“Hey, Gage, you can set them down here.” Cara motioned him over to the table along the outer wall of the terrace.
“We need to talk, Lara,” he said before heading over.
“I can’t now, Gage. I have a job to do.”
“I know. I meant later. After. If you want.” God, he was stammering like a schoolboy—and he’d never stammered even then.
“I want.”
By God, so did he.
Chapter 34
Jeff was picking apart every little detail until Lara wanted to shove the doves in his face.
They were “facing the wrong way?” Hello? The doves were wrapped around each other, their wings gracefully curved, looking longingly into each other’s eyes. This was an engagement party; shouldn’t they be looking at each other that way?
Then there weren’t enough white rose and sugar-pearl cupcakes on display in a heart shape around them. Then he thought the white wasn’t white enough, the silver foil wraps weren’t dressy enough, and when he insisted on tasting a cupcake he complained that the strawberry in the center—that he’d asked for—was annoying.
“Seriously, Lara, you’re going to have to step it up if you want to have a chance of making it in this business. I could arrange a consultation for you with the master chef at Koba if you’d like. He’s a personal friend of mine.”
Jeff obviously forgot that she knew he was lying through his teeth trying to impress her. The master chef at Koba couldn’t stand Jeff. Her ex had sent so many meals back to the kitchen to be “cooked more” that Lara hadn’t been comfortable eating there since.
“Thanks, Jeff, but I’m fine.”
“That’s the problem, Lara. It was always the problem. You were fine with the status quo. You never had any vision. If you’d applied yourself, you could have become the chair of the ladies’ group at the club. You could have had them eating out of your hand by your words, not your baked goods.”
Lara counted to ten. Twice.
He’d never change. He was the same condescending jerk he’d always been. Always thinking he knew best, and putting the blame on her for his disappointment.
She, however, had changed.
“You know what, Jeff? You don’t get to talk to me like that anymore. I am here strictly as the supplier of your desserts, not your ex-wife. If you aren’t happy with Cavallo’s Cups & Cakes, then don’t order from us again. I made what you asked for to the best of my ability—an ability you were fully aware of when you hired me—so any dissatisfaction is on you.”
Jeff recovered from the shock too quickly. That damn smarmy smile spread across his face. How could she have ever thought he was good-looking? Gage in his scrubby, scruffy best was better looking than Jeff could ever hope to be.
Speak of the devil…
She’d seen him the moment she’d arrived, up on that roof, his t-shirt plastered to that amazing chest, his jeans hugging his butt, and the doo-rag keeping the hair out of his eyes a really sexy look on him, and she’d felt that familiar tug low in her belly. If he hadn’t come up to her to ask her to talk, she would’ve gone to him.
“Did you hear a word I said?” Jeff put his hands on his hips.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Is this how you treat all of your clients? Do you just collect their money, do whatever the hell you want with their order, then completely ignore them when they’re talking to you? You’re never going to make it in this business, Lara. You’re going to come crawling back to me and it’ll be too late. I’ll be married to Alexandra and you’ll have nothing. If you think I’m going to give you any more money, you’re out of your mind. I can’t believe you have the gall—”
Gage’s arm shot out from behind her to grab Jeff’s shirt collar. “Apologize to the lady.”
Lara hadn’t even heard him approach. She’d been too focused on trying to respond to Jeff’s vitriol.
“I said, apologize to the lady.” He moved around Lara and got in Jeff’s face.
Jeff sneered. “I’ll sue you for this.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
“I’m an attorney.”
Lara put her hand on Gage’s arm. “Gage, let go. It’s all right.”
“It’s not all right. No one should talk to anyone the way he was talking to you.” He shook his fist enough to remind Jeff where his fist was.
Lara squeezed his arm. “Please. Let go. Let’s get through tonight and then we’ll talk.”
“Yes, why don’t you listen to her, Tomlinson? I thought I paid you off. Shouldn’t you be going?”
“I would except she hired me to help her tonight.”
“She did what?”
Prick’s neck turned purple as he stared, wide-eyed, at Lara—who was biting her lip.
Gage recognized that move. She was trying hard not to smile.
“Um, yes. I did. Gage does all the heavy lifting for us.”
“What heavy lifting? You make cupcakes for God’s sake.”
Seems the guy had forgotten that lifting Lara’s cupcakes required finesse—
Shit. Gage did not want to go there, imagining dickwad and her— “I’ll just head out to the van and get what’s left, Lara.”
“Thanks, Gage. The cake’s there and so is the gurney.”
“I’ll bring it right in.” He didn’t want to leave her alone with the asshole, but had to trust that she could take care of herself. At least she wouldn’t punch the guy which is what he was itching to do.
Then, in the driveway, his night got worse.
A beautiful blonde got out of a Jag that had just pulled in.
“Gage?”
Shit. Alexandra Prescott. Of course she’d be marrying Prick.
“Alexandra.” She’d been to more of his shows than had been coincidental, especially in the beginning when he and Bry had been the talent, and she’d made it more than clear that she wouldn’t have minded a private dance lesson.
He’d declined, thank God, but that didn’t mean Alexandra had forgotten both her desire and her indignity when he’d turned her down.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, putting way more sway into her walk than was natural. Of course, nothing about Alexandra was natural, which made her the perfect wife for Prick.
“I’m helping out one of the caterers.”
“You? Cooking?” She eyed him with an appetite that had nothing to do with food.
“No, just the heavy lifting.” Wrong thing to say; her gaze went right to his arms.
Tonight was going to be all sorts of uncomfortable.
She followed him to the van and leaned against the open door provocatively. Alexandra was like a long lick of butter: soft and delicious but so not good for you. He’d never been tempted before; he certainly wasn’t now.
He made quick work of setting up the gurney, slid the cake onto it, and rolled it to the backyard without breaking stride, Alexandra following.
“Darling!” Prick plastered a thousand-watt smile to his too-uniformly-tan-to-be-real face and sauntered toward Alexandra. It was like looking at a pair of animatronic Barbie and Ken dolls.
“Jefferson.” She leaned a powdered cheek toward him.
Which the guy air-kissed.
Now it was Gage’s turn to bite his lip.
He had to bite it harder when Lara rolled her eyes.
He released a breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. She wasn’t still into the prick. Not that he’d really thought she might be, but still, looking at this house, all J.C.—Jefferson—had, he couldn’t help but think that maybe…
“Lara.” Prick turned smarmy. Smarmier. “Allow me to introduce you to my fiancée, Alexandra Prescott. Alexandra, this is Lara. My ex.”
Alexandra had lady-of-the-manor down pat. Always had, but it burned Gage up that she turned that frozen ice princess look onto Lara.
“I understand you’re a baker.”
She might as well have said leper.
Lara, however, straightened her spine an
d pasted a genuine smile on her face. “That’s right. Cavallo’s Cups & Cakes. My cousin and I started it almost a year ago. We’re doing the Applebaum graduation party this weekend.”
“Priscilla and Frank’s son?” Alexandra raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, Phillip.”
“O… oh.”
Hmm, Gage wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it. Apparently this Applebaum gig was a big enough deal to impress even the Ice Princess.
“You didn’t mention the Applebaums, Lara.” Prick looked put out.
If it weren’t his house, Gage would put him out.
“You didn’t ask, Jeff.”
Jeff. Jefferson. J.C… Gage preferred Prick.
“So Lara, where do you want this cake?” Gage interjected, wanting to end the homecoming atmosphere.
“I believe that’s something you should ask me, Tomlinson.” Prick was back in the saddle.
“Actually, Jeff, I was planning a certain set-up, so if you’ll allow me my professional expertise, Gage and I will handle the presentation. You’ll be pleased.”
“Yes, well, we better be.”
Gage had a feeling nothing would ever please this guy where Lara was concerned.
He followed her to the table, waiting until they were out of earshot before he spoke. “You were married to that?”
She laughed. “That is the perfect description. He is a piece of work, isn’t he?”
“He’s something all right. I can’t believe you married him.”
“He wasn’t always like that. At least, not in the beginning. But he’s definitely gotten worse as his bank account has grown. I’ve come to realize that Jeff’s very insecure, so the amount of zeroes he commands gives him validation. Sad, really.”
“You handled him well. He thought he was going to destroy you.”
“You can set the cake here.” Lara moved the box with the doves off the side of the table. “I refuse to give Jeff that power over me. I was devastated when I found out he’d cheated. Not with Alexandra by the way. In case you were wondering.”
“I was only wondering what was going through his mind to cheat on you in the first place.” He hefted the cake into the spot she’d indicated.
“If I knew that, I’d—”
“You’d what?”
She shrugged and started opening the cupcake boxes. “I was going to say that I would’ve stopped it, but I realized that I couldn’t. I’m not responsible for Jeff’s happiness anymore than he’s responsible for mine. That has to come from within you and that’s what you share with your partner.”
He didn’t say anything to that as he thought it over. She wasn’t making excuses, she wasn’t putting it off on someone else. Her happiness was up to her. Just like his was up to him. Which meant that unless he made it happen, he was just as guilty of failing Lara as Prick.
They definitely needed to talk after this.
Chapter 35
All of the big wigs from Jeff’s firm were there, including Weathers, and they all had a warm welcome for Lara.
Jeff hadn’t realized what he’d done by hiring her, nor had Lara really considered it beyond the money he’d pay her, but his co-workers had liked her. She’d run into a few after the divorce and they’d all asked about her and seemed genuinely interested—and genuinely indignant on her behalf at Jeff’s affair. Having them hang out at her dessert table, she realized that they did actually care about what she’d been going through—in a way they didn’t care about Jeff. Or Alexandra.
Jeff was deluding himself if he thought this marriage was a stepping stone in his career. The disdain most of the women had for Jeff’s fiancée was almost palpable. And Alexandra wasn’t helping it with her aloof affectations.
Jeff would never learn.
“Would you all like me to get you a drink?” Gage asked her, Cara, and Jesse, his doo-rag replaced by one of the spare toque hats she kept in the van along with the extra chef coat, and the black pants he’d worn at Gina’s party doubled as tuxedo pants.
If it weren’t for the dark work boots, she’d never have known that, an hour ago, he’d been a sweaty mess in construction clothes, but a dip in Jeff’s pool and the ad-libbed clothing made him the perfect employee.
Perfect being the operative word. He looked yummy in that outfit. But then, he looked yummy in any outfit.
Or not in any outfit…
“I’d love a gin and tonic,” said Cara, “but I’m afraid it might loosen my tongue too much and I’d end up saying something to McMonster that I really want to.”
Lara tried not to smile. She loved that Cara was so indignant on her behalf, but honestly, she’d come to realize, as Jeff had given her his digs and Alexandra had tried to look so superior, that she didn’t care. She was happy with herself and anything Jeff could do or say not only wouldn’t change it, but didn’t affect it at all.
“Some ice water would be great. And Jeff can’t complain about the expense.”
“McMonster can complain about anything,” Cara grumbled.
Gage flicked Cara’s baker’s hat. “Hey, don’t let him ruin your night. He’s not worth it.”
Cara glanced at Lara then at Gage. “How can you be so blasé about this? I mean, after he and Lara…”
Gage shrugged. “He and Lara are no more and she’s with me.” He touched her back briefly. “One round of sparkling ice water coming up.”
Cara fanned herself. “Okay, cuz, you totally lucked out in that department.”
Yes, she had.
***
Gage circumvented the so-called happy couple. He’d seen people in the hospital happier than these two. Prick had his mouth so tight he looked like he was sucking lemons by the dozen, and Alexandra’s smile was so brittle her face might crack.
These two were working the party way too hard.
He nodded at the bartender. “Four ice waters when you get the chance.”
“Sure. No problem.”
Gage stood off to the side, waiting for the guests go be served.
“So, young man, I trust you received the license you were asking about?” Lara’s lawyer buddy strolled up to him and saluted him with his drink.
“I did. I have to thank you for interceding.”
“No problem at all. Some folks are a little too prejudicial, you know what I mean? Take tonight, for instance. Half the people here are only here to size up the fiancée. McCullough made a big mistake letting Lara go and we all know it.”
“She told me what you’ve done for her.”
“I can’t abide cheaters. There’s no excuse for it. He deserves what’s coming to him, and if that’s Alexandra Prescott, the man better watch out.” He chuckled. “Weathers Davis, by the way.” He shook Gage’s hand. “So tell me about this dance club of yours. How did you get involved in stripping?”
“You’re a stripper?” Prick walked up at just the wrong moment.
Gage set the first glass of water on the bar, his fingers itching—just itching—to do some damage to that face.
Weathers took a too-tiny-to-be-real sip of his drink. “He owns a dance club, McCullough.”
“A strip club, you mean, Mr. Davis.”
Gage bit his lip at the fawning tone in Prick’s voice. “That’s another term for it, yes.”
“Good God. I can’t believe Lara went from me to a stripper.” He chuckled. The ass actually chuckled.
Gage’s fingers curled into a fist.
“I fail to see what’s so funny, McCullough.” Weathers took another non-sip of his drink. The man was a master at the put down and Gage just had to watch. “A viable business that will bring revenue to the town and revitalize part of the urban blight. A highly commendable effort, in my opinion. Matter of fact, I’m willing to invest in it if you’re taking investors, Mr. Tomlinson.”
Gage couldn’t contain his surprise. “I’ll… have to talk to my partner about that. We’ll get back to you.”
“Partner? You’re gay?”
“Busines
s partner.” Gage didn’t bother to hide his contempt. With Weathers on board, it gave him the legitimacy Prick would respect. Not that Gage gave a flying fuck for the guy’s respect, but he did like the fact that the guy had to look at him through new eyes.
“Have you and your partner incorporated?” Weathers turned toward him, effectively cutting Prick out of the conversation. “It might be something to look into. Tax purposes.”
“I do have some ideas I could run by you.”
Weathers pulled a card from his pocket. “Give me a call. We’ll set something up.”
The bartender set out the rest of the water glasses. Gage tucked the card in the coat pocket and gathered them up. “Great talking to you. Thanks for your help with the license and I’ll be in touch. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get these back to the hard-working ladies at the dessert table. Make sure you try a piece of cake. Lara’s amazing in the kitchen.”
He left enough innuendo in that comment to get Prick thinking about where else she was amazing.
And got himself thinking. They hadn’t done anything in the kitchen.
Yet.
***
It took ten minutes for the news of Gage’s second job to make the rounds of the party—and Lara knew exactly where that information had come from. Jeff was walking around with his superior attitude on as if he were above every person at the party.
It started with coy looks from the married women. A couple of overt invitations from the single ones. The scowls from the husbands were the dead giveaway; Lara had become extremely familiar with those at Gina’s party.
Then Alexandra had come to her table.
“Gage,” she said in a way that made Lara’s skin crawl. “I would consider it a personal favor to me if you’d give us a show tonight. We will, of course, make it worth your while.”
Gage went dead still and Lara could feel the anger surge through him. “I don’t dance.”
“Nonsense. Of course you do. I’ve seen you.”
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