Thankfully, Olivia was savvy enough to realize his head—not to mention his heart—wasn’t in the game. Hadn’t stopped her from wiping the floor with him in pool, but he figured he’d deserved that.
The music and laughter faded a little as he stepped into the narrow hallway leading to the restrooms and the door to the back parking lot. He felt like a stalker, lurking outside the women’s restroom. More so when Debbie stepped into the darkened hall and gave a startled gasp. “Drew!” Her blue eyes grew even wider when he took her hand and led the way out back. “What are you doing?”
The cool night air and silence was a relief from the crowded bar, and he pulled in a deep breath. A few lights along the back of the lot illuminated the cars, but moonlight provided most of the glow. Debbie’s eyes glittered like jewels and her hair looked more silver than gold, but still as soft as ever cascading over her shoulders. She hadn’t dressed up for the evening—something that pleased him probably more than it should—but she still looked amazing to him in faded jeans and a long-sleeved turquoise sweater.
“I wanted to talk to you. To see if you’re okay.”
He’d never had a one-night stand and wasn’t the type of guy to sleep with a woman and then walk away without a backward glance. Not that he had been the one to walk away.
Debbie had.
She reacted to his concern as if he’d accused her of some kind of weakness, drawing her shoulders back and lifting her head. “I’m fine. I just—didn’t expect to see you until—”
“Next week,” he finished, trying to ignore the annoyance still buzzing like a relentless mosquito inside him at the memory of the note she’d left behind.
She cleared her throat. “Right. Next week. But since you’re here, there are some things we didn’t have a chance to talk about after last night.”
“The way I remember it, we didn’t talk at all.”
Her gaze quickly cut away from his. Was she simply embarrassed, or could he hope that she regretted sneaking out the way she had? “Yes, well, I didn’t think this conversation would be necessary, but now—” She waved a hand in an all-encompassing gesture. “Obviously it is.”
Since Drew didn’t find anything obvious about the whole conversation, he asked, “What exactly is it that we need to talk about?”
Debbie took a deep breath. “Seeing other people.”
Her words his like a sucker punch to his gut. That was what Debbie wanted to discuss? She wanted to see other people? He’d convinced himself she wasn’t really interested in Ryder. That she couldn’t be—not after the night the two of them had shared. It was the only way he’d kept from decking the guy when he’d seen his newest employee sitting next to Debbie.
Had he just been fooling himself in thinking the date had been a harmless setup by his sister? Fooling himself in thinking that giving Debbie what she wanted—a no-strings affair—would eventually lead her to realize she wanted more?
“If this is going to work,” she continued, “we need to have some—ground rules.”
Rules. Probably something along the line of Drew not punching the other guy in the face. Uncurling the fists he’d unconsciously made, he said, “Go on.”
“As long as we’re—together, I expect us to be monogamous.” Finishing in a rush, she added, “I don’t see how this can work if that’s going to be a problem for you.”
Relief washed over him, draining away the tension before a feeling of irritation crept in. “For me? You’re the one bringing up the idea of seeing other people in the first place!”
“And you’re the one who’s here with Olivia!” she shot back.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he met her angry gaze and tried to hide a smile. If she was as pissed off about seeing him with Olivia as he’d been about seeing her with Ryder—somehow that made his own anger and jealousy drain away. Looked as though Debbie was going to be the first to tie some strings around their no-strings affair. That worked perfectly for Drew, who already felt so tangled up in knots about the woman in front of him he didn’t think he’d ever work his way free.
Still, he had to point out, “The chair next to you wasn’t exactly empty, sweetheart.”
She had the grace to duck her head, and some of the tension eased from her shoulders. “It’s not like I’m here with Ryder. I’d already agreed to go out tonight before your sister sprung the news on me that he’d be here, too.”
“I know. She set both of us up.”
“So you already knew I’d be here tonight?”
“Why do you think I came? And don’t say because of Olivia. Nice as she is, she’s not the woman I want, and I don’t want to wait until next weekend to have you in my arms again.”
For a split second, he thought she might argue, but instead she breathlessly asked, “What about your family?”
“We’ll tell them we both have early mornings and need to head out.”
When they went back inside, though, their excuses were barely needed. Only Kara and Sophia were still sitting at the table, and Debbie had just made note of the time when Sophia exclaimed, “Oh, you’re right! It is getting late, isn’t it? We’re all about ready to head out, too.” She glanced over at Kara, who quickly nodded in agreement as Sophia reached for her purse beneath the table. “Drew, you wouldn’t mind walking Debbie home, would you?”
Narrowing his eyes, he looked at his sister, who gazed back—all wide-eyed and innocent. Yeah, right... Still, he knew better than to look a perfect excuse in the mouth. “Of course I will.”
“Um, what about—” Debbie glanced toward Ryder’s empty chair.
“Olivia and Ryder challenged Jake and Sam to one last game of pool before we go,” Kara explained.
“Don’t worry. We’ll let them know you two had to head out early.”
“Thanks, Sophia.”
“Oh, sure!” His little sister flashed a wink his way. “Told you tonight would be fun.”
He had a feeling Sophia was enjoying herself a little too much. Still, if she had figured out what was going on between him and Debbie, it felt good to know she was on his side. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Thanks again.”
Catching his arm before he could pull away, she was still smiling as she said, “She’s my best friend. Break her heart, and I break you.”
He managed a smile of his own, his teasing words all too serious as he asked, “What happens if she breaks mine?”
Chapter Ten
Debbie cut the engine on her small VW but hesitated in getting out of the car and entering the Pirellis’ large farmhouse. Terra-cotta flowerpots filled with bright-faced pansies and purple snapdragons marked each step on the way up to the wraparound porch, and a fall-inspired wreath made of silk mums and decorated with miniature pumpkins added a splash of red and gold and orange to the front door. The place looked as homey and welcoming as ever, and it was ridiculous to feel nervous.
She couldn’t count the number of times she’d been invited over for dinners, birthdays and holidays. But tonight was different. Tonight she worried Drew’s parents were going to take one look at her and know what had happened between her and their middle son at the hotel in Redfield...and at her place the weekend before.
When she’d entered into this secret affair with Drew, she’d never imagined inviting him back to her apartment. Bad enough he already haunted her thoughts when she lay in her bed alone. How would she ever sleep again once she’d experienced sleeping there with him beside her? But from the moment Drew admitted he couldn’t wait to have her in his arms again, she hadn’t been thinking.
The walk from the bar had seemed to take forever, and the back door of the bakery had barely closed before Drew reached for her. Unlike at the hotel when he’d seduced and romanced her, giving, taking and teasing, that night his kisses had demanded. He’d left her desperate and wanti
ng, begging for more, and she’d been the one to lead them to the narrow staircase to her small apartment. Their clothes had littered every other step along the way, and they’d barely made it to the bed before he was inside her....
She didn’t know how she could look at him without every heated memory reflecting on her face, and she already regretted agreeing to come. Sophia had been way too persuasive and she— Well, she hadn’t been able to think of an adequate excuse for skipping—other than blurting out the news that she was sleeping with her friend’s brother.
So now she was sitting in her car in front of Drew’s parents’ house, feeling as guilty and self-conscious as if the two of them had been caught making out in the backseat.
“You’re being ridiculous,” she scolded herself. And despite her fears, a glance in the rearview mirror proved that her attraction to Drew wasn’t written all over her face.
She could do this.
“Debbie! Good, you’re here!” Sophia greeted her as she opened the front door to Debbie’s knock. “And you brought dessert!”
“What else?” she asked somewhat wryly as she balanced the cake box in one hand.
“I’ll take this to the kitchen. We’re about ready to eat.”
“Am I late?” she asked as Sophia led the way through the living room that held the same slightly worn and comfortable couches and chairs from her last visit, but the family portrait above the fireplace was new. The previous photo had been taken a few years ago. The updated one included the newest members of the family—Jake, Darcy, Kara and Sam’s son, Timmy.
Drew’s image smiled out from behind the glass, and Debbie wondered if it was only her imagination that his expression seemed a little wry. Last man standing. The picture seemed to emphasize the teasing comment she’d heard at Nick’s wedding as Drew was the only unattached member of his family.
Saving the best for last, she thought with a small smile of her own.
“No, you’re right on time. But you know how it is around here.” Sophia rolled her eyes. “The guys are always starving.”
With a nod toward the formal dining room, Sophia said, “Go ahead and have a seat. My mom’s got everything under control in the kitchen.”
“Are you sure I can’t help?”
Vanessa Pirelli stepped through the swinging door from the kitchen in time to hear Debbie’s question. She held a large pan of bubbling, mouthwatering lasagna in her oven-mitted hands. The scent of oregano, garlic, basil, rich tomato sauce and decadent cheese filled the air. “Sophia’s right. I’ve got this, and you know what they say about too many cooks spoiling the lasagna.”
“I don’t think anything could spoil your lasagna, Vanessa.”
“Hmm, except maybe your chocolate cake. This group would just as soon eat dessert first.”
On those words, an echo from the night at the hotel, Debbie stepped into the dining room. Her gaze immediately locked on Drew. He was helping his dad move dishes around on the table—one holding steaming garlic bread, another a tossed salad and smaller bowls filled with dressing, croutons and grated parmesan cheese—to make way for the main dish. At his mother’s statement, he looked up and the subtle grin he shot her was enough to weaken her knees.
“Have a seat, Debbie. There’s a spot for you right beside Drew.”
He rolled his eyes at his mother’s pleased statement even as he pulled out the chair. Debbie fought a smile and shot him a warning look as she sat down. His grin only widened in response. Bending low as she slid her chair closer to the table, he whispered, “Try to keep your hands to yourself this time.”
“You started it,” she retorted with a benign grin.
A shiver raced down her spine when his heated, sidelong glance reminded her just how well he’d finished what he’d started, too.
Pirelli family dinners had always been crowded, noisy affairs, and that was before adding Jake, Darcy, Kara and Timmy to the mix. The result was a constant passing of food and a half a dozen conversations taking place at once. It was completely different from the quiet meals she used to share with her mother at their round, two-person table. As much as she missed her mother, Debbie loved the laughter and chaos of the big group.
Vince Pirelli, an older, heavier version of his dark-haired sons, kept up a running dialogue about sports with the guys while fielding “guess what, Grandpa?” questions from Timmy, most of which revolved around the boy’s love of dinosaurs and his excitement over his Halloween costume and trick-or-treating the next weekend.
Vanessa, meanwhile, engaged the rest of the table with updates on out-of-town relatives as well as local news. “I heard Anne Novak is moving to Colorado to be with her family,” she said to Debbie as she passed the garlic bread.
Debbie nodded. Anne had been her “neighbor” for the past few years, running a used bookstore in the space beside the bakery. “She’s so excited to be closer to her grandkids.”
“I’m sure she is. Still, I know you’re going to miss her.”
“I will. She’s been a good friend, and I enjoyed having the bookstore next door. I hope another business moves in soon.”
“Oh, wouldn’t it be great if a clothing boutique moved in?” Darcy asked.
“Right. Because it’s not like you don’t already have enough clothes,” Nick said to his fashionable wife.
“Daddy, you can never have enough clothes,” his eight-year-old daughter, Maddie, chimed in.
The laugher almost drowned out Nick’s groan.
After a few minutes of the women debating what other new businesses they’d like to see, Drew said, “I think you should take over the space, Debbie.”
Barely managing to swallow a bite of lasagna without choking, she sputtered, “Me?”
“Sure. Think of how you could branch out and do so much more with the extra space—add some sandwiches and salads to the menu. You could turn the bakery into a café.”
Debbie caught her breath at the unexpected suggestion. Pressure built in her chest at his words, along with the sting of tears behind her eyes, and she didn’t even know why. Okay, so years ago she’d had hopes of going to culinary school and opening a restaurant. For Drew to bring up that long-denied dream now, well, it hurt.
She felt as though he’d dismissed the past four years she’d spent working to make the bakery a success. The hard work she’d done to forget that she’d once wanted something bigger than the bakery.... But that was before the heartbreaking reality of her mother’s illness had crashed down on the both of them.
Her voice sharpened by the jagged memories, she echoed, “More than the bakery? Because you don’t think that’s enough?”
His eyebrows rose slightly at her tone, but his voice was calm as he asked, “I don’t know, Debbie. Is it?”
It had to be enough, because what else was there? She couldn’t turn her back on the bakery any more than she could have turned her back on her mother to follow her own dreams.
“The bakery is more than enough to keep me busy, and speaking of which—” she pushed back her chair and glanced around the table “—is everyone ready for dessert? I brought everyone’s favorite—double chocolate!”
A loud cheer went up, lead mostly by Sam’s four-year-old, Timmy, who started a chant of, “Cake, cake, cake!”
Standing, she turned toward the kitchen, relief inching through her as she thought she might make good on her escape. But Drew, ever the gentleman, stood as well, effectively blocking her exit.
“Debbie...” He placed a hand on her arm, and something about the look in his dark eyes grabbed hold of her heart and wouldn’t let go....
But she still pulled away from his touch and brightly promised, “I’ll be right back with that cake!”
* * *
“So was it my imagination, or did I see some sparks flying?” Sam asked Drew. After dinner and dess
ert, the guys had split off on one side of the living room with the women on the other as Darcy regaled them with her tales of love at first sight—for every shoe store and ultrachic boutique she’d set foot in during the trip to Paris. She’d also brought back gifts for her friends, and they were all currently oohing and aahing over the silver frame she’d given to Sophia with her soon-to-arrive baby in mind.
“Sparks?” Drew echoed, his gaze automatically shifting toward Debbie. She was laughing at Darcy’s effusive storytelling, looking happy and relaxed with no sign of the tension twisting between them earlier.
It had been a mistake to push. He’d known that as soon as he’d opened his mouth. Debbie had a stubborn streak to go along with her independence, and there was no way he could force her in a direction she didn’t want to go. Which should have kept him from talking to her in front of his entire family. He didn’t know why he’d tried except that it still bothered him that he’d never questioned her reasons for not changing the bakery. Never wondered if stepping into her mother’s footsteps was enough to make her happy.
“You and Olivia.”
Drew barely stopped himself from repeating the woman’s name. If he kept mindlessly echoing everything his brothers said, they were bound to notice. But his distraction wasn’t thanks to Kara’s best friend.
“Sam says you went to dinner together when she was here in town.”
Olivia had gone back to San Diego, but Nick was clearly getting caught up on what had been happening while he was on his honeymoon. “A whole group of us went out to dinner. It wasn’t a date.”
“It could have been if you’d ask her out after that,” Sam pointed out. “I gotta say, no one thought you’d be the last of us to get married.”
“That’s because no one ever thought you’d get married at all.”
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