Suzanne Brockmann - Passion and Peril - Scenes of Passion / Scenes of Peril

Matt sent Maggie a disbelieving, amused look. She knew what he was thinking. Girls. Brock’s feminist awareness quotient was a shade lower than a Neanderthal’s.

And she really wished he wouldn’t touch her.

“I’m curious as to why you didn’t discuss Matt’s job offer with Brock before you took it,” Vanessa asked. “I mean, you are planning to get married, aren’t you?”

And now everyone was looking at Maggie.

But oh, my God, she was not going to turn Brock down in front of her entire family.

“Um,” she said.

Steve had his glass of milk in his hand, and Matt, who was sitting right next to him, elbowed him.

No one else saw it. Just Maggie.

But the milk went everywhere. “Whoops,” Stevie said as Vanessa jumped up to avoid getting drenched.

“Clumsy me,” Stevie said as Maggie’s mom ran for the kitchen towel.

Matt threw his napkin down to start soaking up the spill. He looked up at Maggie and smiled as Stevie kept on making noise. “Wow, how did that happen?”

No one was looking at her anymore. Thank you, she mouthed silently to Matt.

He blew her a kiss.

Which Vanessa, unfortunately, saw.

“Didn’t you date Maggie back in high school?” she asked Matt after the worst of the spill was cleaned up and they were all sitting back down.

He shook his head. “No. I went out with Angie. You know, Caratelli, off and on for a couple of years.”

“But you wanted to date Maggie,” Vanessa persisted. She laughed. “Date being the euphemism that it is in high school.” She looked at her brother. “Right, Steven?”

“Has anyone seen the new James Bond movie?” Stevie asked brightly.

“Am I right or am I right?” Van asked Matt.

“Van,” Maggie said. What was her sister doing? As if Brock weren’t already prickly enough just at the sight of Matt. “Don’t.”

“Matthew’s not denying it,” she pointed out. She’d had far too much to drink tonight and Maggie’s heart broke for her. Her mother had pulled her aside to report that Van was home because Mitch had made it official. He was filing for divorce.

Maggie met Matt’s eyes again across the table, and the look on his face was...

God, was it actually true? Matt had wanted to go out with...

But...

“I was seventeen,” Matt said to Vanessa. “I wanted to date everyone.”

Maggie stood up. Enough already. “We have to get to work.”

“For the record,” her father said. “I’m not happy about this job change.”

“For the record,” Maggie said, “I am.”

* * *

MATT LEANED AGAINST the Maserati, watching Maggie say good-night to Brock, who was going to stay and keep Vanessa company for a little while longer.

He clenched his teeth as he watched the other man kiss Maggie. True, she turned her face away so that first kiss landed on her cheek. But Brock was a persistent bastard, and...Matt had to look away.

He jumped slightly, surprised to see Stevie leaning next to him. He hadn’t heard the kid approach.

“So. You’re a millionaire.”

“Not quite.” Matt glanced at Maggie. She’d pulled away from Brock, but he still held her hand.

“Answer me honestly,” Stevie said. “Are your intentions toward my sister honorable?”

Matt looked at Stevie in surprise. The kid was already as tall as he was, but he was lanky with that big-boned pony look that teenage boys so often had. He wore his dark hair buzzed at the back and sides, with a long lock of curls in the front that flopped down over his eyes. His face was just starting to lose its boyish prettiness as he began to fill out.

“I guess that’s not really my business, is it?” Stevie continued with a shrug. “You know, she’s as much as told me that she’s not going to marry the Blockhead.”

“She did?”

Stevie smiled. “Yeah, well.” He imitated Brock’s deep voice. “You never know with girls. They’re always changing their minds.”

Matt laughed. “God, he’s a jerk.”

“Who’s a jerk?” Maggie said, joining them.

“No one,” Matt and Stevie said in unison.

“Oh, great,” Maggie said, looking at their matching Cheshire cat grins. “That’s all I need. You two as cohorts. As if I didn’t know who you were talking about. Come on, Matt. Let me grab my briefcase from my car, then we can go.”

“Have fun,” Stevie said. With his back carefully to Matt, he dropped her a wink that was loaded with meaning.

Maggie let her own smile drip saccharine. “You have fun, too, Stevie-poo. Maybe if you’re lucky you can get Vanessa and Brock to play Monopoly with you.”

“Sounds real neat, but no,” Stevie said. “I’ve got plans. I’m going to go drive past Danielle’s house, oh, twenty-eight, twenty-nine times.” He glanced at Matt. “Unrequited love.”

Maggie got into Matt’s car as Stevie leaned over to look in the window. “Maybe you can offer me some advice,” he said to Matt, “you know, with the wisdom of your great age and all. There’s this girl, see?”

“Danielle,” Matt clarified, looking up at Stevie.

“Check. She’s the most fabulous, beautiful, wonderful... Well, you know. But she doesn’t think of me as a guy. We’re friends, that’s all.”

Maggie leaned forward to look out Matt’s window at her brother. “Just go knock on her front door and tell her that you love her, for crying out loud!”

“Oh, no way,” Matt said.

“God!” Stevie reeled back in shock. “That’s very uncool.”

“Yeah, and potentially humiliating,” Matt said. “If I were you, I’d take my time. Go slowly. You know, don’t scare her away.”

“Meanwhile the captain of the football team takes the more direct approach and ends up taking her to the prom,” Maggie said.

“Oh, no.” Matt cringed.

“Oh, yes.” Stevie nodded. “Pathetic, but true. And on that cheerful note, I’ll bid you good night.” He vanished into the shadows.

Matt glanced at Maggie. “Your little brother isn’t so little anymore.”

“Scary, huh?”

He started the car, shaking his head. “Sometimes I wish I could be eighteen again. Man, what I’d give to be able to go back and do it over.”

Maggie groaned. “Not me. Once was enough, thanks.”

He pulled out of the driveway. “There are definitely some things I’d do differently.”

“Like what?”

“Like, I wouldn’t start smoking. I wouldn’t drink or do drugs. I would’ve taken better care of myself.” He glanced at her. “I would’ve asked you out.”

Maggie looked back at him, but now his eyes were firmly on the road. Vanessa had been right. Matt had wanted to date her in high school. Date. Right. Wow, she’d never known. “Why didn’t you?” she asked.

He glanced at her with a smile. “Would you have gone out with me if I had?”

“No.” Her loyalty to Angie had been too strong. She never would have risked that friendship. Even for... “Matt, to be honest, I never thought of you as anything but a friend.”

Ten years ago. Now she was aware of him to the point of distraction.

He smiled at her again. “That’s why I never asked you out. I wasn’t a big fan of rejection.”

They rode in silence for a few miles, then Maggie said, “I’m sorry about dinner. Are you sure you still want me to work for you? It’s obvious that insanity runs rampant in my family.”

He just laughed. “And it doesn’t in mine?”

He was pulling into the parking lot of Sparky’s, the town watering hole. “What are you doing? Why are we...? You don’t drink anymore. Do you?” she asked.

“No, I don’t,” he said. “But you do. And after that dinner you definitely need something with a kick.”

“Roast beef,” Maggie shook her head. “I can’t believe my mother served roast beef to a vegetarian. Why didn’t you let me say something?”