The Last Bride (DiCarlo Brides #6) (29 page)

Gage had the feeling he wasn’t going to like this “solution” any better than he had the previous ones. “We sell the house and you buy a place of your own?”

She sent him an exasperated look. “No. You seem cozy with that DiCarlo woman. If you married her, you would have the money to pay off the mortgage. She gets her inheritance at the end of the summer, doesn’t she? She’ll be loaded and the problem will be solved. She won’t even miss the piddling mortgage payoff.”

It was far from piddling, even if it would barely dent Jonquil’s inheritance. Gage wondered how much research Natalie had done to have learned about when Jonquil would get paid. “Ummhmm. You want me to
marry
so you won’t have to be inconvenienced? I see. Because my happiness isn’t important.”

She scowled like she thought he was being difficult on purpose. “You like her. Don’t tell me you don’t—I’ve seen you together. What’s the problem?”

Gage logged off his computer, grabbed his things and headed for the office door. He was not going to get trapped there, arguing with his sister. “Forget it. I’m
not marrying Jonquil
.
”

“First you won’t find the money to protect me, then when I’m abducted, you complain about having to borrow the money to get me back. Now you’re being completely pig-headed about the house. You refuse to find a way to let us keep it.”

Gage gestured for Natalie to precede him from his office. When she had gone through the door, he locked it behind him. “You’re right. I refuse to find a way to keep the house. I don’t want to be responsible for the upkeep on the monstrosity. The property taxes and insurance alone are more than the mortgage on my place. You’d be surprised at how much of your income would be sucked up by all of those minor issues like electricity and natural gas. And then there’s the yard maintenance and housekeeper to pay. You can’t afford it, Natalie, and I can’t subsidize your lifestyle.”

“But all of our memories are there,” Natalie said, sniffing a little. “We were raised there; Daddy and Mom were alive there. It’s all we have left.”

Gage didn’t speak for a moment, but stopped at the top of the sweeping staircase that went down to the kitchen area, which was silent now. “I know you don’t want to let go of the things the house represents to you, but it’s just a house, Natalie. A building. You can pick whatever furnishings you want to keep, choose from the dishes and linens—you get first pick. But keeping it is not an option.”

She looked down, her face covered in grief. “But selling it is so final.” Her voice was low and small, as if she was afraid to say the words.

Why did she always manage to make him feel like a jerk? “I know. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”

“And you wouldn’t if you could.”

“No, I wouldn’t. You’ll see when you find a new place, something that suits you, that you can put your own stamp on. You’ll see that it’s okay, better in the long run.”

“I don’t know if I can believe that.”

“You don’t have to yet.” He pulled her into a hug, holding her while she cried softly.

“I miss Mom,” Natalie said. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

“I know. It’s hard.”

“I wish everything would go back to how it was before all of this started.”

Gage wished it too, but there was nothing he could do about that, so he just held her instead. “I’ll talk to a Realtor tomorrow, have him do a walk-through—just for information. We’ll need to find out what it’s really worth and discuss options. We don’t have to list the house immediately, but I’d like to make sure everything is in order so we know where we stand.”

Natalie’s bottom lip trembled a little, but she nodded. “Just don’t list it or do anything about it until I have a chance to talk to him too. Okay? I need a little more time to think about it first. To come to terms.”

He wondered if it was a mistake, knowing Natalie would drag her feet, but he nodded. “I’ll give you a chance to speak with him before I sign anything.”

Gage had walked Natalie back to her car and spent a long while consoling her before he decided to go home. He reached his house and frowned when Jonquil’s car wasn’t parked out front. He’d gotten used to coming home to find her there, food bubbling or sizzling on the stove. Now the house that had always seemed welcoming and comforting seemed quiet and empty. Which it was: too quiet.

He went upstairs to shower and clean up from his bike trek that day and to shake off the twisted emotions Natalie had left behind, but it wasn’t as easy as he had hoped.

Gage moved into the kitchen and stared at the shiny counter tops around him. The place sparkled. He opened the fridge and found several perfectly packaged servings of leftovers from the past few dinners she’d done at his place. One of them had a note. He picked it up and smiled as he read it.
I figured even your limited cooking skills are capable of heating this up. One minute at 70 percent power should do it. Try not to starve.

He put it back in the fridge and picked up his phone instead. “Are you still at work?” he asked when she greeted him.

“Yes. I’m hoping to finish up here in about twenty minutes.”

“If I order takeout, can you pick it up on your way here? I’ll pay over the phone.” The food in the fridge was okay, but this would give him an excuse to have her come by, brighten his home, make-out with him on the couch.

“Yeah, that would be fine. Where do you want me to stop?”

“How does Chinese sound? From The Wok?”

“Great. Orange chicken for me.”

“Great. I’ll see you soon.” They said goodbye and he hit speed dial for the restaurant.

It wasn’t until after he hung up that he realized he’d just assumed she would be coming over. She’d hinted at it earlier, but they hadn’t talked about it. When had she become such an important part of his life that he couldn’t imagine being without her—even for a day?

He pulled out his laptop and sent the emails he had intended to send before Natalie came by. Gage was working on a report for the insurance company as the doorbell rang.

He smiled, happy to see Jonquil’s curls outlined in the wavy glass and opened the front door to find Ellie standing there instead, a hot dish in her hands.

“Oh, good, I wasn’t sure if I’d catch you or if you’d be with your guy friends tonight. No one should be alone on a day like this.” She breezed past him into the kitchen and set the food on the counter, removing the oven mitts. She continued on without giving him a moment to respond as she pulled dishes out of the cupboard. “I’m glad I thought of coming by. There is enough food for you and the guys of course, just in case you had them here with you, or your sister. But since it’s just the two of us, you’ll have leftovers. I know you don’t cook.”

Gage was flustered, wanting her gone before Jonquil arrived, but not wanting to offend her. “Ellie, this was really sweet of you, but I already have dinner coming.”

“You ordered in pizza, didn’t you?” She waved that away. “I know how you are. Takeout isn’t real food. This, on the other hand is my famous vegetarian enchiladas with carrot shavings and spinach. It’s fabulous. Just wait until you
taste
it. All of the girls at book club rave over it.”

Exasperated, Gage wondered how to get rid of her without being rude. “You’re very thoughtful, Ellie, but I really do have plans.”

“I just love spending an intimate evening with you,” Ellie said, as if Gage hadn’t spoken at all. She whirled to the fridge and started rooting through it. “I always knew that I would be there for you in your time of need. And that you’d know it too.” She pulled out the last two beers and set them on the table beside the plates she’d already set out. “Looks like you have some nice neighbors who’ve brought over some meals for you.” She shut the fridge door and grinned. “That’s what I love about this town—it’s so friendly.”

Ellie turned to him and closed the distance between them, setting her hands on his chest. “A big, strong man like you needs someone to lean on once in a while. I hope you know you can lean on me.”

Wishing he had somewhere to go, but with the counter at his back, Gage opened his mouth to tell her thanks but no thanks.

Jonquil’s voice filled the pause instead. “Why, that is so
sweet
of you, Ellie! I swear, Gage is one lucky guy to have someone like you to look out for him, but I’ve already got it all under control.” She sauntered in—wearing a snug tee and shorts that molded her thin hips, and the long, long bare legs beneath it—when had she changed into
that
outfit? Surely she hadn’t gone to work wearing that. Gage couldn’t think of her walk as anything less than a saunter. Or maybe even a slink.

His mouth watered, and it had nothing to do with the large bag of food she carried. He shifted away from Ellie, not wanting Jonquil to think anything was going on between them.

“But I made this with my own little hands.” Ellie put said hand on her hips and gave the Chinese a sneer.

Jonquil glanced at her rival’s hands. “They are rather little, aren’t they?” She dismissed Ellie and walked right over to Gage, set the bag on the counter and leaned up, covering his mouth with her own.

Gage released his hands from the edge of the counter, which he’d been gripping, bringing them up to pull her a little closer as the scent of her perfume swirled around them. It would be so easy to sink into the warmth she offered, but he managed to keep his head on straight. “Thanks for picking that up for me. Did they pack the right food for you?” His voice was a little husky as he looked into her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Ready to eat?”

“So ready.” He looked up at Ellie and caught the angry scowl on her face. “Thanks for bringing the food over. It was really thoughtful of you. I’ll be sure to return the dish in a few days.”

Jonquil turned to face Ellie, sliding in closer to Gage. “It’s so nice how neighborly everyone is around here. I sure do appreciate the way everyone has stepped up to support Gage. I hope people are as thoughtful with Natalie.”

“As much as she lets them be, I’m sure.” Ellie’s teeth clenched a little and she held her head high, marching back to the counter to grab her oven mitts. “I hope you have a
lovely
dinner together.”

“Thanks.” Jonquil waved her out the door and shut it behind Ellie, flipping the deadbolt.

Gage tried to assess her mood. She didn’t seem mad, but he couldn’t imagine that she wasn’t upset after walking in on that. He watched Jonquil return to him, every move casual. “You’re taking that all very calmly.”

Her brows lifted. “You mean finding you with another woman in the kitchen, her hands on your
pecs
?”

He tried not to squirm. “I really wasn’t, I mean, I’m not even remotely interested in her. She just came on to me.” Oh man, how was he going to get out of this? It sounded worse with every word he spoke.

She walked over, her arms folded over her chest, stopping in front of him. “If you hadn’t been expecting me and had a look on your face that could be nothing but panic when I walked in—even before you saw me—you’d be in trouble now. You’d have to be completely clueless to try to get it on with her when you knew I was coming over. I wouldn’t even hesitate to blacken your eye. And probably other areas as well.”

He swallowed at the direct, serious look in her eyes. “I believe you.”

“Good.” She patted his cheek. “Let’s eat.”

Jonquil moved back, but he snaked an arm around her waist and reeled her back in for another kiss. This woman was incredible. He let himself show her through their kiss for a long moment.

When she looked up at him and a smiled spread over her lips, he realized he was a goner. No way was he going to unwind himself from her sticky web anytime soon.

As she turned back to their dinner, he wasn’t sure why he would want to.

Jonquil ignored that nagging voice while she got ready to go hiking with Gage the next week. The voice that whispered that she was dead gone in love with him and falling faster and further every time they met. The voice that said he liked her a lot, but he was never going to be serious about her. That he refused to let himself be serious about anyone. And that would probably never change.