Debbie Macomber - Ready for Marriage

She was about to say they really didn’t have much of an understanding, after all, did they. Yet a serious relationship with Gary didn’t interest her and, difficult as it was to admit now, never had. She’d used him to block out the loneliness. She’d used him so her parents wouldn’t worry about her. They firmly believed that a woman, especially a young woman, needed a man in her life, so she’d trotted out Gary in order to keep the peace. She wasn’t exactly proud of her motives.

Gary reached for her hand. “How about a movie this afternoon?” he suggested contritely. “We’ll leave right after dinner at your parents’. We can invite anyone who wants to come along, as well. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

Gary was honestly trying. He couldn’t help it that he wasn’t Evan Dryden. The thought slipped uncensored into her mind.

“A movie sounds like a great idea,” she said firmly. She was going, and furthermore, she was determined to have a wonderful time. Just because Evan Dryden had briefly reentered her life was no reason to wallow in the impossible. He was way out of her league.

“Great.” A smile lighted his boyish face. “Let’s drive on over to your mom and dad’s place now.”

“All right,” Mary Jo said. She felt better already. Her relationship with Gary wasn’t ideal—it wasn’t even close to ideal—but he was her friend. Love and marriage had been built on a whole lot less.

Before they left the house, Gary reached for the bouquet of carnations. Mary Jo blinked in surprise, and he hesitated, looking mildly chagrined. “I thought we’d give these to your mother. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not,” she mumbled, but she did, just a little.

Gary must have realized it because he added, “Next time I’ll bring some just for you.”

“You owe me one, fellow.”

He laughed good-naturedly and with an elaborate display of courtesy, opened the car door for her.

Mary Jo slid into the seat and snapped her seat belt into place. During the brief drive to her parents’ house, less than two miles away she and Gary didn’t speak; instead, they listened companionably to part of a Red Sox game.

Her nephews and nieces were out in the huge side yard, playing a rousing game of volleyball when they arrived. Gary parked his car behind her oldest brother’s station wagon.

“I get a kick out of how much fun your family has together,” he said a bit wistfully.

“We have our share of squabbles, too.” But any disagreement was rare and quickly resolved. Three of her brothers, Jack, Rich and Lonny, were construction electricians like their father. Bill and Mark had both become mechanics and had opened a shop together. They were still struggling to get on their feet financially, but both worked hard. With time, they’d make a go of it; Mary Jo was convinced of that.

“I wonder what your mother decided to cook today,” Gary mused, and Mary Jo swore he all but licked his chops.

Briefly she wondered if Gary bothered to eat during the week, or if he stored up his appetite for Sunday dinners with her family.

“I’ve been introduced to all your brothers, haven’t I?” he asked, frowning slightly as he helped her out of the car.

Mary Jo had to think about that. He must have been. Not every brother came every Sunday, but over the course of the past few months surely Gary had met each of her five brothers.

“I don’t recognize the guy in the red sweatshirt,” he said as they moved up the walk toward the house.

Mary Jo was distracted from answering by her mother, who came rushing down the porch steps, holding out her arms as if it’d been weeks since they’d last seen each other. She wore an apron and a smile that sparkled with delight. “Mary Jo! I’m so glad you’re here.” She hugged her daughter close for a long moment, then turned toward Gary.

“How sweet,” she said, taking the bouquet of carnations and kissing his cheek.

Still smiling, Marianna gestured her attention to her daughter. “You’ll never guess who stopped by!”

It was then that Mary Jo noticed Evan walking toward them. Dressed in jeans and a red sweatshirt, he carried Lenny, her six year old nephew, tucked under one arm, and Robby, his older brother by a year, under the other. Both boys were kicking and laughing.

Evan stopped abruptly when he saw Mary Jo and Gary. The laughter drained out of his eyes.

“Hello,” Gary said, stepping forward. “You must be one of Mary Jo’s brothers. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Gary Copeland.”

“WHAT ARE YOU doing here?” Mary Jo demanded the minute she could get Evan alone. With a house full of people, it had taken her the better part of two hours to corner him. As it was, they were standing in the hallway and could be interrupted at any moment.

“If you’ll recall, your mother invited me.”

“The only reason you’re here is to embarrass me.” The entire meal had been an exercise in frustration for Mary Jo. Evan had been the center of attention and had answered a multitude of questions from her parents and brothers. As for the way he’d treated Gary—every time she thought about it, she seethed. Anyone watching them would think Evan and Gary were old pals. Evan had joked and teased with Gary, even going so far as to mention that Mary Jo’s ears grew red whenever she was uncomfortable with a subject.

The second he’d said it, she felt the blood rush to her ears. Soon they were so hot she was afraid Gary might mistake them for a fire engine.

What upset her most was the way Evan had her family eating out of his hand. Everyone acted as though he was some sort of celebrity! Her mother had offered him the first slice of chocolate cake, something Mary Jo could never remember happening. No matter who was seated at the dinner table, her father had always been served first.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Evan said now, his eyes as innocent as a preschooler’s.

Mary Jo wasn’t fooled. She knew why he’d come—to humiliate her in front of her family. Rarely had she been angrier. Rarely had she felt more frustrated. Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision.

“You can think what you want of me, but don’t ever laugh at my family,” she said between gritted teeth. She whirled away and had taken all of two steps when he caught hold of her shoulder and yanked her around.

Now he was just as angry. His dark eyes burned with it. They glared at each other, faces tight, hands clenched.

“I would never laugh at your family,” he said evenly.

Mary Jo straightened her shoulders defiantly. “But you look forward to make a laughingstock out of me. Let me give you an example. You knew I wasn’t married, yet you manipulated me into admitting it. You enjoy making me uncomfortable!”

He grinned then, a sly off-center grin. “I figured you owed me that much.”

“I don’t owe you anything!” she snapped.

“Perhaps not,” he agreed. He was laughing at her, had been from the moment she stepped into his high-priced office. Like an unsuspecting fly, she’d carelessly gotten caught in a spider’s web.

“Stay out of my life,” she warned, eyes narrowed.

Evan glared back at her. “Gladly.”

Just then Sally, one of Mary Jo’s favorite nieces, came skipping down the hallway as only a five-year-old can, completely unaware of the tension between her and Evan. Sally stopped when she saw Mary Jo with Evan.

“Hi,” she said, looking up at them.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Mary Jo said, forcing herself to smile. Her mouth felt as if it would crack.

Sally stared at Evan, her eyes wide with curiosity. “Are you going to be my uncle someday?”

“No,” Mary Jo answered immediately, mortified. It seemed that even her own family had turned against her. “Why not?” Sally wanted to know. “I like him better than Gary, and he likes you, too. I can tell. When we were eating dinner, he kept looking at you. Like Daddy looks at Mommy sometimes.”