Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom

by Magda Alexander

  Pearl swiped a damp rag over the menus one last time for good measure.

  “Something on your mind?”

  “No.” She tossed the rag into a bucket of water and started a new pot of coffee. “Yes. Aren’t you worried about it?”

  “About what? Selling this place?”

  Pearl turned in horror. “Selling? I just meant the whole mess, Jace being here and Carl Evans calling you and the two of them trying to swoop in and convince you to meet with them. You aren’t thinking about it. Tell me you aren’t. Did Evans call you again? Did he make you some kind of promise? Because no matter what kind of money he offers, it won’t be enough.” She tried to keep the high-pitched emotion out of her voice.

  Dolly crossed her legs. “It might be enough. From what I’ve heard, the other properties he bought on this block went for more than a fair price.”

  “It’s not just about the money.”

  “Well, no, it’s not,” Dolly agreed. “But why does this upset you so much? He’s not the first person to come along and offer to buy this place. I’m sixty-two. I’ve never traveled out of this state except that time we all went to Bill’s mother’s funeral in D.C. Maybe it’s time for me to be doing other things. I can’t fill coffee cups and make egg sandwiches for another twenty years.” She held up one hand. “These old bones can’t handle it.”

  “We could hire a manager, so you wouldn’t have to open every morning. You could reduce your hours. No one said you have to cook and wait tables.”

  “We can’t afford a manager. We can barely afford the staff we have now.”

  “You said business was picking up.”

  “It is. But it’s still slower than it was before the hurricane.”

  “Once that stupid casino opens, I bet it’ll pick up.”

  Dolly smiled. “I imagine it will. So maybe we shouldn’t call it stupid, hmm? Maybe it will do exactly what everyone hopes and rebuild this part of town. Bring money to Venice again.”

  Pearl sank onto the stool beside her aunt. “I just can’t picture the diner closing.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Maybe it’s silly to be so attached to it. But I grew up here.”

  Dolly patted her hands. “I know you did. And I’m glad you have so many good memories associated with it. But people move on. They need to. You need to.”

  “It’s not just that.” Pearl waved her hands in the air. “This place is iconic. Everyone in Florida knows it.”

  “It does have history.” Dolly smiled.

  An idea sparked in Pearl’s head. “What about getting this place put on the historic registry? All kinds of famous people have come in here over the years. Why couldn’t we get it protected by one of those government grants or something?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know the first thing about how to find out.”

  “It can’t be that hard. Old homes get registered as historic all the time. And old churches and stuff. Why couldn’t this place be listed, too?”

  “Well, it’s a diner, for one,” Dolly said. “I’m not sure it ever contributed to Venice’s history except to fill people’s stomachs with eggs and coffee.”

  “I’m going to look into it,” Pearl declared. The front door opened, and an elderly couple walked in. “There has to be a way to save this place.”

  Dolly slid off her stool and took two menus from the stack by the register. “Good. You do that. And then go take a walk or a ride or go out to lunch with one of your friends, will you? You’re making me nervous, hanging around this place all the time. I’m fine by myself.”

  “But -”

  Dolly wagged a finger. “Now go. Carlos and I will finish the shift.”

  Pearl would have protested but for the determined set in her aunt’s chin. She wasn’t sure how much of a social life she could drum up for the rest of the afternoon - especially since she’d decided the previous night that Jace and anything within one square mile of the Days Inn was strictly off-limits - but she’d do her best.

  At the very least, she could head over to the library and look up some information on what it took to get a building onto Florida’s historic registry. Pearl untied her apron and tucked it under her arm as she headed for the door. One thing she knew for sure: she wouldn’t let Dolly’s Diner go without fighting as hard as she could to save it.

  *****

  “Sorry I’m late!” Pearl called as she opened the back door. “I lost track of time at the library and -” She stopped in her tracks. Sitting at the kitchen table was none other than Jace McClintock. With an open beer in front of him. And a grin on his face a mile wide.

  “What are you -” She turned to Dolly, who was mashing potatoes by hand at the stove. “What is he doing here?”

  “That’s not a very nice greeting,” her aunt responded without turning around. “I thought I raised you better than that.”

  She didn’t know what to say. Her thoughts ranged from the old, unflattering t-shirt and jeans she wore to the cream-colored polo shirt that tightened around Jace’s biceps to the smell of pot roast in the air to the unfinished kisses from the beach the night before.

  She leaned against the counter, crossed her arms, and eyed him.

  “Beer?” he offered. “There’s a six-pack in the fridge. It’s a lager…but I’m not sure of your taste.”

  My taste is you, she almost said, and then hated that part of her brain, that couldn’t seem to control itself around this man.

  “Sure. I’ll get it,” she said as he half-rose. She needed something to do with her hands. “Need help?” she asked Dolly as she opened the fridge.

  Dolly spooned the fluffy mashed potatoes into a serving dish and covered it. “Nope. Sit and relax.”

  Relax. Sure. Like she was supposed to do that with Jace sitting at the kitchen table as if he was a neighbor who’d just stopped by for a friendly visit.

  Reluctantly, she opened the beer and sank into the chair opposite him. “So…is it crazy for me to ask how this happened?” She waved her bottle in his general direction. “I can’t imagine you were driving by and decided to stop.”

  Dolly set the table and then placed the potatoes, a large dish of carrots, and the pot roast in the center. Gravy followed. “I invited him,” she said as she joined them. “Jace came by the diner and we got to talking, and I told him while he was in town he needed a home-cooked meal.”

  Pearl narrowed her gaze. Playing the needy single guy card, was he? Jace narrowed his gaze right back, as if reading her thoughts. Wasn’t playing any card at all. I always liked Dolly. Told you that the other night.

  “Did you talk about selling the diner?” Pearl asked.

  “We did,” Jace said as he loaded his plate. “I told Dolly the terms of Carl Evans’ offer and what he planned to do with the place.”

  “Which is tear it down, right?” Pearl dug into the carrots with a vengeance.

  “Not necessarily.”

  She looked up. “Isn’t that what he’s planning for everything else he bought? Why would he keep a hundred-year-old building?”

  Jace didn’t answer.

  “There wasn’t any pressure, honey,” Dolly said. “Jace laid out the terms, and I told him I’d think about everything.”

  Pearl took a long swig of her beer. “Hmph,” was the best she could come up with. It wasn’t her decision, and she knew that, but she couldn’t bear to see her aunt give up the place that had been her livelihood for as long as Pearl could remember.

  “Now, I want to hear what he’s been doing with his life since high school,” Dolly said, her chin set as she looked from one of them to the other. “No more talk about business deals, all right?”

  Pearl looked across the table. “Fine by me.”

  Jace grinned, and she almost lost it. That smile promised all kinds of wicked fun, some of which she’d already tasted and some of which she could only guess at but sorely wanted.

  To her surprise, the next two hours flew by. Though she already knew some of what the last five years ha
d brought Jace, she watched her aunt’s face brighten with laughter as he retold his stories. It’s been a long time since we’ve had company here, Pearl realized. Shame at her earlier reaction burned in her cheeks. She’d been so caught up in her own history with this man she’d forgotten her aunt had one too.

  After dinner the three of them moved to the lanai, where Dolly brought them cheesecake and coffee and Pearl ate until she was stuffed.

  “I’ll have to run ten miles tomorrow to burn off these calories,” Jace said with a sigh. “Not like it wasn’t worth every one, though.”

  “You run?” Pearl asked.

  “When I’m not at home. Usually I go to the gym and work out.”

  As if she’d had to ask. She knew damn well what kind of rock-hard body he had under his clothes. Her fingers twitched, itching to touch it again, and she dug into the arms of her chair to keep from reaching out for him.

  “Whatever happened with your friend whose family owns the cruise line?” Dolly asked. “He used to come in the diner with you sometimes.”

  “Bryce? He’s working for the company now.”

  “Good for him.”

  “In fact, I was telling your niece the other day she should indulge me and go on one of their cruises. One of the perks of being a best friend is that I get pretty good discounts.” He winked at Pearl.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  Pearl and Dolly spoke at the same time. Pearl stared at her aunt, slack-jawed. “Are you crazy? I can’t go on a cruise.”

  “Why not?”

  I don’t even know Jace, she was tempted to say, but they all knew that wasn’t true. I can’t take time away from the diner probably wouldn’t work either.

  “I don’t have the money,” she finally said. “And don’t you dare offer to pay or tell me you can call in a favor and get some grand discount,” she said to Jace.

  “Well, I do,” Dolly said. She held up one hand before Pearl could sputter a protest. “You’ve never taken a vacation in your life. Bill and I couldn’t give you a graduation present after high school, and you spend all your time now in the diner or at college.”

  “So?”

  “So I think this is the perfect chance for you to get away before your classes start again. You’re young, but sometimes you act like you’re forty, the way you’re tied down to this place. You need to cut loose, have some fun.”

  “I don’t -” Pearl began in protest, but Dolly pressed her hand to stop her.

  “You’ve been my rock this last year. I never could have gotten through it without you. Let me do this. Let me give you this gift.” Dolly looked at Jace. “How long are the cruises?”

  “I think anywhere from four to ten days.”

  “Then four days it is. Do you think there’s room in the next few weeks?” she asked Jace.

  “I can check. I can call Bryce tonight and see what he can find.”

  “I’m sure you can’t tear yourself away from work,” Pearl said to Jace.

  “I might be able to. I have some vacation time saved up.”

  She sank deeper into the chair and eyed first her aunt and then their guest. “This isn’t a date,” Pearl hissed under her breath. She felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her by the one person she trusted most and a snake who’d turned into that person’s ally in the blink of an eye.

  Jace just chuckled. “I wouldn’t presume to think it was.” But the way his gaze lingered on her neckline, she guessed his thoughts were racing in the same direction hers were.

  It was a terrible idea.

  It was a fantasy come true.

  It was nothing she could have predicted ten days or even ten minutes ago. Four days on a cruise ship? Sun and sea and Jace McClintock within arm’s reach? “Thank you,” she finally said. “It’s more than generous. I’d love to go.”

  Chapter Nine

  “You’re going on a cruise?” Marshall Reagan eyed Jace over his desk. “Now?”

  “I’m taking the niece of the diner owner,” Jace said, hating the words and the lie they implied. He wasn’t paying and they weren’t staying in the same cabin. Was he really taking Pearl with him? If push came to shove, he could say he’d invited her, and she’d accepted. Sort of. Reluctantly.

  His boss’s withering expression relaxed a little. “You’re working the sale.” He nodded and tented his fingers together. “Can’t say I’m thrilled with the idea, but if you get her to talk her aunt into selling, it’ll be worth it.”

  Jace drummed his fingers on one knee. Stomach tied in knots, he waited for something else. A caveat. A warning. It came a moment later.

  “It might have to come out of your vacation time,” Marshall added. “I’ll have to ask my accountant if we can write it off as a business expense.”

  Jace was sure he could - Marshall could convince anyone who worked for him to do pretty much anything - but he kept his mouth shut. “No problem. I understand.”

  Marshall picked up his phone, the cue for Jace to leave. “I expect results,” he said.

  Jace nodded as he left the office. He knew Marshall meant results related to the sale. Or rather, results that included the sale. True, that would be a nice bonus, but the only results he was hoping for had to do with a certain green-eyed beauty who was packing her bikini right now. Single cabins aside, he had every intention of making the most of their four days together.

  *****

  “There’s Toby and Brittany,” Jace said as they approached the pool bar the following evening. Pearl sat beside him in a short blue sundress and matching blue flip-flops. Her hair was loose, she wore little makeup, and he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her since they’d boarded the ship that afternoon. Every time the breeze blew, her perfume teased him, and his mind went off in searing-hot directions.

  With effort, he tore his attention from the way her dress rode up on her bare leg. To his surprise, his friends had managed to take some vacation time and join them on the cruise, though Jace wasn’t thrilled Toby had brought along his girlfriend. They elbowed their way through the crowd, difficult at times since Brittany Piper had put on about forty or fifty pounds since high school. It all centered squarely on her belly and hips, and the tight black dress she wore did little to slim it.

  “I remember Brittany,” Pearl said. “She was kind of snotty back in school.”

  Jace grinned. “She’s kind of snotty now.”

  “Really? I didn’t know Toby was the kind of guy who’d like that.”

  Jace shrugged; he didn’t either. “I think he’s the kind of guy who likes being settled. He likes predictability. Brittany definitely gives him that.”

  “Then there’s Bryce,” Pearl laughed, gesturing to the hot tub beside the pool. Three women in teeny bikinis sat inside the tub, all looking up at Bryce and all laughing. “Some things never change, huh?”

  “Nope. That guy’ll be a bachelor until he’s ninety.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe he’ll meet someone who knocks him off his feet and he’ll be the first one married.”

  Jace laughed out loud. “You want to tell him that, or should I?”

  Just then, Bryce spotted them, and a minute later Toby and Brittany joined them at the bar as well.

  “You guys remember Pearl DeVane,” Jace said, suddenly apprehensive. He’d told the guys she was coming along, of course, but he wondered what they’d think of her, if they’d be as stunned by her beauty and confidence as he was. He kind of hoped not. The three guys had never competed over women in the past, and he didn’t want to start with Pearl. He wanted her to be all his.

  “Of course we remember.” Bryce took her hand and dropped a kiss onto the back of it. “You look beautiful.”

  “Hey, Pearl,” Toby said. He reached for her hand too, but a sharp look from Brittany stopped him. Instead he nodded hello. “How’s Dolly?”

  “Pretty well.”

  “I’m sorry about your uncle,” Bryce said. “Jace told us. He was a
good man.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So, what are you doing with yourself these days?” Brittany asked. Her gaze swept Pearl from head to toe. “Did you, like, go to college somewhere?”

  “I’m taking classes now,” Pearl said. She didn’t seem the least bit ruffled by Brittany’s chilly reception. “And working in the diner.”

  “Still?” Brittany’s perfectly groomed eyebrows flew up. “Weren’t you doing that in high school?”

  “I was. And still am.” Pearl paused. “What are you doing with yourself?” This time her gaze went to Brittany’s ample midriff for a second before returning to her face. Jace stifled a chuckle.

  “Well, Toby and I are living together.” Brittany tucked her arm possessively through his. “And I have a design blog. You know, like how to cook organically and decorating tips and things like that. It’s called Brittany’s Birdhouse. You know, because it’s all about nesting.”

  “Oh. Well, it’s really nice to see all of you again,” Pearl said. “This is my first time on a cruise, so I think I’ll go unpack and get my bearings.” She touched Jace’s arm. “See you for dinner?”

  His heart leaped up. They hadn’t made plans. He hadn’t wanted to presume. But hell yeah, he wanted to meet her for dinner, and a nightcap after that. Maybe a walk on the upper deck that led back to her cabin and…

  “Sure,” he said as he tried to banish the fantasy before it turned him into a bumbling idiot. Playing it cool, he gave a quick wave and watched her go. Bryce was saying something about her figure, Brittany was yapping in Toby’s ear about getting a massage, and all Jace could do was watch Pearl walk away. She’d been back in his life less than two weeks, and already he felt himself falling for her, imagining how things might work out between them if all the other complications didn’t exist.

  *****

  “This is pretty extravagant,” Pearl said as she and Jace stepped from the elevator onto the top deck of the ship.