Boyfriend for Hire (21 page)

As the gate slammed shut, Gramps looked up, breaking into a smile. “There’s my girl. Come and give me a hug and tell me about your new job.”

He really was the best, even if he did tend to go off his rocker at times.

She headed over to do exactly as she’d been told, trying to ignore the fact that her own father hadn’t said a word or even looked at her. Before she could reach the men, she was attacked by the munchkins, also known as her nephews Danny and Tommy. A few minutes of spinning them around, chasing after them, and tickling them until they couldn’t breathe and she not only needed a cold drink and fan, but also had a renewed respect for her sister-in-law.

Reaching Gramps, she gave him a hug and big smooch on the cheek. “Sorry I haven’t stopped by lately. The new job is going great. Coworkers are fun and helpful. Some of the clients are crazy. You’d like them.”

He swatted her on the rump. “Just wait, lassie. One day you’ll learn the older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune.”

She patted his cheek as the lilt he’d never lost got a little deeper and the sparkle in his eyes dimmed for a minute. “Gramps, you’re not old, just nuts, but we still love you. Check this out, this is right up your alley. Got a call from a man who wanted to book a fiftieth wedding anniversary party. He wanted the guests to line up on the beach waiting as he and his bride parasailed in. Sounds great, right? Except for the part where his wife is deathly terrified of not only heights, but also the ocean. Told me if that didn’t kill the nag off, nothing would.”

“Hmm, wonder if Kitty would be willing to go parasailing?” Gramps mused.

The group broke out into laughter, as everyone knew he worshipped his wife and would be lost without her.

“Daniel, you better watch out. Kitty might cut your strings in mid-flight.” George warned. “Hey, sis, thanks for sending your coworker, Phil, to the restaurant. We’re catering his retirement party.”

She made her way around the circle, checking with Jason that he’d booked the band for the reception and at his thumbs-up turned to her father. “Hi, Dad, yard’s looking great.” His pet project, “the yard,” was sure to get a response from him. The man could talk for hours about seed, fertilizer, and aeration methods.

“You should go help your mother in the kitchen. She’s not as young as she thinks and works way too hard,” Dad said.

Tawny nodded and headed across the lawn, quiet as a wise owl, or at least that’s what she was trying to be. Wise. Because to do what she wanted fell into the unwise category, and she was still in trouble from last time. Her sister-in-law Alex and Cherry exited the kitchen door as she reached the steps. They didn’t even get a hello out before Alex had to take off and stop the boys from digging up their grandfather’s prize roses.

Cherry grabbed her and pulled her to the side. “Something you want to tell me?”

“We can talk later. I’ve been ordered to the kitchen.” She stepped up to go inside when Cherry stopped her.

“Can’t. We’ve been banned from the kitchen. Personally, I think the two of them use this time to gossip about the men. So back to that thing you wanted to tell me.” She emphasized “thing,” telling Tawny her friend knew something, but what?

Tawny searched her brain, coming up with either David or the bank. Crap. Neither of which she felt like talking about with her family running around. “Hmm, been a crazy week. Care to give me a clue? Did I forget to do something for the wedding? You got my message George insists on catering the reception, right?” Now her mind whirled around a million possible “things.”

Cherry waved her hand to shut Tawny up. “Everything’s on track for the wedding. We’re fine with George cooking, but only if he leaves the actual work on the day of to his staff, which I’ve already told him. This is a day for family to celebrate with us, not work. No, I’m referring to your new man.”

New man? And they say women gossip. She’d have to kill him later. “Don’t have one.”

“Really?” At the blank look Tawny gave her, Cherry let out an exasperated sigh and pulled her farther away from nosy ears. “Really? That’s your final answer? Even to me, your BFF?”

“Honestly, if I were in a relationship, you’d be the first, okay, the second person . . . or would that be third?”

“Tawny, focus.”

“Sorry, you’d be the first person I’d tell.”

Her friend glanced around the yard and dropped her head close. “Then how come Grams told me Sunday that you and Dave were an item now? Oh, and you have her full blessing.”

“She told you Sunday?” The lightbulb finally illuminated Tawny’s brain and the story clicked into place. “Oh, shoot. She and Mama came upon us after we left the bakery. David was pretending to be my boyfriend because that’s who Kerri is using for the DeSalvo wedding.”

“Fine.” Cherry’s back went rigid, her shoulders tightened as she pulled them back, and the smile disappeared.

“Say it. What’s on your mind?”

“It’s obviously none of my business, but if you want to keep your relationship with Dave a secret, you should have him park somewhere other than in front of your house. Especially when he doesn’t come home until morning.”

“
Dios
. Look, it’s not what it seems. I got this epic assignment, and to thank him for helping me land the job, I made him dinner.”

“I take it it was a twelve-course meal with dessert?”

Laughter bubbled up and she smiled for the first time since her father’s snub. “I lost count.”

“And you didn’t call and tell me? What happened to the girlfriend code? When one experiences hot sex and multiple orgasms, one must call and spill all to their BFF. It was hot, right?”

“Smoking. We’re talking inferno.” Tawny leaned against the house as her legs turned to Jell-O remembering the night. “Look, chica, I know you like David. The thing is, I think it was only a one-night stand.”

“Really? Because he’s not looking at you like he only wants it to be for one night. I’d say he has the look of a very hungry man, and I don’t think there’s anything on tonight’s menu that will satisfy his craving. If you know what I mean.”

Tawny glanced over to the man-circle to see David exchanging greetings. He might have been talking to her brother as they shook hands, but his eyes were on her. And Oh. My. Gawd. Cherry nailed his look. Heat coursed through her body, scorching every nerve.

“Look, you don’t have to talk about what happened. Everyone is allowed some secrets, even from their best friends, and not every decision has to be made by committee. Actually, the best ones are usually those that come from the heart. Follow yours, Tawny. It may surprise you and lead you to exactly where you need and want to be.”

For a second Tawny glanced back at her friend, saw the playful look had been replaced by a softer, knowing smile. Glancing back to the man in question, she felt her heart tug in his direction. “You think he’s the one?”

“I don’t know. I do know he’s been crazy about you for months, that he keeps you off balance, which is fabulous. There’s also more to him than meets the eye.”

She hugged Cherry and told her thanks. Cherry had made her own share of mistakes, not following her gut and worrying about what everyone else thought instead of what her heart told her. Thankfully, a few months ago her heart won out and she gave Jason a second chance. Never had Tawny seen her friend as happy as she’d been since then. Both women wanted the same thing, a love like her parents and Cherry’s grandparents had. A person who knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was her. A love strong enough to stand the trials life threw their way, and at the end of the day they wanted nothing more than to turn to each other and hold on tight for the next wave.

“Let’s go see what our guys are up to, shall we?” Tawny asked.

“Sounds . . . Oh, chica, I think your night just got very interesting.” Cherry rolled her eyes in the direction of the kitchen door.

Tawny turned to see what had got her attention and froze. Her mother descended the steps. At her side, holding her arm like a gallant knight, was a man with chiseled cheeks, a deep tan, and beach blond highlights.

Dios
, she was going to jail, because someone was dying tonight, and right now it looked to be her mother. At her side stood no knight. Well, maybe a black knight. Sir Ivan the Sexy Sexist.

“I take it you didn’t know he would be here. What are you going to do?”

“Don’t suppose I could feign being sick, do you?”

“No.”

“Well then, I haven’t the foggiest idea. So I better pull up my big-girl thong and say hello.” She stopped in her tracks and grabbed Cherry’s arm. “If my mother so much as mentions marriage and my name in the same sentence, you’re going to have a sudden appendicitis attack. Got it?”

“Sure,” Cherry agreed.

“Hey, did you invite Denise tonight?” Tawny asked.

“Shh. She doesn’t want anyone to know yet, but she’s in LA, auditioning.”

“Get out.
Finding Mr. Right
or
Love in Shangri-La
?” The woman had treated Cherry’s grandmother a few months back, and the three of them had run into each other again. Over coffee and gossip about the men, the women had become fast friends. The only drawback was that Denise and Brody had a history, a very-serious-we’re-getting-married history.

“
Mr. Right
. I haven’t said anything to Jason yet. I don’t know how Brody will take it. It’s been a couple years since they split up, but honestly, I think he’s still hung up on her,” Cherry whispered as they got closer to the others.

All eyes were on them as she and Cherry approached the circle. Talk about awkward. Her father rose from his chair, came over and put his arm around Tawny’s shoulders, steering her next to Ivan.

“Ah,
querida
, you look ravishing.” Ivan took her hand in his, raised it to his lips, and brushed a kiss across the back.

“Ivan, what a surprise. My mother didn’t mention you would be joining us. I take it you’ve met everyone. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Simply seeing you quenches my thirst.”

Behind her Cherry made gagging sounds, which Tawny ignored. “That’s so sweet.” If not a little, okay, a lot cheesy. She tugged her hand free and stuck both behind her back before he tried anything else. Turning, she greeted their other guest. “David, if I’d known you were going to make it tonight, I would have brought the new batch of cookies Mrs. Spinelli made you.”

He held his ground between Jason and Gramps. “No worries. I can stop by and pick them up later. Or we could share them or these.” He held up a bakery box with a wicked twinkle in his eye and mischievous grin that told her he would be happy to jump into his role as pretend boyfriend. Although she wasn’t too sure she wanted the relationship to be fake anymore.

It wouldn’t go anywhere. Short-term was David’s middle name. In it for the good times and gone the minute things turned serious, although maybe a few weeks of no-strings fun wasn’t such a bad idea. She could use a little more play, a little less work in her life. Or at least that was what everyone kept telling her.

“Are those the vanilla with chocolate buttercream frosting?”

“Yep.”

A small groan slipped past her lips.

Mama guided Ivan to an empty chair next to her dad’s. “David is practically Tawny’s brother. His best friend, Jason, is marrying Cherry, who has been Tawny’s best friend since the first day of school. See, we are one big family.” She laughed like a schoolgirl crushing on the new boy.

So wrong when it was your mom. Not to mention casting David in the role of her brother. Eww. Especially when the visions floating through her head were not of loving sister-brother moments.

“Tawny, get Ivan a drink. Can’t you see the man is hot?”

Yeah, because he came to a summer party dressed in a three-piece suit.

“I’ll get it. T, you want water or beer?” David asked as he inspected the inside of the cooler sitting a foot away from her mother.

“Beer.” Not that it would help. Maybe if she drank a six-pack she could blur this night from her memory before it went any further.

David twisted the cap off her bottle and handed it to her before tossing Ivan’s to him. He had set the bakery box on the picnic table, and her eyes kept straying to the words on the side:
Come Sin with Us
. She’d like to do exactly that with David, definitely not with the pretty boy whose gaze found her every now and then as he chatted up her brother. David, on the other hand, stood by her side, body angled toward her as he answered Jason’s questions. Every few seconds his hand brushed her side, back, arm, always letting her know he was there.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched her parents. Her mother had her head bent close to her father’s head, whispering, but the hands, pursed lips, and darting glances in Tawny’s direction gave the topic of their discussion away. Once again, she’d disappointed her mother.

Tawny laughed at something the guys said, taking her cue from their reactions, and shook her head at Cherry’s quizzical look. This night was about her friends, and she wouldn’t spoil their celebration.

Grams stepped to the side of the open kitchen door to let Alex out and yelled, “Food’s ready.”

“What about Brody and Mateo? Shouldn’t we wait for them?” Cherry got up from her chair of honor and told Jason she was going to help carry the food out.

“Sit,
niña
. This is for you, tonight you relax and have fun. Mateo is stuck in traffic, and that Brody . . .” She sighed. “He’s probably still at his office. If we wait for him, we’ll all be old and turned to dust.”

Without waiting to be told, Tawny headed to the kitchen, aware of her daughterly duties. She’d made it to the steps before she realized David was right behind her. “David, what are you doing?”

“Helping.”

“Such a good boy.” Her mother patted his cheek, actually patted it like she did to Tawny’s nephews. “You go sit, relax with the other men.”

“Ma’am, my mother would kick me in the arse if I sat on mine while you ladies did all the work.” He bent over a bowl on the table, taking a deep sniff, and smiled. “Besides, you gorgeous creatures should be the ones relaxing. This is a spread fit for a king.”