Can't Fool Me Twice: Sweet Contemporary Romance: Belles in the City Book 1

by Mayne, Debby

  Sunny got ready quickly and got a cab. On her way to the diner, she called her mother. "Miss Lucille not only said she'd love to have you come up for a visit, she's planning a party."

  "Oh my," Mama said softly. "I don't know how to act at a high society party. Can you give me some lessons?"

  Sunny laughed. "This isn't exactly a high society group of people. They're all just like us … well, everyone except for the guys."

  "Do you think … I mean, will you be … Sunny, honey, are you gonna be embarrassed for me to meet your friends up there?"

  "Mama! I've never been embarrassed of you. Why would you even say such a thing?"

  "You know I'm not all that refined, and I do sound like a country girl."

  "That's because you are a country girl, and there's absolutely nothin' wrong with that."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Positive. Now get busy bookin' your flight and call me back. If I'm slammed at work, I won't be able to answer my phone, so leave me a message."

  "Okay, sweetie." Mama let out a little giggle. "This is gonna be so much fun, even though I'm scared out of my gourd."

  "I totally understand, but there's no need to be scared. You'll have me and Miss Lucille and Bethann and—"

  "I get the picture. You and your friends will look after me."

  "Maybe we can even go to a Broadway show while you're here."

  "Oh, I don't think I can afford one of those. Aren't they expensive?"

  "They are if you pay full price, but there are ways to get cheaper tickets."

  "All right, let me run and get this flight booked before I get too excited to do this. I'll call you soon."

  After Sunny hung up, she let out a long sigh. Ever since she'd been in New York, she'd wanted Mama to come up for a visit, but it would have been extremely difficult if she still lived in her apartment. God was amazing in how He orchestrated everything. She knew she was blessed way beyond anything she deserved. The small amount of trepidation she felt when Mama first said she was coming had completely faded.

  "Thank you, Jesus," she whispered.

  The cab driver made eye contact in his rearview mirror. "Amen," he said with a smile.

  As soon as Sunny arrived at the diner, she put on her apron and got right to work. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and when she checked it, she saw that it was Mama. The crowd was steady throughout most of the day, so she didn't have time to return the call until she was on her way home.

  Mama picked up before the first ring ended. "Hey, Sunny! I am so excited. My flight is booked, and I'm already lookin' for some big-city outfits. Is it true all they wear in New York is black? That's what Sadie says, but I don't believe her because on TV—"

  "Whoa, Mama, slow down. First of all, I'm excited about havin' you here too. What day are you coming and how long are you staying?"

  Sunny jotted the dates and times on the back of a slip of paper she found in her purse. Mama said she would only be here for a week, which could be good or bad, depending on how much she interfered with Sunny's life.

  "Now tell me what kind of clothes I'll need," Mama said. "I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb."

  "You won't." Sunny thought about all of the strange characters on Times Square and how everyone she'd met in the city was from someplace else. "You can wear just about anything here and get away with it."

  "I don't want to get away with anything. I just want to look like I fit in and not some hayseed from—"

  "You have never looked like a hayseed." Even though Mama did most of her shopping at thrift stores, she always looked amazing.

  "Do I need to wear all black?"

  "Why don't you bring a couple pairs of black pants, tops to go with them, and some scarves? You can borrow anything in my closet."

  "Are you sure there's enough room for me in that house? Sadie said she could give me the names of some places where people rent out rooms."

  "There's plenty of space for you. In fact, we're trying to decide which of two rooms you'd be more comfortable in."

  "Two spare rooms?" Mama's voice lifted an octave. "I can't even imagine what that must be like." She made a gasping sound. "Oh, please don't tell me your Miss Lucille is a snob. Remember that one woman I used to work for? The one who was so stuck up she could drown in a rainstorm?"

  "She's not a snob at all," Sunny assured her.

  "I certainly hope not. Because if she is, she won't like me."

  "Trust me, she'll love you, and you'll love it here." They were less than five minutes from the house. "I'm almost home. I'll call you tomorrow, and we can talk some more."

  *

  Lucille Chambray had called Dante and told him that Sunny's mother would be visiting soon. Her visit couldn't have come at a worse time for him since he was in the middle of negotiating the lease on the new restaurant. But he intended to do whatever he could to make a good impression on Ms. Tatum.

  "Don't feel like you have to impress her," Ms. Chambray had advised. "Based on what I know about her from Sunny, she's a sweet woman who has always had to scrape by."

  "I just don't want her to think I don't care about her daughter enough to give her my time while she's here."

  "Oh, I'm sure Sunny will keep her plenty busy, and when Sunny's working, I'll chat her ear off. You know how I am."

  Dante laughed. "Chatting with you is always delightful. You just brought up something else that concerns me. Under any other circumstances, I would give Sunny a few extra days off to spend with her mother, but considering all the things I have on my plate, I'm not so sure that'll be possible."

  "If you can't spare her for entire days, maybe you can encourage her to cut her hours … that is, only on non-catfish special days."

  "Yes, based on what I saw, we can't spare anyone on catfish days. It's all hands on deck."

  "Too bad I'm not able to move about more, or I'd go in and help her out."

  The image of Ms. Chambray waiting on tables was hilarious, but he stifled the urge to laugh. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. "I'm sure you'd be a great asset."

  "Maybe I can get a job after I finish all of my therapy sessions. It would do me some good to have someplace worthwhile like your diner to go to everyday."

  Dante was flattered that she called his diner worthwhile, but the very thought of her working in such a fast-paced environment didn't make an ounce of sense. "I'll talk to Estelle and the rest of the servers about taking extra hours for Sunny. She's always the first to bend to their needs if they need time off."

  "Now you're talkin'. Okay, so let's talk about the big party I'm plannin'."

  After Dante hung up, he thought about what he could do while Sunny's mother was in town. He'd definitely take her out to dinner to one of his family's restaurants. He'd somehow manage to work in some time to get to know her better in a quieter environment. And of course he'd be at the party Ms. Chambray was planning.

  The phone rang off the hook all day—most of the calls related to the new Harlem location. Judd had spoken with the realtor who balked at a lower price. But when Judd said he'd get back with him later, he quickly changed his tune and said to make a formal offer.

  "Are you sure we shouldn't go in and offer the original amount I had on my last contract?"

  "I've thought about that some more. I think you're safe with what we have on the table since it's just slightly lower."

  "Okay, I trust you with this."

  After Dante got off the phone, he left the office for the diner. He wanted to see if there was anything he could do to help and talk to Sunny about her mother's visit. It would be easier to know how she felt about his plans if he could look at her extremely expressive face.

  Sunny wasn't in the dining area when he walked in, but Estelle glanced his way, grinned, and gestured toward the kitchen. He mouthed a quick, "Thank you," before heading toward the back.

  Riley glanced up from the counter where he was rolling out biscuits. "She's over there," he said, tipping his head toward the pantry.<
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  Dante walked up to the pantry door and stood there, waiting until she got whatever she was looking for. When she turned around, she bumped into him, jumped, and let out a tiny shriek.

  "Sorry," he said as he steadied her. "Didn't mean to scare you."

  She glanced around nervously, probably worried about what her coworkers would think. So he pulled his hands back and shoved them into his pockets.

  "Tell you what," Dante said. "I'll go grab us a table, and you can join me when you have a few minutes."

  Her lips quivered into a half grin as she nodded. "It'll only be a few minutes. I just have to fill a couple of ketchup bottles, and I'll be right with you."

  After she walked away, Dante looked around the diner and settled on the least desirable table for customers—one around the corner and near the kitchen. He sat down and pulled out his phone to check messages.

  "Ahem." The sound of Sunny's voice made him glance up. She grinned down at him. "You came at a good time. Most of the lunch crowd has left, and it's a little early to start prepping for the dinner guests." She looked at his phone. "Any news on the Harlem location?"

  He nodded. "I just got a message from Judd letting me know that my offer has been accepted."

  Her expression momentarily changed, but he couldn't tell if her lack of smile was from concern or if she was merely processing the thought. Now she was smiling again, and the way her eyes crinkled let him know it was sincere. He let out a breath of relief.

  "When will you be able to go in there and set things up?" she asked.

  Dante shrugged. "We'll have to sign the papers and make sure we're up to code on everything. The good thing about this location is that it was already a restaurant, so it has the essentials."

  Sunny quickly glanced up, and her expression quickly changed. Dante glanced over his shoulder and spotted Judd walking toward them.

  Chapter 7

  "Taking a break?" Judd said as he pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down at the end of their booth. Based on Dante's confused expression, she could tell that he didn't expect to see Judd.

  "Just for a few minutes," Sunny replied. "Dante was just telling me about the new location."

  "Yeah, it's looking pretty good, except for one glitch." Judd pursed his lips and looked directly at Dante. "Apparently there was some illegal activity going on at the location, which was why they got shut down."

  "Illegal activity?" Dante asked.

  Sunny scooted the to the edge of her seat. "Should I leave?"

  "No," Dante said before turning to Judd. "Or should she?"

  Judd shook his head. "I don't see any reason for her to. Apparently the guy was using the restaurant to launder drug money, but he wasn't a very smart criminal. He ran some drug deals directly from the restaurant."

  "How did you find this out?" As soon as the question came out, she raised her hand to her lips. "Sorry."

  "No, that's a good question." Dante turned to Judd. "How did you find out?"

  "Disclosure papers. This was in a gray area, so I was surprised the owner was so forthcoming with this information. He thought you should know that's why he was willing to drop the price even more. If someone else found out, they might have dropped their offer."

  "What do you recommend?" Dante said.

  Judd pulled some papers from his briefcase and laid them out on the table. "Since the other business shut down recently, I think you should require the owner to provide police security for a specified amount of time to ensure safety from anyone who might come looking for a drug deal."

  Dante frowned. "That sort of thing never even dawned on me."

  "Unfortunately, stuff like this happens. I don't see it often, but it's something you need to be aware of." Judd paused and glanced back and forth between Dante and Sunny, finally settling his gaze on Dante. "If you want to back out of this offer, this is the time to do it. No one will fault you for deciding it's not worth the hassles."

  Sunny's heart went out to Dante. This was clearly not an easy decision, but she knew that if he leaned on the Lord he stood a better chance of getting the best answer.

  Judd gave her a knowing smile before turning back to Dante. "Why don't we pray about this? Maybe if we do, you'll have clarity soon. I've asked for thirty days for you to think about it before making this decision."

  "Will they hold the property that long?" Dante asked. "It's in such a good location."

  "They signed off on giving you thirty days, so yes, they are bound by the agreement."

  Sunny couldn't stay silent any longer. "If you're having reservations about this, I'm sure other people would too."

  Judd nodded. "She's right. After I spoke with the realtor I did some research and found that they contacted other interested parties as well. You were the only one who came back with an offer even close to what they wanted. The others lowballed them."

  "Just as we thought might happen," Dante said. "Okay, thanks for doing all of this work. Send the bill to my office, and I'll get a check out to you right away."

  "Okie dokie." Judd stood up. "Sorry to interfere during your break, but I thought this was important."

  "I understand," Sunny said.

  "Oh, before I leave, I wanted to tell you that Bethann said she'll be happy to do whatever you need her to while your mother is in town. Apparently, Lucille is over-the-moon excited to have another houseguest."

  "She's being very sweet about it," Sunny said. "We'll just have to see how over-the-moon she is after Mama's here a few days."

  "I'm sure she'll enjoy every minute of it." He latched his briefcase. "Gotta run. Call if you have any questions."

  After he left, Sunny turned to Dante whose eyes were closed. She studied his features for a few seconds until he finally looked up at her. "Well, what do you think about this new development?" he asked.

  Sunny shook her head. "Like you, I never even thought about something like that. Do you think you should through with it?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "I'm glad Judd managed to get you thirty days to think about it."

  "I'll let you know what I wind up doing before I sign anything."

  "You don't have to."

  He smiled at her. "But I want to. It's important to me."

  She held his gaze before glancing down at the table. The look in his eyes made her tummy flutter and gave her goose bumps.

  "When will your mother be here?" Dante asked.

  "In two weeks."

  "It'll be nice to have something to think about besides the new diner."

  Sunny leaned over and looked at the dining room that was starting to fill with people. "Looks like the early dinner crowd is coming. Can I get you something before I get back to work?"

  He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose, giving her a momentary tingle in the pit of her stomach. "No. In fact, I'll clean this table off and start seating people."

  As they worked, Sunny never forgot Dante's presence. It was nice having him here, almost like they belonged together.

  After they closed the diner and cleaned up, Dante turned to Sunny. "I'll take you home."

  "Let me get my coat."

  Dante helped her into the cab and then slid in beside her. Then he casually draped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him. She could get used to this. They rode most of the way in silence, but that was just fine with Sunny.

  When they finally pulled up in front of the house, Dante got out, took her by the hand, and led her up the steps, where he rested his forearms on her shoulders, clasping his hands behind her head. There was no doubt he was going to kiss her, and she was ready.

  She turned her face up to him and smiled. He grinned back before leaning his forehead against hers. And then it happened. He pulled her closer and touched his lips to hers, first with quick, feather-light kisses and then a long, toe-curling kiss. He pulled away and looked at her with his eyes half closed.

  "Sunny, I can see us together for a very long time."

 
Her mind instantly flashed back to the day when he asked her to marry him—right after Bethann and Judd's wedding. She'd wanted to say yes, but she couldn't … not after what he'd done. It would still take some time to totally trust him, but she could see it happening in the not-too-distant future.

  A look of concern replaced his loving expression. "What's wrong?"

  She glanced down and then up at him. "Nothing."

  "Are you upset about the kiss?"

  She quickly shook her head as heat rose to her cheeks. "No, that was nice."

  He blinked a couple of times and then kissed her again. Only this one was much shorter, but it still caught her by surprise.

  "W-would you like to come in?" she asked.

  "I would like to, but it's been a long day for both of us. Why don't I call you tomorrow?"

  She nodded and then turned around and let herself into the house. Dante waited until she was safely inside before getting back into the cab.

  The light was on in Miss Lucille's study, so she slowly walked in that direction. If she thought she could get away with it, she would have slipped past the half-open door and gone directly to her room.

  "Hey there," Miss Lucille said. A strange expression slowly passed over her face. "What's up with you?"

  Sunny tried her best to pretend everything was normal, but her heart still hammered in her chest. Unfortunately, Miss Lucille didn't miss the details.

  "Was that Bubba Dante I heard at the door?" she asked.

  Sunny leaned against the doorframe. "Yes, ma'am."

  A look of understanding came over Miss Lucille. "Oh, no wonder you're glowing."

  "How are you feeling?" Sunny asked, hoping to change the subject so she wouldn't have to answer too many questions. "Did the therapists wear you out?"

  "I'm a little tired, but the therapy sessions weren't too bad. I think I'm making good progress." She leaned forward on her elbows and grinned at Sunny. "Enough about my day. How are things at the diner?"