by Mary Behre
It was the most together Ross had ever been.
Niall had almost accepted the offer but Ross had worked hard to get the catering gig. Taking it from him at the last minute would have been cruel.
“Boss, it’s four. I’ve put up the Closed sign,” Karma said, poking her head into the pantry where he’d been emptying boxes. “Paulie’s already on site and Virgil’s waiting for me to head over. You ready to go?”
“What about the cleanup here?” Niall broke down the last of the cardboard, adding it to the stack. He picked up the lot and turned to Karma. Her cap of dark brown curls was slicked back from her face into tighter ringlets than usual. Perhaps it was the black cummerbund that made her look more professional or the way she carried herself. But it was a little too formal.
“Hannah swept the kitchen, vacuumed the front, and loaded the last set of dishes before she rode with Paulie to the site.” Karma cocked her head to one side. “Didn’t you see her leave? She went to your office looking for you.”
“No, I didn’t see her.” He wished he had. He wanted to know if she’d liked the art supplies. Niall opened his mouth to ask Karma, then closed it again wordlessly. Karma already noticed too much, no need to give her more information. “Go on ahead. I’ll be at the site shortly.”
“Meet ya there.” Karma nodded, then withdrew.
Niall followed her out the back door and tossed the flattened boxes into the recycling bin, then headed back inside. He’d barely flipped the lock when someone knocked. He opened the door to find Dawn. She looked exhausted and too ill to be at the restaurant.
“What are you doing here?” Niall asked, hurrying to where she swayed in the doorway.
“I forgot to give this to Miss Renee.” She lifted a bag in the air.
One glance inside and Niall understood. The cake topper and cake cutter were nestled inside. He took the bag from her hands and put an arm around her waist. “I’ll get them to the site. You need to get home and back in bed. Did you drive here?”
She nodded and swayed more. Niall tightened his hold on her, then brushed his cheek against her hot forehead.
“Well, leave your car. I’ll take you home. You shouldn’t be driving. You’re burning up.” He helped her outside and into his truck. “Stay here, I need to lock up.”
He dashed inside to grab his tuxedo shirt, tie, and cummerbund from his office. On his desk sat a watercolor portrait of him in his Marines uniform. The note next to it read, “Thank you for the art supplies. I love them—Hannah.”
The painting was curled at the edges, but otherwise flawless. Hannah had drawn the portrait of him his mother kept in his bedroom. It was incredible. An almost exact copy except for the tiny blue owl in the lower right corner next to her signature.
Niall grinned, then carefully laid the painting back down. He’d take it to his mother in the rehabilitation center tomorrow before he introduced her to Hannah.
After locking up, Niall returned to his car to find Dawn fast asleep, her head propped against the passenger side window. He drove her home and managed to get her to the front door. It swung open and her mother appeared wearing a bright red track suit, Dawn’s son wrapped around his grandmother’s right leg.
“Momma tick?” the child asked around a mouthful of thumb.
“Yes, she is. Can I bring her in, Mrs. Mays?”
“Her room’s at the end of the hall.” The woman swept the preschooler into her arms and followed Niall down the hallway. She skirted past him and opened a door on the right. Two twin beds were pushed to opposite sides of the room. One bedspread was decorated in cartoon planes and covered with toy cars, bears, and stuffed trucks that matched the comforter. The other bed was more sedate. All yellow sheets and blankets.
Niall set Dawn down on the yellow bed, then turned to her mother. “I’m sorry but I can’t stay.”
“The wedding reception.” The older woman nodded. She stroked the little boy’s brown curls. “She was really counting on that money today.”
Dawn was a good employee. She hadn’t missed a day of work until this week. “We’ll work it out. Is there something she needs today?”
The woman glanced at her daughter, then shook her head. “No. What she needs is rest. I’ll take care of her. Thank you for bringing her home. I was so worried when she got in the car this afternoon. But she said she had a job to do and didn’t want to let you down.”
“She did a great job.” Niall turned to Dawn, who’d already drifted back into a fitful sleep. “Get some rest. I’ll see you when you’re feeling better.”
Niall ruffled the boy’s hair and made him giggle, then headed to the site. He hoped whatever Dawn had wasn’t catching. He couldn’t afford to lose another server tonight.
* * *
HANNAH KEPT HER gloves on while she helped set up the twelve circular tables and the metal folding chairs. No one noticed, or if they did, they kept the questions to themselves. Thank goodness.
She’d expected hard work setting up for a wedding reception and wasn’t disappointed. What surprised her was how much fun she was having. The catering staff laughed and joked the whole time. And as each table was decorated on the grassy knoll overlooking the ocean, the place became more ethereal.
The tables were arranged beneath a large, white, canopied tent. White lights were strung around the edges of the tent, then crisscrossed under it, so it would resemble stars in the sky when the sun went down. White taper candles in hurricane glasses were centerpieces. Each glass was surrounded by a wreath of purple, red, and yellow roses.
Hannah smiled. The flowers reminded her of her tattoo. She suspected that was not an accident. She may have only remembered about the triumvirate of roses because of the locket, but her sisters had probably always known.
She headed past the three-tier wedding cake, elegantly decorated in white roses with tiny silver bells and balls cascading down what appeared to be a long veil from the top of the cake. It would have been stunning, except the cake topper was noticeably absent. By design?
Even in her artistic brain, the piece looked unfinished. But some people liked that style.
A crash erupted in another tent. The food tent was set up behind the huge three-story house everyone called a cottage. The tent shared a wall and part of the roof with the cottage. It was probably used as a patio when caterers weren’t there.
Hannah hurried away from the cake table, across the dance floor, and into the portable kitchen. Paulie and Ross were struggling to right the toppled baking rack of trays. One wheel had slid off the puzzle-piece flooring and sunk into the sandy grass. One long tray of bruschetta lay splattered on the ground.
Hannah jumped in and tried to move the wheel from the sand, but couldn’t lift it.
“Switch with me,” Paulie called out.
They changed spots, and in moments, the wheel was out of the sand and back on the flooring again. The rest of the appetizers had slid on their trays, but otherwise remained unscathed. Except for the two dozen on the floor.
“What happened?” Ross panted, his hands on his knees.
“I don’t know. I went to put the last tray on the shelf and I bumped into the pillar. Something shocked me.” Paulie rubbed his left elbow and gestured to the white wall of the house. A thick orange extension cord trailed from the house to the portable refrigeration unit.
Hannah trailed her hand down the wall and across the box. Both were cool to the touch. Then she followed the orange and black cord from the spot where it was plugged into the wall, and back to the refrigeration unit. She was nearly there when she found it.
“I see the problem.” She gestured to the cord’s frayed and exposed wiring near the base of the fridge. “The cord’s damaged. You need to unplug it before it starts a fire. Do you have a spare one?”
“Not with me. Dammit,” Ross said, yanking it from the wall roughly.
“I’m not trying to be picky but that might be part of the problem. You shouldn’t yank cords out of the outlet like that. Look at this.” She held up the power cord to show where the wiring was exposed near the head. “This happens when people don’t pull it by the base.”
“I don’t need a lesson, I need a damned working cord,” Paulie snapped. “My food is going to spoil in this heat before we can serve the salads.”
“It’ll be fine, Paulie.” Ross patted him on the back reassuringly. “I’ll go buy another. Won’t take me more than a few minutes. You think you can handle the setup until I get back?”
The question was posed to her and Hannah blinked in surprise. “Me?”
“You’re the only server on site that I’ve worked with before. Sadie’s not here yet. Karma is on her way with Virgil. Who knows where Niall is. And all the rest of the staff were hired for this weekend only.”
Seemed like a lot of responsibility to put on the shoulders of someone he’d only met a few days earlier, but she could see how important a successful event was to him. Plus, it was her sister’s wedding reception. Not that Jules or Shelley knew she was here. Yet.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Thanks, Hannah. You’re the best.” Ross’s eyes sparkled. “Paulie, I’ll be back fast.”
“I can go, Ross,” Paulie said, putting a hand on the other man’s arm, holding him in place. “Really, I need to get this up and running in under ten minutes. If the food goes bad, that’ll be the end of the catering business.”
The men seemed to be talking in some sort of code. As if they weren’t really discussing the need to replace a broken power cord.
“I promise you. I will be back in ten minutes.” Ross smiled but the spark of hope and joy in his eyes had dimmed. “Trust me.”
Again, there seemed to be a silent code going on between them. Paulie released his hold and nodded. “See you in ten.”
Ross didn’t smile, didn’t nod, but turned and strode out.
Paulie watched him leave, then turned a sharp look her way. “Next time you notice a problem, can you please take it to Niall or fix it yourself? Ross shouldn’t have to deal with everything.”
Hannah started to ask what he meant, but Virgil walked in with Karma. Niall appeared right behind them.
“Shit,” Paulie muttered.
Niall glanced around. His gaze collided with hers. Her pulse and her breathing kicked up as if she’d just run a half marathon. What little breath she managed to suck in was sapped out when he smiled at her.
“Hi, Hannah,” Niall said, pulling her aside. In a lowered voice only she could hear, he said, “Thank you for the painting.”
Warmth spread through her at his touch. At his words. “You like it?”
He nodded. “I was thinking, if it’s all right with you, I’d give it to my mom. She always loved the picture of me in uniform.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. He liked the painting enough to give it to his mother? A ridiculous bubble of hope rose in her chest. “Sure. That-that’d be great.”
Niall glanced at the others who appeared to pay them no mind. He stepped closer until he was practically close enough to kiss, then asked in an even quieter voice, “Did you paint that from memory?”
She tapped her finger against her temple. “Almost photographic. Sometimes I can see an image and it just sticks.” Like his face during their night together. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“Where’s Ross?” Virgil asked, his voice cutting through the intimacy of their moment.
“He, uh . . . will be right back,” Paulie replied.
Niall’s grin transformed into a scowl. He stepped back and whipped his gaze to Paulie. “He’s not here? It’s nearly five o’clock. The reception starts in an hour. And he decided to take off now?”
“We had a problem, Niall.” Hannah picked up the damaged cord and held it out for Niall’s inspection. “The wires are frayed. Paulie got shocked when the exposed wires came into contact with the tray stand. Ross went to pick up a new power cord. He’ll be right back.”
Niall put his hands on his hips and glared at Paulie. Then he shook his head. He appeared to be counting if the fingers tapping against his tuxedo-clad thigh were any indication.
“Boss, I’ll check the tent and see what needs finishing,” Karma said, taking Hannah by the elbow.
“It’s all set up.” Hannah let herself be pulled out of the food tent but rounded on Karma before they went into the reception area. “What’s going on? Ross said he’ll be right back.”
Karma glanced around. They stood between the two tents in the late afternoon sunshine. Yards away sunlight sparkled on the ocean and waves crashed against the shore. Unlike the touristy area of the beach, this section was private and virtually empty.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but Ross has been leaving the restaurant during work hours and getting drunk. All of us, Virgil, Paulie, and me, know about his drinking problem but no one’s saying anything to Niall. There’s enough crap between them right now. Only, Ross is gone again before our first catering event. Niall’s pissed and really worried. I am too. I don’t know what’s gotten into Ross lately, but he can’t keep doing this.” Karma exhaled a hard breath. “Look, don’t say anything to Niall about this. He hates gossip and I don’t need him pissed at me.”
Hannah’s neck prickled and she had the distinct impression someone was watching her. She glanced back at the food tent. The flap closed. Whoever had been there must have heard Karma. Hannah hoped it wasn’t Niall.
“Come on, I promised Niall I’d make sure everything is ready to go.” Karma pushed through the door flap and disappeared inside the reception area.
Hannah followed after her but came to a halt at the large portrait of Jules and Seth, the bride and groom, sitting on an easel in the corner of the room near the cake table. They were posed on a fire escape. He was leaning out a window kissing her. It was fun and flirty and romantic.
“They make a great couple, don’t they?” Karma stepped up beside her. “Have you called her yet?”
“No, I thought I’d surprise her today.” Hannah took in the beautiful area, then looked down at her tuxedo-style uniform and started to rethink her plan. “Or maybe I’ll leave her a message tomorrow. I don’t want to take away from her day.”
“You won’t take away from her day. Stop worrying.” Karma rolled her eyes but grinned. “It’s killing me keeping this secret from Dev. And I can’t tell him because there’s no way he’d keep it from Shelley, who’d tell Jules. So hurry up and call them already.”
Karma’s happy chatter brought to light another serious question. “Ryan and Ian haven’t said anything yet, have they?”
“Not a chance.” Karma shrugged. “They wouldn’t tell your sisters because you said you wanted to contact them yourself. Those two know how to keep a secret. Trust me on this.”
“Oh, good.” Hannah glanced around the pretty setting.
“Hey, did you replace your cell phone?” Karma asked, rearranging a table setting at the head table. She straightened with a frown. “Crap, I forgot you haven’t had a chance to go shopping. Do you want to use mine?”
“Actually.” She tugged it from her pocket. The bright and shiny phone didn’t have the pretty silicone case her other one did, but it was hers. Bought and paid for by the ever-confusing Niall. “I’m all set, thanks.”
“When did you do that?” Karma narrowed her eyes in that assessing way of hers.
Hannah needed a subject change and quick. Niall didn’t like gossip, and no matter what he said, she suspected he didn’t regularly replace his employees’ phones.
“You’re certain Zig won’t mind if I stay one more night? I promise to find another hotel room in the morning. I ran out of time before my shift started.”
Karma waved away the concern. “I think Zig likes tell
ing the guys at work he’s living with two women. Don’t be in a rush. Besides, once your sisters know you’re here, they’ll probably open up their homes to you. So save your money.”
Hannah doubted that Jules, who was getting married today, and Shelley, a newlywed with a child, would want or need another person living in their homes. Even temporarily. Certainly not someone they probably barely remembered.
* * *
ROSS STRODE INTO the food tent, a brand-new power cord draped over his shoulder and grin on his face. “Got it. Told you I’d be less than ten minutes.”
Niall didn’t miss the relief in Paulie’s eyes. Clearly the chef had been as convinced as he that Ross wouldn’t make it back in time, if at all. Paulie closed the distance and took the extension cord. He mumbled something to Ross, but Niall couldn’t make it out. Then he hooked up the refrigeration unit.
“Don’t everyone thank me at once.” Ross’s lips thinned. “Problem, big Bro?”
“Nope.” Niall paused, then added, “Thank you for getting the cord.”
“It’s my job, isn’t it?” Ross gave Niall his back. “I do know how to do it. Checking up on me again?”
“No. Dawn couldn’t make it. I came in her place.”
“You could’ve called. I don’t need you here breathing down my neck.”
“I also came to bring you these.” He opened the bag containing the cake cutter and cake topper. “Miss Renee left them with Dawn. Dawn gave them to me. Do you want to set them out or do you want me to do it?”
“Give ’em here.” Ross took the bag, then muttered, “Thanks. But you don’t need to be here. I swear I can do this. Without you.”
“Niall, can you come help me, son?” Virgil called from the stove. He waved a spatula in the air in a come-here gesture.
“Yeah, go help Virg,” Ross intoned, then disappeared through the tent flap.
Niall couldn’t win. Ross wanted someone to show gratitude, but when Niall did, all he received from Ross was sarcasm. Fucking outstanding. Niall drove Dawn home, then hustled over here to bring Ross the topper and the cake knife but did he get an ounce of gratitude?
