Larissa was pretty sure it did, but that wasn’t why she was here.
“I need to talk to you,” she said instead.
Taryn immediately pointed to the sofa in her office. “Sure. What’s up?”
Larissa sat in a corner of the comfy couch and tucked her legs under her. She angled toward her friend. “It’s about what happened yesterday. With my mom and Jack and what she said.”
She waited, hoping Taryn would jump in with a laugh and an “Of course no one believes you’re in love with Jack. How ridiculous.”
But Taryn was silent.
Larissa drew in a breath. “I don’t love him. We’re friends. We work well together. I like him—he’s a likable guy. It’s just my mom wants me married and I guess I want that, too. Eventually.”
Because from the outside, marriage seemed really great, but from the inside—at least what she’d observed with her parents—it sucked.
She supposed that assessment was harsh. After her parents had gotten divorced, they’d both been much happier people. Everyone agreed. Her parents liked to joke that they never should have gotten married. And they wouldn’t have. If there hadn’t been an unexpected pregnancy. Namely her.
“I could just as easily find the right guy here in Fool’s Gold as in Los Angeles. Probably more easily. It’s hard to date in Los Angeles. There are a lot of unrealistic expectations what with the movie business so close.” She pressed her lips together. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Because you’re doing fine without me,” Taryn told her.
“Do you think I’m in love with Jack?”
“I think you have an interesting and symbiotic relationship.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Maybe, but it’s the truth. Jack wants to make a difference in the world, without getting too involved. You want to save the world, but you lack resources. You have heart and Jack has money. Together you make a great team.”
“Exactly,” Larissa said quickly. “We’re a team. Not a couple. We’re friends. There’s love between friends, but it’s different. It’s not romantic. Like when I needed a temporary place for those three fighting dogs to stay. Jack let me use his house.”
Taryn’s mouth twitched. “You mean you put the dogs in Jack’s house before telling him and they wouldn’t let him inside his own home so he had to stay at a hotel for a week but he didn’t get mad at you?”
“You don’t have to put it like that,” Larissa told her. “But, yes, that would be an example of us working as a team.” Although she wasn’t completely sure Jack would agree with her example.
“Jack’s a good guy,” Taryn said. “He goes along with what you want because it allows him to be connected without getting involved. You like that Jack is always there in the background to rescue you if you need it. You get to take risks without actually putting yourself out there.”
Larissa winced. “I am not so excited about the total honesty part of this conversation.” She wanted to disagree with her friend’s assessment, but didn’t think she could.
Taryn touched her arm. “I love you, but I can’t help with this. What you have going on with Jack is complicated. You’re both getting something out of it, but the relationship also keeps each of you from looking for more. You know Jack’s a bad bet, so you are careful not to take things too far. Which is smart. But I wonder if what your mom meant is that you’re just committed enough that you’re not interested in looking for someone else.”
Larissa sprang to her feet, crossed to the door, then stopped and turned back.
“I’m not hiding from falling in love.”
Taryn raised her eyebrows.
Larissa frowned. “Not completely. I just... I’m not in love with Jack.”
“Prove it. Go fall in love with someone else.”
“Not everyone wants to get married.”
“What does that have to do with being in a relationship? Don’t you want more than friendship? Don’t you want passion and sex and romance and knowing there’s someone you can call at two in the morning and he’ll be there, no matter what?”
Larissa nodded because it was the answer Taryn expected. The truth was more complicated. Yes, she wanted passion and sex and romance. But if she needed to call someone at two in the morning, she knew all four Score owners would be at her side in a heartbeat, with Jack leading the way. Was that what Taryn was trying to say? That the reason Larissa hadn’t found the one was because she didn’t need to?
She doubted the truth was that simple.
* * *
HUNAN PALACE WAS conveniently located in Larissa’s neighborhood. The vegetables were fresh, the sauces delicious and Jack had to admit they had the best egg rolls he’d ever tasted. As he wasn’t the kind of guy who cooked and Larissa was too busy saving the world to provide a meal, their regular Tuesday-night dinner meant takeout. They met at her place. He brought the food. She provided the beer or wine. It was nice. Easy.
As he crossed the street, he nodded at the people he knew, or at least recognized. Fool’s Gold was that kind of town. You were expected to get involved. Hell, even Sam was teaching finance classes for small businesses a couple of times a month. Kenny would be sucked into something before long, Jack thought. Which meant being asked to help find a new coach wasn’t much of a surprise. Plus, it was the kind of thing he would enjoy. Even though he couldn’t still play, the love of the game had never gone away.
He reached Larissa’s apartment building. She had an upstairs unit in a place without an elevator—which was just like her. He happened to know she could afford something much nicer and larger, but that wasn’t her way. She wanted her money to go toward her causes. His money, too, he thought with a grin. But what the hell. He had enough.
He knocked once, then opened the door. Larissa wasn’t one for locks.
“It’s me,” he called and he stepped into her small one-bedroom apartment.
Larissa looked up from the book she’d been reading. “Hi. Meet Dyna.”
He glanced down and saw a cat hurrying toward him. She had long hair and almost-human blue eyes.
“You really got a cat.”
“I told you I did.”
“I know, but I thought you were kidding.”
Dyna wound her way around his legs in a tight figure eight, depositing light-colored cat hair on his suit pants with every step.
“Nice,” he murmured, making a mental note to change into jeans before visiting again, even if that meant keeping an extra pair at the office.
Larissa stood and crossed to him. “Don’t whine. Isn’t she beautiful?”
She picked up the cat, who immediately relaxed in her arms.
Dyna’s fur was a creamy white in the front of her body, darkening to a taupe-beige, then darkening even more until it was a deep brown on her tail.
“She’s great,” Jack said.“She intimidates me a little,” Larissa admitted. “I’ve never had a cat this gorgeous before.”
“Your eyes are the same color. That’s a little weird.”
Larissa laughed and set down the cat. “Afraid we have an otherworldly connection? That together we can move objects and read minds?”
“It’s never good when a woman can read my mind,” he said honestly. “By whatever means.”
She took the bag of food from him and led the way into her small kitchen.
The eat-in table was already set with two place mats, plates and flatware. A vase filled with a few carnations sat in the center. The pink petals were turning brown on the edges, he noted. Probably because Larissa had bought them at 70 percent off at the grocery store. You wouldn’t want to waste money on something like flowers at full price. What if there was a mad squirrel in need of therapy?
She picked up a bottle of merlot. “Wine or beer?”
He considered the question. “Beer.”
She carefully put the bottle back into the rack on her counter. It was one he’d brought over, along with the inventory of a few of his favorite merlots. While he trusted Larissa to buy beer, he was not willing to drink the cheap wine she favored.
She pulled two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, then nudged the door closed with a bump of her hip. He set down the bag of food and crossed to the drawer to pull out the opener. While he was there, he also grabbed a few serving spoons for their dinner.
He turned in the small kitchen and handed her the opener. She walked back to the table.
The windows were open and a nice breeze drifted through the kitchen. Dyna had settled on the back of the sofa to watch them from a safe and regal distance. Larissa opened both bottles, then unpacked the containers of food. She turned to him and smiled.
“You got the crispy shrimp,” she said happily. “Thank you.”
“You like it.”
“You don’t.”
“Yeah, whatever. Eat the rest for lunch.”
“Real men don’t eat shrimp?” she asked.
“I love shrimp. Just put it in a butter sauce and drop it over pasta. Is that too much to ask?”
She sat down and motioned for him to do the same. Jack started to move toward the table, or at least he planned to, but suddenly he found it difficult to move.
From this angle he could see Larissa’s bare shoulder. She’d replaced her usual work T-shirt with a tank top. One of those cottony, billowy ones with little ruffles around the arm and neckline. The soft fabric dipped low enough for him to be aware of feminine curves.
He shook his head. So Larissa had breasts. She was a woman—it wasn’t unexpected. Only he wasn’t sure he’d ever noticed them before. Or how long her legs were in her shorts. She had great legs. Tanned and toned.
No, he corrected himself. Lanky. She was lanky. His gaze drifted to her bare feet. She’d painted her toes a dark purple and added little pink dots. Who did that?
“What?” she asked. “You okay?”
“Ah, fine.”
He sat across from her and reached for one of the containers. It was the damned crispy shrimp and he quickly passed it over to her.
“How’d you get her?” he asked, motioning to the cat.
“Mayor Marsha mentioned she knew an older lady who had passed away. Her family couldn’t keep Dyna—everyone’s allergic. So I took her.” Larissa lowered her voice. “I think she’s starting to like me. When I pet her, she purrs.”
Jack wanted to point out that liking or not liking wasn’t the issue. Larissa was Dyna’s meal ticket and the cat was smart enough to know that. But the words sounded harsh, even in his head, so instead he said, “What’s not to like?” and then wondered why he felt weird saying that.
Something was wrong. Or different. Or both. And he didn’t like it. He was comfortable around Larissa. He understood her. They were friends. So what was off tonight?
“Speaking of Mayor Marsha, what did she want with you?”
Jack told her about the need for a new coach and a football program, and how he was going to be on the committee.
“That will be fun for you,” Larissa told him. “College kids are great. So much enthusiasm. And you have a good eye. You’ll be able to see who has real talent.”
“Don’t get carried away. I’m not mentoring anybody or paying for their mother’s goiter surgery.”
Her blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “You sure about that?”
He sighed. “I won’t tempt fate by fighting with you on that. Besides, you know what I mean. I’m helping with a committee, not getting involved.”
“You like getting involved.”
He picked up his beer. “No. You like getting involved and dragging me with you. There’s a difference.”
“You’re an excellent role model.”
Only in her eyes, he thought as he took a drink. He knew the truth. In his heart, he was about as selfish as the average Joe, only with more resources.
Larissa chattered on about her various causes and he half listened. This was what he liked, he thought. Just being with his friend. Their relationship was uncomplicated, although apparently a mystery to the outside world. Why else would Mrs. Owens have made such a bonehead statement? Larissa in love with him? Impossible.
Jack relaxed back in his chair and watched Larissa’s hands move as she talked. Her face was expressive. He supposed on a purely impersonal basis he could admit she was pretty. Her skin was smooth and soft-looking. She never wore makeup, as far as he could tell, which was a change from the other women in his life. The long hair was nice, especially when she wore it down. At work it was always back in a ponytail. He remembered a client spotting her and asking if it was bring-your-daughter-to-work day. Because she could look kind of young.
He grabbed another egg roll and bit into the crispy shell. Yeah, he was a lucky man, he thought. Good friends, good food and very few problems.
“Mary’s not doing well,” Larissa said with a sigh.
“Who’s Mary?”
Larissa’s mouth twisted down. “She’s the little girl who got the liver transplant last year. She’s been running a fever on and off for a few weeks now. Her parents are worried and the doctors are running tests.”
Jack nodded as if he knew what Larissa was talking about, but in truth, he didn’t. Mary was just one more kid his money had helped.
“I’ve been checking in with her family regularly,” she added. “I sent her an American Girl doll book. Kit Saves the Day.”
Okay, now he was lost. “Who is Kit?”