Restless

Or perhaps it had been her own competitive spirit that had made her open that door to him again. After all, stealing him away from his wife was a kind of vindication of their earlier relationship.

She opened her desk drawer and took out her purse. So much for not thinking about Jerry.

But for the first time in days she felt she had a choice in the matter.

THE TENSION at the Weber dining-room table was palpable, with Nina either ignorant of the unspoken words exchanged between the two men…or overly aware of them. Gauge couldn’t decide which.

He knew he shouldn’t have come. But over the past few months he’d turned down her every invitation to dinner at their place, preferring to meet them in public and avoid what he knew was a need for a showdown of sorts that had been brewing since last February. He’d known he’d have to accept at some point, and now was as good a time as any.

If only Kevin wasn’t slanting him looks that said he’d like nothing better than to pummel him to a pulp right there and then.

When Gauge had returned for Nina and Kevin’s wedding in August, his long absence had allowed for a lowering of defenses and he’d gladly taken the spot beside Kevin as his best man. But later that day at the reception, Gauge had pushed his luck when he’d asked for a dance with the bride…and found himself right back at square one with his one-time best friend.

Gauge focused on his surroundings now. He was familiar with the house. Kevin had inherited it from his late parents, and Gauge had been there no fewer than a couple of dozen times. Still, it had undergone such intensive renovations he barely recognized it.

“Place looks good,” he said, noticing that the wall between the kitchen and dining room had been knocked out, giving an airier feel. “Amazing what a woman’s touch will do.”

He purposely looked at Kevin, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. But the problem was that Nina had touched them both, in more ways than one.

Nina cleared her throat as she spooned gravy over the thin slices of brisket on his plate. “Actually, Kevin is the one who deserves complete credit.”

Gauge narrowed his gaze on her as the couple shared a glance.

“I tore the place up after…” Kevin began, then looked at Gauge pointedly.

Gauge picked up his fork. It seemed everything he said led back to that one night.

“I didn’t move in until after we married,” Nina said, taking the seat across from him and sliding her hand over Kevin’s. He sat at the head of the table between them. “Kevin wanted me to, but I preferred to wait until we got married.”

Gauge glanced into the living room, where the gift he’d bought them hung on the wall between the front windows and the door. An authentic dream catcher made by the Ojibwa Indians. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. It would be great if it could really filter out all the bad and leave only the good.

He forked the mashed potatoes and put a bite into his mouth. He’d been stupid to think he could just come back. That the three of them could take up where they’d left off before that fateful night when Nina had agreed to allow him and Kevin to fix her up with a blind date. More specifically they’d blindfolded her, and she hadn’t known which of the two she’d slept with.

The food tasted like sawdust in his mouth. He reached for his water glass to help wash it down.

“So, do you know when you might come back to work at BMC?” Nina asked.

Kevin’s fork screeched against his plate and Gauge looked at him. He got the distinct impression that his old friend would like nothing better than for Gauge to just walk out of town and never come back.

Of course, that’s not how he’d felt when Gauge had returned at Nina’s request for their August wedding. Kevin had hugged him like a long-lost brother. And in that one moment, he’d been glad he’d come back. Been reminded of the deep bond of friendship he’d shared with the other man.

Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing they’d shared.

He looked over at Nina.

God, but she was as beautiful as ever. Like a brilliant desert rose whose fragrance he could smell across the table. Her blond hair had grown out a bit from the way she’d once worn it, but it still hung in a shiny curtain around her pretty face. She had on a clingy red, long-sleeved shirt and black pants that hugged her curves in all the right places. It looked like she’d put on a few pounds, and they suited her. Her breasts were a little larger, her bottom high and shapely.

He picked up his knife and started to cut the meat. Only it refused to be cut.

All three of them appeared to be doing the same thing at once. And no one was having any luck.

“Sorry…the beef seems a little on the tough side,” Nina murmured.

He watched as Kevin folded a piece onto his fork. “I like big bites anyway.”

Gauge grinned, watching him put the food into his mouth and chew. And chew.

He followed suit, folding the slice of meat with the help of his knife and then putting it into his mouth.

It tasted like the belt that held up his jeans. Or what he imagined that must taste like.

The three of them chewed until finally Nina spit the contents of her mouth into her napkin, her cheeks turning an attractive shade of red.

“Mmm,” Kevin said. “It’s…delicious, honey.”

Gauge had to give him credit for swallowing what must have felt like an entire boot in one gulp. Since Kevin had already drained his glass of water, Gauge pushed his own mostly filled glass his way. His friend gave him a look of gratitude as he downed nearly the entire contents.

A sound came from Nina’s direction. Gauge and Kevin looked to see her eyes bright with tears. Gauge discreetly spit his own bite into his napkin and followed Kevin’s lead.

“It’s the best home-cooked meal I’ve had in a long time.”

Only it hadn’t been tears of exasperation that sparkled in her bright blue eyes; rather they were inspired by laughter.

Nina grinned. “That’s because you probably haven’t had a home-cooked meal in so long you’ve forgotten what it tastes like.”

Kevin coughed into his napkin. “Actually, that depends on what home you’re talking about. Because in this house, this is what a home-cooked meal tastes like.”

Laughter burst from the table and created a happy cloud around the three of them that had been sorely missing.

Gauge was glad for the change.

Nina stopped laughing first. “God, I’m sorry. I followed the recipe to a T. I don’t have a clue what happened.”

She picked up Kevin’s plate and forked the meat back into the serving dish.

“Don’t touch my mashed potatoes,” he said. “I love your mashed potatoes.”

Gauge felt suddenly like an outsider. Which was something he was getting used to when in the presence of his two friends. He could accept them being a married couple. But he still hadn’t figured out how to deal with it.

Especially since he couldn’t seem to stop himself from wanting what Kevin had. Namely, Nina.

“I should stick to café fare,” she said. “Soups and sandwiches I can handle.”

“Don’t forget baking,” Kevin reminded.

“Yeah. So long as you don’t mind living on bear claws, I suppose I’m your dream mate.” She rolled her eyes, but her warm smile belied her true feelings as she handed him back his plate. “I’m going to go order pizza. You two clear the table.”

An hour and a half later, Gauge picked up the empty pizza boxes while Kevin went to change the CD in the player in the living room. He took the boxes into the kitchen, where Nina was opening another bottle of wine.

“Thanks,” she said as he passed behind her on the way to the garbage bin.

“You want some help with that?”

She let out a long sigh. “I swear, I’ve never been any good at popping corks.”

Before he could weigh the wisdom of the move, he curved both of his arms around her, pressing his front against her soft, hot bottom. “It’s simple. You just have to remember to keep the corkscrew in perfect line with the bottle.”

Damn, but she smelled good. Like warm, summer sunshine. A field full of wildflowers. Like rain against a hot sidewalk.

With his help, she popped the cork.

“Oh!” she said, and he heard her swallow.

It satisfied him on a level he was loath to admit that his close proximity still affected her.

Suddenly she went stiff against him. Gauge looked up to find Kevin standing in the kitchen doorway, his fists looking like meat mallets on either side of his legs.

“Get the hell away from my wife.”

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