Tierney blushed again and, although it was truly the last thing on the face of the earth she wanted to do, playfully pushed Rome away and straightened her sweater collar.
“You guys just don’t understand,” Celeste sighed as the waiter arrived to take their lunch orders.
But Rome did understand. As he listened the group give the waiter their orders, he studied Tierney for a moment. The fact was she was an old-fashioned girl, living in a world where there was no chivalry, no courtesy, and no true romance. Rome and Celeste were close—always had been—and he knew how Celeste felt, that men were all about sex and nothing else, that women were becoming that way too. And it was a natural way of thinking. After all, in truth, Alec O’Brien was the only guy Rome knew who wasn’t always trying to figure out a way to get a girl into bed. And yet he wondered why a lot of women took so long to notice guys like him and Alec—good guys who wanted wives and children and the regular suburban neighborhood lifestyle. Then again, he knew some pretty skanky women too. He exhaled a sigh of discouragement and wondered how the world had gotten so selfish.
He ordered, and he and Alec exchanged an expression—an unspoken understanding that it was time to change the subject. Rome knew he could never live up to Tierney’s Ricardo Montalbán fantasy—at least not yet. So he decided he’d have to be satisfied with having been able to touch her sweater and inhale the scent of her skin for the moment.
“Have you been keeping in touch with your friends back in California, Tierney?” Celeste asked.
Tierney wasn’t offended by Celeste’s question—not in the least. After all, Celeste was a normal girl with a normal family and normal friends, and it was a perfectly normal question.
“Nope,” Tierney answered.
“Oh. Well, why not?” Celeste pressed.
Tierney glanced up to Alec to see he wore an expression that conveyed, Just tell her the truth.
“You know that old expression…about when things get tough, you find out who your real friends are?” Tierney began.
“Yeah?” Celeste asked.
Tierney shrugged. “Well, after your Latin lover brother here showed up with Alec’s message and convinced me to break up with Dillon…I did. And within two weeks, after I’d returned all the bridal shower and wedding gifts, I never heard another word from any of them.”
“None of them?” Celeste asked in a squeaky voice of disbelief.
“Nope. Not one,” Tierney assured her. “And some of them I’d known since elementary school.”
“You’re kidding,” Rome asked, frowning as he stared at her.
“Nope. Not kidding,” Tierney sighed.
Rome shook his head as Celeste sat with her mouth gaping open in obvious horrified astonishment.
“So you’re telling us,” he began, “that not one of your friends stuck around after you broke up with the Dill?”
Tierney smiled and frowned the same time, curious. “The Dill?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Rome affirmed. He nodded toward Alec, who was already downing a dinner roll from the bread plate a waitress had just set in the middle of the table. “Alec showed me your wedding announcement when he got it in the mail…and we started calling your now-ex the Dill.”
Tierney laughed, suddenly not so upset at the memory that every one of her friends had quickly abandoned her once she’d broken up with Dillon. “The Dill?” She giggled and then sighed, “I guess he was kind of sour sometimes.”
Celeste giggled and didn’t look quite so horrified anymore.
“But back to this other thing,” Rome continued. “Are you seriously telling me that all those chicks at your bridal shower…they just—”
Tierney nodded and finished, “Ditched me like a bad hairstyle.”
“Damn,” Rome mumbled to himself.
“Well, you have us now,” Celeste stated. Tierney was moved, for she could see the moisture brimming in Celeste’s eyes—the compassion. “Right, Rome?” she said to her brother.
“Right,” Rome answered, reaching out to retrieve a dinner roll from the bread plate.
“And we’re sunny-side-up friends,” Celeste continued. “We’re friends no matter what.”
“You’re thinking of eggs, Chiquita Banana lady,” Rome said, winking at Tierney with amusement. “I think you mean that we’re no fair-weather friends, Celeste.”
“Oh yeah,” Celeste agreed. “That’s what I mean. When the going gets tough…we stick around.”
Tierney smiled at Celeste. Maybe she could come to trust the Latin beauty and be her friend—her true friend—her sunny-side-up friend.
“And anyway, everybody has their own emotional baggage,” Alec interjected. “Whether it’s rotten parents or a history of bad relationships or…or…”
“Or guilt,” Celeste offered.
Alec nodded. “Yeah. Whatever it is…everybody’s got it.”
There was quiet for a moment as everyone was thoughtful—no doubt about the personal baggage they were each carrying as individuals.
“Let’s go back to talking about you in silk stockings and me unzipping your dress zipper with my teeth,” Rome said, again winking at Tierney. He smiled. “I liked that thread of conversation a lot better.”
“Yeah,” Alec said. “Although I don’t know how warm you girls will be when you hit the plows with us tomorrow night.”
“What?” Tierney asked.
“There’s a big cold front coming in tomorrow,” Alec began to explain. “They’re saying it’s going to bury us, and sometimes me and Rome like to have someone ride along with us to help keep us from getting bored and sleepy when we’re plowing all night long.”
“It’s actually pretty fun, Tierney,” Celeste said. “I went with Rome three or four times last year, and we just talked and listened to music. It’s kind of exciting sometimes…in a scary sort of way.”
“Yeah,” Alec affirmed. “I figure this year, you can go with me and—”
“She can go with me,” Rome interrupted, however, “and Celeste can go with you. I swear if I have to have Celeste in my truck with me singing “Party in the U.S.A.” all night long one more time, I’ll lose my mind.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Celeste exclaimed. Tierney watched the way Celeste’s eyes glistened with excitement as she looked to Alec and asked, “Would you mind if I went with you tomorrow night instead of with Rome?”
Alec’s smile was as broad as the Mississippi as he answered, “Not at all. I’d love it.”
Rome leaned over and whispered into Tierney’s ear, “They’re having a moment just thinking about it. Imagine the moment they’ll have once they’re actually together all night plowing.”
Tierney smiled, delighted for her brother. Alec was so happy anytime he was in Celeste’s company. She could just imagine what a night of isolation with her in a truck cab would do to him.
“And imagine the moment we’ll have,” Rome added.
Tierney’s smile instantly faded—the heat rising to her cheeks, giving her the sensation it was a warm summer day on the beach instead of a late autumn day in Leavenworth, Washington, with a snowstorm on the horizon.
But then she remembered he was only teasing—as he always was. Therefore, inhaling a deep breath of courage, Tierney forced a smile, turned to face him, and said, “You imagine it.”
Rome chuckled and then turned and thanked the waiter as he set a plate of bratwurst and sauerkraut on the table before him. “Oh, I will, my bootylicious little florist. I certainly will.”
As the waiter set Tierney’s plate of food on the table in front of her, she gulped with nervous anticipation. Rome was only teasing her—just like always. He was only teasing her.
Chapter Seven
The cold front predicted to hit did indeed hit—and hard! Tierney could never remember having been so thoroughly chilled. And yet she was happy in being able to wear a sweater all day long. She’d always loved sweaters, but the weather in Monterey had never been cold enough to wear them comfortably
, even during the holidays. Therefore, as she stood at Alec’s front window watching the snow falling heavy and thick outside, her excitement about going out as Rome’s company during his night of plowing grew. She nearly delirious anticipating spending who knew how many hours alone with him, and she’d be able to do it in the soft, cream-colored sweater Alec had gifted her for her birthday.
Tierney thought for a moment about how what she was wearing so thoroughly affected her mood. Standing there in her jeans, snow boots, and cream sweater, waiting for Alec to finish getting ready so they could meet Rome and Celeste to start plowing, Tierney felt calmer, more relaxed somehow. Thoughts of warm mugs filled with hot chocolate, crackling fireplaces, and having Rome’s arms around her enveloped her senses, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you ready?” Alec asked as he entered the room.
Tierney turned to greet him and smiled when she saw her brother all decked out head to toe in his snowplowing togs—heavy work boots, old jeans, a flannel shirt over long underwear, and a black ski cap. Alec looked purely rugged!
“You look awesome!” she giggled.
Alec smiled. “Manly, huh?”
“Oh, totally manly,” Tierney agreed.
“And here come the troops,” he said, nodding toward the front window.
Tierney looked back out the front window once more in time to see a big black Dodge Ram Laramie 3500 with a snowplow on the front pull up in front of the house.
The truck’s horn sounded, and Alec said, “Grab your coat, Tiers. It’s gonna be a long night.”
Mingled excitement and anxiety welled up in Tierney’s bosom. She was about to spend an undisclosed amount of time in the big black truck cab with Rome—just Rome. It all seemed so romantic, yet she knew it wasn’t meant to be that way—that it was work, Alec and Rome’s business and financial livelihood. Still, it was a dreamy idea.
As Tierney and Alec stepped out of the house and into the snowy evening, the cold wind sent a chill through Tierney even for her warm clothing.
“It’s so cold!” she exclaimed, teeth chattering, as Alec opened the door to the extended cab and helped her in.
“Hi, Tierney!” Celeste greeted excitedly as Tierney settled into her seat and fastened her seatbelt. “This is going to be so fun! You’ll love it. Of course, you’ll be worn out by the time we get home. But you’ll love it!”
Alec scooched in next to Tierney and said, “Hey, Celeste.”
“Hi,” Celeste responded with a sweet blush of delight.
“You better take your truck home tonight, man,” Rome said, looking in his rearview mirror as he talked to Alec. “Otherwise I’m going to end up having to plow your a…butt outta here next time too.”
“I know,” Alec agreed. “But I needed to put that other plow on and just hadn’t done it yet.”
Rome switched his attention to Tierney then, winking at her in the mirror. “Hey there, bootylicious sweater babe. You ready for an all-nighter?”
Tierney shrugged—actually, she blushed and shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Rome’s smile broadened as he said, “Well, then let’s head out to the lot to get Alec’s truck and get this show on the road, shall we?”
Rome was wearing a black ski cap too, and Tierney experienced a moment of disappointment. She loved his hair—loved staring at it and imagining running her fingers through it. Yet he looked ultra-sexy in his snowplowing clothes too, so her disappointment wasn’t too lingering.
As Rome drove them to where Alec stored his other vehicles and equipment, everyone conversed. The energy of being eager filled the truck cab with a sense of excitement and fun, and again Tierney was struck with how much life she’d missed out on having grown up where and how she did.
But she and Alec had discussed at length that regret did nothing to move a person forward or to encourage. And for that reason, Tierney didn’t let her thoughts linger too long on what she’d missed but rather focused on enjoying the fact that she wasn’t missing it now.
Once Alec and Celeste were in Alec’s truck and Tierney was settled into the passenger’s seat of Rome’s, she watched as Alec drove out of the lot, honking his horn and waving.
“Rome,” Alec’s voice said over the cell phone walkie-talkies he and Rome used while plowing.
Rome picked up his phone and said, “Yeah.”
“Let me call the city and county and see what we’ve got pending there, and then I’ll let you know who’s first on the private customer list,” Alec said.
“Roger,” Rome answered.
“Roger?” Tierney giggled with amusement.
Rome smiled. “Yeah. It’s half the fun of the job…using walkie-talkies and acting like we’re Special Forces guys on some mission.”
Tierney laughed. “You boys are so funny!”
“As opposed to you girls, who want to wear silk stockings and have Rock Hudson unzip your dress?” Rome teased as he shifted into drive and slowly inched through the lot.
Tierney smiled, simply in heaven being with him—alone with him.
Rome stopped the truck and put it in park just outside the lot fence. “And now we wait,” he said.
“For Alec to give us our mission orders?” Tierney teased.
“Exactly,” he said, grinning and relaxing back against his seat. “We just keep the truck warm and ready to go.”
“And how long will that take?” she asked.
“Why? Are you already bored with my company?”
“Not at all,” she assured him.
Rome’s alluring eyes narrowed, and he asked, “Are you afraid I’ll try to take advantage of your bootyliciousness?”
Tierney giggled. “Not at all,” she answered. And it was true.
The article concerning “emotional red flags” popped into her mind then. She thought of the way she’d felt when Elias Potts had come into the floral shop—about how many red flags had begun waving in her brain. But with Rome, there wasn’t a one. She wasn’t nervous in being with him—well, not about her safety anyway, even considering that if he did try to take advantage of her, there was no escape from the truck. She couldn’t jump out and run into a near whiteout blizzard, after all—even if she’d wanted to (which she was sure she wouldn’t).
Rome studied Tierney a moment—watched her as she glanced around the truck cab, seeming to take inventory.
“This is a pretty fancy ride you have here, Mr. Novak,” she said.
“I like it,” he responded. “And me and Alec find they do the job fine…until the snow piles up too much and we have to take out the big dogs—the actual snowplows, instead of the pickups with the plows attached to the front.”
“Do you like it?” she asked. “The work you and Alec do?”
“Absolutely,” Rome answered honestly. “We get to be outside. Usually we can set our own hours, though winter can get to be a drag by the time it’s over.”
“How long will we all be out tonight?” she asked. “Like, all night?”
Rome smiled. He could see that having to wait was making her nervous.
“Probably,” he answered. “But don’t worry. We’ll talk and plow. And if you get tired, I keep a pillow and blanket in here…because Celeste usually doesn’t make it much past two am.”
Tierney puffed a rather breathless laugh. “I couldn’t leave you up by yourself,” she said. “Alec says I’m supposed to keep you awake and everything. That’s why I’m here, right?”
Rome’s smile broadened. “You’re here to be my eye candy, sugar cookie,” he flirted.
“Oh sure,” she said, rolling her eyes. She fidgeted in her seat a moment, and Rome enjoyed watching her blush. “Are you hot?” she asked, looking at him as she tugged at the collar of her coat.
“I don’t know,” Rome answered. “What do you think?”
“Oh my gosh! Are you ever serious?” Tierney giggled as she unzipped her coat.
“I was serious just now,” Rome teased. She rolled her beautiful
eyes and shook her head. “Go ahead and take off your coat,” he said, letting her off the discomfort hook. “I have the heat pretty high in here so I can always jump back into warmth if I have to get out and dig us out or something.”
Rome watched as Tierney removed her coat and then gritted his teeth with being far more than merely pleased with the way she looked in her little fluffy, ivory-colored sweater. He’d always had a thing for girls in sweaters, even when he was a kid. Ever since Rome Novak had begun to notice girls, he’d much preferred them in jeans and sweaters than shorts or bathing suits or any other clothing that was more revealing. There was something about Tierney in that sweater that made him wonder if he would actually be able to concentrate on plowing snow.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded and tucked a strand of long, soft hair behind one ear. She began to fidget again then, and Rome grinned. She wasn’t impatient; she was nervous. He hoped the reason she was nervous was because of him—because she liked him. Well, he was already pretty certain she liked him, but he wasn’t sure how much she liked him. Was it as much as he liked her? Did she have the same sense of urgency where he was concerned that he did where she was?
Knowing that it would take Alec at least half an hour to work out their routes for the first part of the evening (something he was certain Tierney did not know), Rome decided to step it up—to act on the constant sense of urgency that had been nagging him since the moment he’d stepped out of that damn box dressed like an idiot almost a year before.
The waiting was starting to cause Tierney’s nerves to bunch up. What was taking Alec so long? What was she supposed to do with Rome sitting there all casual, staring at her like he was waiting for a movie to start?
Just keep him alert and awake, Alec had instructed Tierney before they’d left. But the problem was Rome looked incredibly alert and awake—incredibly alluring, incredibly handsome, incredibly everything!
Rome must’ve sensed Tierney’s discomfort because suddenly he said, “Here.” Reaching for the iPod on the port of the dashboard, he explained, “Maybe this will make the wait less miserable and the night more festive for you.”
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