Hijinks Read online

  “Do you still have the bell?” he whispered.

  Of course she did. She sniffed. There was no reason for him to remind her of the past, when she thought about him every day. She couldn’t seem to draw enough interest in moving forward without him.

  But her life was in Seaport. He belonged out there debating his way through court cases and experiencing new things. She craved security and normalcy. Tired of moving, she was determined to stay here forever. He lived for the thrill and whatever excitement he could throw himself into at any given moment.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot I have something to do.” She crumbled the paper in her hand. “Domo, open the garage door.”

  Without waiting to assist Alex out of the shop, she hurried to the entrance leading into the house. She punched the right sequence of numbers into the panel, waited for the door to click open and slipped inside.

  She then walked straight to the kitchen table, ironed out the paper with her hand and slipped his note into a hidden wall cubby for safekeeping. Her heart raced, and she let her forehead fall forward. Had he come back only to remind her of what she’d thrown away?

  Chapter 2

  The seven-foot Christmas tree lit the corner of the living room in the Yager’s two-story colonial house. Alex paced between the front door and the ratty couch his father refused to let his mother replace. Shannon wasn’t coming.

  He should’ve said more yesterday, explained why he’d gone to the shop to talk with her in the first place, instead of thinking he could charm his way back into her life in less than a week without a good reason. He’d thought making contact would be enough. It always had been before.

  He’d tried waiting for her to realize she missed him and join him in New York City on her own. But damn, that woman was stubborn when she made up her mind.

  Her refusal to talk left him with few options. Begging and pleading wasn’t his style. He wanted to march over to her house and demand, no ask, her to get her cute little butt to the party. He was a lawyer, dammit. He argued in court every day and faced a judge and jury without even breaking a sweat or blinking an eye.

  When it came to Shannon, he lacked the ability to explain what she meant to him or the expertise to fix their relationship. She knew him better than he knew himself most times. If he tried to plead his case, she’d see right through his desperation. He’d end up looking like a damn fool. A lovesick fool.

  When he’d tried to put on, what she referred to as, his lawyer voice and lay down the law with her, she always ended up laughing at him. God, he missed her laughter.

  “Hey, Alex. Walk next door and make sure Shannon’s coming. Mom says the food’s ready, and she wants to get the party started. I think she’s worried Dad will fall asleep in his chair before seven o’clock and miss out on popping the cork on the champagne.” Linda carried a platter of cookies past him and set the tray on the coffee table. Charles, his dad, leaned forward to grab one off the plate, and Linda slapped his hand. “Oh, no you don’t, Dad. You have to wait until everyone is here, or there’ll be no cookies left for the rest of us.”

  Alex ran his finger along the inside of his collar, loosening his tie. Linda gave him a disgusted look and shoved him out of the way, opened the door and pointed him in the direction she wanted him to go. He stepped onto the porch at the same time his sister slammed the door closed, barring his return. He flinched. How could he explain to everyone he was nervous?

  A lot was riding on the outcome. Mainly, his happiness.

  Visiting Shannon now was a totally different thing than when he used to walk between the houses. Hell, he practically lived at her house during his last year in law school. Only going home to his parents’ house to eat and sleep. He blew out his breath and jumped off the porch. Not to mention how many times he’d sneak back over to Shannon’s and spend nights with her. Not that they got any actual sleep.

  He gazed up at the second story. From the outside, no one could tell Shannon’s house was alive. The porch, shutters, even the peeling paint on the south corner made it appear harmless. The inside, however, would impress NASA.

  Shannon’s parents had fully updated and modernized the house years ago. He could never figure out why her parents bought the place to start with. It wasn’t as if they spent much time here, even when Shannon was younger. He’d never even met her until he’d come home on summer break from college before starting law school and there she was, nineteen years old and living next door by herself.

  The house gave him the creeps to tell the truth. The worst thing that could happen in this area was a loose dog or a teenager busting a mailbox. There was no use for all the gadgetry and high-tech safety features.

  Once again, he blamed her folks. They couldn’t find time to be normal parents and have a connection with Shannon. A relationship where they supported and stayed involved in her life. Instead, they handed over a seldom-used childhood home and pimped it out into a Smart House to make up for their absence and to feed Shannon’s need for security. The Johanssons didn’t understand the kind of sanctuary Shannon craved. All she wanted was love. Not a robotic voice she could talk to and receive nothing from in return.

  He had all his love to give her. He just needed to formulate a plan to win her back and make her realize that she could feel secure with him. He’d tried reminding her how it used to be between them when he showed her the note yesterday. That sent her running.

  He had exactly one week before he had to give his decision to his partners in the law firm whether he was leaving or staying. The opportunity to start his own firm and change the direction on how he helped others relied on winning Shannon back. For him to come to a final resolution, he needed her to know he still loved her. Time was running out. He wanted to start the New Year on the right foot.

  The only thing he knew would work on her would also make a complete fool of himself. There were no other options. He was desperate. Life without her sucked.

  He’d have to romance her and hope seeing him again would jump-start the love he knew she hid securely in her heart. She could protest, lie, and hide, but she couldn’t deny the longing he saw in her eyes. Somehow, he had to show her that home is wherever the heart is, not a location.

  Banging came from the side of his parents’ yard. He stopped and glanced behind him. Linda pointed from inside the kitchen window toward Shannon’s house and mouthed go. He waved her away. He could do this on his own. He wasn’t so pathetic that he needed his younger sister orchestrating his love life.

  On Shannon’s porch, he knocked on the bright red door. Knowing her, she’d reprogrammed the house and if she didn’t want to let him in, Domo would keep him out. A series of beeps warned her of an intruder, followed by, “Alex is at the door. The door will remain locked until approved.”

  Like he didn’t guess that would happen. He snorted, and stepped back against the railing of the porch to wait. After a few minutes, she came outside.

  “Alex?” She brushed her hands off on her apron. “What are you doing here?”

  Only Shannon could pull off looking sexy in an apron. The white-and-pink material covered her from upper chest to top of her thighs. The ruffle along the edges of the smock made her into a pretty package, waiting to be unwrapped. He inhaled swiftly, feeling the blood drain from his brain. His mind instantly imagined her naked underneath.

  She had a smudge of flour on her cheek. The urge to kiss the powdery white spot hit him hard in the chest. He pointed to her face and fought a grin. “You’ve got a little...”

  “No, I don’t.” She scrubbed at her cheek, rolling her eyes when he laughed.

  He stopped her. “You’re missing the spot. Let me get it for you.”

  “You don’t—” She sighed as he held her face between his hands. “I’m baking. I really want to get good enough to compete with the other ladies when Seaport (delete-Bay City) has their annual bake-off in January. Your mom challenged me, and you know I can’t tell her no.”

  He swiped the flour, and couldn
’t help lingering longer than necessary, cleaning the smudge, tracing her cheekbone. “There you go, all clean.”

  “Thanks,” she mumbled.

  “You’re taking this baking competition serious.” He stepped back and rubbed his hands together, itching to touch her again. “How’s that working for you?”

  “I’m getting better. Not all of the cookies taste too salty and they’re getting moister than the ones I used to make when we were together.” She glanced at him and shrugged. “Well, not all of them.”

  “What kind?”

  “Today I made snickerdoodles,” she said.

  “Huh.” He knew he was staring, but it seemed like forever since he’d been able to just watch her and get his fill. He was a starving for any little piece of her. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it. Seems the last treat I tried that you’d made were—”

  “It’s true.” She stalked forward and poked her finger in his chest. “Wait here. Don’t move. I’ll make you eat your doubts.”

  Before he could stop her, she’d disappeared into the house. A sugar-scented breeze wafted out of the house and tickled his nose. His stomach growled. He even missed all her ambitious attempts at baking, and the awful stomachache that usually followed.

  Shannon returned to the porch with two cookies and offered them to him. He inspected the sample, while peeking at her cautiously. She raised her brows and blinked at him. He wanted to laugh at her attempt to keep the pride from her posture. “They seem okay, but you can fix a lot of baking mistakes with sugar and cinnamon.”

  “Try one.” She folded her arms under her breasts and smugly leaned against the house. “Unless you’re chicken.”

  “Those are courageous words.” He handed one treat back to her. “Here. We’ll do it at the same time.”

  “Brawk...Brawk.” She bent her arms and flapped. “Fine, my fine, feathered friend. Give us the countdown.”

  “One. Two...Three.” He popped the whole piece in his mouth, while watching her bite hers in half.

  Sweetness exploded on his tongue and quickly melted. He tilted his head back and moaned. She’d done more than improve. The snickerdoodle was an art of perfection.

  “Good?” She licked her lips.

  His throat tightened. The only thing better would be one of her kisses laced with sugar. “Delicious—he snatched the remaining half of cookie out of her fingertips and quickly put it in his mouth—really good.”

  A smile in return transformed her face. He wanted to send her in the house to gather the rest of the batch to keep her happy, but that wouldn’t get her to the celebration. “Take a break and come to the party. The folks want you. Linda is threatening to beat me up if I don’t convince you to come. Don’t bring my family’s wrath down on me when they’re still sore that I’ve stayed away so long. I need brownie points to get back on my mom’s good side, and seeing how they won’t start the party until you’re there, I’m determined to bring you.”

  “Alex...” She raked her teeth over her bottom lip.

  “Please. I want you there too. It wouldn’t be the same without you (delete-there).”

  She nodded. “Let me turn off the oven and change my clothes.”

  “I’ll wait,” he said.

  “I know my way across the yard.” When he made no move to go, she rolled her eyes. “I promise I’ll come.”

  He walked down the steps, glanced behind him and caught her watching. The longing in her eyes almost stopped him. He couldn’t rush her, no matter how much of a hurry he was in to settle things between them.

  “Go.” She shook her head and turned into the house.

  When the door shut, he continued, whistling under his breath. Time for plan three. The present he’d brought with him would make it impossible for her to stay away from him. He planned on giving her the gift later, when they were alone.

  Cheerful music greeted him inside the house. Linda raised her brows questioning him. He nodded, and made his way to the chair next to his dad.

  “Did you strike out?” His dad pushed his glasses up onto his forehead, a move Alex always took as an attempt to hide his receding hairline, and offered a plate full of cookies.

  “No. Shannon’s coming. She wanted to change first.” He waved away the offer. If he played things right, he’d have all the cookies he could eat at Shannon’s later.

  “At least you haven’t disappointed me, son. The Yager men have had all the charm and good looks for generations. We haven’t let a woman get away from us yet.” Dad winked.

  Mom removed the dishtowel from her shoulder and snapped Dad on the back of the head. “I heard that, you old fart. If I remember right, I was the one who had to tell you we were going out, because I was tired of waiting for you to work up the courage. You were shy. Lucky for you, I wasn’t.”

  Dad harrumphed with a small shake of his head to contradict his wife’s claim. Alex linked his hands behind his neck and stretched his legs out. It was good to be home.

  His family’s love reinstated in him that it was possible to remain in a marriage and survive the hardships that came with living life and raising a family. He’d seen every kind of debauched situation in the courtroom, and he’d come to realize what his parents had was real. He and Shannon had the same power to succeed if they could work out their problems.

  Tucker, his older brother by two years, walked out from the kitchen laughing, his baseball cap turned backward, hiding the crew cut he received after losing a bet at the fire station earlier in the week. Deep dimples marked his cheeks. “I caught someone sneaking in the back door. I think there might be one less bottle of champagne in the kitchen now.”

  Shannon glided out from behind Tucker, slapped his arm and stepped toward his mom and gave her a hug. “You need to watch your oldest son. The deviled eggs are almost gone.”

  She’d changed clothes. He couldn’t take his gaze off her. He inhaled, but couldn’t seem to gather enough oxygen to fill his lungs.

  With Shannon's back to him, the black velvet cocktail dress hugged her curves. Her amber-colored hair was loosely coiled against the back of her slim neck. She turned, and he swallowed hard. Stray tendrils tickled her cheeks and brought attention to her vibrant blue eyes. He sat straighter when her gaze met his. She gave him a brief smile before moving around the room to hug the rest of his family. He wanted to pat his lap and invite her to squeeze onto the chair with him, to replay last year’s party when they’d arrived together, and he thought he’d be getting married.

  Instead, she sat on the other side of the room with Linda next to the fireplace. Never had he felt so lost and alone, even around his own family.

  Shannon sat in one of the folding chairs and crossed her legs. His gaze zeroed in on her sexy shoes. Black and shiny, they sported a bright red bow on the back of the heel. He gulped. The four inch spiked heel. His whole body tightened as he slowly followed the length of Shannon’s leg and up her body, until her gaze clashed with his again.

  Shannon’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly shifted in the chair to say something to Linda, ignoring him completely. He blew out his cheeks and glanced around the room, meeting Tucker’s gaze. His brother wiggled his brows and motioned with his chin to go after Shannon.

  He knew he shouldn’t have told his family why he came back. If Tucker dared to open his big mouth and ruin his plan, Alex would punch him.

  His mom walked out to the middle of the living room and waved her hands, getting everyone’s attention. He chuckled. Here comes the big speech.

  “Thank you all for coming and giving us a day to have our family all together once again.” Mom took her tissue out of her pocket. “It’s so good to have each one of you here to help ring in the New Year. Tucker, my brave firefighter, you make us proud of the many lives you save and the risks you take every day.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Tucker took two large steps and kissed Mom’s cheek.

  Mom patted Tucker’s cheek. “But, we do have a little problem. You’re still not married,
even though you’re thirty-four years old and should be making me a grandma. It’s time to grow up. You’re no longer allowed to come to the house on Saturday night to watch the baseball games with your dad.”

  “What? We always watch the game together.” Tucker leaned over and braced himself on the rocker. “You can’t be serious.”

  “You bet I am. Use that night to go out and date. Your father and I aren’t getting any younger, and we want grandchildren while we’re still young enough to enjoy them.” Talia’s gaze pinned Tucker to the spot.

  “I hate being the oldest.” Tucker flipped his hat around and pulled the bill down.

  Linda laughed and blew through a glittery party favor. Alex shook his head, knowing his turn was coming. Mom always went in birth order.

  “Alex, you have made your dad’s and my holiday. But, if you ever, ever stay away almost a year without coming home to see me, I will take the broom after your six-foot-three butt and knock some sense into you. We’re your family. Don’t forget about us. We love you.” She stood behind the couch and put her hands on her husband’s shoulders.

  Alex saluted. His mother’s indictment found him guilty. “Point taken, Mom. I love you too.”

  Shannon stared at her hands clenched in her lap. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, wrap his arm around her and protect her from the doubts, the loneliness he knew she felt during the holidays with her own parents choosing to stay far away from Seaport. She was so strong and loving, and deserved to have people around her. It hurt him to know she doubted the love of her real family growing up.

  “My beautiful Linda.” Mom dabbed the corner of her eye. “As you’ve grown and matured, we have not only been mother and daughter, we’ve become friends.”

  “Ah, Mom. I love you.” Linda blew Talia a kiss.