A Little Surprise For The Boss. Elizabeth Lane
use the funniest words, Terri.”
“A jiffy is a very short bit of time. I learned lots of old-fashioned words from my grandma. Maybe I should’ve said we’d be there in the flick of a lamb’s tail. Would you have liked that better?”
Quinn giggled. Terri had kept her distance during the short duration of Buck’s marriage. But after the divorce, once Quinn became old enough to spend time in Utah with her father, she’d become attached to the little girl. Maybe too attached. What if Buck were to remarry? Could she back off and let Quinn go?
But she wouldn’t think about that now. Things were already complicated enough.
“Can we go out for pizza tonight?” Quinn asked. “I want lots of pepperoni on mine. Mom’s vegan now, so she won’t let me eat meat. She didn’t even give me a choice.”
“Don’t they make vegan pepperoni?”
“It’s yucky. So’s the cheese. Has Dad got a new girlfriend yet? I didn’t like the last one. She was scared of bugs and she was always fixing her makeup.”
“I don’t know,” Terri said. “You’ll have to ask him. And you can ask him about the pizza, too. He’s your parent. I’m not.”
“You sound mad. Are you mad, Terri?”
“At you? No way!” Terri reached across the seat and squeezed the girl’s shoulder. She’d have to watch herself around Quinn. The perceptive child was wise beyond her years. If she sensed any tension where Buck was concerned, she was apt to ask awkward questions.
They’d turned off the main road and were headed up the canyon. Terri felt the knot tighten in the pit of her stomach as she realized she was still wearing her single Kokopelli earring. Had Buck found its mate in his bedroom? Or had he not yet left the bed where she’d left him, after the most explosive sexual experience of her life?
They swung up the private road to the gate, and Terri punched in the code. Buck would surely know his daughter was coming. At least he’d been awake enough to have Evie fly down and pick her up. But just to avoid an unpleasant surprise, she pushed the intercom button.
“Hi.” His deep baritone went through her with the shock of memory. It made her shiver to realize she now knew exactly how that voice sounded sex-drenched and husky.
“It’s me.” The words emerged as nervous squeaks. “I’m bringing Quinn.”
“Great. Come on up.” His voice betrayed nothing. Either he was a good actor or he wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened in his bedroom.
Or he didn’t care. Knowing Buck, that was possible, too.
* * *
Buck stood on the front porch watching the Jeep come up the drive. Seeing Terri was a surprise. He’d asked Evie to bring Quinn here. But there must’ve been a change of plans.
Things could be awkward with Terri. He didn’t quite know what to expect from her. But Quinn would be with them. That would make things all right—for now, at least.
The Jeep pulled up next to his Hummer and stopped. Throwing off her seat belt, Quinn bounded out of the passenger seat and raced up the steps to give him a hug. As he swung her off her feet, he could tell she’d grown since Christmas break. With her in Sedona most of the year, he was missing so much of her life. Maybe this summer he could find a way to spend more time with her.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said. “I missed you.”
“Me, too.” He lowered her to the ground. “Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“She told me she wanted pizza.” Terri had come up the steps with Quinn’s suitcase. Buck looked at her and forced a smile. Terri smiled back at him, but her eyes held a flicker of uncertainty. She was wearing one of her Kokopelli earrings. Her other earlobe was bare.
That clinched it. If Buck had had any doubt about her being in his bed this morning, it was totally gone.
He was still dealing with the reality of it. Terri was an attractive woman—beautiful in an unassuming way. But he’d always made it a rule to keep his hands off his best friend’s sister. Steve had been gone for a dozen years now, but that rule hadn’t changed. Until now, he’d assumed she had the same rule. But this morning had thrown the rule book out the window, for both of them.
He forced himself to speak up. “Pizza it is. How about Giovanni’s?”
“Yes!” Quinn grinned. “Their pizza’s the yummiest! Can Terri come with us?”
“Terri?” He looked at her, half hoping she’d make an excuse not to come along. Terri’s presence was rousing his memory and putting lustful thoughts into his head—the last thing he needed right now. Their interlude this morning had been incredible...but it could never be repeated.
“I’d better not,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “I promised my grandmother I’d come and visit her tonight.”
“Please, Terri!” Quinn begged. “If we go now you’ll still have time to see your grandma.”
“Come on, Terri.” Buck remembered his resolve to act as if nothing had happened. “It won’t be a party without you.”
She hesitated, then sighed. “All right. I am getting hungry. But let me follow you in the Jeep. That way, when we’re finished, I can just go from Giovanni’s to Canyon Shadows.”
“Okay. Let’s get going.” Buck put Quinn’s bag inside the house and helped her into the passenger seat of the Hummer. He had to believe that in time, if he kept up the act, things would go back to normal. But right now, with the memory of Terri’s lithe, lush body fresh in his mind, it was like walking a tightrope over a volcano. One slip and he’d be in big trouble.
* * *
Terri waited until the Hummer had backed down the steep driveway. Then she turned the Jeep around and followed the hulking vehicle down to the road. It wasn’t too late to head off in a different direction. She could always make an excuse, call Buck’s cell, apologize and say that she’d remembered an important errand. But Quinn would be disappointed if she didn’t show up to share a pizza. Buck, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care either way—about sharing a pizza with her now, or about sharing a bed with her this morning.
Part of her wanted to believe that this morning would make a difference, that Buck would look at her and see a warm, desirable woman. But clearly that hadn’t happened. It was time for her to face the truth. No matter what happened, Buck was never going to see her the way she wanted to be seen. There was only one question left: What was she going to do about it?
Twilight was settling over the town and over the sandstone cliffs that ringed it like the setting of a jewel. Main Street glittered with streams of traffic. Shoppers and diners strolled the boardwalks. Music drifted from cafés and taverns.
This was Buck’s town, but that didn’t mean she had to stay here forever. She had the qualifications and the experience to get a job anywhere in the tourist industry. She’d be a fool to let loyalty keep her in a situation where she felt like a piece of furniture.
Giovanni’s Pizzeria was at the far end of Main Street. When the Hummer’s taillights turned into the parking lot, Terri followed and pulled into the next space. Buck and Quinn were waiting for her when she climbed out of the Jeep. “Let’s go!” Quinn seized her hand and pulled her toward the entrance. “Extralarge pepperoni and giant root beer, here I come!”
Buck chuckled as he caught up with Terri. “Quinn tells me her mother’s had her on nothing but wheatgrass juice and tofu,” he said. “She’s probably exaggerating, but it’ll be a pleasure to see her enjoy real food.”
Terri forced a little laugh. The hostess showed them to a booth with a traditional red-checked tablecloth and a candle melting down the outside of an empty wine bottle. They slid into the seats, Terri and Quinn on one