The Secret Ingredient (A Place to Call Home Book 2)

by Laura Browning

  Jared cleared his throat. “We love you, Aunt Becca, and we’re not letting anybody push you around.”

  She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “You all are the best.”

  Chapter 16

  Eli’s reluctance to leave her alone in the building led to a heated discussion. While Bash watched television in her upstairs apartment, Eli and Becca argued about her safety downstairs. But the bottom line for her was she refused to let his ex-wife intimidate her, and she also refused to have Eli and Bash spend the night before they were married.

  “We can push things only so far, Eli.”

  “Then come stay at my house.”

  “No. Same thing, different location. I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t like it. Can we get married tomorrow?”

  Becca had been ready to fire back another reason he should go home. Instead she started giggling helplessly. “Oh, Eli. If we even dared to do that, it wouldn’t be Heather we’d have to worry about. Your parents and my family would kill us.”

  “Then promise me you’ll lock up and set the alarm just as soon as Bash and I get out the door.”

  “I promise.”

  The fact that he watched to make sure she did bothered her not at all. In fact, it made her feel just a little warm and melty.

  Becca was able to open the following morning without a hitch. If she hadn’t seen the carnage in her kitchen for herself, it would have been easy to think nothing had ever happened. But she had seen it. And in the back of her mind, she knew Heather wasn’t done. Not only hadn’t she gotten the money she was after, but now she had a vendetta. Becca wasn’t letting her guard down.

  After closing that afternoon, she called her brother, Luke, and dropped by his office. With twelve years between them, she wasn’t nearly as close to him as she was to the twins or even Jake, so she wasn’t at all certain what his reaction would be to everything that was going on.

  He came out to the lobby to get her, still dressed in scrubs. When she eyed his attire and raised her eyebrows, he laughed. “Sorry, it’s this month’s spay and neuter day, so I’ve spent the morning and afternoon in surgery.”

  Becca held up her hand. “No details, please.”

  “Come back to my office. I’ve got a few minutes then I’ve got to meet Mandy Brown.”

  “The reporter? Is she doing a story on you?”

  “Hell no. I’m pulling Coggins Tests on her horses.”

  Becca laughed. “Working for the county newspaper must pay more than it used to if she can afford even one horse, let alone multiples.”

  Luke shut the door to his office. “Have a seat. It’s Amanda Brown as in Brown Security, the little decal that I’m sure is on your door as well as mine and every other business around.”

  “Ohhh. So the newspaper job’s not really a necessity.”

  Luke shrugged. “People have different reasons for working. I’m sure Mandy has hers. So what’s up?”

  Becca shifted uncomfortably, but there really was no way to make all this sound all right. “Did Jared tell you about what happened?”

  “Yeah. Sounds like Eli’s ex is one sick lady.”

  “Well it’s not the only thing she’s done. Caleb and Jake already know about this, but I want you to as well...just in case. Heather somehow got photos of Eli and me...”

  “Shit.” Luke held up his hand. “I really don’t think I need to know this.”

  Becca gripped her knees. “Yes. You do. She’s threatened to send them to my family if Eli and I don’t break things off, or if Eli doesn’t send her money. Well, we’re not breaking things off, and he’s not sending her money. So...”

  “There’s a chance I’m going to get mail. Just how compromising are these photos?”

  “Very.”

  “I’ll let Rachel know so we make sure neither Jared nor Emma accidentally open them. I’ll also alert the office staff.” He sighed. “Are you all right, honey?”

  Becca clamped down on the slight tremble in her lip. “Yes. Jake’s putting out a lot of feelers, so he’s hoping to get some leads on where she might be.”

  “Maybe she’ll give up since you apparently almost caught her in the act.”

  Becca smiled. “I hope so. And Luke?”

  “What?”

  “Thanks for being so cool about all this.”

  He chuckled. “I just figure it’s your turn.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He leaned back. “You see us all—family and friends—and see the end result, but I can tell you right now that from Stoner on down to Jake, we’ve all been through the ringer the last few years when it comes to love and family. But in the end? It was all worth it.”

  “I hope it holds true.”

  “It will. Have faith. Now, unless you want to watch me strip down and change into my farm call clothes...”

  “I’m outta here.”

  Eli called her just as she pulled her SUV in back of the building.

  “Hey, baby. Caleb wants us to take a look at the building he’s thinking about for his sports bar. You up for it?”

  “Sure. When?”

  “Now. Where are you?”

  “I just got back from talking to Luke.”

  “And how’d that go?”

  Becca smiled. “He was really cool about it.”

  “Caleb said he’d swing by in about five and we can both ride with him.”

  “I’ll be right over.”

  * * * *

  Eli looked around the kitchen and poked his head back into the main area of the building Caleb was looking at. “How much food you planning on serving?”

  “About half my revenue’s got to come from food, bro, to get the liquor license.” Caleb jammed his hands in his pockets.

  Eli nodded. “I’d expand your food storage then. What do you think, Becca?”

  “I’d have to agree. I think your cooking and prep areas are just fine, but the walk-in needs replacing with something bigger and newer. Have you thought about a menu?”

  “A lot of snacks, maybe some sandwiches. I’m not looking to compete with you, Eli. I want this to be a sports bar. The focus will be on games and television, a place where guys...and girls...can go to watch their favorite teams in an atmosphere where they can have a drink or two, eat a burger or some wings...that kind of thing.”

  Eli nodded. “Then I agree with Becca. Your cooking and prep areas are fine, but you need the walk-in and freezer space.”

  As they looked around the open space, Becca said, “You know you’re going to get some opposition?”

  “I know. At least I’m not battling the whole idea of liquor by the drink. That war’s already been won.”

  “So, I have to ask, Caleb. Eli and I both had our own reasons for coming back. Why are you here?”

  Her brother’s gaze shifted away. “Maybe I’m just sick of the sand and the surf.”

  “This is us, Caleb.”

  Her brother sighed, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. With the ease of someone who’d done it often, he extracted a picture and handed it to Becca. “Meet Lee Jones.”

  Becca looked at the girl with her black and white hair and heavy makeup. Eli looked over her shoulder and snorted. “The one who left.”

  “What?” Becca said. “What do you mean left?”

  Caleb took the picture back, put it carefully back in his wallet, his mouth a tight line. “It was just supposed to be a casual hookup. The problem is, I can’t seem to forget her, and I haven’t been able to find her. So...I’m back, hoping I’ll have better luck if I’m here. Besides, I can build something of my own here, no partnership. I’ll live or die on my decisions alone.”

  Becca nodded. “I understand that. I guess we both do. But what do you mean about having better luck if you’re back here?”

  “I met her after Jake and Holly’s wedding. But the name must have been a fake.” Caleb shrugged. “I know I need to just move on, and I guess I hope it will be easier back here where I grew up. L
ook, I’m going to be pretty busy getting this place up and running, but if you guys need me for anything...”

  “We know how to find you,” Eli finished.

  * * * *

  Eli accepted Becca’s invitation to dinner. As they fixed stir-fry and rice, he said, “I want us to go ahead and set a date, Becky.”

  “For a wedding?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, unless you had something else in mind. Let’s set a date and get it in the paper. Make it official. I don’t want to sit around waiting for something else to happen.”

  He held his breath, surprised at the nerves making his heart pound as he waited for her reply. When he didn’t get one, he stopped chopping vegetables and looked over to the stove. Her shoulders were shaking. Shit! She was crying.”

  “Becky...if you’re not ready...”

  She spun around, tears running down her cheeks and a huge grin on her face. “I’m ready. I’ve been ready since I was twelve, I think.”

  Eli laughed. “Could you make that fourteen? As I recall, at twelve you were still flat-chested with hips like your brothers.”

  She smirked. “I was old enough to notice you had a lot going on.” Her eyes dropped meaningfully.

  Eli felt his face flame at the same time his cock swelled. Damn this woman would be the death of him. “So? A date?”

  “End of September?”

  Eli grinned. “After the summer tourists and before the leaves bring in the fall ones?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You are a woman after my own heart. Always thinking of the bottom line.”

  She twined her arms around his waist and leaned into him. “Right now I’d like to think about dinner.”

  Eli grinned. “All right. And after dinner?”

  “I’d like to think about some after dinner drinks.”

  He arched a brow. “Really? What kind?”

  “How about some body shots?”

  Eli groaned. “Can we skip dinner and go straight to the drinks?”

  Becca swatted his butt. “No. I’m hungry. You’ll just have to wait, but I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Eli shifted uncomfortably the whole time they ate, wondering just how soon he might be able to get both of them out of their clothes. Becca, it seemed, was doing her best to tease him too, leaning over to grab the salt or pepper and giving him an eyeful of creamy cleavage. By the time the dishes were washed and she was bending over to get out the tequila, he was shoving her skirt up and her panties down.

  “Eli!”

  “I’m desperate. Can the liquor wait for the next round?”

  She glanced over her shoulder with a smile that told him everything he needed to know. It took him seconds to strip off her clothes. “Can you make it to the bedroom?” she purred.

  “Hell no.” He dropped his pants and his boxers and yanked his shirt over his head. “Right here. Right now.”

  Becca laughed. “Well, all right.”

  Eli whipped the chair around he’d bent her over before and dropped onto it, pulling her down to straddle him. “No waiting,” he growled.

  Becca smiled, lifting her hips enough so he could guide himself inside her. As their bodies moved together, he studied her in the dim light. Her skin glowed, her dark hair rippling around her flushed face and down over her shoulder. She caught him staring and laughed softly. It was such an earthy, sexy sound. Eli cupped her breasts and leaned forward to bury his face in the lush silkiness.

  At the rate they were going, neither one of them was going to last very long. Eli slipped a hand between them, leaning back so he could watch her face again as he caressed her. Becca’s head fell back, her hips arching into him and her body tightening on his. He gritted his teeth, forcing back the urge to come, but as she pulsed around him, his climax surged.

  “Let me pull out,” he growled, but Becca was too far gone. Bracketing her hips, he lifted her away just as his climax hit. “Becky!”

  They lay against each other, both panting and out of breath. Eli smoothed his hands along the length of her back, felt her lips caress the line of his jaw. “I love you,” she whispered. “If I didn’t want my parents and Noah to be able to be here, I’d marry you tomorrow. You know that, don’t you?”

  He closed his eyes, feeling the weight and the warmth of her straight through to his heart. “I know, baby.”

  They took the liquor with them to the bedroom, laughing like kids as they attempted to drink and lick shots from each other, but keeping in mind that they both had to get up early, Eli set the bottle aside and simply pulled Becca into his arms.

  “I can’t wait until I can sleep with you in my arms every night all night.”

  * * * *

  Friday, they waved Eli’s parents off on vacation. Jane and George were headed to New York for a week to sightsee and take in a couple of shows. Becca and Eli had already worked things out between the two of them to keep an eye on Bash. After closing Saturday, they piled into Becca’s SUV and went out to Eli’s parents’ house so they could play in the pool.

  “Becca Mama!” Bash called. “Watch this!”

  She clapped as he jumped off the diving board and executed a pretty passable cannonball. When Eli followed with a wicked grin on his face, Becca scrambled to her feet.

  “Eli,” she called warningly. “Don’t you....ah!”

  The splash from him hitting the water sent a plume of spray into the air for what seemed like forever, drenching her, Bash, and most of the pool deck. Bash erupted into uncontrollable fits of laughter, and the only reaction to the scowl she gave Eli was a grin from him that showed off his dimples. When he hauled himself out of the pool and approached her, Becca saw the predatory gleam in his eye.

  “Truce,” she gasped with a laugh and melted into his arms.

  “Ah, Becca. I wish we could stay here all night, but I need to get you and Bash home. It’s way past your bedtimes.”

  She kissed him, feeling such a wave of contentment it would be easy to forget their lives weren’t perfect.

  Right after she stepped out of the shower the next morning, her phone chirped. Becca hurried to answer it, not at all relieved when she saw it was Eli. Getting up this early wasn’t the norm for him.

  “Eli? What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I need to bring Bash by,” he said without preamble. “Can you keep him for a day...maybe two?”

  “Sure.” She brushed her damp hair back off her face. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s my restaurant on the Outer Banks. A fire.”

  “Heather?” Becca whispered.

  “We don’t know yet. The fire marshal’s got to get in there, but my partner says the damage could have been a whole lot worse. It’s primarily confined to one corner of the building. Still...” Eli heaved a sigh. “I hate to leave you.”

  “No. No, it’s all right. You need to be there. I’ll keep Bash, and if I need any extra help, there are plenty of built-in babysitters between family and friends.”

  He laughed softly. “Now do you see why I always envied your family?”

  “Oh, honey. They’re your family too. Bring Bash on over. He can sleep in my bed for a few more hours, then Jared and I will turn him into kitchen help.”

  She waited for them at the front door, following Eli as he carried his sleeping son up the staircase and down the hall to her bedroom. Once Bash was tucked in, Eli straightened, tucking his shirt into his jeans again. Becca closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

  He rested his cheek against her hair. “You don’t know what this means to know I can leave him with you, that I don’t have to worry about him while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll take good care of him, Eli. You do what you need to get done. We’ll be fine.”

  He kissed her hard. “I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”

  “Have you told your parents yet?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll contact them later today once I know more. Once t
he fire marshal’s been and we’ve talked to the insurance adjustors, I should be able to get back.” He sighed again. “I just don’t know how long that might be.”

  She touched his cheek. “You are not to worry about it or us. Bash and I will be fine.”

  He kissed her again and was gone.

  Chapter 17

  Eli wasn’t sure what he expected. Sean’s call had been hurried without a lot of details. His fear was he would arrive and find at least one part of the building nothing but charred ashes. After turning off the bridge to the island and down the street where the restaurant stood, he was relieved to find the building not only still standing, but largely undamaged...at least from the outside.

  Crime scene tape cordoned off the area, with notices prominently posted warning people to stay out by order of the fire marshal. As soon as Eli spotted his partner talking with a man dressed in jeans and construction boots at the far corner, he ducked under the tape and called out a greeting. Sean waved.

  “Eli! Glad you could get here so fast.”

  He shook hands then braced his on his hips as he surveyed the damage. “I have to tell you, I expected a whole lot worse.”

  The fire marshal, a man probably somewhere in his mid-forties nodded. “You were lucky. Your arsonist set the blaze in the women’s rest room. In addition to being an area with a lot of inherent flame retarding qualities, chances are most of the fuel was damp—paper towels, that sort of thing—so not only did it take a while to get going, it was slow to move beyond the trash receptacle.”

  Thinking of Heather’s spitefulness, Eli asked, “Do you have any suspects yet?”

  “Not anything definite. We’re gathering information. Your partner tells me your ex-wife has been hassling you?”

  “Yeah. She’s got a file at the local police station, but I can give you some additional information if you need it.”

  “We will.”

  Eli glanced at Sean. “How soon can you get a crew in?”

  “We’re going to have to wait on the insurance investigator before we can do anything. And I hate like hell to tell you this, but Eli, you’re going to have to be here.”