He returned the smile, inwardly calculating just when he’d last seen her, or anyone not related to the business. “No, it’s not that,” he stalled, suddenly tongue-tied and in a hurry to make an exit. “Work is keeping me busy. Maybe we can do something soon.”
He ducked into the men’s locker room, surprised when Bryan stepped in just behind him.
“Gone into hiding, have you?” his friend joked.
Kevin shrugged, wondering himself why he’d brushed the woman off. He and Kristen had dated a few times after she had decorated one of his model homes. Things had been going fine. Neither wanted a commitment. Both enjoyed the same things. So why did he find himself avoiding her as if she were trying to tie him down?
“How are Laura and the kids?” Kevin asked, hoping to change the subject.
It worked.
Bryan talked enthusiatically about his new family, and a few minutes later they headed for the weight room. Kevin was anxious to get back in shape before the longer days of the spring building season began. He’d put in more hours at his drafting table than actually working with the crew over the past winter, and it was beginning to show around his midsection.
“You okay?” Bryan eyed him accusingly some time later as he added another cast-iron disk to each end of Kevin’s weight bar. “I’ve never seen you avoiding—”
“Fine, just bored with it all, I guess.” Kevin lifted the barbell, only to be interrupted by another female acquaintance. After she left, Kevin sat up and wiped his hands on the towel draped around his neck.
Bryan elbowed him. “What were you saying about your life being boring?” His friend raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“You’re a newlywed. You shouldn’t be noticing other women,” Kevin grumbled.
Bryan snapped the towel in midair. “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly happy where I’m at. Unlike you—”
“Let’s get out of here. We aren’t going to get anything accomplished in this place. Why don’t we go get a bite to eat?”
“Thanks, anyway, I’ve already eaten.”
“Oh.” On the way to the locker room, Kevin suddenly realized that although he was busier than ever, his personal life had come to a screeching halt in the wake of his company’s booming success. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t been on a date in months. What was wrong with him? No wonder he was irritable. All work and no play…is bound to get on a man’s nerves.
Nothing was the same anymore. Dating had lost its appeal, second only to going home to an empty house and an answering machine full of jobs to pursue. Which was just what he had wanted—a successful business. He should be ecstatic. There were plans to evaluate, bids to make, orders to call in; business was right on track.
But something was still missing.
Bryan pulled his bag from the locker with a look of total satisfaction. To his credit, though, he didn’t say a word. And there were plenty of choice comments he could have made. Kevin knew, because he’d used them all on Bryan little more than a year ago.
His friend got a drink from the fountain, then cleared his throat. “I still have that weight set I bought Laura at the house. Why don’t we work out there?”
“I don’t know if I’m in any mood to deal with disgustingly happy newlyweds and four energetic kids at this hour,” Kevin muttered under his breath.
Bryan looked at his watch and laughed. “Another fifteen minutes and they’ll all be in bed, anyway. Come on over. I need someone to push me before Laura’s good cooking puts twenty pounds on me.”
“You poor thing.” Kevin considered going home, but quickly dispelled the unappealing idea. Unlike his friend, he had no one, nothing to greet him at home. No commitments. No leash. Keep talking, Kevin. Maybe you’ll convince yourself.
“Come on. It’ll be fine.”
“Sure, why not.” What was he bellyaching about? He had a business that was claiming more of his time each day. More than he’d ever dreamed possible. “I’ll meet you back at Laura’s—I mean, your house.” He winced at the mistake. He still found it difficult to understand why his best friend had agreed to stay in the house his new wife had shared with her late husband.
“Don’t let it bother you. I do it, too. It’ll always be Laura’s, no matter how many changes we make. She promises to start looking for our own house as soon as things settle down.”
“With four kids, you don’t plan on that being anytime soon, do you?” Kevin wrapped an arm around his friend’s back and laughed. “Ah, wedded bliss.”
Bryan elbowed him in the stomach. “I’ll take the chaos of a house full of kids over a quiet one any day. You sure you don’t have time to build a house for us this spring?”
“If I’d known you were going to be back in town and in the market, believe me, I wouldn’t have filled all my slots. You wouldn’t believe how many calls I’ve had this week alone. But if the bid for the clinic falls through, you’ll be the first person I call.”
“Not a chance. There’s no way the committee can afford to turn you down. I’m glad to hear you’re keeping busy.” Bryan stopped beside his new four-wheel-drive and tossed his bag inside. “Let’s get going. We can catch up while we work out. Laura will be glad to see you.”
A few minutes later, Kevin stomped the snow from his shoes and followed Bryan into the turn-of-the-century home, half expecting an ambush.
The sound of happy children and the smell of fresh-baked cookies met him at the front door and tugged on his heart. Laura’s youngest son, Chad, ran to Bryan and jumped into his arms. “Hi, Dad! Did you come home to tuck us in?”
“I sure did—wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Chad beamed at his stepfather’s attention. “Have you brushed your teeth?”
The youngster scrunched his nose, then turned toward Kevin and said hello.
Bryan set his stepson down and patted him on the behind. “Get it done, and I’ll be right up.”
“T.J.! Kevin and Dad are here!”
“Chad, don’t yell, please.” Laura passed through the kitchen just as they did, and gave her husband a kiss. “You’re home so soon? We’ve only been married a few weeks. You can’t be that out of shape yet,” she teased.
Bryan tilted his head toward Kevin and laughed. “Too many distractions there.”
“And you came to this zoo instead?” Then, as realization hit her, she grinned mischievously. “Oh. You mean…distractions. Well, you may as well use that contraption you two brought me last year. It’s going to rust if someone doesn’t use it. I told you I didn’t have time.”
“I’m not giving up on you yet.” T.J. ran into the room and gave Kevin a high-five, and Bryan let his embrace loosen. “Is Jacob asleep already?”
Laura playfully pushed him away. “‘Already’? You haven’t been chasing him since six this morning. I’m wiped out.”
“Mom,” their daughter beckoned.
“Just a few minutes, T.J. Kevin, please don’t get him riled up, it’s bedtime.”
Kevin gave his friend’s wife a salute. “Yes sir, lady.”
Bryan kissed Laura again before she headed to the children’s bedrooms, then turned to Kevin. “I’ll help Laura tuck the kids in, and be right down.”
Kevin and T.J. visited about school and sports for a few minutes before Kevin sent the young man up to bed.
He