A Sweet Life-kindle

by Andre, Bella

  Wait—I already know the answer to that.

  “You need medical attention.” Frowning, I brush an errant lock of her hair away from her forehead, scowling at both the impulsive gesture and the smudges of blood that I leave behind on her white skin.

  She shakes her head—maybe she doesn’t understand.

  “Ssh,” I try to soothe, but I have never soothed anyone in my life. “They’ll stitch you up, give you some pain medication. You’ll feel better.”

  “No!” With surprising strength, born of adrenaline, I would guess, she wrenches herself from my grasp, rolls to her side, starts trying to get to her feet. “No ambulance. I can’t afford it.”

  Aah.

  “I will pay.” Maybe this will assuage some of the guilt that was building inside of me, the sensation strange and unpleasant.

  I hesitated. If I hadn’t, I would have been the one to tackle the thief. To be stabbed. And this strange girl would have gone on her way.

  “Like hell you will.” Managing to pull herself to a sitting position, she glares at me. I can feel my mouth fall open a bit, with shock.

  I couldn’t recall meeting a woman—ever—who had refused my money. It was just a fact that had come along with the privilege of my family name.

  “You’re not paying. So, no ambulance.” With that damned purse still in hand—where was the owner, anyway?—the girl rises to her knees and wobbles.

  I ignore her, catching the eye of the female security guard that I had shouted at. She nods to signal that she has in fact called the ambulance, then blushes again.

  I will pay the costs. It is the least that I can do, since this situation is my fault. Besides, I have money—a lot of money. The ambulance ride, the medical expenses—they will cost less than the sweater that the girl has discarded. It lies in a bloody, deep blue heap on the floor.

  “Where’s the woman this was stolen from?” I rise to my feet along with the stubborn signorina, arms around her, ready to catch her if she should fall.

  Instead of thanking me, she pushes at my touch irritably—and weakly.

  “Really, Matteo?” The sharp clack of a shoe tapping on marble tile has my teeth grinding together. I spare a glance in the direction of Emilia, who is standing to the side of the crowd, nose wrinkled with distaste. “You can’t get on the plane until you’ve cleaned up. I’m taking it to Milan next week, and I don’t want to wait for blood to be cleaned from the upholstery.”

  I’m not surprised by Emilia’s response—for the ten years I’ve known her, she’s been inclined to lash out first, ask questions later. But while normally I would simply roll my eyes and ignore her, this time I find anger heating my veins.

  The girl in my arms was stabbed trying to help someone. Does Emilia have no feelings at all?

  “Not now, Emilia.” I tighten my hold as the girl tries to pull away from me.

  “I can’t miss my flight!” Her voice is full of panic. “I’ve been waiting for this seat sale forever. It’s non-refundable. All of my things are already on the plane!”

  Emilia laughs, probably at the idea that all of one’s possessions could possibly fit on a plane at all, let alone in the bag or two that I suspect are all that this girl has.

  Ignoring my stepsister, I try to gather the girl in my arms. Though she still fights it, when her hot, smooth skin presses against mine, something electric jolts through me, taking me by surprise.

  Emilia isn’t one to be ignored. “Guess you’ll be at the board meeting after all.” Grinding my teeth together, I give in, turning to glare at her. She smirks, making even that look sexy, and in that moment I hate her.

  And damn it, she’s right. I groan, as I realize that now I’m stuck.

  All for a stubborn scrap of a girl who’s eyeing the paramedics like they’re the spawn of Satan.

  “I’m telling you, I can’t afford it.” Pushing out of my arms, she staggers a few feet, then lurches to a stop. “I’m perfectly fine.”

  Turning back to me, she holds out one of her hands, which is tacky with congealing red.

  “Hey, look.” Her face is full of amazement, and she sways back and forth. “Blood.”

  I have no choice but to catch her as she falls.

  A Bride for a Billionaire, available now!

  About Lauren Hawkeye

  Lauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson never imagined that she'd wind up telling stories for a living... though when she looks back, it's easy to see that she's the only one who is surprised. Always "the kid who read all the time", Lauren made up stories about her favorite characters once she'd finished a book... and once spent an entire year narrating her own life internally. No, really. But where she was just plain odd before publication, now she can at least claim to have an artistic temperament.

  Lauren lives in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada with her husband, toddler, pit bull and idiot cat, though they do not live in an igloo, nor do they drive a dogsled. In her nonexistent spare time Lauren can be found knitting (her husband claims that her snobby yarn collection is exorbitant), reading anything she can get her hands on, or sweating her way through spin class. She loves to hear from her readers!

  www.LaurenHawkeye.com

  www.LaurenJameson.com

  @LaurenHJameson

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  Sweet Memories

  #1

  ~ a Decadent Event series ~

  Steena Holmes

  www.SteenaHolmes.com

  Decadent Events—where the recipe for romance contains chocolate,

  sweet love, and happily-ever-afters. Whether it’s a flickering flame

  in a marriage about to be rekindled, or a secret love that is shared,

  you’ll find it in the small town of Banff where Decadent Events is located.

  Happily-ever-after only happens once in a lifetime, right? But what if Prince Charming runs for the hills at the first sign of trouble and leaves you to pick up the pieces?

  Thinking her marriage was over, Tessa was more than a little shocked to fall into the arms of her husband (literally) at a party she’d planned through her new company, Decadent Events. When he asks her out for coffee, she assumes it’s to sign the divorce papers he’d seen.

  What’s a girl to do when her heart still goes pitter-patter for a man who ran out on her six months after they made their forever vows but comes back asking for another chance?

  Copyright © 2013 by Steena Holmes

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

  www.SteenaHolmes.com

  Chapter One

  When life hands you lemons, don’t bother making lemonade. Tessa scrunched up her nose at the thought. Why is it always about lemons? She’d much rather just throw those suckers away and reach for a cupcake with buttercream chocolate icing on it instead—like the ones on the table in front of her.

  “I’m sure no one will notice if you take a small one.”

  Tessa turned to find her best friend and business partner, Eleanor Paige, beside her. I’ll notice. It’ll leave a spot open and then I’ll have to rearrange everything to cover it.” She sighed as she wiped her hands on her apron and took in the scrumptious dessert table she’d just painstakingly created. Every type of chocolate delicacy one could crave was on that table and it was all she could do not to do a little taste testing. The chocolate aroma in and of itself was enough to...

  “Tess, here, just a little sample.” Ellie popped a salted chocolate caramel into Tess’s mouth and winked. “This way you give an honest assessment if any of the guests ask.”

  The chocolate was delicious. Pure heaven. The chocolate melted in her mouth while the salt had her taste buds singing the chorus of Hallelujah. She didn’t even try to speak. No words were necessary. Apparently, Ellie felt the same way a
s she had a similar look of ecstasy on her face when she bit into her own small caramel.

  “Oh. My. Jolly Rancher,” she mumbled around the treat. “I could eat these for the rest of my life and die a happy woman.” Ellie reached for another piece but Tessa slapped her hand away and gave her a mock frown.

  “Don’t you dare. These are for the guests who are about to arrive,” Tessa glanced at her watch, “any minute now. And,” she glanced at her friend, “please, ‘jolly rancher’?”

  Ellie wasn’t one to swear, so instead, she’d add in odd phrasing in its place. Earlier, she’d dropped a tray of chocolate tortes and the glass had smashed all over the place, and instead of the curse word you’d expect, all she yelled was “sweet sugar plum fairy.”

  She shrugged before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pack of Jolly Ranchers, watermelon flavored.

  “If you’re not careful, all that sugar is going to head straight to your hips and butt,” Tessa cautioned. Ellie had recently quit smoking and had taken up sucking on candy to help with the craving.

  “What? You’re saying I can’t have my cake and eat it too? Where’s the fun in that?” she teased as she held out her notebook. “Everything is ready. The place looks great, doesn’t it?”

  It really did. The room glistened with sparkling chandeliers and gossamer wall hangings dotted with glittering gems that reflected the lights around the room, while dozens of soft grey linen-covered round bar tables held cream and red rose flower arrangements and small plates of chocolate hearts. Tessa wanted, no, she needed this night to be extra special.

  “I’m so glad we decided to go with those chocolate-toned aprons. Our logo stands out quite nicely on them.”

  Tessa smiled at the servers who milled around the room wearing their new aprons. Yes, they did look quite nice. Her gaze swept around the room as she mentally checked off all the things that needed to be completed before the party could start. Everything was done, but one.

  “What’s keeping Bob and Jean? They were supposed to be here by now.” Tessa pulled out her cell phone to see if perhaps they’d left a message.

  “Oh, I forgot.” A blush crept along Ellie’s face. “They called a little while ago and mentioned they might be a bit late.”

  “How late?”

  Ellie bit her lip as she glanced down at her notes. “About thirty minutes give or take.”

  Tessa’s brows rose at that. Thirty minutes isn’t just a little late when the whole night is planned down to the last minute. She glanced at the copy of the schedule for tonight to see what could be rearranged.

  “It’s okay,” Ellie reached out and touched her arm, “I’ve got it under control. The photographer is going to start fifteen minutes early, the band is cool and I’ve already alerted the kitchen. It’s all good.”

  Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. She should have known better than to worry. If anyone could work their magic on last minute changes, it was Ellie.

  “Why would Bob and Jean be so late?”

  A sly smile crossed Ellie’s face. “Maybe they’re celebrating a little early?”

  A blush crept across Tessa’s face. As much as she loved her in-laws, thoughts of them celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary early definitely wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on.

  “I’ll go start greeting our guests if you can watch the staff and get them handing out the drinks?”

  “Sure, but before you head out to the doors, you might want to change your apron,” she called out.

  Dang it. Tessa glanced down at the apron she wore and groaned. Icing sugar and smears of chocolate icing criss-crossed the fabric. She undid the ties at the back and balled the apron up before heading to the kitchen to grab a new one.

  “Hey, Tess?”

  She stopped at the kitchen door and glanced over her shoulder.

  “Do you think Jude will show up tonight?”

  “I hope so,” Tessa whispered.

  She’d love nothing more than for her husband to come home. It had been months since she last saw him. Months full of anger, regrets and heartbreaks, but most of all, it she’d spent most of that time missing Jude.

  Unfortunately, she knew him and knew that short of attending his parent’s funeral, nothing this side of heaven or hell would be able to drag him home, not when he thought their marriage was based on a lie.

  ***

  Tessa stood at the front door and handed bags to the groups that walked in. She couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on her face at the number of people who arrived.

  Banff was a small town if you discounted all the tourists who crowded the main street throughout the year to ski or mountain climb. Not much went on without everybody knowing everything and while there were plenty of times she hated this aspect of small town living, tonight was not one of them. Bob and Jean deserved to be showered in love, especially now.

  “Oh my, what a pleasant surprise!”

  She’d just handed a stuffed bag to an older couple who walked hand in hand. Their reaction to what was in the bag was similar to all the others Tessa had heard as people opened up their gift bags from the Turners.

  “I thought we were supposed to be the ones bringing gifts?”

  Tessa shook her head at an older man who hesitated to take the bag she offered him. Just take it,” she leaned forward and wrapped an arm around the shoulder of George Sauder and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

  “Now what am I supposed to do with this?” He grumbled as Tessa hooked the bag over his arm. In his hand was a small box wrapped in a red bow.

  George was one of those grizzly old men who complained about everything but would do anything for you at the same time. She had first met George when she was seven years old and had just moved into the house next door to him with her mom after her dad passed away. Whether he liked it or not, George became her pseudo-grandfather.

  “You weren’t supposed to bring a gift.” She’d tried to tell Jean that no one would listen to their request. She thought about all the gifts she’d seen so far come through the door and shook her head. Secretly she was pleased that so many wanted to spoil the Turners. They deserved it.

  “It’s not every day someone celebrates being married to the same person for fifty years,” he muttered. Tessa’s smile trembled at his comment. She should be celebrating her up-coming one year anniversary with Jude over a candlelit dinner, but instead she’d probably end up sitting on her couch, crying through a chick flick while she ate take-out, alone.

  “Hey now, none of that. Not here and not tonight.” George pressed a Kleenex into her hand. Tessa stared up at the ceiling and attempted to blink past the tears that gathered. He was right, this was not the time or place and she knew better.

  “What’s in there?” she asked him again in a pitiful attempt to change the conversation.

  George glanced down at the box in his hand and frowned. “Never you mind.” He stuffed the box back into his coat pocket and ambled off into the main room.

  Tessa watched him go before she turned and grabbed more bags. The idea was to give people small gifts that represented who Bob and Jean were as a couple. Jean was known for her journaling and Bob for his gardening, so inside the bags were packets of seeds wrapped in a brown ribbon and a lovely journal with a heartfelt message from Jean on the first page.

  As an extra surprise, Tessa had added a handmade card from a local shop with a note requesting the card be filled out with a small message to Bob and Jean and dropped in the basket by the main door during the night. Throughout the event, the staff would offer pens to people if they were needed, as well as help to collect the cards.

  The card idea was Tessa’s own personal gift to them. She didn’t know how she would have survived the past few years without their love and support, and she knew there were others in the room who felt the same way.

  Tessa wanted tonight to be extra special for them. No. She needed this night to be extra special for them. This past year has been so hard on them and she w
as responsible for some of that.

  If only Jude would come home. Even if he never came back to her, to their marriage, he could at least come home for his parents. If only he knew...

  Tessa stopped that last thought from forming. She wasn’t going to think about that right now. Tonight was about celebrating the life Bob and Jean had together and praying they’d share many more. That’s what she needed to focus on, not the fact that quite possibly this might be the last anniversary Jean would ever celebrate.

  ***

  He watched Tessa as she wove her way through the crowd, stopping at tables to talk with couples, even taking a minute or two to dance with a small child on the dance floor. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. His parched soul drank her in until he felt energized. She was his breath of fresh air, the light that broke through his darkness. He rubbed his hands down his thighs. Without a camera, they were empty, useless. If he could, he would immortalize her, like this. Elegant. Beautiful. Mesmerizing.

  Jude backed away from the door at the far end of the room and went to search for his parents, who’d snuck into one of the closed off rooms in the building to talk. Nothing could have prepared him for the news he’d received when he showed up at his parents door earlier this evening. Coming to this party was the last thing he wanted to do, but if it meant seeing his mother smile, then he would keep his mouth shut and make sure this was a night she’d remember.

  Coming home tonight had been a fluke. He knew he couldn’t stay away forever and in reality he didn’t want to, but he’d dragged his feet in returning—something he knew he shouldn’t have done. The only thing that had stopped him from returning right after he left was his pride. He’d reacted foolishly without giving her or Sean a chance to explain anything. Later though, when he’d calmed down and attempted to connect all the dots, there were none.