Love a Little Sideways Read online

  It was ridiculous, all right, but not for the reason he thought. “How come nobody assumes I’d try something with him?”

  “Girls having a crush on their older brother’s best friend is typical. It’s up to the best friend to keep his hands to himself.”

  “That’s so insulting.” When she saw Rose’s mouth tighten, Liz realized she didn’t really want to continue down this conversational path. “Not that it matters, but two adults worrying about what big brother will think is pretty juvenile.”

  She watched Rose put water on for tea and she thought about mentioning the caffeine thing, but then reconsidered. One cup of tea wouldn’t hurt. Probably. Besides, she still had a lot on her to-do list and she could use the extra jolt.

  “I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that,” Rose said, and it took Liz a second to realize she was still talking about the Mustang being in her driveway. “But speaking of Drew, I wonder where Andy got to.”

  “I saw him with the chain saw, so he probably went out to take care of that branch that came down on the edge of the tree line in that last storm. Shouldn’t take him more than a few minutes.”

  Liz’s gaze drifted to a counted cross-stitched sampler hanging on the wall that read Bless This Kitchen. According to Rosie, Liz’s mom had stitched it when Sean was a baby, so it had been made before Liz or Josh were born, and it made her smile. This kitchen did feel blessed, and she was overcome again by the certainty she’d made the right decision in coming home.

  “I know you didn’t want us to fuss,” Rosie was saying, “but we couldn’t have you walking into an empty house with no place to sit or lay your head but on the floor.”

  “It’s perfect. Especially my bedroom. As soon as I walked in the room, it felt like home, so thank you for ignoring me.”

  “Anytime.” Rosie winked.

  “So what’s up with your car?” Josh asked. “You could have borrowed the plow truck. Nobody’s using it right now, obviously.”

  “Let me see...old plow truck or a sweet little Mustang? Tough choice, Josh.” She laughed. “Drew was pretty insistent, actually. He likes the idea of rubbing the car in Mitch’s face.”

  “He’s always said he missed a shift.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Men.”

  “Back to your car,” Rosie said. “How bad is it?”

  “Managed to whack both the front and rear fenders, and the back was bad enough so Drew said I couldn’t drive it. He and Butch both implied I’d be better off replacing the entire car.”

  The back screen door opened and Andy Miller walked into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw her sitting at the table. “Hey, Liz. It’s good to see you again.”

  “You, too.” A little weird, since he wasn’t allowed at the lodge for much of Liz’s life, thanks to something he’d done decades before that pissed Rosie off. Now the housekeeper had not only forgiven him, but fallen in love with him and moved him into the lodge.

  Definitely weird, she thought when he put his arm around Rosie’s waist and kissed her cheek as the teakettle started whistling. When she swatted at his behind, Liz looked at Josh, who only shrugged.

  “Liz was just telling us she went off the road last night and wiped out her fenders on a tree, which is why your son’s Mustang was parked in her driveway.”

  That took the weird up yet another level, Liz thought, killing the wince before it could show on her face. Rosie and Drew’s dad being a thing was just one more reason to forget she and Drew had ever had awesome sex that fell short of perfect only because they hadn’t had hours more to spend together.

  “Knew there was a good reason,” Andy replied, stealing a cookie from the jar on the counter. “Can’t remember the last time he let anybody drive that car of his, though. I don’t recall Mallory even driving it.”

  Liz didn’t want anybody spending too much time analyzing why Drew would let her drive it when his ex-wife didn’t, beyond the superficial reason of annoying Mitch, so she steered the conversation away. “Butch thinks I should take whatever the insurance company will give me and run.”

  “One of the most honest guys I know,” Andy said. “If he doesn’t think it’s worth hunting down fenders and repairing the vehicle, he’s probably right.”

  Liz smiled her thanks when Rose set a mug of black tea in front of her, and half listened while Andy and Josh talked cars, insurance claims and junkyards. She wasn’t holding out much hope of being able to find fenders in the right color for her car in a junkyard within driving distance, and she wouldn’t be able to afford a new paint job, anyway. She should probably grab a newspaper at the market and see what vehicles were for sale in the area.

  “Enough with cars,” Rosie said, sitting down across the table from Liz. “How does it feel to be home?”

  “It feels good,” she said honestly. “I had breakfast at the diner this morning and met Tori. I think I’ll like working there, and Lauren’s house is perfect. And I’m tired of sharing everybody’s lives over the phone.”

  “I’ve already told Sean I expect him, Emma and the baby to come over from New Hampshire for Christmas this year. I know they celebrated with your aunt and uncle last year because Emma was pregnant, but this will be the first holiday with all of you home since I don’t know when.”

  Liz could see the tears gathering in Rosie’s eyes, so she tried for a conversational U-turn. Rose loved to manage things. “I guess since I’m staying, I need to see if I can get a 207 number for my cell. Should I bother getting a landline? And maybe I’ll get cable. And a TV.”

  Rose grabbed a piece of paper and a pen while the men fled the room and got down to business. Liz drank her tea and let the woman do what she loved best.

  * * *

  “Was that the Kowalski girl I saw driving your Mustang?”

  Drew looked up at Officer Bob Durgin, who had spoken from his open doorway without preamble. “I lent Liz my car, yes.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  Drew arched an eyebrow, not caring for the guy’s tone. Durgin had always had it in for the Kowalski kids. Sometimes they deserved it, like the night a teenage Mitch leading him on a merry chase in his Camaro had led to Bob rolling the new cruiser. Drew was certain Bob still had no idea Drew was riding shotgun that night. And sometimes they didn’t deserve it. They’d found out when Mitch first returned to Whitford to help turn the lodge around that Bob Durgin had been in love with Sarah and, apparently as part of never forgiving her for choosing Frank Kowalski, he held a grudge against her and Frank’s kids.

  “Since we’re not exactly overrun by car rental agencies in Whitford, I lent a friend of mine a vehicle until hers is fixed,” he said, careful not to let his annoyance show in his tone.

  “You know how those kids are when they’ve got a fast car.”

  Yes, he did. Because he was usually in Mitch’s passenger seat or running his Mustang up the road behind him. Except for that one time, of course, when he’d been in front. “Liz is a thirtysomething-year-old woman now, Bob. We’ve all grown into fairly law-abiding citizens.”

  It was probably best not to mention that he’d stopped Liz for speeding the day after he gave her the keys.

  Bob made a disapproving sound and wandered off toward the coffee machine. Drew watched him for a minute, then tried to return to his paperwork.

  Despite his long-standing beef with the Kowalski kids, Bob Durgin was a good, steady cop. He’d be retiring in a few years, most likely, and when he did he’d have the distinction of having served his entire career, right from his first day as a rookie, with the Whitford Police Department. Even Drew had done several years in Portland before moving home again when a vacancy opened up at the same time his stepmother passed away from ovarian cancer.

  Bob had been offered the chief’s position, of course. It would have been rude not to offer it after all his yea
rs on the force, but the town had made the offer safe in the assumption he wouldn’t take the job. The man had no patience for politics, haggling with the budget committee over new tires for the cruisers, or being polite to citizens when they were a pain in the ass.

  Drew glanced up to check the time and, as if Bob Durgin had conjured her, Liz Kowalski appeared in his doorway. Her smile brightened his day considerably. “Hey, come on in.”

  “I think Durgin wants me in handcuffs.” His reaction to the word handcuffs must have shown on his face, because she laughed. “I meant, as in under arrest. Don’t even try to stick me with that visual.”

  “Nobody wants that. So, have a seat and tell me what’s up.”

  She sat in the chair across the desk from him and sighed. “What’s up is that Butch and the insurance company agree that it’s time for my car to go to the great junkyard in the sky. Even if he could repair the front fender, he started calling junkyards to see about a rear fender and gave up when he got to New York area codes.”

  “Sorry to hear it. What’s next?”

  “I need a copy of the report, of course, to send to them. And then I wait for a check from them and start watching the classifieds.”

  Drew leaned back in his chair and tried to think of anybody he knew who was selling something decent for a reasonable price, but came up blank. “You can drive the Mustang as long as you need to, you know.”

  Pink tinted her cheeks and he knew she’d prefer not to have to rely on his help. “Josh said I could drive the lodge’s pickup. The older one they plow with.”

  “The Mustang’s a bit of a gas hog, but nowhere near as bad as that truck. You may as well have Paige write your paychecks out to the service station if you take him up on that offer.”

  “It shouldn’t be long, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

  He didn’t. “I like seeing it go down the road. When I do get a chance to take it out, I’m inside, so I don’t get to see how awesome it looks on the move.”

  “She does like to move.”

  He tried to give her a stern look, but it dissolved into a chuckle. “Officer Durgin has his eye on you, just so you know. He’s pretty outraged I lent one of those Kowalski kids a fast car.”

  “Did you tell him—”

  “No.” He shook his head. “He doesn’t need any more fuel in his fire when it comes to you guys.”

  “I wonder if my mom knew he had the hots for her? Rosie said they never dated as far as she knew, and she knows almost everything.”

  “I don’t know. But I guess wanting a woman and not being able to have her sticks with a guy.”

  The second the words were out of his mouth, he wanted them back. Wanting Liz and not being able to have her was sticking with him, that was for sure. But she didn’t seem to read anything into what he said.

  The department’s secretary stuck her head into his office. “Sorry to interrupt, Chief, but you have a meeting at the town hall in ten minutes.”

  “Thanks, Barbara. Hey, can you get a copy of the police report I left on your desk this morning? Kowalski, Elizabeth S.”

  “That sounds very official,” Liz said once Barbara returned to her desk. “It’s still a little weird to me that you’re not only a cop, but the chief of police.”

  “Sometimes it’s still a little weird to me, too. I think Mitch and I were voted Most Likely to Be Felons back in high school.”

  Barbara came back and handed the paper to Liz. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, honey.”

  “Thank you.” She had very vague memories of Barbara as a child, but she couldn’t quite place her.

  “Elementary school secretary,” Drew supplied helpfully once Barbara was gone again.

  “That’s right. I think I liked her.” She gave the paper a quick scan and then stood. “I’ll let you get to your meeting. Thanks again.”

  “It’s my job.”

  She gave him a warm, genuine smile that made him feel like a mini marshmallow dropped into a mug of hot chocolate. “I think the car goes above and beyond.”

  “Not for you.” The words hung between them, and he waved them off before she could question his meaning. He hoped. “You know, being Mitch’s sister has to have some perks to make up for what a pain in the ass he is.”

  For a fleeting second, he thought she looked almost disappointed, but then she laughed. “As perks go, that car’s pretty sweet.”

  After she was gone, he took a second to put his thoughts back in order. He had a meeting to go over a grant he was trying to get to buy the department an ATV so they could help, along with the ATV club’s unofficial trail patrol, police the influx of riders they’d seen lately.

  Instead, all he could think about was what a dumb thing he’d said. Not for you. It was pretty sappy, and he could only hope he’d covered it in time. Liz wasn’t for him, and any kind of flirting or innuendo was strictly off-limits in the future.

  “Chief.” Barbara had her arms crossed, giving him the look that had almost made his first-grade self wet his pants. “Meeting.”

  “On my way.”

  It wasn’t far to the town hall and the weather was nice, so Drew decided to walk. He’d still make it in time, as long as nobody tried to stop him on the sidewalk and bend his ear. Halfway there, he heard a familiar horn and turned to see his car coming up the street.

  He watched as the Mustang rolled by, doing at least five miles per hour under the speed limit, and his body tightened when Liz gave him a saucy grin and waved.

  He’d been right when he lent her the car. Seeing her drive it—seeing her fingers curled around the wheel so perfectly molded to his hand—triggered some deep, primal thrill inside of him. Maybe because, out of all of his belongings, the car was the most personal and seeing her in it meant something he didn’t want to analyze too much. Or maybe it was just seeing a sexy woman in a sexy car. Either way, he liked it.

  Chapter Four

  Nobody could pull together an impromptu family dinner like Rosie. Liz was summoned to the lodge Friday night because Mitch was home, and Ryan and Lauren were driving up. They usually met Lauren’s ex-husband halfway from their home in Brookline, Massachusetts, so her son Nick could visit his dad, but Ryan had cleared his afternoon to make the drive up for dinner.

  His truck, with Kowalski Custom Builders painted on the side, was already there when she drove up the lane and she parked between it and Katie’s ancient Jeep.

  The aroma made her stomach growl the second she opened the front door, though she felt it rather than heard it due to the noise level. In honor of her return home, Rose had made a traditional New England boiled dinner and the blend of ham and cabbage and other goodies made Liz’s mouth water.

  When she stepped into the kitchen, the conversation and laughter stopped as everybody had to give her a hug and welcome her home. She went down the line, from Mitch and Paige to Ryan, Lauren and Nick, then to Katie, who squealed and threw her arms around her.

  “Josh told me you seemed lonely when he visited you in New Mexico. I’m so glad you came home where you belong.”

  “Me, too.” Though Katie had spent a lot more time outside than Liz growing up, they’d been the only girls against four boys, so they’d been thick as thieves.

  Josh, the only sibling younger than she was, pulled her into a quick hug. “Sorry we’re eating on the early side. We’ve got guests coming in tonight and the first ones will probably get here about six.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “You all go sit down,” Rosie said, making a shooing motion with her towel. “It’s almost ready and I can’t move in this kitchen with you all underfoot.”

  Liz trailed the others into the big dining room, where Rose had already set out the good dishes. She cringed a little because the good dishes couldn’t go in the new dishwasher Andy had i
nstalled for her and that was a lot of hand-washing.

  There was a lot of shuffling before everybody was seated where they wanted to be. Even though he was the youngest, as the one who’d stayed and run the lodge, Josh had sat at the head of the table since their dad passed away. Mitch sat at the foot and they all paired off around the table.

  Somebody had counted wrong, Liz thought as she looked around the table. There were two seats across from her she guessed were for Rose and Andy, who would help her serve, and then there was a place set next to her with nobody in the chair.

  Then Drew walked in and it made sense. And lucky her, she got to sit next to him since everybody else was paired off as couples.

  Once everybody had hollered out a greeting to Drew and he’d popped into the kitchen to say hello before being shooed back out, he pulled out his chair and sat down. There wasn’t a lot of space and Liz realized she’d probably spend the entire meal trying to avoid her leg brushing his.

  They all cheered when Andy carried in the huge soup tureen filled with boiled goodness, and Rose followed with a basket of buttered bread slices from what Liz would bet were freshly baked loaves.

  It wasn’t the kind of dish that could be passed around the table, so they took turns standing and leaning in to ladle the ham and veggies into their bowls.

  “It looks amazing,” Liz said as she watched Mitch fill his bowl and then Paige’s, before handing the ladle to Ryan who also filled Lauren’s. “Smells good, too.”

  “I don’t usually make it in the summer, but my girl’s home, so her favorite dish it is.”

  “You’re the best, Rose.”

  When the ladle came around the table, Drew stood and took it. He filled Liz’s bowl first, and then his own, before passing it on.

  “Thanks,” she said, feeling oddly pleased he’d done the same for her that the other guys had done for their women. Not that she was Drew’s woman, but it made her feel good to not be the only female who ladled her own soup.