The Life She Wants

And Tim Monroe blushed. Mel looked from him to Luis and back again. She hadn’t been wrong before. They were flirting with each other. Could they be any cuter? She grinned at Shane, wondering what his reaction to the two guys would be, but he was too busy staring at her to notice. His expression was a mix of confusion and reluctant acknowledgment. And it took all her body-acting skills not to squirm under the intensity of his blue-eyed gaze. He studied her for a moment longer, then nodded, as if to himself.

“Fine. Be her friend. Be on the team. But every team has a captain, and on Team Tori, that’s me.” Tim rolled his eyes at Mel from over Shane’s shoulder. “Her physical therapy wraps up in another week or so, so that’ll give her more time off.” He drained his coffee, then tried to intimidate her with an all-business warning. Big, bad agent man. “I know you think Gary’s up to no good, but Tori never complained until you showed up. That doesn’t mean we won’t be watching a lot more closely going forward. Tim will be around for a few days, and when he’s not here, I’ll stay or her parents will be with her.” He saw her surprised expression. “What? You wouldn’t take the chaperone job so we’ll have to handle it.” He frowned into his coffee cup for a moment. “If you can help her navigate teen fame, fine. As long as it doesn’t involve quitting the sport, I’d support that.”

“I appreciate your support and all, but I don’t work for you. What Tori and I discuss isn’t any of your business.” He started to object, but she rushed ahead, holding up a finger to silence him. “Look, I get that she’s your client and is technically your business. I’m just not sure if you’re all that good for her.”

“So I’m supposed to prove myself to you?”

“No. You’re supposed to prove yourself to your client.” Mel dropped her warning finger and relaxed her shoulders. Turning Shane into an enemy wouldn’t help anyone. “Look, I’m not putting limits on what Tori and I talk about, and our conversations will be private. It’s the only way she’ll trust me. But I promise to give you a heads-up if there’s anything going on that concerns me. Fair enough?”

Tim spoke before Shane could. “That’s more than fair, Mel. And we appreciate your friendship with our client. Don’t we, Shane?” He gave her a smile. “Tori said something about having dinner with you tonight?”

She smiled back. “Yes. It’s Taco Tuesday at the Chalet. It’s a townie place. None of the locals will bother her.” It was one of Mel’s favorite things about Gallant Lake. The residents seldom raised an eyebrow over someone being well-known, whether they were guests at the resort or not. People just went about their lives.

“Athletes need a healthy diet...” Shane started, but Tim shut him down. Judging from the wince on Shane’s face, Tim was applying pressure with the metal prosthetic under the table as he spoke.

“But everyone should get a chance to enjoy tacos once in a while, right?”

Mel nodded and tried not to react when Tim winked at her. He was such a charmer. Luis let out a very soft growl of appreciation. Shane just growled before standing and stomping out of the café.

* * *

“THE NEXT TIME I need you to be my keeper, I’ll let you know, okay?” Shane glared at Tim as they headed back to their car. “Don’t ever tell people in a business meeting what I ‘really’ meant to say or do.”

“That wasn’t exactly a business meeting, but fine. Sink or swim on your own.” Tim’s prosthetic didn’t slow his pace, and Shane had to hustle to keep up with him on the sidewalk along Main Street.

“Why wasn’t it a business meeting? Tori’s our client. We talked business. It’s not our fault we interrupted their little coffee date.”

“Why do you say it like that? They’re business partners, like us.”

Shane barked out a laugh. “Yeah, right. As if that’s all they are.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“Come on, Tim. You saw them when we walked in. They’re obviously a couple.”

Tim stopped so abruptly that Shane blew several steps past him.

“You think Luis and Mel are a couple?”

It didn’t make Shane happy to admit it. He’d been thinking Melanie might be an interesting diversion as long as he had to spend time in this hole-in-the-wall town. They were both successful people, and probably had a lot in common. She was smart and he liked the way he had to stay on his toes around her. He liked a lot of things about her. But he definitely didn’t like the intimate coziness that clearly existed between her and her partner.

“She was practically sitting in the guy’s damn lap when we walked in. Yeah, they’re definitely a couple.”

“No.” Tim shook his head. “They are definitely not.”

Shane threw his hands in the air. “And how the hell do you know that?”

“Because...” Tim stopped and gave Shane an odd look over the roof of the car. “You know what? Never mind. Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right! I can’t believe you didn’t see it.” He slid behind the wheel of his low-slung Lincoln and couldn’t resist needling his friend. “Aren’t you gay guys supposed to be more in tune with relationships and romance and stuff?”

“Don’t start on me with that gay-men-make-the-best-wedding-planners crap. Do I look like a matchmaker to you?” Tim gestured to his chinos and polo shirt. “Have you ever seen me drawing hearts and cupids on my meeting notes?”

Shane pulled the car away from the curb. Tim had a point. He was the least gay gay man Shane had ever met. Of course, Tim had been in the army during the days of “don’t ask don’t tell,” so he’d had years of practice at acting like the most macho guy in the room. He smiled to himself—that wasn’t really an act. Tim was the toughest guy Shane knew. As a Ranger, he’d been a natural leader and an inspiration to the men he’d led.

“You are definitely not the hearts-and-flowers type.” Shane glanced at him. “But you know it would be okay with me if you were.”

“Oh, thanks, Dad. I’m glad you’re proud of me now that I’m out of the closet. You gonna march with me during Pride Week, too? I’ll get you a T-shirt.”

“Christ, what is your problem? When have I ever not been 100 percent behind you?”

“That would be a sentence I’d avoid saying out loud at the parade if I were you.” They pulled into the entrance of the resort, driving between two massive stone pillars. “But as long as we’re all about my gayness this morning, what makes you think Luis wasn’t interested in me?”

Shane laughed as he backed the car into a parking spot. “I’m not saying you’re not a catch, but, dude, did you see him with Melanie? He was all over her. Hetero all the way, my friend.”

When they’d first walked into the café, the two of them had been laughing together, and Mel’s arms had been around Luis’s neck. And when Luis had seen Shane, he’d jumped into alpha-protective mode. The way he’d stood and kept his arm firmly around her waist. The way he’d given Shane the I-smell-a-rival stink-eye when they were introduced. And at the charity event, Luis and Mel had kissed and whispered together like a couple who knew each other’s secrets. Shane envied the guy.

Tim started to get out of the car, then turned back, looking oddly amused.

“Well, you would know that far better than me, Shane.”

They headed into the resort lobby with the towering staircase winding up through the center like a giant tree. There were even metal leaves hanging from the ceiling three stories above them. The owners hadn’t spared any expense in their efforts to bring the place into the twenty-first century. Tim nudged him with his elbow.

“Why are you so concerned with Luis and Mel’s relationship, anyway? Oh, wait.” Tim gave his best Valley girl imitation. “Oh. My. Gawd. You like her! You like Mellie Low!” The accent vanished. “Hot damn, man. You’re swinging for the fences with that one—a supermodel. She’s clever, too. And tough.”

“And taken.”

Tim’s mouth opened, then snapped shut.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m sure you’re right, Shane. But I didn’t see any rings.”

“What does that mean?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you? If you want her, go after her.”

“First, I don’t want her.” A little alarm went off in his head. Okay, maybe he wanted her a little, but who wouldn’t? “Second, I’m not a guy who makes a move on another guy’s girl.” Tim raised a finger as if he wanted to interrupt, but Shane ignored him. “And third, she may not work for us, but she is mentoring our client, and it would be unprofessional.”

“So...would it be unprofessional of me to go after Luis?”

“No, but it would be a waste of your time. I know a couple when I see one, Tim, and those two have been intimate. Did you see that dress he made for her to wear at the dinner? That he probably fit personally to her every curve?” His heart did something funny at the thought of that dark metallic gown. His heart did something less funny at the thought of Luis touching Mel’s skin as he fit the dress. “Did you see the way she kissed his cheek this morning, as if they were husband and wife already? His arm around her waist? And where do you think he’s staying? I haven’t seen him hanging around the resort, so he must be staying at her place.”

Tim folded his arms and stared hard at Shane. “For someone who’s not interested, you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. You sure you don’t have the hots for Mellie Low?”

“Don’t call her that. She doesn’t like it.” She’d made that clear, and he suspected there was a story there. But it wasn’t his to know. Luis was her guy. And that was fine. The last thing he needed right now was some warrior princess in his life.

Tim looked at his watch. “I gotta run, man. Conference call with the manager in Baltimore to see how interested they might be in our boy Jimmy. Their closer is out for the season for elbow surgery, so they might be willing to overlook our kid’s big mouth and sign him up for their bullpen.”