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  She shrugged as if she’d just surrendered the code to catering success.

  “Good. Now that I know your secret, I’ll have a career to fall back on when I retire from the army next year.” He winked at her.

  She did a double take, scrunched up her nose in that way that made him smile. “Retire?”

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  “You’re not old enough to retire.”

  “Next year, I’ll have twenty years of service in. That’s enough to retire.”

  She blinked at him, looking a little stunned. “So, how old were you when you joined?”

  “Eighteen. Right after my family’s...accident.”

  Accident, hell. Their murder was no an accident. It was a cold, cruel and deliberate act of terrorism. He’d used the word accident because he didn’t want to get on his soap box and spew anger all over the dinner he was helping AJ prepare for the members of the Women’s Club who weren’t so different from his own family. Or at least what he could remember of them. Twenty years gone and memories had shifted into soft focus. Lost loved ones were idealized. And that was perfectly fine with him. It was the least his family deserved, because they—and all the other innocent people on board that ill-fated flight—certainly didn’t deserve to bear the wrath of an insane group of rebels.

  “Is that why you joined?” AJ’s voice was low. She set down the paring knife she had been using to cut the ends off of the beans. She touched his arm, and their gazes hung together, unwavering, hers laced with compassion.

  He nodded, pressing his lips together, as if doing that might seal off the anger that still simmered inside him after all these years and longed to seep out. Once he had steadied himself, he said, “Yeah, joining up was my way of fighting back. It was either that or wage my own personal jihad. I figured I stood a better chance of keeping what happened to my family from happening to someone else by joining the Army.”

  “That’s pretty levelheaded for a teenager,” she said.

  “I don’t know about that,” he said, remembering the state he’d been in when he learned the news that his family was dead.

  “At least you dealt with your grief in a productive way,” she said. “Better than how I dealt with mine for the first few years.”

  “What did you do?” he asked.

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing, except bury myself in a job I hated. It took me a long time to allow myself to live. For the longest time, I couldn’t fathom being on this earth without Danny. But eventually, I began to cope. Starting Celebrations, Inc. was the first step toward doing that. You know, other than my girlfriends you’re the first person I’ve talked to about this.”

  “Not even your family?”

  AJ shook her head and swallowed hard. “No, Danny was not my grandmother’s choice. So, nobody really talked about my loss. I mean, look at what happened when my mother married my dad. It took him dying before my grandmother would even be civil to my mom. The fact that Danny died before we got married—well, that meant we just didn’t talk about it.”

  Shane wondered at life with a dysfunctional family. He and his family had been so close the opposite dynamic was almost unfathomable. But before he could ask another question, the front-of-the-house team must have finished the dining room setup in short order because they began filtering into the kitchen asking AJ for their next assignments.

  After she set them to doing new jobs, she turned to Shane. “Are you ready for this?” She had her work face on again. “It’s going to be a busy night.”

  He nodded. “Just point me in the right direction and tell me what to do. I told you, I’ve never worked with food before—”

  “Not even flipping burgers or in the mess hall?” AJ interrupted.

  “Nope. You’ve got a total food-service virgin on your hands. Be gentle with me?”

  He winked, and took a great deal of pleasure watching the color spike in her cheeks. But then she smiled, as if in spite of her embarrassment.

  “Noted, but be warned, people say I’m a hellish taskmaster in the kitchen. I hope that doesn’t scare you off.”

  She arched a perfect, dark blond brow and he noticed for the first time that her brows were a couple of shades darker than her light blond hair. The contrast with her blue eyes was striking.

  “Me? Scared?” This beautiful woman had him thinking and feeling things he thought he he’d never feel again. He should be petrified. He should walk straight out that door and not look back until he was as far away from her as he could get. He should focus on going back to Italy and his pending discharge. But in the days since he’d met AJ Sherwood-Antonelli the unfinished business he had to take care of in Italy had been the furthest thing from his mind. It seemed to get pushed back even further as he heard himself saying, “I’m a fast and very eager learner. So, I’ll think we’ll work together just fine. Trust me.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” she said. “First, put this on.”

  She stood in front of him, reached up and looped a white chef’s apron around his neck. It took all the willpower he could summon to not put his arms around her waist and draw her close.

  Restraint. They were working, and he knew the last thing she needed was for the rest of the waitstaff to catch them cooking up something other than the food on tonight’s menu.

  Instead, Shane focused on helping AJ finish prepping the green beans, and then concentrated on absorbing the crash course in serving delivered by Benjamin, AJ’s head server.

  * * *

  The night went like clockwork. And by the time everything was winding down, he was exhausted. He was glad he’d helped her out, but he was looking forward to returning to the jobsite to familiar territory, rather than being a stranger in the strange land of the kitchen.

  It was backbreaking work and the fact that AJ did this for a living—and seemed to thrive on it—deepened his respect for her.

  After he’d served the last plate of cake, he headed back to the kitchen over to the sink where AJ was washing a stack of dirty aluminum trays. The others were working in various parts of the kitchen. Two were still in the dining room offering seconds on coffee.

  Shane grabbed a dish towel and began drying the items AJ had cleaned.

  “So, what’s my performance review, boss? Did I measure up tonight?”

  She arched a brow at him and there was something seductive in the way she smiled up at him. How could a woman look so damn sexy as she washed dishes?

  “Well, let’s see...you were quick. You took direction well. Didn’t spill anything on anyone. Didn’t eat food off the plates. Yeah, I’d hire you again.”

  “You’ve seen servers eat food off the plates?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve witnessed.”

  “Thanks for cueing me in. The next time I eat out, I’ll be on the lookout for grazing waitstaff. I don’t mind sharing my food, but I prefer to offer it, or at least have the person ask for a bite.”

  They laughed, then settled into a companionable silence.

  “How about that game of hoops we’ve been talking about? I seem to remember a challenge that was levied the night before last. How about we play after the town meeting?”

  Chapter Eight

  They were spending a lot of time together.

  AJ contemplated Shane’s offer to play basketball as she picked up another dirty pan and lathered it up with dish soap. But spending time together was how people got to know each other.

  Even though he wouldn’t be in Celebration for the long-term, would it be so bad to enjoy him while he was here? Because one thing was for sure: they did seem to enjoy each other. For God’s sake, the guy spent his evening working with her rather than relaxing. Never had a guy gone to such great lengths to spend time with her. It was sweet.

  She took a deep breath and gave herself permission to enjoy him. No expectations. Just live a little. Have some fun while he was here.

  “That sounds fun,” she said. “I’d love to. In fact, how abou
t if I pack us a picnic and we can eat in the park after we finish playing?”

  But before he could answer, Pepper came swinging through the kitchen doors. “AJ, there you are. Oh, my God, you’re needed in the dining room. Immediately.”

  “What’s wrong?” AJ demanded.

  “Nothing is wrong.” A huge smile spread across Pepper’s face as she noticed Shane. “Well, hello again. We met in the park at the Taste of Celebration Food Festival.” She extended her hand, her urgency suddenly transforming into Southern charm.

  Shane squeezed her fingers. “Yes, I remember. Pepper, right?”

  Pepper shot AJ a coy look. “Good looks and a great memory. I vote we make him a new partner in the business. He did wonders in the dining room tonight. Darlin’, you definitely have skills.”

  Seriously? Had Pepper really said that? AJ shot Shane an embarrassed glance and felt herself blushing on her friend’s behalf. “Okay, you said my presence was requested? Right now. Come on, let’s go.”

  Pepper turned on her heel and led the way out of the kitchen. AJ shook her head and shot Shane a dubious look. At least he was smiling.

  Given the look on Pepper’s face, AJ obviously wasn’t being called in for a public berating. Still...she wiped her moist palms on her pants, smoothed her hair and squared her shoulders.

  She’d managed to finagle her way out of attending her debutante ball when she was in high school. Tonight, however, she was going to be formally introduced to society...ready or not. No, this time she was ready. It was on her terms and she couldn’t be more jazzed.

  Or at least she thought so, until she stepped into the dining room and the members of the Women’s Club and their guests got to their feet and erupted into a round of enthusiastic applause.

  AJ felt her cheeks burn. But not from embarrassment, from pride and passion that couldn’t be contained in her heart.

  Somehow she knew as she watched the members of her community who had spent a fabulous evening together enjoying the food she’d prepared with love, that everything would be okay. This was where she was supposed to be, this was what she was supposed to be doing.

  She only basked for a moment before her gaze scanned the room searching for the one person whose approval mattered most: Grandmother.

  It was easy to find her. She was the only person in the room who was not standing. She wasn’t even clapping. No, Agnes Sherwood sat with her hands folded properly in her lap. To anyone else, her expression might have appeared neutral, but AJ could see through her grandmother’s society mask to a face that hinted she might smell something slightly foul, but, of course, she was much too polite to make a fuss.

  AJ’s heart sank low in her chest. She reminded herself that tonight, she’d cooked for Pepper and Marjory...when she cooked for her “family” and those closest to her the real essence of her talent came out and infused itself in the food. If her grandmother was embarrassed by the fact that her AJ was doing “...the work of the hired help...” well, she just needed to get over it. Or maybe AJ needed to. Cooking was her calling.... She couldn’t please everyone, and that was okay.

  After the applause died down, and AJ had accepted the accolades, Florence Lapham, a past Women’s Club president and a notable Dallas-area socialite, stopped AJ as she turned to head back to the kitchen.

  “Wonderful job, my dear,” she said. “Could I get your card, please? My granddaughter is getting married. Unfortunately we have yet to find a satisfactory caterer. Until now. If you could provide something along the lines of what you did for the club tonight—including that delicious cake, my granddaughter will go nuts over—I think we might have hit the jackpot.”

  A spiral of joy shot through AJ, lighting some of the darkness her grandmother had cast. AJ had come to impress. She’d done her job and done it well. Proof was in the potential business smiling in front of her.

  As she thanked the woman and handed her a business card, it dawned on her that even though Grandmother might not approve, she certainly hadn’t incited a boycott, which would’ve been the quickest way to shut down Celebrations, Inc. Maybe Grandmother’s steely exterior wasn’t as cold as she’d like for it to appear.

  “By the way, the wedding is in three weeks,” Florence Lapham informed AJ. It was clear she wasn’t asking if AJ was available so much as issuing a sweet Southern advisory. “So reserve the date. We’ll need to get together for a tasting as soon as possible. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Three weeks! All AJ could do was blink, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach as she watched Mrs. Lapham breeze back into the Women’s Club dining hall. How could the bride not have booked a caterer if her wedding was three weeks away? It was insane to accept a job on such short notice. But if she could pull it off...

  Rephrase: no ifs. She would pull it off. And this would cement her business’s future. And it would probably be a great first step toward getting Caroline to leave the world of high finance and become her full-time pastry chef/partner.

  In the hallway between the dining room and the kitchen, AJ took out her cell phone and dialed Caroline’s number.

  When she picked up, AJ said, “How fast can you learn to bake and decorate a wedding cake?”

  There was silence on the other end of the line. If Caroline hadn’t been listening to music, AJ would’ve thought the call had been dropped, but she heard Jack Johnson singing on about “Banana Pancakes” in background forcing AJ to verbally nudge her friend.

  “Caroline, are you there?”

  “Yes, I’m here, I went back to the office after I dropped off the cakes and I’m on my way home now. But AJ, I’ve never baked a wedding cake. I don’t know how.”

  “Well, then we’ll learn. Together. Frances Lapham wants to hire Celebrations, Inc. for her granddaughter’s wedding if we can provide a red-velvet wedding cake—exactly like what you provided for the dinner tonight—as part of the package. Come on, you have to do it. Please?”

  “Oh, AJ...” Caroline sounded weary. “Wedding cakes are a completely different animal than the small cakes I’ve been making for you. Wedding cakes are big. Big cakes are prone to collapsing. Collapsing wedding cakes destroy catering businesses. I can only think of a few other disasters that could kill a business faster.”

  “We’ll, then we’ll just have to practice.”

  She knew Caroline was exhausted. She’d worked on tonight’s cakes all night, delivered them and then went back to work. Now was probably not a good time to expect her to be enthusiastic about more baking. Especially when it involved a learning curve. So, it probably wasn’t a good time to mention the tight deadline.

  “This is insane,” Caroline said, “but you’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

  “You know me too well. When can we get together and start practicing?”

  More music-filled silence.

  “I don’t know. Let me look at my calendar. I can’t even think now, I’m so tired.”

  Fair enough.

  “Did you talk to Sydney today?” Caroline asked.

  “No. Why? Is everything okay?”

  “I don’t know. She had more concerns about Texas Star. Called me all in a panic about the way they’re asking her to handle the quarterly earnings statement. She said something definitely doesn’t smell right.”

  “Well, Mr. Texas Star himself is here tonight. He’s giving away some big scholarships. I mean if they’re giving away money, surely things can’t be that bad.”

  Caroline made a noise that indicated she wasn’t convinced. “It’s a tax write-off. But that doesn’t mean anything. To a company like Texas Star, giving away a scholarship is like taking a glass of water out of the ocean. I don’t know. She’s going to come by one night this week and have me look at the quarterly report. So, we’ll see. On another note, how did your soldier and his beautiful biceps work out tonight?”

  The mention of Shane and his beautiful biceps sent a spiral of awareness surging through AJ. “He did fine.” She glanced around to make
sure no one could hear her before she said anything else. The muted strains of the evening’s speakers filtered in and the people who were in her line of vision seemed to be caught up in the presentation.

  “Fine?” Caroline teased. “He was fine just standing in the kitchen. But you didn’t hire him to be the evening’s hot man candy. Or did you?”

  AJ leaned against the wall. “You underestimate him. He is way too capable to simply serve as man candy. As Pepper so aptly pointed out, the guy’s got skills. You should see those biceps when he busses a tray full of dishes. Considerable skills, I’m telling you.”

  Someone cleared his throat behind her, she turned as Shane brushed past, carrying an empty tray en route to the dining room. He placed it on a tray stand, turned and smiled at her. He was still within earshot.

  AJ’s mouth went dry. It was one thing for Caroline to say that to him, but it was quite another for him to overhear her repeating it. She changed the subject fast.

  “Right. In the meantime, why don’t you send me a list of all the things you’ll need—pans, decorating items, everything—and I’ll buy it all. We can set up a time to get together. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

  A rushing heat flared through her, a sensation she didn’t bother to fight or analyze whether it was embarrassment or simply a general reaction to him. She decided to go with the latter and smiled back at him. He joined her back in the hallway.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt your call,” he said. “I was on my way out to the dining room to see if anything else needed to be cleared.”

  He grinned at her and there was something in his eyes that pulled her right in. Like a tractor beam. But it would be really stupid to get sucked in any more than she already was. Stupid and dangerous, she reminded herself, damming the rising oh-God-how-much-did-he-hear tide of panic.

  “Oh, no, you didn’t interrupt.” She leaped into a recap of what had transpired with Florence Lapham. She told him the wedding was in three weeks and how she and Caroline were on a mission to learn the art of baking wedding cakes.