Veronica’s face lit up. “Isn’t that cute? You’re going to be my sous chef, Maddie.”
Maddie gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Give me the knife,” she said to the chef through clenched teeth.
“Uh…” Louise raised her hand. “Maybe weapons aren’t such a good thing to have here.”
Chef Dean let out a hearty laugh. “They’re not weapons, my dear. Used the way I demonstrated, they are precious equipment used to create extraordinary culinary taste experiences.”
Louise worried her lip. “Is that before or after someone dies?”
“Wow, somebody is morbid,” Michael’s mother commented, wrinkling her nose.
“Don’t worry,” Maddie said, taking the knife from Chef Dean. “I’m a professional, remember?”
“I like this one’s attitude,” Chef Dean said. “First rule in the kitchen is to not be intimidated by the kitchen. Yes?”
“Yes.” Maddie grabbed a yellow bell pepper and began slicing it in perfect julienne strips. She may not have a job to use her skills, but she hadn’t forgotten them. Chef Dean patted her on the shoulder when she was finished and gave her an approving smile.
Take that, Veronica!
Veronica frowned at the plate of uncooked meat. “Does it always look so…dead?”
That remark was rewarded by several chuckles from the audience of women. Chef Dean cleared his throat. “If you think it looks dead now, wait until you drop it into the pan of hot oil.”
“Do I, uh, have to touch it?” she asked.
Maddie picked up a pair of tongs and held them out to her. “Use these.”
Chef Dean handed her a white onion. “You seem very comfortable working in a kitchen,” he commented to her.
“I am.” Maddie smiled. “I have some restaurant experience at the Red Tomato but things didn’t work out and they cut their staff.” Thanks to the no good rat best man. “I’m looking for another job.”
“Send your resume to me, and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
She looked up into his eyes to judge if he was serious. “Really? Thank you so much. That would be great.”
“Oh, Maddie,” Louise exclaimed, “a new boyfriend and now a possible new job! I’m so excited for you.”
Maddie tried to control a squeal. Things really were changing for her. At least in the job aspect of her life. Her eyes began to water, and it had nothing to do with the onion she was slicing.
Veronica held the strip of beef between the tongs like it was some animal carcass she found on the side of the road. “What do I do now?”
“The oil is bubbling, so now lay it gently in the pan,” Chef told her.
Following directions or advice was never one of her cousin’s strong points, so it wasn’t surprising to Maddie when Veronica ended up flinging the meat away from her instead. The steak landed with a loud splat as hot oil splashed out of the pan. Some of the women screamed, afraid to be hit, and her aunts and Chef Dean jumped out of the way. Someone bumped her shoulder, and the knife slipped.
A stinging sensation registered. Maddie looked down at her hand. Blood began to trickle down and cover her thumb.
“So not good,” she heard herself say. Her mouth went dry. She began perspiring.
Did somebody turn off the AC?
Voices mingled in the background. Her mom grabbed her arm and wrapped it up in a towel. She was asking her questions, but Maddie could only stare at the blood that started to seep through the material. The room swayed a few times.
And then it went black.
Trent took his time, lined up the shot, and gave the ball a gentle tap. The ball slowly rotated along the green and then…popped right into the hole. Yes.
Michael shook his head but grinned. “I’m glad we’re playing Best Ball, and you’re on my team.”
Trent bent down to retrieve his ball with a grin on his face. He was glad he was on Michael’s team, too, and not stuck with that tool, Ryan. Despite being apart from Maddie, Trent was actually enjoying himself—just as much for the company as it was the sport. Louise’s fiancé was a pretty cool guy—for a billionaire. Michael seemed to take to Trent as well, so much so that Trent felt comfortable enough plugging Kennedy’s company to him. He seemed genuinely interested, but that didn’t mean Trent felt any less guilty for trying to score his cousin some serious advertising dibs at Fenway Park come baseball season. But a promise was a promise.
Trent tucked his putter back into his bag and removed his glove as Michael opened up the cooler.
“What’s your secret?” asked Michael, handing him a beer.
“Practice.” That was the truth. He’d had plenty of it growing up with the kind of country club circles his parents tried to infiltrate.
Michael gave him a shrewd look. “Does that relate to women as well?”
He raised the bottle to his lips and paused. “What do you mean?”
Michael grimaced. “Hell. I don’t know what I mean.” He rubbed the back of his neck and tried again. “It’s just that you and Maddie seem like you have a good thing going.”
“You think? Er, I mean, yeah, we do.” Or at least, we could. Unfortunately, Maddie didn’t seem like she put a whole lot of stock into her own self-worth or into men in general, but he was hoping to change all that. If she gave him the chance.
“You guys have something I thought I had,” Michael said. “But now, in two days, Louise and I are going to be married, and she’s acting as if we’re mild acquaintances. I don’t get it.”
“Maybe she’s uncomfortable around your parents. Or it could be stress.”
Michael shrugged as if Trent’s words made no difference. “Something’s off.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, man. Maddie assured me that Louise has no doubts about her feelings for you.”
Michael looked over, letting out a relieved smile. “Thanks. That’s good to hear.”
Trent clapped him on the back. “Anytime.”
“Hey, no BS. I’ll definitely give this Kennedy Pepperdine a call for you. I might be able to squeeze in an ad slot for her at a reasonable rate.”
Trent was about to thank him when Michael’s cell phone went off. Retrieving it from his pocket, Michael slid his finger over the screen then raised it up to his ear. “Hey, we were just talking about you, honey,” he said, winking at Trent.
Michael turned away, lowering his voice. “Okay, relax. I’ll let him know. Okay. Love you, too.” He switched off his phone then stared at Trent for a moment, looking as if he had to collect his thoughts.
“Is Louise okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Louise is fine. But there was a little accident in the kitchen today. Maddie cut herself.”
Nausea began to stir in his stomach. “Cut herself? How bad?”
“I don’t know.” Michael’s face went grim. “She’s in the ER right now.”
Chapter Nine
“Mom, please. I’m fine. Just sign me out already.” Maddie waved away her mom’s fussing with her good hand and attempted to sit up from the hospital bed. “It’s embarrassing enough that they made me put on this drafty hospital gown.”
Her mom folded her arms. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Lots of people don’t care for the sight of blood.”
“And faint and hit their heads on trashcans?”
“Well, it was a good thing it was there. It broke your fall.”
Maddie’s head began to throb again, so she sat back on the bed. “Yeah, lucky me,” she grumbled.
“There, there,” her mom said, stroking her hair. “You’ll feel better once Louise brings you your Diet Coke.”
Maddie sighed, suddenly feeling pathetic and just a little bit sorry for herself. Who knows what Chef Dean thought of her little fainting episode? And now she’d gone and ruined her sister’s pre-wedding activity. “Mom, you don’t think I’m cursed, do you?”
Her mom laughed. “Not at all.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I’m starting to have my doubts.”
; “There is no curse, dear.”
“I know that. Deep down inside I do know that. But…maybe there’s a wee bit of truth to it.”
“Don’t be silly. Look at you. Despite Veronica’s carelessness, you have all your fingers. Plus, Chef Dean will still try and get you a job, which means soon you’ll be back in your own apartment. And of course, let’s not forget about Trent.”
Maddie frowned. “What about Trent?”
“I’m so glad you finally met someone like him. I was getting worried. It gets harder and harder to meet nice men the older you get.”
It gets harder the more cursed you are, too, but knowing that wouldn’t go over well, she didn’t bother mentioning it. “Let’s not get carried away here. I’m only thirty.”
“Thirty-one in September,” her mom reminded her, wagging a finger.
Her spirits sank even lower. She should have told Louise to skip the diet soda. She was going to need the real sugar stuff. Maybe a doughnut, too, since she missed having any food at the cooking demonstration.
“What if I didn’t have Trent?” she blurted.
Her mom smiled at her as if she thought Maddie were slow-witted. “But you do have Trent.”
“Right, but what if he and I suddenly broke up? Would you think I was cursed then?”
Her mom chuckled. “Honey, you must have hit your head a lot harder than you thought. You’re talking nonsense. Trent seems like the kind of guy who will stick. Don’t be so negative.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” But she couldn’t help feeling that once the wedding was over and his services were paid for, there wouldn’t be much reason for Trent to remain in her life. Sure, he was attracted to her. That much she could tell, but after that… His cynicism toward love was apparent. He certainly didn’t seem like the type who was looking for a serious relationship. At least, he gave her no impression that he even considered it. He had to be a paid escort for a simple reason: he enjoyed women at an arm’s length. So why get her hopes up? It would only lead to devastation.
Louise stuck her head in the door. “Hey, Maddie. Are you decent?”
“What kind of question is that?” she huffed. “And you better have my diet soda.”
Her sister grinned. “Don’t worry. I have your soda and something much better.”
Maddie hoped she meant a ham sandwich, but then her heart turned over when she saw Trent storm in behind her. Even with his eyes wide with concern and his hair stuck up in tufts, he looked like a Greek Adonis.
She took in a sharp breath. “Trent, you came.”
“Of course he would come,” her mother said, looking appalled she would even question such a thing. “Louise called Michael to let him know right away.”
“Yes, of course I came,” he said gruffly. “Now what the hell happened?”
Maddie swallowed at his dark mood. Now probably wasn’t the best time to mention that he needed to work on his bedside manner. She lifted her bandaged hand. “Just a few stitches.”
“She bumped her head, too,” Louise supplied. “But no concussion, thank goodness.”
Trent strode over and stopped in front of her. The bigness of him and his charged emotion filled every space in the room. She merely sat tongue-tied as he brought his hands up and inspected her head with the gentleness of a butterfly. After a moment or two, he dropped his arms to the side and sat down next to her. “All I heard was that you were in the hospital, and I just about lost it. Thank God you’re okay.”
Maddie blinked. “Uh, it’s no big deal.”
“But you almost got a concussion.”
“Yeah…about that.” Heat crawled up Maddie’s neck. “I can’t stand the sight of blood, which made me faint, and that’s why I hit my head.”
A few seconds ticked by as he seemed to take in that information. “Can’t stand blood, huh?” His lips curved into a languid smile as he watched her. “Something new I learned about you.”
She stared back at him. The tenderness in his gaze amazed her.
He looked up at her mom and sister, who were watching their interaction with avid interest. “She’s damn lucky,” he told them. “I just wish I could have been here sooner.”
“You are so sweet,” Louise said with a dreamy far-off look in her eyes.
Her mother nodded. “We all really appreciate you coming, Trent. Maybe we’ll leave now, since you’re here and can take her back to the house when she’s discharged.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Maddie. In fact, I don’t plan on letting her leave my sight for the rest of the day.”
Her mom walked over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I know you will.”
“We’ll see you tonight at the rehearsal dinner,” Louise said, opening the door for their mom. “Try and get some rest, Maddie.”
“I’m on the case,” Trent assured them. His attention traveled back to Maddie until his gaze locked on hers. “Even if I have to tie her to the bed myself.”
Mercy. She swallowed as her abdomen tightened with longing.
Her mother and sister walked out but not before she caught the wink that Louise threw at her when Trent mentioned tying her to the bed. Leave it to her sister to not miss that comment.
“I need to get out of here,” she told him once it was just the two of them.
She tried to get up but Trent pressed a hand on her shoulder, preventing her. “You’ll leave when they say you can leave.”
Maddie’s temper flared. “Look, I’m starving and I’m sore. Now is not the time to get heavy-handed with me, buster.”
“Somebody is cranky.”
“Since when have hospitals become like airlines? I can’t even get so much as a peanut here.”
Trent made a tsking sound. “You’re hysterical, too.”
“I am not hysterical!”
His eyes sparkled and he leaned in, his gaze dipping to her mouth. “Then you might want to keep it down a bit. We don’t want your mom and Louise rushing back in here. Otherwise, they’re going to see me do this,” he murmured before his lips covered hers.
Oh, but that man knew how to mess with her already sore head. Especially when he left her mouth burning with fire. He pressed nearer, cupping her face in those steady hands of his. And she kissed him back. Kissed him with every ounce of energy she had left in her body after this exhausting morning. Her mind spun from the complete craziness of it all, while her body reveled in his touch. She was so glad he came to the hospital. That he stayed. That he didn’t plan on leaving her side the entire day. It was an odd feeling for her to have—this security. This sense of being treasured. She hadn’t felt like that since before her father left.
They finally broke apart, and his forehead came to rest on hers. “You know how to drive a man crazy. That’s for sure.”
“Uh, crazy in a good way, right?”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes. Crazy in a good way.”
“I bet this has been the most interesting job you’ve ever taken, huh?”
He cleared his throat as he moved away from her. “Yeah. You could say that.”
“I’m sorry. My family hasn’t made it easy for you. They’re a bit pushy.”
“I like your family.”
She nodded, slightly disappointed he didn’t add, And I like you too. “I need to get out of here. Michael’s parents want the wedding party on their yacht this afternoon for a little cruise.”
“I think you should take things slow because of your injured hand. Everyone will understand if we’re not there.”
“Trent, I didn’t lose a limb. I’m perfectly fine,” she said, raising her stitched hand. “In fact, I never felt— Ow!”
Tears sprang in her eyes as she breathed through the pain of accidently bumping her hand on the bed rail.
“What was that about being fine?” His face dared her to argue.
“Okay, maybe I’m a little tender.”
“See? Take it from someone who’s played football injured and lived to regret it. Besides, Louis
e will have my head and yours if you aren’t 100 percent by the wedding day.”
“Yeah,” she admitted with a crooked grin. “I guess you’ve got a point.”
He bent his head and placed a kiss on her smiling mouth. “I never noticed how sexy you are when you admit I’m right.”
“If you think I look good now, you should see me with a full stomach,” she hinted.
“Well, as soon as you’re discharged I’m going to treat you to the best hamburger drive-thru I can find on the way home.”
“You’re a complete god.” Her voice was a sigh.
“I’ve been called that by women before.”
And probably by more beautiful, less cursed women, too. “I’m sure you have.”
Trent shifted on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, but I like how you say it best.”
Maddie toyed with her fish platter as Michael and Louise posed for a few more pictures with the priest who would be conducting their ceremony. The restaurant they chose for the rehearsal dinner was a lovely mix of modern and old New England charm that boasted the best waterfront dining in town.
Her hand felt better and, after a hamburger and a quick nap, Maddie almost felt normal again. Or at least, as normal as a girl could feel with a gorgeous six-foot-two man watching over everything she did.
Trent’s overprotective nature was extremely endearing, but she still couldn’t quite figure him out. She kept waiting for him to wise up and realize that even without an injured hand, they just wouldn’t work out together. He was Trent “Money” Montgomery, and she was “Fatty Maddie,” who might have lost the weight but apparently not the curse.
Trent walked over and set a glass of ginger ale in front of her. Maddie had taken half a pain pill for her hand when she woke up so she could make it through the rehearsal dinner without any problems. As a result, Trent made sure she wasn’t drinking any alcohol this evening. His thoughtfulness almost undid her.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, sitting down beside her.
No. I think I’m really starting to have feelings for you and as soon as I do, you’ll be gone. It was the way things worked for her. Men always found something in her lacking.
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