The Widow's Bachelor Bargain

by Teresa Southwick

  “All right. If you insist on splitting hairs, you can take half the blame. But you’re flirting. Maybe you can’t help yourself. It just comes naturally when you’re around women. I need to be honest and straightforward. Just in case you’re thinking about a repeat, I’m not going to kiss you again.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Really? You’re absolutely certain about that?”

  Maggie wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she’d expected, but it probably included him looking more serious than amused. “Yes, really. I’m very serious about this.”

  “You’re serious about everything,” he pointed out. “But if we’re being straightforward and honest with each other, I feel the need to share that I also had decided kissing you again wasn’t a good idea.”

  “Oh.” Was that disappointment trickling through her? How could it be? This was what she wanted. “Okay, then. We’re both on the same page about this—”

  “Not anymore. Now you’ve accused me of being a serial flirter. I’m feeling as if you just threw down the gauntlet, and my honor is at stake. Your declaration hits me as a challenge. A dare to see if I can do it again.”

  “No.” She shook her head even as excitement coiled inside her. “That’s not what I meant—”

  Brandon stopped at the end of the table carrying two plates and their drinks, then set the appropriate items in front of each of them. “One Mama Bear. One Papa Bear. Cola with lemon and black coffee. Anything else I can get you?”

  Maggie shook her head. All she wanted was to rewind and delete that ill-advised kiss and this whole conversation about it not happening again.

  She’d just made everything worse.

  * * *

  Maggie glanced up from the spreadsheet on her computer monitor when the office door opened and Lucy Bishop walked in. “Hey, partner.”

  “Hey, yourself.” The strawberry blonde lowered her skinny little self into one of the chairs in front of the desk. “You’re back from lunch.”

  “Nothing gets by you.” Maggie hoped the playful remark would cover her involuntary reaction to memories of that lunch. She felt a little shimmy in her tummy at the memory of Sloan’s eyes when he’d all but said there would be another kiss. But now she was back at work and needed to get her head in the game.

  “Did you have a good time?” Lucy asked.

  “I did.” Unfortunately, she had, but not in the “girlfriends catching up” way she’d expected. And that was really all she wanted to say about that. “How’s everything in the café?”

  “Good. We were busy today.” She leaned back in the chair and sighed. “And I’ve been thinking.”

  “That’s dangerous.”

  “You have no idea.” Lucy grinned. “Seriously, though. Suddenly it’s April and summer will be here before you know it. That means tourists and—fingers crossed—a jump in business, which we need to prepare for. We should talk about possible additions and changes to the café menu and an increase in supplies.”

  “Not to mention hiring extra staff,” Maggie pointed out.

  “Probably high school and college students looking for summer jobs.”

  “I have a list of kids who worked in the ice cream parlor,” Maggie said. “Most of them are smart and hard workers. Conscientious. I can start making calls to see who might be interested in coming back. Line up the standouts.”

  “It’s going to be a tough call to decide how many we need for the ice-cream side and the food-service side.”

  “A delicate balance, for sure,” Maggie agreed.

  “We have no idea how busy it’s going to be our first summer.” There were shadows in Lucy’s bright blue eyes. “If we don’t have enough staff, customers will be kept waiting for food and not inclined to give us their repeat business. But we don’t want to pay employees for standing around doing nothing.”

  “Yeah, it’s definitely a numbers-and-luck game,” Maggie agreed. “I’m pretty sure the mayor’s office keeps statistics on summer visitors from year to year. We can probably get a copy and work out a reasonable guess at the percentage of customers to expect. I’d be inclined to lowball the staffing ratio. If we get swamped, I’ll help out. And I have some emergency reinforcements in mind.”

  “It’s a good place to start.” Lucy nodded. “Wow, I never realized being the boss would be so hard. I’m very glad we’re in this together.”

  “Me, too.”

  Maggie remembered the pressure of handling just Potter’s Ice Cream Parlor all alone. She and Danny had opened it together. When his National Guard unit had been called up and deployed to Afghanistan, her solo engagement had only supposed to have been temporary. Then he’d been killed in action and she was pregnant. All the responsibility of the business, as well as the baby, had fallen to her.

  On top of that, or maybe because of the stress and trauma, there were complications with her pregnancy and the obstetrician ordered her to stay off her feet. If it hadn’t been for friends and family, she would never have made it through that terrible time.

  Lucy Bishop had been a summer visitor to Blackwater Lake a couple of years ago and fell in love with the town. She’d finished culinary school and eventually relocated, working at the Grizzly Bear Diner for a while. She and Maggie had become friends because Lucy had a notorious sweet tooth and was the best ice-cream-parlor customer.

  She never said much about her background and Maggie still didn’t know anything about her personal life. But she liked Lucy and was aware that she had a passion for cooking good healthy food. Instead of throwing out what they couldn’t use at the end of the day, her friend made sure less fortunate people in town had enough to eat.

  She’d confided to Maggie her dream of opening her own restaurant and then a couple of things had fallen into place. The shop space next to Maggie’s business had become available and Lucy had inherited some money.

  They had partnership papers drawn up and opened the Harvest Café last Labor Day weekend. At first, they’d broken even and revenue from the ice cream parlor, along with a busy winter season, had kept them afloat. Now they were making a small profit. This would be their first summer and, hopefully, it would be a good one.

  Lucy looked thoughtful. “I’ve heard that the resort project is going to be constructed on two fronts simultaneously—the condos at the base of the mountain at the same time as the hotel with retail shops a little farther up.”

  Sloan hadn’t said anything to Maggie about that, but they didn’t talk business. She’d been concentrating so hard on avoiding him and keeping conversation to a minimum that she never asked.

  “If that’s true,” she said, “it could be really positive news for our business. You’re talking a good-size workforce, and those people need to eat.”

  “Plus, more permanent and part-time residents will live here when the condos are finished. The hotel will cater to skiers in the winter and fishing and lake-oriented tourists in summer.”

  “That’s true.” Maggie leaned back in her chair. “Who told you about this? Is it a reliable source?”

  “It was someone who works for McKnight Construction. One of the cabinetmakers, I think. He said Sloan Holden is bringing in his own contractor, who will coordinate with Alex McKnight.”

  “That would be great.”

  Maggie wondered if Sloan would be around until the project was completed. The scope of it was pretty big, which could keep him in Blackwater Lake for a long time. On the one hand, that would mean having a stable boarder and a reliable income source, which was important for paying her small-business loan. On the other hand, he could be under her roof indefinitely. That would make her life complicated.

  “You could ask Sloan,” Lucy suggested.

  “About what?”

  “How he’s planning to approach the building project. After all, you see him every day. He lives in your hou
se.”

  “True.”

  “So it seems like a reasonable question. When you see him at home,” Lucy said.

  “And sometimes not at home.”

  “Hmm. That sounds interesting. I sense a story there.”

  “Not really. I just ran into him at the diner. Jill cancelled because C.J. was sick. Sloan walked in while I was there and we had lunch together.”

  “So when you said it was good, that didn’t exactly cover all the facts. How was it?” Lucy asked again. “You look a lot more relaxed than before you left.”

  Warmth crept into Maggie’s cheeks. “I had a good time.”

  And, God help her, that was the truth. When Sloan walked into the diner, or any room for that matter, things were definitely not dull.

  Lucy studied her. “Now that I think about it, there’s something different about you. And I don’t just mean because you’re not the stressed-out partner I sent off to lunch with orders to have a good time.”

  “It was nice to get out for a little while.” It was even nicer to know a man was interested enough in her not to take no for an answer in terms of another kiss. That was different from wanting him to kiss her. It was just nice to know a man thought she was attractive.

  It had been a long time since any man had been interested and Maggie preferred it that way. She’d had her great love and had made peace with that. When Sloan got the message, he would be glad he was off the hook.

  She noticed Lucy was looking at her funny. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re blushing.” The other woman leaned forward in her chair. “Methinks there’s more to this story.”

  “Not really.”

  “You should be aware that your answer has no conviction whatsoever.”

  “He’s a flirt. That’s all.”

  “Aha.” Lucy nodded as if that explained everything.

  “No aha,” Maggie protested. “What does that mean anyway?”

  “It means that you left here looking uptight and stressed out. My guess is that he’s responsible for the fact that you are no longer looking as though you want to bend steel with your bare hands. You’re glowing.”

  “No I’m not.”

  “I can get you a mirror.” Lucy looked very certain of her observation. “You definitely are glowing.”

  “You make me sound as if I came in contact with radioactive material.” Come to think of it, that wasn’t far from the truth. Sloan was too hot for her to handle, even if she wanted to.

  “It’s just that I’ve never seen you look like this before. The only difference now is him.” Lucy shrugged.

  “That’s weird because I don’t feel any different. He rents a room from me. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Nothing more. We’re barely even friends. He suggested we eat together only because he didn’t want to sit at the diner counter and chat up a stranger behind it.”

  “Okay.” But there was a gleam in her friend’s eyes. “Then, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I flirt with him a little?”

  “Of course not.” Maggie’s tone was adamant—and automatic.

  “Seriously? You have no objections to me going after him? And if he asks me out?”

  “Absolutely none.” That was stubbornness talking. “Go with my blessing.”

  “Okay, then.” Lucy stood. “He is an exceptionally good-looking guy. And quite the charmer. If I get the chance, I’m going to let him know I’m interested.”

  “Remember, he’s divorced.” At her friend’s questioning look, she added, “He told April, Delanie and I. Keep in mind that he might be disillusioned and have no intention of settling down.”

  “Good. Neither do I.” She looked at her watch. “I have to get back downstairs.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you later.”

  When Maggie was alone, she let out a long breath and felt like a two-faced witch. She’d given Lucy, her partner and friend, the okay to show interest in Sloan. The problem was, Maggie wasn’t at all sure she meant it. Oh, God. Was she one of those friends? The “I can’t have him but I don’t want her to have him” kind of woman?

  It would mean she had feelings for Sloan.

  Chapter Six

  Maggie parked in the lot at O’Keefe Technologies where her brother, Brady, had built the corporate headquarters for his company. He’d chosen a beautiful spot for it. From his office window he had a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. If Maggie worked there, not much would be accomplished what with her looking out the window all day.

  After getting out of the SUV, she walked toward the glass double-door entry and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. There was a parking area reserved for people who worked in the building, and she spotted Sloan’s silver Range Rover.

  It had been a week since their chance meeting at the diner. During that time she’d only seen him at the house for meals and hadn’t really made more than small talk with him. Nothing like the intimate nature of their conversation at lunch.

  Her skin had tingled and burned just talking with him about kissing. She really hoped to get in and out of the building without running into him, or anything else that would test her ultimatum about kissing him again.

  She walked into the lobby and automatically looked at the directory, even though she knew that her brother’s office was located on the fourth floor. The fifth was leased to Holden Property Development, where Sloan and his cousin Burke had their offices. Again her skin prickled just knowing Sloan was here somewhere. Part of her wanted to see him, but the survival-instinct part of her knew that wasn’t a good idea.

  Maggie pushed the elevator up button, and when the doors opened, a sigh of relief escaped her. Sloan hadn’t taken this one to the lobby and she was getting off before his floor. She was halfway home free in Operation Avoid Sloan.

  The car went up and the doors opened to a reception area where Olivia Lawson, her brother’s executive assistant and fiancée, sat behind her desk. The pretty, blue-eyed blonde smiled warmly. “Hi, Maggie. How are you?”

  “Great. You?”

  “Fabulous. And how is that precious little girl of yours?”

  “Good. But you know the terrible twos everyone talks about? It really is terrible.” She shuddered, recalling that nightmarish trip to the grocery store then Sloan unexpectedly coming to her rescue.

  “She has a mind of her own, doesn’t she?” Her sister-in-law-to-be looked sympathetic.

  “That’s putting it mildly. Intellectually I know it’s a good thing and just a speed bump on the road to independence, which is every parent’s goal for their child.” She sighed. “I just wish that the learning curve on this would play out somewhere private, where no one could see and give you a look that says you were nowhere to be found when maternal competence was being handed out.”

  “You’re doing a fabulous job,” Olivia protested. “Danielle is lucky you’re her mom.”

  “You have to say that. You’re marrying my brother and you want me to like you because I’m his sister.”

  “Busted.” The other woman shrugged then grinned. “It’s all about diplomacy and kissing up to the sister.”

  “I knew it.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

  “Seriously, Mags, when Brady and I have babies, I hope I’m even half as good a mom as you are.”

  Their kids would be lucky because the two of them would be a whole parenting team, Maggie thought, envying the couple. It was hard raising a child, but as the saying went, many hands made light work. Two against one had to be easier. She’d seen it herself the day Sloan had helped her with groceries and her little girl. As grateful as she’d been to him, the experience had left her with an empty and sad feeling that her daughter wouldn’t know the security of having a father in her world.

  “Speaking of babies, Danielle nee
ds a cousin,” she said. “When are you and Brady going to get on that whole baby-making thing?”

  “Who’s making babies?” That was her brother’s voice.

  Maggie hadn’t noticed him in the doorway to his office. “Hi, big brother.”

  “Little sister.” He walked over to hug her. “So who’s making babies?”

  “I’m hoping you and your beautiful bride-to-be.”

  He gave his fiancée a lecherous look. “We are practicing all the time.”

  “That’s a very unsatisfactory answer,” Maggie retorted.

  “On the contrary—” he winked at Olivia, who was blushing “—it’s very satisfying.”

  “Okay, then. Let me ask another question. No nuance, just yes or no. Have you set a date for the wedding?”

  “As a matter of fact, we have.” Brady had a smug look on his handsome face.

  “Do you plan to share?” she asked.

  “Olivia, you do the honors.”

  There was an adoring look in her eyes as she gazed at her fiancé. She’d looked at him like that a long time before Brady had realized that he was in love with her, too. “Saturday, June 25.”

  “Oh, my gosh. That’s only a couple months.” Maggie hugged Brady, then his fiancée. “That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you guys.”

  “And I have a favor to ask you,” Olivia said. “Will you be my matron of honor?”

  Maggie didn’t know what it was about engagements and weddings, but tears filled her eyes and emotion choked off her words so that she could only nod. When she could finally speak, she said, “I would absolutely love that.”

  “And we want Danielle to be a flower girl.” Brady put his arm around Olivia’s waist.

  “You do know that she’ll only be two and a half and doesn’t follow directions very well, if at all?”

  “We don’t care about that,” her brother said. “She’s our niece and we want her in the wedding.”

  Olivia nodded. “Whatever happens is fine. Everything she does is perfect to us. The best part is the spontaneous, adorable factor that will make our day unique and special.”