by Lee McKenzie
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She headed for the office. “If anyone else shows up, I’ll be in here.”
Eric grinned. “You got it. Unless maybe you’d like to go home and change your clothes, fix your hair…”
She stopped in the doorway and swung around. “What part of ‘don’t start with me’ didn’t you understand?”
He laughed. “What was I thinking? You look…unbelievable.”
“Michael is coming here to apologize. He’s the one who needs to make a good impression.”
“And I’m sure he will. Now go and finish sulking and I’ll fix you something to eat.”
Chapter Thirteen
Michael parked behind Jess’s red Vespa. Instead of getting out, he sat for a minute and rehearsed his apology one last time. After Lexi had called to say Jess had agreed to see him, he hadn’t wasted any time getting here. The most he could hope for now was that she wasn’t having second thoughts, and that he would sound as sincere as he felt.
If Jess had been any other woman, his apology would have been accompanied by an expensive piece of jewelry, or at least an enormous bouquet of flowers. Jess was no ordinary woman, though, and he already knew better than to show up bearing gifts. They would not be well received. Lexi had also warned him about using excuses, but when it came down to it, there was no excusing his behavior. With any luck, she would accept his apology, and then maybe she would consider his new proposition.
One step at a time, he reminded himself.
Eric was behind the bar, and Larry and Bill were in their usual seats. There was no sign of Jess. The two mechanics greeted him cautiously. Apparently, they’d been told how badly he screwed up. Eric was smiling, though, and Michael took that to be a good sign. “She’s in the office,” he said, pointing to the door that was slightly ajar. “Can I get you something? A beer, maybe?”
Michael just wanted to get this over with. “No, thanks.” Maybe later, if he was lucky.
He tapped lightly on the door.
“What.”
He went in and closed it.
She was sitting on an old oak banker’s chair with her back to the door. She didn’t turn around.
“Jess?”
The chair creaked and then groaned as she slowly swiveled to face him. Her eyes were red rimmed and a little puffy as though she’d been crying, and her lips were locked into a thin line. On the way over here, he had figured out exactly what he needed to say to her, all the while thinking he couldn’t possibly feel like more of an idiot. Wrong. Seeing her like this made him feel like the insensitive, arrogant ass he clearly was.
“I’m so sorry.” Damn. That was not what he’d planned to say. I’m sorry never sounded sincere.
“You should be.”
He didn’t want to smile, but he couldn’t help himself.
“This is not funny.”
“You’re right. It isn’t. I’ve made a complete mess of things, Jess, and I really am sorry.” Ugh, he’d said it again.
Her mouth softened a little. “You had no business interfering in my business, and one more thing. If I need help, I’ll ask for it.”
He wondered what it would take to make her smile. “When was the last time you asked anyone for help?”
She had to think about that. “Once in a while my friends Rory and Paige help me figure out what to wear.”
He had not expected her to say that, and it made him laugh. He couldn’t help it. In an old green-and-navy-plaid shirt over a gray T-shirt, she looked like a cross between a teenage tomboy and a construction worker. Her high-tops were untied and one of the knees of her jeans had the makings of a hole in it. “If I had to guess, I’d say today wasn’t one of those days.”
“You’re kind of on thin ice here.” Laugh lines appeared around her eyes, though. “I’m not a fashion plate and I never pretended to be.”
Would she believe him if he told her that he liked what he saw? Not likely. “Getting back to my apology…I want you to know it was never my intention to hurt you. I convinced myself that getting you to sell this place was in your best interest. It was stupid and arrogant and I’m…” He couldn’t keep saying he was sorry. “I was wrong.”
He wanted to tell her that he’d like to help her get back on her feet, but it was too soon for that. Hell, he had to face facts—he might never get the chance. But he could make an offer, at least in a general way. “If there’s anything I can do to help…to undo the trouble I’ve caused you…I hope you’ll let me.”
“Lexi said you had something in mind.”
She sounded interested, and he figured it was now or never. “Building permits, bank loans, I can help with all of that, if you’ll let me.”
He watched the emotions flicker across her face. Uncertainty, consideration and finally a decision. Even before she spoke, he knew her answer wouldn’t be what he wanted to hear.
“It’s tempting, but I can’t accept.”
He was a man who didn’t like to take no for an answer, so he really had to struggle against his natural instinct to make her change her mind.
“You understand why, right?”
He didn’t, and he might as well tell her. What did he have to lose? “There are no strings, Jess.”
“But the thing is, you hardly know me. And it’s not like we’re…” She stopped and looked away.
“We’re not what?”
She shrugged and her face went pink.
Sleeping together? Is that what she was going to say? He couldn’t decide if he should be flattered or offended. He wanted her in his life and yes, he’d certainly like to have her in his bed, but that’s not what this was about. “I know you well enough to say I’d like to know you better. And what you said about why your family business is so important…that’s what motivates me.”
She looked less guarded, as though she might even forgive him, and then the uncertainty in her eyes was replaced with guilt and she shook her head. “I can’t. It feels too risky, especially for you.”
He knew she didn’t see herself as being a good businesswoman, but he’d seen her in the bar with her customers and she was in her element. And she didn’t have to agree to his offer right now, he reminded himself. The important thing now was to regain her trust.
He took a step into the small, cluttered space. He wanted to touch her, and if she’d let him get close, he might get her to open up again. And then his phone rang. He would have turned it off or left it in the car if he hadn’t been waiting for a call from Ginny. And this call was from her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s my family. I really have to take it.”
She shrugged.
“Ginny, hi,” he said without taking his eyes off Jess. “How’s Mom?”
“The hospital just called. She’s out of surgery and everything went well. They said she’s awake but still groggy.”
“Are you still at the house?”
“I am. Mom’s in good hands and I don’t want to take Ben back to the hospital.”
“Is he there with you now?”
“No, he’s outside with the dog. I asked him to take her out because I don’t want him to hear me talking about Mom and the hospital.”
Jess was listening intently, and in such a small space, there was a good chance she could hear both sides of the conversation.
“Good idea.”
“Do you know when you’ll be home?”
“Ah…I’m in a meeting right now. I’ll leave in an hour or so.”
“Wonderful. I told Ben you were coming.”
“I’m guessing he wants to work on the car.” He caught Jess’s smile.
“No, but you might be surprised by what he did say.”
“What’s that?”
“He said, ‘Mikey’s bringing Jessie.’”
That made him laugh, and he could tell from Jess’s widening grin that she’d heard it, too.
Their gazes locked.
“Can’t hurt to ask,” he said.
Her eyebrows shot up.
“Are you serious?” Ginny asked.
“Of course I’m serious. I’ll let you know what she says.”
Jess lowered her eyebrows and knitted them together.
He took advantage of her unabashed eavesdropping and silent questions to take a step closer. He ended the call and took another step, stopping in front of her so she had to tip her head back to look up at him. He put his phone in his pocket and held out one hand.
Would she take it?
She did.
Her skin felt soft and cool. He helped her up and held his ground, and when she was standing there was only a narrow space between them. The chair and desk behind her prevented her from backing away, but she didn’t seem to mind. “That was Ginny. My mother had to have an emergency appendectomy today. She’s in the hospital.”
“Lexi told me. I’m glad to hear she’s okay.”
“What else did you hear?”
“That Ben asked for me. That’s so sweet.”
He took her other hand. “Ben has good taste in women.”
Finally she smiled for real. He squeezed her hands and resisted the temptation to kiss her. She was coming around, but she wasn’t there yet.
“I wish you were coming home with me,” he said.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I am. We…my sisters and I…we’ve been afraid something like this was going to happen. Ben’s a great kid, but he’s been very sheltered and he has a really tough time coping with any disruption to his routine. Ginny’s staying with him right now, but we have to find someone to come and help with Ben while our mother recuperates.”
“Are you asking me to go with you?”
“What would your answer be if I did?”
“If you want to find out, I guess you’ll have to ask.”
After everything that had happened today, he couldn’t believe she wanted him to. He turned her hands over in his and slowly drew the pads of his thumbs across her palms. “Will you come home with me tonight?”
Without hesitation, she nodded. “I will if Eric will cover for me.”
Kissing her no longer seemed risky—it seemed like the right to do—so he lowered his head and touched her lips with his. He kept it light and quick, which wasn’t easy when she kissed him back.
“Does this mean you’re done being mad at me?” he asked.
“I’m getting there.”
“That makes me a lucky man,” he said.
“But if you ever do anything like this again…”
Not in a million years. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I get that.” He admired her determination and independence, but he would also love to give her the things she’d had to live without. “Good.”
“So…you’ll talk to Eric about tonight?”
“I’m sure he won’t mind. I’ll ask him right now.”
Michael hoped Eric would agree, because he was already formulating a new plan, one that involved Jess and his family, and a lot more than just one night.
Idiot, he chided himself. Here you go again. Hatching a plan that involves her, but without discussing it with her. He’d learned a couple of valuable lessons today. He couldn’t make decisions for her, and he needed to slow down and take things one day at a time. His father used to say, Good things come to those who wait. He finally understood, and he really hoped his father was right.
Chapter Fourteen
For the past five weeks, Jess had felt as though she’d been living someone else’s life, and tonight was no exception.
Morgan’s at the Wharf was decked out for New Year’s Eve, and from the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, Jess waited for the countdown and fireworks to begin. Michael stood behind her, both arms wrapped snugly around her waist. She leaned back against him, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. Of everything that had happened, there was no question that being with him was the hardest to believe.
Although the part about “being with him” was being used in the loosest possible sense of the term. All these weeks she had been living in his mother’s house and sleeping in his mother’s guest room, and nothing had happened. Without actually saying it again, his rule about what wasn’t going to happen in a bed in his mother’s house was apparently carved in stone. In spite of several hot and heavy make-out sessions, they still hadn’t made love, but that was about to change…tonight. She’d shaved her legs and everything.
She’d gone up to the valley when Sophia was in the hospital because Ben had asked for her. And, yes, because in spite of what Michael and Lexi had done, she still wanted to be with him. Once she was there, he’d made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.
She would stay with Ben and his mother, and while she was there, she would close the bar and Lexi would oversee the renovations. Michael and Lexi, true to their word, were the well-connected masters of fast-tracking. Jess was blown away by what they had accomplished in such a short time. Every day Lexi was in touch by phone, getting her approval on things and sending photographs by email so she could keep up with all the changes at the Whiskey Sour. Once a week Ginny spent the day with her mother and brother so Jess could run down to the city and see the progress firsthand. Just this week the turquoise booths had been installed, and they were even more perfect than Jess had imagined.
Tonight, Ginny and her husband had offered to stay at the house with Sophia and Ben so Jess could come to the New Year’s Eve party at the wine bar on the wharf. The week before Christmas she had come into the city for a day of shopping with Rory and she’d found the dress she was wearing tonight—a sleek, long-sleeved, scoop-necked dream of a dress in a deep shade of teal-blue with just a hint of sparkle. It was the first truly dressy dress she’d ever bought for herself, and she loved it. Rory’s one concession had been with the shoes. Jess had insisted on flats because she was more comfortable in them, and because she secretly liked giving Michael the advantage of being that much taller.
She had finally met a man who looked at her in a way that made her bones melt. From the beginning he’d been clear about what he wanted, and yet he had shown remarkable restraint. He made her want to be touched, and that was a new experience for her. So far he hadn’t said anything about her dress, though. His eyes and his hands had done all the talking.
Tonight they were staying in the city. They hadn’t exactly talked about it, but her suitcase was already in his apartment, and when they got there, the rule about not making love in a bed in his mother’s house did not apply. And if he had any doubts about whether or not it was going to happen, she just happened to be wearing a seductively sexy pale pink bra and matching panties that would seal the deal. Rory had said they were meant to be put on so they could be taken off, and she must be right because they were the least comfortable things Jess had ever worn. More than once that evening she had contemplated taking them off and going commando, except she wasn’t a commando kind of girl.
A waiter appeared at their side with a tray of champagne flutes. Without letting her go, Michael took two glasses from the tray and set them on the table next to them. “Thanks, Dylan,” he said to the young man. “Happy New Year.” And then he slid his arm around her again.
Jess rotated her head slightly so she could look up at him. “Do you know the names of all your employees?”
“It’s one of the lessons my father and grandfather taught me. If you’re not on a first-name basis with all of your employees, then your company is too big to qualify as a family business.”
He never ceased to amaze her. “Sounds like something my granddad would have said, but he only had a handful of people working for him. Will the fireworks start exactly at midnight?”
“On the stroke of twelve.”
It would be the perfect end to a perfect year in—she craned her neck to see the big clock behind the orchestra—four minutes. She caught a glimpse of Rory and Mitch on the dance floor
, then Nicola and Jonathan swung into view. “Thank you for inviting my friends to join us tonight. It’s been great having them here.”
“They seem to be enjoying themselves.”
“What’s not to enjoy? Everything—the food, wine, music, decorations—it’s all perfect.” She’d been thrilled that they had all decided to ring in the New Year together. She scanned the crowd, looking for Paige and Andy. She didn’t know where they’d disappeared to, but she was sure they’d reappear to see the fireworks. Maria and Tony were sitting together on a banquette near the windows, Maria snug and secure in the protective circle of her husband’s arm. Lexi was there, too, and since she claimed to be between boyfriends, she’d talked Eric into coming with her. The two of them had struck up a friendship while working together on the renovations at the Whiskey Sour.
In lots of ways, Jess still felt like the awkward girl in the strapless gown who’d caught Michael’s eye at Rory and Mitch’s wedding. In so many others, she felt as though she’d been transformed into a woman with a promising business, a family and a man who appeared to be as much in love with her as she was with him.
The clock showed one minute to midnight.
Michael moved beside her. She felt chilled now that his body heat wasn’t mingling with hers.
“There’s something I need to ask you,” he said.
The band riffed a familiar tune that segued into the countdown. “Ten!…nine!…”
She smiled up at him. “Ask away.”
“Eight!…seven!…six!…”
He slipped an arm around her waist. “I love you, Jess.” It was exactly what she’d dreamed he would say someday and the one thing she hadn’t dared to hope for.
“Five!…four!…three!…two!…”
“Will you marry me?”
“One!”
“Yes. Yes!” She was vaguely aware of an explosion of lights over the bay and the cheers of “Happy New Year” around them, but they could have been miles away. The only tangible thing was the warmth of Michael’s lips on hers.
She tipped her head back and looked at him. “Are you serious?” And had she really said yes?
