by Anne Conley
Stories of Serendipity
Anne Conley's
Gambling on Love
Anne Conley
Text copyright © 2013 Anne Conley
License Notes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of a brief quotation embodied in critical articles and/or reviews.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Vanessa Booke
Edited by Catherine DePasquale
Table of Contents
Books by Anne
Acknowledgement
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Chapter 1
About The Author
Contact Anne
For The Reader
Anne's Serendipity Bookshelf (in order)
Books by Anne
(in order)
Neighborly Complications
Dream On
Chef's Delight
Hot Mess
Falling for Him
Gambling on Love
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank all those who have supported me: my writing group, fellow authors and bloggers, and especially my family. Thank you all. Your kind words get me out of bed some mornings.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my mom, who instilled in me a love for the written word at an incredibly early age. She has supported my writing endeavors from day one, read each and every story, rolled her eyes at the sex scenes, but still offered words of encouragement and love. Thanks, Mom. You’re the best. I know I don’t tell you that often enough.
Wanted: Someone to donate sperm the old-fashioned way, to create my child without emotional attachments. Must pass a health check. Must pass interview. Interested parties please meet at the McDonal Hotel at 11:00 am on March 1. If chosen, will need to pass a STD screen. Chosen applicant will be monetarily compensated upon positive pregnancy test.
Chapter 1
Kathy had to cancel a major pity party to do this, and she was pissed. The gallon of Blue Bell was still in her freezer, and The Way We Were was in the DVD player, ready to go, followed by An Affair to Remember, and two bottles of Chardonnay waited for her in the fridge. But no…Here she was, catering and out-door event in February, of all times. She just had to get through the Valentine’s Day from hell. Then she would truly deserve her party for one.
She should have just quit. Sure, she was indispensable. She was the acting manager now that Jessie was pregnant, and Connor wanted to take more time off for “family time.” Good for him.
But did he have to expand the business at the same time? Did Connor have to give her the reigns to the new catering branch of Estelle’s? Did he have to put her in charge of the first job? The soft opening for his brother’s new business? His brother Luke, her EX? On Valentine’s Day?
Ugh.
Racing around with her arms full of Sterno cans to keep the food warm, Kathy went from table to table to make sure each chafing dish had heat. The venue was spectacular, and she wouldn’t want any less for her first catering job in Serendipity. She had dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s, but when she got down to the heart of the matter, she wanted Luke’s business to fail.
Like their doomed relationship.
“Kathy!”
She turned at the voice, and Sterno cans slipped from her grip. If she bent to pick them up, more would fall. But she couldn’t leave them there. Thankfully, her friend Jessie saw the dilemma and stooped, with a grunt, to pick them up for her.
“I think this is going well, don’t you? Everything’s almost set up, right?” Jessie grabbed more cans from her arms, lightening the load and walked alongside her, distributing them to the tables.
“Yeah. As soon as the truck gets here from the restaurant with the food, we’ll be ready.”
“You look great, Kath. He’ll be so sorry he let you go.” Kathy rolled her eyes, disappointed she was so transparent. She’d told her hairstylist to make the highlights subtle. Of course she wanted to look good. Luke would be here, and she knew what he liked. She needed him to see what he had given up. Besides, she couldn’t let him see how dull and lifeless her hair had become, nor the bags under eyes from lack of sleep. She couldn’t do much about the lost weight or the perma-red that rimmed her eyeballs, but a girl can’t fix everything, can she?
Her friend Jessie’s tall frame showed off a small volleyball under her maternity dress, with long, blonde hair piled on top of her head in an elegantly messy quaff. Kathy’s heart sank to see another scheme playing behind the decidedly mischievous glint in Jessie’s eyes. Great. Another plot for her happiness. Never mind that Kathy had plainly told everybody that nothing short of a baby of her own would bring her happiness.
“What’s going on, Jess?”
Jessie’s eyes rose to the sky, as she said, “Oh, nothing. Just excited about this new venture. I think it’s really great, don’t you?” The upturned corners of Jessie’s mouth told a different story, and Kathy looked at her friend though narrowed eyes.
“I guess.” All Kathy could think about was Chardonnay in her fridge, calling out to her, as if she were Alice in Wonderland, drink me.
They finished with the cans just as the truck got there, and Kathy left to direct the high school kids they’d hired to help. Eager to please, they worked diligently under her direction, and everything was set up efficiently. She turned to survey the scenery.
They were set up on a picturesque acre of Jessie’s property. Apparently, Luke had bought a couple of adjoining acres for his Nursery business. The food tables were laid out on one side, with tables for eating on the other, with a small stage and microphone set up for speeches. It was essentially a pasture, but there was a rolling, wood-covered hill behind the flat open space, and the effect was spectacular. She didn’t do much decorating, allowing the scenic area to do most of the work.
Connor had said that Luke wanted to capitalize on the date, Valentine’s Day, by making the setting look romantic. Kathy snorted inwardly at the thought. Did he realize she was the one that was having to do all this? Make his special day romantic? She had pulled on her big girl panties and gotten the job done, making it look more like a wedding reception than a gathering for business people, because the customer, who in this case was her boss’s brother, was always right.
She had used red and white tulle fabric on everything, turning it into a fluffy red extravaganza. Twinkly lights, layed out underneath organza on the table runners, provided a romantic table setting. She’d even put fresh-cut roses on each place setting, all tied with a pretty white ribbon. Chocolate covered strawberries, decorated with sparkly sprinkles, adorned the tables as well. All in all, it looked good for an
outdoor event in a pasture, if she did say so herself.
Kathy had been dubious about holding an outdoor event, as weather in Texas was so unpredictable, but so far, they were blessed with fabulous weather. Even for February. It was a little chilly, but nothing a sweater couldn’t conquer, and there was no wind to worry about.
She could see over the fence line, where Luke was setting up greenhouses on his property. Wire-framed arches modeled after Jessie’s greenhouse, were lined up in rows. An unwelcome memory flashed through her mind, completely unbidden. Jessie’s greenhouse was where he’d first told her of his idea to start a nursery.
They had been walking around the property, Kathy pointing out the things that Jessie wanted done to her property before her big open house: gutters, mowing, flowerbed work, rotting wood, and paint. She tried to embellish the list, to keep him around longer, because she knew that when the job was over, he would be going back to Houston.
His home.
She finagled a way to get him inside the greenhouse, showing him some wooden tables that needed to be replaced. He’d run his work-roughened hands over the grain, thoughtfully.
“I wouldn’t mind running a nursery someday. Working with plants. It seems like a pretty good gig. Digging around in the dirt all day, potting them up really pretty to sell.”
They’d talked about it then, his need for start-up capital to start a venture like that. Something to save towards. She’d been hopeful that he’d want to move someplace where it would be easier, like Serendipity, where real estate was cheap and the climate was good.
Eventually, like every conversation they’d had at that stage in their relationship, they’d kissed. He’d pushed her up against the table with his hard body, and she’d tried a trick she’s read about in Cosmo.
Shaking herself out of it, Kathy took a fortifying breath and walked back to the tables to make sure everything was ready to go. She needed to prepare herself for the encounter she was sure would take place. She wasn’t going to be able to leave without speaking to him, no matter how hard she tried.
Luke paced nervously, hiding behind the truck like a titty-baby. His mind was re-living the same memory.
Inside the greenhouse, he pushed her hot little body against a wooden table filled with tomato plants, tasting the warmth of her lips. This woman did things to him no other woman had done. Ever. He held his control on a tenuous thread with her. She made him hard just by him looking at her, and he knew, when he managed to get her in bed, it wouldn’t be enough. Luke thought about her constantly, relived every kiss until the next one.
Pressing himself against her, Luke’s hands traveled to her backside, kneading the flesh there. He reveled in the moans and gasps he swallowed from her mouth. He broke the kiss, looking up and taking a deep breath, hoping to regain a sense of control. He reeled around her, unable to focus on anything besides getting her body against his.
“I don’t ever want to go home.” He mumbled against her mouth, unwilling to break contact. Her mouth hadn’t stopped moving, tasting his neck with wet, open-mouthed kisses. He shivered as goosebumps rose on his skin where her mouth had been.
“Then don’t. Stay here.” She tongued the hollow in his neck, as she pulled at his shirt, getting her hands on his chest. Her fingernails tickled, and Luke tried to grasp her greedy little hands as they wandered across the planes of his chest. He was tempted to stay here with her. But it was Serendipity. Podunk, USA. He liked the city, with all of its distractions. This place only had one grocery store, for fuck’s sake. And fourteen churches.
He looked down at Kathy, to see she had squatted on her heels, kissing his stomach now.
Oh shit. What was this woman doing to him?
Her hands on the button of his jeans, she undid it, and his cock sprang free, accompanied by a low murmur of approval from Kathy before she took him in her mouth. A hiss of air escaped from Luke, as the warm wetness encased his cock. It was like putting his dick inside of a warm cloud. Instinctively, his hand went straight to her pony tail, and he had to restrain from moving her head deeper over him. She did something to the inside of her throat, and pushed herself on him until he couldn’t see anything but her mouth up against the base of his cock. Jeeee-sus. That was the hottest thing he’d ever looked at.
Then she raised her eyes to his and swallowed.
He’d never felt anything like the pressure exerted on the tip of his dick at that moment, and he almost went to his knees. Letting out a groan was all he managed. She brought herself back from his base and swirled her tongue around him, licking him from base to tip, before taking him in her mouth again.
And this time she sucked.
Luke’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he succumbed to the sensations. He couldn’t look at her anymore, all of it was just too much. The only thing he was capable of focusing on was the phenomenal feeling of her mouth on his cock, her tongue rolling around the shaft, while she sucked in and out.
When one hand reached around to cup his ass and the other massaged his balls, Luke felt himself swell impossibly harder, and the orgasm he’d held off was coming.
“I’m coming, Kathy…” He hissed air into his lungs, as she moaned over his dick, adding another sensation to the mix. “I can’t hold it…” He grabbed the base of himself and squeezed, trying to stop the inevitable, but Kathy didn’t stop. She did that thing with her throat again, taking him in fully, and it was over. Stars exploded behind Luke’s eyes; his blood pounded in his ears with a roar, and he had no idea what came out of his mouth. Cries of ecstasy? Roar of triumph? The word fuck over and over? No clue.
He slunk down next to Kathy, unable to hold himself up anymore. He pulled her into his arms, crushing her softness against him.
“Come home with me.”
She giggled into the crook of his neck. “I can’t, silly…”
And that had started it. The ever constant conversation about them living together. The pains of a long-distance relationship. Then “the next level” conversations began. And he’d come up with a plan, because he didn’t want to lose her. He’d told her at Christmas to just wait a little while longer, as he had plans to put into place. This whole thing was supposed to be a surprise, but she’d messed it up with her ultimatum last month, and Luke had taken a gamble. Today was the day to see if his gamble paid off.
Luke could see her, walking briskly back and forth behind the buffet tables, talking to each of the servers, no doubt issuing last minute instructions. He could imagine her voice telling the kids to be polite, smile, don’t serve too much food.
Her strawberry blond hair was gorgeous, shiny and smooth. She was wearing it pulled back, but he could still see his fingers running through it, pulling out the ponytail, smoothing the fly-aways, tucking it behind her ear, all for an excuse to touch it. He couldn’t see her blue eyes, but he hoped they held their familiar sparkle.
Luke felt like he had a swarm of black birds in his stomach. He wasn’t nervous about the Opening. He could care less about it; it had been a ploy. The ploy was what he was nervous about.
Chapter 2
So far, so good. Kathy was pleased with the servers and the graciousness of the consumers. Now, everyone was seated, and Kathy was overseeing the break-down of the dishes and tables. She had a small crew doing that, while a different crew was seeing to the people seated. As she supervised the breakdown, her mind ran through her plan. Luke hadn’t been receptive to her wishes for a family and commitment; he’d made it plain.
Since she couldn’t get a commitment from him, she had to find another way. She’d loved Luke. Kathy told herself it was all past tense, because it was plain that he didn’t feel the same. He wasn’t willing to take the relationship to the logical conclusion, and she wasn’t getting any younger. So she’d made a plan. So what if she didn’t get the whole package. Kathy swallowed the painful lump in her throat and sought out Luke’s location. Again.
He was on the stage. Connor was standing off to the side with Jessie
. Kathy supposed their reasons for still being here were two-fold. Luke was Connor’s brother, and he was being supportive of his kid brother’s endeavors. And she was sure he would have notes for her tomorrow about her job as overseeing the first catering operation.
When the mic squeaked, Kathy’s attention was diverted to that direction, and her breath caught in her throat.
Luke looked amazing, just like he had all day. Dammit.
She’d been watching him covertly all morning, because she’d never seen him so dressed up before. Granted, this was Serendipity, so he was only wearing a sport coat over khakis, but he wore it well. The sport coat opened over a light-blue oxford shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, showing off his neck that Kathy loved to kiss.
Used to, Kathy. Used to love to kiss. Past tense, bitch. Keep your head on straight.
The oxford shirt was tucked into a pair of khaki pants, cinched over his slim hips with a brown leather belt. She pictured her fingers undoing the buckle and slipping it through the belt loops and then mentally slapped herself back to reality.
Luke took the microphone.
“I would like to thank everybody who came today for helping me celebrate this occasion. Firstly, my brother, Connor, and his wife, Jessie, who have been so supportive over the last couple of months. And his new catering business for feeding everybody.” He paused to acknowledge Connor, and the smattering of applause that accompanied his words. He continued, acknowledging members of the community who’d helped him out, Chamber of Commerce officers, and various others who had assisted in one way or another.
Kathy was just managing to tune out his hypnotic voice, when it dropped a register and addressed her.
“Kathy? Will you come up here, please?” He was looking across the crowd at her, standing behind the last table. Unable to speak past the ever-present lump in her throat, she frantically shook her head at him, offering a weak smile to the tables of people turning to look at her. “Ladies and gentlemen, apparently she needs some encouragement? Kathy spent a year praising Serendipity’s virtues to me, in hopes of getting me up here. I need to tell her something.”
