Wild Hearts (The DiCarlo Brides)

by Heather Tullis

  Delphi didn’t answer, taking a dainty bite of the cookie on her plate instead.

  “How many dates have you been on with him, anyway?” Jonquil asked.

  “No real dates. Just a couple of bike rides. It’s no big deal.”

  “If Jonquil went out with someone a couple of times and said it was no big deal, I’d buy it—she actually dates now and then,” Cami said. “You, on the other hand, don’t. Unless you have a secret social life the rest of us don’t know about.” She arched a brow.

  “And she’d have time for this secret social life, when?” Rosemary shot Delphi a dirty look. “Work-a-holic—that’s what you are.”

  “And you were such a good example of balance before Cleo moved in?” Delphi returned.

  “Like a tight-rope walker,” Rosemary said with an innocent face.

  Delphi allowed her expression to say how wrong that comparison was.

  Cleo looked up from Cami’s phone, grinned and focused on Delphi. “You’re watching me while Mom and Harrison go on their honeymoon. You’ll take me to get a tattoo, right?”

  Delphi lifted her brows. “Not a chance. Your mom scares me. If you’re really, really good, I might let you see my tattoo after she gets back. Maybe.” When Cleo scowled, Delphi changed the subject and everyone let her.

  She tried to decide how she felt about everyone knowing about her tattoo. It certainly hadn’t been the plan, but the truth coming out hadn’t ended up to be an ordeal like she’d gone through with her mother, either.

  Maybe there was something to this sister thing after all. She’d have to think about it.

  The next day Jeremy snapped a few more pictures of the bride and groom in the hotel ballroom, enjoying the contrast they made. Harrison had dark eyes and hair with a touch of curl. Rosemary had long blond hair that hung straight to the small of her back, even on her wedding day, and blue eyes the color of a robin’s egg. Her little girl, Cleo, was nearly a carbon copy, though her hair was much shorter, and held a little curl. She was a doll and Jeremy had fallen under her spell hook, line, and sinker the first time they met. Apparently Harrison had as well.

  “Okay, all of the sisters now,” Jeremy directed after the group shots.

  “Don’t we have enough of these pictures yet?” Delphi asked. Her face was bland, but her eyes held a touch of mischief. “This is the third sister wedding in six months. Surely you could just Photoshop me into this one. I ought to check on the food.”

  Rosemary scowled at her. “You think I didn’t make sure that would be covered? You’re not the wedding planner today, you’re my sister, even if you wish you weren’t and you’re going to act like it.”

  “Okay, but then I might have to resort to complaining about imaginary slights like someone else getting the bigger piece of cake or something.”

  “Have a second piece if you want. I’m not your mother.”

  Everyone was gathered around now, and Jeremy reorganized them for best effect, listening to all of the sisters get into the act, commenting and teasing each other. He wondered if Rosemary and Delphi really disliked each other as much as they pretended to or if it was just their pride that made them snipe at each other. Neither was exactly easy-going but he thought their byplay today lacked the heat of some of their previous discussions. There was a general softening of her demeanor lately that he’d thought at first was mostly because of their own developing relationship. But now, seeing her with her sisters, laughing and talking, he realized she didn’t hold herself back the way she used to and the laughter wasn’t the social nicety that she had shown at the first of her year there. He liked this side of her and was glad she was letting go with the others as well.

  “Okay, now one where you squish your faces together in a line.” Everyone leaned in so there was a straight line of eyes and he snapped the shot, loving the way their features contrasted, dark to light, short hair to long, curl to straight, and the bits of their faces that came from the same source—their dad—versus what they got from their various mothers. Though the eye color varied, the shape of their noses and eyes were all distinctly his.

  They were a stunning lot, each in their own way, and were a pleasure to photograph—even if three wedding parties made up of the same people in six months was taxing his creativity to come up with different shots for each event. He lifted the camera again and caught a shot of a wistful look on Delphi’s face when she glanced back at the bride and groom, who were leaning in for another kiss.

  She set a hand on Cleo’s shoulder, said something in a low voice, them moved on to speak with Lana, who had taken the chance to get off her feet again. Lana looked nearly ready to pop, but the baby was due in a few weeks, so he figured it was only a matter of time. She’d already spoken to him about taking baby pictures for their little boy and he looked forward to it. He enjoyed capturing those special moments in people’s lives, and newborns were fun.

  Jeremy returned his attention back to the bride and groom, who had been joined by Harrison’s mom and sister and took a few shots of them.

  When he took his face out of his viewfinder again, Delphi stood beside him. “You about ready for a break?” she asked.

  “Why? You have five minutes and want to find a quiet corner to make out?”

  “Tempting, but I was thinking more along the lines of food. You didn’t stop moving long enough to eat earlier.”

  “If that’s all I can get, I’ll take food. I just need a few minutes to finish up here, a few shots of the first dance and then I can relax for a little bit. Make it a small plate, though.”

  “I know, you’ll eat on the fly and then make up for it later. I think I’ve gotten to know your habits by now.” She brushed her hand along his forearm and moved past him.

  She’d come to check on him? That surprised and pleased him. Jeremy liked it. He decided he was going to get her onto the dance floor before the night was out. And he was taking her for a real date this week, even if it meant missing poker night with the guys. After all, he did owe her a dinner.

  Delphi watched Jeremy clear his plate after the first dance was over and her sisters had all taken to the dance floor for a turn. She sat on the sidelines, glad to be off her feet for a few minutes.

  Jeremy finished, rinsed it down with the end of his short glass of champagne, and lifted his camera again. She sighed and began making the rounds of the guests. Someone in the family ought to schmooze the crowd, she supposed.

  She hadn’t gotten far, and the beginning notes of the third song were just creeping in when a hand slid onto her elbow. “Could I have this dance?”

  She smiled as she looked at Jeremy. They were nearly eye-to-eye with her four-inch heels, another advantage of her choice in footwear. “I’d love to.”

  He pulled her into his arms and she moved closer, feeling as if she were home. The thought made her pulse jump, but she pushed it away. It had been a long time since she was so attracted to anyone.

  “Aren’t you ready to get out of those shoes? Don’t they kill your feet?” Jeremy asked.

  “Why would I wear shoes that aren’t comfortable?” she asked, lifting a brow.

  “Because you know they make your legs look amazing and you like to see me suffer.”

  She laughed despite the shrinking voice inside that said she shouldn’t find him charming. She knew the kind of guy he was and it was ridiculous to fall for his lines, but she couldn’t help being pleased anyway. “You always know what to say. And yes, my feet are rather angry with me at the moment. I don’t usually stand for so long.”

  “Set them aside and dance in your stockings instead.”

  The suggestion was tempting. “In public? I can’t do that. My mother would be scandalized if she found out.”

  He smiled and leaned in, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Your mother will never know. And if she did, wouldn’t that just be icing on the cake?”

  “You’re evil.”

  “And right.” He danced them over to the head table where she’d be
en sitting before. “Take them off. For me. It’ll make me feel more manly if I can be taller than you.” His eyes twinkled at her.

  “Fine.” She removed the offending shoes and stretched her cramping feet. When he tugged her back to the dance floor, she went readily and turned into his arms again, glad he’d pushed her to side with comfort.

  “You sure I can’t convince you to find a quiet corner with me?” His mouth was low, next to her ear and left a heated breath against her skin, making her shiver a little and wish she did dare to find a moment to make out with him. She could almost feel his lips on hers already.

  But this was her place of business, so that was definitely out of the question. Maybe afterward, though.

  She was going to respond when she heard a male voice say, “I knew you’d be here.”

  Delphi looked up to see Lars Anderson—a former client—standing beside them.

  He looked at Jeremy, his eyes hard. “Those pictures you took of my daughter’s wedding were substandard and you charged us for premium shoots. I’ve been trying to get you to respond to calls all week.”

  “I’ve returned several of those calls,” Jeremy said smoothly, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder and leading him away from the others. “I told you in the messages I left that we could discuss this in my office at a mutually convenient time, but that time is not now. Nor is this my office.”

  “I want answers, and I want them now. And I want my money back.”

  “I don’t have my files with me now. You contracted with me to provide a service. I did so. It says clearly in my contract that touch ups are extra. We can discuss what you want me to do when we meet together at my office. I have some time on Wednesday afternoon, if you’d like to come by then.”

  “No, I don’t want to go then. I want answers now.” Lars’s face was growing red from anger and his eyes looked nearly ready to pop.

  Delphi looked around anxiously and nearly sighed with relief when she noticed Joel approaching with one of his security crew.

  “Hello, can we help you with something?” Joel asked when he arrived.

  “No, I’m handling it,” Lars said. He glared at Delphi. “If you don’t fix this to my satisfaction, I’ll make all of you pay. You said he was the best—that he’d take good care of my girl’s special day. But now I see you were just trying to help him out because you have a thing going with him.”

  “I haven’t seen the pictures in question, but his work is good, or I wouldn’t have him taking them for my sister’s wedding, would I?” she pointed out. “He already offered to meet with you later this week to work things out. If you like, I’ll join you.” Why did people think causing a scene at someone else’s wedding was okay?

  “Mr. Anderson, I’m going to have to ask you to leave now,” Joel said in a low voice.

  “I will not leave. This is a public place.”

  “Actually, it’s not. It’s privately owned and we do have the right to ask you to leave.” Joel’s voice was cool and commanding. “If you’d prefer, I can call the local sheriff’s office and have a deputy escort you off the premises. But I think you’d rather not. Wouldn’t you?”

  “I’ll meet you and Jeremy on Wednesday and we’ll see what we can work out,” Delphi said, hoping to defuse the tension.

  Lars snarled a little. “This isn’t over. You’ll be hearing from me.” He turned and stalked off.

  Joel sent his security man to follow Lars and ensure he left. “Sorry about that, Jeremy. I didn’t realize what was going on at first.”

  Jeremy nodded. “No problem. Thanks for your help. That’s going to be fun to deal with.” He looked a little tired. “You don’t have to join us.”

  “I might be able to help defuse the situation. Maybe. Plus his daughter looked fantastic and I’d love to see how the shots turned out.”

  “They were great. I don’t know what his problem is.” Jeremy adjusted his shoulders, like his back muscles were tightening.

  “Poor guy. Anything I could do?” Delphi asked.

  “You want to kiss it better?” He tapped his lips.

  “Sorry, I’m not the maternal type. You’ll have to suffer with only my empathy.”

  Joel shot Jeremy a commiserating look. “You just can’t win with this one.”

  Jeremy grinned. “Well, sometimes I can. When I can tempt her wild side to come out for a ride on my bike.”

  “Not happening tonight, then,” Joel commented, glancing to where snow fell outside the ballroom windows.

  “I’ll be really glad when summer is here for real,” Jeremy said.

  “I’ll be glad when I have a bike that runs so I can go out.” Delphi couldn’t decide if the nostalgia of keeping Fallon’s bike made fixing it up okay or if she should close that chapter and replace it.

  “There’s always the back seat of mine,” Jeremy teased.

  “There’s a front seat too. What’ll it take for me to get to drive that baby?” she wiggled her brows.

  His lips curved even more. “I’ll have to think about it and let you know.”

  The answer surprised Delphi. He’d said before that it was never going to happen. Of course, Cami used to tell Vince he was never going to drive her convertible. But after they got hot and heavy, she turned over the keys to him. Delphi wasn’t willing to date a guy just to get her hands on his bike, no matter how great it was, but it might be a nice side perk if things continued. She wasn’t fooling herself into believing that something permanent was going to happen between them, though. She might feel herself opening up to him, but he wasn’t a long-term kind of guy, and that was fine by her.

  “Joel,” Sage materialized out of the crowd. “Someone needs to speak with you.” She shot Delphi and Jeremy an apologetic look. “Sorry, you don’t mind do you?”

  “That’s fine.” Jeremy stepped back. “I ought to take a few more shots anyway. The dance floor is getting crowded.”

  Delphi felt disappointment at the thought of their chat coming to an end. But she knew he was right. Despite what Rosemary had said earlier, she needed to check on a few things herself to make sure everything at the event continued at a smooth clip. “I’ll catch up with you later,” she said to them all, then moved away.

  She could pull him into her office for a few minutes alone when things calmed down later.

  If she was still in the mood.

  When Jeremy called Sunday afternoon, Delphi was on her way to meet Kirk and Penny for a final lunch before they went home.

  “Hey, I wondered if you’re available for dinner and a movie tomorrow night,” he asked.

  “Sorry, I have babysitting duty with Cleo. Another time, maybe.” For once she was glad she had Cleo as an excuse to stay away. She had a terrific time with him dancing at the wedding and afterward in the privacy of her office, but she needed a few days to make sure she wasn’t rushing into something that was growing more serious than she’d intended.

  “So bring her along. I’ve never been into dating two girls at once, but I think I could make an exception in this case. Last I heard she liked eating out and going to movies too.”

  Still Delphi hesitated for a moment before deciding they would have Cleo there to chaperon, after all. It would be fine. “Okay. That sounds good. What time were you thinking?”

  She hung up as she walked into the restaurant a couple of minutes later. Kirk and Penny were already waiting for her by the hostess stand.

  “Were you making a date?” Penny asked.

  Delphi smiled. “Maybe. Cleo is chaperoning, though so it’s not likely to get too serious.”

  “She’s adorable,” Penny said. “As long as you’re getting out and seeing people. It’s not healthy for a body to work as much as you do.”

  Delphi glanced at the hostess, who stood nearby with their menus, waiting for a chance to lead them to their table. She did not want her social life to be a topic of speculation at work. “We’re ready to be seated,” she said as politely as she could.

  “Very
good. Come this way.”

  Delphi pushed her mixed feelings about Jeremy and dating back in her head to examine later. She only had an hour to spend with Kirk and Penny before they left and she as going to enjoy it. If Penny didn’t harass her about dating again.

  Jeremy stopped by the house to pick them up at six-thirty on the dot. After having been stuck on a phone with a client for the past half hour, Delphi was still hurrying to clear away her paperwork. “Sorry,” she said as Cleo let him in the door. “I didn’t even get a chance to change into something... less businesslike.” He looked good in faded blue jeans and his familiar leather coat, which was partially unzipped, showing a green T-shirt. He always looked good, whether he was wearing a tux for Vince’s wedding, or cut-off shorts. She would have considered it seriously unfair for anyone to look that good all of the time, except she was trying to convince herself that it didn’t matter.

  Cleo pounded down the stairs, grabbing the post at the bottom so she could swing around it to face Jeremy. “Where are we going tonight? Can we get shakes? Mom hardly ever lets me have ice cream and when she does she gets frozen yogurt instead, which isn’t as good, you know?” Her words all but ran together in her enthusiasm.

  Jeremy laughed and caught her up in a brief hug. “Hey there, squirt. Yes, we’re going to Wendel’s, so you can have a shake. What your mom doesn’t know won’t hurt her. After all, she’s certainly enjoying herself on her honeymoon, isn’t she?” He shot a look at Delphi that said more than the words.

  Delphi slid the last of her papers into her file and grabbed it from the counter. “I’ll take this down to my room. You mind if I take a minute to change?”

  His eyes skimmed over her. “Either way is fine with me. I’m in no hurry.”

  She took him at his word. It didn’t take long to strip from the suit and into a pair of khakis and a blue sweater. She changed her heels for some adorable brown flats and ran a comb through her hair. A layer of lipstick and she was ready to go again. She snagged her brown leather jacket as she headed up the stairs, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure her room was in order. Her eyes landed on the mementos she had been lining up on her dresser—the funny twig from the first ride with Jeremy, the golden rock and the collection of rock people Fallon had made her from stones she’d picked up on the night they had told each other that they loved one another. It made her smile as she shut the door and headed up the stairs.