Crazy for Cole

by Willoughby, Kate

  6

  Because Kiefer worked a lot of early mornings, Fedora sometimes didn’t see him for a couple of days, but on the wonton making day, she got home after her shift at Hat Trick just as he was getting ready for bed.

  “How was work?” she asked.

  “Same old, same old. We ran out of pastry bags and stoppers again and I’m going to have a talk with the shift leads again about ordering. One shift lead in particular. I swear to God, it’s not rocket science, people. You know that saying ‘it’s hard to find good help these days?’ It’s so true, so true. How was your day? No wait. How was the other night? Jeez, I haven’t talked to you since the pretend date. Was Cole bowled over? Did you get a picture of his face?”

  “Only in my brain. I didn’t have my phone out, but it was glorious. He could not have been more surprised.”

  Kiefer glanced at her for a moment then got himself a glass of water. “I know it’s a couple days later so the triumph would have worn off some by now, but there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  She got up, took his glass and set it aside. “We need beer for this conversation.”

  “Oh goody,” he said as she pulled two Saucer Passes out of the fridge. One of the perks of working for Hat Trick was a free six-pack every two weeks.

  They settled on the couch and Fedora told him about the hello kiss that she’d laid on Cole and the good-bye one he’d given her in return.

  “It was smoking hot, Kief. I didn’t expect that. And now Pandora’s Box is open and I can’t put that out of my mind.”

  “Well that’s interesting. Are you going to scratch that itch?” He elbowed her playfully. “It’s been a while since I heard sex noises coming from your room.”

  She gave him a look.

  “What? The walls are thin.”

  “It’s not that. It’s the fact that he’s my boss.”

  “Oh shit. Sorry. I forgot about Mason. You know, you’re right,” Kiefer said. “Best not to mix business with pleasure. He probably sucks in bed anyway.”

  “What makes you say that?” she asked, remembering how strong and assertive Cole’s kiss had been and how much it had turned her on. It might have been an accumulation of all the touches and looks they’d exchanged during dinner, but it also might have been that moment when he’d turned his focus on her and announced that a goodnight kiss was forthcoming. The heat from his gaze had been almost palpable.

  “I mean, he was a pro athlete, right? With dozens, maybe hundreds of women throwing themselves at his feet wherever he went, he probably didn’t have to hone his skills at all. There was always someone new in the wings.”

  “Maybe.” That was a disturbing concept, a revolving door of willing women. Honestly, Cole didn’t seem like a lazy, selfish person but maybe it was better to think that of him so she wasn’t so tempted to find out for real. The amount of raw desire she’d felt when he kissed her indicated he was an amazing lover, but Mason had turned her on too, and look where that had landed her.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Regardless of his skill level, I’m not jumping into bed with him. My job is worth more than a few paltry orgasms. Oh, and speaking of orgasms, guess who’s going to Jade West on Friday night?”

  Kiefer whooped. “I have plans on Friday, but I’ll cancel.”

  She shoved him playfully. “Not you. Me. Cole’s mom has reservations and she invited me to come along.”

  “That’s really nice of her. Is she rich?”

  “No idea, but she’s really nice and a great teacher, by the way.”

  Kiefer blinked. “I forgot about that. Please tell me you brought home some wonton.”

  “It’s in the—”

  But he was already heading for the fridge.

  When Ruth’s friend Sarah called Cole, she fell all over herself thanking him for volunteering.

  He put her on speaker phone because he was in the act of feeding Harry, who liked to insinuate himself in and around Cole’s hands, making it hard to open the can and scoop out the food that Harry so desperately wanted.

  “You’re welcome. It’s for a good cause,” he said, setting Harry’s bowl down.

  “I’m afraid we’ve run out of dinner date donations. We try hard not to burden the bachelors with having to pay for the dates out of pocket. It’s enough that they’re donating their own time for this. You don’t happen to know of any restaurants that might donate dinner-for-two for your date, do you? Or some fun activity, like whale watching or something?”

  He glanced down at Harry, who was already finished and cleaning his face. Idly, Cole wondered what the Guinness world record was for fastest feline scarfer.

  “As a matter of fact, I do. Have you heard of Hat Trick Brewery?”

  “Yes, I have. I keep meaning to go there. I hear the food is really good. The beer too, but I’m not a beer drinker.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m one of the owners and we’d be happy to donate a dinner to the cause.”

  “Oh my gosh. That’s great! Ruth didn’t tell me that you owned Hat Trick Brewery.”

  “Did she mention I used to play for the NHL?”

  “She did mention that.” He thought he heard a smile there.

  “So I’m sure I can get some tickets to a game too.”

  “Cole that sounds absolutely perfect! We had a hockey date last year and it was very popular.”

  “Great.”

  “I’ll think we’ll call your date Fun on Ice. Now, as for the night of, you can basically wear whatever you want, but we suggest that you dress for success, like you might for a night on the town. FYI, the bids come in higher for men in suits.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “Or, gimmicks go over well too. Like we had a brain surgeon last year that walked the stage in scrubs and a mask that he later took off. Kilts are guaranteed to make them swoon. And this is going to sound weird, but facial hair is in right now, a little more than a five o’clock shadow. I’m not sure what that’s about. Maybe the dichotomy between the slick looking clothes and the scruffy face? I don’t know. I prefer the clean-shaven look myself.”

  When Cole’s team had qualified for the playoffs, his traditional playoff beard had always grown in satisfyingly full and because shaving was not his favorite activity, he knew he could go two days before it started turning Sasquatch. Over the past five years or so, parts of it had begun to come in silver, along with his temples. He liked it, felt it made him look more dignified.

  “So, I have a stupid question.”

  “You’re worried about not getting bids,” she said, matter-of-factly.

  “How did you know?”

  “Everyone is afraid of that. Don’t worry. We’ve never had zero bids on a bachelor.”

  “How many years have you been doing this?”

  “Well, only three, but still. We have volunteers ready to start the bidding, just in case, and the auctioneer knows how to make it sound like the winning lady is getting a real bargain, even if there is only one bid.”

  That did not sound encouraging, but it wasn’t as if he could back out. He was committed. He told himself it would be worth it just for the publicity for Hat Trick.

  7

  “Honey, I think you should go without me,” his mom said about two hours before their Jade West reservation. “I’m feeling a little under the weather.”

  Despite the fact that when she’d first arrived in town he thought she might be terminally ill, Cole didn’t for a minute believe she was sick tonight, but he didn’t say a word. Truth was he wanted Fedora all to himself. That way he could focus all his attention on her without distractions.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. You want me to make you some wonton soup?”

  “Oh, you needn’t bother. Just enjoy dinner with Fedora. When you get there, tell Anson I was sorry to have missed him. He and I grew up together on the same street.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Yes. It was a long time ago. Our mothers were best friends, used
to play mah jong together every week. Anyway, give him my regards, please.”

  “Will do.”

  When he picked up Fedora, she looked flat out amazing again. This time her dress hugged every bit of her shapely body. Holy shit, she was one hell of a sexy, curvaceous woman. He still couldn’t quite believe she hid that every day at work.

  “You look like a goddess,” he said.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” Fedora said. “Jade West just isn’t somewhere you wear jeans to.”

  “Why, thank you for the compliment, Cole. You look very handsome too.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay, blah blah blah. I didn’t realize you were such an attention whore. Let’s get going. I don’t want to be late for our reservation.”

  As they approached his car, she stopped. “Where’s Ruth?”

  “She had to bow out,” he said. “The reservation was always for two anyway.”

  Fedora got into the car as he walked around to the driver’s side. “Really? Is she sick?”

  “She’s fine, believe me. She just wanted to give us some alone time. In fact, you may as well know the jig is up.” He turned over the ignition and started down her street. “She knows we’re not dating, but she wants us to.”

  “Really?” She got into the car. “Heh heh. I guess I impressed her.”

  Cole hesitated just a moment before just laying it out there and telling the truth. “You impressed the hell out of her. She’s made up her mind we should be married.”

  Fedora barked out a laugh. “Married? You and me?”

  “She’ll tell you that to your face if you want.”

  “No, no that won’t be necessary. I believe you, but I…” She shook her head. “Your mom’s a decisive woman.”

  “Yes. Definitely.”

  She nudged his thigh as he made a right out of her neighborhood. “Did you get into trouble?”

  “I got a tongue-lashing, that’s for sure, and a pretty hefty guilt trip that resulted in me agreeing to do the auction.”

  “You know what? I’m beginning to be a little afraid of your mom.”

  “If we’re not careful, we will end up married, I guarantee it.”

  “Cole, come on.” She looked at him uneasily. “We’re adults. We have free will.”

  He spared her a glance as he drove onto the freeway. “That’s what you think. Are you telling me your mother doesn’t have some kind of crazy ability to get things done without anyone understanding how she did it?”

  “No, my mom is a magician too. Do you think that’s a mom thing across the board?”

  “I think it’s a good possibility.”

  “You and me married. That’s hilarious,” she said, laughing. “Can you imagine? What a disaster that would be.”

  He didn’t like how enthusiastic her laughter was. “It wouldn’t be that bad,” he said with a frown.

  She scoffed.

  “It wouldn’t,” he argued. “We’re pretty good friends. We like each other, have fun together.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And you can be damned sure we’d enjoy ourselves in bed.” They were at a stoplight so he caught her gaze and held it. “I’d make sure.”

  Her eyes widened slightly before she dropped her gaze. “Cole, stop it.”

  “Why? Are you telling me that kiss the other night was nothing special for you? Because I don’t mind admitting it blew my socks off. It’s all I’ve thought about for days. No. Wait a second. That’s a lie. I’ve also thought about when and how I can kiss you again. If there’s an award to be given out for the world’s most blind idiot, I think I’m a pretty good candidate. I think we’d be great together, Chevy. I really do. The marriage thing—that’s my mom. But I’m game to try something less permanent if you are.”

  “Cole, I…wow. This is out of left field.” She adjusted her seat belt. “I need some time to think about this. There’s a lot on the line here. I’m not really doubting that the sex would be great—”

  Damned straight it would, he thought.

  “But I’m worried about what will happen afterward. I’ve been down this road before and it didn’t end well.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She sighed. “It’s a long story and we’re almost to the restaurant. How about I tell you after dinner?”

  “After? Why not during?” he asked.

  “Because I want to enjoy this meal.”

  Jade West was a swanky place—two huge stone lions flanked the doors and even in the parking lot mouthwatering aromas beckoned. Cole preferred hole-in-the-wall places with questionable, faded and worn-out decor but phenomenal food, like someone’s grandmother was in back, manning the wok. Frou-frou Chinese food seemed like a contradiction in terms. To him, Chinese was comfort food, something meant to be shared family-style, not arranged to within an inch of its life with more visual appeal than flavor. And yet his stomach started growling before they were even through the door.

  Inside, marble, dark wood, green and gold accents dominated. In the foyer, they stood on a floor made of glass through which he could see brightly colored koi fish swimming. There were lush stalks of bamboo everywhere and a beautiful water fountain that looked like a miniature mountain village with a river running through it.

  Cole cleared his throat. “Reservation for Ruth Ripley, party of two.”

  “Ruth Ripley? One moment, sir,” the hostess said as she picked up the phone.

  “This is amazing,” Fedora said, turning in a circle and taking it all in. “It’s so beautiful and chic.”

  “Yeah. It does look pretty nice,” he said. “This fountain is a lot fancier than the fountain we have at Hat—”

  “Where is little Roo-Roo?” a voice said. “Where is she?”

  Roo-Roo?

  Cole turned to see a man, presumably Anson Lau, approaching. Dressed in all black, he was of average height—so a few inches shorter than Cole. He had closely cropped black hair with silver at the temples and a broad welcoming smile.

  “Mr. Lau? I’m Cole, Ruth’s son, and this is Fedora.”

  Lau took his hand and shook it heartily. “Good to meet you. Good to meet you.”

  “My mom couldn’t make it tonight. She was feeling a little under the weather.”

  Lau’s brow furrowed. “Nothing serious, I hope.”

  “No, she’ll be fine after a little rest.”

  “I’ll send some soup home with you for her. Soup and our special tea.” He nodded, as if making a mental note to himself. “Now come, come. I have a special meal planned for you.”

  He brought them to a secluded booth where they were treated like royalty. The meal began with an appetizer of fried tofu with jalapeno and a special seasoned salt. Despite his earlier expectation of disappointment, Cole loved it. He loved spicy food. So did Fedora. Next came some crispy pork belly sliders that were just as good. All in all they enjoyed eight astoundingly delicious dishes, each better than the last and by the time dessert came, Cole wasn’t sure he could eat another bite. But he did because the sugared egg puffs with the whipped cream and two dipping sauces looked too good to pass up.

  “This last puff has your name on it,” he said, pushing the plate toward Fedora.

  “Oh my gosh, I don’t think I can eat it. I’m stuffed. I’m going to explode.” She slumped down in the booth a little. “But it was so good.”

  “You haven’t stopped moaning since we started eating.”

  “I couldn’t help myself.”

  When he finally got her into bed, she wouldn’t be able to help herself then either.

  Anson Lau pulled up a chair. “So, did you enjoy the meal?”

  “I have no words,” Fedora said. “I only just met you and yet after eating your food, I feel as if…as if we’re friends now. That’s the only way I can describe it. Your personality shines in the food and that’s something I want to be able to do too.”

  “You already do,” Cole said.

  She patted him on the arm. “No, I don’t. Not real
ly. I have limitations.”

  “What limitations?” he asked. “We give you pretty much free reign.”

  “You’re a chef?” Lau asked.

  “I am, I work for Cole and his two partners at the Hat Trick Tasting Room.”

  Lau gasped. “How long have you been there?”

  “Thirteen, fourteen months. Something like that.”

  “I will come taste your food. I am a big beer fan and I love the beer, but I’m sorry, Cole, the food wasn’t that good when I was there a couple of years ago.”

  “No apologies necessary. That’s why we made the change. Fedora’s food is excellent. People are starting to come now for more than just beer. You won’t be disappointed.”

  She kicked him under the table. “Cole, don’t raise his expectations. I’m already getting palpitations thinking about Mr. Lau coming to Hat Trick.”

  “Call me Anson. Please don’t worry. I’m sure it will be delicious.”

  Back at her apartment, they sat in her living room. It wasn’t anything near as nice as Cole’s place in Coronado, but she liked it. Her place was small and more cozy than showy. On a scale of one to ten—one being fraternity house and ten being Architectural Digest—she and Kiefer’s apartment was probably a three. It was something she always intended to do something about, but always managed to put off.

  “So,” she said, facing him on the couch. She’d changed into some sweat pants and a T-shirt. “Time for my depressing life story.”

  “Do I need alcohol?” he asked.

  “No. You don’t, but I probably do.”

  “It can’t be that bad. Just tell me what happened. I promise I won’t judge you.”

  “Okay, here we go,” she said, taking a deep breath and tucking one leg beneath her. “When I graduated from culinary school, valedictorian of my class, I might add, I got a job right off the bat as a line cook in a nice restaurant up in LA. The chef was respected in the business and made amazing food, so I was excited. I had a lot to learn still, but I was determined to get promoted to sous chef as soon as possible.

  “It so happened that this chef, who shall remain nameless, was very good looking and charming too, so when he directed that charm at me, I stupidly gave in.”