The Last Bride (DiCarlo Brides #6)

by Heather Tullis

  “Yes, my PR lady did a great job. We sent out our news release about it with information on the festival yesterday and have already gotten a couple of calls from people interested in expanding the story or getting a few quotes to spice things up. I think this will be our biggest year ever.” He noticed the way she clutched her tiny pink purse on her lap. Her hands had tiny cuts on them, but they were lovely, more dainty and graceful than almost any he’d ever seen. And so strong all at once.

  “That’s fantastic. I already registered.”

  He smiled. “I know. I saw it when I checked the list last night. You won’t be disappointed.” He talked about a couple of the runs they were doing and she listened, rapt. He filled the time until he pulled into her driveway. Gage paused only a moment before getting out to go around to her side. He needed just a few more moments with her—even if this wasn’t a date.

  Gage pulled the door open and stepped back to let her out.

  Jonquil stepped right into his personal space.

  Had he not moved out of the way enough? “It was nice to spend time with you again. You’re a lot of fun.” The perfume that had been tormenting him in the car wafted up to him again and, caught by it, he leaned into her, his eyes sliding to her mouth. Did any other woman have such a perfect mouth?

  As he got closer, she leaned away and put a restraining hand on his chest. “Whoa, cowboy. Do you kiss every girl you spend time with?”

  “What?” At the moment he couldn’t think of any girl but her.

  “Like my sister. On the two lunch dates you’ve had with her.”

  He stepped back, all traces of the mood he’d been in a moment earlier evaporated. “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t remember taking my sister to lunch with you? Twice? You think I’m going to date you too?”

  He blinked a couple of times as he reoriented his brain, which had been firmly fixed on kissing her. “Hold on, she stopped at my office the other day, we chatted, it was lunchtime. We grabbed a burger. It was hardly a date, and I definitely did not kiss her. I don’t know what other lunch you’re talking about, because that was it.”

  Jonquil’s eyes narrowed a little, like she wasn’t sure if she believed him. “She seems to think there’s something between you. It was pretty clear she had expectations tonight.”

  Gage snorted. He should have known better than to do anything that might have been even vaguely interpreted as encouraging with a girl like Angela. “Well, that’s just fine. I don’t know what she thinks it is, but there’s nothing. She’s not my type.”

  “Really? She’s cute, smart, a good conversationalist, cute.” Jonquil looked a little confused, as if she couldn’t think of anything else.

  Was she serious? “Yeah, she’s cute. Like a little sister cute, like a college girl cute. I’m not one of those guys who has to be smarter and stronger and older to make them feel like something important. She’s cute. Great. So are you. And you’re not flighty, or vapid, or clueless. We actually have something in common, unlike me and her. Why would I go chasing after a college girl when you’re standing in front of me?” When the words escaped he wondered where that had come from? He refused to think about it.

  Jonquil considered that for a moment, her mouth slightly open, her lips so tempting he couldn’t help himself. He shifted in and took them with his own, his hands naturally going to her waist to draw her closer, needing to feel the warmth of her body next to his in the cool evening air. She tasted sweet and fresh, like the soda she’d had with dinner and a trace of the chocolate cake. And when she started to kiss him back, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

  He moved one hand to her cheek, needing to feel the softness against his palm and a tendril of her blond curls teased the back of his hand. He pulled it between his fingers, reveling in the silkiness of it even as he tipped his head and took the kiss a few layers deeper.

  “I knew it would be like this,” she murmured against his lips, nipping on his bottom lip and teasing him.

  “Yeah? I sure had no clue or I would have asked you out months ago.” He dived back in for more.

  She fit against him like she was meant to be there, her softness molding perfectly against his frame.

  She put a hand on his chest and nudged him back. “Hold on. Time to slow this down.” She licked her bottom lip and took half a step away.

  “Why is that again?” he asked, his mind full of her and absolutely nothing else.

  It took her a couple of seconds to answer. “Because we hardly know each other.” She tugged on her blouse.

  Gage frowned a little, realizing that things were moving somewhere he’d promised himself they wouldn’t. He found the strength to bring himself back under control instead of leaning in to kiss her again. “I… you’re right. Of course, you’re right.”

  She nodded and nudged him back more before he realized he was blocking her between himself and the car. He stepped away and let her pass. “I’ll check my schedule, for that climb.”

  She stopped and looked over her shoulder, looking lovely in the moonlight. “Let me know.”

  He watched her turn and continue up the house, wanting to follow her, and wondering what happened to his brain at the same time.

  The front door closed behind her and he went back around to the driver’s door to go home. He really needed to get his head on straight.

  Though Gage tried to reach his sister on the phone the next day, she just texted to say she was fine and not to worry, since he refused to really help. He called his mom, trying to find out if Natalie was acting odd, but Diane was either too focused on herself to notice, or Natalie was putting on a good show.

  He had been at work for a couple of hours the next day when the door to his office opened and Angela came in, dressed to the nines with her dark hair curly like Jonquil’s usually was—only much shorter.

  Gage smiled at her even as he wondered what he was going to do to keep from giving her the wrong idea. “Hey, how have you been?”

  “Great. I haven’t heard from you lately. I wondered if you’ve just been buried in work here.” She came around the edge of his desk and sat on the corner, hemming him in. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”

  He froze for a couple of seconds, worried about handling this right. “I have actually been pretty busy, but I’ve gotten out some the past few days. Haven’t you been busy with rehearsals? Don’t you have a matinee performance soon?”

  Angela crossed her legs revealing a little more leg, though so much was already showing that he had to divert his eyes. Did she realize what she was doing? Gage looked up into her eyes and knew from the predatory look that oh, yeah, she was well aware.

  “In fact,” he said, wanting to put the kibosh on things right away. “I went rock climbing a couple of days ago. With your sister.” He let that hang in the air for a moment, hoping she would get his point and back off easily.

  She apparently had other ideas. “Right. Jonquil did say something about going out. She was being all secretive about who she as with, though I don’t know why. She’s such a tom boy, always out running around.”

  Gage frowned. “She’s a really good climbing partner. We had a good time together. In fact, I was going to contact her to do something again.”

  Angela shifted toward him, closing the distance. “You should make it on one of my days off, then. I’d love to join you. I love being out in nature. It’s so pretty here.” Her eyelids fluttered a little.

  “Yeah.” Gage twisted his seat toward her, managing to put another six inches between them as he rolled it back.

  “Would you like to do lunch again? I have to be at the theater early today for that matinee, but if eating early isn’t a problem for you, then it’s not one for me.”

  Gage decided he couldn’t evade any more. It was time to take charge and hope he didn’t hurt her feelings too much. “Angela, you’re really sweet and any guy would be lucky to have you.”

  Her smile wid
ened and she slid into his lap, wrapping her hands behind his neck. “Yeah? Tell me more.”

  He swallowed and removed her hands. “But I’m interested in your sister. And I have a policy against getting involved with two women at once. Especially when they are sisters.” Wait, where did that come from? He was just going to say that he wasn’t interested in her, wasn’t he? So why had he hidden behind his fascination for Jonquil?

  Her mouth dropped and she looked stricken. “You’re picking Jonquil instead of me? Stupid, boring Jonquil? How could you do that to me? After we had lunch together and everything?” She stood up, her face red with fury. “When Jonquil said that you two had dinner the other night, I thought you must have just been being nice to her because of me. I know she doesn’t like you. Now I know why. You played me.” She turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

  Gage stared after her, wondering what the repercussions would be.

  Jonquil was up to her elbows in roses and baby’s breath when Angela stormed into the floral center.

  “You really have him under your spell, don’t you? All of these months you just ignored each other and now, now that I’ve come here and shown an interest, you’ve lured him away?”

  Work stopped in the room as Jonquil’s three staff members paused what they were doing to watch the drama unfold.

  Jonquil was mortified. “Angela, this is not the time nor the place. I’m at work.”

  “Oh, you’ve been working it all right.”

  Jonquil’s head hurt. She stood and shifted her flowers onto the counter beside her. “Come to my office.”

  Angela led the way, her head held high. When the door shut behind them, she whirled. “Why are you so jealous of me?”

  “I’m not jealous,” Jonquil said, though there had been many moments in her life when the statement wasn’t true. “I’m just living my life.”

  “You always want what I have.”

  Jonquil stared in confusion. “What is this really about? Because it’s not about Gage. I just had the one not-a-date with him—two if you count last night—so it’s not like we have a future.” Though she wasn’t likely to forget those kisses anytime soon.

  “He said he’s interested in you. Not in me.”

  Jonquil forced back the smile that wanted desperately to rise to her lips at the admission—he actually said he was interested? “I’m sorry you can’t have every guy you bat your eyelashes at.” Her heart raced with hope.

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Isn’t it? You have plenty of other guys swarming around you. You’re only here for the summer anyway. I like Gage. I’ve always liked Gage, most of the time.” She added the last when she thought of earlier in the year. “We have a lot in common.”

  “You’re only here until the end of the summer too. And what do you have in common that we don’t?”

  Jonquil fought to keep her voice even. “I’m not moving back to Philly in September, Ang. I like it here. I’m staying.”

  Angela slumped into a cushy chair, her whole demeanor changing. “You’re staying? But what about Dad? He’s so sick. And you hardly ever come home. Mom needs you.”

  Jonquil had thought so too, but her mom had told her to stay, that she wasn’t needed. “I have some time off scheduled next month. Only a few days. In the middle of the week, mind. Our schedule here is packed, but I am going to try to visit a little more often.” Jonquil pulled over a metal folding chair she kept in the corner for bigger meetings.

  “I’m sure they’ll like that. It’s big of you to take a few days out of your busy schedule to remember your old family.” Angela looked a little mulish. “Gage and I have a lot in common.”

  “List three things.” Jonquil said, folding her arms over her chest.

  “Well, we both like music. And he likes French dip, and you know how much I love it. And… he actually graduated from college.” Her look was pointed.

  Jonquil steeled herself against the verbal slap. “You talked with him about your love of hip-hop? Which I’ve never heard him play. And you’re taking subjects in school that give you a lot to talk about? Because I don’t see it. And even if I did…” She rubbed her eyebrows and returned to the point that had pierced her. “When did he say he was interested in me?”

  Angela glared at her for several seconds. “About half an hour ago when I was in his office. Why did you decide to chase him as soon as I started paying attention to him?”

  “I’m not chasing him!” Jonquil sucked in a breath. “I don’t even know what we are, or if there’s anything, but I’ve had my eye on him a whole lot longer than you have.” She swore softly a few times before calming her voice. “You went to his office again?” He was going to think her whole family was crazy. Maybe they were.

  “I had to be sure that things with us were really over. All we had was one date, and that day at Al’s house. I hoped for more. He’s so gorgeous, and ripped, and well, his smile just turns me to mush.” Angela frowned, apparently starting to calm down.

  “He does have a great smile,” Jonquil admitted. “I don’t know if he and I have a whole lot more in common than the two of you, but it feels, I don’t know, really good when I’m with him. I don’t know him very well, but I had a good time, so I’m not going to make guesses either way. You’re smart and fun and have a lot to offer. You should find someone you have something in common with.”

  “I hate you sometimes.” Angela’s voice held a thick layer of unhappiness. “This is just one more thing.”

  Jonquil understood the sentiment. “What’s the deal, Ang? Why are you so upset with me? Is this really about Gage?”

  “Yes!” Angela paused, reconsidered and shrugged. “It just seems like everything gets dropped in your lap. It all comes so easy to you, while I have to work so hard to get anywhere.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I left college, because it was so easy I didn’t bother with homework—except for those four or five hours each night I spent after everything else.” Jonquil sent her sister a censuring look. “And high school was a breeze as I struggled to get through basic classes you passed with ease. And having a dad who wouldn’t admit that I was his daughter in public; that was just so much fun.”

  Angela didn’t say anything for a long moment. “It seemed like you had everything easy.”

  “That’s because you were ten when I graduated. I didn’t tell you everything that was going on; you were just a kid.”

  Jonquil watched for a long moment while Angela closed her eyes. “I’ve been a brat.”

  “Yep.”

  “I tried to steal your boyfriend, or whatever he is.”

  “If he were stealable, I wouldn’t be interested anymore.” Jonquil caught herself after she said this. She’d never been into players, but she hadn’t been sure, even the previous afternoon, if she could trust him or if he were playing with Angela and herself. “Not that he’s mine anyway. He keeps insisting that we’re only friends. What exactly did he say to you?”

  “The usual crap about how lucky any guy would be to be with me, then he said he was into you and he didn’t go out with two girls at once, especially sisters.” She gave Jonquil a long look. “It’s not very often a guy walks away from me when I’m wearing this.” She gestured to her saucy outfit.

  “It must be serious if he would turn that away,” Jonquil teased, though she was twisted up inside, not sure how she felt about all of it. How accurate were Angela’s comments anyway? Did she hear something different than what Gage thought he was saying?

  Angela picked up a pen and flipped it over in her fingers. “I guess I’ll just have to keep looking for Mr. Right.”

  “I guess so. But have lots of fun along the way, because life’s about more than finding your soul mate.”

  “But falling in love’s not bad either,” Angela grinned. “I should know; I’ve done it a least a dozen times already.”

  “And the breakup afterward?” Jonquil asked.

  “Sucks, big t
ime. But the stuff that comes before is well worth it.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Jonquil glanced back through the office window at the pile of flowers still at her spot on the counter. “I have a ton of work to do in the next few hours. You want to come out and chat with everyone while we work? Ron is partial to cute girls. Then we can grab an early lunch before your cast call.”

  “Which one is Ron?” Angela asked, perking up.

  “Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome on the other side.”

  Angela peeked out the window. “He is yummy.” She wiggled her brows, but her eyes didn’t glitter with the enthusiasm on her face. She was putting on an act of cheerfulness.

  Jonquil wondered what was really going on with Angela. She didn’t think Angela had admitted it yet.

  Jonquil had sent her staff off for the night and was double-checking the supplies for the next day’s work when she heard a knock on the entrance to her domain. She paused, then tucked her clipboard under her arm. Maybe one of her staff left something behind?

  When she opened the door, though, she found Gage standing on the other side, his hands in his pockets.

  “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” She smiled as she gestured him inside.

  “I wondered if you’d like to do dinner.” He passed her and came to a stop far enough inside the door to shut it behind him.

  She was surprised again. “You couldn’t call me for that?” she teased.

  Gage studied her face. “I wondered if Angela spoke to you after she popped by my office today and if you’d ignore my calls.”

  Jonquil’s brows lifted. “So you came here to give me a target instead? Very brave.” She set down the clipboard and leaned back against the counter. “She did come by here, her ego a little bruised, and told me everything. I think. Unless she held something back, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to be mad at you.”

  Relief flowed into his eyes. “I’m glad to hear that. So, dinner?”