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“It sounds serious. How long were you in the hospital?”
“Put me out for a while,” he continued in that same careless tone. “By the time I got back on my feet, the lawyers had duked it out. I had a nice chunk of change, and decided I’d had enough of jumping off buildings and crashing into walls. I had enough for my own place, and that was always the goal anyway.”
“And you don’t miss it? Hollywood, the movie business?”
He gestured with a zucchini before eating it. “It ain’t what it looks like in your neighborhood cineplex, Legs.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is.And I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”
“Can’t help it. Got planted in my head that day you and Emma played soccer at her parents’ big bash.”
“Cinco de Mayo. I have a perfectly good name.”
“It’s Spider-Man’s name.”
She smothered a laugh. “His name’s Peter.”
“Stranger that it’s Spider-Man’s last name. I worked on those movies.”
“You worked with Tobey Maguire on the Spider-Man movies? What was . . .” She narrowed her eyes. “I bet you use that sort of connection to score with women all the time.”
“It’s an angle.” He smiled as Kaylee set the pizza on its holder.
“Anything else I can get you?”
“We’re good, Kaylee.Thanks.”
“The zucchini was wonderful,” Parker told her and got a quick shoulder jerk.
“I’ll let them know you liked it.”
“She’ll always hate me.” Parker sighed. “So the pizza better be worth the harsh thoughts that must be clouding my aura.”
“The hot peppers’ll clear that aura right out.”
“We’ll see about that. Have you always been interested in cars and mechanics?”
“Like I said, I like knowing how things work.The next step is keeping them working. Have you always been interested in weddings?”
“Yes. I liked everything about them. So the next step is helping create them.”
“Which involves being on call pretty much around the clock.”
“It can. And you don’t want to talk about weddings.”
“You don’t want to talk about cars.” He lifted a slice, slid it onto her plate.
“No, but I’m always interested in business. Let’s try something else.You mentioned you lived in Florida.Where else?”
“Japan, Germany, Colorado.”
“Really?”
“I don’t remember Japan, and I’m fuzzy on Germany.” He took a slice for himself.“The first place I really remember is Colorado Springs.The mountains, the snow. We were there for a couple of years, but I always remember the snow. The way I always remember the smell of that bush outside my window in Florida.”
He took a bite of pizza, angled his head.“Are you going to try it or not?”
Judging it cool enough not to singe the roof of her mouth, she sampled. Nodded.“It’s fabulous. Really.” She took another testing bite. “But I have to give Mrs. G’s the edge, and consider this the second-best pizza in Connecticut.”
“Looks like I have to talk Mrs. Grady out of a slice of pie to see if you’re being honest or stubborn.”
“I can be both, depending on mood and circumstances.”
“Let’s try out the mood and circumstances on honest. Why’d you come out with me?”
“We made a deal.”
He shook his head, studying her over his slice. “Might be a factor, but it’s not why.”
She considered, took a sip of wine. “You irritated me.”
“And you go out with guys who irritate you?”
“I did this time. And you made it a kind of dare, which pushed the next button. Lastly, I was curious.Those are the various factors that make up the whole, and the reason why I’m sitting here enjoying this very superior pizza instead of—Oh hell.” She yanked out her ringing phone.
“Go ahead.We can get back to it.”
“I hate people who talk on cell phones in restaurants. I’ll be right back.” She scooted out, snaked her way through the door. “Hi, Justine, give me one minute.”
He didn’t mind watching her walk away, he decided as he topped off her wine.The jeans were a damn good fit.
Kaylee set another Coke in front of him, whisked the other away.“You looked like you needed a refill.”
“Good timing. How are you liking college?”
“It’s okay. I really like my art class.Anyway, who’s your friend?”
“Her name’s Parker.”
“Is she a doctor or a cop?”
“No.Where’d that come from?”
“My dad says the only people who should answer cell phones in a restaurant are doctors and cops.”
He glanced at the cell phone peeking out of her apron pocket. “How many texts have you sent on that tonight?”
Kaylee flashed a smile. “Who counts? I guess she’s pretty.”
“You’d guess right. Any more trouble with your carburetor?”
“No.Whatever you did worked. It’s running great. But it’s still a million years old and puke green.”
“It’s five years old,” he corrected. “But it is puke green. If you can talk your dad into it, I know a guy who’ll give you a good deal on a paint job.”
“Yeah?” She brightened. “I’ll start working on him. Maybe you could—” She broke off, lost her glow. “Your friend’s coming back in.”
Kaylee turned back toward the kitchen. Not quite a stalk, Malcolm noted, but close. Amused, he gave his attention to Parker as she sat back down. “Chiffon? A tango emergency? Somebody want to ride into the wedding on a camel?”
“I talked a groom out of a chariot once, and it wasn’t easy. I could deflect a camel. Actually, one of our October brides just learned her father’s in Vegas, where he eloped with the gold-digging bimbo bitch—her phrase—he left her mother for.”
“Happens.”
“Yes.The divorce became final just this week, so he didn’t waste any time.Which also happens.The new bride is twenty-four, two years younger than the daughter.”
“Adds an ouch to the equation.”
“It certainly does, and it also happens,” Parker put in.“But add up all those ‘it happens,’ and it’s tough to swallow.”
“Sure. And still probably tougher on the first wife than the daughter.”Though she hadn’t finished the first slice, he slid a second onto Parker’s plate. “What did she want you to do about it?”
“She doesn’t want either of them at the wedding, doesn’t want him giving her away, as planned. She’d been prepared to tolerate the aforementioned gold-digging bimbo bitch as her father’s guest, but she’ll be damned if she’ll have her there as his wife, her—too bad a word to say in public—stepmother, or lording her new status over the bride’s still-devastated mama.”
“I’ve got to give her points on all of that.”
“Yes, she’s perfectly justified, and if that’s the way she really wants it to be, that’s the way we’ll make it be.” She washed down pizza with wine.“The problem is, she loves her father. Despite his questionable judgment and the distinct possibility he’s suffering from male midlife insanity—”
“Hey, we’re not the only ones who get it.”
“You get it more often and generally with more severe symptoms. Despite,” she repeated, “she loves him, and I’m afraid not having him walk her down the aisle will mar the day for her more than the GBB, and when she forgives him, and she will, down the road she’ll always regret
the decision.”
“Is that what you told her?”
“I told her the day is hers, hers and David’s, and whatever she wants or doesn’t want, we’ll work it out. And I asked her to take a day or two to be sure.”
“You think she’ll opt for Dad.”
“I do, and if I’m right, I’ll follow up with a private and very pointed chat with the GBB regarding protocol and behavior at a Vows event.”
“You’ll scare the shit out of her.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Parker said, with a small smile.
“And you’ll enjoy it.”
She took a deliberately delicate bite of pizza. “That would be petty, and unattractive.”
“Every minute of it.”
She laughed. “Yes, I will.”
“It gives us a little more common ground.”
“How’s that?”
“I figure if you’ve got to take someone down or set them straight, you might as well enjoy it on some level. I heard you took Mac’s weird mother down a while back.”
“And I don’t consider feeling a lot of satisfaction from it petty or unattractive. She had it coming. How did you hear about that?”
“Guys talk, too. Del’s got a sweet spot for his Macadamia, and having her screwed with by her mother burned his ass. Plus, I’d handled her not that long before, so I knew some of the score.”
“That’s right, when Mac had her car towed.” She sighed happily. “Good times. So, I imagine Linda was very annoyed when she came into your garage to get it
