by Kira Archer
“As often as we can. There’s not always much left, but if we have a decent amount we do.”
They walked together the rest of the way, comfortably silent. He’d surprised her today. For someone who had lost so much, he was remarkably upbeat about life. She wasn’t sure she would be, in the same circumstances. There was more to Jared Crew than she realized, that was for sure. Which was just perfect. The last thing in the world she needed was more reasons to like the guy. Finding out he had some depth behind his shallow exterior made him all the more appealing.
And being appealing was one area in which Jared definitely didn’t need help.
She was so screwed. Hopefully, only figuratively. Because literally—while it would be freaking incredible—would screw her worse. And not in the good way.
Chapter Eight
Jared hung up the phone and put down his pen. Jenny was going over the recipe from Eric’s file and hopefully with the instructions Eric had given them, they’d be able to pull this thing off.
“Well,” he asked her, “what do you think?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “It seems pretty similar to what I’ve done before. A few subtle differences, but I’m sure I can do it.”
“Excellent! I didn’t doubt you for a second.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. It would have been so much easier if she’d gone for that,” she said, pointing at a two-foot-tall croquembouche she’d assembled, in the hopes Anna and Sara would like it enough to change their plans.
“I don’t see why you’re worried. If you can make a cream puff tower, you can make a baklava tower.”
She raised an eyebrow. “It’s cute that you think so.”
He leaned on the counter toward her, his gaze taking a quick tour of her body. “You think I’m cute?”
She snorted. “I think you’re aggravating.”
“That’s okay. I can work with that.”
She laughed, and the sound rippled through him, sending a pleasant shiver up his spine. Before he could capitalize on that, a knock sounded on the back door and she hurried to open it. The shop had closed at five since it was a Sunday, so he wasn’t sure who it could be.
Then Jenny’s mom and one of her sisters bustled in and the next few minutes were a flurry of hugs and giggles and excited exclamations the dogs across the street could probably hear.
Jenny finally pried herself away with a laugh. “Mom, I just saw you last night.”
“Yes, but this is the first time you’ve been home to visit in a year. And I’ve only got a month with you. I’ve got a lot of hugs to stock up on before then.”
Jenny shook her head, but she radiated happiness. She led them farther into the kitchen and gestured to Jared. “Mom, Stacy, you remember Jared, right?”
“Of course,” her mom, Linda, said, coming forward to envelope him in a quick hug. “I see him more than I do you,” she said to Jenny.
“Well, to be fair, he lives on the same continent.”
“True,” Linda said. “Now, where is my favorite daughter-in-law?”
Jenny and Stacy laughed. As Rick was the oldest of five kids, and the only boy, Gina was her only daughter-in-law.
Gina came around the corner with a big smile. “Someone page me?”
Linda crushed her in another of those mom-hugs she liked to give out and then pulled back enough to feel Gina’s belly, keeping her hand hovering in question until Gina nodded permission. The look on her face as she felt her grandchild kick sent a little pang into Jared’s heart. His mom would never experience that with his child. Not that he planned on ever having one. But he was a little depressed just on principle. Linda was one of those moms that everyone wished they had. Open, loving, funny, and nurturing to everyone around her. It made him miss his own mother. Wish he had a few more memories of her, at least.
“Are you ready?” Linda asked Gina.
“Yep. Just let me run to the bathroom real quick.”
“I remember those days,” Linda said. To Jenny and Jared she said, “We’re going crib shopping today!”
“Ooo, fun,” Jenny said. Jared pasted a smile on his face and nodded. Linda was obviously excited, but Jared had a hard time getting worked up over furniture for a tiny human he wasn’t—thank God—responsible for. He found a nice spot out of the way of the women and let them do their thing.
Jenny was still chattering with her mom. “I can’t wait to see what you get. Maybe I can help set it up later.”
“That would be wonderful!” Linda said.
Gina came out of the bathroom and glanced around until she saw Jared. “I’ve got the front locked up but everything still needs to be put away and cleaned up. You don’t need to worry about prep for tomorrow since we’ll be closed and Eric’s cousin has the truck covered, but I can stay a bit longer…”
He waved her off. “I’ve got it covered. Go shopping.”
Gina gave Jenny a quick hug, speaking to her quietly, presumably so only Jenny could hear, but Jared still managed to get an ear in.
“Make sure you bring back those binoculars in one piece. Rick will kill me if he finds out I swiped them again.”
Jenny laughed. “No worries. They’ll be back safe and sound. I promise.”
Hmm, binoculars. A Peeping Tom in the making?
After another round of hugs and kisses, the women left, leaving him alone with Jenny again. Exactly how he liked it.
“All right, where were we?” she asked.
“Hmm, well, that depends on when you are referring to,” he said, coming up behind her so he could slip his arms around her waist. “If you mean when you left me at full mast on the dance floor…or up against this counter the other day…I’d love to get back to that…”
“No!” she said, spinning out of his arms with a laugh. “I meant now. The cake.”
“Oh, right.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Back to the cake.”
“Anyway,” she said, giving him a disapproving glare she couldn’t quite pull off since she was smiling at the same time. “It’s not the recipe I’m worried about. It’s making enough of this stuff to create the size cake she’s wanting. And then actually getting it stacked together well enough so it’ll hold up through transport, and the wedding, and for however long it takes between the time we finish and the delivery date.”
“Yeah. That’ll be tough. But…at least it’ll be all sticky with honey. Maybe that’ll help hold it together.”
Jenny laughed. “We can hope.” She pushed away from the counter. “Why don’t you get the front all squared away, and I’ll get started on a few batches and see if I can make what we need.”
He gave an exaggerated eye roll. “If I must.”
She gave him a slight push toward the front room. “You must.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a mock bow.
She snorted and went off to bake up some baklava.
Several hours later, she’d produced a number of trays of incredibly flaky, honey-coated goodness that had Jared closing his eyes and groaning in near orgasmic ecstasy. “This stuff is amazing! I think we’ve got it. Now we just have to figure out how to stack it five feet high.”
“Yes, minor detail. I’m thinking a nice solid infrastructure with PVC pipe, or even wood maybe, would work well. Or huge foam blocks we could attach them to with toothpicks? Similar to what I do with the croquembouche, but maybe a little sturdier since baklava is heavier than the cream puffs.”
“Can’t we stack them in layers? I mean you aren’t carving it or anything and there’s no crazy shapes. Just taper it into smaller layers as you get to the top.”
“Sure, but the weight of it might cause it to collapse or sag, so we’ll need something behind it, at least for a few layers, to keep it upright and in the shape we want.”
Jared thought about it for a second. “I think I can rig something up that will work.”
Jenny’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Don’t look so surprised. I’m quite handy to have arou
nd. As you’d find out if you weren’t so busy pretending you didn’t want to get to know me a little better.”
Her cheeks flushed. She was beyond fun to rile up.
“Maybe I don’t need to get to know you better.”
“I’ve told you, you can’t believe everything you hear, good or bad. I took you for someone who’d want to…discover things on her own, rather than take someone else’s word for it.”
She gave him a long, slow smile. “Usually, yes. But I have plans tonight.” She glanced down at her phone. “Oooh. And I’m going to be late, if I don’t get a move on.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“I told you. I have plans.”
“I know. But you aren’t saying what. Are you trying to be mysterious? Or maybe you have a hot date with someone your family disapproves of? See, if you don’t tell me, I make stuff up and believe me, what I come up with will be so much worse than what you’re actually doing.”
She stepped closer, close enough he could feel the heat of her, smell the slight apple blossom fragrance that clung to her. It took a great deal more effort than he was comfortable with not to close his eyes and savor that scent. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “You aren’t the only wild child around here, Mr. Crew.”
She gave him a tantalizingly wicked smile and then turned on her heel and walked away. The enticing sway of her hips as she left tormented him. He had to find out where she was going.
He texted Gina, hoping he could bribe her into divulging Jenny’s whereabouts. If not…well, he’d get creative.
Chapter Nine
Jenny found a comfortable spot on the side of the path and clutched her binoculars. The others in their group were dispersed around, all patiently watching for glimpses of the eastern screech owls that were known to roost in the trees nearby.
When the birds appeared again, she raised her binoculars eagerly. A rustling of leaves behind her was all that alerted her to Jared’s presence before he dropped to his haunches next to her. She bit back a squeal and glared at him.
He ignored that look and snagged her binoculars, aiming them at the tree she’d been watching.
She grabbed them back. “What are you doing here?”
“You know, when you said you had plans this evening, I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined this.”
“Too bad for you. Now go away. How did you find me anyway?”
Jared pulled a brochure for Liberty State Park out of his pocket, still folded to the section on bird-watching like she’d left it. “You left this in the truck the other day. I didn’t think much of it until I heard Gina telling you to take care of the binoculars. Does she swipe them from Rick often? You guys are in a voyeur club, aren’t you? Was I your next target? Because seriously, I’ll let you stare all you want, up close and personal.”
“I bet.” Jenny snatched the brochure from him and shoved it in her pocket.
Jared ignored her hostility and kept talking. “Anyhow, I put two and two together and decided to do a little bird-watching myself.”
“Well, if you’re going to stay here you need to put lip and lip together and keep your mouth shut. You’ll scare the birds away.” Under normal circumstances, she preferred his lips doing something other than staying together, but this was the one situation where she didn’t want the distraction Jared presented. She didn’t get to indulge in her owl-watching hobby as often as she used to, and she wasn’t going to let her ridiculously raging libido derail her plans for the night.
“All right, all right. I’m being quiet.”
He sat for a few seconds in silence, watching her watch the tree, and then leaned over again. “What birds exactly are you watching?”
She sighed. “Owls. Now shhh.”
“Ah. Owl-watching. Okay.” He sat back and wrapped his arms around his knees, locking one hand over his other wrist. “Why are we doing this again?”
“We aren’t doing anything. I am watching owls because I like them. I find them fascinating. And cute. Now be quiet or go away.”
He nodded. And then spoke anyway. “I’m fascinating and cute.”
“You are a pain in the butt. Now hush.”
“Do you do this often?”
She sighed and put the binoculars down. “Not nearly as often as I’d like. But yes, every chance I get. I think owls are interesting. I like getting out for a little fresh air. It gives me something to do in the evenings when I need a change from alcohol or loud, overly crowded clubs. And I like owls.”
She watched him, waiting for a reaction to her string of information.
He bobbed his head, lips pursed. “That’s cool. I like owls.”
She laughed despite herself. “You do?”
“Sure. I mean, not enough that I’ve ever gone on one of these owl-walk things, which I didn’t even know existed, to be honest. But yeah, I like them. Liked drawing them as a kid. Still do, occasionally.”
She looked at him with a bit more interest. “You draw?”
“Yes. I spend most of my time doing the graphic artist thing. But I still draw and paint for fun, whenever I get the chance.”
“So, what exactly does a freelance graphic artist do?” she asked, honestly curious. In her experience, freelance usually meant unemployed. Or barely employed. Though Jared must do at least halfway decently since he didn’t live in his mother’s basement or anything.
“I can show you, if you want.”
Her brow furrowed again and he laughed. “You don’t have to look so distrusting. I’m not going to haul you back to my den of sin to have my wicked way with you or anything.” He leaned in closer. “Until you ask me to.”
She snorted. “You’ll be waiting a long time for that.” Only because they’d probably never make it to his “den.” They’d probably end up on the bakery floor…or under that bush behind them…
His gaze roamed over her, and the heat of it was like molten lava running through her veins, igniting every nerve ending and sparking every synapse. Her breathing sped up and the little quirk of his mouth let her know he was completely aware what effect he was having on her.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ll be waiting long at all,” he murmured. He leaned toward her, so agonizingly slowly she almost moved in to close the distance between them. Oh, he was very, very good at this game.
She held her body rigid, refusing to give an inch. She wouldn’t retreat, but she wouldn’t let him know how much she wanted to surrender, either.
He stopped when he was mere inches from her lips. She wanted to kiss him so badly her entire body hummed with the need. But he didn’t come any closer. And she wouldn’t give in. Yet.
“Jen,” he said, her name like warm honey on his tongue.
“Yes?” she managed to force out.
“You’re missing the owls.”
She blinked and jerked back. “Damn.” She grabbed her binoculars and searched the trees, but the birds that had been right in front of her had moved off. The rest of the group she’d been with seemed to have moved on, as well.
Jared’s quiet chuckle made her want to slap him upside the head and pin him to the ground and show him what distracting really meant. He could play the cocky playboy if he wanted to. She knew damn well he was just as affected as her, wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
And wasn’t that the hell of it. She soooo wanted to throw caution to the wind and not worry about the consequences. And if he wasn’t her sister-in-law’s best friend and someone who would constantly be in her life if she moved home after school, especially if she kept working at Street Treats in the future, she might go ahead and go for it. But as he was her new coworker, it could get awkward really fast. Then again, going by his reputation alone, she might have nothing to worry about. Nude, screwed, thank you, dude, and no worries about him getting all clingy. They could have a good time and then go about their regular lives.
And it had been a long time since she’d had a good
time. Months. School had kept her crazy busy. She’d been so ready for a trip home and a little vacay from everything. The absolutely mouthwatering Jared was the perfect distraction she needed. But it could quickly be an unmitigated disaster. Especially if her brother found out. Still…a little fun couldn’t hurt.
“All right,” she said, enjoying the surprise that spread across his face. He hadn’t expected her to say yes.
“All right, what?” he asked, his focus zeroing in on her lips again.
Her heart rate immediately kicked up a few notches, and for half a second she almost forgot what game she was playing.
He reached up and traced her lower lip with his thumb, and she trembled under his touch.
But she wasn’t going to let him win that easily. She sat back, out of his reach. “Show me what it is you do for a living.”
He sat and stared at her for a moment, and she could almost see him trying to switch gears. Then he laughed.
“All right then. Are you finished here?”
She nodded and stood up, brushing the bits of leaves and dirt from her butt. She stowed the binoculars in her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. “Lead on,” she said.
He took her hand. “My pleasure.”
The heated shiver that rippled down her spine at the promise behind those words had her biting her lip to keep an equally flirty retort from escaping. She needed to slow them down a bit or she’d be dragging him under the bushes to see if the legendary lover stories about him were true. Because she very much hoped that they were. She wouldn’t be able to keep holding out against him. Didn’t want to even try. But she had to play a little hard to get, if only to keep his ego in check.
Half an hour later they were standing alone in the middle of a new exhibit at the Liberty Science Center. The exhibit wasn’t open yet and was roped off to everyone but them. Owls and woodpeckers were showcased in exquisite photographs displayed along the walls.
“These are incredible, Jared,” she said, wandering from picture to picture. “And they just let you in here? To what…wander around and take in the atmosphere?”