Josie

by Beth Gildersleeve

  “Meowrrr,” a deep voice growled by her ear. Josie turned and her knight in shining armor gave her a quick kiss. “Kitten’s got claws.”

  “About time you got here,” she hissed at Gabe.

  “Sorry. I won’t leave your side for the rest of the evening.” Gabe wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. He did look sorry and he had warned her the party wouldn’t be fun.

  “So, Gabriel, June was just telling us about your moving plans,” Aunt Sandra prompted.

  “I’m not sure what moving plans Josie would have been telling you about,” he responded easily.

  “I assume you’ll be staying at your house here on the estate so you’ll be closer to the office.”

  “No. We’ll be staying in Haven, at least until my time at the Woodworks ends at the end of the year.” Josie kept the smile plastered on her face. The last thing she wanted was to give this crowd the satisfaction of seeing her tear into Gabe. The kitten would unleash her claws on the ride home. Move to Woodland? I think not, King Gabriel!

  “Surely you’re not staying in Haven? Not when the Woodland estate is so close to work?”

  “We haven’t finalized plans,” Gabe reiterated.

  “And I do have my business, too,” Josie said as Duncan, Aunt Sandra’s son and Gabe’s nemesis, slithered up and joined the group.

  “Ah, yes. Your coffee shops. Leave it to my clever cousin to get the best deal, a beautiful wife and a profitable business for free.” Gabe’s fingers tightened on her waist like a warning. He looked at this watch.

  “Speaking of which, we should get going. Josie gets up early in the morning to roast all the beans. One of the reasons her business is a success.” Gabe emphasized the word her and Josie was grateful. Hopefully, everyone else had heard it, too.

  “How quaint,” Aunt Sandra murmured.

  “And her baked goods are out of this world. I had to add an additional day of running each week to burn off the calories. I think you should have her cater your next party, Aunt Sandra. Her cake isn’t dry.” Josie would have kissed him for that if she wasn’t furious with him.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Aunt Sandra said as if Josie and Gabe were about to steal the silverware. She opened the front door for them. “Let me know when you’re moving back to Woodland, Gabriel. We’ll need to sort out the staffing. And welcome to the family, Julie.”

  “Thanks, Sandy,” Josie said.

  Gabe took her elbow before she could say anything else and the door rushed closed behind them. She thought she heard him chuckle. Gabe steered her down the circular drive toward his Range Rover. “Listen, about the move—”

  “To Woodland? The place ‘west of Haven’? I believe that’s what you told Miller.” Josie jerked her elbow away from him. Gabe huffed at her reaction as he opened the Rover’s door for her. She slid in and he shut the door behind her quietly. Too quietly. Like a man trying to control his temper. Why is he mad at me? He didn’t have a reason to be mad at her. She wasn’t the one who had lied. Repeatedly.

  Josie stared out the window as they drove back to Haven. She thumped her head against the glass. What had she been thinking? He’d lied about who he was. He’d lied about what he did for a living. He’d lied about where he lived. He’d lied about everything. Well, except being married already. She wouldn’t be in this mess if he had been. And Josie was afraid he’d lied about their future.

  I’ve made my bed, now I’ve got to lie in it, Josie admitted to herself. She’d held up her end of the bargain. She’d married him. She’d saved the plant. And Gabe was CEO. She should walk away now but she couldn’t.

  She wanted children, a family of her own, and Gabe held the key. Even before the silly Paris bet, she hadn’t seen marriage in her future. But Gabe’s blackmail proposal had been her chance. She could get her heart’s desire without risking heart ache. She’d given him the idea of children with her brood mare comment and he’d run with it, just like she’d hoped he would.

  Do I even want children with him now? Knowing him as I do? Josie glanced at her husband and sighed. She did. While she didn’t approve of his methods, she understood why he’d done it. The stupid will and his aunt’s mismanagement had backed him into a corner. His actions were questionable but his heart had been in the right place.

  Gabe took the exit to Haven and Josie breathed a little bit easier. The endless ride was almost over. He slowed as Haven came into view. “I love the view of Haven from here, especially at night. Sometimes I’ll pull over for a few minutes and watch the lights below.” Josie agreed but she wouldn’t confess to doing the same. She was still miffed. “I’m sorry you were blindsided by the Woodland issue. I should have seen that coming. Wherever we decide to live, we’ll decide it together. I’m slated to be at the Woodworks until the end of December, so we’ve got some time and flexibility. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Should we stay at your place tonight? It’s getting late.” Josie looked at the dashboard clock and groaned. If they went straight to bed, she’d get her usual six hours of shut-eye. She’d give just about anything for a full night of sleep and regular adult hours. Elle had been on her case for the last year to hire someone to help with the roasting. But Josie hated hiring and training, so she’d been putting it off. Maybe Gabe would be the push she needed. Those babies weren’t going to make themselves, and she wanted those babies.

  Her system flooded with warmth as she remembered their wedding night. Gabe may have been stingy with the truth, but he was also a generous and thorough lover. She hadn’t ever been loved like that. He’d made her feel precious and indestructible with every caress. Powerful and weak in the same breath. The sensations had been frightening and overwhelming and she couldn’t wait to experience them again.

  Josie knew that most people would think marrying Gabe in order to save Jamie and the Woodworks was a thick slice of crazy, but to her it was a logical, sane decision. She’d get the children she wanted without risking her heart. And Gabe had already shown her his true colors. She knew not to trust him, so he wouldn’t be able to take advantage of her.

  She had a successful business, a sexy-as-sin husband, potential motherhood, and the resources to make everything happen. The only thing Josie didn’t have was her equilibrium. She felt like she’d been on an emotional roller coaster ever since Gabe had walked into Jo’s Joe on Friday. Hopefully, sleeping in her own bed tonight would get her back to the emotional lazy river where it was always peaceful and calm.

  “My place sounds like a good idea,” she agreed quietly, but she really wanted to scream in frustration. It was hard to stay mad at Gabe, the nice guy. It was easier to be mad at King Gabriel, the manipulator. Based on her current mood, Josie had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn’t be getting off the emotional roller coaster any time soon.

  Come to mama, Josie thought as she pulled the warm chocolate chip cookie from the oven two days later. It was her mid-afternoon treat for not only getting a good night’s sleep—Gabe had stayed at the estate last night after a meeting that had run late, which helped—but also surviving lunch with Elle.

  Her best friend had wanted all the wedding details and an explanation of why she hadn’t been invited. Elle had been hurt, as had Josie’s siblings and parents, when she’d told them. Thankfully, they’d found out from her and not from the press release.

  Josie had answered all their questions as honestly as she could. Theirs was a family that believed in marrying for love and not for social status, so no one had asked her if she loved him. They assumed she did and even Josie hated to admit to herself that she might be falling for him. Gabe in Haven was everything she wanted in a husband. In a man. King Gabriel from Woodland, however, wasn’t. The problem was reconciling the two.

  Today’s affirmation was “I trust that the universe has my back.” I hope it does, she thought with a sigh as she bit into the warm cookie. She closed her eyes to further savor the chocolate moment but opened them when the front door chimed. Speak of th
e devil, she thought as she watched him approach. As handsome as he’d been in his custom-tailored suit on their wedding day, her heart beat faster at the sight of him in well-worn chinos and a polar fleece jacket with the Haven Woodworks logo on it. The jacket was an ugly-as-sin mustard color but it brought out the blond in his hair so it made him look younger and not as serious. Gabe not Gabriel. She caught the twinkle in his eye as he glanced at the display case.

  “Hi,” he said as he leaned over the counter.

  “Hi, yourself.” She met him halfway for a brief kiss.

  “Got any more of that?”

  “Kisses or cookie?” she teased.

  “Both?” he asked. Josie chuckled and gave him half of her cookie. He bit into it. Chocolate smeared the corner of his mouth and Josie grabbed a napkin. If she didn’t wipe it off now, she’d kiss it off. She tossed the napkin and looked for something to keep her hands busy. She wished she could find her footing with Gabe. To be comfortable with him and with herself. While the adjustment period had its perks—hello kissing and touching!—it was also awkward as all get out. Probably because of the kissing and touching. She missed the old days. The pre-marriage days of easy friendship. The pre-lover days. Kind of.

  “Do you have time for a break?” he asked.

  “Actually, I was heading upstairs for a quick nap right before you came in. Why?”

  “Up for a little adventure, Mrs. Kane?” he teased as he popped the last piece of cookie into his mouth.

  Josie felt the heat climb up her neck and Gabe laughed.

  “Not that type of adventure, but I’ll take a rain check for later tonight,” he said as he winked at her. “Right now, I have a different adventure in mind.”

  Josie sighed dramatically, but she hung up her apron, grabbed her jacket, slipped her hand into his, and followed him out the door.

  Several minutes later, Gabe pulled her through the side door of the Woodworks. “Why are we here,” she asked.

  “Turn around,” he ordered and she did. He held his hands over her eyes as he directed her down the hall.

  “Um, Gabe?” she asked nervously. “What kind of game are we playing?”

  He chuckled but the warm sound didn’t reassure her. “It’s business hours, honey. And it’s not a game. It’s a surprise.” They walked a few more feet and then Josie felt him propel her through a doorway. “Ta-da!” he said as he moved his hands away.

  Josie saw Josh and Elle standing in the middle of an empty room. “Why are you guys here?” She looked around the room and paced the perimeter. “What’s going on?”

  “Isn’t this great?” Elle asked. Josie looked closer at the room to find out why the Chief Executive Officer of Jo’s Joe was excited about an empty room. Sure, it was a nice size and had some windows toward the ceiling. She could see the loading dock not too far away. It was clean and it didn’t smell. No evidence of rodents or insects either. Always a plus in her mind.

  She met Josh’s eyes but his were neutral. He wasn’t as excited as Elle. I wonder why? Josie looked some more and finally settled back on Elle. “Yeah, it’s a nice space,” Josie agreed slowly.

  “Nice? It’s perfect! Gabe made the final payment and paid for expedited shipping so the roaster should be here by the end of the week.” Elle clapped her hands together.

  Her roaster was coming? Now? The roaster she needed to fulfill her new contracts? The one with the extra capacity so she wouldn’t need to get up before the roosters crowed? She and Elle had been looking for the past few months and every location had been a dead end. But this? This was too good to be true.

  She took a deep breath and looked at Gabe. “What’s the rent?”

  “Fr—”

  “Whatever Jo’s Joe has budgeted,” Gabe interrupted Elle. “The space is setting empty. I have no idea what rent is in Haven.”

  “Jamie and I are installing it over the weekend,” Josh said.

  “And my plant manager scheduled the electrician to be here first thing Monday morning,” King Gabriel said as he walked toward her. “By Monday afternoon you’ll be roasting your first batch. Please don’t be mad.” He reached for her hand but she stuffed it in her pocket. This is why Josh hadn’t been excited. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate the handout.

  “You all took a lot of liberties on this.”

  “It was a surprise,” Elle said. Josie caught the hurt in her friend’s voice. And as CEO, Elle had made the right decision. Josie knew it, but she didn’t have to like it. She looked at King Gabriel.

  “Have a rental contract made up for us with whatever the going rental rate is. And we’ll pay you back for the final payment and the expedited shipping costs,” Josie said.

  “The hell you will,” he growled.

  “This is my business and you’re butting in!” Gabe’s cousin, Duncan, was right. Witz Holdings wanted her coffee shops. Josh pulled Elle from the room and Josie relaxed. She didn’t want witnesses.

  “I’m not. I told you about it last week. Several times.”

  “I guess I was paying too much attention to the blackmail to notice the bribe.” Josie said. Gabe looked uncomfortable, which gave her some satisfaction.

  “You seemed interested when I mentioned it last week. You need space. I’ve got space. Problem solved.”

  “But it’s my problem to solve. It’s my business.”

  “I know it’s your business. But I thought we were a team now,” he accused as he prowled the room.

  Josie sighed and reached out to him. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m a bit out of my element. Last week I was focused on finalizing the Hart Hotel coffee deal and finding roasting space and this week I’m married to a gazillionaire and my roaster problems are solved. I’m used to working for what I need and want not having it handed to me.”

  “I get that and I get that this isn’t easy for you,” he acknowledged. Josie looked into his golden eyes and she saw his sincerity. “But, Josie, you reap what you sow. Accept that this is all your hard work and goodness coming back to you. Karma, if you will.” He shrugged.

  “Karma and I aren’t usually on a first-name basis,” she grumbled. Stop being difficult, she ordered herself. He’s just trying to help.

  “Okay, I’ll be honest,” Gabe said, flinging his arms wide. “I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone on this one.” His arms flopped back to his side.

  “And?” Josie prompted, noting he didn’t sound happy about his upcoming confession. She, however, was proud that she’d let his “honest” comment slide.

  “It’s your wedding present,” Gabe admitted.

  “My what?”

  He sighed and looked at the ceiling. “I didn’t know what to get you for a wedding present so I thought this would work.”

  “You got me a freaking diamond bracelet and earrings!” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

  “If we’re able to take a honeymoon, it won’t be for a while and it’ll have to be short,” he argued.

  “So you bought me a coffee roaster instead of a honeymoon?” She stared at King Gabriel like he was the village idiot.

  “Please, just take it,” he begged. King Gabriel looked beaten.

  “Gabriel, you can’t tell me how to run my business.”

  His head jerked up as if she’d slapped him. “For the last time, I don’t want your business.” He gripped her shoulders and wiggled the stiffness out of them. “What I do want is to help my wife. If that means buying her a roaster that will grow her business and make her life easier, I will. If it will keep her from crawling out of bed in the middle of the night to roast the damn beans, I’ll buy two roasters.” He lifted her chin and she didn’t fight him. “We’ve been married for less than a week and I already know the worst part of my day is when you leave me alone in the bed. Please, Josie?” he asked softly.

  Well, hell. How can I argue with that? She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Just don’t do it again,” she warned.

  Gabe couldn’t answer. She was too busy kissing him with
her delicious lips pressed against his.

  8

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you don’t have an employee badge and you’re not on the visitor list. I can’t let you up.” The Witz Holdings’ security guard at the elevator bay didn’t look very sorry. Josie was glad she’d brought some cookies from home this morning and that she’d brought them along to see Gabe. She wasn’t above bribing him.

  It had seemed like such a good idea when she’d finished her sixth trial run with the new roaster. She’d been making small batches the last several days to figure out its quirks. And the sixth batch was almost perfect. Not quite, but close enough that she’d wanted to share her victory with someone. Someone who would understand the significance and whose opinion mattered. Gabe was the first person she’d thought of.

  Elle and Josh would have been easier choices. They’d been in the office right down the street. But no, she’d picked Gabe.

  After driving for an hour across the Twin Cities to reach Witz Holdings’ corporate office in Plymouth, she couldn’t believe she was having a showdown with Elevator Cop.

  “Listen… ”—Josie squinted at his name tag—“Tyrone, my husband is having a lousy day and I just wanted to surprise him with a treat. Please?” Josie gave him her sweetest smile. The same one she’d always used to win over her dad. She didn’t know if Gabe was having a lousy day or not. The last she’d seen of him had been this morning when she’d given him a groggy kiss as she’d left for work. But it was a Wednesday, so she knew his day couldn’t be that great. Wednesdays were almost as bad as Mondays. The weekend was so close, and yet so far.

  Tyrone huffed. “Who’s your husband?” he asked as he reached for the company directory.

  “Gabe Kane.”

  “Yeah, right,” he snorted, but she narrowed her eyes, and he picked up the phone and dialed. Josie eavesdropped on his side of the conversation but she didn’t learn much. He hung up slowly. “I’m sorry ma’am. Mr. Kane’s assistant will be down in a minute,” he explained. Tyrone looked concerned about this development. He’d probably hoped to escort her and her goodie bag out of the building instead of having to apologize to the CEO’s wife. He shifted in his chair and sat up a bit taller. He smiled at Josie tentatively as he tried to change his demeanor from a junk-yard guard dog to a let-me-fetch-your-slippers-for-you golden retriever.