The Accidental Encore (2 page)

“You’ve had this trip planned for almost a year. I don’t
know why she’s running behind.”

Dad pulled on her ponytail and ruffled her bangs like he’d
done since forever. “Because that’s what women do, honey. They primp.”

“She’s got to be tired of primping after all that fuss last
weekend at the wedding.” Her dad and Carolyn’s wedding had been one long
torturous day from beginning to end. Carolyn had even insisted Leah wear
makeup.

“Apparently it doesn’t wear off,” her dad explained. “At
least it never did with your mother.”

Leah felt the ache, right in the center of her chest, as she
always did when her dad mentioned her mother. The ache had gotten stronger
since the wedding and all the changes that day brought to their lives. She
hated feeling betrayed by her dad, especially when he was so happy, but she
couldn’t help the way she felt.

“So,” her dad said to Craig. “You sure you’re up for two
weeks with this one?”

Uncle Craig narrowed his eyes at Leah and winked. “How much
trouble can she get into while she’s making me dinner and doing my laundry?”

Her dad looked at her and gave his usual crooked-smile.
“You’d be surprised how much trouble a twelve-year old girl can cause.”

Uncle Craig stood up. “You’re just too soft, Mark. I’ve got
duct tape and handcuffs and I’m not afraid to use them.” He poked Leah in the
stomach and tickled her under her armpits.

“Where are your bags?” Mark asked.

“In the tin can rental out in the drive,” Craig said. “Come
on, squirt. You can bring my bags in and show me to my room.”

Leah grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the door. “This
is going to be so much fun, Uncle Craig!” She stopped suddenly and looked up
into his deep blue eyes. “Where’s Blackjack?”

“He’s back at my place. We’ll pick him up later.”

Leah stood on her tiptoes to whisper in Craig’s ear. “Did
you leave him at home because of Carolyn?”

Uncle Craig shrugged. “She’ll have plenty of time to get to
know Blackjack when they’re back from Hawaii.”

***

“You sure you’re up for this?” Mark asked Craig. Mark had
the same frazzled look he’d had on his wedding day.

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

Mark shoved his hands in the pockets of his khakis. “When I
asked you to watch Leah, you weren’t hurt.”

“I’m not hurt.”

“You’re limping.” Mark lifted his eyes to Craig’s forehead.
“And I’d bet that scratch came with one hell of a headache.”

“Lighten up, Mom, I’m fine.” But he could tell Mark was far
from convinced. Because Craig understood Mark’s fear, he took the time to
explain. “It was a fender bender, nothing more. Besides, I might actually get
Leah to wait on me if she thinks I’m injured.”

Mark laughed. “Whatever works. These days, she’s all over
the map. One minute she’s my little girl, the next it’s like an alien has
possessed her body. I’m hoping Carolyn can help decipher these mood swings once
we’re back from our honeymoon.”

“Alien possessions? Now you tell me.”

Mark lifted his hands in the air. “Hey, you told me not to
call Mom.”

“I can handle your daughter. Besides, Mom’s up to her
eyeballs helping Aunt Ginny after her foot surgery.”

Carolyn came into the kitchen and wrapped her hand
possessively around Mark’s arm. “I think I’m ready,” she said.

Craig surveyed his new sister-in-law. She was so different
from carefree, down-to-earth Becca. But then, Craig barely knew Carolyn. Though
she and Mark had dated for over three years, the long distance relationship
hadn’t offered much opportunity for them to bond. He knew Mark looked happy, if
not a little drained by the honeymoon details.

“I don’t know what all your fuss is about. From what I
remember of my honeymoon,” Craig said, “all you need is a bed and some time
alone.”

“Then we’re both more than ready,” Mark said and kissed his
blushing bride’s cheek.

Craig felt…weird about his brother moving on with his life.
He didn’t blame him. He’d never blame Mark for moving forward, both for him and
for Leah. He only wished he could do the same.

“So,” Mark said as he picked up a handwritten piece of paper
from the kitchen table. “Here’s Leah’s schedule. Everything is on here, school,
piano, lacrosse, chores, friends, phone numbers, everything. Consider this your
Bible.”

“I got this, bro. I’ve been watching her for years and she’s
still in one piece. Go, have a great time, and don’t worry about a thing.”

“I’m calling every day, just to check in,” Mark said, and
Craig pushed him toward the door. Their bags were lined up like soldiers. “If
you need immediate backup, call the neighbors listed on the back of the sheet.”

“Mark,” Craig said through gritted teeth. “Just go. We’ll be
fine.”

Leah, who’d been so eager for them to leave just minutes
before, launched herself into her dad’s arms. “I love you, Daddy. Please be
careful.”

Mark lifted her off her toes and hugged her hard, his eyes
closed. Craig knew Mark loved Leah more than anything in the world. From the
look on Carolyn’s face, she knew it, too.

“Listen to Uncle Craig, honey.” Mark plopped Leah back on
the ground and picked up the largest of Carolyn’s bags. “And be good.”

“I will, Dad.” Leah looked at Carolyn. “Have a nice time.”

“Thank you,” her woefully unprepared stepmother said before
following Mark to the car.

After they pulled out of the driveway and Craig closed the
door, he turned to face Leah. “Well, kiddo. It’s just you and me for fourteen
days. What do you want to do first?”

“Let’s go get Blackjack,” she suggested. “I’ve got to
practice piano and he loves it when I play.”

Chapter 3

Allie took a deep breath before answering the knock on her
door and steeled herself for the scream.

“Oh my Gosh!” Melissa gasped. “Okay, okay.” She nodded her
head. “I’m glad you warned me.” She pushed past Allie and walked into the den,
flipping on the overhead light. “Come stand under the light so I can see.”

Allie closed the door and faced her oldest friend. “How bad
is it?”

“Well…” Melissa grabbed Allie’s chin and swiveled her face
back and forth under the recessed spotlights. “You look like you were punched
in the face. Hard.”

“I
was
punched in the face. By me.”

“I didn’t think airbags did that kind of damage,” Melissa
said.

“They don’t. I was taking a sip of diet coke when the airbag
deployed. I’m lucky I didn’t chip a tooth.”

Melissa narrowed her eyes. “I thought you gave up soda?”

“God, Mel. Only you would hone in on that detail at a time
like this.”

“If you’d been that diligent with me about chocolate, I’d
look a hell of a lot better in these jeans right now.”

Patience, Allie reminded herself. She needed an honest
opinion, and no one was more qualified than Melissa. “Can we focus on me for
just a second, please? I’ve got clients to see tomorrow and I need to know what
reaction to expect. Remember, I’m talking about children. I don’t want to scare
them or their parents, whose checks pay my mortgage.”

“With a little makeup, they might not notice the bruising,
but I’m not sure about the swelling.”

“I knew it.” Allie sat on the couch and flung her arm over
her eyes. “I look like the elephant man.”

Melissa laughed. “Allie, please. The elephant man never
looked as good as you.” Melissa sat next to Allie and patted her leg. “Just
tell the kids you were in a car accident. What’s the big deal?”

“I look like a freak!”

“Says the girl voted most beautiful in high school,” Melissa
mumbled loud enough for Allie to hear and feel the sting. “Welcome to my
world.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Allie, you’re stunningly beautiful, even with a bruised and
battered cheek.”

“Says the happily married mother of one.”

“Touché.” Melissa pulled Allie’s hands into her own. “Look,
are you okay? Did this accident do any real damage?”

“No. I was sore for a few days, but I’m better now. It’s
faded a lot in the last few days. I was just hoping I’d look normal by Friday.”

Melissa cocked her head and blinked once, very slowly. Here
comes the lecture, Allie thought. “Oh, I get it now. You’ve got a date.”

“I was feeling sorry for myself and signed up for a new
site. Lovefinders.com.”

“Oh, Allie,” Melissa chided in her mom voice. “I thought you
were done with online dating.”

“I was. Until I got this.” Allie reached for the embossed
envelope she’d tucked under a magazine on the coffee table. “Sharon Fowler is
getting married.”

“So?” Melissa shrugged and tossed the invitation aside.
“You’ve gone to weddings alone.”

Allie threw her hands in the air. “Sharon Fowler found a man
to marry her, and I can’t even get a date? Sharon Fowler?”

“Okay, I understand what you’re getting at, but I thought
you hated the whole online dating routine.”

“I do hate it, but what are my choices? I work alone all
day. I work with children at night. And all my friends are married or in
serious relationships.”

Melissa pursed her lips and stared at the ceiling. “I was
just reading this article about how alumni associations are a great way to meet
men.”

“I don’t think any Bowden alumni live in Atlanta or even the
state of Georgia.” Allie got up to pace around her den. “You know as well as I
do that I’ve tried it all. Social clubs, church singles groups, night school,
wine tastings. I’m not alone because I haven’t tried. Where are all the single
men in this town?” She stopped and faced Melissa. “And I don’t mean to sound
like a bitch when you’re listening to me whine, but seriously, Mel, you have no
idea what you’re talking about.”

“Look, Al, calm down. I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t know
what it’s like out there now. But I hate to see you get all worked up over
this. You were doing so great before, enjoying work and really getting
comfortable in your own skin. I’m so proud of the progress you’ve made, and I
hate to see you backslide like this.”

Allie rubbed her throbbing head. “I know. Between the wreck
and this invite, I’ve hit rock bottom.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have any injuries from the accident.”

“I don’t, but my car is in the shop for weeks and the guy
who hit me is disputing my account. He insists my light was red and I know it
was green. You know what a conscientious driver I am.”

“So what does that mean?” Melissa asked.

Allie sat down and let out a frustrated sigh. “It means my
life sucks, all the way around.”

***

“You’re late,” Leah said after slamming the door of the
rental car. “I told you this morning practice ended at five.”

It was like talking to a pint-sized version of Mark. “I
know, and I’m sorry. I got hung up on the job.”

Blackjack barked from the backseat in welcome. Leah reached
back and gave him a quick pat. “Hung up how?”

Craig took a deep breath and turned out of the school
parking lot into traffic. He’d gotten too used to living alone and not
answering to anyone. “You know I’m working on that house in town? Well, when
the windows I ordered were delivered, two of them were the wrong size, and by
the time I got the bozos at the store to realize it was their fault, I barely
had time to lock the place down.”

Leah huffed out a breath and rapped her fingers on her leg.
“This is why I need a cell phone. If I had a phone, you could have just texted
me that you were running late and I wouldn’t have worried.”

“Did you really think I wasn’t coming?”

“No, but that’s not the point.”

As she dove into all the reasons why a twelve-year-old girl
should have a cell phone, Craig zoned out and snuck glances at his niece. How
had she gotten so big? It seemed like just yesterday he and Mark were
scrambling to figure out how to raise a four-year-old whose mother and aunt had
died in a car crash. And look at her. Those long legs and budding breasts.
Jesus—Leah had breasts. When the hell had that happened?

“Are you listening to me, Uncle Craig?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. You said you’d be safer with a phone.”

“Exactly. So will you talk to dad?”

“I’m pretty sure he knows you want a phone.” And he felt
pretty sure Mark wanted to keep her as far away from becoming a teenager as
possible. Unfortunately, from the looks of her, there wasn’t a damn thing they
could do to stop it. “So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” he asked. “Any
homework?”

She sighed. “Math, as usual, and a little bit of Spanish.”

“You’re taking Spanish?”

She smiled, and for a moment, Craig thought he was talking
to Becca. “Si, senior. Esta noche tengo piano.”