Pepper tried not to be self-conscious as she went about preparing the meal. She fixed Kyle’s coffee first, pulling the levers on the awesome espresso machine that she’d finally managed to order. Coffee, steamed milk, a little froth on top, and it was ready.
“That looks better than the espresso I got in San Francisco.”
Pepper glanced up at him, curious. “You go to San Francisco a lot?”
He shrugged. “Um, sometimes on business.”
“Ah, yes.” She grinned. “The mysterious ‘business.’ Why don’t you take this into the dining room,” she suggested, opening the fridge and scanning the shelves for what she needed. “There are fresh scones and muffins in there.”
“I’d rather watch you work.” He brushed a kiss over her ear and gently nipped the lobe.
She nearly dropped the eggs she was holding, forcing herself to concentrate as she took the rest of her supplies out of the fridge. The last of the couples came downstairs, so she fixed breakfast for everyone, carefully plating each meal so it looked its most appetizing. She managed to convince Kyle to eat in the dining room, introducing him to the other guests seated there.
“I’m Pepper’s fiancé.” He nodded at everyone. “Nice to meet you all. Have you been coming here long?”
The two women taking their time over breakfast studied him with renewed interest. The older couple smiled at her indulgently. She was sure Kyle could charm the pants off a scarecrow. It made it all that much harder for her to tell how much of what he said to her was real and how much was playacting.
Quit it! In a few days he’ll be gone, so what difference does it make?
Maybe because the fact he might be someone she could really care for shocked her. She knew nothing about him, nothing about who he really was, and was well aware that when his reservation was up he’d be leaving. Her hormones must really be going haywire. Either that or she’d lost her mind.
But last night was real. There was no faking it then.
Okay, she needed to get her head screwed on straight and do what she’d set out to when he said he’d go along with the charade. She’d enjoy it for the time they had, they’d have a polite breakup, and she’d get on with her life.
Kyle was taking his time, drinking coffee and nibbling on a muffin and talking to the older couple when the back door opened and slammed closed. Pepper looked up from her place at the sink, startled. Then she swallowed a sigh of irritation. Did she have no peace?
“Pepper, honey.” Maggie Thornton pulled Pepper in for a tight hug. “Oh lordy. I am just so excited.”
Pepper dug for her patience and did her best to extricate herself from her mother’s tight grip.
“About what, Mama?” She managed to move a step or two away.
Maggie stared at her, excitement dancing in her eyes. “About what? Why about the wedding, of course.” She fanned herself with her hand. “I must admit, when you said you and Kyle had met on the Internet, I had my reservations. But, honey, he’s the catch of the year. Truly. We need to pick the date and book the venue before everything is taken.”
Pepper felt her stomach contract. “Mama, can you please slow down? Kyle hasn’t been here more than a couple of days. We’ve hardly had a lot of time together. Remember. This was our first time to meet in person.”
“Oh, so what?” Maggie flipped a hand in the air. “I know what I see, and that’s a handsome, eligible man who wants to marry my daughter. I say, let’s get it on.”
“Mama, ssh.” Pepper held her fingers to her lips. “He can hear you. Can we please try to do this in a somewhat normal fashion?”
“Oh, normal?” Maggie gave her a chastising look. “Is normal meeting your fiancé on the Internet and then throwing yourself on him when he gets here?”
Was she going to regret that impulsive hot kiss forever? No, only that too many people had seen it.
“Morning, Maggie.” Kyle wandered in with his empty cup and plate. “Pepper, what’s all happening today?”
Pepper appreciated the fact he was trying to put some semblance of a normal face on things, but she figured they were already well past this. Besides, this was all still just playacting. She needed to slow her mama down so she wasn’t signing contracts, hiring photographers and a band, and setting up tastings. She supposed she hadn’t realized until this moment exactly how focused and obsessed the woman was with getting her married off.
For a moment, her heart pinched. Married. It wouldn’t be to Kyle, for sure, although, as she fell asleep in his arms last night, the notion had insistently wiggled its way into her brain. Even now, she couldn’t manage to put it in its place, in the box labeled make-believe. He’d slammed into her like a tidal wave of heat and emotion, and she was hung by her own stupidity. She didn’t even want to think of the fallout after he left. Without her.
Then Mama would be all over her again like white on rice. Maybe even dragging that obnoxious Judd Wallace into it again. Nope, not marrying him even if she died an old maid. Besides, whoever it was, they’d want her to give up Hibiscus House and that would be like losing a piece of her heart. Why couldn’t her parents see that?
“Pepper?” Maggie’s voice snapped her back to the present. “Kyle’s talking to you. It’s not nice to ignore him.”
“What?” She blinked. “Oh, sorry. Um, today?”
“Why don’t you get Captain Jim to take y’all out on that boat of his today,” Maggie suggested. “Kyle, have you ever been out on the water?”
“I’m sure he has, Mama,” Pepper spat out, then regretted snapping at her mother. “I mean, he might not even like it.”
“He is right here.” Kyle moved to stand beside her, his arms curling around her shoulders in a lazy hug. “And he has been out on the water before, but not on Hibiscus Bay. Who’s this Captain Jim?”
“One of our colorful retired senior citizens,” Cilla explained. She’d hitched herself up on one of the stools at the island, her face alight with curiosity and humor. “He hangs out at the Coffee Cup at the marina. When he’s not piddling around with his boat, that is. He loves to take tourists out and give them his spiel.”
“That’s for sure.” Pepper grunted. “If you want to know anything about Bayview, he’s the man to ask. Even if you don’t want to know, he’ll find a way to tell you.”
“Sounds interesting. How long is the boat trip?”
“Oh, you have to tell him ahead of time.” Pepper laughed. “Otherwise, he’ll have you out there until after sunset.”
“That sounds good to me. What do you have to take care of here?”
“Nothing.” Cilla answered for her. “I can handle it all. You know I can, Pepper. Go enjoy your time with your fiancé.”
Pepper didn’t know whether to hug her or kill her.
“And you can show him some of the other tourist spots around here,” Maggie added. “Get him to take you to the Lighthouse for dinner later.” She looked from one to the other. And go pack your bathing suits. You can get some sun and swimming out there.”
“Maybe Kyle doesn’t want to spend the whole day on the boat,” she pointed out.
But Kyle just curved his lips in a lopsided grin and said, “That sounds great to me.”
“Fine.” She threw up her hands. “Fine, fine, fine.” Then, realizing she wasn’t acting quite the part of an engaged person, she grinned up at Kyle. “It will be fun.”
“Good. I’m all for fun.”
“I’ll call Captain Jim and then order a lunch basket.” Maggie grabbed her cell phone. “Go get ready.”
* * *
Kyle wondered if he was having too good a time with his erstwhile fiancée. This was all make-believe, right? He was doing her a favor, helping her out. And helping Pepper was not any kind of hardship, especially after last night. Oh, yeah. Last night. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed sex as much. Or been as affected by it. The emotional impact of it was throwing him for a loop, something he had been unprepared for. How was it possible that, in
less than twenty-four hours, he was falling for a woman he’d just met?
Yesterday, Pepper had given him a tour of the little town of Bayview, a town that in spite of himself he found charming and appealing. Today, they’d be out on the water, one of his favorite places to be. He already itched to head to the marina. When he and his brothers were kids, his parents had bought a home on Lake Forth, about ninety minutes from Dallas. All of them were free to use it whenever they wanted. Kyle had a boat he kept there, a boat he hadn’t seen nearly enough of for the past two years. This would be a real treat for him.
He’d come here—run away here—to escape his parents’ hounding and get them off his back as well as to give himself space from clingy, determined Charlotte. And, if he was honest, hide from the backlash of his latest breakup. His plan had been to bide his time here, be polite, then go home and tell his parents the company should save its money. He was slowly being seduced by the town and his fake fiancée.
As he was trying to sort the mess in his brain, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the readout. His father. He was surprised it wasn’t his mother. After all, he’d been gone less than forty-eight hours, and he knew how hard it was for them to stay out of his business. He always laughed when his daddy told people he was retired.
Retired, my ass! He spent all his time being a busy body, like Kyle’s mom.
“I need to take this,” he told Pepper. “Business. I’ll take it outside while you do whatever you need to get ready. I won’t be long.”
He walked out through the back door and down to the water. When he was far enough away no one could overhear the conversation, he hit the button to answer.
“Hey, Dad.”
“How’s it going, son?” Hal Montgomery’s gravelly voice boomed over the connection.
“Going fine. Just fine.” More fine than I ever expected.
“And?” Hal prodded. “The B&B? Your mother and I loved it. We see it as the cornerstone of a new division of Montgomery Hotels. Might even change the name of the corporation to encompass everything.”
Kyle ground his teeth. This was taking things way too far, to his way of thinking. They had to make a decision to move forward with this first. Then decide if Hibiscus House was a good cornerstone. Although, he had to admit, it was way more than he’d expected.
“So, are Maggie and her husband still running it?” his father asked. “When we were there, they sort of mentioned turning it over to their daughter.”
Kyle felt a tiny invisible bug crawl up his spine.
“They did, did they?”
“Yep. We met her. Very special young lady, don’t you think?”
Now the bug turned into a swarm of bees. He gripped his phone so tightly he thought he might crack the case.
“Yes, Dad, she’s very nice. Please tell me she’s not the reason you cooked up this trip.”
“Now, why would you think that?” The surprise in Hal Montgomery’s voice couldn’t have been more fake.
Kyle wanted to throw something. “Because you and Mom have been plotting twenty-four/seven to get me married off and provide you with grandchildren.”
“And is that so bad? We’re not getting any younger, you know.” He paused. “And neither are you.”
“I think I can figure that out myself. I really don’t need you and Mom pulling strings in my life for me.” He drew in a deep breath to get hold of his irritation.” This place is nice. More than nice. I’m evaluating the town and the tourist attractions.” He paused. “Strictly on a businesslike basis. And that’s what my report will reflect.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less of you,” Hal said. “All I’m saying is, you can also stop and smell the roses along the way.”
He couldn’t resist saying, “Or in this case hibiscus?”
“I know you said you’d be back Monday, but if you need more time, feel free to take it.”
He could have argued with his father. Told him his schedule was too crowded to take more time. In fact, he needed to call his office now and check up on current projects and make sure the quarterly reports from managers were in. But he kept that to himself.
“See you Monday,” was all he said, and disconnected the call.
He glanced back toward the B&B and when he didn’t see anyone on the back porch looking for him, he pressed speed dial for his office.
“I think this is the longest you’ve ever gone without calling the office,” his assistant, Julie, said. “Are you sick?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Julie had been with him ten years, and he allowed her more leeway than he gave his mother. “I’m checking to make sure we’re on track with everything.”
“Of course we’re on track,” she sassed. “I want to earn my pay, don’t I?”
He wondered how he would ever run the business if she left him. Sometimes he thought she knew more about it than he did.
“I just wanted to let you know I’ll be back Monday for sure.” He had not told Julie where he was going. He’d expected this to come to nothing, and he didn’t want her asking him a ton of questions.
“Are you ever going to tell me why you ran away on some super-secret trip without giving me the details?”
“Maybe. If you’re a very good girl.” Except at the moment he wasn’t sure what he’d tell her. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“Kyle? Tomorrow is Saturday. I’ll be home having fun. Maybe you should think about doing the same.”
Tomorrow was Saturday? Good lord! He really was falling apart.
“Good-bye, Julie.” He could hear her laughing as he disconnected.
What was wrong with him? But he thought he knew the answer. He was besotted by a gorgeous, sexy woman who had crawled into every part of his body and bewitched him. When he started this game yesterday morning—yesterday morning? Had only one day passed?—he’d thought this would be fun. He could play along with Pepper Thornton’s little game and enjoy a trip he hadn’t wanted to take in the first place. But last night had changed things in a way he’d never expected. For the first time in his life, he had a situation he wasn’t sure he could handle.
Because, come Monday morning, he’d be out of here. He had no plans to give his father the recommendation he’d wanted, and he knew he’d never see Pepper again. What he didn’t understand was why all that made him feel so bad.
Stuffing the phone into his pocket, he headed back to the B&B. Whatever happened, he planned to make sure both of them enjoyed today. Then he’d see what happened.
7
The sun had begun to sink below the horizon when Captain Jim brought them back to the dock. They were slightly sunburned and windblown, and pleasantly buzzed from the wine in the excellent picnic basket. Maggie Thornton had outdone herself.
“Hope you all had a good time,” the old man said as he parked the boat neatly in its slip. Kyle leaped down to help secure the ropes.
“I sure did,” he said. Then he looked up at Pepper. “Thank you for another great day.”
“You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.” She gave her hand to Kyle so he could help her off the boat.
“You should take your man to the Lighthouse for dinner,” Captain Jim told her.
“I’m not sure we’re fit company for a public place right now,” Kyle laughed, indicating their somewhat bedraggled state.
“You are for that place,” Captain Jim told him. “Lots of boaters go there after a day out on the bay.”
“Then thanks for the suggestion. And thanks again for the trip.”
He kept his fingers linked with Pepper’s as they walked to the end of the dock.
“We don’t have to go to dinner if you’d rather not,” he told her.
“You really should see the Lighthouse. And of course I want to have dinner with my fiancé.” She stressed the last word.
He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. The gesture made her blood heat and the beat of her pulse accelerate. It amazed
her what this man could do to her body with such a simple action. She wondered if when they got back to Hibiscus House, they would have a repeat of the night before. Come Monday, Kyle would be gone and she’d be left to pick up the pieces of this charade. Was it so terrible to want as much as she could get before then?
“Then let’s do it.”
The Lighthouse was exactly what its name implied—an old lighthouse, out on a spit of land that poked into Hibiscus Bay.
“When it was taken out of service,” Pepper told Kyle as she pulled into the parking area, “a couple bought it and renovated it. Their living quarters are on the top floor, but the lower floor is a small restaurant. They added on a big porch to increase seating, including storm windows that can be lowered when the weather isn’t so good.”
It was a very romantic place, with candles in hurricane lamps on the tables providing most of the light and soft music playing through speakers set high up near the ceiling. Pepper loved the place, but this was the first time she’d come here with a man she actually had romantic thoughts about. And wasn’t that such a sad commentary on her life.
No! I have a goal!
She wanted Hibiscus House running at the level she dreamed of. She had an ever-growing list of amenities that she added to all the time. She wanted spa tubs in all the bathrooms. She wanted to enclose the side porch so people could take their tea and pastries or wine and cheese out there if the day turned unseasonably cool. She wanted bigger and better ovens for baking. She wanted…all kinds of things. When she’d made the place a destination spot on every list of bed-and-breakfasts, then she’d think about romance. Besides, this particular romance would be over come Monday.
She noticed Kyle glancing around, taking it all in.
“The owners have done a great job with this,” he commented. “Too often people try the conversion from utility to romance and fail miserably.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Oh? Have you been to a lot of places like this?” She paused. “For romance?”
Kyle grinned. “Not every converted facility has romance in mind.”
Take Me to Bed: A Collection of Naughty Bedtime Stories Page 66
