“Wait a minute, you haven’t even thought about it.”
“I don’t need to think about it. Look, I appreciate you thinking of me, but there’s no way I’m going to impose myself on your family and cause any more trouble. You and I both know Cade doesn’t want me there.”
She heard Lily sigh on the other end of the phone. “And I also know you’re in love with him.”
“So?”
“So, are you giving up so easily? You must not love him enough to fight for him. But if it was as amazing being with him as you said, then I’d say he was worth one more try. He’s a good guy and you brought him out of his heartache, Harper. You ended his grieving, and that’s really something.”
“He hates me, Lily.”
“You know what they say. There’s a fine line between love and hate.”
“That’s a cliché and doesn’t pertain to me.”
“Still, clichés exist for a reason. And I say it does pertain to you. It’s a chance to take on a challenge, both in the kitchen and out. We have two weeks to prep. One hundred fifty guests to feed and you’ll have to be here to set up the menu with my mother, to train your team. We’ve got a cozy guesthouse on the property you can stay at while you prep. And you’ll be making a name for yourself as an accomplished chef. Doesn’t that sound perfect?”
“It would be if...”
“If what?”
“I’ll do it only if Cade agrees. I’m not going to spring this on him. Everything has to be cleared by Cade or I won’t come.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Lily said.
“No, Lily, I’ll speak with him. That’s if he’ll get on the phone with me. After all, I’m the one who got in this mess, so it’s up to me to make things right. Or as right as they can be, under the circumstances.”
“Okay, I think that’s fair. You’ve got the job, if Cade agrees.”
“Thanks, Lily.” She hung up the phone and closed her eyes. If she was going to do this, it had to be now. Otherwise, she might just chicken out.
She immediately texted Cade. Hi Cade, it’s Harper. I’d like to speak with you on the phone. Is it okay for me to call you? Please.
Now the ball was in his court. All she had to do was wait for him to reply.
Or not.
* * *
Cade sat in the game room in his favorite suede chair, fully focused on the television screen as he sipped bourbon straight up. One Last Date was an idiot concept, and he’d often wondered about the people who actually went on that show. Granted, he’d never once tuned in before, and he was surprised at the occupations of the contestants. There were attorneys, nurses, stockbrokers and chefs.
He sat mesmerized watching the women—well, one woman—in her quest for love. Pretty curly-blond-haired Harper Dawn seemed to be the fan favorite, and he could hardly believe she was the same woman he’d spent time with at Bright Landing. The transformation blew his mind, and it had taken him a few episodes to actually believe that Dawn didn’t exist—never existed. Harper was a completely different woman. She had paired up nicely with Chef Dale Murphy. Both shared a love of food, cooking and entertaining. They looked good together.
Cade fast-forwarded their kissing scenes, barely able to watch further. But he persisted as Harper looked straight into the camera, giving her testimonial about what she wanted in a man. About her feelings for Dale. But there was something missing in her speech. And as Cade continued watching episode after episode, he began to notice little things about Dale Murphy, culinary chef. He spoke to Harper constantly about opening a restaurant together, about how they made a good team, but on their cooking dates, Dale would question Harper’s judgment and give her backhanded compliments. It was apparent he was trying to make himself look the more competent chef by his subtle innuendo.
The more Cade saw, the more he thought the guy an egotistical jerk.
“Cade, are you in here?” His mother, Rose, walked into the room, and he immediately paused the show.
“Yep, I’m in here.”
He sipped his drink and looked up at her, caught in the act.
“Bingeing on something?” she asked, taking the seat next to him.
It was obvious he was. “Just trying to keep up on the times.”
“By watching One Last Date?”
“It’s must-see television.”
“You’re watching Harper, trying to make sense of all this.”
“Mom, what kind of woman goes on a reality dating show to find love?”
“Someone who’s ready for love, I suppose.”
He shook his head. “I don’t get it. Dawn—I mean, Harper—was a different person than I’m seeing here. I’m not sure which one she is. I don’t know her at all. And the lies she told, the whole deception, I’m sorry, but I can’t help but compare her to Bree. Bree never would’ve done anything like that to me. Heck, not even Madeline would’ve done something like this.” Madeline was an old girlfriend, someone he’d dated for an entire year before he met Bree.
His mother took his hand. “Cade, in your mind Bree was perfect. She was a saint compared to other women, but she was rare. Not everyone can be that perfect. You shouldn’t measure all women against Bree’s memory. People make mistakes, especially when they’re backed into a corner. And I hate to see you give up on someone you obviously care about because of her mistakes. And mine. And Lily’s. Try to remember that as you finish watching these episodes. Keep an open mind, son. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot.”
“Dad would say that.” He smiled.
“And where do you think he got it from?” His mom squeezed his hand and rose from the seat. “Love you, Cade.”
He nodded, his heart warming. “Love you, too, Mom.”
And an hour later, he was still watching the show, having reached episode seven, when his cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. It was Harper. His eye began to twitch. He never thought she’d contact him. He had mixed feelings about reading the text, but his curiosity got the better of him. He opened the text, scanning it quickly. She asked if she could speak with him, if she could call him. He wrote back. It’s late. Maybe tomorrow. His finger was on the send button, and he stared at his curt reply. No sense being a jerk about it. He erased it and wrote instead, We can talk tomorrow, okay?
She returned the message immediately. Okay, thanks!
Cade’s gut clenched. He had no idea what she wanted, and that put him on edge. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to agree. Did he really want to speak with Harper? He wasn’t sure. She was all he would think about when he let down his guard.
Folding his arms across his chest, he hunkered down into the cushions of the chair, determined to watch One Last Date to the bitter end. He didn’t think he’d get much sleep tonight, anyway. Not with thoughts of Harper Dawn invading his head.
* * *
“Honey, it’s good to see you cooking again. Are you experimenting with a new dish for your cookbook?”
“I am, Mom.” Harper was at the stove, putting together an egg-white scramble, a healthy alternative for breakfast. “I’ve decided to take hold of my life again. What do you think of Healthy and Hearty with Harper for the title of my cookbook?”
“I think it’s wonderful.”
“It’s pretty catchy, right? I’m going to dedicate it to you and Dad if the publisher offers me a contract.” So far, she’d only gotten offers to do a tell-all book about her time on One Last Date. That was so not happening.
“That’s sweet, honey. Your dad and I will be honored. And it’s not if, but when it gets published.”
“You have such faith in me. I wish I felt that confident.”
“Give yourself some time. This whole ordeal has you rattled. But I think it’ll work out in the long run. You’re talented, Harper.”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”
“Lov
e you right back.”
An hour later, Harper paced back and forth in her bedroom. Her mother had kept her room pretty much intact from when she lived here. She loved the warmth and coziness that still remained, the thick lavender comforter, the pillows in the shape of hearts, the posters of a younger Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts on the walls. Whenever she came to visit, it was always a comfort to sleep in her old room.
She glanced out the window. The time for stalling was over. She needed to call Cade, and her future could very well be in the balance. She dialed his phone number and waited. It rang, two, three, four times, and just when she thought it was going to voice mail, he picked up. “Hello.”
“Hi, it’s me,” she said.
“Which me is it?” he asked.
Oh boy, he wasn’t going to make this easy.
“It’s Harper. The same person you know, except by a different name.”
“I doubt that, but go on.”
She counted to three before answering. At least he hadn’t hung up on her. That was encouraging. What wasn’t encouraging was the way her heart pounded and her stomach churned just hearing his deep, masculine voice. It did things to her. Reminded her of happier times.
“How are you, Cade?”
“Fine. Perfect.”
He didn’t ask how she was, and that should tell her something. “I, uh, that’s good to hear. Are you busy? Because I can call you later if you are.”
“Harper.” He always seemed to say her name with contempt, or was she reading too much into it? “Say what you have to say.”
“Okay, well, you know how sorry I am about the way things turned out. And I don’t suppose you want to see me and I’m not asking for that. But what I am asking for is a chance to help out your family and try to get my reputation back as a chef. Right now, because of the scandal, I haven’t been working. I, uh, quit my job to go on the show, and I’m not sure restaurants are going to hire a chef that comes with so much controversy. And, well, since Lily is in a bind to find someone to prepare your mom’s birthday meal, she asked me to do it. But,” she rushed out, “I will only take the job if it’s okay with you. I mean, you wouldn’t have to see me. I promise to steer clear of you. I’ll be working hard prepping the meals and training the crew. I told Lily it all depends on what you say.”
“So, let me get this right. You’re asking my permission to come here as a chef and work my mother’s birthday bash.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
She heard him sigh into the phone. There was a long pause. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
Tears welled in her eyes, not from losing the job, but because Cade hated her so much he really wanted nothing more to do with her. “I...understand. Well, then there’s not much else to—”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea, but yeah. I won’t stand in your way if you want the job.”
“So, I have your blessing?”
“Hardly that. But Mom needs a chef and you need the work.”
“I’ll take that.” Her spirits lifted. “Thank you, Cade.”
He remained quiet, and she decided to end the call before he changed his mind.
“Bye, Cade.” Gently, she hung up the phone and fist-pumped the air several times before flopping on her bed with a big grin.
She was going to make the Tremaine party the best they’d ever had.
Even if she’d have to tiptoe around Cade the whole time she was there.
Eight
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Lily said, giving Harper a big, squeezy kind of hug. Her friend’s arms felt good around her. Harper needed to know one person was happy she was here. But she couldn’t think about Cade right now. She had one week to pull this all together.
“Lily, you’re such a great friend. I needed that kind of welcome.”
“You’re an equally good friend, and you look good.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “I don’t, but thanks for saying that.” She looked out at the view of the estate from the steps of the guesthouse. “Wow, your home is amazing. I’ve seen pictures of it, but they don’t do it justice.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before. Seems weird.”
“I know. I guess the timing was never right for me to visit.”
“Yeah, I remember how busy we both were back then. But you’re here now, and I can’t wait to show you around. But first things first. Here’s the key to the house.” Lily handed it to her.
She glanced down at the key. “What’s also weird is you’re always handing me keys to your family’s homes.”
“Nothing weird about that.”
Lily was always upbeat. It was hard not to be happy around her. Hard, but not impossible. Right now she was somewhere between nervous and excited.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
As they stepped into the house, the vibe Harper got was nothing short of perfect. It was a spacious guesthouse with a Southwestern flair, lots of windows, tall ceilings and a rock fireplace. She walked into the kitchen and smiled. It was well stocked, with long granite countertops and all the appliances, big and small, a chef would ever need. “Nice kitchen.”
“If you think this is nice, wait until you see the kitchen in the main house. It’s state-of-the-art.”
“Now you’ve got me really excited.”
“Let’s take your luggage to your room.” She grabbed one bag as Harper grabbed the other and they moved down the hallway. “Take a peek and pick whichever room you like.”
Both were pretty. One was in a neutral tone, with furnishings that would suit either a male or female guest, and the other was done in warm melon and cream tones. It was an easy choice. “I like this one.”
“Yep, that’s my favorite, too,” Lily said.
She was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thanks for all this, Lil. And for picking me up today at my apartment. You didn’t have to go so far out of your way.”
“I wanted to. Just in case any stray photographers dogged you.”
“Luckily, I think they’ve moved on. At least I hope they have ever since Dale said he’s given up on the two of us. I think he just wanted the sympathetic press to help him launch his new restaurant.”
“That sleaze.”
“I don’t blame him. I think he was convinced we would be perfect together. But unfortunately, I realized the only sparks we generated was when we were cooking in the kitchen. That was it. There was nothing real between us romantically.”
“You made the right decision, hon.”
“At least I did one thing right.” She smiled. She was not going to be Debbie Downer this week and ruin Lily’s mood.
“Well, enough talk about the past. Why don’t you settle in, and I’ll come get you, say, in two hours. We’ll have a meeting with Mom and nail down the menu. She’s anxious to see you.”
“Gosh, it’ll be good to see her, too.”
“Sounds good.”
Lily gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome to our home, Harper.”
“Thanks, Lil.”
After Lily left, Harper unpacked her bags and put her toiletries in the bathroom. She thought she was too keyed up to rest, but suddenly a bout of fatigue hit her. She took off her clothes, put on an oversize T-shirt and set her phone alarm to wake her in forty-five minutes. That should give her plenty of time to dress before meeting Rose. She lay down on the comfy queen bed and closed her eyes, managing to shove aside all of her doubts and fears about this job and this place and simply let her mind clear.
A few raps on the front door woke her from her nap. She glanced at the time on her phone—Lily was really early. “Coming,” she called out. “I’ll be right there.”
She padded to the front door and opened it. “Sorry, I thought you said two hours—”
But she didn’t finish her thought, because i
t wasn’t Lily who stood on her doorstep.
It was Cade.
“Oh, uh...” For a few seconds they just stared into each other’s eyes. Then Cade’s gaze lifted to her honey-blond hair—now back to its natural color—and the waves that swept over her shoulders. Next, he moved down to her chest, reading the words on her T-shirt: Chefs Like It Hot. His brow lifted at that and then his gaze traveled farther down to her exposed thighs. He took all of her in, his expression unreadable but for a certain gleam in his eyes.
“You look...”
Her heart pounding, her hand automatically touched the tips of her hair. “Different, I know.”
But he looked different, too. He was wearing a white dress shirt tucked into a pair of slacks—business clothes. So different from the guy who wore jeans and T-shirts all day long back at the cabin. Although, with the sleeves rolled up and his collar open, he was just as drop-dead gorgeous and sexy.
He nodded, his lips tight as if he was remembering her disguise, her lies.
“What are you doing here? I mean, you have every right to be here, since this is your house, but I never expected you to—”
“I thought it would be less weird if we saw each other in person privately first, rather than giving the family a show if we bumped into each other in front of them.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. For a second there, she’d had hope. “I see... It’s weird now, too.”
“At least we don’t have an audience.”
Because he would hate that. She was grateful that he didn’t mention One Last Date and that audience.
“I’m sorry, Cade.”
“I didn’t come here for an apology. I know you’re sorry.”
Well, that was to the point. “Would you like to come in?”
He swept his gaze over her body once again, quickly this time, and he shook his head. “No.”
But his eyes said something different. His eyes gave him away. He didn’t trust her. She knew that. But he seemed to be struggling, trying to remain distant.
“Is there anything else?”
Craving a Real Texan--A Western romance Page 12