by Olivia Miles
The king-sized bed she’d slept in last night had been made, but covering its crisp white duvet were dozens upon dozens of red rose petals. On the table near the window, where the damask curtains had been drawn for privacy, was a silver-plated bucket containing what appeared to be a bottle of champagne. The expensive kind. Next to it was a platter of strawberries, and two crystal flutes, at the base of which sat a single long-stemmed rose.
Anna froze, her eyes darting from one object to the next. They were in the wrong room. But no—wait. They weren’t. There was that silly bottle of massage oil on the nightstand—she could have sworn she’d set it on the bathroom counter after she’d fished it from her handbag yesterday…
Rosemary.
“It wasn’t me!” she blurted, whirling around to Mark, who stood behind her, his hand still on the doorknob, his jaw slack.
Mark frowned and stepped deeper into the room. He picked up a rose petal, studying it with curiosity, and let it fall. It danced through the air before quietly drifting back in place.
Anna marched to the table, lifting the lid on a metal pot. Chocolate fondue. She thought she’d smelled something!
Her pulse began to hammer, and her face flamed with heat. She blinked, looking around the room in dismay, until she spotted Mark out of the corner of her eye. He was laughing.
“They must have made a mistake! They must have sent it to the wrong room.”
“Or someone sent it up…” Mark grinned.
Her face fell. “You didn’t—”
“No,” he replied, and the heat in her cheeks rose a degree. “But since it’s here… we may as well enjoy it.”
“Oh.” She looked at the champagne, wondering if she should uncork it or let him do the honors, but when she turned back to ask, the look in his eye told her he wasn’t talking about the chocolate-covered strawberries. No, he was thinking of that ridiculous bowl of condoms basking in the glow of the bedside lamp.
He closed the distance between them, setting his hands on her waist, blinking as he leaned into her, pulling her close against the hard wall of his chest. She breathed in his scent, the familiar strength of his body, as he kissed her neck, circling his tongue on her earlobe, tracing his finger down the arch of her neck.
Her body warmed quickly with the heat of his, and she waited with growing need for his lips to move to her mouth. She craned her neck, inhaling the musk of his skin, until his lips again found her earlobe and he began nibbling, softly at first and then slightly harder, letting his teeth take hold of her soft flesh. His cheek brushed hers as his mouth moved to hers, and his hands slid over her hips, and lower. She sighed into him as his tongue probed deeper, sending a rush of heat coursing through her.
Without breaking their kiss, he moved her toward the bed, lowering himself on top of her. She arched her back as he slid her shirt over her head, bending to trace the curve of her neck with kisses, sending a ripple of pleasure down her spine. He breathed into her ear, nipping at her lobe, and she raked her hand through his hair, feeling the heavy weight of his body on hers, reaching under his shirt to feel the warmth of his smooth skin.
Mark slowly pulled the straps of her bra down her bare shoulders and unhooked the clasp, teasing her with his mouth, as his fingers skimmed the top of her panty line. He traced his mouth down her stomach, as he slid her skirt down her legs and shed his clothes.
She splayed her fingers over the span of his sculpted shoulders, down the curve of his biceps to the smooth plank of his chest. His skin was hot and smooth under her touch, and she held her breath as she waited for him to lower himself to her, needing to feel the strength of his body against her own.
Grazing his hands over her hips, Mark parted her legs, hovering close above her as he kissed her slowly, and then entered her with a slow thrust. She broke their kiss, gasping into his ear as he buried his face in her hair, and moved her hips to match his rhythm, enjoying the swell of him inside her.
As she reached her release, Mark muffled her cries with his mouth before lifting his head and emitting a long, low moan as he thrust once more deeply inside her. He fell heavily onto her chest and Anna lay on her back, enjoying the weight of his body on hers.
She smiled into his hair as he wrapped his arms tighter around her, feeling the burden of the past finally fade away. She stroked his back, marveling at how natural it felt to be with him again, and pushed aside the pain of their past. She’d clung to it for too many years, and for just one night, she would enjoy the present.
CHAPTER
27
The road into Briar Creek was wet, and the wipers were on high, but inside the car it was warm and dry. Anna wished it could stay like this for just a little while longer, sheltered from reality and all its implications. This weekend, like their time at school, had been just theirs—separate from their families and their regular lives.
She reached across the divider and stroked Mark’s arm. It was hard to believe that less than two hours ago, they’d been curled up in bed together, his arm draped over her waist, holding her close. “Maybe you should turn the car around.”
He grinned and cocked that devilish eyebrow. “You want me to? Because you know I will.”
It was tempting to think of climbing back under the covers, with Mark’s warm body beside hers, but she supposed she couldn’t hide forever. Neither of them could. “Everyone’s waiting for us. Besides, if we stay away much longer they might start to suspect something.”
“Wouldn’t my aunt just love that.” Mark looked over at her, chuckling. “Although, something tells me her plan for this weekend involved more than us winning.”
Anna spared a wry grin, but the hard knot of dread grew tighter as they crossed the town line. “It would have been nice to win,” she said wistfully.
“You had a lot riding on this,” Mark commented, bringing his eyes back to the road.
“Too much.” Anna felt her spirits fall. “I guess I have to come clean with Grace now.”
“She’s your sister; I’m sure she’ll understand. The fire was a major setback.”
“That doesn’t matter. I told her I had everything covered. She’ll know I wasn’t being truthful.” Anna set her head back on the seat. “That’s not the only thing that I’m upset about, though. I had another plan for the money, too.”
“Oh?”
“You know how Shea O’Riley moved her stationery store over to Chestnut Street?”
Mark nodded. “Yeah, my mom told me they broke the lease.”
“I couldn’t help thinking it would be great to expand into that space.”
Mark’s brow grew to a point, but he gave no other reaction. “That makes a lot of sense. Fireside has always been a success.”
“The timing is bad. The same event that granted the opportunity to take over that space also made it impossible. The only way I could have expanded was if the loan was covered. Now I can’t even pay it off…” Anna shrugged, looking down at her hands. There was no use dwelling on what might have been. She’d always lived by that motto.
“Maybe you can talk to my mom, see if she’ll work something out—”
“No.” Anna shook her head firmly, angry at herself for feeding into this pipe dream. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking of growing her business. She had to get it up and running again first. “I wouldn’t want to take advantage, and even if I worked something out with the lease, the construction costs would be too much. A bank isn’t going to give me a second loan without any revenue coming in.”
Mark ran a hand over his chin; Anna could hear the faint scratch of his stubble, and her pulse kicked with the reminder of how it felt to be close to him again last night, the way his cheek brushed with hers when he leaned down to kiss her ear, her neck… A tingle swept down her spine.
“True,” Mark said. “If we’d won the contest, you could have freed yourself from the current loan.”
“Even then, there’s no guarantee I’d qualify for another. Your mom said the kitchen should be in p
artial working order by tomorrow, but the rest of the café won’t be ready for at least another four weeks, and a bank wouldn’t be able to overlook that revenue loss.” She straightened in her seat as they approached Main Street. They’d been gone for only two days, but somehow it looked different now, driving back into town. The awnings on the shops popped with hues of blue, red, and pink. Cheerful tulips burst from planters at the base of lampposts, and the white gazebo in the town square was a crisp contrast to the vibrant green lawn.
“Home, sweet home,” she mused, leaning forward to gaze out the window. “As nice as it was to get away, it’s always nice to be back.” She glanced at Mark, waiting for him to agree, but his eyes were fixed on the road, his jaw set.
He dropped her off at Main Street Books, as she asked, and gave her a slow, lingering kiss before she finally tore herself away, hoping Grace wasn’t seeing everything through the window.
Grace was behind the counter when she pushed through the door a few minutes later, seemingly unaware of the no doubt titillating event that had just occurred outside the shop. Anna had no doubt that her sister would have practically fallen over in shock if she had caught them. Instead, Grace gave a huge smile as she came around to greet her, arms wide.
Anna held up a hand, hating the way Grace’s face fell. “Before you hug me or congratulate me, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Grace’s green eyes searched hers. “Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of this.” She motioned to a set of chenille armchairs in the back corner of the room, where they wouldn’t be interrupted. The store was quiet for now, but a customer could enter at any time. Traffic was steady these days for both book sales and the café. It made this conversation ever harder to have. Their plans to transform the place had worked; now she had to go and ruin it.
Anna drew a shaky breath. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest from nerves. “After the fire you asked me about the loan.”
Grace nodded. “You said you had savings.”
Here it goes. “I said that because I didn’t want to worry you. Any of you.”
Silence stretched as the implication of her words fell over the room. Grace frowned in confusion. “You… you mean you don’t have the savings?”
“No.” Anna closed her eyes. There. It was out. “The loan covered most of the expansion, but I sunk in a fair share of my personal money, too. It all would have been fine if the fire hadn’t happened.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Grace cried. The words were spoken more in disbelief than anger, but somehow the effect was worse. “You knew that Luke offered to help. This place meant a lot to him.”
It did, and not just because of the bond between their father and Luke, but also because of Luke’s late wife, Helen. He gave up her storefront next to the bookstore so that Grace and Anna could build the Annex.
Anna shrugged. Grace made it all sound simple. “I thought I could handle it. On my own.”
“You’re good at that,” Grace commented with a rueful grin.
“You mean, you’re not mad?”
Grace gave her a sad smile. “Not mad. I’m just… disappointed that you didn’t think you could come to me. I’m your older sister. I know I was gone for a few years, but I’m here now. You can turn to me.”
“I’ve been used to doing things on my own, to fighting my own battles.” Anna gave her a pleading look. “I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Grace smiled. “Good, because it’s a lot more fun when we can tell each other things. I was waiting until after the contest to share some news of my own, actually. I didn’t want to overshadow the excitement, but you know that book I started over Christmas? I sold it.”
“Grace! That’s wonderful.”
“And with the advance, I can cover the monthly loan payments until Fireside reopens.”
Anna couldn’t hide her relief, and for once, she was happy to accept some help. “You know I’ll repay you once—”
Grace regarded her quizzically. “Repay me? We’re a team in this. This is our family’s shop. You know that bring-your-own-wine night you suggested? It’s a hit. I have you to thank for that… and for everything. I couldn’t have reopened the bookstore without your help. Now I’m just returning the favor.” She smiled. “I guess I shouldn’t have held off telling you about the book sale. I didn’t want to look callous, with everything you’ve been going through these past few weeks, and I had just gotten engaged, too. Now I know it might have alleviated a big source of stress.”
“From now on, we tell each other everything,” Anna said, feeling her pulse skip when she thought of all that meant.
Grace’s eyes lit up. “Luke and I set a date for the fall.”
“You did!” Anna smiled her first real smile in days. The joy in Grace’s face was contagious.
“I already have my eye on a dress, and we’re discussing honeymoon locations. I was just wondering, if it isn’t too much, if you would—”
“Cater? You know I will.”
Grace’s expression faltered. “Actually, I had something else in mind. I was hoping you’d be my maid of honor.”
Anna couldn’t hide her shock. “Me?” She’d thought for sure Grace would pick her friend Ivy, or Jane—though further apart in age, they’d always been so close.
“I know we’ve drifted in and out of each other’s lives over the years, but rebuilding this shop with you has really made me feel like we’ve been given a second chance. This was Dad’s dream, and mine, too, and you’ve made it come true.” She smiled, and Anna swallowed the lump in her throat. “I may be the older sister, but… I really admire you, Anna. I always have. You’re so strong, so capable. Nothing knocks you down. You were there when I needed you the most. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Oh, Grace,” Anna sighed. “Of course I’ll do it. I’m honored. Touched. But… there’s something else. I need you, too, Grace.”
Grace reached out and took her hand, and slowly, starting at the very beginning, that first, glorious day when Mark strode up to her in Chef Luciano’s class, giving her that lopsided grin that made her heart flip-flop, Anna told her everything.
Mark took an ice-cold beer from the fridge and cracked the top. Taking a long swig, he caught Rosemary’s disapproving frown across the room.
“It isn’t five yet,” she pointed out, pinching her lips tight.
Mark settled into a chair, grinning as Scout leapt onto his lap. He’d missed him these past two days, the way he hadn’t dared to let himself miss anyone else since his dad left—except maybe Anna.
“That dog is too big to be jumping all over people. Do you have him in training?” Rosemary asked. “Of course not,” she continued, under her breath, but audible enough for Sharon and Luke to exchange a glance.
“He’s still a pup, Aunt Rosemary. He’s only ten months old.” He scratched Scout playfully behind the ears.
“Well,” she huffed, shifting her eyes from Scout to the beer and then to her hands, which were folded tightly in her lap. “You haven’t finished telling us about the weekend.”
Mark shrugged. “Not much to tell. I’ve already told you about the winning recipe.”
“Other than the contest, did anything… special happen?”
Mark stroked Scout’s fur and took another sip of his drink, thinking back on this morning, waking up with Anna in his arms. “Nope. Not really.”
Rosemary’s brow flinched at his reply, and Mark felt his lip begin to twitch. Aha. He’d thought Rosemary was up to something the morning he picked Anna up for the drive to Cedar Valley, and last night’s little honeymoon suite re-creation had only confirmed his hunch. Now, seeing Rosemary flustered and upset, shifting this way and that in her chair, trying to keep the exasperation out of her breath and the impatience out of each probing question, he wanted to burst out laughing.
“Although, come to think of it, something did happen last night…,” he said slowly, taking the opportunity to run his ha
nd over his mouth, fighting off a smile.
“Oh?” Rosemary perked up on her chair.
“It was the darndest thing. Someone mistook Anna’s room for the honeymoon suite.” Luke and Sharon laughed at this—a silly mistake, surely—but Rosemary’s cheeks grew pink, and there was a decidedly pleased turn to her ruby-painted lips.
She darted her gaze to the left, taking sudden interest in the view out the window. “Is that so? How odd.”
“Odd indeed,” Mark mused. She glanced at him, and he held her eyes, waiting to see if she would let anything slip or ask what he was doing in Anna’s room, but she simply stood and grabbed her handbag.
“Well, we should be going. Sharon. Luke? Mark’s probably tired.”
Luke looked lazily to his mother from his vantage point on the couch. “I think I’ll stick around.”
“We’ll let you guys chat.” Sharon gave Mark a warm smile as he walked her to the door. Turning to him as she lifted her handbag from a hook, his mother said, “I know you didn’t win, but I’m proud of you. You’re an amazing chef, Mark. Don’t lose sight of that again.” She gave him a quick kiss and left, calling after Rosemary, who seemed hell-bent on fleeing the premises now that she sensed Mark was onto her.
Mark frowned as he closed the door. Was it so obvious that he wasn’t living up to his potential? That he’d fallen into a rut, lost his passion? Just the thought of going back to Hastings tomorrow morning filled him with dread. Sure, it would be nice to see the familiar faces, chat about the weekend events, but by Tuesday or Wednesday the novelty of the gossip would fade, and he’d be right back where he had been for the past seven long years: standing behind that greasy counter. Alone.
“Thanks again for watching Scout,” Mark said, dropping into his chair.
Luke looked fondly at the dog, now wedged between Mark’s leg and the arm of the sofa. “He makes good company. Sure beats living alone.”
Mark grew quiet. Sure did.
