In the Mood for Love (33 page)

Sam saw a spark of anxiety though she quickly doused it. “A good day,” he said.

“A very good day.” She smiled then, raked her gaze over his naked torso. “Why are you sitting so far away?”

“I’m wondering the same thing.”

“We’ve got an hour or so to kill,” she said, shifting so the sheet fell away. “Got any ideas?”

“A few.” Sam devoured the sight of her naked flesh, shedding his boxers and freeing the erection he’d been sporting for the last five minutes. “How about we play doctor?”

“Lucky you,” she said, grazing her fingers along long, hard Johnson. “I’ve got a cure for your condition.”

*   *   *

Dressed and prepared for the day, Harper and Sam made their way to the elevator and down to the main floor a half hour before their scheduled breakfast with the senior CLs and Tasha. Sam wanted to do a preliminary walk around the pool. He wanted to know the lay of the land. He’d make an excellent bodyguard for celebrities, Harper thought, even though he didn’t swing that way. Sam was low profile. She liked that about him. His grounded calm was a gift for everyone around him. Harper was determined to cultivate and hone that quality for herself. It would make her a better publicist. A better wife and mother. Calm, she imagined, would prove advantageous in the future whenever things got dicey with Ben and Mina. And surely there would be bumps in the road with her and Sam. It wouldn’t always be like this between them—this honeymoon high.

Holding hands, they made their way outside. The sun was bright, the air dry and warm and hinting toward sizzling. Harper and Sam slid on their sunglasses in tandem as they moved toward the glittering aqua pool. Her gaze immediately flew to the makeshift stage. A brightly striped canopy offered a patch of shade and protection from the heat. The set was modest. Yellow and red club chairs with a matching sofa, a couple of tables, a potted palm. A little to the left a portable bar and on either side large television screens that would feature B-roll. Tech crews were busy setting and wiring visual and audio gear—sound boards, lighting, monitors, computers, cameras.

Harper was familiar with the drill and felt confident and serene as she took in what she knew would be overwhelming for the Cupcake Lovers—except maybe Sam who never got rattled. She glanced over and saw him scoping the perimeter. Harper did the same, trying to take in the scene through his eyes. She assumed he was noting every point of entry. The distance from the small audience seating to the stage.

The pool area was dotted with tables, striped umbrellas, chaise lounges, and the occasional desert palm. A wide-open area. Nowhere to hide except within the crush of spectators. Security guards would be stationed and circulating. There would be crowd control. There would be order and procedure. Now that she was on site, Harper had no doubt that Sam and Jayce and friends would easily locate Edward. She was starting to feel irritated more than fearful regarding the man’s intrusion.

“What are you going to do with Edward once you find him?” Harper asked.

“We’ll steer him away from the scene and lay down the law, so to speak.”

“What if he won’t go quietly?”

“Ian’s badge will come in handy in that regard. Jayce is scary persuasive and I’m particularly motivated to end this bullshit.”

“Don’t hurt him.”

Sam shifted, looking down at her over the rims of his Ray-Bans. “What?”

“If he insults me or threatens me or you, if he’s looking for a fight—”

“I won’t give him one. Not with my fists anyway.” Sam touched her arm. “I know how you feel about violence, hon. And I know some part of you feels sorry for Edward. Nash said he can work magic and get Wilson on the first flight back to Canada. Jayce and Ian will make sure he gets on that flight, since I have to stay here for the show. You won’t have to deal with any of this. You won’t have to see him.” He angled his head. “Unless you want to.”

Harper wondered what she would even say and instantly knew she’d said everything in her letter. She’d found her closure. By not seeing Edward now she wasn’t running away, she was moving forward. “I don’t need to see him.”

Sam pressed his lips to her forehead and Harper absorbed the affection and calm.

She caught sight of movement and a wave and saw Val coming their way. “Come on, Rambo,” Harper teased, “Val wants to meet her eye candy.”

*   *   *

Daisy figured if her old heart gave out, if she keeled over face-first in her oatmeal, or bit the dust while dishing cupcakes with Brice and Kaylee, she’d die the happiest woman on this planet.

Last night she’d married a man who put a spring in her step and a zing in her ticker. A man who could lip-twitch better than Elvis, although, of course, the jumpsuited singer who’d rocked their blue suede shoes hadn’t been the real Elvis. Still, that impersonator probably practiced his twitches and swivels in the mirror and she was pretty sure Vincent had never practiced.

After leaving the chapel they’d met up with the rest of their gang minus Sam and Harper. Daisy thought it was sweet that the younger couple had stolen away on their own. She secretly hoped they were doing some mattress dancing in addition to sightseeing. The more she saw those two together, the more she knew they were meant to be. She hoped things were going as well between Adam and Peppy.

As for Daisy and Vincent, they’d floated through dinner and the magic show on a cloud of love. They danced under the stars while watching an amazing fountain show. At the end of the night, after breaking the news of their marriage to their friends, they’d boogied in the hotel lounge until midnight. After that they’d gone back to their room for some private cuddly time.

Daisy went to sleep happy and woke up happy. Now they’d gathered with the CLs for a breakfast buffet, and with every passing second, happy climbed a notch. To her surprise Jayce had flown in to watch them live and in person on stage, plus he had some business, he said. And Nash rolled out of bed early (early for him) to join them all for breakfast. So exciting to be joined by more family! By the time they stepped on stage with Brice and Kaylee, Daisy imagined she’d be downright giddy!

She looked up from her Spanish omelet and squealed. “Here they come!”

“Such a striking couple,” Judy said.

“Too bad they missed out on the festivities last night,” Helen said.

“Can you believe they went to bed so early? Where’s their sense of fun?” Ethel asked.

Daisy snickered. “Who says they weren’t having fun?”

“Who says they were sleeping?” Vincent asked while pouring syrup on his waffles.

Daisy snickered some more.

“Sorry we’re late,” Harper said as she and Sam neared the table. “Got tied up with a short preshow chat with Val.”

“Everything still on track?” Daisy asked.

“We’re good to go,” Harper said.

“Should be fun,” Sam said, even though Daisy knew he wasn’t thrilled about being on television. She knew he was here to support the club and probably as a favor to Harper. Sam was a good man, and if Daisy wasn’t mistaken, he looked awfully content.

“Did you get the good-luck texts from everyone?” Daisy asked. “Rocky, Chloe, Dev, Monica, Rae and Luke—”

“My phone’s been pinging all morning,” Sam said with a slight smile.

“Mine, too,” Harper said, sweeping her gaze around the long and crowded table. “Where’s Tasha?”

“Tasha’s having breakfast in her room with her husband,” Daisy said. “Apparently she doesn’t do buffets,” she added with a snort.

“But Jayce and Nash are here,” Helen said. “Such a nice surprise.”

“They’re over there,” Ethel said, “grabbing something from the buffet.”

“You two go fill your plates. When you’re all seated, Vincent and I will share our news.”

“Can’t wait,” Harper said.

“We’ll hurry,” Sam said.

Daisy leaned into Vincent as they walked away—hand in hand. “They look happy.”

“Very happy,” Vincent said. “Looks like you were right about Sam and Harper, Petunia. And you might be two for two.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Nash first came in he told me he spoke with Adam this morning. Peppy got a job with a band in Nashville.”

“What?”

“She hit the road at dawn.” He raised a brow. “Adam went with her.”

Daisy gawked. “For good?”

“For now.”

“That sounds promising.”

“Definitely interesting.”

Daisy smiled. She couldn’t predict the future, but she did trust her gut. “I foresee great happiness for that girl.”

“Glad to hear it,” Vincent said.

By the time Sam and Harper and Jayce and Nash were seated, Daisy had already ordered a round of mimosas for the table. “The seniors already know, but this will be news for you four.” She squeezed Vincent’s hand. “Speedy and I got hitched!”

There was a slight hesitation, a moment of surprise, then the younger set beamed and the well-wishing and hugs commenced. Daisy hoped they got the same cheerful reaction when she shared the news with her stick-up-the-butt son and his stick-up-the-butt eldest.

Nash offered a toast and they all drank to Daisy’s and Vincent’s health and happiness.

Sam cleared his throat. “As long as we’re sharing good news…” He and Harper held up their left hands and everyone saw the rings and gasped. “I know it’s unexpected—”

“Not by me,” Daisy said with a yip. “I saw it in the stars!” She waved her napkin at a waitress while the others expressed their joy. “More mimosas!”

THIRTY-SIX

It was a beautiful day. Sunny. Hot but dry. Breezy, but not too breezy.

Hotel security was efficient and plentiful. The production and tech crew worked flawlessly. Brice and Kaylee were personable and professional and went out of their way to make all of their guests feel welcome, visiting them prior to the show in the makeshift tented green room located a few feet from the stage.

Daisy, Ethel, Helen, Judy, and Tasha were anxiously awaiting their moment to take the stage. Harper had worried they’d be overwhelmed by all the high-tech gear and general production atmosphere. They weren’t. Daisy and her pals were especially excited about a chance to share stories regarding the history and mission of the club. After one face-to-face with Tasha, Harper had no doubt the beautiful woman would charm Brice’s socks off and she’d definitely light up the stage with the sentimental story about her mom and grandmother, both former CLs. But Harper also recognized Tasha’s deep need for attention, recognition, and probably respect. Harper knew her type all too well. Appearing on national TV and grabbing fifteen minutes of fame was probably a much bigger deal to Tasha than to any of the other CLs. She was a little snooty and a lot polished, but Harper didn’t dislike Tasha Burke. She understood her and even felt a little sorry for her.

Meanwhile, Tasha’s husband—also kind of snooty, but definitely in love with his wife—was seated in the VIP area along with Vincent, and Helen’s husband, Daniel.

Sam … Sam was somewhere out there with Edward. He’d taken off with Jayce, Nash, Tripp, and Ian an hour before spectators started gathering. Even though they’d split up, they were in touch via their phones. The whole time they’d been prowling the premises for Edward, Harper had concentrated on doing her job while keeping one eye peeled for Edward herself.

What if he slips past them?

She’d nipped the negative what if in the bud, but remained alert all the same. Alert and on pins and needles. She’d busied herself putting the Cupcake Lovers at ease, reminding them they went on after Oksana, a Russian performer who dazzled audiences with acrobatic skills and hula hoops. She reminded them that Brice and Kaylee would take the lead, prompting them throughout the feature. They’d cover the history and mission of the club, stories related to baking and charity events. They’d talk soldiers and cupcakes, and the recipe book. There’d be a Q&A with the audience. As a bonus spectators would be gifted with their own copy of
Cupcake Lovers Delectable Delights: Making a Difference One Cupcake at a Time
on behalf of Brice and Kaylee.

Somewhere toward the end of her pep talk, Harper got a text from Sam. Her heart pounded as she read:
GOT HIM. B WITH U IN A FEW.

She froze up with a mix of elation and dread. That meant Sam and his team had whisked Edward away. It meant that Sam and Edward were in the midst of a confrontation. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted Sam here beside her and Edward gone.

The Cupcake Lovers were scheduled to take the stage about twenty minutes into the show which was about five minutes from now. She refrained from texting,
WHERE ARE YOU,
and a heartbeat later she heard, “Here I am.”

Sam hugged her from behind, spoke close to her ear. “It’s all good.”

So Sam had issued his threat of a harassment charge? A restraining order? The “I’ll make your life hell” speech as dictated by Jayce who was privy to some not so legal computer tricks? So Edward had buckled and was now being escorted back to the airport by Jayce, Nash, Tripp, and Ian?

Before she could ask for details, Sebastian tapped Sam’s shoulder. “We need to wire you with a mic, Sam.”

The production assistant dragged Sam away and Harper grabbed hold of the back of a chair for stability. She felt dizzy with relief, blindsided by the anticlimactic moment. She realized suddenly that deep down she’d expected something horrible to happen.

Instead Sam and friends had saved the day—a peaceful takedown. Everything was fine. She let out a shaky breath, rubbed the ache in her chest until she felt a tiny blip of glee. A smile touched her lips as she glanced over and saw Sam huddled with the other CLs—all wired and ready to go. Everyone but Daisy.

“What the—”

Harper whirled and knocked into five feet of cocoa-brown fur.

Oh, no
.

“Are my antlers straight?” she asked then used her paw to give Harper a playful nudge. “Don’t look so horrified, Slick. I checked with Kaylee first and she said it would be a hoot!”

*   *   *

A twenty-minute feature flew by in a heartbeat. Harper had watched from the sidelines, tears filling her eyes as each and every member of the attending Cupcake Lovers shared sentimental memories and uplifting stories all revolving around cupcakes and their mission to bring joy to soldiers and their families. She never realized Judy had a dry sense of humor or that Ethel had lost her first husband in a foreign conflict. She learned that Helen could bake one hundred and twenty different cupcake recipes from memory. Daisy had been Daisy—except for when she was Millie Moose—and Tasha had dazzled. Sam had endured Kaylee’s none-too-subtle flirtations, remaining quiet for the most part until he’d spoken as a former soldier, sharing his personal experiences when it came to receiving care packages while serving overseas.