Damn it, she hated giving him a positive critique.
When he was close enough to hear her lowered voice, she said, “Listen to me, Neanderthal. If you stick your tongue in my mouth, I’ll bite it off. Understand?”
Dante smiled and shook his head. “You have no faith in me at all, Brenna. Relax and enjoy making your customers happy.”
“Don’t you dare—”
“I would never,” he assured her in a silky voice that sounded a lot to her ears like a promise that, Oh, yes, he absolutely would.
Dante touched his mouth to Brenna’s, a mere hint of a kiss, a feathery touch. She clutched his shirt tighter and braced herself for what she expected to follow. And how would she handle it? Make the decision now, she told herself, whether you’ll let the jackass have his kiss and please the crowd, or follow through on the threat to make him bleed.
Kissing Dante Caravicci was not something Brenna had fantasized about. Much.
She didn’t like the man, whom the Fates had decreed would live next door to her, and then made them neighbors again with their downtown businesses located on opposite ends of the same block like a pair of mismatched bookends. A perfect metaphor, she’d often thought, for their relationship. They’d been at odds right from the start, and no matter how good looking he was, or how his lips moved over hers now with a skillful pressure that raced tingles across her skin, he was still the jackass Neanderthal who irritated her beyond reason just by breathing.
Breathing. Hers faltered when he captured her lower lip between his and increased the pressure, drawing it in ever so slightly for one, two, three seconds before releasing her mouth altogether. He executed one more tender brush of his lips against hers and, a moment later, she was upright again, shaky, and surprised that he’d not pressed his advantage.
Smiling down at her, he took her hand in his. Following his lead, and to the delight of her customers, they took a flourishing bow.
“Encore, encore!” someone yelled.
Everyone laughed, and then that became the chant. Brenna wagged her finger at the crowd, included a negative shake of her head, and moved back behind the counter.
“Sorry, y’all, but Truth or Dare is over for this week. Be sure to drop in suggestions for next Saturday.”
Dante rested his arms on the counter. “So you’re all set, then? You don’t need anything from me?”
Just the sight of you walking away, she thought, but her mama had raised her better than to say something rude like that, especially since the man was being so pleasant. She allowed more agreeable words to claw their way past the sarcasm. “No, but thank you for asking.”
“You sure? Stuff for the cake? Something else for the reception?” He leaned closer and flashed her a sexy grin. “Or I could kiss you again, but do it up right this time.”
Though the mischievous gleam in his eyes softened his deliberate leer, her kind view of him fled. “And there you go, reminding me why I think you’re a jerk. No, I don’t need anything. Tell Cal I said hello, and I guess I’m stuck seeing you later.” So much for manners.
Dante left her, his laughter trailing behind him, and with the Truth or Dare challenge satisfied for the week, the bulk of the L&G crowd dispersed. Brenna took her place at the register and smiled at the customer who stepped up to place an order.
Brenna whirled with a startled yelp when someone touched her shoulder from behind.
“Sorry.” The young woman’s silver labret flashed like a diamond against the chestnut hue of her skin. “I know you have to get out of here for the wedding, and I didn’t mean to be so late, but my babysitter’s mother was—”
“No big deal. We only just finished the Truth or Dare.” Brenna brushed off the remainder of Shaniqua’s explanation. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters. Ed and Stan are on until two, and then Joy and Kaitlyn work till close.” Brenna moved out of the way so Shaniqua could take over the register. “I appreciate you working on a Saturday. You’re a gem. I owe you.”
Shaniqua waved her away. “Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. Tell Caleb and Maddie I said congratulations. They sure got a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding.”
It was just after one o’clock. Brenna still had a ton of stuff to do before the ceremony at six, and she had promised Maddie she’d arrive at the house to set up the cake no later than three. She should have had the good sense to give herself the whole day off, but she intended to win the Truth or Dare challenge, and disappointing people, even for one Saturday, was not the way to ensure victory.
She eased her Audi from the parking space and folded back the roof with the touch of a button, unconcerned with the battering her hair would take from the wind. On a day like today, with the beaming sun drawing into the air every nuance of the pungent aromas inherent to the North Georgia mountains, Brenna couldn’t imagine shutting herself inside the car. She would have to later, after she’d dressed for the wedding, but not now.
If God wanted to advertise for the glory of June, she thought, He’d look no farther than this little slice of heaven.
The drive from Bright Hills’ quaint downtown to Brenna’s townhouse was a ten minute breeze, and she zipped into her driveway, cut the engine, unsnapped her seatbelt, and exited the car in a series of fluid moves designed for speed. She cast a glance toward the cluster of townhomes to her left, noted the empty driveway next door, and jogged into her house.
Dante was probably already on his way to collect Caleb for their man lunch and to keep Cal occupied before the ceremony. She supposed they’d do whatever men did to entertain themselves before one of them took the Big Scary Plunge. Drink beer and watch baseball. Play poker. Whatever. God only knew why men did anything, and Brenna didn’t want to know, especially if Dante was involved.
The big Neanderthal.
She detoured through her kitchen to pull a bottle of water from the fridge, texted Maddie to tell her she’d arrive as close to three as possible, and headed for the shower. An hour later, hair and makeup completed, she stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom clad in a lacy bra and panties set, her dark brows pinched.
“Oh. My. God.” She turned sideways to inspect her body profile and groaned.
She knew that since taking ownership of the Lump & Grind she had gained a wee bit of extra weight. Who wouldn’t, spending twelve hours a day in a place like that? A steady diet of creamy lattes and sugary cinnamon buns accompanied by a dearth of green vegetables would do that to any woman. But, oh, honey, until this very moment, she hadn’t realized just how generous her caloric intake had been.
“How did I let this happen?” She hissed the words aloud to her mirror image. “I turned thirty and, bam, just like that, I’ve gone from sexy to sextupled.” She gulped and turned sideways once again to regard her bottom and thighs in dismay. Like watching a bad B movie in the middle of a sleepless night, she couldn’t stop staring.
Step away from the mirror, Meatball!
Brenna imagined the snarky voice in her head to sound like her younger brother, Jack. A ridiculous notion, since Jack was dead.
True, Jack’s widow, Maddie, had claimed for years that Jack communicated with her, and was convinced he had played matchmaker and was responsible for her romance with Caleb Walker, the man Maddie was marrying later today.
And, also true, Brenna’s older brother, Sean, was positive that it was Jack who intervened with sage advice when things between Sean and his now wife, Rebecca—Caleb’s sister—went South earlier in the year.
Still, all of that was nonsense. Dead was dead, after all, and wishing someone could offer help and advice from the Great Beyond was a far cry from having them actually do it. Though down in the deepest recesses of her soul, when she was being honest with herself, she believed that if anyone could cross the Wide Divide to help his loved ones, it would be Jack.
Focus on what you can control today, Jack’s voice commanded, like something that covers your big, fat—
Right.
Brenna strode
to her closet. She bypassed the clingy dress she had chosen for today as she had purchased it before her bust and butt had burgeoned to their current unexpected proportions, and opted instead for a cocktail dress with a fitted bodice and silk skirt that flowed like a frothy dream to an inch below her knees. If she could just zip the damn thing, it would be perfect.
She wrestled her curves into a spandex body shaper and stepped into the dress, then drew a deep breath and exhaled to the fullest extent possible, a little technique to deflate her body that she’d learned in college when her Alpha Delta Pi sorority sisters had entered her into the Best Butt on Campus contest, and she’d had to squeeze herself into a pair of jeans meant for someone the size of Thumbelina. She’d lost the contest to an elfin Delta Zeta girl, but survived the wearing-of-the-jeans and added a valuable tool to her arsenal of Things a Bodacious Girl Needs to Know.
After battling the zipper into service, Brenna stepped back to the mirror.
Okay, so breathing was constricted, she admitted with a gasp, but the resultant display of boobage was not the least bit tawdry, and the loose skirt skimmed her butt without accentuating a thing, praise the sweet little baby Jesus.
Brenna performed her breathe-deep-and-exhale routine and sat on the edge of the bed to slip into her strappy heels, a marvel of modern design that lifted her height from five-foot-two to a respectable five-foot-seven, made her calves look spectacular, and boosted her confidence level in a way no sensible flats had the power to do.
If they pinched in the process, so be it.
In front of the mirror for a final review she smiled, pleased at last with her appearance. Classy and confident, just the way she liked to roll.
A few minutes later she grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter, as well as a tote containing all the tools she would need to construct the three-tiered cake on Maddie and Caleb’s dining room table. The three cake layers were in Maddie’s fridge waiting for Brenna to put them together. It would be beautiful—glorious, even—and taste like a dream.
Maddie deserved the best and Brenna intended that she have it.
Back in her Audi, she closed the roof and windows, turned on the air, and pointed herself in the direction of Maddie and Caleb’s. She glanced at the time on her cell phone, pleased that in spite of her rushed morning she would arrive with ten or fifteen minutes to spare.
She did a double take as a Harley blew past her, going in the opposite direction. It disappeared around the corner.
Twenty minutes later Brenna turned onto the dirt drive that led to Maddie and Caleb’s house. Caleb intended to pave the entire half-mile length in the fall, and Brenna applauded his decision. The dirt road, though graded and well-maintained, still suffered from potholes and mud in the spring from winter thaws and rain, and Brenna dreaded the teeth-clacking unsteadiness of the ride. Still, it was a pleasant trek through the forest, if one overlooked the uncomfortable jouncing along, and then came the payoff when the old farmhouse Maddie and Caleb called home came into view, a postcard-perfect picture of tranquility set against the breathtaking backdrop of the North Georgia mountains.
Brenna pressed the brake and stopped to admire the view. Edie, Brenna’s mother and a landscaping maven, had helped Maddie with colorful plantings around the yard and a multitude of plants on the wraparound porch, both hanging and standing in large urns. That, along with the improvements Caleb made to the house and barn with his architectural and building expertise, had transformed Maddie’s little place into a comfy dream home—assuming what one wished for was an isolated spot in the middle of nowhere. But there was no denying the place was warm, inviting, and beautiful. Very much, Brenna thought, like sweet Maddie herself, and the perfect spot for Maddie and Caleb’s intimate and unpretentious wedding.
Before going into the house, Brenna made a circuit of the yard. First she inspected the barn, repurposed for occasional outdoor entertaining. The DJ would set up there and dancing would commence. Maddie’s barn cats, five in number, had made themselves scarce and would remain so, Brenna supposed, until the festivities ended. She went next to the wedding tent where two of Dante’s catering employees were setting up tables. She paused to chat a moment, satisfied that the Neanderthal’s staff had things under control.
The Neanderthal, her neighbor and owner of the popular Caravicci’s Pizzeria, as well as the new Dante’s Bistro in town, was responsible for the wedding buffet, and Brenna had to admit that when it came to Italian cuisine, the irritating man knew what he was doing. She offered thanks to his two worker bees, help if they needed anything, and headed for the house.
She entered the kitchen by way of the side porch and gave a fleeting thought to the odd construction of the home, positioned in such a way that it did not invite one to enter by the front door. “Coming in through the kitchen is so much friendlier,” Maddie had once said, “especially when you’re hot and ready for a tall glass of sweet tea.”
Brenna’s heels clicked on the travertine tile, and she tamped down envy at the size and design of Maddie’s kitchen, the result of a renovation last year that had led to today’s nuptials. Caleb, the groom, was the carpenter Maddie had hired to do the renovation.
“Maddie’s upstairs.”
Brenna spun toward the voice. Maddie’s mother, Phyllis, sat at the kitchen table with her nose pointed at her cell phone and her thumbs scrolling. “Hi, Phyllis.” Brenna waited for a response, sighed when it became apparent none was forthcoming, and marched through the dining room and up the stairs.
Phyllis had flown in three days prior and spent every waking moment texting her Spanish boyfriend, Arnaldo, who, by all accounts, awaited her return to his yacht docked in Miami. At least the woman had cared enough to show up. The same couldn’t be said of Maddie’s father, who claimed an inability to take the time from his job as a blackjack dealer in Vegas. Maddie had confided to Brenna that she suspected he just didn’t want to be in the same room with her mother, no matter the reason.
How, Brenna wondered now, did two such dysfunctional parents manage to raise the grounded and awesome Maddie?
Brenna knocked on the door of the master bedroom, but let herself into the room without awaiting a response. Maddie stood staring through the window, dressed in ratty cutoffs and a stretchy tee, but her hair and makeup were done, and she turned and greeted Brenna with a wide smile.
“I knew you’d get here. You’re never late for anything.”
Brenna hugged her friend and grinned. “You have no idea what I went through to be on time.”
“Have you set up the cake?”
“I wanted to see you first. How are you holding up? Nerves get to you yet?”
Maddie shook her head. “I’m not nervous. Just excited.”
“Your hair looks fantastic,” Brenna said. “And who did your makeup?”
“Is it too much? I thought it might be too much. You’re right, I should probably—”
“I didn’t say it was too much, now did I? I asked who did it for you.” Brenna held Maddie by the shoulders and gave her a once over. “You look perfect, honey. Beautiful, and perfect.”
“Oh.” Maddie sighed. “Oh. My mother did it. It feels like a lot of goop.”
Brenna smiled, pleased to learn Phyllis had done something worthwhile. “Well, two thumbs up. You look gorgeous.”
Maddie’s phone buzzed on the dresser and she dove for it, read her text, smiled, and tapped a reply. “Caleb,” she said, her face luminous. “He’s ready for the honeymoon to start.”
“No doubt,” Brenna said. “Listen, honey, I better go and take care of that cake before it gets any later.” She tilted her head to the slamming of the screen door from the kitchen, and then the sound of multiple voices talking and laughing carried up the stairs.
“Sounds like all the parents are here,” Maddie said. “And T.J.,” she amended, when Grandpa Boone’s deep voice boomed, “Keep those damn dogs outside, and make sure they don’t tear anything up.”
Brenna shook her head. “Why
aren’t the dogs at Sean and Rebecca’s?”
“I want them here.” Maddie’s cheeks grew pink. “I know it sounds silly, but Pirate and Belle are part of the family, too.”
Brenna shrugged. “It’s your wedding.” She strode to the door and laid her hand on the knob. “Mothers incoming.” She opened the door and waited. A moment later Brenna’s mother, Edie, along with Caleb’s mother, Sada, appeared at the top of the stairs. “The bride is in here, ladies.”
“You look lovely,” Edie said to Brenna, “but what happened to your new dress?”
“I’d rather not discuss it, Mama.” Brenna patted her butt and accompanied the gesture with a meaningful arch of her brows.
“Ah.” Edie nodded and kissed Brenna’s cheek. “You’re built like the Kinkaid women, my darling. All tits and ass.”
“Mama!” Brenna’s eyes flew wide, her surprise followed by immediate laughter.
“Be grateful,” Sada said. “The rest of us would love to have your hourglass shape. Look at poor Rebecca, five months pregnant with twins and she barely fills out a B cup.”
“Sean doesn’t seem to mind.” Maddie’s observation brought chuckles all around.
“Those two.” Sada shook her head and made a lame attempt to look disgusted, but her lips curled with amusement in spite of her words. “Like a pair of randy teenagers all the time. That daughter of mine has no decorum where your son is concerned, Edie.”
“I know.” Edie’s smile blossomed. “Isn’t it grand? They’re so happy together. And twins!”
She clapped her hands, giddy. “We’re having twins!”
All eyes turned to Maddie, and Brenna smirked. “You’re next in line to produce adorable offspring. I hope you and Cal don’t plan on waiting too long to procreate.”
Love to Believe: Fireflies ~ Book 2 Page 31