by Erica Breyer
“And we have a winner!” Jarrod said, taking another moment to glance away from his screen. Kelly’s sea-blue dress clung to the curves of her breasts and waist, then flared from her hips. Gossamer fabric swirled around her thighs to just above her knees. Strappy silver sandals lengthened her legs and highlighted the lines of her toned calves. She was grateful she’d opted to run in shorts and a tank top for the past few weeks because the sun had left her skin a warm shade of gold.
Bonnie’s eyes glinted a little wetly. “Oh darling, you’re always so beautiful to me…but some days, you simply take my breath away,” she sighed. “I can’t believe I managed to create such a miracle.”
“Hey, what about me?” Jarrod protested, pulling a face.
“Oh, you’re beautiful, too,” Bonnie chuckled. “But I’m not letting you put on that blue dress.” She ruffled his tawny hair, and he swatted at her playfully.
“That’s settled then,” Kelly said lightly. “Next question… Hair up or down?”
“Down,” said Jarrod.
“Up,” said Bonnie. The pair of them looked at each other and laughed. Kelly joined in.
“Okay, up-down hair!” She grasped a handful of gold and lifted it, allowing a few tendrils to break free.
“Nailed it!” Jarrod kept laughing as Kelly turned to finish up in her room.
∞∞∞
Carrick hopped out of the pickup and stood in front of the low bungalow for a moment. He’d glanced in the mirror and smoothed his hair before getting out the car, but now he ran his hand through the dark waves.
“Calm down,” he told himself, running his hand over his hair to smooth it again. “You see her every day. This is no different.”
Yeah, it was different.
After last night, everything was different. After last night, there was no turning back.
He reached into the passenger side, drew out a bunch of flowers, straightened his shoulders, and strode towards the front door. It opened before he had a chance to knock.
“Carrick, darling, how lovely to see you!” Bonnie greeted him warmly, reaching up to brush a kiss on his cheek. Chloé danced around his legs, excitedly.
“Bonnie,” he said, “good to see you too.” He smiled and handed her the flowers. “For you.”
Her face lit up. “Oh, irises! How lovely!” She raised a hand to touch an indigo bloom, tracing a fingertip over its little yellow tongue. “Thank you.” She beamed at him.
“My pleasure,” he said. “I had to make up for stealing Kelly away on Pizza Night. And they reminded me of you. Your hair…your eyes.” He smiled, feeling awkward.
“Oh, don’t be silly, darling, I don’t have blue hair!” Bonnie quipped. Carrick bit out a laugh, the ice broken. “Won’t you come in? Kelly will be out in a moment. She just went to fetch her purse.”
He nodded and followed her into the living room, where Jarrod was draped in his spot on the couch.
“Yo, bro!” he called out. “Come to show my sis a good time?”
Carrick chuckled. “I hope so.” He turned…and did a double-take.
“Hi.” Her voice was soft.
“Hey,” he said back. “You look…” He cleared his throat. “You’re beautiful.”
Kelly’s smile was radiant. He’d never seen her eyes look so blue. She’d done something with her hair – clipped it up, yet there were curls that tumbled around her shoulders and wisped around her face. He hadn’t seen her in a dress before, and this one was…perfect. Clingy in all the right places. And, oh Lord, she had so many ‘right places’. The neckline dipped slightly to give just a hint of cleavage. If he was a different kind of man, he’d have stepped closer to get a look down there, but as it was, that hint was enough to set his blood simmering. He’d never been a boob guy, but that might be about to change. Although, those legs—
Carrick yanked his mind back to the room. “Shall we go?” he said to Kelly. She nodded, curling her fingers around her little silver purse and stepping towards him. He took her hand and turned towards the others. “Bonnie, Jarrod, thank you for allowing Kelly to join me for the evening.” He smiled warmly at Bonnie.
“No problem at all, darling. Have a lovely evening. And be sure to get my daughter home at a decent hour,” Bonnie dimpled up at him.
Carrick hesitated, then gave a brisk nod. “Absolutely, ma’am, I’ll do that,” he said. These were such good people, he thought to himself. His little charade was beginning to make him feel like a complete ass.
Chapter 12
The drive to the restaurant was nerve-wracking for Kelly. The electricity between them crackled, and she was aware of every movement, every breath. He’d dressed in dark trousers and a navy collared shirt, which set off his dark eyes and hair. She’d never seen him in anything other than jeans and t-shirts, and it felt odd somehow…as if she was sitting beside a stranger. Carrick made light conversation, chatting as if the previous night never happened. He was attentive without being overly familiar and said all the right things.
It was driving her nuts!
By the time they parked and walked through the entrance, she was sure her skin would sizzle if he touched her. Which he did, discreetly, putting a hand to her lower back to guide her through the door. Kelly sucked in a breath, and he glanced down at her.
“Yes?”
She smiled stiffly, searching for words. “Um… Wow! You got us into Tides,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Yeah, I heard it was good,” he replied, as if getting into the best seafood restaurant in town was no big deal. He stepped forward as the maitre d’ approached them.
“Sir?” the man said. “You have a reservation?”
“Yup,” Carrick replied, moving towards the reservation book and pointing at a line on the page. “There we are,” he said. The maitre d’s eyes widened, and he quickly reached for a pair of menus.
“Of course, sir. So wonderful to have you with us! Please, come this way,” he said. His attitude had switched from aloof to hyper-attentive in an instant. Kelly guessed it was handy to make sure you reserved a table if you wanted the red carpet treatment in this place. Though from what she’d heard, those took months to get. Maybe Carrick had slipped him a twenty.
Moments later, they were seated in a private booth with a view of the bay. Lights twinkled across the water and a gentle breeze filtered through the open windows nearby. It was fabulous.
“What a great table!” Kelly said, settling back in her seat and glancing around. The décor was chic and airy with a subtle nautical theme. Muted music set a sophisticated tone that made her feel like she was on a high-end beach vacation. She was pretty she could pick out the sounds of Café del Mar as a server approached.
“Good evening, sir, madam. I am Gustav, your sommelier. May I discuss some wine pairings with you?” Kelly tried not to look overwhelmed.
“Would you like to start with a cocktail, or shall we just order a bottle of wine?” Carrick asked casually. Kelly shrugged and smiled shyly.
“Either is fine by me,” she answered. “Maybe wine? I’d love a glass of chardonnay.”
“Sounds good,” Carrick agreed, turning to the man and pointing to an item on the wine list. Gustav nodded and left discreetly. Kelly continued to stare around the restaurant, acutely aware that they were surrounded by the ‘smart set’. Several faces looked distinctly familiar, but she was pretty sure she recognized them from the pages of gossip magazines. She felt totally out of place. There was nothing ‘High Street’ about her outfit. Her purse was a cute little retro clutch she’d found at a second-hand store, and her dress was off-the-rack. She shifted slightly in her seat, rearranging the cutlery on the table in front of her nervously.
“Kelly.” Carrick’s voice dragged her out of her thoughts, and she looked up. His dark eyes were intense. “Thank you for coming out with me tonight,” he said. Kelly smiled, trying to regain the comfortable camaraderie that had been building between them, but failing.
“Thank you for inviting me,”
she answered, feeling as if it was an inadequate response.
Carrick chuckled. “This feels awkward, doesn’t it?”
Kelly gave a tiny snort of laughter. “Yeah…you feel it too?”
He nodded. “Shall we dial things back a bit? You know I enjoy your company. I kinda hope...you like mine too. Let’s just take it from there?”
She nodded. He still hadn’t mentioned last night. In a way, she was relieved, but part of her knew it needed to be addressed. The elephant in the room.
“How was your day?” he asked, shrugging wryly as if to acknowledge that it was a lame question. As lame questions went, it was a smart one; she was always happy to talk about work.
“It was good,” she replied. “I finished up the protocols for the new ordering system, which is a big load off my plate. Plus, Taneka and I have come up with a plan that should trim a week off the construction schedule. I chatted with Miguel about it, and he thinks it’s very doable.”
“Really?” Carrick was impressed. “That would bring us back on track after the delivery screw-up a few weeks ago.”
“Yip,” said Kelly, leaning back as Gustav returned with their wine. Carrick swirled and tasted a mouthful then nodded for him to pour. Kelly grinned. “Fancy! Looks like you know exactly what you’re doing with that wine.”
Carrick winked. “A throwback to my college days…I waited tables to cover tuition. I saw enough guests do it to get the idea.”
“You were a waiter?” Kelly asked. She could see him in the role. He had the charm for it. Must’ve made a fortune in tips. “What did you study?” She reached for her glass and took a sip, giving a small murmur of approval. Rich, buttery, exactly how she liked it.
“Business Management,” he replied, reaching for his own glass.
“That’s interesting,” she said, wondering how he’d ended up on a construction site. Though it explained a lot about how he carried himself. He wasn’t the first highly educated person she’d come across working in a blue-collar job. The economy could be hellish. “So, what made you get into construction?” She decided to jump in at the deep end.
Carrick flipped open his menu. “I’ve always liked building things, I guess.” He smiled, and she watched as the grooves around his mouth deepened. He had a great smile. “I enjoy working with my hands.” Kelly glanced at his hands, and reined her imagination in as she imagined what he could do with his hands. Remembered what he’d done with them the night before. She blushed. “And if I’m honest, I wanted to get into something completely different from my father.”
“What does your father do?”
“Law,” he answered simply.
“A policeman?” she pressed.
“An attorney,” Carrick said. “Runs a law firm. He expected me to go into the family business. The usual cliché. We had a fall-out, and that was the end of it. I went my own way.”
Kelly blinked. Somehow she hadn’t expected that answer. “How did your mother feel about that?” she asked.
Carrick shrugged. “No idea. She wasn’t around for most of it. Haven’t seen her in years.”
“Wasn’t around? Where was she?” Kelly was growing increasingly confused.
“Who knows? Paris. London. Rome?” He shrugged again. “Wherever the fashion shows were at the time.”
For a moment, Kelly had no words. When he’d said his family hadn’t been close, she’d assumed he’d meant something else. Absent father. Working mom. Divorce. Those kinds of clichés. Not the ‘family law firm and socialite mother’ angle.
“So, then he cut you off?” It explained how he’d ended up working on site.
“I cut myself off,” Carrick said, glancing down at his menu. Kelly took the hint and opened hers too. A moment later, she frowned up at him.
“My menu has no prices in it,” she said, flipping through the pages.
“It’s not supposed to,” he answered. “I told you, I’m getting dinner. You don’t need to know the prices.”
“What? Of course I do,” she objected. “How do I pick what to eat?”
“You choose what you want. What do you feel like?” he asked.
“Umm…seafood,” she said, but knew it was going to be a budget buster.
“Well, then you’re in the right place,” he grinned, seemingly relieved about the change of topic. “There’s a lobster bisque that’s incredible. Oysters…” He bobbed his eyebrows, and she blushed. “Maybe a platter?”
Kelly’s mouth was watering, but she felt intimidated by the thought of ordering something horribly overpriced. What was she thinking? This place looked like everything was horribly overpriced.
“If you’ve been here before, maybe you could order for me?” It wasn’t incredibly emancipated, but she was at a loss.
“Sure,” he answered, raising a hand to draw the waiter’s attention. Minutes later, the man left after receiving an order for a list of dishes. Carrick turned back to her. “So, how’s Bonnie been feeling this week?”
“Still not great, but more upbeat now that we have a new plan of action. Thank you for letting me know about the fund,” Kelly said.
Carrick brushed it off with a wave of his hand. “It was nothing,” he answered. “That’s what funds like that are there for, right?” Kelly smiled. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help. If she’s got surgery planned, you may find yourself snowed under.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. Though I have to admit, Jarrod’s really been stepping up to the plate,” Kelly responded.
“Yeah, he seems like a good kid, once you get him off the couch,” Carrick said. Kelly grinned.
“That’s him in a nutshell,” she admitted. It suddenly occurred to her that Carrick knew a lot more about her than she did about him. A movement beside the table caught her attention, and she saw the waiter hovering, plates in hand.
“Champagne and oysters for two,” he murmured, setting the plates down and efficiently adjusting the position of their wine glasses to make room for a pair of flutes. A second waiter was standing beside him with an oversized platter laden with crushed ice and shucked oysters. As they stepped aside, Gustav returned with another bottle and presented it to Carrick, who nodded. Kelly’s eyes widened.
“Another bottle?” she asked. “What will we do with the chardonnay?”
“We can keep it on ice for the rest of the meal,” Carrick shrugged. Gustav had expertly opened the bottle and, after getting a nod of approval from Carrick, was pouring into their flutes with a flourish.
“Oh boy, I think we might need to get a jug of water!” Kelly warned. “I’ll end up dancing on the table!”
“Of course, madam,” Gustav inclined his head and left silently. Carrick had his glass raised slightly, ready for a toast.
“To finally getting you to take a chance on me,” he said, clinking his glass against hers. Kelly wanted to object, but had to admit, he was right. She’d kept him at arm’s length since she’d met him.
“To taking chances,” she said back. Their eyes met,, and for a second, she was back in that room, staring up at him, waiting for his lips to meet hers. Her breath caught, and she covered the sound with a sip of champagne. It was crisp and dry and cool in her mouth.
“Here, try this,” Carrick said, scooping up an oyster and aiming it at her. She parted her lips without question, and he let the icy morsel slip onto her tongue. She bit down, then hesitated before chewing and swallowing.
“Mmmm...That’s good! What is it that they put on it?” she asked before taking another mouthful of the icy wine. It bubbled in crisp contrast to the tart flavor before.
“Granadilla and lychee,” he said, popping one into his own mouth. “This one is salsa verde, that over there is soy and orange, and I think that’s cucumber and gin and tonic.”
Kelly laughed with delight, reaching to try one. “Now that’s a first!” she grinned. “I’ve never had oysters and gin! Though I’m starting to have suspicions about your intentions now. Oysters?” She raised an
eyebrow. “Champagne? I’m beginning to wonder—”
“If I’m planning to seduce you?” he said bluntly.
Kelly choked on a laugh. “Well, I was going to say ‘get me drunk and take advantage of me’, but that works as well,” she giggled. She hadn’t had much to drink, but the combination of champagne and nerves was making her feel a little light-headed.
“Would you like me to?” he asked, lifting another oyster to her lips. This conversation was taking a rapid change of direction. He traced a fingertip along the line of her bottom lip, and her heart-rate shot through the roof.
“I…I…” Kelly took another gulp of champagne to cover her consternation. It didn’t help, and now her glass was almost empty. She reached for another oyster and popped it into her mouth.
“I meant what I said last night, Kelly,” he continued. “It’s going to happen.” She stared at him for a moment.
“Yes,” she said. Why deny it? She wanted him more than any man she could remember. It didn’t help that she’d just come through a year-long dry-spell. But that wasn’t the reason. There was something special about this man. His intensity. His integrity. The way he cared about things without needing to. So, he didn’t have an impressive job title or a fancy car. Those things didn’t matter. He could look after himself. Wanted to look after others. He was nothing like her father.
Her thoughts darkened, and as if sensing them, he reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. His thumb stroked over her palm, and she swallowed hard. She’d never known there was an erogenous zone right there...but there it was. She pressed her knees together.
“Kelly,” he said, “there’s no rush. We have all the time in the world.”
∞∞∞
By the time they were ready to leave, Kelly seemed to be a bundle of nerves. Carrick could feel the tension too. The atmosphere between them was as taut as a tightrope. He wanted to touch her, but every interaction made him burn. Shortly before they left, she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room and returned looking as if she’d splashed herself with water. He could have done the same. Hell, he could have used a cold shower.