by T. M. Cromer
Her smile reminded him of the Cheshire cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. He told her as much. Her laughter, bold and bright, warmed his cold heart a degree or two.
“Do you want to hear something funny? When I was in your office yesterday morning, I was thinking I could empathize with the Mad Hatter.”
He lifted a brow. “Yes. That explains the rabbit hole comment. I can see that.”
Her smile dissolved inch by inch as they locked eyes across the distance. What was happening here? And how did he nip it in the bud before it went any further?
Rand shocked himself with his honesty. “I’m not a safe bet, trouble. I don’t do long-term relationships. Or any relationships for that matter.”
“What about a torrid affair, Randall Crandall? Are you up for one of those?”
Boy, was he ever!
“Go to sleep.”
CHAPTER 6
F aith was kept for a full thirty-six hours because her brother was an overprotective ass. The rest of the staff was ready to boot her out the first morning when she demanded blueberry pancakes and crispy bacon.
From Rand, she heard nothing. He’d stayed the first night until she fell asleep, but at some point, he’d taken off and hadn’t returned. Faith fought down her disappointment. It shouldn’t surprise her. Most people found it difficult to be around her for long periods.
She supposed he’d gotten good and spooked when she teased him about an affair. “Ah, but were you really teasing?” asked the pesky little voice inside. Faith ruthlessly squashed her inner nuisance and allowed a nurse called Dani to wheel her out the exit doors.
Confused to find her brother, Valentino, waiting outside, Faith questioned his arrival. “Val? I thought Hope intended to pick me up.”
“I told her I would since I was coming into town today. I thought maybe you could help me with something if you were feeling up to it.”
“I was back to normal yesterday. Tony held me hostage.”
He chuckled as he sprung her from the joint. “Come on, kid. Let’s ride.”
She climbed into his old truck, and they cruised the streets of town. “You taking me home for a shower first?”
“Sure.”
“What’s this something you want help with?”
“I found a table for the foyer of the house on the bluff. Since I know you know your antiques, I thought you could have a look at it for me.”
“Sweet!”
It only took her fifteen minutes to shower and change before they were off.
“Where did you find it?”
“Santorini and Sons.”
Faith blew out a sigh of pure happiness. Santorini and Sons Antiques was one of her favorite haunts. They specialized in the real deal. She’d live there if she could. Over the years, she’d purchased a few stunning pieces and kept them in storage at the vineyard. Until recently, she’d hoped to save them for when she was married and settled. Since she’d decided the probability of her finding a mate would be about a million to one, she purchased a place a few blocks over from her sister in the older section of town.
She loved her old Victorian. It needed a whole lot of TLC and, since she had the time and money, she had no problem pouring her heart and soul into the place. Demolition of her old kitchen was set for two weeks. She had a few pieces picked out for her island and range.
Santorini and Sons sat on five acres outside of town, and when Faith saw the building come into view, she did a happy dance in her seat.
Val chuckled at her enthusiasm and pulled the truck to a stop. “Somehow I knew you were the perfect partner in crime for this excursion. But anything we buy stays between us. I want to wait to surprise Ashley until after the house is finished.”
“You’re a good man, Valentino Fiore. If I haven’t already said it, I’m glad you’re back with Ashley. You deserve to be happy.” Surprised to see Val’s eyes turn bright with emotion, she reached across to hug him. “We’ve all taken you for granted, haven’t we?”
Faith referred to his stepping up to help care for the family and run Fiore Vineyard from the time he was just a teen after their father took off.
He kissed her brow and replied, “I was happy to do it.”
“But at a great cost to your happiness.” They cleared their throats in unison as they separated. “Let’s go look at that table.”
The oddest sensation of being watched crawled across Faith’s skin. As she exited the cab of the truck, she scanned her surroundings. Roughly fifty yards away, Rand stood underneath an awning by the front entrance. The dark scowl had her belly flip-flopping. What had she done now?
With a shrug, she wove her arm through Val’s and strolled toward the double doors of Santorini and Sons.
“Who’s the guy glaring at you? I’m assuming it’s directed at you, since I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“That is Randall Crandall. Our new accountant.”
“Randall Crandall?” Val snorted just as she’d done upon first hearing the name. Suddenly, he halted and spun back. “Wait! That guy’s an accountant?”
Faith could understand Val’s surprise. Accountants were supposed to be out of shape and nerdy. They weren’t supposed to look like a tall drink of water.
The two men summed each other up across the distance. Finally, Val grinned, and Faith suspected it was to piss Rand off. There were times he could be just as much of a ballbuster as the rest of the Fiores.
“Is that the Randall Crandall Hope was telling me about? The guy you were making out with behind the bistro?”
“We weren’t making out. We were… where are you going?” She yelped as Val swaggered in the direction of Rand.
“We haven’t been properly introduced. I wanted to say thanks for helping Faith the other night.” Val held out his hand in an offer of friendship. She noted he hadn’t presented his name, and her suspicions were confirmed that he was baiting Rand. Because the resemblance between them was not immediately obvious due to Val’s blond hair and her much darker mane, people initially didn’t peg them for siblings.
Rand crossed his arms across his well-defined chest and ignored Val to glare at Faith.
“What have I done to upset you this time, Randall Crandall?”
“Rand,” he bit out, much to the amusement of both Fiores.
“Well, Rand,” Val stressed his name. “I’ve heard great things about you. Faith tells me you’re going to be doing the books for Fiore Vineyard.”
Rand’s icy blue gaze left her to travel over Val. His narrowed-eyed frown cleared, and he offered a self-mocking smile along with his hand. Ah, he’d figured out the connection. It only took a study of the eyes. All the Fiores had inherited their mother’s.
“Randall Crandall, this is my brother Valentino.”
“Val to friends,” her brother added.
“Trouble has said great things about me?” The skepticism in his voice was warranted.
“No. Hope and my mother did.” Both men had a good laugh as Faith gave an eye-roll.
Her attention was caught by the piece in front of Rand. She squatted and ran her hand over the beautiful lines of the chair.
“Ohmygod! This is a mid-nineteenth century Victorian slipper chair, isn’t it?”
“I believe so.” Rand squatted across from her. His tone had warmed considerably. “You know antiques?”
Val heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Don’t get her started.”
Both Faith and Rand ignored him.
“Are you purchasing it?” she asked.
“I’m seriously thinking about it.”
With a heavy sigh, she stood. “She’s a beaut. I only wish I’d seen it first.”
“Take it. She’s yours.”
Faith stared at him, mouth agape. She wasn’t aware of the passage of time until Val reached a finger over to push up her lower jaw.
“Say, ‘Thank you, Rand’ and let’s go. Time’s a-wasting, kid.”
“Thank you, Rand,” she gushed and threw he
r arms around him, much to the discomfort of everyone.
With one quick awkward pat on her back, he pushed her away. “My pleasure.”
“Sorry. Faith doesn’t have boundaries. We think she was deprived of oxygen at birth.”
Val’s attempt to make a lighthearted joke of her enthusiasm had heat searing her cheeks. Once again, she’d humiliated herself and mortified everyone around her. When would she learn?
Unable to look anyone in the face, she concentrated on the chair. The day had lost its shine and so had her prize. She cleared her throat. “You should take it. It’s probably more than my budget will allow anyway.”
Without another word, she left to seek privacy, her need to regroup strong.
“Faith, I didn’t mean…”
She never heard the rest of Val’s apology as she raced into the building and sought out the ladies’ restroom. A splash of cold water on her face helped chase away her embarrassment.
RAND WAS UPSET on Faith’s behalf. More than once he’d heard her family make a joke at her expense, and he didn’t like it.
In a tone coated with frost, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with her being happy about the chair, Mr. Fiore.”
“I didn’t suggest there was.”
“Didn’t you?” he bit out. “So Faith is a bit unorthodox. It’s refreshing to see someone unencumbered and real.”
Not waiting for a reply, he stormed toward the entrance of Santorini and Sons. When he didn’t find Faith in the main room, he guessed she’d hidden herself away in the ladies’ room. He shoved open the door without a care as to who else might be in there. He needed to make sure she was all right.
She released a squeak of surprise as he stopped just shy of touching her.
“What are you doing? This is the women’s bathroom.”
He tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear. “They do that a lot, don’t they?”
Neither needed to clarify. They both understood to what he referred.
“They don’t mean any harm.”
“But it hurts all the same,” he stated.
She dropped her eyes and nodded.
“Listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with being original, trouble. Understand?”
Inch by inch her wounded mocha eyes lifted to meet his gaze. “I’m weird.”
“Perhaps a little.” He lifted the chin she’d tucked against her chest and ducked to force her to look at him again. “But it’s not a bad thing. I quite like it.”
Her face lit and all was right with the world. “Thank you, Randall Crandall.”
Involuntarily, he focused on her wide, smiling mouth. When her tongue darted out to wet her lips, he forced down his groan.
“You’re welcome.” If his voice was gruff, it couldn’t be helped. “Now, let’s go secure that chair before someone else nabs it, shall we?”
She wove her fingers through his, and he had a moment’s pause as he stared at their joined hands. Had he ever held hands with a woman before?
“I’m sorry.”
He noted her crestfallen expression. She loosened her grip and would have pulled away had he not tightened his fingers. He lifted their joined hands to drop a kiss on her knuckles.
“You shouldn’t pay asking price for the chair. I happen to know it’s listed at about four hundred over what it should be.”
“Dino Santorini expects me to negotiate the price down. I am always required to throw in a case of our finest wine as well.”
Rand laughed and tugged her along to find the store owner. “Fair enough. Let’s see your mad negotiating skills in action.”
Val had come to stand beside him while she worked her magic. As Faith haggled with Dino, Rand watched in awe. The woman was fierce. In the future, he intended to retain her services for his own purchases. She ended up paying five hundred and fifty dollars less than the asking price, and true to her word, she threw in a case of Fiore wine.
“This is why I dragged her here today. My sister is amazing at hammering out the best deal.”
“She’s definitely something.”
“You like her.”
He did, but he didn’t intend to admit it to her brother. “I wanted to be sure she received the best price on the chair.”
Val slapped him on the back and laughed. “I know someone in denial when I see them.” Before a happy Faith reached them, her brother lowered his voice for Rand’s ears only. “Hurt her and they’ll never find your body.” Another heavy pound on his back, and Val disappeared to converse with the owner before Rand could tell him he had no intention of becoming involved with Faith.
“You seem to be getting along well with my brother.”
“Don’t let your family convince you that you’re the only outspoken one.”
She laughed and grabbed his hand. As she danced around to face him, he realized he’d never seen a woman as fresh and beautiful as this one.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we go out tonight to celebrate?” she suggested.
“Celebrate?”
Her enthusiastic nod caused an uneasy sensation to creep up his spine.
“Whenever I find the perfect piece, I drag either Hope or Amy out for dinner and drinks. But since you’re here—”
He dropped her hand. “No.”
A slow blink told him she hadn’t expected his blunt response.
“I don’t date clients, and I have other plans.”
Her mouth opened in the perfect O. He had to give her credit for her quick recovery, because she shoved away her disappointment and gave him a tight smile.
“Of course. I won’t take up any more of your time.”
He hated the politeness in her voice. It didn’t fit with who he knew her to be.
Faced with her back as she moved away, Rand fought the desire to chase after her. He put it down to instinct. The way a lion would chase prey when it retreated. He forcefully reminded himself that he didn’t do relationships. He’d become deeply involved with a woman once about five years ago. That relationship had ended in disaster. Tears, broken furniture, and recriminations. No, thank you. He never wanted to experience that again.
CHAPTER 7
T hat evening, Faith put the finishing touches on her makeup and fastened gold hoops in her ears. A quick survey of herself in the mirror told her that she was as perfect as she was going to get. She stopped for a longer look.
What did she truly see? An attractive woman approaching thirty with no prospects for love on the horizon. The same woman had a loneliness about her. But maybe that part was only internal. Maybe no one could see through the facade of the bubbly, outgoing Faith Fiore. None of it mattered. Tonight she would enjoy herself with her small, select group of friends. There would be time enough tomorrow to feel sorry for herself and wallow in her loneliness.
A horn sounded, and she darted down the stairs to where her ride waited. Seated in the rear seat on the way to the restaurant, Faith stared out the window and took in the beauty of the city. Although it was mid-November, Christmas decorations lit up the storefronts. The sight should make her happy. Yet, all she could dwell on was that another holiday had arrived and she had no one to share her joy of the season.
Soon enough, she arrived at her destination. The driver politely opened the door for her to exit. Dread hit her low and hard as she viewed the elegant exterior of Medallions. She should never have arranged a dinner gathering tonight when she sported such a dark mood.
“Faith?” Amy arrived from around the side of the building and stood beside the entry steps. “You planning on entering anytime soon?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m a bit scattered tonight.”
“What else is new?”
With a frown, Faith regarded her friend. When had it become okay for everyone to be derogatory to her? Sure, their words were heavily laced with their own brand of humor, but still, most comments were made at her expense. How had she let that happen? Why had she allowed it to be the norm?
“What’s that supposed to
mean, Amy?”
“What’s what supposed to mean?”
“You know what. Your comment was ugly. You implied I’m always scattered. I’m not, you know. I work a sixty-hour work week, I own my own home, I pay my bills on time, and I have my shit together,” she snapped.
Unused to being reprimanded, Amy could only stare. Finally, she spoke. “I’m sorry, Faith. I didn’t realize.”
Suddenly tearful, Faith apologized. “I’m sorry, too. I don’t know what’s gotten into me tonight. I’m a moody bitch.”
“You have every right to be. This weekend was a bit of an eye-opener for both of us. By the way, you look smoking hot in that little black number.”
The two women hugged it out and went to join their group inside. Faith had only been seated for five minutes when she heard Amy’s quick inhale. She followed her friend’s line of sight. Escorting the most exquisite redhead Faith had ever laid eyes upon and weaving his way through the tables behind the hostess, Rand was stunningly handsome in his dark suit.
As if drawn by her stare, their eyes clashed across the distance. His “other plans” hadn’t been a made-up story to avoid her. He really did have a date. A lead ball settled in Faith’s stomach. Well, now she could scrub any romantic ideas of a relationship with Randall Crandall.
With head held high, she straightened in her seat and avoided Amy’s sympathetic gaze. Faith reached for her menu and asked brightly, “What is everyone ordering?”
As Faith’s bad luck would have it, Rand and his picture-perfect date were seated two tables away, directly in front of her. Her jaw ached with the strain of keeping her smile in place for the duration of the appetizer and main course. If she thought she’d been scattered before dinner, it was nothing compared to her inability to concentrate on the conversation that flowed around their table.
Only once had their eyes connected during the meal. Disquiet lingered in the depths of his ice-blue eyes. Did he think she would make a scene? What would be the point? They hardly knew each other, having only met a handful of times. While each time was burned into her memory, the obvious conclusion was that those times meant little to him. Oh, but that kiss. How did he dismiss such a soul-searing kiss so easily?