Taste for Trouble (17 page)

“Oh,
no,” Bel said, throwing her hands up like a couple of desperate stop signs. “You
two are
not
tag teaming the poor girl at her own engagement party.”

“And
ask her what?” James said, ignoring Bel with an ease that had her molars
grinding.

“If
she loves him,” Drew said promptly. Bel groaned. This was not happening. Please
God let this not be happening.

“Love
is not the only reason to get married,” she heard herself say. “There’s trust,
compatibility, mutual goals, shared ambitions—”

“I’ll
talk to her,” James said.

“You
absolutely will not,” Bel told him.

“Thank
you,” Drew said. “I couldn’t sleep at night if I thought we’d had a hand in
some poor girl having to sleep with that guy for the rest of her life if she
didn’t really want to.”

Drew
draped a white towel over his forearm, picked up a fresh bottle of champagne
and disappeared. Bel turned disbelieving eyes on James.

“You’re
seriously going to go out there and ask her if she’s in love with her fiancé?”

James
rolled his eyes. “Give me a little credit, huh, Bel? I can be subtle.”

“You
can?”

“Sure.”
He gave her a grin. “We call it sneaky where I’m from.”

“That
I can believe. But come on, okay? I know Drew’s your brother, but do you really
believe—”

“It
doesn’t matter what I believe,” James said. “Drew’s our conscience, our heart. If
he thinks we have a responsibility here, I’m going to check it out. No—” He
lifted a hand as Bel opened her mouth. “—questions asked.”

Bel
closed her mouth. “Fine,” she said darkly. “Great. Just remember, this is your
career we’re trying to save here.”

“Yours,
too.”

“Thanks
for reminding me.”

“Careers,
if I may be so bold, that aren’t worth a damn if we’re behaving in a way that
ruins other people’s lives.”

Bel
glared at him. “I didn’t have anything to do with that girl losing her job.”

James
returned the glare with an even look. “I did,” he said.

Bel
opened her mouth to deliver a stinging retort then shut it again. He was right.
He personally hadn’t gotten Audrey fired but he’d had a hand in creating the
situation. Now he was going to take responsibility for it. How could she argue
with that?

“I
hate it when you do that,” she said.

“Do
what?”

“Blow
through life all happy-go-lucky and ignorant then suddenly decide to do the
right thing.”

He
nodded seriously. “I can see how that would be annoying.”

“Shut
up,” she said. “Go be subtle.”

“Right.”
He draped a white towel over his forearm, picked up a bottle of champagne and
squared his shoulders like he was heading into battle. He turned to her with
the devil dancing in his sea-green eyes. “A kiss for luck?”

“You’re
pushing it, James.”

“Right.
Okay. I’m out.”

And
then he was gone, leaving Bel alone with twenty-five gorgeously arranged plates.
She only prayed the party would last long enough for the guests to taste them.

In
the end, the party lasted through hors d’oeuvres, but didn’t make it all the
way to cake.

Bel
was head down in the industrial-sized ice maker replenishing the champagne
buckets when she first heard the raised voices. She couldn’t understand the
words but the tone said everything she needed to know. She scrambled out of the
ice machine and raced for the kitchen door.

“What’s
the meaning of this?” Wynton Quist demanded, staring at James like an enraged
peacock, all puffed chest and ruffled feathers.

James
ignored Wynton. He kept his voice low and his gaze steady on Audrey as he said,
“Please. I only want to talk to you.”

“I
don’t want to talk to you,” Audrey said, her face stiff and white. Her arms
were folded tight under her bosom, her hands fisted in each elbow as if she
were keeping them safe but at the ready.

“Come
on, Audrey,” James said. “The last time we saw you, things were...messy.”

Wynton’s
black stare swung toward Audrey. “The last time he saw you? You know this
person?”

“No,”
Audrey said.

“Yes,”
James said at the same time.

Audrey
glared at him. “We’ve met,” she told her fiancé. “I don’t know him. And I don’t
care to start now.”

“Fine.”
Wynton placed a proprietary hand on Audrey’s elbow and drew her into his side.

She
flinched.

Not
a lot. Bel saw that. Not like she was afraid. Not like she was hurt. It was
more an unintentional grimace of distaste. Probably not for the guy, she told
herself. More for the gesture. There was definitely a whiff of caveman to it. Sort
of a
this woman is mine, all unworthy beta males can go blow
vibe. It
had to be a little demeaning.

But
seeing that tiny involuntary wince wasn’t what had Bel’s stomach leaping into
her throat. It was the fact that James saw it, too. Bel saw it register on his
face. Saw his jaw go rigid, saw his shoulders square up. He wouldn’t back down
now. Not with this tangible piece of evidence that Audrey’s marriage might be
anything less than a love match.

Bel
broke into a trot.

“Don’t
manhandle her,” James said, and though his voice was low there was a menace in
it that carried clear across the room. Conversations died and all eyes turned
toward the little scene playing out at the head table.

“Excuse
me?” Wynton’s lip curled.

“You
heard me,” James said. Bel’s desperate glance around the room revealed Drew and
Will plowing through the crowd to get to James’ side.
Your fight is our
fight
. She could practically see the Blake brothers’ battle cry in cartoon
bubbles over their heads.

She
picked up the pace. She had to get there first. She at least had to beat Will.

“I’m
sure the lady can move under her own power,” James said. “There’s no need to
put the leash on her. Unless, of course, you don’t think she’d stay if you let
her go.”

“Why
don’t you go pick up your check?” Wynton suggested, his tone icy. “I’m sure we
can manage the rest of this afternoon without your assistance.”

Bel
bounced off a particularly sturdy woman who’d planted herself in the aisle and
was craning her neck for a better view. “Pardon me, ma’am,” Bel said, then
stuck her elbow into a stout flank.

The
woman didn’t budge. “Like I’m going to miss even a word of this,” she said. “Get
your own spot.”

Bel
lunged to the left and was hurdling a chair when she heard Will say, “Hey,
James.” His raised voice sang into the tense air. “Hey, Audrey. Nice party. Looks
like you fell into the honey pot since we saw you last.”

Audrey
blanched. Wynton glanced at her. “Have you met the entire catering staff, then?”

“Of
course not.” She tilted her chin up, and gave Will a ferocious stare. He smiled
at her.

“Aw,
now, don’t be like that. There’s no call to be unfriendly.” Will turned his
smile on Wynton. “We’re your girl Audrey’s best customers.”

“Customers?”
Wynton said. He glanced at Audrey and eased his grip on her elbow.

“Sure,”
Will said. “She was our favorite—”

“Will.”
James cut him off. “Enough.” He reached an open hand toward Audrey, as if she
were a skittish mare. “Please,” he said. “I just need to ask you a question. One
question.

Audrey
grabbed Wynton’s sleeve and turned huge, pleading eyes on him. “Please,” she
said. “Can we just get them out of here?”

Wynton
gazed down at Audrey’s pale, perfect face for a long moment. Then he turned his
narrow gaze on Will. “Audrey was your favorite what?”

Audrey
dropped her head in defeat. Bel shoved aside the chair she’d been wrestling and
threw herself into a gap in the gathered crowd. “Nothing!” she shouted.

But
she was a beat too late.

Because
Will had already said, “Stripper. Audrey was our favorite stripper.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“You,”
Bel said to James as they hauled trash bags to the Dumpster, “are like
kryptonite for weddings.”

“Hey.”
He heaved a giant bag over the edge without even a grunt of effort. “I was
doing fine. How was I supposed to know Will was going to go all bad cop on the
girl?”

“Because,”
Bel said. “That’s what Will does. In case you hadn’t noticed.”

“He
seemed fine in the kitchen. I thought your speech was very well received.”

Bel
glared at him. “No speech is well received enough to squeeze between Will and a
brother thwarted, and you know it.”

He
hunched his shoulders. “I’m sorry, okay? Things didn’t turn out the way I’d
hoped. It’s not like I set out to purposely embarrass anybody.”

Bel
stared at him. “I don’t think embarrassment is the big problem here.” She
jabbed a finger toward the steel door between them and the kitchen. “There’s a
woman in there right now whose life is in total disarray because of you. Her
engagement is broken, her life plan shattered. And you’re sorry she’s
embarrassed?”

“Well,
yeah,” he said. “It’s not like Wynton Quist was any big loss.” His brows came
down. “I didn’t care for the way he laid hands on her.”

Bel’s
mouth dropped open. “How a man touches his fiancée is
none of your business
,
James! If she didn’t like how he touched her, she could tell him that. It’s got
nothing to do with you!”

“Unless
it does,” he said. “I know this wasn’t how you wanted today to go, Bel, but I
did the right thing.”

“Oh
my God.” Bel cast her eyes heavenward. “Now we’re back to the marriage of
convenience theory?”

“There’s
only one way to find out,” James said. He brushed past Bel and headed for the
door.

Bel jogged
after him. “Oh, no, you don’t. You leave that poor girl alone. Haven’t you done
enough?”

“Not
nearly. By my lights, I’m only halfway there.”

“What?”

“Seriously.
I mean, at this point, the damage is already done, right?” He paused, hand on
the door. “I’ll be damned if it’s for nothing. I’m getting my answers.”

He
disappeared into the kitchen. Bel ran after him.

Audrey
Bing sat on a kitchen stool, staring at the untouched bride and groom cakes on
the counter in front of her. She looked like a sculpture, Bel thought.
Bride
and Fury
. Skin like marble, two hectic splotches of color riding high on
each elegant cheekbone the only signs of life. Otherwise, there she sat, her
heels hooked over the rung of her stool, her knees pressed together, her elbows
jammed hard against her stomach, her fingers twisted together so hard Bel
worried they might snap off.

She
didn’t look up when James pulled out the stool beside hers and sat down.

“Hi,
Audrey,” he said. She continued to stare at the cakes. She hadn’t spoken a word
since Wynton had dismissed her from her position as The Future Mrs. Quist
nearly an hour ago. She’d simply walked into the kitchen and sat down. Bel had
put a cup of hot tea at her elbow and let her be.

James
pried gently at Audrey’s fingers until they untwisted and he took her hand in
his. She didn’t flinch or pull away. Bel wondered if she was beyond caring who
touched her at this point, or if she’d simply rededicated herself to hiding her
tells since her slip up with Wynton this afternoon.

“Listen,
Audrey,” James said. “I’m sorry about today.”

The
silence stretched out. Bel didn’t know if the girl had even heard him, but
James soldiered on.

“You
have every right to be angry with me,” he said to her. “Ending your engagement
should have been your choice, done on your schedule. But it needed to end,
Audrey. Didn’t it?”

He
dipped his head to get a better look at her face, and the depth of kindness in
his eyes startled Bel. Not that she didn’t think he was a nice enough guy. Maybe
he let his brothers lead him into occasional bouts of madness, but in general,
he seemed pretty decent. It was more that the range of emotions he’d displayed
thus far—happy, hungry, mischievous, bored, horny—weren’t exactly deep.

So
it was understandable, wasn’t it, that the sudden appearance of this vast well
of compassion would take Bel aback?
Of course
she’d be unable to tear
her eyes away from the sight of his pirate’s face soft with empathy and
concern.
Of course
her heart would flip over in her chest. It was like
watching a toddler recite Shakespeare. Unexpected and bizarre and compelling. But
it didn’t mean anything.

But Audrey,
Bel noticed, didn’t seem at all interested in James’ remarkable transformation
from fraternity boy to man of unexpected depth. She simply stared at Bel’s
cakes as if they held the answers to life, death and everything in between. James
didn’t push her. He simply sat there, undisturbed by the silence, as patient
and companionable as a man keeping vigil at the bedside of a beloved friend.