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  She was talking way too fast. About nonsense.

  “Sounds like a great opportunity. But I’m not surprised. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.”

  The staff had eaten in the kitchen after dessert was served to the clients. It was a perk that AJ included in the compensation. Since she always prepared extra, there was no sense in letting it go to waste.

  “Thank you.”

  Yeah, stupid and dangerous to invest any more of herself...

  “Well...” He hitched a thumb toward the dining room. “I’d better get back to work.”

  “Oh, right.” She stepped back to let him pass.

  “Don’t want to disappoint the boss.” He flexed his biceps and winked at her. “I heard she hired me because I have ‘considerable skills.’”

  * * *

  The next day, AJ, Caroline, Sydney and Pepper met for lunch at the Celebrations, Inc. kitchen to strategize for the Lapham wedding. There was no time to waste, and lunch was the only time they could all coordinate their schedules.

  “He heard you?” Caroline dropped down onto one of the stainless-steel stools in the kitchen and covered her face with both of her hands. “Oh, my God. That’s so embarrassing. I am mortified for you.”

  AJ shrugged as she set out a bowl of the salad and a platter of sandwiches. Lunch consisted mostly of leftovers from last night’s dinner. She’d cut up the remaining Cornish hens and tossed the meat with some curried mayonnaise, added celery, green onion, Golden Delicious apples, raisins, grapes and pecans. She served it on fresh, buttery croissants. The salad was the leftover endive, blue cheese, pears.

  “Thanks for the empathy,” AJ lamented. “Yeah, it was pretty excruciating.”

  Pepper set a large vase full of mixed fresh flowers on the counter. They were from a wholesale contact of hers. One of the tasks on their list—in addition to menu variations—was to look at different varieties of flowers and see what they could offer as decorations for the cake.

  “What’s going on?” Pepper asked.

  Sydney set down her purse and briefcase and listened as AJ recounted the story of the embarrassing phone call. When she’d finished, they were all silent for a moment.

  Finally, Pepper broke the silence. “This happened last night? Why didn’t I know about it until now?”

  AJ cringed all over again the sting of embarrassment as fresh as if it had just happened. “Actually, you started it with your ‘considerable skills’ comment, which I had the bad judgment of repeating. And he overheard me.”

  “Well, that was...unfortunate.”

  Sydney shot Pepper a look. “The burning question is what happened next? What did he do?”

  “How did he act?” Caroline added.

  AJ sighed. “He ribbed me a little, but other than that, he acted like a perfect gentleman. Like nothing was wrong. He’s coming to the town meeting tomorrow night. We’re playing basketball afterward. And having a picnic. Unless he decides I’m a lunatic and runs for his life.”

  Sydney shook her head. “I wouldn’t write him off just yet.”

  AJ put four plates on the counter next to the food. “I know. But it just seems so...impossible.”

  “Why is it impossible?” Caroline demanded.

  The room went quiet and her friends waited for an answer. “Because... It’s... He’s leaving soon. And I’m afraid.”

  “Honey, you can’t let fear hold you back,” Pepper said. “You know that. If you didn’t, you would’ve never left Bistro Saint-Germain and started Celebrations. You didn’t even have clients or much catering experience, but you fearlessly charged ahead and made it work. Look at you now.”

  AJ shook her head. “Danny’s insurance money and your investment advice are what’s getting me through. I was able to quit my day job and open my doors because I have the best friends in the world who believe in me and support me and prop me up when I need to be propped up and—”

  “Give you a little nudge when you need to be pushed out of your comfort zone?” Sydney added. “And make sure you don’t miss the boat when there’s a great guy who seems to be crazy about you.”

  AJ caught the conspiratorial look her three friends exchanged. “What?”

  “Speaking of great guys and pushing you out of your comfort zone,” Caroline said. “We have a little present for you.”

  Pepper pulled a small wrapped package out of her purse. “Here you go. From the three of us, to you.”

  “What is this for? My birthday is months away.”

  “Just open it,” Sydney said.

  As AJ carefully pulled the tape from the colorful, floral-print paper, she sensed something was up. She carefully lifted the wrapping paper and gasped—

  “Condoms?” She tossed the unopened box onto the counter as if it would burn her. Or worse. “Oh, my God. What in the hell am I supposed to do with a box of rubbers?”

  “Have sex,” Pepper said, as matter-of-factly as if it were written in the debutantes’ handbook. “That’s what you’re supposed to do with a box of rubbers. Did your mother not have that talk with you?”

  “Need I remind you, this man has skills,” Caroline teased. “You told me so yourself, and I had the good fortune to see what’s on the surface with my very own eyes.”

  AJ tried not to squirm.

  “Look, honey,” Sydney said. “If you’re not ready, you don’t have to rush into anything. But we thought you should have a little reminder of...all the possibilities. This way you’ll be prepared when you are ready.”

  AJ shook her head and the look on her friend’s faces...or maybe it was the thought of actually owning her very own box of condoms—she’d never bought them herself—made her laugh out loud.

  Actually, it started as more of a shocked hiccup, but it blossomed into a laugh that was so infectious her friends laughed, too.

  “Okay, enough,” AJ insisted. “Let’s get back to work. We can’t hang out here all day and talk about sex. We have a lot to accomplish.” She glanced at the abandoned box of condoms, then picked up the box tentatively as if it might burn her. They didn’t. She took a small bite of her sandwich, and studied the package as she chewed. The thought of getting intimate with Shane made her shudder. The thought also made her realize he was the first man since Danny she’d ever been interested in dating, much less get involved with. Suddenly, the box did feel a little bit hot in her hand. She set it down and picked up her legal pad, redirecting her focus to the business she and her friends needed to discuss.

  “I read some articles on baking wedding cakes. From what I can tell we will need cake pans in graduated sizes, dowels, maybe some pillars if she wants a more traditional look, and cake circles.”

  Caroline nodded. “Right. I have a cake turntable I can donate to the cause and just about every decorating tool known to the confectionery world.”

  Pepper smiled. “Can you make those cute little roses?”

  “You bet I can,” said Caroline. “Mr. Biceps isn’t the only one with skills.”

  AJ winced. “Apples and oranges, Caroline.” AJ stole another glance at the abandoned box of prophylactics. “Apples and oranges.”

  They all laughed again.

  “Where are you holding the tasting?” Sydney asked.

  “The office, of course,” AJ said. “Where else would I do it?”

  Sydney and Pepper exchanged a look.

  “What?” AJ demanded.

  “We were afraid you’d want to have it there,” said Pepper.

  “Why wouldn’t I hold it there?” AJ asked. “For a tasting it’s a lot easier for them to come to me.”

  Pepper grimaced. “Where are you planning to put them? In the kitchen or your office?”

  The irony in Pepper’s voice didn’t escape AJ. Her office was the size of a walk-in pantry, and there was no room in the kitchen. “I thought I’d set up a table in the reception area and bring in servers— Why are you shaking your head?”

  Pepper sighed and smiled indulgently. �
��Oh, honey, you’re so good at so many things, but there are some areas where you simply don’t have a clue.”

  AJ clucked, but knew better than to take offense. One of the things she loved about her friends was how they were always real with her. “Would you care to enlighten me?”

  The girls were exchanging looks again. This time, Caroline had joined in on the private joke...or whatever it was they were sharing. Pepper drew in a deep breath and cleared her throat, obviously electing herself spokesperson for the trio.

  “Francis Lapham is one of the area’s biggest socialites. She is a snob. You cannot set up a card table in that unfinished disaster area that you call a reception area. AJ, there is still exposed drywall.”

  “What—? Oh!” Suddenly, AJ understood exactly what Pepper was worried about. AJ had been so busy in the kitchen, developing the product, focusing on the food, that she didn’t even see the naked drywall she’d had installed to separate the front of the house from the kitchen. Basically, the reception area was still a construction site. Even the most beautifully set table wouldn’t camouflage it. How could she not have realized? More important—

  “What else am I supposed to do?” The tasting was in three days, hardly enough time to whip the front of the house into shape. Not when she still had some food issues to iron out. She would be a good candidate for a TV show like Extreme Office Makeovers, or whatever it was called. But that wasn’t going to happen. She’d just have to figure out another plan, even though she was only one person and she was still struggling to perfect the menu for what could be Celebrations’ biggest break yet.

  Her friends must have read the panic on her face, because Pepper said, “Don’t you worry. Just leave everything to us.”

  AJ hesitated, curious and terrified. “Okay... I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

  The idea both thrilled and terrified her.

  Chapter Nine

  Shane liked a lot of things about AJ Sherwood-Antonelli. Besides having won the goddess trifecta—she was smart, funny and beautiful—add to the mix that she was one hell of a great cook. The combination was enough to bring a man to his knees.

  He also liked the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed. He loved how she didn’t flinch or look away when he sometimes caught her looking at him. She might smile, quirk a brow, but her direct gaze never wavered. There was strength in those blue eyes that moved him. Like an earthquake ripping open solid rock.

  Tuesday, as he sat at his desk with his morning coffee, pondering the many qualities of AJ, he also found himself scrolling through the contacts in his cell and pausing when he found her number.

  There had been plenty of women who had come and gone in his life—women who lived in the various cities, states and countries he happened through on his assignments during his time in the army. He’d known more than his fair share of wonderful, beautiful women. But those affairs usually lasted the stint of his tour. When it was time to move, it was time to move on. He served everyone well by keeping those affairs passionate but unemotional.

  He knew the problems that came with letting his heart get involved. And he saved everyone a lot of grief and heartache by being very up front about his intentions, or lack thereof.

  So why was it he found himself thinking nonstop about AJ? What was it about her that made him feel things he thought he was incapable of feeling, that had him rethinking his don’t-get-involved code?

  Probably the same thing that drove him to dial her number and invite her to visit the job site. Well, they’d talked about it the night they went to dinner at Taco’s. So, why not now?

  “If you’re free after work, why don’t you stop by? I’ll give you a tour of the job site.” It sounded like a thinly veiled excuse to see her, which it was, but that didn’t matter when she walked through the construction trailer door just before five-thirty, looking way too sexy all dressed up in a silky royal blue dress and high heels. She greeted him with a hug.

  When she pulled away, he gave her another once-over. Not exactly construction-zone attire. Still, he heard himself uttering, “You look great,” amazed at how the woman could transform from no-nonsense businesswoman and boss in her white chef’s coat, to someone who looked as if she’d be perfectly at home in that other life her grandmother wanted her to live.

  “Did you get all dressed up for me?” he asked only half joking.

  She slanted him a flirtatious glance. “Actually, I can’t stay long because there’s something I have to do tonight. But speaking of being dressed up...look at you in your uniform.”

  His mind was stuck on the something or someone that was claiming her tonight. A pang of disappointment stabbed him. He’d hoped that after he walked her around the job site, they might grab a bite to eat. He felt a little off-kilter for being so presumptuous thinking she’d automatically be free. A strange feeling of possessiveness simmered in him, foreign and sort of...Neanderthal-like. He knew he had no right, no claim on her, but—

  “So this is your office?” she said.

  A fluorescent light buzzed and flickered as she looked around the small construction trailer, turning in a full circle as she took in everything. He looked, too, trying to see it through her eyes: the walls that were covered in dated, blond paneling; the drafting table covered with blueprints; the cheap credenza with a coffeemaker, packets of sugar and sugar substitutes stuffed in a foam cup, and bottles of powdered creamer. Shane’s desk was across from the door.

  She nodded. “It’s nice finally seeing where you disappear to every day.”

  All he could think about was where she might be disappearing tonight.

  * * *

  The two-hour tasting with Florence Lapham and her granddaughter, Jade, couldn’t have gone better, and AJ collapsed into her office chair with proof in hand: a signed contract to cater Jade’s wedding. The Lapham ladies seemed truly pleased with the menu selections they’d tasted and had narrowed it down to a sumptuous feast that would start with an assortment of canapés—seared Ahi Tuna, Bloody Mary shooters garnished with jumbo cocktail shrimp, and Belgian endive stuffed with Boursin cheese and hearts of palm—carried among the guests as they waited for the bride and groom to arrive at the reception. Then the party would sit down to a watercress salad and a choice of beef Wellington or lobster tail, accompanied by roasted seasonal root vegetables, and grilled herbed fingerling potatoes. Caroline’s red-velvet cake had sealed the deal.

  It had all fallen into place perfectly. Not only had she wowed them with the food, but Pepper and Sydney had worked magic on the front of the house at the Celebrations, Inc. offices. Using bolts of silk and gossamer organza they’d transformed the ugly, bare drywall into a bride’s paradise. They’d rigged a crystal chandelier Pepper had procured from who knows where; they’d carried in dozens of flowers, topiaries, candles and twinkling lights. Their handiwork had visions of an event-planning division of Celebrations, Inc. dancing through AJ’s mind. What would she do without them? She didn’t plan on finding out.

  Arms full of containers of leftover cake and food from the tasting, she stepped out of the office into the dark, crisp Texas night toward her car. She’d only taken a few steps when she glanced back over her shoulder to admire the way the reception area looked through the storefront windows.

  It was so beautiful, it took her breath away. She turned around to admire the way the silk and gossamer shimmered in the glow of the twinkle lights. Why hadn’t she thought of doing something this before? In fact, how on earth could she have ever thought of serving Mrs. Lapham and Jane in the reception area in its pre-makeover condition?

  After clearing away the dishes from the tasting, she’d spruced up the stage Pepper and Sydney had set and left the twinkle lights on so people could admire the beautiful picture it made.

  No doubt about it, she was as giddy as if she were the bride herself. She shifted the boxes of leftovers so that she had a better hold on them. She really should call Syd and Pepper to thank them...again. And she needed to call
Caroline to tell her how much they loved the cake, but it had been ten-thirty when she’d locked up the office. Pepper and Sydney were at a Texas Star function tonight. Caroline was probably still working. She vowed to call them first thing tomorrow morning. Plus, if she were completely honest, the person she really wanted to talk to right now was Shane. She couldn’t wait to tell him about her success.

  With one last wistful glance at her shop window, she turned and walked toward her car. Just then a red Honda sped past, way too fast. The driver must have been doing at least fifty miles per hour in the twenty-five-mile-an-hour zone.

  “Whoa! Slow down, buddy. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Her shop was in the business district. All of the stores and offices were closed at this hour and there wasn’t much traffic, but it irritated her when people broke the rules. That’s how accidents happened. She didn’t recognize the car, but then again, she knew most every single person who called Celebration home, but not all. Shaking her head, she watched the Honda’s taillights disappear down the street.

  As she continued her trek to the car, irritation about the reckless driver got lost in the glow over tonight’s success, and, of course, the memory of Shane in his uniform. Thoughts of him had lived in the back of her mind all evening. If he had looked delicious in a civilian polo shirt, his camouflage fatigues made him look tempting enough to eat. She’d always felt at ease around him, but this evening, she’d been a little tongue-tied seeing him looking so official.

  That’s why she’d been cryptic about her plans for the evening. If she’d failed to land the job... She blinked away the thought. Still, in retrospect, she realized winning the Lapham wedding was a huge stretch for a relatively inexperienced caterer. It was a reality she hadn’t let herself fully acknowledge for fear that one iota of negativity might cost her. This job done right would put her business on the Dallas/Celebration social map. She would do everything in her power to ensure that Jade Lapham had the wedding dinner of her dreams.

  She couldn’t wait to share the good news with Shane.