Terri Osburn - Up to the Challenge

“That and to see Sid.”

Over the tough guy act, Sid stepped around Lucas. “I thought you two forgot I was here.” She threw a harassed look over her shoulder and stepped closer to Manny. Time to show Lucas she had other options. “You still need your oil changed? We could do it after work today.”

“Can’t unless you’ve got a garage,” Manny said. “Hurricane Ingrid took a turn our way. They think she’ll turn back out, but the rain should be here this afternoon and probably won’t stop until the weekend.” Moving into her space, he added, “We could do something else instead.” His eyes dropped several inches below her chin, evoking a growl from Lucas.

Turned out pretty boy had an alpha side after all. Though she should have learned that lesson on the beach. Now to keep the ruse going without encouraging Manny.

“She can’t,” Lucas said, taking the next move out of her hands.

Manny moved his gaze from Sid to Lucas. “That’s up to Sid.”

“Sid is busy tonight.”

“I am?”

“You are.” Lucas shot her a look that clearly said Do not argue. She considered it, then opted to quit while she was ahead.

“Right.” Sid turned back to Manny. “Sorry, I forgot. Lucas and I have this …” she hesitated, “thing.”

The three stood awkwardly for several seconds, Lucas trying to bore a hole through Manny’s chest with his eyes, Manny looking less than convinced about Sid’s explanation, and Sid not sure what to do next. Manny was a good guy. She didn’t want to hurt him.

“Would you excuse us for a minute?” she said to Manny, then without giving him a chance to answer, turned to Lucas. “I need to see you in the kitchen.”

“I’m good. Just bring him the food.”

“Dempsey,” Sid barked, tiring of the macho act. “Kitchen. Now.”

Once certain Lucas was following, Sid charged back to the office. “You want to catch me up here?”

“On what?” Lucas asked, fumbling through the mail as if nothing weird had happened. As if he hadn’t just announced they had a date.

“We have plans?”

“Oh, that.” He dropped the mail back on the blotter. “I just said that to get rid of lover boy out there.”

Instant dislike of the other guy. Good sign.

“What if I didn’t want to get rid of him? And don’t call Manny that. He’s not so bad.”

Lucas crossed his arms. “You seeing that kid?”

“He’s not a kid.”

“He looks barely old enough to shave.”

“For your information, Manny is only four years younger than you are.”

One brow shot up. “You haven’t answered my question. Is he your boyfriend?”

No sense in lying. “No, he’s not. And you should know I’m not the kind of girl who would offer sex to you if I was seeing someone else. But what do you care anyway? If I remember correctly, you don’t want me.”

His arms dropped and he moved closer. “I never said I didn’t want you.”

“You said no.” A girl didn’t forget throwing herself at a man, only to watch him walk away.

“That’s not the same thing.”

So much for men being simple creatures. “What was all that growling out there?”

“I didn’t like what he said to you.” The arms crossed again.

“The part about doing something else tonight?” That had taken her by surprise. Manny had never come on that strong before. The damn outfit was working on everyone but its intended target.

Lucas paced the four feet to the door and back. Running a hand through his hair, he said, “No. The part in Spanish.”

“You speak Spanish?” she asked, mystified.

“My first job out of law school was immigration work.”

Sid had to admit, she was curious. “What did Manny say?”

“You don’t know?” His eyes went wide.

Sid shrugged. “It’s been fourteen years. Randy rarely speaks it and I’ve forgotten the little I knew as a kid. So tell me what he said.”

Lucas mumbled, “He said you’re fine.”

“I’m fine?” Sid tried to imagine how that could be offensive. “That’s it?”

“It’s not what he said, it’s how he said it.” Another hand through the hair. “I need to get back out there. No one’s behind the bar.”

“Wait a minute.” She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “What are we doing tonight?”

“We’re not doing anything.”

“Oh, yes we are. I told Manny we were doing something, and you’re not going to make a liar out of me.”

“He’ll never know.”

She tapped her chin. “Needs to be something we can do in the rain if the storm is moving in.”

“Rain or shine, we don’t have plans.” He looked ready to throttle her, but Sid pushed forward.

“Don’t even think about standing me up.”

Lucas threw his hands in the air and looked up as if seeking divine intervention. “What did I do to deserve this woman?”

“I don’t know,” Sid answered for whomever Lucas sought in the ceiling. “But it must have been damn good. Since you’re skittish, I better pick you up.”

“You are not picking me up.” Lucas pushed up his sleeves.

“You can drive then. Don’t get so hostile. I’m at the end of Tuttle’s Lane.” Sid moved past Lucas, then stopped at the door. “Be there at seven and don’t be late.”

Sid headed for the dining room without giving Lucas the chance to refuse. From the office his voice boomed, “Fine. But you better be ready.”

All right. Tell me what the heck’s going on.” Beth stomped to the counter, curls bouncing and eyes snapping. Will had never seen her usually even-tempered friend this worked up.

“Aren’t you supposed to be running the store?” Will asked, looking to the clock to see if she’d lost track of the afternoon.

“Don’t start with the clock crap again. I’ve been off all day thanks to that little stunt you pulled.” Beth threw a stirrer at Will. “Why did you get rid of me this morning? And don’t tell me that’s not what happened.”

Will knew when to come clean. She called out, “Brad, I’m going out to lower the umbrellas before the rain starts.” Stepping out from behind the counter, she said to Beth, “Come on. I’ll explain outside.”

The air had turned cool with the impending hurricane. Will rubbed her arms, turning to face Beth. “Sid wanted to talk about something, but didn’t feel comfortable doing so with you around.”

“Why? What did I do?”

“You slept with Lucas.” Not the best approach, but Will didn’t like being the go-between in this. “Now Sid is trying to sleep with him, and she thinks talking about that with you would be weird.”

Beth blinked. “I think I need to sit down.”

Will pulled out a chair at the nearest table and motioned for Beth to do the same. “For the record, I told her she shouldn’t keep you out of this.”

“Does Lucas know?” Beth asked.

“That you slept with him? Um … I’d think so.”

“Stop that. You know what I mean.”

Will answered honestly. “I don’t know. I mean, I know she offered him sex and he turned her down.”

“Whoa.” Beth held up a hand. “You’re going to have to start this from the beginning.”

“Right.” Will conveyed the details she knew about Sid and Lucas’s kiss on the beach, and the subsequent sex offer and refusal. How any man could turn Sid down was a mystery to her, but Lucas seemed to have a valid reason. Which Will couldn’t fault the man for.

“He does have a point about the casual thing,” Beth said, once the story was out. “Has Sid ever even been in a relationship?”

“She’s not a virgin, based on what little she’s told me. But she’s not exactly the queen of girl talk, you know.” Not that Will wanted to have slumber parties and discuss menstrual cycles, but Sid was more likely to talk head gaskets and crank bait.

“Did you know she reads romance novels?” Beth whispered, as if conveying national secrets.

“No shit. Really?” Sid didn’t look to have a romantic bone in her body. Even when she talked about kissing Lucas, there was nothing sappy or swoony about it. “I had no idea.”

“I don’t think anyone does,” Beth said. “In fact, she threatened that if I told the guys about it, she’d kill me. Only she phrased it in a more Sid-like way.”

Sid did have a creative way with violent description. “Good thing I’m not one of the guys.”

“That’s her problem. She’s been one of the guys for too long.” Beth leaned back in her chair. “I was amazed the first time I saw her. She was playing pool with a bunch of the islanders, and they were smacking her on the back and acting like there wasn’t a centerfold bending over the table. Men can be so clueless.”

“Lucas doesn’t strike me as the clueless type, but he’s definitely playing the gentleman.” Will had noticed how Lucas’s eyes followed Sid around the room, so she knew there was interest. Even when he’d been flirting with Will, his heart wasn’t in it.

“I’m not sure what’s going on with him. He’s pragmatic and the most ambitious man I’ve ever met, but what Joe and I did to him left a mark.” Beth looked off in the distance. “I wouldn’t change how things are now, but I wish he hadn’t been the one to get hurt. Even with that, he’s the one who sent Joe to get me.”

“You never told me that.” Will hadn’t been friends with Sid and Beth back when the whole fiancée exchange had happened. They’d met, as Will had been the one to serve them drinks the night the ladies got tanked on tequila, but their little threesome was more recent.

“I was leaving for Boston. I didn’t want to work in law anymore and even if I had, I never could have stayed at the firm. Seeing Lucas would have been like seeing Joe and not being able to talk to him, or touch him.” She shrugged. “Anyway, Lucas called Joe and told him I was leaving. Said to get his ass up to Richmond or he’d lose me forever.”