by Lisa Dyson
She nodded. “Back in college. I found I was good at advising my girlfriends on how to compose a better résumé and before I knew it, their friends were coming to me, too, and so it began.”
“A self-made woman. Very impressive.” He sounded sincere, which was a point for him.
“Thank you. I think I learned a lot from my father by osmosis.” She paused. “He’s Cal Tucker of Tucker Industries.” She didn’t feel the need to mention that he always made the Forbes list of the wealthiest people in the United States.
“Oh! Sure. I think someone mentioned he was your dad. So is that how you were able to start your own business?”
“Absolutely not.” That came out more adamantly than she’d meant for it to. “I used a small inheritance from my paternal great-aunt to get started. It wasn’t much, but there’s no way I’d take money or anything else from my father.”
“You don’t have a good relationship?”
“I haven’t seen or spoken to him in almost a year. So yes, I’d say we don’t have a good relationship.” What would her father think of her pregnancy? She could only guess how disappointed in her he’d be.
A timer on Nick’s cell phone went off. “Hold that thought.” He rose and placed his napkin on his chair. “I hope you like the main course. It’s a chicken dish that’s one of my favorites.”
“I’m sure I’ll love it.”
He wasn’t gone very long, and it turned out that he was right about the chicken. She loved it. The chicken was moist and seasoned well, and the farro and asparagus were also delicious complements. She was so busy eating that she’d completely forgotten about the conversation she’d been having with Nick, until he reminded her.
“So you were telling me why you accepted my invitation,” he said, after several minutes of silent eating.
“Oh, right.” She swallowed the bite she had in her mouth and patted her lips with her napkin. “This food is so good that I forgot what we were talking about.” She took a drink of water, glad he’d refilled it when he’d brought in the chicken. “So my company has a client, Gabriella, we’d like to help, which is where you come in. She has a restaurant that’s failing, and I was hoping you’d come on as a consultant to figure out what she’s doing wrong.”
He stared at her a few long seconds. “Consultant?”
“Yes, we’d pay you a generous consultant fee.” She named the standard figure for this type of job. When he didn’t respond, she added, “It’s negotiable if the amount’s a problem for you. And you can work around your restaurant schedule.” She raised her hand to encompass the room. “You’ve got a great restaurant here, so you obviously know what it takes to be successful in the business.”
* * *
IF ONLY, NICK THOUGHT.
Bree’s offer made him feel like a fraud. If only she knew how deep in the hole they were.
“You can think about the offer,” she said when he didn’t reply.
“I accept.” He heard the words come out of his mouth and couldn’t quite believe he’d said them. What could he tell someone that would improve their restaurant to make it profitable? Don’t do what I did?
“You do?” she asked excitedly. “That’s great! I’m so glad.” She took another bite of food, followed by a long drink of water.
“Would you like a soda or something else to drink?” He’d never thought about offering her anything different until now. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner.”
“No, no, water’s fine. I prefer it.”
They spoke for a few more minutes about his job as a consultant and he found it an interesting idea. The extra money coming in would certainly go a long way to help cover this month’s rent.
“Why choose me as your consultant?” he asked. “You’re a female-oriented firm. Why not hire a woman for the position?”
“Good question.” She nodded. “I believe in hiring the best people for the job, no matter whether they’re male or female. I’ve tasted your food twice now and seen how this place operates, and I think you are the best candidate for the job.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your confidence.” He only wished he had as much faith in himself. He did know how to run a restaurant. He’d just been trying to balance too many things at once and lost control. Deceitful employee and distributor, canceled wedding plans that had left him with bills, as well as having to buy out his ex’s half of their condo all came at once. If he’d suddenly suffered locusts and a drought, he doubted he would have noticed.
“Besides,” she added. “You accept the job and I’ll forgive you for letting me drink so much after I cut my foot.”
“I think I’ve already paid you back by catching you in my arms twice.” He winked.
Her cheeks turned pink.
He continued. “Forgiven?”
She nodded and took a long drink of water instead of speaking.
“Then I accept the job,” he said.
By the time he brought out dessert, a chocolate-raspberry torte—he hoped he couldn’t go wrong with chocolate—Bree seemed to have relaxed in his presence. Before this, she’d been much more standoffish than he’d expected after their time on the island. Hopefully, this signaled a new beginning for them.
“I’d offer you an after-dinner drink or coffee, but I already know the answer,” he said when they’d finished their dessert.
She patted her lovely mouth delicately with her napkin. “Dinner was delicious and that dessert was the perfect ending. Thank you so much.”
He smiled. “You’re very welcome. I hope we can do it again sometime.” That came out before he’d thought it through, but he liked the idea. A lot.
“Um, sure,” she said as she got up from her chair and pushed it in. “We should probably go have dinner or lunch or something at Gabriella’s Latin-fusion restaurant so I can introduce you and you can take a look at the place.”
That’s right. He was going to be working for her. Sure, it would only be a few hours here and there. But then she would also be using his restaurant’s bar to train bartenders. Maybe they needed to keep this a business relationship, after all. At least for now.
He helped her on with her coat and walked her to the front door. He was about to unlock it when she turned to him and he leaned in to kiss her without thinking too hard about it. He’d been wanting to kiss her from the moment he’d seen her walking toward him on the sidewalk.
She pulled back slightly and stared at him in surprise, their faces inches apart.
But then she shocked him by grabbing his head with both hands and kissing him like he’d never been kissed before. His body came alert the moment their kiss deepened. She tasted sweet and hot and he wanted her. Oh, how he wanted her.
He’d explored every inch of her while they were on the island. He wanted to do that again and again.
His fingers slid through her hair to her neck and she pressed her body against his. He’d only begun to know her body intimately, and he wanted to increase that knowledge and use it to make her cry out in pleasure.
She pulled back then, pressing two fingers to her slightly swollen lips. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
He’d like to be the one to get into her, but kept his inappropriate commentary to himself.
“I should go,” she said softly.
“You don’t have to.” And he meant it.
“Yes, I do.” She gazed up at him. Even in boots with high heels, the top of her head only came to his chin.
“Have you forgotten how good we were on the island?”
She blushed. “How could I forget?”
He placed his hands on her hips and brought their pelvises together. “We could continue where we left off.”
She seemed to be mulling it over. “I’m sorry. I just don’t have time to get involved with anyone. Wh
at we had on the island was a vacation fling, and now we’re back to reality.”
He didn’t say anything. What could he say? His body was screaming its disagreement, while his head had to agree with her. Business and pleasure weren’t a good mix. Maybe after their business arrangement ended and his own business was on the mend, he could revisit a personal relationship with her.
“Good night, Nick.” She laid her hand on his cheek and their eyes met for an instant. She was out the door before he could offer to walk her to her car.
CHAPTER NINE
MONDAY MORNING, AFTER a staff meeting that lasted longer than she’d planned, Bree was gathering her thoughts at her desk when her assistant rapped lightly on her office doorway.
She looked up. “What is it, Jen?”
“Your father’s on the phone,” she said. “Todd sent the call back to me. Should I put him through?”
Her father was calling? Bree had mentioned him last night for the first time in months. Maybe he was like Beetlejuice. Had she said her father’s name three times to make him suddenly reappear in her life?
What could he want? She’d never even heard from him on her last birthday, even though he only lived thirty minutes away. Instead, his personal assistant had sent her an extravagant gift, much like the one Bree had received the year before. “Put him through,” she said reluctantly, wondering why he hadn’t simply called her cell.
“Hello, Aubrey,” her father said when she answered, already annoying her by his use of the name she’d never liked. Now that she thought about it, maybe he hadn’t called her cell because he knew she might ignore his call.
“You know I prefer Bree,” she said evenly. “It’s my legal name now.”
“Oh, right, I always forget. I never understood why you disliked the name I chose for you.”
Because, as in regards to so many other things, you’ve never really listened to me, that’s why. “Like I’ve told you before, it sounds too much like Audrey and that was the name of the cat I had as a little girl that your driver ran over.”
“That does sound familiar,” he said offhandedly. “So you’re probably wondering what I’ve been up to.”
She didn’t need to reply because she was sure he would tell her. Not that she’d wondered about it a bit.
“Well, I have big news,” he said when she remained silent. “You have a new stepmother.”
Yippee! “Another one?”
“Don’t be snippy.”
This made number four or was it five? She couldn’t keep track because as soon as she met one of his wives or girlfriends, the next time she saw him he would be with someone different. She had stopped caring a long time ago. “Congratulations, I guess.”
“We got married at the courthouse first thing this morning and I’m anxious for the two of you to meet.”
Great. At least he hadn’t invited Bree to the wedding. She’d been saved from that torment. “Why do you want me to meet her?”
“I think you’ll have a lot in common,” he said.
Did that mean they were close to the same age? The older Bree got, the younger the women in her father’s life had become. She was aware of that only because his picture was plastered on grocery-store gossip rags and she couldn’t help but see them.
“Besides, she’s part of your family now.”
“So what were you thinking? How and when would you like us to meet?” Bree asked.
“We’re flying to Aruba on Wednesday for our honeymoon, but I thought maybe you could come to dinner tonight.”
“Tonight? At your house?” Bree hadn’t been invited to dinner at the house in probably four or five years.
“Yes, at my house. Can you make it?”
Her dad tended to meet her at restaurants and then leave early with a business problem as an excuse. Of course, he always paid the bill before he took off while she’d finish eating her meal alone. She’d get sympathetic looks from the waitstaff because her father was immediately recognizable. When she had been younger, his behavior had made her angry. But as the years went by, she’d decided it was his loss that he really didn’t know her very well.
“I guess that would work.” Her calendar was clear, not that she had much of a social life beyond her girlfriends and her company. And she liked it that way just fine.
“Great. We’ll see you at seven? I’ll send a car for you.”
“Thank you.” That would save her having to drive through DC traffic at rush hour to get to his mansion along the Potomac River.
She was ready to hang up when her dad said, “Oh, and I’m supposed to tell you that you can bring a date, if you’d like.” Funny how he had to be reminded that he had no idea about what went on in her personal life.
“That’s okay. I’ll come alone.” She couldn’t imagine disliking any man enough to put him through a few hours with her father.
They disconnected and Bree stared at the phone, wondering why she’d agreed to endure the torture of a dinner with her dad and her new stepmommy.
Maybe she’d come up with a viable excuse not to go by the time she left work.
“Hey, what’s with you?” Roxie asked, and Bree realized she was still staring at the phone.
She looked up to where Roxie stood in the doorway. “My dad called.”
“You’re kidding.” Roxie entered Bree’s office and closed the door so they could speak freely. “What did he want?”
Bree put on a fake smile and said perkily, “He was calling with great news. I have a new stepmommy! Turns out they went to the courthouse this morning to get married.”
“And you weren’t invited?” Roxie’s tone was sarcastic, as she knew all about the relationship between Bree and her father.
“Thankfully, no.” Bree leaned back in her chair. “But he wants me to come to dinner tonight to meet her before they fly to Aruba on their honeymoon.”
“Aruba?” Roxie’s eyebrows rose.
“Yeah, same place he took his last wife on their honeymoon.”
“At least he’s consistent,” Roxie joked.
Bree chuckled. “There is that.”
Roxie changed the subject. “How was dinner last night?”
Bree rolled her eyes. “Oh. Stressful. At least at first.”
“How’s that?”
“Did you know there’s a big long list of things you can’t eat while you’re pregnant? So every time I turned around, Nick was offering me one of them, and I had to make up excuses why I couldn’t partake.”
“All the more reason to just tell him about the pregnancy.”
Bree shook her head. “No way. I’m not ready to tell him about it now or maybe ever. Only if I have to for the adoption to take place. But I can’t think about that just yet.” Right now their business arrangements were short-term, but she’d need to make sure they didn’t enter into any contracts that would cause him to be around when she began to show. Bree knew she was playing with fire.
Roxie shook her head, not keeping her opinion to herself as usual. “Speaking of Nick, I had another reason for coming in here,” she said. “I’m going over to The Fresh Pantry to observe the bartending class for a while. It’s from one to four. Want to come with me?” She paused. “Unless last night was a total bust, and you’re afraid to see Nick so soon.”
“I’m not afraid, but I will pass,” Bree said. “We had a very nice dinner, even with all the little lies I had to tell him.” She would savor the memory of their kiss and keep that tidbit to herself. “I even have him thinking about coming on board as a consultant. We have that client, Gabriella Carrera with the Latin-fusion restaurant that’s not doing well. I thought Nick would be perfect to go in and take a look around and see what she might be doing wrong.”
“Good idea, but is it really wise to hire your baby daddy? Unle
ss you’ve changed your mind in the last two minutes and you’re going to tell him about his new title?”
“No, I haven’t changed my mind. And I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” As long as she made a concerted effort to avoid seeing him later in her pregnancy.
“Just don’t be surprised when this all blows up in your face.”
If she survived dinner with her dad and his new wife tonight, then weathering this pregnancy with Nick around would be a breeze.
* * *
WHILE ROXIE WAS DRIVING to The Fresh Pantry, she thought about Bree and Nick. It was probably just as well that Bree hadn’t come with Roxie to observe the bartending class. The more time the two of them spent together, the more likely it was that Nick would figure out Bree was pregnant with his child.
Even if Roxie thought he should know, there was no rush to tell him since him knowing wouldn’t change a thing. Except that he’d insinuate himself into Bree’s life, and she claimed she didn’t have time for that. She was probably right on that count. Bree spent most of her waking moments on work.
Once at the restaurant, Roxie set herself up at a table in the corner of the empty restaurant and opened her laptop, hoping to get some emails answered while she listened to the class going on at the bar.
So far so good. Everyone who’d signed up was in attendance, and the instructor Roxie had hired seemed to be very good. Nick had made an appearance before they’d begun, and he’d given Roxie the Wi-Fi code so she could work online. He’d disappeared into the kitchen after that.
Roxie became so engrossed in her work that she wasn’t paying attention when someone came walking over to her table. “Well, look who it is,” Pete said. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
Roxie hit Send on the email she’d just written and looked up at Pete, her mouth watering at the same time she hated herself for noticing how sexy he was. She was in a committed relationship, she reminded herself. “I didn’t expect to see you here today, either.”
He grinned and took a seat. Not the one across from her, but the one right next to her. He crossed his legs, placing one foot on the opposite knee, while his other foot came to rest touching Roxie’s.