Lucy nodded. “Our food, hearkens back to my mother, your great-grandmother. Our Louisiana roots bridge the past with the present, and bring people together.”
“Those recipes I found. Those need to be shared, too.”
“I know.” Lucy took one of Jasmine’s hands in hers. “And I need you to share them.”
Jasmine tilted her head. “Me? How?”
“I’ve placed a call to my lawyer. In the event of my death, ownership of the restaurant will immediately transfer to you.”
Jasmine set her glass back on the bar and her blood ran as cold as the ice cubes in it. “Lucy! I can’t run this restaurant. Not without you!”
Lucy patted her hand. “And you won’t have to, not for a long time, God willing. But now at least you’ll have some...what do men say...some skin in the game?” She laughed. “A reason to stay in Bay Point, even if things don’t work out with that Langston rascal.”
Jasmine enveloped her grandmother’s hands together in hers. “I don’t care about him, Lucy. All I care about is that you stay well and happy.”
“Thank you, dear. You deserve happiness, too, perhaps more than anyone.” Lucy yawned. “I think I’ll go upstairs and rest for a while.
Jasmine waited until she was through the swinging doors, then she folded her arms and laid her forehead against them on the bar.
What was she going to do? No doubt she wanted to continue to help her grandmother, but to stay in Bay Point forever? Man or no man, she didn’t think of it as home. Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever.
* * *
Jasmine swam up through a dream she knew she would never remember. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and hopped off the barstool. Glancing over, she saw Micah tapping on the front window and waving at her.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she swallowed hard in surprise. Seeing him there was better than any dream. Before she could change her mind, she walked over and unlocked the door.
“Sleeping on the job again?” he teased, walking past her.
Holding back a smile, she closed the door with her back and leaned against it.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face here, Micah. I won’t be like everyone else in this town and ask you where you’ve been. You don’t call. You don’t write.”
“I didn’t want any more hang-ups, and I don’t have your email.”
She stared at the exposed brick wall that held a framed collection of vintage advertisements.
“Excuses, excuses.”
He approached her as if to give her a hug, but she held out her hand and pushed him into the nearest blue vinyl booth.
“Hey! I came here to apologize to you.”
But she barely heard him and went on. “This is all very weird. You’re kissing me, and I’m kissing you, and we’re not talking and...”
He caught one of her flailing hands and pulled her onto his lap.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Micah placed a finger on her lips. “Shhh. Stop ranting and let me explain.”
“The day after we met at the pier, I had to fly to Portland. There was a problem with one of the refrigeration units in my restaurant and I had to go purchase a new one.”
She raised a brow. “I would think you would have someone who would do that for you.”
“I do. But Sheila, my director of operations, was at my other restaurant in New York City. I was closer, so it made sense that I fly up and take care of it myself.”
His explanation did not take away the sleepless nights and endless worrying. Still Jasmine was relieved that the reason for his disappearance had nothing to do with her.
“Let me make it up to you,” Micah cajoled.
He tried to put his arms around her, but she sprang out of his lap. The man wasn’t out of the doghouse yet.
She slid into the other side of the booth. “How?”
“My original offer is still open,” he said, folding his hands.
Jasmine leaned back against the booth. “Anything else?”
“I’ve got a few things in mind.” He grinned. “But you’ve got to accept the others first. Dinner, private lesson, winery.”
“Seems like we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
“That’s the whole point isn’t it? To see if we really like each other.”
“To see if you’ll really stick around.”
“You’re not going to let me off easy, are you?”
It was her turn to grin. She leaned over and poked him in his chest. “Not on your life, buddy.”
He caught her finger and nuzzled his lips against it. Tingles of pleasure shot rapid-fire up her arm and across her chest. She closed her eyes, and the next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers, and she was kissing him back.
For a while, Jasmine was unaware of anything but their warm, wet tongues. They kissed deeply, with the table a barrier between their bodies, but not to their heat. She fought the urge to crawl up and over the Formica and land in his lap.
She broke away, gasping, but he caught her cheeks in his hands and kissed her again.
“Does this prove how sorry I am,” he muttered. “And how much I missed you?”
Jasmine shook her head to break his kiss, afraid that Gloria or Donnie might walk in. She slipped away from the table and stood. “It’s a good start, but I have things to do to get ready for the dinner rush.”
He slouched back against the booth, watching her. “Rush? I heard that dinner was Lucy’s weakest seating.”
Something in his tone sounded accusatory, and she felt she had to protect her grandmother.
“You should know better than to listen to idle gossip.” She walked over to the window and peeked outside. “That space across the street, for example. Nobody knows what’s going in there. It’s commercial space, so obviously there will be some kind of business.”
“Any idea what kind?”
“No, but the rumors are flying. Lucy and I are hoping for a grocery store. It would be awesome to be able to walk across the street and go shopping.”
He nodded, and seemed relieved. “You’re right. I’m glad to hear that Lucy is doing well. I want you to know if there’s anything I can ever do to help, I’m here.”
Except when you’re not, she thought, wanting to believe that he was being sincere, but not ready to trust him just yet.
“Thank you. I’ll let my grandmother know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to work.”
Micah got up and sauntered over. “I’m not going anywhere until you give me your decision on my offer.”
She put her hands on her hips. “If I say yes, will you promise to leave me alone?”
“First, you want me. Then you don’t.”
She laughed at his light tone. “I guess we’re both acting fickle, aren’t we?”
“All the more reason we should spend time together and straighten each other out. Otherwise, we’ll just drive each other crazy.”
He propped his chin on one fist, and tilted his head. “Come to think of it, that might be fun.”
“Might be fun?” Jasmine play-punched him in the shoulder. “Winery, yes. Dinner, no. I’ll need plenty of notice so I can get someone to fill in for me here.”
He gave her a peck on the cheek. “We can schedule it for a day that would work for you, just let me know.”
As she locked the door behind him, she told herself that she only agreed because she wanted to show Lucy that she was learning how to cook more types of foods besides cakes and pastries. She hoped a few general lessons would also make it less daunting for her to prepare some of the more challenging family recipes.
Thinking of all the ways this date with Micah could eventually help Lucy lessened her anxiety. She knew that rushing into a relationship with him would be a mistake. She had to slow d
own things down to a simmer, and maybe, she could somehow forget just how good he made her feel.
Chapter 5
Micah walked down the steps, stopping every few moments to stretch one hamstring, and then the other, until he landed on the sand. One of the best things about his parents’ private estate was access to their own private beach.
A perpetual renter in three states, he didn’t own any residential real estate, not yet anyway. He could never decide where or what to buy, and besides, as a single guy, he didn’t need the space, nor the hassle of the upkeep, preferring to stay mobile and unencumbered.
After a few more stretches to limber up, he walked down to the shore, where the sand was packed and wet.
With the wind at his back, he set off south, toward the pier. A nice easy pace, the salt in the air tickled his nose, his mood as buoyant as his steps. He dodged tumbling waves and laughed at the sandpipers, but not at himself, not anymore.
His social life had lost its monotony, courtesy of Jasmine Kennedy, and instead of wondering what now, he was excited about what it could be.
In a few days, he and Jasmine would be spending the day together, completely alone. He couldn’t wait. Micah didn’t know if she was the one, but she was the woman he wanted to be with right now. Whenever he thought about her, he smiled and couldn’t stop.
Sure, he worried about the future, but that was restricted to his professional life. His two business partners, plus one hundred and fifty employees counted on him for their livelihoods. He also had a responsibility to his customers to ensure the food he served was the highest quality.
All of that burdened his mind, so when it came to his personal life, he liked to live in the moment. That way, he was always surprised.
He sighed and thought about his meeting yesterday with Liza Marbet, who had agreed to submit a design proposal. She had no issues with signing a nondisclosure agreement, which brought it now to half a dozen people in town who knew his secret and that made him very, very nervous.
In the distance, he saw his brother Marlon jogging toward him, and he picked up his pace. Then Jasmine appeared from behind and settled in, running right next to him.
Micah swore under his breath and deliberately slowed down. He wanted to watch the interaction between them, before jumping to all kinds of conclusions. Even though he already had them in bed together in his mind.
Marlon was a self-proclaimed mixologist and a player of the worst kind. He knew it, he enjoyed it, and he was never going to change. To him, women were both a creative inspiration and a physical distraction to his attempts at writing a novel.
Even their parents had given up hope that he would marry. Since they were teenagers, he and Gregory had avoided introducing their girlfriends to him, knowing he would do everything in his power to steal them away.
He frowned as he watched Jasmine and Marlon laughing as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Had she even noticed him at all?
Finally, he dropped down to one knee and pretended to retie his shoe. When they were almost upon him, he stood up.
“Good morning,” he said, before either could speak. “I didn’t know you had such a beautiful running partner, Marlon.”
Jasmine halted in her tracks. “Hello, Micah.”
“Oh. Do you two know each other?” Marlon asked.
“Not really,” Jasmine said quickly. “I met Micah at Lucy’s. Marlon and I are training for a half marathon together.”
“Is that all?” he asked, trying hard to tamp down on his jealousy.
Marlon glanced between him and Jasmine. “Yeah, what else would there be? By the way, how are the plans going?”
Micah furrowed his brow. “Plans?”
“The ones for the old—”
Micah swooped his hand through a wave, pretending to wash them. He deliberately splashed water on Marlon’s shoes, so he wouldn’t spill the beans about his meeting with the architect.
“Ooops, sorry.”
Marlon tried to jump out of the way, but it was too late. “Micah! These shoes cost me three hundred dollars. Now they’re sopping wet. I can’t run in these.”
Micah squinted up at the sun, hiding a smile. “I guess you better go home and change.”
Marlon gave him a disgusted look, and then slipped off his shoes and socks. “Sorry, Jasmine. Same time, tomorrow?”
She nodded, and they watched him run barefoot down toward the estate.
Jasmine turned. “That was a dirty trick.”
“I can do a lot of things, but I can’t control nature,” he shrugged. “Why didn’t you tell him you knew me?”
She put her hands on her hips. “I could ask the same thing of you.”
“I don’t discuss my private life with my family.”
“And I don’t discuss my private life with strangers.”
“I don’t qualify as a stranger, Jasmine. Not anymore. And you know it.”
She pointed a finger at him. “We haven’t spent more than an hour together and you’re already acting like you own me.”
Micah raised his hands to his chest. “I’m sorry. It’s just that my brother isn’t the man for you.”
“And you are?”
“Maybe, but he’s definitely not. He’s a player.”
Jasmine struck a defiant pose. “He’s a nice guy and we have great conversations.”
“About what?”
“Brainstorming, mostly. He tells me his new drink ideas, and I tell him my new recipes for cakes and cookies.”
“Wait a minute, do you mean to tell me that when you’re running, you talk about food?”
Jasmine nodded. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Most people want to avoid talking about what started them exercising in the first place.”
“Unlike you and I,” she said. “Marlon and I are on the same wavelength. That is, until you came along.”
“I highly doubt that. There’s only one thing Marlon cares about and it’s not how to make the best martini.”
“Why is it that every time I see you there always has to be an argument?” she said.
“I’m just trying to protect you.”
She folded her arms. “Oh? I just thought you were trying to get into my pants.”
He stared at her, openmouthed. Yes, he wanted her, more than anything, but he never realized he was being so transparent. His game needed a serious skill update.
Although he was afraid how he would act if he actually fell in love with her, he didn’t want her to think that he wanted her just for sex.
“You mean more to me than that, Jasmine.”
She didn’t respond. Instead she turned and walked away toward the pier, and his heart fell.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m off my pace, and maybe I’m out of my mind.”
He caught up with her and stepped in front of her.
“You feel it, too, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’m tired, sore and cranky.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
She shook her head, but there was a hint of a smile as he tilted her chin up. He resisted the urge to kiss her.
“I’ve got a cure for all three of those conditions. Are you still interested?”
She nodded, and he knew that the wariness he saw in her eyes was his fault. He had to redouble his efforts to show that he cared. He didn’t want her to fall in love with him, but he didn’t want her to hate him, either.
“Perfect. I’ll see you Saturday.”
As she jogged away, he knew it would take more than dinner and drinks to soothe away her caution.
* * *
Micah jogged up the stairs from the beach to the patio of his parents’ estate, and was surprised to see Marlon waiting for him.
“I’m sorry. I know I almost m
essed things up for you back there.”
“Yeah, you did,” Micah replied, struggling to keep the annoyance out of his tone. Although his brother made some stupid mistakes sometimes, he knew he didn’t mean to cause trouble. “In more ways than one.”
“I thought it was strange that you had everyone, including your family, sign nondisclosure agreements, but now I understand why.”
“Good, then I can trust you’ll never let your mouth flow like an open beer tap again?”
Marlon held up his hand. “You have my word.”
“Are you seeing her?”
“No! I just met her a couple of months ago.”
Micah’s lips edged out a wry grin. “Length of time known has never stopped you in the past.”
“Geez. Give me a little credit, will you? She’s gorgeous, but not my type.”
“Good. Keep it that way,” he said, and strolled into the house to escape further questioning.
Micah knew he had to make a decision about the restaurant soon. He wasn’t exactly lying to Jasmine, but he wasn’t telling the truth either. Keeping secrets would destroy any chance at a long-term relationship, if he decided he wanted one with her.
* * *
Jasmine arranged two red carnations and a sprig of baby’s breath in a small milk glass vase. Yesterday, she’d visited Blooms in Paradise and negotiated a fair price for the hardy flowers and greenery, plus weekly delivery.
A couple of weeks ago, she’d found a box of vintage vases in the storeroom, and asked her grandmother if she could use them. Lucy agreed that it would be nice to have something other than salt and pepper shakers and assorted condiments on the tables.
Jasmine looked around the restaurant, smiled and decided that bringing back something from the past could really add charm. She hoped her guests would appreciate the decorative touch.
After hurrying back to the bar, she looked at the three decadent desserts laid out for the scheduled taste testing: Coconut Cake, Crème Brûlée and her award-winning Triple Berry Crumb Crust Pie. Today was important to the future of Lucy’s. She had to get everything right.
She took in a shuddering breath, still reeling from her conversation with Micah a few days earlier. Although it flattered her that he seemed to be jealous of her friendship with his brother, it scared her, too. She didn’t want a possessive man; she just wanted to feel like she was the most important person in his life, while not having to give up her own.
Winning Her Heart Page 7