But just to be sure…
Yanking the door open, he barked out, “And tell them that we specifically want Leanna Baker to deliver it!”
Feeling satisfied, he stalked back over to his desk and sat down.
“There,” he murmured. “Now she’ll have to be here.” Knowing the client was ordering more so soon after this delivery and personally requesting her presence would almost guarantee that she’d come in person to thank him.
Only…she wouldn’t know it was him until she got there and he walked out to greet her.
It was the perfect plan.
Practically foolproof.
And he was feeling completely confident until the next day.
The delivery was scheduled for three o’clock and as he stood by his office window and looked down at the parking lot, he began to wonder if she was really going to show. Then he started playing out potential conversations and scenarios in his head.
“I’m losing my damn mind.” With a huff of disgust, he was about to turn away from the window when he spotted the van and it was ridiculous how relieved he felt.
And nervous.
God, when was the last time he’d felt nervous over seeing anyone? Even the biggest business negotiations didn’t rattle him. If anything, they invigorated him. He loved the challenge of walking into a meeting well-prepared and ready to prove his point. But right now, he felt wildly unprepared and hated how the ball was in Leanna’s court.
This time, he did move away from the window and forced himself to sit down and at least pretend to work. It would take several minutes for her to get everything inside and set up and he didn’t want to approach her until she was done. So he checked his emails, made a few notes on his calendar, and ultimately ended up playing a couple of hands of solitaire on his phone. When Margaret knocked on his door, Brody practically tripped trying to get out of his chair.
“Ms. Baker is almost done setting up,” she told him. “Should I send her in when everything is completed or will you be coming out to greet her?”
He had to hand it to her, she didn’t ask a lot of questions. She simply knew his goal was to talk to Leanna.
“Send her in please,” he replied. Originally he had thought he’d go out and surprise her in the conference room, but once Margaret mentioned sending Leanna into his office, it suddenly became a much more appealing option.
When Margaret walked away and closed the door, Brody quickly went back to his desk and sat down and did his best to look busy.
No need to appear too anxious when Leanna came in.
If she ever came in.
One minute turned to two. Then five. Glancing down at his watch, he saw almost ten minutes had passed and began to wonder if–somehow–his assistant hadn’t been able to get her to come in here.
“This is ridiculous,” he murmured, slamming his hands down on his desk. And just as he was about to stand, there was a soft knock at his door. Letting out a long breath, he said, “Come in!”
And there she was.
Her hair was in its usual messy bun and she was wearing a simple-yet-professional outfit consisting of black pants and a white blouse. It shouldn’t have made her look sexy and yet it did. She was thanking Margaret and still hadn’t noticed him so Brody simply took a moment to drink in the sight of her.
And prayed he wasn’t courting disaster.
The office door closed and she faced him and froze.
Slowly he came to his feet and smiled. “Leanna, it’s good to see you,” he said as he came around his desk.
Meanwhile, she hadn’t moved and looked more than a little distressed. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.
Not a good sign…
“How are you?” he asked softly as he cautiously approached her.
Leanna looked over her shoulder toward the door before looking back at him. “Um…what’s going on?” she finally asked.
“I would think it was obvious. I decided to treat my staff to some of your cupcakes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So you ordered three hundred cupcakes over the course of two days because you’re a nice guy? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“I’m not trying. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Brody thought he sounded charming and sincere, but when Leanna let out a very loud snort of derision, he began to second-guess himself.
Again.
“Won’t you please have a seat?” Motioning to the sitting area on the side of his office, he smiled at her.
“I don’t really have time to stay. I have other appointments to get to.” Her posture and voice were both stiff and he cursed himself for not even considering that she might have other places to be.
“Just five minutes, Leanna. Please.” It felt like he was coaxing a scared animal and he felt completely out of his element more and more by the minute.
“Fine,” she murmured. “Five minutes.”
Nearly sagging with relief, he followed her over and waited until she was seated on the sofa before taking his own seat at the other end. “So, how are you?”
“Brody, I really don’t…”
“Okay, okay,” he said apologetically before meeting her gaze. “I wanted to talk to you but didn’t think you’d take my call.”
“You would be correct.”
Okay, wow. That was…blunt.
“Then I figured if I ordered some cakes from you that you would have to talk to me. I know it wasn’t the greatest way to go about doing it, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. When you left without saying goodbye, I had no idea why.”
When her eyes went wide and she seemed to sit up even straighter, he did not take it as a good sign.
“When I left without saying goodbye? Are you serious right now?”
The level of snark and sarcasm was enough to make him wary of saying anything. Fortunately, he didn’t have to because Leanna jumped to her feet and kept talking.
“You were the one who left without saying goodbye!” she snapped. “I woke up Sunday morning and you were gone! Then I proceeded to shower, pack, and get ready to leave and still there was no sign of you! You didn’t leave a note or anything! So if you think you’re going to pin this whole thing on me, you’ve got another thing coming, buddy!”
He had to bite his tongue to keep from grinning because listening to Leanna try to be forceful with him was almost comical.
But it did explain a lot.
“Oh, and for the record, I think it’s a big crock of poo that you ordered cupcakes for your staff out of the goodness of your heart. I heard the way you talked to your employee and it’s appalling!”
“Excuse me?” When had she been around him and an employee?
“I heard you on the phone Sunday morning,” she said, her nose wrinkled with disgust. “You were mean and hateful and…ugh! You’re the worst!”
So many things were beginning to make sense and unfortunately, none of them made him look good.
Or even remotely likable.
“May I say something?” he asked cautiously. She let out a huff of annoyance before she sat back down.
“Sure.”
“I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”
She snorted again, but he didn’t let it deter him.
“I did get up while you were sleeping, but it wasn’t because I wanted to.”
Another small snort was out as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m an early riser, Leanna. I get up and train because I’m doing a triathlon. Every morning I’m up by five and at the gym or out jogging by five-thirty. You mentioned how you never get to sleep in and you were looking forward to it so I didn’t want to disturb you. And honestly, I fully intended to be back in the room–in bed with you–no later than seven-thirty.”
Her posture relaxed slightly and he took it as a good sign.
“While I was out jogging, I got a call from a contractor who’s working on our new site in Tennessee and there were…issues. So I got caught up on the phone with him, which led
to several other calls and then a meeting with my father. By the time I was done, I went to my room to shower and figured you were up and doing your thing. I certainly planned on us at least having brunch together. But when I went to the trailer, your assistant told me you were gone.”
Now her shoulders slouched as she hung her head. “Oh.”
Unable to help himself, he carefully reached out and took one of her hands in his. “I’m sorry if you felt that my leaving that morning was in any way a reflection on…our night together. You have to know that wasn’t the case.” He gave her a bashful smile. “Sadly, I’m a creature of habit and I didn’t think going out for a run was a big deal. Now I realize how it must have looked to you.”
She looked up at him and he could tell she still wanted to be mad, but…her expression was softening. Of course she still gently pulled her hand from his before rebuking him. “You could have left a note.”
“You’re absolutely right. I should have.”
They sat in silence for several minutes and Brody still wasn’t sure where they were going to go from here. Was she going to forgive him or was he wasting his time?
Funny how just a few minutes ago, he thought he was going to be the one forgiving her. Talk about misreading a situation.
When it seemed like she wasn’t going to say anything, he knew he was going to have to be the one to do it.
“I would like to take you to dinner tonight,” he said gruffly. “If you’re free.”
This time when she looked at him, he saw what looked like regret in her eyes. “Um…Brody…I need to be honest here.”
“O-kay…”
“This weekend was…nice,” she began hesitantly. “But…by the time I left on Sunday, it was obvious that we aren’t particularly compatible.” She paused and seemed to consider what she was going to say next. “I understand that there were some circumstances beyond your control and I’m not holding that against you.” She gave him a weak smile. “At least not anymore. But the truth is that we were thrown into a situation and were basically just helping each other get through an awkward weekend. In any other situation, our paths never would have crossed and we certainly wouldn’t have slept together.”
“Sleeping with you had nothing to do with helping each other out, Leanna,” he said, trying desperately to hold onto his temper. Did she really only see him as…as some sort of favor? Had he misread everything this entire time?
“No, no, I realize that,” she quickly corrected. “I’m just saying that we are just way too different and we should just thank each other for the help and…move on.”
Hell no, he thought.
Studying her for a moment, he noticed the little nervous things she did–attempting to smooth her hair even though it was a losing battle, rubbing a hand over her thighs, and biting her bottom lip. It wasn’t like she did them all at the same time, but there was a pattern he noticed and it told him she wasn’t as brave or unaffected as she’d like him to believe.
“You want to know what I think?” he asked softly, but didn’t wait for her to respond. “I think we’re more alike than you want to admit. We are both passionate about our jobs and don’t like delegating because we know no one will do it as well as we would.”
“I wouldn’t say I don’t like delegating…”
“We both have the stress of dealing with disapproving families,” he went on. “It doesn’t seem to matter how successful we are–we still seem to fall short of their expectations.”
“Okay, that one’s true, but…”
“And lastly, I think we genuinely like each other.” He took her hand in his again. “I enjoyed our conversations, Lea. I was fascinated as I listened to you talk about your work, and your creativity and artistry blow me away. I enjoyed laughing with you and dancing with you and…” pausing, he lowered his voice, “and I really enjoyed making love with you.”
Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink as she looked away, but she didn’t pull her hand back this time. “Brody…”
“One dinner,” he said before she could protest too much or come up with more excuses for why they shouldn’t. “I’d really like to spend time with you when we’re not being observed by our families. And if at the end of the night you’re still not interested in seeing me again, I’ll respect your wishes.” Then he gave her a hopeful smile. “But I’d really like the opportunity to prove that there’s something between us that we should explore.”
She was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
Brody cursed himself for pushing this.
“Our schedules really aren’t particularly conducive to going out,” she said weakly, and he knew she was really just offering up a token excuse.
“I know your weekends are usually very busy and I understand how important it is for you to be on-site with your cakes. Normally I’m here at the office every night until nine.” Then he shrugged. “But I’d be more than willing to leave early if it meant spending time with you.”
She studied him for a moment before a small smile played at her lips. The urge to lean in and claim them was almost overwhelming, but he knew he wouldn’t do a thing unless he had her consent.
And hopefully an agreement to go out with him.
“I guess I could do dinner tonight,” she finally said and Brody felt himself almost sag with relief.
“Let me have your address and I’ll pick you up at seven.”
Chapter 8
Life is short. Eat the cake.
“I should have my head examined, right? I mean, it’s totally crazy that I even agreed to this!” Leanna said frantically a few hours later as she tossed another outfit onto the floor.
“Wait, tell me again how you had no clue it was Brody who ordered the cupcakes?” Josie asked as she picked the clothes up and placed them back on the hanger.
Groaning, she held up her go-to little black dress. “You never said the order was for King Hospitality. You only said it was someone who tasted my cakes at the engagement party.” She put the dress back and pulled out a pair of black capris and a teal green blouse and held them up. “It wasn’t until I plugged in the address into my GPS that I realized where I was going and even then I just assumed it was his mother who placed the order!”
“Seriously? You didn’t even think for one tiny moment that maybe it was Brody?”
“Why would he order cupcakes? He doesn’t like cake and he isn’t too fond of his employees, so…” She sighed. “What about this outfit?”
Josie studied her for a moment before shaking her head. “You need a dress. He’s taking you to Winston’s. They’re business casual for lunch but more formal for dinner. That outfit is a business casual look for sure. Go back to the black dress and we’ll add some big earrings and your pearl choker. Very classic. A little Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
“Okay.” Slipping her robe off, Lea stepped into the dress and turned for Josie to zip her up.
“What do you think he would have done if you weren’t the one delivering again today?”
Laughing softly, she said, “He told me he was going to keep ordering until I did. Can you imagine? What if he kept upping the amount every time?”
Shaking her head, Josie laughed with her. “You have to admit it’s kind of adorable. And the fact that he apologized kind of ups my opinion of him.”
“Mine too.”
“Are you going to sleep with him tonight?”
“Josie!” she cried, spinning around to face her friend. “What…I mean why…?”
“Stop acting like an offended virgin, for crying out loud. You slept with him once and I can guarantee if things hadn’t gotten messed up Sunday morning, you would have slept with him again.”
Damn. She did have a point.
“So I’ll ask you again–and be honest. Are you going to sleep with him tonight?”
Letting out a long breath, Lea walked out into the bedroom and sat on the corner of her bed. “Is it wrong that I really want to?”
Then she waited for Josie to berate her and tell her she was being silly.
Sitting beside her, Josie wrapped an arm around Lea and hugged her close. “It’s definitely not wrong,” she said softly. “And I think it’s about time that you found a guy who makes you feel this way.”
Tilting her head, she rested it on Josie’s shoulder. “Yeah, I just wish Brody was the kind of guy who…you know…wanted the same things I do.”
“How do you know he doesn’t?”
“We talked a lot over the weekend and again earlier today and…we’re just different. I think part of this date tonight is just because he felt bad about what happened. And if I were the kind of woman who didn’t have any problems with having a casual affair, this wouldn’t be such a big deal. But I know me, Jos, and I’m going to get too emotionally involved and end up getting hurt.”
“Wow, you worked that all out before having a single date with the guy?”
“Technically, we’ve had three dates already, so…”
“Those don’t really count as dates because you were both putting on a show for your families.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybes about it.” With a slight shove, Josie stood up. “I want you to promise me something.”
“Josie…”
“I’m serious. You have to promise me that you’re going to go into this with an open mind and treat it like a first date–like this is the first time you’re out together and get to know him.”
“Then I definitely can’t sleep with him tonight. You know I don’t do that on the first date.”
Josie’s head fell back as she let out a frustrated little growl. “Why are you like this?”
“What? I’m just being honest!”
“No, you’re being difficult.” She pulled Leanna to her feet and into the bathroom. “Come on. Let’s get your hair and makeup done and then we’ll get you accessorized.”
Luckily the conversation moved to jewelry and hairstyles and it helped her relax a bit. Brody would be picking her up in less than an hour and if they continued talking about sex and whether or not she was going to sleep with him tonight, Lea knew she’d completely freak out.
With This Cake: A Meet Me At The Altar Novel Page 10