"Oh, I think she does," Elec said with a wink that only she could see.
"No, you all keep playing. I'm better off watching." She wasn't known for her athleticism and most likely she'd break her ankle in front of Elec.
"Aww, come on, Mom." Hunter put her hands on her little hips. "Don't be a stick up the butt."
"Hunter!" Good Lord. Tamara instinctively stood up from her chair, like getting closer could alter what her child had just spouted.
"What? That's what Suzanne always says."
Of course it was.
"The expression is a stick in the mud. Suzanne likes to change the words into a version that is not at all polite, which I do not want to hear coming from you again." Tamara moved on to the grass and kicked off her flip-flops. "Alright, someone throw me the Frisbee."
She wasn't sure what had possessed her to, but suddenly she wanted in on the game. It was inevitable she'd make a fool out of herself, but she decided she didn't care. She wanted to have fun, to laugh with her kids and Elec.
"Mom's in!" Petey looked astonished.
"Whoop, whoop," Hunter said, clapping her hands and rolling her hips in a way that made Tamara frightened for the teen years. "Go, Mom. Go, Mom."
Elec smiled. "We're glad you're joining us."
"You won't be in a minute when I halt the game by dropping it or tossing it into a tree."
But to her amazement, when Elec tossed the disc to her, she actually caught it. Maybe it was because he didn't whip it at her, but just let it gently glide straight toward her. Pleased, Tamara threw it back to him and impressed herself that he only had to shoot his arm out a little to the right to catch it. Maybe she didn't totally suck after all.
After a few minutes, she was feeling confident and enjoying herself.
"Hey, Pete," Elec called. "Throw it as far as you can, and your mom and I will run for it.
We'll see who can catch it."
"It will be you," Petey said.
"Hey!" Not that Tamara was truly insulted. While she was holding her own with Hunter, she wasn't exactly ready for tricks.
"You never know," Elec said. He moved alongside of Tamara and whispered, "If you catch it, I'll give you another massage. All over this time."
"Really?" Now that was highly motivating. "You're on."
"What do I get if I catch it?" he asked.
Good question. "What do you like?"
His eyebrows went up. "You know what I like."
"Everything?" she asked with a laugh.
"Pretty much." He grinned. "But if I win, I want you on top. You've never done that."
That was because while she didn't in any way dislike it, it wasn't her favorite position. It always made her feel a little self-conscious, all up there in front of him, but in the spirit of the bet, she was willing to go for it. "Okay."
"I'm throwing it," Petey yelled. "Go long!"
Elec started running across the grass, his arms pumping as he spotted over his shoulder, so Tamara took off after him in her bare feet. Fortunately, despite her slow start, she wound up directly under the descending Frisbee when the wind caught the disc and Petey's throw didn't go as far as Elec had expected. She was standing there, staring up at it, hands out, convinced it was going to hit her in the eye, when Elec dashed up behind her, put his arms around her, and snagged the Frisbee from right in front of her.
"Hey!" She was sure that constituted cheating somehow.
"What?" He was bumping into her, legs against hers, arms crowding around her, and Tamara lost her balance and stumbled a foot forward.
Elec grabbed her arm with one hand to steady her. "Whoa." He kissed the back of her head.
"Good catch!" Petey called to Elec.
"Thanks, that was an awesome throw."
"Even if you cheated," Tamara told him, though she didn't really mean it. She was just enjoying the opportunity to spar with him.
"I didn't cheat. I came behind you and caught it over your head. That's fair and square."
Elec lowered his voice. "But I think we both should get our prizes, don't you think? Call it a draw?"
Tamara felt her response to that between her thighs. She was suddenly hot and it wasn't from running across the yard. "Sounds good to me."
He wasn't moving away from her and it was very tempting to just lean back against his chest, but Tamara resisted the urge. She wasn't sure if her kids were ready for that. Hell, she wasn't sure if she was ready to do that in front of her kids.
Fortunately, Petey yelled, "Throw it back."
So Elec stepped back and did that.
Hunter came up to him. "You should go swimming with us," she said.
"I think it's a little late for swimming on a school night," he said.
"No, silly. Not tonight. Another day. We have a pool pass."
"I . . ." Elec bent over and picked Hunter up, pumping her up and down like a barbell while she laughed. "Would love that."
He met Tamara's gaze over her daughter's head, even though he was talking to Hunter.
"And I want to have that fire in the fire pit I mentioned to your mom. Roast marshmallows."
"Cool," Hunter said, still dangling in the air.
Elec set her down. "Next Monday?" he asked Tamara, his eyes dark. "If you're not busy."
"Next Monday," she agreed, because she didn't want to say no.
In fact, she wanted to say yes to everything his intense eyes were asking.
CHAPTER FOURTEE
IT occurred to Tamara that she couldn't handle three margaritas anymore, given how infrequently she drank alcohol. Actually, she had never been able to handle three margaritas and she knew she was in danger of getting sloppy on Suzanne and Imogen in the bar they had decided to go to Friday night.
The kids were with her in-laws for the night, which struck her as a cruel irony. She had an empty house at her disposal and Elec was in New Hampshire. That was something she had to remember and be prepared to accept if she moved forward in this relationship. He was going to be gone a whole hell of a lot. He was going to miss birthdays and important events, and if she wanted to be with him, she had to accept it.
Who was she kidding? She wanted to be with him.
Which was why she was licking salt off the rim of her glass and trying to smile for her friends, who looked as morose as she felt. Suzanne looked morose and impatient, her foot tapping on the floor, repeated sighs emerging as she darted her gaze around the room.
Imogen looked morose and uncomfortable, pushing her glasses up on her nose over and over as she fiddled with the charm bracelet she wore.
It was something of a dive bar, with sticky wooden tables and a pervasive grease scent clinging to the walls. They were sitting at a table, but there were at least ten men lined up at the bar, some alone, some in groups, and Tamara noticed the three of them were getting a lot of curious looks, especially Imogen.
The men seemed puzzled by Imogen. They leered at Suzanne, who was wearing a red cleavage-bearing top. And basically, they ignored Tamara. Which was fine with her.
"I thought it would be a little more happening," Suzanne complained. "It's a Friday night and no one is even dancing."
"That's okay," Imogen said. "I don't dance."
"Why not?" Suzanne looked both amazed and horrified by that statement.
"I have no rhythm."
"Everyone has rhythm. You have to. We're born with it."
"I don't. I'm serious." Imogen was sipping her second margarita, and her eyes were getting a little glassy.
"We're going to get you dancing before the night is out," Suzanne vowed.
Tamara somehow doubted that, but it could be entertaining to see Suzanne try.
"So have you talked to Ryder?" she asked Suzanne. Then she explained to Imogen, "I know I told you Suz and Ryder are divorced, but Suz had a victory party for him a few weeks ago and it didn't go so well."
"No, I haven't talked to him. It's his turn to apologize." Suzanne's jaw was set and she took a gulp of her drink.
Tamara wasn't sure what Ryder was supposed to apologize for, exactly, but she would trust Suz on this one. "I'm sorry the party was such a disaster."
"Hey, it got you laid, didn't it? I call it a success."
Tamara blushed. She said to Imogen, "Elec and I, are, uh, dating."
"I figured as much. He seems nice."
"He is." Tamara felt warm all over and she thought it was only partially the alcohol.
"Look at your face," Suzanne said with delight. "Girl, you are gone. It's so cute."
A trio of men approached their table. "Can we buy you all a drink?" the leader of the pack asked.