Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich [53]
Rachel pointed her finger at Lizzie. “Exactly. Which is why Matt has the groupies. Or sometimes one of us goes along, but with Maura due any second now, we’re not up for a road trip.”
“Other than Harley and Junior, who are your roadies, if I’m not allowed to call them groupies?” Lizzie asked.
“Mayor Mortensen and a couple of others have mentioned they’ll be there, though they plan to catch a Pistons game, too, so I’m not sure how much actual pouring help they’ll be.”
“I could at least hang your banner,” Kate said.
Anne smiled. “That definitely sounded suggestive.”
“Okay, here’s another thought,” Kate said. “I could sell Depot Brewing merchandise.”
“I don’t bring merchandise,” Matt said.
“You should,” Kate told him. “If you sold hats and tees downstate, you could really get your name out there.”
He nodded. “I’m betting you’re right.”
“Where in Royal Oak is the event?” she asked.
“In the Farmers’ Market building, downtown.”
“I used to work a few blocks east of there, on Washington Avenue.”
“One street away from most of the restaurants and bars, right?” Matt asked.
“Exactly.”
“They’ve mixed it up some this year with a private charity party thrown in on Friday night. Great for them, but I lose my whole day on Friday now, since I have to be set up earlier.”
“So an extra set of hands would be good. I could help.”
Kate wanted this so much, and not just to see Royal Oak, either. Kate wanted to be with Matt.
“I’d like that,” Matt said, and their eyes held for a long moment.
“But really, guys. They’re not dating. Not even a little bit,” Lizzie said in a deadpan voice. “Can’t you tell?”
Maura made an odd sound. “Okay, and I’m about to be not pregnant. Not even a little bit.”
“What do you mean?” Lizzie asked.
Maura settled a hand on her belly. “I’ve been trying to be cool about it, but all of a sudden my contractions are getting pretty aggressive.”
Matt stood up. “Contractions, as in labor?”
“Bingo. I thought it was just Braxton Hicks lead-up stuff, or we would have stayed home. After all, who wants to disrupt a perfectly good Spaghetti Tuesday?” She closed her eyes for a moment and blew out a slow breath. “Guess I was wrong. If this is anything like last time, it’s going to be fast. Lizzie, could you go outside and round up Todd?”
“Sure,” Lizzie replied, then headed out through the kitchen doorway.
“You can still take the girls for the night as we’d planned, right, Anne? They’re upstairs playing in my old room.”
Anne pushed back in her chair. “No problem. Let me get Jack and we’ll go take care of things at your house.”
Lizzie reappeared with a tall, dark, and semi-worried-looking guy Kate knew had to be Maura’s husband.
He rounded the table and took Maura by the hand. “I told you those contractions were the real deal, babe. Your suitcase is in the trunk, right?”
“Todd, this is Kate. Kate, this is Todd,” Maura said.
Kate had to give Maura major props for having good manners during childbirth. She doubted she’d be able to show the same grace.
“Nice to meet you,” Todd said to Kate, but his eyes never left his wife.
Kate gazed at the empty doorway after Todd and Maura left the room, smiling at each other, holding hands, and Kate realized she’d wanted that love and connection when she’d fallen for her ex. She might not have gotten it quite right back then, but she recognized a solid relationship when she saw one.
When she glanced away, she caught Matt watching her, and the warmth in his eyes had her heart skipping beats.
Matt’s mom leaned her head out of the kitchen, ending the moment before Kate was quite ready to have it over. “Matt, could you and Kate take care of putting away dinner before you come over to the hospital?”
And then, suddenly the house was empty of Culhanes, except for Matt.
They moved into the kitchen, and Matt began putting plates away. “This is a new twist on Spaghetti Tuesday.”
Kate helped him with the plates. There was something intimate about the two of them