Winning Her Heart

by Harmony Evans

  Was that why she hadn’t bothered to tell Micah that she was training for a marathon with his brother? When Lucy made the comment that the Langston men were flirts, she thought it was strange because Marlon, whom she’d met first, had never acted that way with her.

  Marlon seemed lonely and distracted, but appeared to be a good guy. From the very beginning, Jasmine had the sense that he wasn’t attracted to her at all, which was a relief. She could concentrate on preparing for the half marathon and not have to worry about him hitting on her.

  The man was an exercise partner, and nothing more, yet Micah acted like she was sleeping with him. It was frustrating, but it made her think that he had feelings for her, beyond attraction, that maybe he didn’t understand.

  She did, too, and she would explore those feelings at the winery date, away from the pressures of the restaurant that would someday be her own.

  Gloria emerged from the kitchen, carrying three place settings on a large tray.

  “Which table are you going to use?”

  “Let’s set up in a booth. Maisie prefers the one farthest from the door.”

  The two women got to work. The white bone china that had once belonged to her great-grandmother might be plain, but it would put all the focus on her desserts. The heavy embossed silverware had been recently polished. Three blue chintz cloth napkins finished the French country look.

  After they were done, Jasmine thanked Gloria, who went back into the kitchen to continue making dinner.

  Lucy walked into the dining area. “Everything looks beautiful. The bud vases are a nice touch.”

  Jasmine hugged her. “Thanks for letting me do the taste testing.”

  “It’s a good idea, especially inviting Maisie. That woman has no shortage of opinions. If she likes everything, everyone in town will know it.”

  “Free advertising!” Then Jasmine frowned. “But if she doesn’t, I might as well hang up my apron.”

  “I’m sure she will,” Lucy reassured her, as someone knocked at the door. “Maisie loves her sweets almost as much as she loves Bay Point.”

  Jasmine plastered a nervous smile on her face, walked over and opened the door. “Welcome, ladies!”

  Lucy greeted Maisie with a warm hug. “It’s been a while!”

  Maisie stepped inside and laughed. “I was here for breakfast yesterday morning. Why I consider this place an extension of my own kitchen!”

  “I’m not surprised,” Jasmine said. “You live so close. The restaurant is practically a hop, skip and a jump away.”

  “Rather, a hobble and a limp when my hip is bad,” Maisie chuckled. “But Lucy’s food is always worth the pain.”

  She proceeded to introduce the two other women who had entered the restaurant after her. Jasmine didn’t recognize either of them. “This is Liza Marbet, a local architect, and Randi Tilly, an aspiring actress who is a guest at the B&B for a couple of nights.”

  “Welcome to you both,” Jasmine said, as she led everyone to the booth.

  Once the ladies were settled in their seats, Donnie served their choice of either coffee or tea.

  Jasmine handed them three small cards, each with the name of the dessert notated on it, and a pencil.

  “Thank you again for coming today. Here are the three desserts you will taste this afternoon. On the back of the card, please rate each from one to ten, with ten being the best.”

  Donnie brought over a tray of three servings of her triple berry pie and distributed them.

  “Ladies, you are in for a treat,” Maisie said, digging in. “I snuck a tiny sliver at the bake-off before it went to the judges, and I thought I’d died and gone to heaven a second time.”

  “When was the first time?” Randi asked.

  Maisie swallowed and winked. “When Micah Langston walked into the judges’ room. That man looks as tasty as he is talented.”

  “Dessert before dinner. I can’t think of anything more decadent,” Liza said.

  “I can,” Randi giggled, holding up a picture of Micah on her cell phone.

  Liza’s lips twitched, and she appeared to be holding back a smile. “Whoa! I’m sorry I missed the event. He’s gorgeous.”

  He certainly is, Jasmine thought, and she was glad that Micah didn’t hang around the restaurant on a regular basis. They weren’t a couple yet, and only they knew the state of their relationship. If it failed to take off, no one but them would know it.

  Plates were cleared, fresh silver was handed out and three-layer coconut cake slices were placed before each woman.

  “Every time I take a bite of coconut I feel like I’m back on the Islands,” Randi said. “This is so delicious.”

  “Thank you,” Jasmine beamed. “Where are you from originally?”

  “Jamaica,” Randi replied. “I’ll be leaving in a few days to visit my sister in Los Angeles.”

  “How exciting!” Liza said. “How did you learn about Bay Point?”

  “My agent’s great-aunt was an actress back in the late fifties. She used to come here on the weekends.”

  When they were finished eating the cake, the women scribbled their remarks on the back of the menu. After a second round of beverages, the final dessert, Crème Brûlée, was given. It, too, was well received.

  “Are there other bakeries in town?” Randi asked.

  “Ruby’s Tasty Pastries,” Jasmine responded. “But she makes her own breads and other small baked goods, like cookies, doughnuts and croissants. She doesn’t really do desserts.”

  Liza took a sip of her tea. “That’s good to hear, but I’m afraid there will continue to be competition for wallets in this town.”

  Maisie’s ears perked up. “Anything you care to share?”

  “I can’t disclose anything, but I’ve been contacted by several individuals looking to open up new businesses downtown who want my design ideas.”

  “They probably heard about the wonderful work you did on your husband’s clinic,” Maisie replied.

  Liza smiled. “I’m just glad to have some potential clients. I want to have my architecture firm well established before Anthony and I start a family.”

  Randi chimed in. “I’m glad I don’t own a business, but competition keeps everyone on their toes and provides consumers with a choice.”

  Jasmine inwardly agreed, although she knew that her grandmother felt differently. For years, Lucy’s Bar and Grille had been the only dining option in Bay Point. The town was growing, times were changing and Lucy needed to realize that she and the restaurant had to change with them.

  “Anyone know what’s going into the space across the street?” Jasmine asked, as she helped Donnie clear the dishes. “I went over there one night and thought I saw a light moving around inside.”

  Everyone shrugged. “Surprisingly, I haven’t heard anything,” Maisie said. “But I’ll let you know if I do.”

  Jasmine nodded, and handed out some gift certificates for the restaurant as thank-you gifts.

  “You should do this more often, Jasmine,” Maisie said. “I think a lot of people would be tickled to go to a dessert-before-dinner event like this.”

  “Yeah, you could couple it with a wine tasting. That would be really fun,” Liza suggested.

  “That’s not such a bad idea. I’m actually going to a winery this weekend and can ask about appropriate pairings for our current menu and these treats, too.”

  After everyone left, Jasmine sank into a booth and read the comments. Overall, the event had been a success.

  Her next challenge was to keep her time with Micah on Saturday in the “it’s only a date” lane. It was going to be very difficult to do so after all the nights of dreaming about him, the distracted days at work and those in-between times when he crept into her mind for no reason at all.

  But the longing in her heart had to be ignored. The winery tr
ip was for business purposes only.

  Chapter 6

  “Hot little car,” Jasmine told Micah, as she stepped into the red convertible. It sat so low to the ground she was glad she’d done her squats that morning.

  His gaze was equally hot on her as she arranged her tote bag and purse at her feet, and slipped off her sandals. He’d suggested that she dress casually, so she wore faded denim shorts and a white eyelet tank top.

  “You’re lucky I didn’t pick you up in a rusted-out, station wagon.”

  “Why the ire, Micah?” she asked, politely, though she could guess the reason.

  He slid his sunglasses to the top of his head. “Not ire, irritation. Why couldn’t I pick you up at Lucy’s?”

  Lucy thought she was spending the day at the beach. That’s why she asked him to meet her at the parking lot. She couldn’t risk her grandmother or worse, Maisie, finding out that she was going anywhere with him.

  It wasn’t that she cared about what they might say. She was more worried about what they might think about her, should their relationship not work out.

  Jasmine looked over at him and smiled. “What difference does it make? I’m here.”

  His eyes turned amused before he covered them up again with his sunglasses. “In that case, let’s roll.”

  She waited until they were on the Pacific Coast Highway to speak again. “So, where are we headed?”

  “A little winery near Mendocino.” He gave her an appreciative glance. “What you’re wearing is perfect. This is not one of those uppity places.”

  She smiled at him, loving that despite being rich and famous, he was so down-to-earth. “Good, because I don’t do uppity anything.”

  Since agreeing to the day trip, Jasmine had tried everything she could think of to tamp down her initial enthusiasm, so that she wouldn’t get her hopes up. She didn’t go out and buy a new outfit, agonize over her hair or fuss with her makeup.

  She even searched gossip sites for any juicy tidbits about Micah that might make her want to call the whole date off.

  She learned that he’d never been married or had children. There were a few mentions of the women he’d dated in the past, but nothing earth-shattering. Even she was surprised that she didn’t feel threatened by the looks or achievements of his former flames, which made it even odder that Micah appeared to be jealous of her acquaintance with his younger brother.

  She wriggled her pink-painted toes, and admired her nails of the same color. A mani-pedi and a facial were her only expenses, and they were always well worth it.

  Jasmine settled her back more comfortably against the bucket seat and turned her gaze toward Micah. She should be working with Lucy at the restaurant rather than sitting in this beautiful car next to a gorgeous man. But her grandmother had been so sweet, and had insisted that she needed a break, and not just for fifteen minutes. She felt a tinge of guilt for not being honest about her plans for the day.

  “What’s that look for?” Micah said, a smile on his face.

  She debated telling him about her new focus for the date, tasting wines for the restaurant, but decided to keep it to herself. He looked so happy to be with her that she didn’t want to spoil his mood.

  “It’s a thank-you,” she replied, grinning back. “I really needed this.”

  Micah put his hand on her knee. She liked his gentle squeeze, the possessive warmth that said “you’re mine.”

  “I’d rather have a kiss.”

  She felt a little thrill in her loins at his words. His wicked tone made her admit to herself how exciting it was to be with him. This man had the power to turn her on just by opening his mouth.

  “And I’d rather get to the winery in one piece,” she admonished with a laugh. He removed his hand and looked so forlorn that moments later, she leaned over and nuzzled the underside of his jaw with her mouth.

  He groaned and his hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter as she moved her lips toward his earlobe.

  “We won’t get anywhere but the side of the road, if you keep that up.”

  She stopped abruptly, though she wanted to keep teasing him, wanted to put her hand on his thigh and slowly inch north. It was enough to know that she could rile him up, too.

  Jasmine leaned her head back against the headrest as Micah turned up the tunes. The wind whipped through her hair, tempering the heat of the morning sun, but not the smile on her lips. Her grin widened, cliff to guardrail, and she started laughing, hands up in the air as the convertible hugged the curves of the Pacific Coast Highway.

  * * *

  This woman could change everything, Micah thought as he pulled off the exit and headed east.

  He reached over to wake her, but decided to let her sleep. She looked so peaceful and it wouldn’t be long before they reached their destination.

  Besides, he liked being able to sneak glances at her petite figure. The black leather seat fit her like a glove, and he suspected he would, too. God knows he wanted to try, to see how they fit together.

  He hardened instantly at the thought of making love to her, but only if she wanted it, though he wasn’t really worried. It was only a matter of time before everything he dreamed about would become a reality.

  They couldn’t tease and flirt forever. It was like sweating in the hot sun, with the waves licking at your feet. Sooner or later, you had to wade in, cool off, and then emerge, only to heat up again.

  And he was sizzling for Jasmine Kennedy. From the moment he saw her, he wanted her for his own. Maybe not for life, but he couldn’t rule that out either. Because if it was as good as he thought it was going to be, he would lay claim to her—heart, body and soul—and never let her go.

  At a red light, he reached out and ran his finger down the side of her long, slender neck. She stirred a little, and he watched her breasts move with her deep breath. She didn’t awaken, just snuggled back against the seat even more.

  He frowned at her obvious exhaustion, and felt bad that she had to work so hard. But he liked the fact that she was in the same business as he, and he knew he could teach her a lot, if she’d let him. He’d learned much over the past ten years that could make her and Lucy’s lives easier.

  But teaching her about the restaurant business would make it even harder to keep his plans a secret. Soon, they could be competing for customers. And from his experience, Lucy and Jasmine would be no match against Society Red.

  He had more money, more brand recognition and quite frankly, the power to shut them down forever. He’d done it before and he could do it again. For his partners, for his reputation. It wasn’t personal. It was business. Though the people his ambition affected never believed him. They just thought he was a selfish prick.

  Whatever he ultimately decided to do in Bay Point, he’d have to leave his heart out of it once again. The more time he spent with Jasmine, the harder that would be to do.

  Thirty minutes later, he turned onto a gravel driveway and stopped at the security gate. He punched in a code that had been given to him and the gates swung open.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead,” he said, gently nudging her arm with his elbow. “We’re here.”

  “Where are we?” Her eyes blinked open. “This is the winery?”

  He shot her a grin. “You won’t find this place in the yellow pages. It’s completely private.”

  “What’s the name of it?” she asked.

  “Doesn’t have one. It’s not open to the public, only by invitation.”

  Jasmine flipped down the mirror and gasped. “My hair is a mess after that long drive.”

  “I’ll just mess it up even more, later.”

  “You better not,” she warned, giggling as she ran her fingers through it. “Or you’re going to owe me a hair appointment.”

  “I’m prepared to help pamper more than your hair, little lady.”

  Her
lips rounded in surprise, and he was ready to go into more detail, but he saw the owner directing him to park under a grove of orange trees.

  Micah pulled the car up, braked and pressed a button to close the convertible top. After securing it, he got out of the car and greeted his friend.

  “It’s good to see you, Zack. Thanks for having us out today.”

  Jasmine got out and rounded the car, tote bag and purse in one hand.

  He draped his arm around her shoulder. “I’d like you to meet my best friend and the owner of the winery, Zack Smaden.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me I’d be meeting your future wife?”

  Micah had to give Jasmine credit, at least her jaw didn’t drop all the way to the ground, he thought with a slow grin. Zack had a way of shocking people, whether with his food, his wine or his words. They’d been friends since culinary school, and he didn’t mind his unpredictable nature.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zack, but we’re just friends,” Jasmine said, with a cool smile.

  “Good, then you’re still available?” he asked, giving Micah a wink.

  “Nope, sorry. Jasmine is absolutely taken.” He folded her into his arms, and her sharp intake of breath gave him a little jolt in the pit of his stomach. “By me.”

  She nudged him sharply in the ribs. “Not so fast, buddy.”

  “Ow!” he grunted, almost doubling over, but he stopped when he saw that she was smiling.

  “We have to eat first,” she said, hands curved around her hips. “I’m starved.”

  Both men openly stared at her, and Micah knew what was going through both of their minds had nothing to do with food.

  Zack put his hands up to his chest and took two steps back. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

  Micah started to laugh. Deep, resounding belly laughs of relief as Jasmine joined in.

  “Then help me, man! Get me some wine and cheese, quick!”