“It’s not quite what I expected.”
“Sure, I know. It’s just …” Another Lexus came around the bend and I groaned, snatching back the keys from him. “Actually, can you take care of that guest first?” Without waiting for his reply, I left him and headed for the nearest Audi and fiddled through the keys, trying to find the one that matched the luxury car in front of me. Only a few of the keys had the make and model engraved on them. As a last resort, I tried to press the unlock button on the keys, feeling like I was on a game show where the right key won me a car.
The last key unlocked the car in front of me with a neat little click. I shrieked. “Yes!” I jumped up in excitement just as the cute valet drove up next to me in the silver Lexus.
His gaze was focused, almost sultry. I had to remind myself again that we were on the job and to try not to romanticize him. I pointed to the trees above North Abbey. “We have to park up there on Oakham Mount, on the hill.”
He gave me a quizzical look. “Taylor really asked us to do this?”
I didn’t know why he kept questioning me. “Yeah. It’s some weird city code. But if you just follow me up the road, I’ll show you where.”
I opened the red cherry beauty and slid onto the soft leather seats. This was possibly the nicest car that I had ever sat in—let alone driven. Putting the key into the ignition, I turned it and nothing happened. I checked to see if the car was in gear, but that wasn’t the problem. I tried it again. Nothing. The beautiful cherry was dead.
The valet poked his head out of his car. “Is there a problem?”
I would’ve rolled the window down, but without power, I had to throw the door open instead. “It’s dead. I can’t get it to go!”
“You want me to push?” he asked.
“Very funny.”
He stepped out of his car and leaned over me to push a button next to the steering wheel. The car started on demand. My mouth fell open. “You’re kidding? Why would someone put a button like that into a car?”
A smile tickled the corner of his lips. “They’re in the latest models now.”
The valet was more experienced than I gave him credit for. And he was still leaning over me. And though I enjoyed it, we had a whole parking lot of cars to get through. “Thanks,” I said. “Let’s do this.”
He squeezed my shoulder, and I made some sort of surprised sound as he went back to his car. I shut the door, my emotions all over the place. The faint scent of the valet’s cologne still caressed my nose. I shook my head to break out of the spell it put over me and drove up the hill to the empty parking lot. The valet parked beside me, and I got out, motioning back to the trail that led down the hill. “It’s going to be a hike from here. We’re getting our exercise today.”
“I don’t doubt it.” There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.
We walked back through the little Maple Grove trail while I kept stealing peeks at him. He was tall, athletic, and confident, not quite who I had expected to spend the morning with. “Well,” I said, breaking the uncomfortable silence, “now I know why you do what you do. These cars are nice to drive.” He gave me a long stare in reply and I felt my shoulders tense up. Wow, he blew hot and cold. I gave myself a mental shake and tried again. “What’s the nicest car you’ve ever driven?”
He hesitated and for the longest time I thought he wouldn’t answer, until he said, “A Lamborghini Reventon.”
“What? Those even exist?” I laughed. “Where did you get a hold of one of those?”
“Paris.”
“No way. First Massachusetts then Paris. You’ve been everywhere.” After another wary look from him, I laughed. “Careful, I just might get your life history out of you.”
That coaxed a smile from him, but no reply. I filled my cheeks with air and blew out. It was hard work getting the guy to talk. I gave up and, instead, opted for putting my hands in my pockets and pretending to be interested in the scenery.
“Surely you’ve traveled?” he asked.
His attempt at conversation startled me and I glanced over at him. “Just California. I haven’t been anywhere. I mean, I like California—I’m from Sacramento—but I’m a little jealous of Taylor right now. I’d love to try out Britain …” my voice trailed off when he seemed to withdraw into himself again. I had to remember not to mention Taylor anymore. He must consider the boss the enemy. “Anyway,” I said, “It’s probably better that I don’t travel the world.”
“Why?”
“Well, because I don’t want to be disappointed.” I remembered Ann-Marie’s theory and expounded on it. “It’s like talking to a cute guy …” my voice trailed off. The new guy did not want to hear any theories on dating—especially Ann-Marie’s.
“You know you have to finish that sentence, right?”
I turned to him. “We park the cars and then I’ll finish that sentence. All right?”
He burst out laughing and met my eyes, shaking his head. It was like all his walls broke with that one action. Now he looked adorable. “You’ve got a deal, Jane.”
I hid a smile. The sound of my name with that accent was better than chocolate. I turned back to the trail. Freddy had better not come back. I was really going to enjoy this morning with his replacement.
The clouds had gathered, getting bleaker and grumblier than an arthritic old man, but still the promised rain didn’t come. We worked steadily through the cars, making neat metallic rows in the parking lot, but then it got a little tricky when the lot filled up. I stared through my windshield, trying to figure out our next move, when my new friend walked up to my window. I rolled it down and he gave me the bad news. “You’ll have to parallel park to the side.” I gritted my teeth and considered surrendering the expensive car to him, when he tilted his head. “You can parallel park, surely?” he asked.
“No!” I threw my hands up. “Could you do it for me?”
He shook his head. “Every girl must learn her way around a Mercedes.”
I let out a little chuckle. The valet had been talking in this elevated speech all afternoon. “Yes,” I said, “but she should not learn to do it in a Mercedes.”
“She should especially learn in a Mercedes.” He walked ahead of the car and guided me to park with his hands. I sighed and drove up to him. “Turn the wheel to the left, Jane. All the way, now reverse.” I obeyed. “Now straighten it out.”
“Are you sure?” It looked like I would hit the BMW in front of me if I tried it.
“Yes, straighten out. Turn the wheel to the right.”
I did it, expecting to hear the crash at any moment. Instead the Mercedes cradled nicely into the spot between the BMW in front and the palm tree behind me. As soon as I was safely parked, I squealed and shoved open the door, leaping out of my seat, laughing and jumping. “Never before.” I gave a fist pump. “That was my first time!” I almost reached out to hug my mentor, but threw my hands behind my back before I broke all professional boundaries.
He crushed me with a hug of his own and swung me around. Soon we were laughing. We joked and teased each other on our way down the Maple Grove trail for the fifty-something-or-other time that morning.
“I know it’s really lame to be so excited about parallel parking,” I said, “but someone was just teasing me about it and now I just proved myself.” I made a happy skip and started walking faster. “That felt really good.” I turned, seeing the valet’s blue eyes on me. They looked as warm as I felt. We were definitely having a moment. I opened my mouth. “Thanks …” and then I stumbled over my next words when I realized that I didn’t know his name.
I didn’t know his name!
It would be awkward to ask now, especially after we just had a moment! I racked my brain on how to get it out of him. I’d get the valet to sign his name on North Abbey’s receipt. That’s what I’d do. If I was even bolder, I’d get him to put his number into my phone.
I wasn’t that bold.
“Jane,” he said. “You can finish your sentence now.�
�
I almost thought he had noticed that I didn’t know his name, until I remembered that I had promised if we finished parking the cars to tell him why I didn’t like talking to cute guys. A few raindrops dripped down my face and I sucked in my breath. The rain made everything around us more beautiful. Junie would’ve set up the tents by now to protect the brunch or Taylor would have another meltdown. I was glad I wasn’t there for it. Lightning streaked across the sky, and the rain broke over us.
My nameless friend shuffled out of his sleek, black jacket and without asking, threw it over my head to cover me from it. He kept his arms around me and I moved closer to him, liking the feel of his strong arms around me. Surveying the parking lot, I saw that there was one more car left to park. It was a Jaguar. We had saved the best for last.
“I’ll tell you what I was going to say after we park this one,” I said. Maybe then I could distract him from my answer. It was embarrassing now that I liked him. I searched for the last keys in my purse.
He pulled them out of his jeans’ pocket instead. “Want a ride?”
Grinning, I nodded. He opened the door for me and I slid into yet another beautiful car. He shut the door behind me, cutting the rain off as he made his way around the front to the driver’s side. I leaned back, for a moment pretending we were in a phaeton drawn by two smart horses and we were on our way to a ball. I smiled at the silliness. I didn’t have to imagine anything better than this moment. I had my own prince charming right here.
The door swung open silently on greased hinges and my attractive friend got in, the rain sliding down his nose and cheeks. I really wished I knew his name. He pushed all sorts of buttons on the console. This car had some special features. Seriously? Will Dancey himself probably owned this thing—no, rented it. Not even he would buy a Jaguar just for a visit.
I sighed. “I can hardly wait for this week to be over.”
“Too much wedding for you too, aye?”
“Yeah.” I looked away. “I just thought that it would be a chance of a lifetime to plan Taylor’s wedding, but it’s kind of a nightmare. Don’t get me wrong. I love her. She’s become one of my best friends since I came to work here; but sometimes she wants the impossible, and I don’t know if I can give it to her.”
He found my cold hands and pressed them between his fingers. “If anyone can do it, you can. You parallel parked, remember?”
The memory was enough to lift my mood. His hand left mine, and I stared at my fingers in sudden awareness—only Austen’s touch could set my skin tingling like that. The valet started the ignition. A song from the radio blared through the surround-sound speakers.
Don’t go.
Dancing through London in a field of poppies.
Red like the color of your lips.
You’re all I see.
Don’t go.
“Poppies,” I groaned. It was Dancey’s latest hit, but it definitely didn’t fit my mood. I met the valet’s eyes, and our fingers ran into each other on our way to turn it off. After a surprised laugh, he caught my hand in his and switched off the music himself.
“Thank you.” I made a face. “I’m definitely not in the mood for more Will Dancey.”
“What?” He broke into another smile. “Why not?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know; life is so awesome right now and I don’t want to ruin my mood.”
“Predictable tragedy isn’t really your cup of tea?”
I shrugged. “Maybe if Dancey stopped dating supermodels and dated someone down to earth, he’d be happier.”
“Are you volunteering?”
I laughed. “No.” I watched the rain slide down the windshield. He hadn’t started driving yet.
“No?” he prodded.
I glanced back at him. He really wanted to know why? I flashed a smile. “I’m not comfortable living the glamorous life. I live in an attic and wear flannel to bed. Just being in his car is almost too much for me.” I laughed. “No, really, I think this is his car. Let’s just park it and get out of it.”
He tilted his head at me. “His car?”
“The guy who wrote this song.” I snorted out another laugh. “He’s in the wedding party, so this car could actually be his. Ironic, I know. Anyway, I don’t care if the car is insured for more than my mom and yours put together. I just want to get out and back on the trail with you. Expensive things make me nervous.”
“Jane?”
“Yeah?”
His mouth firmed, and he peeled out of the parking lot, faster than I liked, but I breathed a sigh of relief as he took us out of the driveway away from North Abbey. That was, until he drove the opposite way from the Oakham Mount parking lot. “Whoa.” My hands slid to the side of my seat to hold on. “Where are we going with Will Dancey’s car?”
“Let’s take it for a little spin. He’ll never know.”
“What?” I gritted my teeth. I didn’t know this guy was the daredevil type. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“You hungry?” he asked.
I found my seatbelt and clicked it on. “No.”
“I am.”
“What! No! We are not leaving North Abbey. Turn around right now.”
“You said you wanted to do a little traveling. We could go to Vegas. Cross state lines.”
“I think that would make this a felony. You’re not serious, right?”
“Of course I am. Let’s live a little. There’s a little ‘Chapel of Love’ off the strip. It’s my favorite. We could go meet up with the minister there.”
“Hey! Not funny!”
His hands relaxed on the wheel, and I tried not to steal the steering from him. “You want to go back to the party?” he asked.
I was feeling a little ill at ease. “Yes. Most definitely yes.”
“Then you have to promise me something.”
Years of sibling training had taught me that was a bad idea. “You tell me what you’re thinking first, and then I’ll promise.”
“I park this car if you let me take you for another drive.”
My eyes went to his hands. The sinews stood out. They were nice hands, but a little too strong. I looked at his face, and I jumped when I saw that he was looking at me. His eyes weren’t dangerous—they were crinkled in laughter. He had a strange sense of humor. But besides a rebellious streak, I didn’t sense any killer vibes coming from him. In fact, I liked most everything about him. “When we’re in your car,” I said, “I’ll go anywhere with you.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Wait!” I held up my hand. “I mean, as long as you let me drive.”
He swung us into the road that made a circle around North Abbey to find the parking lot from the other side. We had been closer to the Oakham Mount parking lot than I thought. He turned off the ignition. “Now, finish that sentence you started, Miss Jane.”
My mouth fell open. He remembered after all that? For a guy, that was saying a lot. After his little distraction, even I had forgotten that I owed him more information. I found myself playing with my hair—this was the strangest moment I had ever shared with anyone. “I don’t like talking to cute guys,” I said, “because it’s always a disappointment. They’re never as interesting after you have a real conversation with them, but,” I laughed and turned away, “it was a little different with you.”
Okay, heart-to-heart was over. I jerked open the door of the Jaguar and jumped out. We walked in companionable silence through Maple Grove back to the resort. I still didn’t know his name, but I had a plan. The valets got their checks in the lobby. I just had to get my new friend to sign something. We had already scheduled a date and I couldn’t call him, “Hey You” forever.
“Stupid Freddy,” I grumbled. “I can’t believe he didn’t show up to work.”
The valet shrugged. “I’m glad he didn’t. I wouldn’t have gotten to know you otherwise.”
I flushed happily. We had reached the front door to North Abbey and I reached for it, but he wouldn’t l
et me touch it. He gallantly swung it open for me, and I walked inside, dripping wet and wearing someone else’s jacket—I remembered that final touch when Austen looked up from his laptop.
His eyes met mine, and then he glanced over at my companion. Austen looked confused. I dropped the collection of keys on the counter. “We got them all, no thanks to Freddy,” I said.
“You got them all?” Austen’s eyes veered to my companion again.
“Yeah.” I thrust my thumb in the valet’s direction. “We should hire him to replace Freddy. He’s pretty good.”
Taylor dashed into the lobby from the lounge, shrieking. “There you are! I was so worried.” She opened her arms and I got ready for a hug—she never hugged me usually, but I braced for it anyway.
Her arms went around the guy next to me. “We called the airport. They said that your flight was in. We should’ve found you a service. You didn’t have to drive. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“It died on the plane,” he said. “They mean business when they say to turn off your mobiles.” His eyes found mine over Taylor’s shoulder.
My heart thudded too loudly in my chest. I was pretty sure what his name was now. Austen coughed into his hand, his expressive face telling me what a mistake I had made.
“I thought that we had lost our best man.” Taylor pulled away from her hug, still squeezing both his arms in her hands. “I see that you’ve met my friends already.”
A dimple formed in his cheek. “Yes, lovely, lovely people.”
He only looked at me, and I felt my stomach drop. I wasn’t sure how to escape. It was only a matter of time before he blurted to Taylor just how much of a welcome party he had received at my hands.
“I’m glad you met Austen already,” Taylor said; then she gave Austen a mischievous smile. “He’ll be helping you put on a bachelor party for Bigley.”
“Huh?” Austen hadn’t been paying attention to Taylor—his eyes were on me—but at her words he gave her a look that meant she was overstepping her bounds again.
She shrugged with a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry, Austen. I didn’t ask either you or Dancey before now, but who else could put on an amazing party but the two of you? Surely you don’t expect Bigley’s stepbrother to do it?” She giggled at the inside joke that I didn’t understand. Not waiting for anyone else to respond, she steered our handsome friend past the foosball table, talking a mile a minute.
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