“Ambrosia.”
“Ambrosia,” he repeated blankly.
“It’s a special fruit salad made with pineapple and marshmallows. Maybe you can have it for dessert with your sweetheart.”
Again with the pineapple. “Thanks, Mrs. Rollins. I’m sure Arden will love it.”
She beamed. “My Louie said that was one of the reasons he married me.” Her gaze lifted and traveled past his shoulder. Her pleasant expression immediately fell.
“Oh dear,” she uttered in horror.
He looked behind him. “What, oh dear?”
“Was there a recent break-in?”
Wade took another long look around the room and frowned. Uh-oh. His neighbor may have a point. Not only did it look like the place had been ransacked, but possibly a fatality as well.
“There wasn’t a break-in, Mrs. Rollins. I just haven’t had a chance to clean up. I’ve had only enough time to make myself some meals and take care of Roxy between my schedule at the clinic and volunteering at the shelter.” Not to mention spending nights at Arden’s…
“Oh, I see.” She didn’t sound so convinced. Hopefully, he’d still have a chance to clean up.
“I probably should get to that before Arden comes over,” he said, reaching for the door. “Thanks for the ambrosia.”
But when he swung open the door, Arden was already standing on his porch.
“Oh,” Arden said, jumping back. “I was just about to knock.” She looked at Mrs. Rollins and smiled. “I didn’t know we were having a dinner party.”
Arden sent a shy smile his way, and he automatically leaned in to kiss her cool lips. Her blond hair glistened under the lights of his porch lamp, reminding him how smooth and silky it had felt tangled within his fingers. He’d give just about anything for his neighbor to disappear so he could have his hands on her again right now.
As if reading his mind, Mrs. Rollins squeezed past him to the door. “Don’t mind me,” the older woman said. “I’m on my way out.” But as she passed Arden, she leaned in and whispered loudly, “Cut him a break, dear. He may not be the neatest, but he sure is nice to look at.”
Wade rolled his eyes as he closed the door behind the woman.
Arden chuckled. “What was that all about?” Then she took one look at his living room and frowned. “Oh. Never mind. I see what she meant. Must have been a rager of a party last night.”
“You’re hilarious,” he said drily. He took her coat and hung it on the rack next to her. “If you must know, I’ve been rather busy lately.”
“Yeah, busy making a mess,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“That’s it. One more crack about my condo and you won’t get any of this ambrosia Mrs. Rollins made for us.”
Arden’s face lit up. “Oooh, my favorite.” She grabbed the container from him and quickly inspected it. His dog put her two front paws up on Arden’s leg, obviously hoping the food was for her, too.
Wade shook his head. Figures Arden would not only know what ambrosia was but also love it.
“I think it’s sweet that women still bring you food, Wade,” she said, scratching Roxy behind the ears. “This town really cares about you.”
“Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, living here has its up and downs.”
The ups were that everyone knew him and was concerned about his life and business. The downs also being that everyone knew him and was concerned about his life and business.
He led Arden into the kitchen where he took two wineglasses out of his cabinet. He had opened a bottle of Merlot earlier and proceeded to pour them each a glass.
“Well, there is a definite up to having your sister as general manager of the Harbor Light,” she said, taking a small sip of her wine. “I forgot to tell you. Kinsley is willing to host and cater the fundraiser ball for the shelter at cost.”
Wade blinked. “Really? Cost? That’s perfect.”
“Also, I have a few suggestions for themes and decorations that would be very minimal. All you would need to do is have the board sell tickets and ask for donations from local businesses in town to make up gift baskets and prizes for a silent auction. I have a donation request letter written that the board can mail out. It’ll be worth doing, since the raffle sales will definitely help bring in extra money.”
Wade was more than impressed with Arden’s organizational skills and her mind for details. No wonder she and his sister were so tight. “Wow. That’s incredible. If this fundraiser is successful, I know it will change the board’s mind about closing.”
“Kinsley said she’d donate a weekend stay at the hotel with a free surrey rental. That should be a real draw.”
“My sister is the best.”
Arden put down her wine and planted a hand on her hip. “Um, yeah, I agree Kinsley is great, but just remember I may deserve at least partial credit for doing all the legwork.”
He stifled a grin as he took a step toward her. “Of course.”
“I’m waiving my party planning fee for you, too. I wouldn’t do that for just anyone, you know.”
“Naturally.” He moved even closer, causing her to tilt her head back to look at him. He loved the way her blue eyes lit up. He loved the way her hair spilled over her shoulders. He loved…a lot of things about her.
Liked, he mentally corrected. Liked. What was he thinking? He liked all those things about her.
“And remember, it was my idea—”
“Hush.” He covered her lips with his fingers. “Stop talking, Arden. Otherwise, it makes it really hard to kiss you.”
“But— Oh.”
He laid his mouth on hers, intending on keeping the kiss brief, but the moment his lips touched hers, his concept of time was lost, and he was kissing her as if it were going to be the last thing he did on earth. He cupped the back of her head, enjoying the silky feel of her hair against his fingers, and explored her mouth with a sudden raw passion. She tasted of wine and sweetness and her usual sass and something unique he couldn’t quite put his finger on. But then Roxy began to scratch at her water bowl and whine.
Some man’s best friend.
He broke the kiss and they gazed at each other, trying to catch their breaths.
“Well.” Arden licked her lips and he almost groaned. “As long as you’re appreciative of all the work I’ve been doing, I guess we can call it even.”
He grinned. “More than appreciative. I’ll feed you, too, as promised. There’s a small prime rib in the oven now.” Roxy whined again.
Wade picked up his dog’s water bowl and filled it.
Her eyebrows went up. “Prime rib? Wow. You obviously know how to cook more than just some.”
“No, but I do know how to order a lot. I went to the butcher on Tenth and he prepared it for me and told me how to bake it. It’s supposedly foolproof.”
“I’m still impressed that you went to all the trouble. Nobody but my mom has ever cooked for me.”
“Really?” He found that hard to believe. He’d imagined plenty of men trying to impress her by cooking. “What about your old fiancé?”
She shrugged. “Colin liked to go out to eat more often. Which is nice, too. Don’t get me wrong. Maybe I don’t seem the type who would appreciate a home-cooked meal. But I really do. Actions speak louder than words. Looking back on my relationship with Colin, I don’t think he ever did anything for me that made me feel…” She flipped her blond hair off her shoulders and gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I’m babbling. I don’t know what I mean.”
But Wade did know exactly what she meant. Her fiancé and every other guy she’d dated had never gone out of their ways to make her feel special. It made him want to pummel them all. Thoroughly and equally. For someone who displayed such assurances in work, she didn’t seem to have the same confidences with men. No wonder she spent more time invested in her job than looking to date. He wanted to change that. She deserved to know she was worth the effort.
For someone else.
Arden stepped out of h
is arms, picked up her wine, and made her way into his living room. “FYI, I made reservations at Le Fromage for Friday at seven thirty. Milena said that was her favorite restaurant in Atlantic City. I can’t wait for her and her fiancé to see what I’ve come up with for their wedding. Personally, I think I’ve outdone myself,” she added, patting herself on the shoulder.
“I’m sure you have. They’re lucky to have hired someone so talented.”
She smiled. “Let’s hope they feel the same way Friday night when I show her my proposal.”
“You’ll do great.” He glanced down at his sofa and frowned. “Sorry about the mess,” he said, setting aside newspapers so she could sit. “Unfortunately, the rest of the house doesn’t look much better.”
“Oh yeah?” With amusement on her face, she placed her wineglass down, then made a beeline for the stairs.
“Hey!” he called out. “Where are you going?”
She turned back with a wicked grin. “To check out your bedroom, of course. You said if I showed you mine, you’d show me yours.” She whirled back around and dashed up the steps.
He set his wine down, too, and followed closely behind her.
Unfortunately, when she found his bedroom and walked in, she began to laugh. Not exactly the reaction a man liked to get from a woman he was hoping to seduce.
“Good grief, Wade. Most single men would have a pinup of Scarlett Johansson on their wall. But not you. You have…William Shatner?”
“Um, excuse me, but that’s not just William Shatner. It’s William Shatner as Captain Kirk.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Her lips twitched. “I stand corrected.”
As Arden continued to gaze around his room, he found he liked the look of her standing in it. The first time any female had been in his bedroom, aside from Roxy. Right after Miranda had died, he’d sold their home and downsized into this condo, so his wife had never seen this place. He’d never brought any women he’d dated here, either. Way too personal.
Until now.
Arden looked back at him. Her smile turned devilish, and his gaze automatically dropped to her mouth. He walked over to her, feeling an irresistible pull toward her and a need to touch her yet again.
“So, I guess this is where all the magic happens, huh?” she asked playfully.
He kicked the door closed with his foot and reached for her. “Why don’t you tell me?”
…
“So, what does your fiancé do for a living?” Milena asked.
Arden took a nervous sip of her wine, glancing around the restaurant for the third time and trying not to be obvious about it. Wade was late, and he wasn’t answering his texts. It was making this couples dinner with her clients a little awkward. “He’s a veterinarian.”
Vance wrapped an arm around his fiancée. He was a handsome man in his late thirties, and from Arden’s point of view seemed to be in love with Milena. “Was there an animal emergency?” he asked.
You’d think so. But no. Wade had sent her a vague text earlier that he had a quick stop to make first and would meet her at the restaurant.
A quick stop he hadn’t elaborated on that now made him forty-five minutes late.
“Uh, no,” she said, checking her watch, “I don’t think so. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Hopefully…
“Let’s order another round of drinks,” Milena said brightly. “You can tell me more about your bridal party picture idea.”
Arden feebly nodded. She could hardly concentrate. Although, she hoped everything was okay with Wade. He didn’t need to check in with her every minute of the day, but a quick courtesy text would have been nice. Especially since he knew how important this dinner was to her.
She cleared her throat. “Well, actually I got the idea from Wade’s volunteering at the animal shelter. They have so many rescue dogs in need of good homes. My thought would be that we do the pictures with each of your bridal party with some of those animals. They’re so cute and having the animals outside will make everyone’s smiles more natural. Since you mentioned you’re an animal lover, I figured it’d be a good fit for you.”
Milena clasped her hands together. “I love the idea. It’s so different. Oooh, I could ask my guests to adopt an animal in lieu of a wedding gift.” She turned to her fiancé. “What do you think, hon?”
“I think whatever you want to do is fine with me. But I’m sure your dad will love the PR.”
Arden smiled. She’d thought of the positive publicity, too—for Arden, the shelter, and Milena’s father. It was a win win all around. But she was hoping Wade would be here, too, since it was his idea.
“Arden, you are completely fantastic. You thought of everything. I’m so impressed.” Milena beamed.
“Thank you.” Arden had tried to cover all her bases. She’d felt so bad having to lie to get her to sign with Beach Brides in the first place that she wanted to make sure Milena got her very best.
“Actually, I was telling my friend about you,” Milena said with a glimmer in her eyes. “She would love for you to come up to New York in a few weeks and meet with her. She needs a rather quick wedding before the end of the year and wants someone professional and creative.”
“Before the end of the year?” That was a fast turnaround. Maybe even too fast for her. “But I don’t really have many contacts in New York. That could slow the process.”
“That’s not really a problem. She can give you names. She just needs someone to do the legwork and make the choices for her. She has prego-brain right now and can’t focus.”
Arden’s eyebrows rose. “She’s pregnant?”
“Hence the need for a quick wedding,” she said with a wink.
“But I really should be here to fine-tune your wedding.”
“As much as I want you all to myself, my friend is desperate. Besides, it’s not like you’re leaving the country. I don’t have a problem doing some of the planning through the phone or computer for a month.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t know…” She bit her lip. New York wasn’t an easy commute and then there was the expense. She supposed her assistants could cover for her for some of the events she already had planned.
“My friend would put you up in one of her condos. It overlooks Central Park. She has a few that her family rents out this time of year.”
She blinked. A few? “That’s very nice, but—”
Milena laughed as she grabbed Vance’s hand. “Look at me, practically dragging you away from your own fiancé for so long. I’m sorry. No wonder you’re hesitating. It would be hard for me, too. But this is such a wonderful opportunity for you. You could be big.”
Arden could imagine that if this woman was the friend of the governor’s daughter and owned several condos near Central Park that it would be a fantastic career move. One she’d be foolish to dismiss so quickly, especially with everything she was doing to try and build her reputation back up right now. She needed this. Her company needed this. But Milena had guessed correctly. The thought of leaving Wade for so long filled her with a feeling close to food poisoning.
Which was absolutely ridiculous. Absurd! She and Wade had only been pretend dating for a few weeks and real dating even less than that. Her career should be her number one priority. It had always been her main focus. So why wasn’t she jumping at this chance, telling Milena to have her friend contact her as soon as possible? After all, her relationship with Wade had a definite shelf life. He’d put one on it himself. Beach Brides Inc. was the one thing she could make last. When Wade walked away, she’d still have that.
But even knowing their relationship would eventually end, she still found herself mumbling, “I’ll have to think about it.” Then she looked up and saw Wade walk through the main entrance of the restaurant.
Hallelujah!
“Wade’s here,” she announced to the table. “I better let him know where we are.” She stood, practically knocking over her own chair and rushing over to meet him.
“Hey,” he said with a tired smile. “I
’m really sorry I’m late. I wasn’t expecting it to take so long.” He leaned in and brushed a warm kiss onto her temple, which had her knees slightly melting. But she wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily.
“Wade, I was getting worried. You weren’t answering your phone. Not even your texts.”
“My phone?” He pulled his cell out of his pocket and looked at it as if it were foreign. “Oh, I forgot. They made me turn the ringer off.”
“They? Where were you?”
“At the hospital.”
Her heart dropped as she allowed her gaze to comb over every inch of him until she could gauge there wasn’t anything physically wrong with him. “Is everything okay?”
Wade nodded. “Yeah, actually, it’s great. Miranda’s brother and his wife had their first baby. They had a girl. Mr. and Mrs. Burke called me because they needed a ride. They only have one car and it’s being serviced. I couldn’t say no.”
“Oh.” She frowned. Miranda’s family. Not the answer she’d expected him to say. “You could have told me earlier. I would have gone over to the hospital with you.” After all, she loved babies. They were dating. Plus, they were supposed to be acting like an engaged couple.
“Not necessary.”
She blinked and felt the wind knocked out of her. Not necessary.
Who knew those two little words could feel like sandpaper on sunburn?
She bit her lip. “Oh. But didn’t they think it odd you didn’t show up with your fiancée?”
“Not really. They don’t know I’m dating anyone. I didn’t see the point in telling them about us.”
Not necessary because she wasn’t going to be around long term. And he was right. What would be the point of introducing her to his ex-wife’s family? And probably just the dose of reality she needed to hear. Things were going well with Wade. Too well. But obviously only from her point of view. She felt foolish for even starting to think it could lead to something more. She knew upfront what she had signed up for, but she’d also thought things between them were changing.
“Did you already give your wedding ideas to Milena?” he asked, breaking her thoughts.
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