by Holly Jacobs
To be honest, it really didn’t matter. Once Parker gave Tanner the royal kiss-off, he’d be gone. And of course, Shey would be glad to see the last of him.
Yes, that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was simply an odd manifestation of her happiness.
CHAPTER SIX
That evening Tanner watched as Shey told her new employee, Shelly, she could go home.
At last they’d be alone.
He’d been bursting with a sense of what was possible all day, wanting to tell Shey he was truly free of his delusional engagement.
His meeting with Parker had been rather straightforward. They’d both agreed that the engagement was a farce, that they were both clear of it and had parted on good terms.
He’d felt an unbelievable sense of relief as he left his childhood friend at her apartment. He’d been a fool to think that he’d ever be able to settle into an arranged relationship. What he wanted was something less formal. Something different. Something…someone like Shey Carlson.
He wasn’t sure where a relationship with Shey would end, but he was sure it would be like that first ride on the back of her Harley. An exciting and invigorating ride into new, uncharted territories. With Shey at the wheel, it couldn’t be anything but that.
The first step was asking her to go out with him on a real date.
But Shey had been avoiding him all day. There’d been no time for heart-to-heart talks. Now that Shelly was leaving, Shey would have to talk to him.
Peter, who had been milling around the shop all night, asked, “I’m going to take Shelly home, all right?”
“Sure,” he said, even as Shelly said, “I can get home on my own.”
Peter ignored the woman’s protest and followed her out of the shop. He shot Tanner a quick wave and said, “Don’t wait up for me.”
Shey walked over to the door and flipped the sign to Closed.
“You can leave now, as well,” she said, blunt and to the point.
“Oh, I don’t mind waiting,” he assured her.
She rolled her eyes and walked back behind the counter muttering. He caught words such as prince, and pain. It didn’t take any great leap of intuition to fill in the blanks.
She opened the refrigerator and took out an assortment of items. Lunch meat, lettuce, mayonnaise. Then she opened up a loaf of bread and started making sandwiches.
“What are you doing?” he asked, suspecting she was stalling, trying to keep busy.
But it didn’t matter. He’d wait. He felt light, as if breaking things off officially with Parker had set him free.
“Uh…” Shey looked embarrassed, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “I’m making some sandwiches for tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until morning and make them fresh?”
Rather than answer, she said, “Why don’t you fill the salt shakers and sugars instead of watching me work and second-guessing my methods?”
Tanner, feeling fairly adept at the whole shop thing, obliged. But even as he worked, he watched her. When Shey had filled the tray with sandwiches, she lifted it and carried it into the back, rather than wrapping them and putting them in the front cooler.
Tanner was pretty sure he knew what she was doing, but cracked the door and watched, just to be sure.
She opened the back door, and sure enough, there was a small crowd waiting for her there.
“Leo,” she said as the first person approached. “Did you sleep inside last night?”
“Sure did, Shey. My cough’s almost gone.” He helped himself to two sandwiches, stuffing one in his pocket and taking a bite of the other. “You make the best ham and cheese.”
“I don’t think it takes any special talent to take a piece of ham, cheese and add a bit of lettuce.”
“It’s your special sauce.”
She chuckled. “Mayonnaise and mustard. Nothing special there.”
She greeted the rest of them by name, chatting with them, laughing with them.
Silently, Tanner held the door ajar. He’d been touched the first time he’d witness her handing out leftovers from the day. But today had been crazy…busy.
There were no leftovers.
So she’d made more sandwiches.
Tanner felt something warm spread through his system. Shey. She was a most amazing woman.
The phone in his pocket rang its little chimes. He quickly stepped back and started to close the door to the kitchen, but not before Shey turned and saw him.
Their eyes met and held. And for that split second they were the only two people in the world.
The phone rang again, and the moment slipped by. Shey scowled, but Tanner wasn’t fooled. It wasn’t so much his presence, but that he’d caught her in the midst of an act of kindness. He didn’t know Shey as well as he planned to, but he knew her well enough to realize that she wanted her many kindnesses to remain secret.
She tried to maintain her image as a tough-guy…girl. No, woman. Shey Carlson was all woman. A woman who tried to present a tough image, but who in reality was a soft touch.
The phone rang a third time.
Tanner dug it out of his pocket. “Yes.”
“Just where are you now, boss?” Emil asked.
Shey stalked out of the kitchen and shot him a disgruntled look.
He couldn’t help but smile, not the least bit intimidated.
“Boss?” Emil repeated.
“I’m fine,” he replied, not really answering the question about his whereabouts.
“You’re still tracking the princess? Want some help?”
“No. I caught up with the princess this afternoon and we’ve decided things aren’t going to work between us. I’m officially unengaged.” He caught Shey’s eyes as she looked up at the words.
“So we’re going home?” Emil asked. “It’s about time. Between you and your chase, and now Peter’s odd infatuation with some girl, things are out of control. It’s time to go.”
“No, we’re not going home.” Tanner’s gaze held Shey’s. “No, not quite yet.”
“But if you’re not going after the princess anymore then—” Emil cut himself off abruptly. “Oh.”
“Would you care to explain that oh?” Tanner asked.
“No, I don’t think I would.” The guard laughed and said, “But if I were to make a guess, I’d say that the reason we’re staying a little longer has red hair and plays a mean hand of poker.”
“You do remember that I’m your employer, right? And that discretion is part of the job description?”
“Sure thing,” Emil assured him, not a hint of being intimidated in his voice. “I did call you boss, after all.”
Tanner was pretty sure that being called boss on occasion didn’t necessarily mean anyone in fact remembered he was supposedly in charge.
“I gave Peter the night off, so don’t wait up for him,” Tanner told Emil.
“Wait up for Peter? I’m not that crazy. You know how he is.”
Tanner thought about the way Peter had been acting around Shey’s newest employee, Shelly. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “Something seems different this time.” He heard a distinct scoff on the other end of the phone. “Since I won’t be back, you and Tonio have the night off.”
“I don’t know about Tonio, but I’m going to stay safely in the hotel so whatever is causing all this women-on-the-brain stuff doesn’t affect me.”
“I’ll see you sometime tomorrow,” Tanner concluded, then disconnected.
“You should have told him you’d be back soon,” Shey said, obviously not the least bit embarrassed to practically admit she’d been eavesdropping.
Not that Tanner had tried very hard to keep his conversation private. He’d wanted her to hear the part about his never-quite-real engagement being officially over. She hadn’t asked how his meeting with Parker had gone. Not that he expected her to.
“Maybe I was hoping you’d go out with me when we finished up here.”
�
��Sorry. If you’ve finally admitted there’s nothing between you and Parker, then my job’s over.”
She was trying to get rid of him, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. But he didn’t think it would take her long to figure out that getting rid of him wasn’t all that easy.
“Good,” he said. “I don’t want to be a job for you.” He took a step toward her.
“What do you want?” Shey asked, ducking behind the counter, using it as a barrier between them.
“I think you know,” he said, leaning toward her.
“Get that kissy look off your face,” she snapped, stepping back so that the only way he could reach her would be to climb over the counter, or come around.
“There will be no more of that,” she assured him.
“Why not?” he asked. “I’m officially a free man now. We’re both young and single. There’s definitely a spark between us.You know it’s what we both want.”
“There are a lot of things I might want, but don’t allow myself to have. Too much fried food, for instance. I might enjoy it, but I avoid it. Gives me heartburn.”
“Do you think there’s something Freudian to comparing me to a burning heart?”
She shook her head. “You’re impossible, and you’re also a prince. A prince who’s going home.”
“I haven’t decided when I’m going home. There are still a few sights in Erie I’d like to see. A few things I’d like to do.”
“Fine. You’d best call your men and start seeing and doing them so you can leave.”
“I’d rather see them and do them with you.”
“I don’t think so. There’s no point. Now, if you don’t mind—”
“Fine. I’ll go for now, but I’ll be back.”
* * *
I’ll be back, Tanner had said Sunday when he’d left Monarch’s. And he had indeed followed through, coming back day after day, no matter how rude Shey tried to be.
As a matter of fact, the man seemed to thrive on her insults.
He came by Monarch’s when she was working, offering to help. Shey refused.
That didn’t stop him. He sat with his henchman, Peter, and became a day-long customer.
Come to think of it, Peter had pretty much made himself a fixture at the shop. At least, whenever Shelly Richer was working.
The newly divorced mother of two seemed as flustered by Peter’s attentions as Shey felt over Tanner’s. She truly didn’t know what to do with the prince.
It got worse midweek when Tanner started sending flowers.
Flowers?
Shey had never thought of herself as a flower sort of woman. And although she scowled for Tanner’s benefit, she liked that he’d figured out she wasn’t the type to appreciate roses. Hothouse flowers didn’t impress her. But the small arrangement of daises…well, if she was someone who liked flowers, she’d probably pick daisies. Something that grew wild, with little regard for the rules.
On Saturday she opened the store.
No flowers were waiting.
And no Tanner.
Well, that was good, she assured herself as she started the coffee and signed for her morning delivery of pastries from the bakery. Maybe Tanner had finally gotten the hint. She hadn’t been subtle, after all.
She’d served the first customers and began loading up the display case when the bell over the door chimed. She looked up, expecting Tanner. And assured herself that was relief she felt when she saw it was Parker walking in the door.
Yes, that sinking feeling in her stomach had to be relief. The prince was finally out of her hair. He’d finally gotten her not-so-subtle hints.
“Hey,” she said to Parker.
Parker grunted a response.
Parker wasn’t much of a grunter—it wasn’t really a princessy trait—so it wasn’t hard to guess something was wrong.
“Bad day?” Shey asked.
“No, of course not,” Parker replied. “I mean, if it was a bad day I’d simply call my daddy and tell him to make it better. I’m a princess, after all, and I get what I want.”
“Parker?” Shey asked, wishing Cara was here. It was obvious that Parker was about to unload all sorts of emotional baggage stuff, and Cara was much better at handling that than she was.
Much, much better.
Shey studied Parker and concluded that whatever was bothering her friend had to do with a man. Jace? Probably. She knew that particular expression of annoyance on Parker. She’d probably worn it herself as she dealt with a certain irksome prince.
Though she wasn’t sure what Jace had done, she knew Parker needed to vent. Again, she thought about calling Cara, who would certainly know the right words to say to calm Parker down. But before she could make her move, Parker whirled around and said, “Problems? What kind of problems could a princess like me possibly have? I’m spoiled. I have the world at my feet, my every desire within my grasp. All I have to do is wish it and make it so.”
Yes, she’d been right—a man. She looked toward the doorway to the bookstore and wished Cara would suddenly appear. When Cara didn’t appear, Shey tried to think of something comforting to say and finally settled for, “Men are more trouble than they’re worth.”
Parker took a deep breath and seemed to get herself under control. “Not all men, it appears. Judging from the flowers and his constant presence at the store whenever you’re working, I’d say Tanner’s proving worth it. Are you two having fun?”
“Fun? Ha,” Shey scoffed. “Torture. The guy won’t take no for an answer.”
Except, he wasn’t here, so maybe he had.
“Do you really want him to?” Parker asked softly.
“Of course I do. I mean, he’s a prince. He’s got more important problems than making me miserable.”
Parker shook her head. “I don’t know, Shey, he’s been very persistent.”
“He was persistent with you, and eventually he got the message and gave up. He’ll get my message soon. Why, he’s not here this morning, so maybe he’s already got it.”
“You know, that’s the thing. He wasn’t all that persistent about finding me. I mean, after you picked him up at the airport and we had that first confrontation, avoiding him wasn’t all that hard.” She studied Shey a moment and added, “Not hard at all.”
“Because I was running interference,” Shey said quickly, not sure she liked the way this conversation was turning. “Hey, have you given any thought to the new cappuccino machine?” she asked, hoping to get Parker off her current train of thought.
“Or,” Parker said slowly, as she glanced at the flowers Tanner had sent, “maybe Tanner wasn’t all that persistent because he wasn’t as convinced as he pretended to be that us was a good idea. He seems to be more convinced—more persistent—about you.”
“I’m just a passing mental aberration, a substitute because you shut him down.”
“Shey, you are many things, but a substitute for anyone isn’t one of them. You’re unique. Incredible. Tanner would be lucky if his pursuit paid off.”
Shey stuffed her hands in her pockets and wondered what to say to that. She never knew what to make of compliments. They made her distinctly uncomfortable. So she ignored them altogether and simply zeroed in on the Tanner part. “I think he’s done pursuing. He’s not here now. That’s a first. He’s probably on his way back to Amar.”
“I don’t think so,” Parker said.
“Well, I do. And it’s just as…” Shey let the sentence trail off as the door to Monarch’s opened and Tanner walked in, trailed by a guy with a violin.
A real violinist, carrying his violin in the crook of his neck and not in a case.
“Tanner,” Shey said, her voice full of warning. Any sane person would hear her and be afraid—very afraid. But Tanner wasn’t most people.
He smiled a very unprincely, got-ya sort of grin and said, “Shey, this is my friend David.”
The man bowed, then stood, violin poised in the crook of his neck again.
“What do you and David want?”
“I’m here to ask you out on a real date. And since I know how you’re apt to respond, David’s here as moral support.”
“No,” she said.
She’d have to be out of her mind to go on a real date with Tanner. Look what happened when she was with him and not dating. An awful lot of kissing, that’s what. And the last thing she needed was to risk more kissing…and more.
“Okay, David,” Tanner said, “she asked for it.”
The violinist started playing a slow, mournful tune.
“Stop that,” Shey insisted. “Parker, help me get them out!”
Parker didn’t answer, and Shey turned and found Parker hadn’t answered because she couldn’t—she was too busy laughing hysterically.
Cara came in from the bookstore and said loudly so as to be heard over the violin, “Shey, what are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything. This guy—”
“David,” Tanner supplied.
“David’s doing it.” She turned to the violinist. “Stop.”
He just kept on playing.
“I hired him and he won’t stop until I say so,” Mr. I-can-buy-whatever-I-want said.
“What will it take for you to say so?” Shey asked, though she already knew.
“A date.”
“Browbeating women into dating you isn’t very princely. It’s blackmail.”
“Not really,” Tanner said. “I mean, it could have been much worse. I was going to hire a hand-organist. That would have been blackmail.”
“An accordion?” Shey said.
“Or a bagpiper,” he said happily. “I think they’re my next step. Have you ever been serenaded by the bagpipes? Maybe a whole band of bagpipes? It might be good for business.”
“Tanner, this isn’t funny.” Shey felt an overwhelming need to stomp her foot again, and ignoring the feeling was harder than it should be. Tanner could try anyone’s patience enough to need an occasional stomp.
“It’s not funny at all,” she repeated.
Parker’s giggling sort of took away from that comment.
“Cut it out,” she said to her friend. Parker didn’t even try to stop. As a matter of fact, her laughter escalated.
