Page 21 of Trophy

It was eight thirty before the last of the guests finally left. Rob bad been ready for them to clear out an hour earlier, but everyone was having a good time, and it was just now getting dark.

The good thing was that Allison had stayed to help clean up, so he didn’t have to cross the street to find her. She was right in his kitchen.

“You don’t have to do that,” he murmured, walking over to press himself against her back and wrap his arms around her.

“So everyone is gone?”

“Finally.” He tilted his head so he could brush a few kisses against her jaw and then her neck. “I’ve been dying to kiss you for hours and couldn’t do it.”

“Poor Rob. Tortured in that way.” Her voice was light, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were smiling.

He turned her around with her back against the sink so he could kiss her properly. “Poor Rob indeed,” he murmured against her lips.

She responded to the kiss, her body softening, her tongue meeting his, but she pulled away before he wanted her to. “Let’s finish cleaning all this up.”

“It can wait.”

“But if it waits, it will still be here for days, and I really don’t want to see all these dirty dishes the next time I come over her.”

The guests had used paper plates and cups, so the only dishes were the ones they’d served food from. It didn’t really take that long to get them washed, and Rob was pleased by the sight of his halfway neat kitchen when they were done.

It had never looked that way until Allison came into his life.

“Now that the cleaning is done, we can get to the kissing.” He pulled her against him again and this time had a much more satisfying embrace.

“So did you have a good time?” he asked, holding her in a hug after their lips had finally broken apart.

“Yeah. I did.”

“Why do you sound surprised?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t know anyone. You know how that is.” She paused and glanced up at him. “Or maybe you don’t.”

“I don’t always know people.”

“I didn’t mean to imply there was something wrong with it. It’s great you’re so connected here. I just wonder how long it’s been since you’ve felt awkward and insecure around people you don’t know.”

“I do my best never to feel awkward or insecure.” It was true. He tried to avoid it as much as possible. Allison didn’t have to know how often he felt that way, especially when it came to his previous marriages.

She chuckled. “Yeah. I guess you do. Anyway, it was nice to get to know some of the people in town, and I really like your parents.”

“Good. They’re pretty nice.”

She stretched up to brush a kiss against his cheekbone. “And they have a pretty nice son.”

“I have no objection to you believing that.” He gave her a few kisses, then murmured, “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

“There’s no good answer to that question.” Allison was stroking her fingers down his back in a way that felt incredibly good.

“Well, I’m telling you that you are. And I’m feeling kind of guilty because I wanted everyone to know that this damned gorgeous woman wants to be with me.”

For just a moment it felt like she tensed up, but when he pulled back to check her face she was smiling.

“Is that all right?” he asked, wanting to make sure he hadn’t accidentally said something wrong. Surely a woman wouldn’t mind being called gorgeous.

“Of course it’s all right.” She pulled him back into a kiss.

He was really getting into it when a voice interrupted them. “Rob? Rob?”

They jumped apart, but not soon enough. Rob was pretty sure that Cali had seen them as she entered the kitchen.

“Cali,” he said, darting a quick look over to Allison, hoping she wasn’t going to freak out. “What are you doing here?”

“The door was wide open.” She wore jeans that were way too tight and a halter top that showed far too much cleavage. Her makeup was very heavy—as heavy as Dee usually wore. Rob wasn’t her father, though, so he couldn’t say anything about it.

“I had a cookout earlier, and people were just leaving. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah.” She was peering at Allison curiously. “Mom’s not going to be happy about this.”

Rob had to stifle a groan. He stopped himself from acting worried or urgent, though, since he knew that would encourage the girl to do exactly what he didn’t want. “She doesn’t have to know.”

“She’ll find out soon enough.”

“No one knows yet.”

Cali’s eyes widened. Then she laughed in a decidedly naughty way. “Nice. So it’s a secret, then.”

“Up to you,” Rob said with a shrug. Allison was obviously letting him handle this, since she hadn’t said a word or moved a muscle.

“I won’t tell her,” Cali said, suddenly looking much younger than she usually looked. Even her makeup looked more like dress-up than anything else. “You’re that waitress from Dora’s.”

“Yes,” Allison said. “I am. And you’re Cali. I’ve seen you around.”

“Only when my mom is making a fool out of herself,” Cali said. “I love your shoes.”

Allison was wearing red sandals that looked very fancy to Rob. “Thanks,” she said. “They’re my favorites.”

“Did you need something?” Rob asked. “To make you come over, I mean.”

“Oh yeah. I ran out of gas just down the block there. Do you think you can help me?”

“Sure,” Rob said, relieved it wasn’t any sort of real crisis, particularly one involving her ass of a boyfriend or Dee. “I can run down to the station and get you some. Do you want to come with me?”

“I can stay here with Allison.”

Rob shot Allison a quick look. They weren’t supposed to be in anything like a serious relationship. The last thing she was going to want was to spend time with his rather pouty ex-stepdaughter.

At least Cali seemed in a reasonable mood today. That might help.

“Sure,” Allison said, smiling at Cali and then nodding at Rob. “That would be okay. She can help me clean up the last of the trash.”

Rob felt a little nervous about this, but there was nothing he could do. So he left them in his house and drove as quickly as he could to the gas station at the end of town to put two gallons in a tank, then drove it back to where Cali’s little car was pulled over on the side of the road.

He wondered if she had genuinely forgotten or if she’d just run out of money. He wondered if that Nelson boy was taking her money.

Either way, he’d put enough in to get her through the evening, and now he needed to get back to make sure that Allison was all right.

He was never more surprised than when he walked into his house and found Allison and Cali talking enthusiastically about shoes and jewelry as Allison swept a pile of dust into the pan Cali held steady.

Cali was smiling for real. Rob hadn’t seen that expression on her in years.