderthals hanging around for a free meal.”

Before she could comment, he leaned down and shocked her by planting a kiss on her cheek. The warmth in that simple touch locked her body up, frozen in suspense to see what more he might do.

Flynn didn’t pull back right away. He stayed so close she could feel his breath against her mouth, could almost taste the sweet orange that lingered on his lips. “See you soon, Maddie.”

Then he stood and left, carrying his bottle as he whistled his way across the street. He didn’t look back once.

She didn’t look away from him until he turned out of sight. Holy hell, but the temperature had escalated in the last few minutes. She downed the rest of her lukewarm latte and fanned herself.

She needed to find a way to deal with her odd reaction to the man before Saturday. She almost wished she hadn’t agreed to go, but she refused to shy away from the party because he made her uncomfortable. It would have been almost easier if he’d done it on purpose, but he couldn’t know how he affected her.

Maddie Gardner dealt with conflict; she didn’t let it deal with her. She’d told Fred Hampton to shove it, had lived for over a year with a small-scale dictator who hated the word dust, and had neatly fielded another call from her mother. She could handle Flynn McCauley.

She hoped.

On her way back home, she ran into Jed, a friend of Vanessa’s she’d once met at a party. He seemed nice, safe, and uninteresting. Just the way she liked them, according to her mother. They chatted for a few minutes then parted after she promised to pass on a message for him.

Yet during the pleasant walk home, thoughts of Flynn, not her cousin or work, constantly intruded. And it bothered her.

Maddie had future plans that didn’t include a guy. Period.

She tapped the cell phone in her back pocket, not surprised she still hadn’t heard from Ben. They’d dated for a few months, been friends for even longer. Then they’d ended, and not one message from him asking about her pending promotion. Sure, her job had ended badly, but Ben didn’t know that. They couldn’t at least be friends? After all, he’d been the one to demand she leave, not the other way around.

Well…in theory.

She wondered why her few relationships had devolved from new and exciting to okay sex to the big breakup. A definite pattern, she thought with resignation. Like most relationships, once the newness wore off and her partners no longer felt like king of the mountain for having conquered her, they demanded too much.

Her roommates hadn’t been fortunate with Cupid either. So why did Maddie continue to dwell on relationships lately? It seemed like every time she turned around she thought about that amazing kiss on Sunday that had gone on forever but still hadn’t been long enough. She found herself staring at the bouquet he’d brought her, making stupid excuses to visit the kitchen just so she could see evidence Flynn had been there.

What was it about him that nagged at her? She’d asked herself that question over and over, and after today she thought she’d come up with the answer—they had sexual chemistry. A natural connection and no big deal.

But she couldn’t remember any of her past lovers having such an effect on her. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t make herself forget how good Flynn’s lips felt on hers.

Biology was such a bitch.

Once home, she stepped onto her porch when a familiar voice called out to her. She turned to see Mike and Colin approaching. Mike walked, Colin skipped, and she couldn’t help smiling at the pair.

“Hi, guys.”

“Hi, Maddie.” Colin looked much more cheerful than the last time she’d seen him. He also seemed to be missing a tooth.

“Colin, I think something’s wrong with your mouth.”

He smiled, displaying a gap in his upper teeth. “I lost a tooth! I got two whole dollars too.” He dug into his pants and pulled out two crumpled dollar bills.

“Wow. I think the most the tooth fairy ever brought me was a new toothbrush.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Mike smiled.

He stood a few inches taller than Flynn. They looked a lot alike, but whereas Flynn made her pulse race, her appreciation for Mike ran more to aesthetics. A handsome man with raw appeal and muscles on top of muscles. He also had that soft side to him, apparent whenever he looked at his son. But there was that same bland safety she’d felt earlier with Vanessa’s friend. She liked that.

“Would you guys like to come in? I’m in charge of dinner tonight.”

“What are you eating?” Colin asked and took a step forward.

Mike grabbed him by the collar. “Colin.” He shook his head. “We just ate hot dogs. Actually, I wanted to invite you and your roommates to a barbecue this weekend. My parents like to have them, and it’s past time we welcomed you proper. McCauley shindigs aren’t to be missed. Plus, we owe you a public apology. Your first dealing with Flynn without the rest of us to keep him in line. I’m sorry for that.”

She laughed. “He’s not that bad. Besides, I think I was the one who scared him. It wasn’t a good day to be a man in my house.”

Mike nodded. “I’ll bet.”

“Anyway, I already told Flynn we’d love to come. I talked to Abby and Vanessa, and they have nothing going on Saturday. What should we bring?”

Mike didn’t answer.

“Mike?”

“Sorry. I was thinking. If you have a favorite dessert, bring that. Otherwise, just bring yourselves.” He paused. “So when did Flynn ask you about this weekend?”

“Sunday, and I just saw him half an hour ago at Starbucks. Why?”

He shrugged. “No reason. I just thought I’d nag him about communicating with the rest of us. Boy has no head for sharing information. Never has.” He sighed.

She tried not to laugh again. The notion of Flynn as a boy didn’t fit. She could see his stomach and that chest in her mind’s eye. The scent of oranges over his lips… It was as if her memory had stuck a picture of him on a Post-it note and tacked it to her brain. “If it’s a problem, we can—”

“No, no. My mom is dying to talk to you all. Whenever she gets a chance to talk to women, she’s excited. Too many men in the family.”

Colin thumped his chest. “Yeah. I’m a man. My tooth is totally gone.” He tried to stick his tongue through the opening.

“We won’t keep you any longer. See you on Saturday. Two-ish.” Mike handed her a note. “The directions are on there. The folks are just two streets over and down a quarter mile. Tan house, blue shutters. Lots of cars in the drive.”

“Thanks, Mike. See you, Colin.” She watched them turn and leave, then entered the house to cook…something. Hmm, hot dogs. That and some macaroni and cheese—now that sounded good and easy.

An hour later, as Maddie cleared her dishes from the table, Vanessa bitched about the meal, despite the fact that she’d arrived home late and should have been grateful to eat anything prepared at all. “I hate hot dogs.”

“I know. That’s why I made them.”


Abby crossed her eyes behind Vanessa’s head.

“I saw that.”

“You should have been a schoolteacher. The dreaded Miss Campbell. Oooh.” Abby raised her hands in mock fright. “I have work to do. Maddie, if you or teacher-creature needs me, I’ll be on the computer.”

“It’s not teacher-creature,” Vanessa grumbled as she ate her hot dog. “I hate when she calls me names.”

“And yet the shoe fits.” Maddie grinned. “I saw Jed Rawlins today. He told me to remind you about coffee supplies. Something about creamer?”

Vanessa sighed and shrugged out of her suit jacket. She wore her hair in a bun, the escaping strands actually softening her face. But far be it from Maddie to tell her cousin she looked pretty. Pretty had no place in accounting.

“You know, if Jed put half the effort into work as he does into taking coffee breaks, we’d probably be the preeminent firm in Seattle.”

Maddie found Vanessa as intriguing as she sometimes found her annoying. Unlike her, Vanessa didn’t seem to have any confidence issues. A rock of solid self-love. Not selfish or arrogant, just a woman happy with herself and her place in life. An oddity among women everywhere, but there she was.

“Jed would do better to be more like me,” Vanessa continued, talking with her mouth full. She downed her carb-loaded macaroni and cheese like a Hoover set to high. “I’m too busy doing my damn job to worry about sugar, creamer, or the who’s-dating-who chatter by the watercooler.”

Maddie blinked. “Do they really have watercoolers at your work? I thought that was just an expression. ‘Watercooler talk.’”

“Yeah. We do. It’s purified water. Not bad, but I bring my own.”

The queen of self-sufficient would. Maddie sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Have you ever had a problem in life you couldn’t solve? Ever had a problem too big to handle on your own?”

Vanessa paused. “Nope.”

“Bitch.”

Vanessa smiled. “Jealousy will get you everywhere. There’s nothing I like more than envy.” She glanced down at the crumbs on her plate. “As far as hot dogs go, I guess these things aren’t bad. Mac ’n’ cheese isn’t either.”

“Want to lick the pan?”

“Sure.”

Maddie grimaced as her cousin took every piece of macaroni from the pan and ate it. “You should be really, really fat. How is it I eat one hot dog and my butt explodes? We’re related. I should have your metabolism.”

“Must get it from your dad, whoever he is.”

And that’s one of the things Maddie truly appreciated about Vanessa. She didn’t coddle or softly gloss over hurtful details. She went straight at life with a one-two punch. Because Maddie knew Vanessa loved her, she normally didn’t take her comments as digs, but rather as unfortunate truths.

“But look at it like this. Aunt Michelle is a pretty redhead too, but she burns two seconds in the sun. You must get that Mediterranean skin from your dad. So big ass, but nice skin. It all evens out.”

“I actually never thought of my ass as big, but thanks.” Maddie shook her head, amused and not sure why. Her gaze caught the flowers that looked as fresh as they had when she’d put them in water.

“Hmm, more quiet thoughts about Flynn. I wonder how you’ll react to your studly plumber this weekend.” Vanessa carried her plate to the sink and washed the dishes. The woman would have a coronary if a dish remained dirty longer than five minutes.

“Oh shut up. He’s not my studly plumber. I mean, he is studly, but he’s not mine.”

“She who doth protest too much, doth—”

Maddie scowled. “Doth this.” She held up a finger and left the kitchen—and her cousin’s laughter—behind. Instead of heading back upstairs, she sat down in the living room and opened her laptop, looking once again at the competition. Staging prices, services, realtors… She made more notes and forced herself to stop thinking about Flynn McCauley.

So of course later that night she dreamed about him wearing nothing but those damn boxer briefs and a smile.