by Kait Gamble
“More than enough.”
She was showered and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with time to spare. Now warm and dry, she realized the seething knot of apprehension had been quickly being replaced by butterflies. Were they going to work this out right now? Like a business deal?
Why not?
Why did she suddenly feel like she needed note cards?
With a deep breath, Cara walked back out to find Jason already waiting with two glasses of wine. He handed her one with a small smile. “You’re freaking out.”
She knew it was useless to deny it, but she did anyway. “I’m fine.” She could see in his eyes that he didn’t believe her.
“Hungry?”
Not exactly. “Sure. I’d hate for any of this to go to waste.”
He pulled out the chair for her and rounded the table to sit. “You don’t sound too enthusiastic.”
“Sorry.” Cara figured it was time just to lay it all out.
He waved away her apology. “You know what I’m thinking. I want to know what’s going on in your head.”
“Straight to the point, huh?” Cara took a fortifying sip before sliding the glass of wine away. “Okay. You know how I feel. I like what we have and I don’t want to screw it up.”
“And you think that if we take things further, we’ll ruin it.”
“You don’t think that it can happen? I’ve had friends who had amazing relationships and I saw them fall apart. The ugliness and bitterness that came with it changed them.” Chelsea’s relationship fiasco was the latest that came to mind. She and Richard had seemed to be the perfect couple, right up until the night before their wedding and the text he’d sent her explaining that he couldn’t marry her because he didn’t feel as though they loved each other enough. To Chelsea’s credit, she’d taken it with her usual sangfroid but Cara could see that it had hurt her terribly. She still refused to talk about it or even consider dating again. What if that happened to her and Jason?
“I’ve seen it happen too but it doesn’t have to be that way with us.”
She smiled wryly. “You don’t think that every couple says that in the beginning?”
Jason leaned in and took her hands in his. “Not every couple has the history that we do.”
“I would rather die than hurt you. You know that. I’m terrified that if we change things…”
She could see that he knew what she was saying. The raw pain in his eyes at the thought of them falling apart tore at her heart the same way. They had always been open with one another but this was the most vulnerable Cara had ever seen him.
He covered her hands with his. “I just wanted you to know how I feel. Now that I know what you’re thinking… I don’t know what to say.” He tightened his hands around hers infinitesimally. “I love what we have—don’t get me wrong. I just can’t help but think we can be more to each other.”
“And what if it doesn’t work? Every relationship I’ve had outside of our current one has failed spectacularly. Look at my parents. At Chelsea.”
Jason shifted closer but before he could speak, she jumped in.
“And what kind of a relationship could we have—other than what we’ve got now—with you flying all over the place? You’ve told me that you never see your apartment. And I’m not asking you to give it all up. Not for me. I know you love what you do, so I would never ask that of you. But my life is here and yours is everywhere else.” She clamped her mouth shut and looked at him, fully expecting him to get up and run.
“Wow.” Jason looked a little shell-shocked.
Not that she blamed him after the way she just dumped it all on him.
“Right,” he said. “That’s good to know.”
“I’m not saying no.” And she wasn’t. But she definitely wasn’t saying yes either. Cara just didn’t see why they needed to change things. What they had, worked. Why mess with it? “But you wanted to know what I was thinking. And that was it.”
He stared into her eyes for a long moment. “Okay.”
Time for a subject change. Cara pulled her hands away and reached for her wine. She took a long sip and looked at the food. “So what have we got here?”
He kept his gaze on her before hesitantly returning his hands to his side of the table. “I’m not sure. Chelsea said she knew what would cheer you up.”
“It smells wonderful.” A barefaced lie. She could barely breathe and smelling would require more energy than she possessed at the moment. Cara smiled wanly and started eating with pseudo-gusto, if only so that she could escape that much sooner.
“It does.” He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, though he didn’t vocalize what he was pondering.
They ate in silence.
“I’ve screwed things up between us, haven’t I?” Cara angrily stabbed what was left of her vegetables.
“No, you haven’t.” He looked like he was about to say something further but shrugged it away. “Want to move to the couch and watch some TV?”
“Sure.” Who needed conversation when they could stare at the TV and ignore each other?
Cara led the way and flipped on the TV. Within seconds, she was searching through the latest films. “What are you in the mood for? Action? Mystery? Comedy?”
He shrugged and flashed her a smile. “Lady’s choice.”
She tore her eyes away from his lean form and focused on the TV. Even then, she could barely process the words. Damn him for being so distracting. Cara mindlessly mashed the button when he snagged her around her middle and tugged her to fall back against his hard chest.
“That’s better.” He snaked his arms around her, securing her against him.
She could feel the rumbling in his chest as he hummed happily.
“This is the life, eh?”
At that moment, she couldn’t think of anything better. “Absolutely.” Before she could get too comfortable, she nudged him with her elbow. “What do you feel like watching?”
“Told you. It’s up to you.”
Jason stretched, and Cara simply lay against him, feeling his muscles shift under her as he got comfortable.
Cara flipped through the channels until she found something that looked semi-interesting and settled back. It was the most content she could ever remember being. Snuggled in a warm cocoon, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift. This is how things could be if they were together. She wasn’t totally delusional to think that it would all be happy times, but it could be a lot of the time.
The piercing ring of her phone stopped her from drifting off.
“Cara?” Jason held her phone out to her. “Say the word and I’ll reject the call.” The look in his eyes told her he was only half joking.
She blinked a few times to focus and saw Chelsea’s name on the screen. She wouldn’t call unless it was an emergency. Worry jump-started her heart. She took the phone with an apologetic grimace and stabbed the button to answer. “Chelsea? What’s wrong?”
“I think you’d have to see for yourself to believe it. Let’s just say that both your chefs are unable to work this evening.”
Cara ran a hand over her face. “What happened?”
“Not too sure, really. I think they got into a fight. The end of the story is neither of them can work with a busted hand each.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed. “I’ll be right there.”
Jason was already on his feet and extended a hand to help her up. “Bad news?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Cara started searching for her coat and shoes. They had to choose this weekend to try to kill each other. Couldn’t they have waited a few days? It wasn’t until she was looking for her keys that she remembered her car was still at the restaurant.
“Anything I can do?”
“Not really unless you can teleport me there somehow.”
“I’ll drop you off.” His phone rang as soon as the words had left his mouth. “Hold that thought.”
>
Cara left him to his call as she gathered her things. By the time she returned to the living room, he had his laptop out and was in mid-argument with whoever it was on the other end of the phone.
“Hang on a sec.” He muted his phone. “Can’t drop you off at the moment, but you can take my car.”
The thought of being behind the wheel of such an outrageously expensive vehicle made her mouth go dry. “I’d rather not. I just paid back one debt. I don’t think I want to owe you again if something goes wrong.”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what she had just said. “Then I’ll call my driver. I can have it here in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” Cara tried to smile but she wasn’t sure if the weary, wobbly movement she managed with her mouth counted as one. “I’m so sorry about this.”
“Don’t sweat it. You gotta do what you gotta do. Besides, it looks like I’m going to be busy anyway.”
So sweet. It just reminded her that she wasn’t the only one giving up work for this weekend, a fact that only made her angrier.
“Thanks. I really do hate to do this.”
He smirked. “You can make it up to me later.”
“Most definitely. If you’ve got time, you can always visit the restaurant.”
“You can count on it.”
Chapter Five
Cara was too anxious to wait for the car inside and opted to stand outside—a choice she regretted all the way to the restaurant. The rain had chilled her to the bone and it didn’t get any better by the time she reached Dao. She half expected her rage to have burned the cold away.
She stowed her coat in the office and put on her chef’s uniform and hat, tucking her damp hair into it. The heavy uniform didn’t help the uncomfortable sensation of her wet T-shirt pressed against her skin. She could only hope that she would dry out eventually.
The scene in the kitchen was nearly enough to make her snort. She’d never seen Daniel and Marco looking so contrite—like two puppies who had done wrong. That, and the bruises on their faces, made her feel a little better. Instead of launching into yet another lecture, she just shook her head. “We’ll talk about this later. I have food to prepare. You two will make yourselves useful in any way you can.”
They nodded and dashed off. Chelsea patted her on the shoulder and jerked her hand back like she’d been burned. “What did you do? Walk here?”
“Not exactly.” She leaned closer to the ovens, using the heat to warm herself. “Got caught in the rain.”
“Don’t you have a change of clothes here?”
Cara clapped a hand to her forehead. “With all the excitement of Jason visiting, I forgot to go to the dry cleaner.” She checked her watch and sighed. “I’ll never make it before closing.”
“I guess you’ll just have to dry off as best you can in here.”
“That’s the plan.”
Chelsea looked at her friend. “Speaking of plans…how’s it going with Jason?”
“Okay, I guess. We were just starting to settle in for a movie.”
“Sorry. Daniel and Marco are sorry too, you know. They know how important this weekend is to you.”
Cara just closed her eyes and sighed. “When will they just learn to get along?” She opened her eyes to glare at the vegetables as she chopped them viciously. “They’re both brilliant and passionate. That’s the problem.”
“They’ve got to get over themselves—that’s the problem.”
“Among many.” Sighing, Cara dove into work.
* * * *
The hours flew by and before she knew it, patrons arrived and orders began flying in, hard and fast.
“Hey, you should sit or something.”
Cara was so focused on work that she barely noticed Chelsea stood next to her with concern etched on her face. “Huh?”
“Have you had a break or eaten anything since you got here? You’re dead on your feet.” She felt Cara’s forehead and hissed. “You have a fever.”
“I’m fine.” The words sounded weak, even to her own ears, and she couldn’t summon the energy to push Chelsea away when she herded her out of the kitchen.
“No you’re not. You’re going to lie down while I call Jason to come and get you.”
“Just give me a minute to catch my breath. I’ll be fine in a little bit.”
Chelsea looked unconvinced but nodded. “All right but I’m getting you something to eat.”
Cara managed a watery smile. “Thanks.” She flopped onto the small couch.
She blinked and when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a pair of long legs. It took too much effort to follow them up but she sensed Jason, so she didn’t try too hard.
He kneeled down next to her. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Cara tried to smile but it was just too hard. “Chelsea called you?”
“I thought I’d drop by to see how things were going.” He ran a finger down her cheek before cupping her forehead. “I’m glad I did. We need to get you in bed.”
“Any excuse to get me back in bed, huh?”
The weak attempt at a joke drew a chuckle from Jason. He shook his head. “No one should be this adorable when they’re sick.” He easily lifted her.
She took pleasure in the sensation of him carrying her until he tried to walk through the restaurant. Cara shook her head. “Can you go out the back? I don’t want to disturb the diners.”
Jason laughed softly at that. “Always thinking.”
Cara let her head fall onto his shoulder and enjoyed the ride.
The next time she opened her eyes, Jason carried her through her bedroom door. Her head throbbed while her skin burned. Dimly, Cara sensed being lowered then she snuggled in the familiar embrace of her bed. The sheets were so cool against her skin that it was like lying naked in a snowdrift. Her skin? They were skin to skin when he touched her arm and legs. When had that happened?
Cara was beyond caring, the coolness felt glorious. She leaned into his hand when he caressed her forehead. “Have I told you how much I love your hands?”
“A few times.” He brushed his fingers against her cheek. “But the situation was a bit different.”
She nuzzled it again. “It still goes, though.”
He smiled tenderly. “I think you’re delirious. Get some sleep. I’ll take the couch tonight.”
“Thanks, Jason. For everything.” And darkness closed in, blotting out his face.
* * * *
Cara stretched with a sigh, rousing herself from a strange dream where she was riding a flying whale trying to find something that eluded her grasp. When she finally managed to open her eyes, she found Jason hovering over her with a hopeful look on his face.
“You look a bit better, but your fever is hanging in there.”
Well, that was reassuring. “Can you hand me my phone?”
“Nope. You’re going to rest up and get better.”
“Jason, come on. I need to check in.” She held out her hand and waited. When he didn’t give it to her, she did her best to muster a scowl. “Jason…”
“Cara…” He pocketed her phone. “I’ve already talked to Chelsea. She’s got it all under control. You just concentrate on getting better.”
He stared at her until she fell back into the mound of pillows. “You’ll let me know if she calls. Right?”
“I will but I won’t have to. Chelsea can handle it.”
She knew her friend could come to grips with almost anything. It was what Chelsea couldn’t anticipate that worried Cara.
“You’ve got to learn how to turn off, babe.” Jason must have disappeared in the past few seconds because he now stood next to the bed with an impressive tray full of food. “I didn’t know what you’d be up for.”
“So you bought everything you could think of for breakfast?” It was cute and almost made up for taking away her phone.
“Yup. I wasn’t sure what kind of medicine either, so I asked the pharmacist and she suggested these.” He held out a
small selection of cold-and-flu medications for her approval. “If they don’t work or you don’t like them, I can get others.”
“Sit. You’re making me dizzy.”
Jason immediately shut up and dropped to his knee next to the bed so that they were face to face. Cara put her hand on his cheek. “Thanks for doing all this. I really appreciate it. Have some breakfast with me?”
The tense expression melted away as he reached for a croissant. “It’s the least I could do. Anything you want buttered?”
Cara handed him a slice of toast, wondering if he had to practice making everything sound suggestive. “This isn’t the weekend I had planned, by the way.”
“No? I just thought your idea of a good time had changed.”
“Very funny.” She took a bite of her toast and chewed dutifully, though she could barely taste it.
“Not liking that, huh? Why don’t you try some of the fruit? It’ll give you some energy.”
“How can you always tell what’s going through my head?”
He feigned a look of concentration. “Well, whenever you lie, you get this twitch. Your left nostril goes crazy—”
“It does not!”
He laughed. “I guess I just know you so well that I can read you pretty easily. Can’t you say the same about me?”
Cara thought about it and it didn’t take her too long to realize he was right. She could read him just as effortlessly as he could read her. From his eyebrow arch of sarcasm and exasperated huff of breath, right down to the way his pupils dilated when he was aroused. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She reached for the fruit and he met her halfway with the tray.
Once she had what she wanted, he put the tray on the end table. “So I’m guessing whatever you had planned for this weekend will have to wait until the next time I’m in town.”
Not if she could help it. She gave him an impish smile that would have been impossible for him to misread. “The outdoor stuff I guess, but we’ve still got things we could do here.”
“Oh?” He leaned closer. “And what would—” He jerked back when she sneezed explosively in his face.