by Candis Terry
Gabi nodded. “But he’s trying really hard to make Lucy happy.”
“Well, if you promise to sneak a little bug in his ear, I can tell you exactly what kind of cake and design his bride-to-be would like to have.”
Like fate had stepped in to help her with her goal today, Gabi grinned. “I’ll take that little bug and a dozen cinnamon rolls to go.”
When Jordan and Lucy opened the door to the main house at Sunshine Creek on Sunday morning, Gabriella knew she’d caught them off guard.
“Hi. Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Looking a little puzzled, they both stepped back and she went inside the warm living room that still smelled like pumpkin pie.
“It’s good to see you again,” Lucy said.
“Especially since you and Parker disappeared so quickly Thanksgiving night,” Jordan added, a smirk tilting his very masculine lips.
A flush crept up Gabi’s cheeks.
“It took us several minutes to realize that Brooke’s coat hadn’t been lost,” he added. “It got kidnapped.”
“I could explain,” Gabi said, trying to keep her embarrassment intact. “But I’m not sure how willing your brother is to spill the beans.”
“Oh, please give me and the brothers something to give him shit about.” Jordan laughed when Lucy poked her elbow into his ribcage. “What? It’s what we do.”
Gabi smiled at their playfulness and familiarity. A girl always hoped for that kind of relationship with her man. “You’re probably wondering why I just popped up on your doorstep.”
“You’re welcome here anytime.” Lucy smiled. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”
“Actually, tea would be great. Herbal if you have it. I’m afraid of the consequences if I have any more coffee. I’ve already been running at Nascar speed this morning.” She held up the pastry box. “I brought you some cinnamon rolls from Sugarbuns.”
“Perfect. Let’s talk in the kitchen,” Jordan said. “Easier to eat and less chance for an interruption.”
“Too late for that.”
Gabi turned at the voice coming down the stairs. Today their aunt Pippy was decked out in a white Elvis jumpsuit with a red pleather belt and sparkly silver ankle boots. Earrings that looked like a complete solar system dangled from her ears. Gabi might question her fashion sense, but never her colorful personality.
“Don’t get started yakking about my nephew without me,” Pippy said. “I’ve already got everyone on alert.”
“Alert?”
“Next brother taken off the market,” Jordan told her. “According to Aunt Pippy we’ll all be off the available list by the end of next year.”
“You’ll be off the list by the end of this year,” Lucy reminded him, then brushed his cheek with a kiss.
“Which is exactly why I’m here.” Gabi settled into one of the big wooden chairs at the table and pulled her notepad from her purse. All eyes were directed at her. Any other day she’d feel nervous about setting herself up to be a big buttinski. In this case, she didn’t even flinch. She’d do anything to help Parker.
“It’s no secret Parker and I have been spending some time together. And whether I actually end up working for him or not remains to be seen.” Gabi took a breath, amazed at how fast he’d become important to her. “But that’s not why I’m here. Right now I come strictly as a friend who’s concerned about him. Even though I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want me to say anything.”
“What’s wrong?” Instant worry creased Lucy’s forehead. “Is he sick?”
“He’s overworked and exhausted. And he’s not getting any sleep because his mind won’t shut off long enough for him to relax. Between the family business, the food truck business, adding his physical efforts to building the restaurant as well as trying to make it all come together, and trying to figure out how to help you have the perfect wedding reception, he’s not really making things happen like he might normally do.”
“I’ve noticed he does look tired,” Pippy said.
“Me too. I never wanted to add to his worries.” Lucy poked Jordan in the side. “You need to stop being so hard on him.”
“Hey. I didn’t know he was overloaded,” Jordan said.
“Well, pay attention.” Lucy softened her stern tone with a squeeze on Jordan’s arm. “Please.”
“I want to help him without imposing my ideas or just pushing him aside and taking over,” Gabi said. “So I thought maybe if you and Lucy could give me some ideas on what type of rehearsal dinner and reception menu you’d like to have, we could X two things off his to-do list. That way he could focus more attention on actually getting everything done on time without any added stress. It will also bring you two together as a team to get what you both want for your wedding, not just one person trying to decide for the other.”
“I’d really like that.” Jordan sighed with relief. “Being a wedding planner is not all it’s cracked up to be. Even when you have a sister who’s trying to take some of the heat off.”
“I’m sorry.” Lucy looked up at her fiancé with apology in her eyes. “I can take back the duties if you want. Or . . . we could just skip all the hassle and go down to the courthouse.”
“Absolutely not.” Jordan kissed Lucy’s forehead. “It’s not a hassle if, in the end, I get to be married to you. I just want you to have the best.”
“I know you do.” The smile Lucy gave her fiancé melted Gabi’s heart. “And I love you for that. But I’d really be just as happy if it was just you and me and a preacher.”
“And I love you for that.” Jordan returned his bride-to-be’s smile. “But it ain’t gonna happen that way. And you know why.”
“Can we at least agree to scale it back just a little?” Lucy asked. “If only to take some of the pressure off Parker.”
“If you insist.”
Lucy looked relieved as she said to Gabi, “Sounds like you really care about Parker.”
“I do.” Why deny it. “I haven’t known him that long but . . . I want him not only to succeed, I want him to be able to enjoy the success without feeling like he’s been dragged over a bed of hot coals.”
Jordan and Lucy exchanged a look. Then Jordan said, “I honestly didn’t know I was adding extra pressure on him to have the reception at the new place.”
“He doesn’t see it as extra pressure,” Gabi said. “He loves you both and he wants to be able to give you the very best. He’s just so tired he doesn’t really know what the best might be right now.”
“He’s very good at hiding what’s really going on inside his head,” Lucy commented.
“Typical male,” Aunt Pippy said. Then she looked at Gabi. “It’s very considerate of you to want to help him.”
“He matters a lot to me.” Yep. It was out in the open now. She might as well tell them she thought she was falling in love too. Open up the whole can of worms instead of just letting a few escape. Somehow, with the speed of a sexy smile, Parker had become an essential part of her life.
And it had absolutely nothing to do with working for him at his restaurant.
“I’m going to offer to work a few days in the food truck for him until things settle down,” Gabi added. “He’ll probably say no, but—”
“But you’re not really a take-no-for-an-answer kind of girl,” Pippy said.
“Exactly.”
“Yep.” Pippy gave a sharp nod as she reached into the open pastry box and scooped up a cinnamon roll. “Kincade boys are falling off the available list like dust off a chalkboard.”
Gabi wanted to tell Parker’s aunt that her feelings were one-sided. That Parker had stipulated they keep things “casual,” so there were really no worries about him falling off the hot, sexy, available Kincade brother list any time soon.
Shifting the conversation back to the reason she’d shown up on their doorstep, Gabi said, “I thought maybe if I could help you narrow down some selections for your rehearsal and reception meals, I could pass them along to him. Then I could
make sure all his supplies are ordered.”
“Sounds like a great idea.” Lucy laid her hand over Gabi’s. “And thank you for wanting to help him out. The last thing we want is for him to be too exhausted to celebrate with everyone else.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Gabi pushed the top of her pen down then scribbled a little on the notepad to make sure it worked. “By the way, when I stopped by Sugarbuns for the cinnamon rolls, Pearl said you were having a difficult time deciding on your cake flavors. Might I suggest a red velvet cake with Italian buttercream? It’s elegant and flavorful and the deep red color fits in with the Christmas theme.” She gave a wink to Lucy, having been informed that red velvet was the bride-to-be’s favorite.
Lucy sighed. “Sounds perfect.”
“That’s it.” Aunt Pippy lifted her hand as though she was being sworn in. “I’m throwing in my vote that Gabriella is perfect for our Parker.”
Tangled up in emotion, Gabi had no idea if that was true. Even if she hoped with all her heart. But she was willing to let Parker take his time to figure things out.
Chapter 13
Dust floated down from the exposed beam where an electrician was drilling holes for installation of the chandeliers above the booths. Eventually. If Parker could ever commit to making a choice.
And that was a damn big if.
That morning over coffee, Gabriella had encouraged him to sit down and make a decision on booths, tables, and chairs. By the time he pulled out his credit card and hit submit on the website, a huge relief settled over his shoulders. He could now mark three items off his enormous checklist. And he had her to thank for it.
What they’d accomplished together had fallen more into the business/serious category instead of the fun/casual category in which he wanted to maintain their relationship. In truth it had felt more like a partnership. Like a musical collaboration that had gone so well he wondered how everything else might work between them.
It also raised a bigger question.
Did it make sense for a guy who’d said he just wanted a fun and casual fling to keep showing up at her door and spending the night in her bed?
Did it make sense that when he woke up wrapped around her like an octopus he realized he slept better than when he slept alone? That every worry in his head seemed to evaporate when he had her in his arms?
Did it make sense for a man who claimed to want no strings to constantly be thinking about ways to show her how much he cared even if she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with many tidbits about her personal life?
Until she’d pointed it out, he hadn’t realized he was so strung out with no end in sight to the things on his checklist and not enough days to make it all happen. There were conversations he needed to have with Jordan so he could get a handle on the rehearsal dinner and reception. Conversations he needed to have with Lili to find out her marketing plans and ideas for incorporating the restaurant into the bigger scheme for the vineyard. And there were conversations he needed to have with himself. Because when he was with Gabriella, nothing about her felt just casual or no strings.
“Hey there.”
He turned at the sultry sound of her voice.
“I was just thinking about you.” Despite the construction crew surrounding them, he wrapped an arm around her waist and reeled her in for a kiss.
She blushed. “I like the way you think.”
“Sweet. How about I get rid of these guys and we go see how hot we can make the kitchen without an oven.”
She chuckled and touched his face with cool fingers. “As awesome as that sounds, I have something to show you.”
“Even better.” He tossed her a grin. “Let the removal of clothes begin.”
“Whoa. Back the truck up, cowboy. The clothes are staying on.” She returned his grin with a sexy one of her own. “For now.”
“I’m highly disappointed. But I will hold you to the for now part later after everyone leaves. So what’s up?”
“I hope you won’t get mad, but I know how busy you are. So I took the liberty of talking with Jordan and Lucy about what type of entrées they’d like to have for the rehearsal dinner and reception.”
She scrunched up her shoulders and nose like she expected the heat of his wrath.
“Are you serious?”
“I’m sorry. Are you mad?”
“About you.” A truth that was becoming fact very fast. “Let me see what you came up with.”
She handed him a small notepad filled with elegant writing and doodles of hearts and flowers.
“They want the rehearsal dinner to be informal since it’s going to be just family and a few close friends who’ll share in the wedding duties. It will be cold outside, so they mostly want to keep it simple with some comfort food and plenty of time for the wine and conversation to flow.”
He looked at the suggestions on the list. “Pizza and pasta?”
She shrugged. “That’s what they want.”
“Sounds good to me. And for the reception?”
She pointed to a section below a line of doodled hearts. “They want to go with something more unexpected than a regular sit-down dinner,” she said. “They’re looking for something a lot more fun and less formal.”
“Instead of signature drinks they want Popsicle cocktails and a specialty coffee bar?”
She nodded. “Preferably with blue and white décor.”
“Yeah, but . . . Popsicles?”
“That was actually Lucy’s idea. I think she’s still trying to give Jordan the opportunity for his Disney Frozen theme. Maybe you could have white chocolate dipped sugar cookies for the coffee bar.”
“And food?”
She pointed to the notepad again.
“Food stations?” He looked up. “Are they serious? My brother with the over-the-top personality wants food stations instead of a sit-down?”
Gabriella chuckled. “I think Lucy has shown him the error of his ways.”
“Damn she’s good. She must have the magic key because once Jordy gets something in his head he’s like a dog with a big juicy bone.”
“All I know is that there were some looks exchanged between the two of them and he caved like a man truly in love.”
“That he is.”
“Jordan pointed out that no one attending the wedding will need to be sold on the idea of coming to your restaurant once it opens. He said they’ll all come regardless. Even if he has to”—she lowered her voice to try and sound like his brother—“bust some heads. So there’s no real need for you to have an elaborate menu for the reception.”
“Jordan said that?”
She nodded.
“Bullshit. What’s the real reason? Because he has been busting my ass to get this place done on time.”
“Honestly? They don’t want you working the whole time. They want you at their wedding and their reception as their brother, not their hired chef and waiter. Jordan said he’s used the reception as an excuse for you to get it done. Otherwise—his words, not mine—you’d be dragging your feet and the restaurant wouldn’t come about for another couple of years.”
He scoffed. “No faith asshole.”
“Is he?”
“No.” Parker sighed. “He’s probably right. Damn him. The wedding definitely added a sense of urgency.”
“So what do you think?”
“I think it’s spuds and mac and cheese for all.”
“Great.” She clapped her hands together. “Then I just have one little request.”
“Yes.” He looped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I will take off my clothes and you may have your wicked way with me.”
Her laughter rippled through his heart and danced across his skin. And damned if it didn’t feel amazing.
“I’m not asking you to hire me on a permanent basis,” she said, “but I’d really love for you to consider letting me help you with both the rehearsal dinner and the reception. Just . . . give me a chance to prove myself. I know I do
n’t have a lot of experience with big events, but I promise you can trust me. And I promise . . .” She clasped her hand to her heart. “I promise I won’t let you down.”
Raw emotion shone in her eyes. Total and complete sincerity. How could he ever tell her no?
And how in the hell could he continue to believe that he could keep things casual with a woman like her?
“I do trust you.” He kissed her. “And I know you won’t let me down.” He kissed her again. “Offer accepted.”
Her eyes widened and a smile burst across her face. “Really?”
“Really.”
When she cupped his face in her small hands and kissed him with such passion and promise, Parker knew he’d have to hold on tight to the reins. Because he could feel himself falling right over the damned cliff of his good intentions.
December descended with bone-chilling temps and constant snow flurries. As Gabi stood in the center of Sunshine & Vine’s kitchen watching deliveries of cooking equipment being rolled off the truck and loaded in, she wished the weather would either blizzard or stop. But currently it wasn’t the weather bothering her.
Something didn’t seem right.
She looked at the kitchen floor plan then looked at the space. Looked at the floor plan then looked at the space. She looked at the floor plan one more time and . . .
“Holy shit.”
Clutching the plans in her hand, she went in search of Parker and found him at the top of a ladder getting ready to crawl up into the newly refinished rafters of the barn.
“Stop!”
Frowning, he looked down to where she stood. “I’m not going to fall.”
“Good. But that’s not why you need to stop. Come down here, I need to show you something.”
“Problem?”
“Huge.”
“Shit.”
In record time, Parker came down the ladder and followed her into the kitchen.
“What’s up?”
She pointed to the new broiler/grill, which had just been slid into place. “See that?”