WindSwept Narrows: #17 Pepper Ambrose

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “Thank you. It’s been my experience that men are more likely to disregard wearing a ring,” she took another spoonful of vegetables and broth. “I think it has something to do with their hormones, but I’ve never quite figured it out.”

  “Since we’re only just getting to know one another, I won’t be offended that my ethics and honor have been questioned. In the interests of full disclosure, I am completely and totally unattached.” Chase took a bite of the lasagna and savored the sauce and cheeses. “Unfortunately, too many men I know would view the presence of a ring as a conquest. A challenge, even. I’m not sure that behavior is hormone driven, though. I’d have to guess ego.”

  He relaxed when she smiled and laughed with him. There was a smattering of freckles, barely visible over her nose and a little dimple when she laughed. If it hadn’t been for the suit, he could easily picture her in the middle of a garden party with wings and children all around.

  It didn’t surprise him that they managed to talk through the entire lunch, over a variety of topics that had him bouncing agilely from field to field. She had a wide and curious interest and knowledge in several areas. The questions she asked on topics she was unfamiliar with told him of a keen intelligence willingly grasping at all information she could stuff into her mind and imagination.

  “Are you a reporter?” A sliver of satisfaction found a place in her when he looked surprised at her question. He smiled. He had a nice, easy smile but she realized it rarely reached his eyes.

  “I’m not a reporter. Why would you believe that?”

  “The only reason someone wants to question me, is to ask questions about my father.”

  “I don’t believe that for a minute. Are you naturally suspicious or am I a special case?” He drained the iced tea and motioned for a refill. “You’re an attractive, intelligent woman. I can only apologize for the lack of common sense in the males you’ve been exposed to.”

  “It’s part of the package,” Pepper answered with a careless shrug. “My suspicion. The last few years…” She let the sentence hang and didn’t continue.

  “Is that why you’ve dodged all the men trying to flirt with you?” This time he did laugh at the color that flooded her cheeks and the pure surprise in her eyes. “I’ve noticed. Just as others are noticing that you’ve broken down and accepted a luncheon date.”

  “I think suspicion keeps a person from flirting,” she answered honestly, dragging a piece of the crunchy bread through the remaining broth in the bowl. “I prefer clean, genuine words that reflect honesty.”

  “Is that how you negotiate with vendors?”

  Pepper’s lashes narrowed slightly. This time there was a strong hint of humor in his eyes, even a little relaxation. Her mouth opened but she closed it, watching the casual ease he called for their check and settled it all the while waiting patiently for her to respond.

  “I enjoy negotiations. I enjoy proving they can come up with a better price for me if they want the resort’s business,” she said honestly, standing and walking with him toward the exit. Alert, vigilant eyes darted deceptively around the wide foyer that was the gateway to everything inside the massive resort. “There are many women here, Mr. Montgomery, why did you single me out?”

  “Did you enjoy lunch?”

  “I…yes, it was nice. Good food and…” She exhaled slowly aware of his palm at her waist, guiding her toward the entrance to the administration area. “And good company…conversation.”

  “I’m glad it wasn’t such a trial for you, Pepper,” Chase removed his badge and ran it through the scanner to unlock the door. He watched as she tipped her wrist up and he swore she growled.

  “I have to go. I’ve got a teleconference in ten minutes,” she looked up at him even as she turned, backing up. “Thanks for lunch.” And she took off at what began as a brisk walk and was almost into a run when her palms struck the next set of doors.

  Checking his own watch, Chase turned sharply and headed for the main entrance, his cell up with a request that was immediately acknowledged. He was still considering his next moves when he slid into the back of the car, his laptop pulled out and opened. He had two more sessions this afternoon and if his mood didn’t improve soon, they’ll wish they hadn’t stonewalled him for so long.

  Pepper shut down the last SKYPE conference with a satisfied smile. She pulled her keyboard over and began making her notes, checked her watch and nodded to herself. If they didn’t get back to her with a better offer before the end of business tomorrow, she’d be greatly shocked.

  She chuckled softly. She’d been too wrapped up in the two afternoon conferences to think about her luncheon companion. Now, with the notes out of the way and time the only answer, the ruggedly handsome man made an inroad into her preoccupied thoughts.

  He was just more than a little sexy, she admitted, lips pursed as she considered the squared jaw with finely etched bones that didn’t hold a lot of extra weight on them.

  She lifted a stack of requests from a tray on the edge of her desk before leaning back and staring out the window into the back portion of the resort property. On impulse, she was ready to type his name into a search engine and see if anything came up. Her hands caught over the keyboard when the garden appeared in her doorway. A small woman peeked around the fragrant burst of color.

  “Pepper Ambrose?”

  “Yes,” she watched the tall crystal vase come closer until it was set on the center of her desk.

  “Enjoy…oh, he already took care of the tip, but thanks!”

  “Sure…you’re welcome…” Pepper lifted the small white envelope from the center of the massive bouquet, keeping it carefully between her fingernails. Like that would help.

  It’s not like it’s going to explode, she growled to herself. She dropped it to her desk, chewing on the corner of her mouth and scowling at it. Her name was scrawled across the front, strong and fluid. Meant to be noticed, she thought. Her stomach did a little flip when she leaned into the star lilies and inhaled.

  She closed her eyes. She could see him, sitting across from her, intense always alert brown eyes watching her. She swore she could feel them on her and it made her shiver. Pepper opened her eyes and slid the card from inside.

  ‘Call me so I can call you and ask you to dinner. Chase’

  Pepper laughed. And it was a good feeling. It wasn’t a feeling she’d allowed herself to have about a guy in a very long time. She took out her phone and tapped in his number, composing her text in thought.

  ‘The flowers are amazing. Thank you. I can meet you somewhere for dinner, if you’d like. Let me know where and when. PA.’

  She had worked through three of the requisitions when her phone chirped at her.

  ‘I’m old fashioned in that I escort my dates. Where can I pick you up at five-thirty?’

  Pepper sighed. ‘In front of the main entrance for the resort. I live on-site and that’s easiest.’

  ‘Considerate it a date.’

  Since she quit at four-thirty, she had time to make a brisk walk to her quiet apartment, hanging up the suit and changing into something less restrictive. She kept her hair bound back for now and dropped the gauze dress with tiny blue and white stripes woven through it. She tied the simple black belt around her middle and left the black heels in place. They were comfortable.

  She adjusted the off shoulder fitted sleeves, letting the snug cuffs fall just a little over the backs of her hands. She stood looking in the mirror for a quiet few minutes trying to remember when the last time she cared enough to dress for a guy.

  Was she only lying to herself? He always knew when she allowed male friends into her life. Could she handle it when it happened again? If it happened again, she shouted internally, grabbing up a light spring shawl before dropping keys into her pack and heading back toward the resort. She had her ear pods in, her feet absently dancing to the music as she walked the long way around the massive buildings.

  Chapter Three

  Cade came out the
main entrance, striding to Chase and offering up a sharp nod.

  “I hear you’ve made the employee pool,” he mentioned casually, one foot on the curb, the other on the neatly bricked street.

  “Pools always fascinated me. Before I ask the odds, what’s the topic?” Chase met the gaze from his friend.

  “How long before she kicks you to the curb,” he returned with a little laugh.

  “Bet on the long odds,” Chase answered confidently with a matching chuckle. “From my information, I’m already two dates ahead.”

  “I like long odds…good luck,” Cade spotted Abby, began pulling his tie free as he took off at a run to join her in the exiting traffic so she didn’t have to make another circle.

  Chase leaned against the front of the limo, one foot raised and resting on the sturdy chrome bumper. His arms were crossed over his chest as he watched her, sunlight glinting off the lenses of her glasses and each slender curve of her moving to the music she was listening to. And he didn’t think she was the least bit aware of how her strides changed with each new selection. The corner of his mouth lifted when he looked around at people.

  The gauze was light and flowed and swayed with her movements. He didn’t know what she was seeing when she walked but he was more than a little certain the stares from males of all ages never registered. Then her gaze swung from the sidewalk and she smiled at him. A bright amazing smile that made him feel like he was sixteen again, the sharp jolt to his stomach and lower made him groan softly even as he straightened up and walked to greet her.

  Long odds, his mind repeated. She wasn’t predictable. She wasn’t even mildly easy to fathom. So when he extended his palm it, his smile remained in place when she looked at it quizzically before sliding her hand into his. She stepped off the curb and walked with him toward the waiting car.

  She knew she stared at the palm extended and thought back too many years.

  “A limo?” Pepper looked from the dark tailored suit of the man holding the door for her to the man holding her hand.

  “I’m not familiar with the area and Greg is learning the roads for the both of us.” He let her slide over the thick, firm cushions before joining her. The door closed firmly, blocking the noises of the rest of world from them.

  “It’s so quiet,” she said after a minute. She looked at everything; touched, opened and explored, all the while aware of him watching her. She finally leaned back in the opposite corner and met his gaze. “You work a lot back here. But it’s a nice space.”

  “It’s convenient. I can accomplish a great deal not bothering with traffic,” he considered his answer. “And I provide a living wage to an individual who enjoys driving.”

  “I enjoy driving…roof open if it’s nice and loud music,” she said with a small nod at his explanation. “How do you relax?”

  “I consider lunch and dinner with you, relaxing,” he said with a charming grin. “I pound out a five mile run, either inside on the tread mill or out along the beach. Weights and laps in the pool.”

  “That’s physical,” was her thoughtful comment. “I’d bet you’re still mentally working, even doing those other things. And that’s not a bad thing, if you genuinely enjoy the work you do but I’d think work would benefit if your brain wandered to other things. Books, music, movies or video games. Something…totally opposite of work. Which…you never did tell me what you do.”

  “Did you ask?” He countered, shrugging. “I develop things. Right now I’m working on redeveloping the dilapidated pier and dock system that used to exist in Tacoma.”

  “That sounds stressful,” she said quietly, studying the high cheeks and dark blond hair that fell from a side part over the edge of his glasses. Somehow she thought he wouldn’t tolerate it long, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Were you military?”

  “A long time ago…almost another life,” he admitted, a glimpse of her next question in her eyes. “Long enough to give me discipline that I was lacking and short enough to be grateful when it was over.”

  “That must be a massive project,” Pepper commented, a little off center when he guessed what was in her mind. Maybe it was just the next logical step in questions, though. “Where do you live? You’re living in the resort, aren’t you?”

  “I am for now. I’m looking at homes in the Defiance Point area.”

  “Where were you before?”

  “Philadelphia,” he answered and saw an instant flicker of distress in her eyes, magnified by her lenses.

  Pepper forced herself to breathe, keeping her lips tightly together for several quiet seconds. “How long did you live there?”

  “I was raised there. My parents have a quiet little farm just west of Harrisburg,” he told her easily. “They moved out of the city over a decade ago. It’s a big city….sad that we never met before.”

  “I was born there. I didn’t live there past seventeen,” she said quietly, turning to peer out the window. The car was at a steep angle and they were climbing a hill to the north of the resort. On the other side of the bay where the piers and docks were for boat repairs. Not a great view, but she wasn’t seeing anything outside anyway.

  “Parents relocate?” Chase asked cautiously.

  “I left.” She remained quiet, a warm low voice coming through the intercom a few minutes later.

  “We’ve arrived, Chase.”

  “Thank you,” he didn’t make a move to touch her, puzzled at the feeling that said he wasn’t sure of his next move.

  Consolation? Curiosity and more questions? Or simply drop it for now. He opted for the last. Before he could move, her hand was on the handle, pushing the door wide once the car stopped. He climbed out on his side, closed the door and walked around the car to stand behind her. She’d moved to the high, stable railing that kept people off the unstable, steep hillside.

  “It’s beautiful…even with the twisted, rusted metal and broken boats…abandoned trucks and cars…and all that with a pink and gold sunset off in the distance over the mountains,” she gripped the rail tightly, working to push anxiety from her mind. Questions even hinted at her family made her stomach hurt.

  “I can show you the drawings we’re working on for the new version,” Chase said easily, his hands settling on her waist. A light breeze caught stray hairs that had worked their way free during her day and they tickled his face when he let his cheek rest against her head. “We have reservations, Pepper.”

  She nodded and sighed thickly, turning carefully and not minding the warm palm at her waist, guiding her as the limo went off to park. “I’ve never been up here. I need to go out and explore more, I think.”

  She tipped her face up toward the sky as they moved beneath the awning leading into the fragrant restaurant.

  “There are no clouds out tonight…the stars are spectacular in the night sky here.”

  “I’ve asked for a table in the atrium, overlooking the bay. You don’t have a problem with heights, do you?” Chase accepted the casual shrug as a no. “Montgomery.”

  “We have your table ready sir, madam, if you’ll follow me,” the pristinely dressed waiter held two menus and a wine list that he handed to Chase once Pepper was seated. She shifted her seat slightly to watch the colors flow and form in the sky over the distant mountains.

  “May I get you a drink? Wine or appetizer?” He glanced expectantly from one to the other.

  “Water for me, thank you. Do you have calamari?” She accepted the nod. “I’d like that, please. With lemons.”

  “Sir?”

  “A bottle of white wine, Sauvignon Blanc,” Chase opened the menu when the man left, absently watching Pepper browse the selections laid out before her. “Pepper, are you upset?”

  “No…no, of course not…I’m fine. I think I’d like Caesar salad with prawns, please.”

  “I’ll let him know,” Chase kept his smile contained as she snapped the menu closed and laid it on the edge of the table. “Pepper…something upset you. It’s in your eyes and your hands. You cl
asp them and twist them when you’re upset.” Laughter echoed around them when she suddenly pushed her hands down her sides. He tipped his head to the side and saw her quickly pull her hands from beneath her thighs. One brow arched at the scowl she shot toward him.

  Chase was about to speak when the waiter returned with the wine and two chilled glasses. He waited patiently, giving the man their order before lifting the bottle and pouring. He gestured to the glass in front of Pepper with one brow up. She nodded, full lips pursed and studying him.

  “Pepper…we’ve talked about a lot of things. But if there’s something you don’t want to discuss, just say so,” Chase watched his words flicker in her eyes. “Hands on the table…no twisting.”

  “You’re…” but she did as he asked, two palms wrapped around the goblet of wine.

  “I’m…” he prompted teasingly. There was something delightful about this woman that encouraged a part of him long grown and put away. And he didn’t dislike the sensation at all.

  “Disturbing.” Pepper took a tentative taste, licking her lips. “Hmm…”

  “I’m glad you approve,” he watched her eyes widen when the large plate of calamari rings were placed on the table, a small bowl with fresh cut lemons next. “So tell me why I’m disturbing?”

  Pepper shielded her hand as she squeezed several of the lemon wedges over the golden fried rings, one finger up and wagging slightly at him.

  “Because I can’t do what you ask, as nice as it sounded coming from you,” she said with a sigh, biting into one of the rings and smiling. “Very nice. I love calamari. Do you like it?” She nudged the plate to the center of the table.

  “Thank you…” He followed her example, sampling the squid with a nod of approval. “And why can’t you not discuss something that upsets you?”

  “Because it goes against what I believe. How can I have and expect honesty if I can’t offer the same?”

  Chase considered her statement and decided the simple thing was to lead the conversation. He pulled out the small palm computer and shifted his chair slightly closer to hers. They could both look out the multi-panels of the atrium down into the deep valley of the port of Tacoma below.