Beauty and The Best (Once-Upon-A-Time Romance) (27 page)

Staring at her for so long today, tracing the curves of her face with his eyes, then doing it on paper—he was only human. And there was that kiss between them that just wouldn’t leave him alone.

“
So is it almost done?” Sunshine bubbled over Jolie’s shoulder with her smile when she looked back.

“
Done? No, not yet. There are so many nuances. Take the nose, for example. It has so many contours, the shadows, the bridge. It can take a while to capture it perfectly. And a cheek—just a curve, right? Not really. The tightness of the skin, the imperfections, the texture… What a challenge to—”

“
Imperfections? My cheek?” Jolie stopped in front of one of the French doors and ran her fingertips over her cheek. “Where?”

Todd stood behind her and their eyes connected in the glass pane.

Time stopped.

Which it shouldn’t. Not if he wanted to be able to finish the painting. Not if he didn’t want her to quit because of inappropriate advances. She was his employee and that kiss should never have happened—not that he could have stopped it. Just like he couldn’t stop staring at her. Couldn’t stop wanting to touch her.

Todd swallowed. “Not your cheek, Jolie. Yours is flawless. You… your skin is flawless.”

“
It is?”

“
Jolie, I told you. You’re a—” His voice deepened and he couldn’t stop that either. Hell, he was having a hard time breathing. “A beautiful woman.”

She turned around. To face him. Up close.

“
I am?” she whispered.

“
You are.”

He should take a step back. Turn around. Something. It was too intimate. They were too intimate. He had to stop noticing the warmth in her violet eyes, that slight curve of her mouth—hope or happiness? Maybe both. She hadn’t taken this job to have him maul her. He had to put out of his mind how she was the perfect height for him. How her head would fit beneath his chin if he were to embrace her, how the fall of her hair would brush his stomach, how her breasts would press against his chest—

His fingers strayed to that flawless cheek, a breath away from her skin and—

“
Boots!” Jolie yelled, jostling the suddenly squirming little bugger in her arms, who was, if Todd read it right, digging his claws into her skin.

Foiled by a cat.

He should probably thank the little furball. He needed distance from Jolie. Professional distance.

And emotional.

***

Phew! That was close
. Jonathan wrapped all four of his paws around Jolie’s arm and hung on, not daring to take one off to smooth out the twitch by his eye. He hadn’t meant to dig his claws in so hard, but being squished between the two of them in the approaching kiss hadn’t been part of his plan.

Not that he didn’t want them to kiss again; he just didn’t want to be such an intimate part of it. Besides which—

“
We’re back.” The sing-songy voice was just what Jonathan had been expecting.

Thank goodness Jasmine Gray had finally shown up. It was about time. She had a part in this whole thing, and her gallivanting around someplace else was not going to help these two. Still, one couldn’t stop Mother Nature when the will to procreate was upon Her, and Jasmine did deserve to see her grandbaby. It was just unfortunate timing that the baby had arrived when Jolie was set to meet Todd.

“
Jasmine.” Todd’s greeting was about as short as one could get. Probably because he realized how close he’d come to embarrassing all of them if he’d acted on that kiss. But Jonathan had plans for that.

Raphael had been right; this being-part-of-the-action was a good thing. Todd and Jolie needed to come together and do so seamlessly. Each had been too hurt, through too much. It was their time now. With no bumps, no dings, not even a swerve.

A kitten was the perfect, inconspicuous cover and he was going to make sure everything that needed to happen, happened. With Jasmine’s help. After all, it’d been her idea in the first place to lead Todd back to the land of the living.

“
Oh, Todd, it’s so good to be back. I, of course, loved seeing our grandson, but there’s no place like home.” Jasmine stepped from the kitchen and Jonathan raised his head, thankful for once for the twitch. Jasmine would recognize it. And him.

He hid a smile when her eyes narrowed. She’d figured out exactly what his presence meant, even though he hadn’t warned her Jolie was The One. Every other chef the agency had sent over had been in preparation, but Jasmine, a mortal, was not permitted to know the Ultimate Plan before it unfurled.

Jasmine smiled one of her biggest smiles. “You must be the new chef.”

“
Yes, I am.” Jolie stuck out her hand. “Jolie Gardener.”

Jonathan waited. Jasmine was nothing if not predictable.

He was proven right again as Jasmine shook Jolie’s hand for a mere second before pulling her into an embrace. Plump and round, with gardenia perfume and a gray topknot on her head, Jasmine was everyone’s idea of motherly, something and someone Jolie sorely needed in her life, and the only reason Todd hadn’t been able to give in completely to his despair.

It was because of this woman’s unselfish love that her prayers for a new wife for Todd were about to be answered.
If
Jonathan could ensure their path was smooth.

“
Welcome, Jolie!” Jasmine tucked Jolie’s arm under hers and pulled her close—just as Jonathan knew she would. “We’re going to have such a lovely time. I’ll go over Todd’s schedule with you and tell you what he likes to eat and—”

“
Jasmine,” Todd interrupted, “Jolie’s been here almost a week.”

“
A week? But you weren’t supposed to have anyone—”

“
I know, but somewhere the lines got crossed.”

Jonathan wondered if those crossed lines were part of The Plan. Apparently Guardians didn’t get to know the entire Plan either. The Boss did like to work in mysterious ways.

“
She started a little early,” Todd continued. “Good thing, too. She made cookies for the annual picnic. The kids gobbled them up.”

“
How wonderful. Those kids need some treats in their lives.” Jasmine released Jolie and, going along with Jonathan’s charade, plucked him from Jolie’s arms and held him beneath his “armpits.” Dangling was not fun. “And what have we here?”

“
Oh, well, he found us, and Todd said—”

“
How precious! Does he have a name?”

“
Boots,” Todd and Jolie answered together, one with a smile, the other with a snort.

He wasn’t too thrilled with the name either, but since “Boots” was the first “pet” Jolie had ever named, he’d deal. And they had come up with the name together, so there was that.

“
Boots?” Jasmine’s tone went along with Todd’s derision. “What kind of name is that for a kitty?”

Todd cleared his throat. He was definitely a kind man, not wanting to hurt Jolie’s feelings about the stupid name. “Trust me, Jasmine, it’s better than what he started out with. I hope he won’t bother you, but he sort of adopted Jolie, so until someone claims him, he’s ours.”

Definitely a kind man, letting Jolie care for a stray. The man was compassion personified. These two would make wonderful parents.

“
Of course he won’t bother me, Todd.” Jasmine positioned him in the crook of her arm. “Well then,
Boots
, let’s see about getting all of you some lunch.”

“
I was just about to—” Jolie said.

“
Oh
p-shaw
.” Jasmine frittered her fingers. “It’s already started. Grilled chicken and asiago cheese on focaccia. Piece of cake.”

Jonathan could relate to the surprised look on Jolie’s face. Jasmine certainly wasn’t one to let moss grow under her feet.

Which was why she’d called on her own Guardian after Trista died. Jasmine had been Jonathan’s first solo venture at caring for a Charge and a relatively easy one at that since she’d been born with a charm on her shoulder. She’d made all the right choices in life, loved and was loved; nothing for him to do, really, though he’d had to save her from a terrible scooter spill when she was ten. He’d inadvertently revealed himself, which was the basis for both the delay in earning his wings and these interim challenges. But it had forged a bond between them so when she’d implored him to help Todd, well, he’d taken the request to The Boss and the rest, as they say, was history.

Now on to the future. Their future.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jolie followed Mrs. Gray into the kitchen. She’d never met anyone like her. Commandeering but endearing. Bossy but empathetic. Sweet, loving, and an awesome hugger. Everything a mother should be.

“
Earl, this is Jolie, the new girl,” Mrs. Gray said to a man seated at the table. “So you see, Todd wasn’t alone and starving while we were gone.” She directed Jolie and Todd to the table while Boots got the laundry basket treatment and a slice of cheese.

Earl stood and shook Jolie’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, miss.”

This was Todd’s gardener? The guy looked ninety years old and as frail as a puff of air. Why was she thinking there was a top-secret landscape company involved somewhere?

“
You must tell me all about yourself, Jolie.” Mrs. Gray placed their sandwiches on the table. “The last girl? Michelle? She was a dear, though she had the worst luck with her alarm clocks. Never could get here early enough.”

“
Now, Jasmine, you know I told her not to come in so early,” Todd broke in, which was pretty impressive with the way Mrs. Gray never took a breath. And he thought
she
talked a lot?

“
Pish
. I was the one who ended up making your breakfast. Not that I minded, but still, it was one of her duties. She just wasn’t right for you, Todd.”

Who was she trying to kid with that mock severity? The love she felt for Todd was just beaming through every pore.

“
Well, you won’t have to worry with me,” Jolie added. “If I oversleep, Todd can just knock on my door.”

Or any time he wants—

“
Beg pardon?”

And again with the inappropriate comments, but Todd came to the rescue. “Jolie’s apartment burned down her first day here, so I offered her one of the empty rooms. You know, one of the ones I offered you and Earl, but you refused to take?”

Mrs. Gray’s skin pinkened but her indefatigable-ness re-surfaced as she bustled more about the kitchen, tossing some chicken scraps to Boots. That was going to be one very happy kitten. “How very sad for you, my dear. And so gallant of you, Todd.” She sent an approving smile his way.

Mrs. Gray’s sandwiches were very good and if Jolie were actually writing a cookbook she’d include them. Mrs. Gray was chatty in a curious sort of way, but not intrusive. Jolie liked her—especially since the love the housekeeper had for Todd was so obvious. It was a good thing he’d had her in his life to help him through those tough years.

Earl, seemingly content for his wife to monopolize the conversation, was a shadow next to her, but affection ran between them as she spared a glance his way every so often with a smile just for him or re-arranged his napkin or refilled his iced tea, that sort of thing. Just like she did for Todd. And for her. As if they were family.

Jolie sputtered into her iced tea.

“
Are you okay, dear?” Mrs. Gray asked, her eyes all warm and concerned.

Jolie nodded , but couldn’t get a word out, half afraid to answer because of what might come out.

A family. The one thing she wanted above all else in this world.

But one kiss did not a fairytale ending make and she had to remind herself of that. Of what it felt like to hope, only to have those hopes crash and burn.

She’d survived it once—barely. And bare or not, she didn’t think she’d survive Todd.

***

“
So, my dear, tell me how you’ve found working for Todd.” Mrs. Gray pounced on Jolie not two seconds after the men departed the kitchen—and in no way was that a surprise.

“
He’s pretty easy to please food-wise.”

“
I know. That’s why this is such a perfect job for a young girl like you, though I’ve told him time and again I’m perfectly capable of feeding him.” She stacked the plates in the sink and made a big production of scrubbing them.

“
Perhaps he doesn’t want to take advantage of you?”

Mrs. Gray shone a grateful smile to Jolie, complete with little sparkling drops in her eyes, and clutched the dishtowel to her chest. “Oh, that’s so sweet. And he is, you know. Sweet.”

Jolie nodded, pretty much in agreement there, though she would’ve added hot and sexy too, but she’d go with sweet for now.

“
You do know about his wife?”

“
Yes.”

Mrs. Gray clicked her tongue. “We practically raised Trista, you know. Parents always traveling so someone needed to be at home when the dear thing came home on break from boarding school. She didn’t have much of a family. All those trappings and ritzy vacations and high-end schools added up to one lonely life. I felt so bad for her. You can imagine how happy we were when she met Todd.”

Jolie nodded, but why was Mrs. Gray telling her this?