Toronto Collection Volume 1 (Toronto Series #1-5)

by Heather Wardell

  She released me and grinned at me. "You planned my wedding on your time off. Besides, the odds are you're less hairy than the guys so that'll be a nice change."

  I pretended to look worried that she was wrong and she giggled. "Shall we find out?"

  I agreed, and she led me to a softly lit dusky blue room with a massage table, a low cabinet, and a plush-looking couch. "So, bathroom's across the hall if you need it. I'll of course let you out mid-massage if you want. Take off everything but your underwear and lie facedown on the table under the sheet. Any music preferences?"

  A little surprised at her sudden switch to professional but glad she wasn't embarrassed about massaging me, I said, "Something soothing, I guess."

  She pushed a few buttons on the stereo sitting atop the cabinet and mellow music combined with ocean sounds filled the room. Once she'd adjusted the volume, she said, "Get yourself settled and I'll be back in a few minutes. Holler if I take too long, okay?"

  I nodded, and she left. I visited the bathroom then stripped and slid under the crisp white sheet, letting my face rest in the table's head hole. I closed my eyes and breathed a deep sigh. Even being here was relaxing. How great would a two-hour massage be?

  Not great. Incredible. She first gave my entire back and my arms and legs a quick treatment then went over my body again focusing on the tensest areas, leaving me so relaxed.

  She worked on a particular muscle knot for quite a while, leaving whenever it became too uncomfortable for me and then returning after I'd had a break, and laughed when I groaned at its eventual release. "Feels better?"

  "So much. Thank you." I had no idea how long we'd been there but I felt I had to say, "It's been so amazing. If you have stuff you need to do, I'm fine to stop."

  "But I'm not. And Wayne isn't either."

  I lifted my head from the table. "He's here?"

  "In the corner by the window. He loves watching massages."

  I looked over and smiled at the adorable grey-and-white cat curled up in a Toronto Hogs pet bed, indeed studying the proceedings with interest. "He's so cute. Why'd you name him Wayne?"

  She chuckled. "Forrest did. For Wayne Gretzky, of course."

  I put my head down. "Oh, of course."

  "We got him when I moved in here last year. Forrest loves him. I got the impression last week that Kegan likes your cat."

  I laughed. When we'd shown up for our wedding-food discussion, Kegan had been laden with Saffron's orange fur and hadn't minded at all. "It's mutual. They're buddies."

  "Nice." She paused, focusing on another tense spot in my back, then said, "I've known Kegan two years now. He's a good guy. A pain in the butt sometimes, but a good guy."

  "So true. Both parts."

  She laughed. "I know I've said this before, but he really has changed. Jen couldn't believe how he let you handle the wedding plans. So not his style before."

  I sighed.

  "What does that mean?"

  I told her about Dorothy's promotion, ending with, "I know he's trying to change but it just infuriated me."

  "Of course it did. Stupid of him. Did he apologize?"

  I nodded against the table, and she said, "Well, good. That's an improvement too. With Jen, he used to walk away when he didn't like something. She was trying to explain that Don was a contractor and not a new boyfriend and he stomped off and left her standing there. I'm glad he's not doing that any more."

  I remembered him making for the door after I accused him of being like Charles. The old him would have left me there. He'd started to leave me, but he hadn't. He'd changed that much, at least.

  I remembered, too, that I'd been out of my chair and heading for him when he turned back and headed for me. Even furious with each other we'd been drawn together. Didn't that mean something?

  I sighed again. "If we didn't work together it'd be so much easier. But I love my job and he can hardly quit owning the restaurants. He's so good at letting me run my life personally but at work he just can't stop second-guessing me. I know why he does it but I still hate it."

  "No doubt." She worked my shoulder in silence for a while then said, "Want my opinion?"

  "Of course. You know him better than I do."

  She laughed, obviously surprised. "Not a chance. I bet you know things he hasn't told anyone else."

  The reason he'd changed during the summer. His pain over how he'd treated his past girlfriends. How desperately he'd wanted to open Magma at the beginning and how he loved Steel so much he hadn't thought he could do it.

  She was right. I lay silent, thinking about that.

  "But I'll give you my opinion anyhow. You are damned good for him. He needs a strong woman, and I think he's finally ready for one."

  I considered this. I didn't want to but I had to ask, "You think I'm strong?"

  She rubbed my shoulder, more friendly than therapeutic. "Aren't you?"

  "Yeah." I smiled into the table. "I guess I am."

  *****

  "Hey, sleeping beauty. How're you doing?"

  I stretched and smiled up at Kegan. "Amazing. I don't think I've ever been so relaxed." After Tess finished the massage she'd suggested I rest on the couch. I'd made it there before I fell asleep, but not by much. "What time is it?"

  "About six."

  I blinked, trying to wake myself up. "That late? I hope Tess didn't plan to go anywhere."

  He smoothed my hair back. "She's been working on her art. Says she didn't mind a bit. But we should probably get going."

  "I'll get dressed."

  His fingers slipped beneath the sheet I'd wrapped myself with instead of bothering to put my clothes on, then slid back and forth across my collarbones. "I like this outfit."

  I gave a little whimper, unable to hold it back, at the unexpected but delicious sensations, then pouted as he withdrew his hand. "If I wear it at the hotel, will you do that again?"

  He kissed my forehead. "Sounds good."

  He left, and I dressed and made my way out to the living room, where Tess and Kegan sat talking about Niagara Falls. They looked up at my arrival, and Tess said, "How do you feel?"

  "Like a rag doll. Thank you so much, that was exactly what I needed."

  She grinned. "I'm so glad. Have a great trip."

  I hugged her, and Kegan did too, then we headed down to his car and were soon on the highway. My brain was awake now but my body was still so relaxed and peaceful, and I sat watching the roads go by and enjoying my lack of tension.

  Kegan slipped a hand around the back of my neck. "You look great."

  I laughed. "I was face-down on the table for two hours and then fell asleep. I bet I don't."

  His thumb traced circles on my skin. "You do. Relaxed and happy. And gorgeous."

  I turned my head and rubbed my cheek against his hand. "Thank you. For everything."

  "I'm the one who should be thanking you. I... there's something work-related I want to tell you but maybe I should do it later."

  "No, now's good. Or I'll be wondering what it was."

  "True. Well, I've been thinking since the Crystal thing. Specifically, thinking about Isaac."

  He took his hand from my neck to navigate a tight corner and I put my hand on his knee, not wanting to lose our contact. "What about him?"

  He didn't answer until the road again lay straight before us. "The whole thing with me supposedly sending him a text message not to come in. He had to have known I'd check for evidence but he had none. The way Crystal looked right at me and insisted you hated her so you were lying... she sounded exactly the same when she suggested Isaac was on drugs."

  "Hmm." It made sense, unfortunately. "Dorothy said that after Isaac got fired Crystal assumed she'd get his job. Maybe she was trying to get rid of him."

  "I called Isaac this afternoon."

  I turned in my seat to face him. "Really? Why?"

  "I wanted to know what happened."

  I studied his profile as he drove. He'd called the guy he'd fired to get the truth. "And?
"

  He sighed. "I believe him. Crystal set him up."

  "She sent the messages?"

  "I think so. I don't like having my phone ring when I'm out in the dining room so I usually leave it on my desk. Everyone knows that. At the tasting, I didn't have a real desk, but I was using a table in the storage room and I left it there. Isaac left his coat in there too, like everyone did, with his phone in the pocket."

  I shook my head. "So she had the opportunity to erase the sent message from your phone. I guess she took the message off his phone too?"

  "Seems like it. It was so risky, though. That's what gets me. If I'd caught her with my phone, if she hadn't been able to get Isaac's... it could have fallen apart at any time."

  I tipped my head from side to side. "Isaac's was a risk, yeah, but yours would have been easy. She could have done it any time. Maybe when you were in the bathroom or something so she'd know she had a minute. It wouldn't take long. If she hadn't been able to erase Isaac's phone, she'd probably have suggested he faked the message."

  "Yeah, I guess so. Still, it's incredible."

  "Definitely." I was afraid to ask but had to know. "So, are you rehiring him?"

  He shook his head. "I was going to talk to you to see if you wanted him back."

  I gave his knee a squeeze, appreciating that he hadn't just offered Isaac a job.

  "He's got a job he likes, though, and he told me before I could ask. But I did tell him I'll give him a glowing reference if he ever needs one. He was great. I wish I hadn't let Crystal screw things up."

  I sighed. "I know. But you'd never have assumed she'd go that far, risk the tasting and her own job. At least she's gone now."

  "True."

  "I think it's amazing that you called him. Most people wouldn't bother. Even if they'd made a mistake, they'd figure it's over so why worry about it?"

  "I worry."

  "No kidding."

  He put his hand over mine. "I didn't used to, but I do now. I run through people in my head, trying to see if I've gone back to my old ways with them. When I have, I do whatever I can to fix it. I should have realized Isaac had always been reliable and not immediately assumed the worst. With you away with the blood clot I was already tense and his 'misbehavior' was the last straw for me. It wasn't right, though."

  I rubbed his wrist with my thumb. "You really do that? Think through people and see where you might have gone wrong?"

  "Yup. It's part of my weekly planning now."

  The question hung in the air, and eventually I had to ask it. "Do you do that with me?"

  He raised my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. "With you it's daily. Sometimes a few times a day when I'm truly being a jerk."

  My throat tightened and I squeezed his hand. "You're not a jerk."

  "Maybe not, but I sure do a great imitation of one, don't I?" We chuckled, and he went on. "You're so great at what you do, you know. I watched you on the weekend putting that wedding together. You're brilliant with food. There is no reason for me to interfere, and I know that but in the heat of the moment I keep losing touch with it. I am trying, though."

  "I know you are," I said, touched by his words.

  He kissed my hand again. "I really am." He sighed. "Because I don't think we can keep going like this for much longer. Do you?"

  The idea of losing him hurt deep in my chest. "I don't know."

  "Me either, but unless I can loosen up for more than a day at a time it doesn't look good."

  I didn't answer, but I had to agree.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Kegan had only booked one hotel room for us, after asking me if I minded which I thought was adorable given how many nights we'd spent together while preparing for the wedding. Our room was on a lower floor than last time so the view wasn't as spectacular, but being there with him, away from everything work-related, more than made up for the lack.

  Once we'd checked in we had about twenty minutes to kill before dinner at the hotel's gorgeous restaurant, and we spent a good fifteen of them kissing and fooling around. We naturally considered canceling our reservation but he insisted I deserved a nice dinner out. Once I'd made him promise we would finish what we'd started later, which wasn't exactly difficult, he took his dinner clothes into the bathroom and left me the bedroom.

  I hurried to put on my new black garter belt and stockings then cover them and the matching bra and panties with a dark green dress, not wanting him to see the lingerie before its time. I'd touched up my makeup and was struggling to fasten my silver chain behind my neck when Kegan emerged. I looked at him and laughed. "I like your shirt."

  He tugged at his cuff, a near-perfect match to my dress's color. "We're twins."

  "I hope not. You're not quite like a brother to me."

  He chuckled and moved to stand behind me. "May I?"

  I gave him the ends of the necklace, but to my surprise he took it away instead of doing up its clasp, so I turned to see why.

  He set the chain on the bed and pulled a small gift-wrapped box from his pocket. "I got you something. Early Valentine's Day present."

  "You didn't have to do that."

  He brushed my hair back from my cheek. "Open it."

  Part of my brain was shrieking, "An engagement ring!" but the rest realized that rings generally didn't come in rectangular boxes like this one. It did have a jewelry feel to it, though. I undid the paper and removed the box's lid, then stared at the contents.

  "Do you like them?"

  I couldn't take my eyes off them. The opal pendant and matching earrings contained every color imaginable, and as I tilted the box the colors moved and danced within the stones. "How could I not? They're gorgeous. I love opals."

  "I know. May I? For real this time."

  I handed him the box, then turned my back to him so he could secure the delicate silver chain around my neck. "You know? How?"

  The pendant settled cool and solid against my skin. "You said it at the wedding."

  I leaned against him, solid too but deliciously warm and strong. "I did? When?"

  He closed his arms around me. "When Tess was showing her rings."

  I turned in his embrace and looked up into his eyes. "You remembered, just from that?"

  "I listen to you."

  I slid my arms around his neck. "Yes, you do. Thank you so much. I love them. But I didn't bring anything for you."

  "You brought yourself."

  My heart melted, but I did have to say, "That's kind of cheesy."

  "As a million pizzas," he agreed, grinning at me. "But I do mean it. Speaking of pizza, shall we go eat?"

  We did, once I'd put on my new earrings, and the dinner was as lovely as our first one there had been. Maybe even better, since I wasn't worrying about whether to sleep with him. Our waitress complimented my jewelry, which gave Kegan the cutest proud look I'd ever seen, and we laughed and ate and watched the Falls and talked about everything and nothing. Except work. We didn't touch on that even once.

  We made love after dinner, and fell asleep in each other's arms, then spent the next morning losing a few bucks at the casino and finally doing the sightseeing walk my need for a sweater had prevented on our first trip.

  Kegan took pictures of the Falls, and me with the Falls, then asked a little old couple to take our picture together.

  I figured he'd have to explain his digital camera to them, but when he handed it over the woman said, "Oh, we have the same one. Great minds think alike."

  "That they do," Kegan said, his voice full of the same laughter I was trying to contain. "How about right here? With the Falls behind us?"

  We stood against the black metal restraining fence and the woman took pictures while the man directed us. "Put your arms around her, son. Now maybe one holding hands. How about a kiss?"

  Kegan gave me a light kiss.

  "Not like that, boy, like you mean it!"

  I laughed, but Kegan took my face in both hands and in seconds I'd nearly forgotten we had an audie
nce. His mouth was sweet and strong on mine and the tenderness and emotion in his kiss brought tears to my eyes. So good. Everything about him was so good.

  Nearly everything.

  "That's better," the man said, his voice full of satisfaction, and Kegan and I burst out laughing and broke apart.

  "I took lots of pictures." The woman held out the camera. "I hope everything turns out."

  Kegan took the camera in one hand and my hand in the other. "Thank you. Me too."

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dorothy called me as we drove back to Toronto to inform me that the tiny cinnamon hearts I'd wanted for Valentine's Day were back-ordered. When that sparked a fifteen minute disagreement between me and Kegan over what I should use instead, I knew things were not turning out, and the conflict between us only got worse from there.

  I'd hoped the brand-new Magma would be popular on Valentine's Day. I hadn't expected to be entirely booked up and still have people calling for reservations. Steel was booked solid too, and while Kegan and I were delighted it did mean we were insanely busy leading up to the big day.

  After agonizing over where he should work on Valentine's Day, Kegan had eventually decided that he needed to be at Steel. "I don't recognize quite a few of the names on the reservation list, so I should meet those people and make sure they want to come back. I know you'll do a great job at Magma, and then we can hit the hotel afterward and talk about it."

  He'd decided to book us a room at a hotel between the two restaurants for Valentine's Day and Magma's opening night so we wouldn't have to waste time commuting. "Okay, Kegan. Will do."

  But we didn't.

  He sent his first "did you remember to think about" text message less than fifteen minutes after I reached Magma the morning of the fourteenth, and by noon I'd received so many that I had to phone him.

  "Seriously, back off. I can do this."

  "I know. I just wanted to remind you of things without interrupting you with constant phone calls."

  "The constant messages are no better, and I don't need reminders. Please. Quit it."

  He said he would, but the peace lasted barely half an hour. His first few messages included an apology for bothering me but then he stopped adding that and just fired messages at me every few minutes.