Susan Mallery - Sweet Spot

“I’m really sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not. I swear.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.”

“You should. We’ll go out,” Claire said. “The four of us.”

“Hawk’s a little pressed for time, what with this being football season, but I’ll talk to him.” Was dinner with her family part of their deal? Did it matter? She didn’t want to mess up her relationship with her sister.

“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Claire said.

“You and Wyatt will really like him.”

Nicole wasn’t pretending about that. She was sure Hawk would get along great with them. Too bad nothing about their time together was real. It was just a game and when the season was up, it would all be over.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Brittany asked as she held out a spoon. She was cooking chicken and noodles, which was actually pretty good.

Nicole nodded as she swallowed. “You’re getting the hang of this.”

“Cooking? It’s fun, but I don’t have to do it every day. I talked to my dad and said I would cook once a week if he let me stay out a half hour later.”

“Interesting negotiation. What did he say?”

She scrunched up her face. “He laughed for a really long time, then said my cooking wasn’t that good, but it was a nice try.”

Nicole bit back a smile. “Not buying it, huh?”

“No, and that really bugs me. I thought it was a great deal.” She stirred the mixture again. “You wouldn’t mind us having some wine with dinner, would you? It’s not like we’ll be driving.”

Nicole didn’t even blink. “I would mind, very much. You’re not even eighteen. The drinking age is twenty-one.”

“Sometimes you’re really parental.”

“Sometimes you’re really a brat.”

Brittany grinned. “I know, but I had to try. It’s like an honor thing.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?”

Nicole left the teenagers and went upstairs. She could hear the rumble of their voices, then a very long silence. The chicken and noodles had been good, but not that good.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked Sheila, who had followed her into her bedroom and was now curled up on the bed. When Sheila didn’t answer, Nicole grabbed her phone.

“How closely am I supposed to watch them?” she asked Hawk when he answered.

“Where are you?”

“In my bedroom. They’re eating downstairs but it got really quiet.”

“For how long?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll be right over.”

He arrived thirty minutes later, carrying bags of Mexican takeout. Brittany glared at her father.

“This is my private dinner.”

“Uh-huh. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

“I do not need a chaperone.”

Hawk only made kissy noises then retreated to the kitchen where Nicole had set the small table by the window. She opened two beers.

“Nervous about what they might get up to?” she asked.

“A little. I remember being Raoul’s age. I know about getting in trouble.” He passed her a plate. “You got a dog.”

“Sheila. She’s Raoul’s dog.”

“She’s spending a lot of time with you.”

It was true. Sheila seemed to follow her all over the house. “She knows I buy the groceries and she respects that.”

“I like dogs. I grew up with them. Serena never liked them, so we didn’t have one.”

“Sheila’s going to have puppies. Help yourself.”

“I like big dogs.”

“We don’t know the daddy. They could be huge.”

He eyed Sheila. “I hope not, for her sake.”

Nicole did her best to keep her attention on the dog, when what she really wanted to look at was Hawk.

He was casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but that didn’t lessen his appeal. As always, he filled out his clothes and made them look good. He moved with the easy grace of an athlete, and watching him made her remember moving against him, having him move against her.

“How are things going with Raoul?” he asked. “Living with a teenager?”

“Good. He’s making it easy. He’s quiet, tidy, inhales my food. He works hard. He’s had a tough time and he’s making it. I respect that. I wish my sister had been more like him.”

“The piano player?”

“No, my baby sister. Jesse. She’s nothing like Raoul. I can’t figure out if she was born a screwup or if it just happened.”

“How old is she?”

“Twenty-two. She barely got through high school. She partied a lot, then discovered boys. I was constantly terrified she would show up pregnant. I tried lectures, bribes, tough love, forgiveness. Nothing worked. She’s going to inherit half the bakery when she turns twenty-five, which is going to be a nightmare for both of us. She’s not interested in the business, so I’m already saving to buy her out.”

She paused and grabbed a chip. “We should change the subject.”

“Why?”

“Jesse’s not very fun, in life or conversation.”

“Sounds like she’s troubled.”

In more ways than he knew.

“Where does she live now?” he asked.

“She’s got a place in the university district. She’s never held a job, except at the bakery and that doesn’t count. If she hadn’t been family, she would have been fired several times over. The thing is, I can’t figure out where I went wrong or what to do about fixing things.”

“Some problems can’t be fixed.”

She didn’t want to believe that, even though she knew it might be true.

She toyed with the idea of telling him about Drew and Jesse, then decided she couldn’t stand the humiliation. “She’s my sister. I practically raised her. I guess I’m afraid I did a bad job.”

He reached across the table and touched her hand. “I’ve seen you in action. Not possible.”

“You’ve seen me on my good days. I can be a real bitch.”

“You think I haven’t screwed up with Brittany?”

“You’re pretty smug about your relationship with her.”

He laughed. “Sometimes. She’s a good kid. You do your best and then you let ’em go.”

“Is that a coach thing?”

“Football is life.”

“Not in my world.”

“In everyone’s world.”

That made her smile.

“Want to come back home with me?” he asked, his gaze intense.

Suddenly she wasn’t hungry at all. “Sure. Is it okay to leave them alone?”

Hawk frowned, then glanced toward the great room. She could practically hear the debate going on inside his head. Which side would win? The responsible father or the guy interested in a little time with his sex kitten?

“Damn,” he muttered.

She picked up her fork. “Fatherhood wins.”

“This sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

But she wasn’t all that upset. Yes, it was frustrating to be so close to Hawk and not in a position to have her way with him. But the good news was he’d shown a side of himself that she really liked and respected. After the disaster that was Drew, she could appreciate the thrill of a good man. Of course, this being her life, the good man was only pretending to be involved with her.

NICOLE GRABBED frosted cupcakes and set them into a large, pink box. The special order had come in early that morning from a desperate-sounding mother whose husband had dropped the ball when it came to ordering for their three-year-old’s birthday party.

Now she carefully arranged chocolate cupcakes with neon-pink frosting and sparkly sprinkles. In a few minutes the harried mother would show up for them and be relieved that at least one part of her day went right. Okay, so it wasn’t rocket science. But she could still make someone feel better, at least in the moment.

She carefully taped the box shut and took it up front, then peeled off her plastic gloves and tossed them in the trash. Maggie pushed one of the swinging doors leading to the back open.

“Someone to see you,” she said, not quite meeting Nicole’s gaze.

“Someone I want to see?” Nicole asked, her stomach already knotting. There weren’t that many people who would come in the back way.

“Probably not.”

Nicole braced herself for yet another fight with Jesse. Her sister was determined to get her half of the money out of the bakery. Nicole wasn’t interested in gutting the business just so Jesse could throw her future away. Legally she didn’t have to do anything until Jesse was twenty-five and she planned to keep resisting until the exact day her sister came of age.

Jesse stood just inside her office. Nicole stared at her for a second, feeling anger and sadness, along with regret and resignation. Despite what Jesse thought, Nicole had always loved her and wanted the best for her. They were only six years apart in age. They should have been closer.

Nicole knew she was probably to blame for a lot of what had gone wrong. She’d been too young to be left in charge of raising Jesse, but that’s what had happened.

Jesse turned and saw her. “It’s not what you think,” she began. “I’m not here about the bakery.”

“Okay. Do you need money?”

Jesse rolled her eyes. “No. I don’t need anything. That piece of information should keep you quiet for at least thirty seconds.”

Nicole opened her mouth, then closed it. She was so tired of fighting and being hurt.

“I’m leaving,” Jesse said before Nicole could ask why she was there. “I can’t change anything here. I can’t make it right. I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore, so I’m going away.”

“Running away,” Nicole snapped, furious that Jesse would be willing to leave. “Ignoring your responsibilities.”

“What responsibilities?” Jesse asked, her voice sharp. “You don’t want me in your house and you sure as hell never wanted me here.”

“That’s not true. I do want you here. We should be partners.”

“Your definition of partners means me doing everything exactly the way you say. I don’t want to spend my life putting sprinkles on doughnuts.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

Jesse turned away. “I don’t know.”

Perfect. Just perfect. “Let me guess. You’re running away to find yourself. Well, guess what? Your problems are going to tag along with you. They’ll slide into your suitcase and make themselves at home when you unpack. You can’t escape the consequences, Jesse. You might as well stay and figure it out here.”

“No. It’s time for me to leave. You always complain that I’ll never grow up. Maybe this will force me into doing that. I’ll make it on my own or I’ll fail on my own.”

Nicole wanted to scream. “You can’t go. You’re pregnant. How will you support yourself?”

“That’s not your problem.”

Talk about frustrating. Did Jesse really think she could find a decent job, get medical insurance, have a baby and raise it on her own? She’d never been responsible in her life. She was awful with money, a slacker when it came to work and totally unwilling to even admit she’d been wrong for sleeping with Drew. It was a total recipe for disaster.

“It’s going to be my problem when you come back, and we both know you will.”

Jesse looked at her for a long time. “You think you know everything about me. You think you know who I am, but you’re wrong. You don’t know anything. I’m done fighting with you, Nicole. I can’t disappoint you anymore. It hurts too much. You won’t believe that, but it’s true. I never wanted things to be like this. Please don’t try to find me.”

With that, she turned and walked out.

Nicole watched her go. Part of her wanted to run after Jesse and insist that she stay. Another part of her wondered if maybe being on her own for a few months would help Jesse grow up. She didn’t doubt that her sister would come back-no doubt scared, desperate and broke. Not to mention pregnant. And Nicole would take her in because that’s what family did. But between now and then, maybe Jesse could learn a few lessons.

So she let her go and told herself it was the right thing to do, even as she fought against feeling sick to her stomach.

AFTER THE FOOTBALL GAME, Nicole headed to the parking lot with the rest of the crowd. She felt better than she had earlier, but she couldn’t seem to shake the black cloud that had surrounded her all day.

She stood by her car, knowing Hawk would send over a few kids for her to drive to the pizza place. While she was standing there, wondering if stuffing herself with Hawaiian pizza would make her feel better or worse, a tall, curvy, beautiful woman walked over.

“Excuse me,” the woman said, her face perfect enough to be on a magazine. “Are you Nicole?”

“Yes.”

“Really? One of the other mothers pointed you out to me.”

The surprise in the woman’s voice put Nicole on edge. There was only one reason anyone would be talking about her.

“You’re dating Hawk?”

Nicole was so not in the mood for this. “Yes, I am.”

“Really?”

There was that tone again. The one that expressed more than surprise. It was as if a law of the universe had been violated.