by Sarah Gay
“How did you manage to pull me up?” He squeezed her arms gently. “I weigh more than twice what you do. How’d you pull me up instead of falling on top of me?”
She stood a little taller at his compliment. “Thanks. I’m sure you’re used to girls falling all over you, but like you said, I’m not that kind of girl.”
With him so close, she took the opportunity to examine his defined muscles. They rippled under his white fitted dress shirt like her grandmother’s washboard. Her eyes moved to his broad shoulders. Sugar must have sifted off her and onto him when he went down. “You have powdered sugar on your suit,” she said apologetically. “Here, let me get it off.”
She picked up a third cloth from the counter and began dusting off his suitcoat. The first two cloths were now settled peacefully on the floor with the menacing film of sugar. Good thing she’d bought a stack of fresh towels before the event.
He grabbed another cloth. “You missed a few areas on your face earlier.” He gently wiped the cloth across Maggie’s forehead, down the right side of her face and rested his fingers under her chin. “Why do I feel like I know you?”
Her face heated and her palms moistened at the realization that this gorgeous man was flirting with her. She hadn’t expected to find someone to swoon over this quickly, but here he was in front of her. She had never felt this strong of a connection with anyone before. The magnetic pull to him overpowered her, causing her body to lean in to his.
She slowly blinked, allowing her black lashes sufficient time to convey their message and rose up onto the balls of her feet as his face lowered. She rested her hand on his left shoulder as her other hand cupped his freshly shaven cheek. His skin was soft and creamy, as if it hadn’t seen wind or sun in months.
A zip of heat shot up her spine as she ran her fingers down his neck, examining the strong cut of his jaw and the faint cleft in his chin. Before his lips reached hers, she raised her eyes to his. His milk chocolate eyes had a familiar look to them.
Panic hit. “Selfish jerk-face?”
He wrinkled his forehead. “Sassy deli-girl?”
Maggie gasped. He looked like a completely different person with his locks tamed and no facial hair.
Heavy footsteps entered the kitchen. Maggie whipped her head to the sound.
A huge man entered the kitchen from the banquet room. “Sorry.” His shoulders slumped forward. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
The jerk-face grunted as he took a few steps back from her. “You’re not interrupting anything, trust me.”
Maggie’s hands flew to her waist and her eyes narrowed. “About what I’d expect from a—”
“Hold on.” He held up his hand. “You mean a selfish, jerk-faced jock.” He bowed. “At your service.”
The jerk’s companion shrugged and shook his head. “Look, man. You can trust us with your little secret that you’re no ladies’ man. We never see you with anyone. It’s cool with us,” he motioned to the jerk and then to Maggie, “if you want to settle down with a nice, sweet girl.” His head bobbed from side to side. “Who may not be that…glamorous. No worries. We all do. It’s okay, man.”
Maggie crossed her arms and stared at him, contemplating if that was meant as a compliment or not.
When he caught her eye, he threw his hands out in front of his chest apologetically. “I think you’re amazing. And it’s not just because of your delicious food.” He teetered back and forth from one foot to the other. “Okay.” He nodded like a schoolboy. “It is because of the food. Do you have any more? It’s so good.”
Maggie took in a quick breath as the second panic round immobilized her. She coughed out, “More food?”
Jerk-face sprinted out of the kitchen with an, “Oh no.”
Maggie remained frozen. It couldn’t be. The event would be ruined. Not possible.
The jerk returned. “Yeah,” he said slowly as if hesitant to disclose a misdeed. “My buddies cleared out the appetizers. Just point me to the rest of the food and I’ll get it out there before any of the real guests show up.”
She blew out a long breath, slowly lowered herself into an Indian style seated position on the hard, sugar dusted floor, and closed her eyes.
“Deli girl?” he said as if petitioning where he could find more food.
“That was everything.” She took in a deep, calming breath and held up her pointer finger for him to give her a minute to think. For a split second she thought to give him her other finger, but she refrained. She could do this. She’d been in worse predicaments than this before. As a firefighter, she helped others through the worst day of their lives. She could help herself through this one. She clasped her hands together as she jumped to her feet from her seated position in one fluid movement.
He touched her arm. “I’ll call Silver and have her family—”
“No! Don’t call Silver.” Maggie shook his hand away. “I can do this.” She glared at him. “But it’s time for you to leave.”
He dipped his chin, accepting his banishment. “We’ll clean up on our way out.”
As he left the kitchen, she whispered to herself, “Because that’s what jerk-faces do, they abandon the damsel they’ve distressed.”
There was only one thing to do. Maggie went back down onto the floor, but this time she fell to her knees and asked for some much-needed assistance.
The door creaked back open. “Deli girl?” His voice held a kindness and sincerity completely unexpected.
Maggie jumped up to his quizzical gaze. “Yes?” She patted the white powder from off her black pants.
“Silver’s in-laws will be here with plenty of food in less than an hour.”
Maggie scowled as she shook a finger at him. “I told you not to call Silver!”
“I didn’t.” He gave her a wicked smile. “I called her mother-in-law. Good luck tonight, deli girl. I’d switch places with you if I could. I’m off to the selfish, jerk-faced, jock bidding block.” He said jerk-face in a mocking tone, as if she’d been childish in using those immature words.
They were immature words. The worst words that Maggie and her brother could come up with as kids to offend each other, and now those were the words that sprang to Maggie’s mind when someone ticked her off. When she was young, Maggie thought they were the naughtiest words in the dictionary, until her brother taught her the “F” word. Her mother was shocked when Maggie told her that her brother had called her the “F” word. Her mother immediately removed her shoe to threaten poor Daniel with—until she realized the word was freak.
Maggie would have laughed at jerk-face’s comical expression. He had contorted his facial muscles reminiscent of a prisoner on their march to the guillotine, but she was still livid at how the football players had eaten every crumb of food in ten minutes flat. How would she salvage the event?
5
Maggie had to gain control of her frazzled nerves; she had no idea if the food would even arrive. Silver’s in-laws owned a Mexican restaurant. Silver had explained how she and her husband had recently taken the restaurant brand and opened additional restaurants. The restaurant expansion was why Silver needed someone else to manage her event planning business with the possibility of taking over. With Maggie’s current predicament, taking over Silver’s business didn’t look like a very real possibility—considering she didn’t have any food to serve the guests.
The evening’s theme also needed to be changed from French to Mexican ASAP. She stepped over to the computer hooked into the surround system and change the playlist to Latin tunes. The banquet hall looked the same as it had earlier, only now with empty trays. At least she was one step closer to Fiesta versus French bistro with sultry Latin music piping through the walls.
As she gathered up the empty trays, it took concentrated effort to hold back the tears over her wasted effort. She glanced over at the donations jar which now sported several hundred-dollar bills. We are no better than our worst thoughts. Be positive and a positive outcome will follow. Positive:
At least the football players had contributed to the evening in some way. Positive: She was standing in a gorgeous room. Positive: She was healthy, strong, young, independent. Positive: She had her firefighter job to go back to and Park City was headed into its fabulous spring, summer, and fall combined seasons of two short months. Positive: Her family would support her in whatever she decided to do or wherever she wanted to be. Positive: She was savvy and creative; she could figure this out.
Enough affirmations. She was now pumped up and ready to do this. She checked her watch. Forty-five minutes had passed since the football players left. As if on cue, the back door to the kitchen swung open and the aroma of cilantro, lime, and steak filled the air. Her spirits climbed with the scent of fresh salsa.
“Margarita!” A plump woman, with thick silver threads streaking through sections of her hair, greeted Maggie with a wet kiss to her cheek. “Silver told me all about you.” This sweet woman was the only non-family, other than Pineapple, who caused Maggie’s heart to warm at hearing her given name, Margarita. The woman’s accent and inflection reminded Maggie of her Mexican-Indian grandmother.
The woman rattled something off in Spanish. Maggie caught one or two words, but they were spoken so rapidly she couldn’t decipher their meaning.
“Sorry, mija.” The woman said as more people filtered in with crates of food. “You don’t speak Spanish?”
Maggie shook her head as she bit at her lower lip.
“I’m Fabiana, Silver’s suegra.” She paused. “Mother-in-law. Sorry you look like you come from La Colonias or maybe Chiapas? Where’s your family from?”
Maggie had never been told she looked Mexican before. A feeling of belonging suddenly burned in her chest. “Around Puebla.”
Fabiana nodded. “Bueno, well, no more time for chatting.” She swung her arm in the air and directed her assistants, one-by-one, as they filed into the kitchen.
As each person passed Fabiana, she said their name in an aside for Maggie, then gave them directions in Spanish. Maggie caught a few names: Veronica, Jorge, and Ariana. Veronica looked similar to Fabiana, possibly sisters. Jorge had a thick mustache and Ariana sported sassy short black hair with gold hoop earrings that nearly touched her bare, bronzed shoulders. Maggie found it hard not to covet Ariana’s toned body. Maggie was tough, but Ariana’s body had a sexy, graceful touch to it that Maggie could only dream of having.
Maggie located a large bowl for the chips and assisted in plating the remaining cups onto the trays. Miraculously, all the food was out on the stands in less than ten minutes. Maggie’s pleas to heaven had been answered.
“Fabiana,” Maggie said in a tone of thanksgiving. “I can’t thank you enough for showing up last minute to save my hide.”
“Mija,” Fabiana said, pulling Maggie into a hug. “Fue un placer. I’d do anything for my Titan boys and Silver.”
“How did you manage to prepare all this food and get it here so quickly?”
She shrugged. “With Ace and Silver opening up all the other Los Tios restaurants around town, we’re less busy, gracias a Dios. Sometimes I would get so dizzy from work that I could barely see in front of me. Don’t worry.” She’d caught the concern on Maggie’s face. “My boys, Ace, Axel, and Antonio, stayed back to man the restaurante for me esta noche until we get back.”
“Oh.” Maggie wanted Fabiana to know she could leave. “Please don’t feel like you need to stay any longer. I have this under control now that we have food for the guests.”
“Yes, that Cole,” Fabiana said with a what should we do with him sigh, then looked at Maggie for a few long seconds. “I can see how you’ll keep him on his toes and help him see what’s important.” She squeezed Maggie’s hand. “He has a kind heart, but he needs a good woman like you.”
“No.” Maggie cleared her throat as she held up a hand. “We are not together.” But she liked his name. Cole was a strong, simple name that fit his physique. But she had to get that name and his amazing body out of her mind because he was also a jerk.
“Really?” Fabiana said as she packed up the remaining boxes. “Because he said you were the most amazing woman he’d ever met.”
“He said I was what?” Maggie didn’t mean to sound surprised or desperate, unfortunately, that’s exactly how the words came out.
Fabiana stood taller with a smile of accomplishment splitting her face. “He said they ate all your food for the party and he would pay me five times my normal catering rate if I dropped everything to come and fix what he ruined.”
So, the jerk-face had distressed Maggie, but hadn’t abandoned her.
“Margarita,” Fabiana said. “I want you to meet Gracie.”
A young girl around seven or eight ran to Fabiana’s open arms.
“I love you, Mama Fabi.”
“Te quiero, mija,” Fabiana said in a sing song voice to Gracie. She turned to Maggie. “Gracie’s our sweet nieta. Silver’s oldest. Silver’s baby is with my son Ace right now.”
“At the restaurant?” Maggie said with surprise. “Oh, Fabiana you need to go.”
Fabiana clicked her tongue as she waved away Maggie’s concern. “All my babies were raised in the restaurant. It’s where they learned to work hard and eat well, but most importantly, that family means everything.”
With hesitation, Gracie released her grandmother and scooted over to Maggie. Maggie grinned down at the tender girl lovingly. Gracie resembled Silver, with striking blue eyes and golden hair, but her features differed in that she had the distinct features of a child with Down syndrome. “Well hello, you beautiful, sweet girl.”
Gracie wrapped her arms around Maggie’s middle and gave her a tight squeeze. “I love you!” Gracie shouted.
Maggie returned Gracie’s embrace. “I love you too, Gracie.”
Ariana peaked in through the doorway of the banquet room. “The guests are starting to arrive, and they’re going crazy over the food, Mamá!”
Maggie wanted to stay wrapped up in the unconditional warmth of Gracie’s embrace, but she had work to do. “Ooh. I’d better get out there.” Maggie gave Gracie a little squeeze before releasing her. “Now that all the food is set out, I’ll just have to stand with my hands at the ready behind my back and smile sweetly when the guests ask the location of the bathrooms. Thank you so much, Fabiana.”
Maggie hurried to the banquet room to find Ariana at the donations table, shaking hands and smiling at the guests as they arrived. She was smart. Here was a gorgeous woman directing the eye, and the donations, to the right place.
The next two hours proved uneventful. Silver’s family had all left. A few appetizers remained on each tray and the singles had begun to pair. Maggie tilted her head to the side, concentrating on how the couples interacted. She didn’t have much experience with flirting and took the opportunity to study how these singles communicated.
Ariana came to her side. “Almost time for the dancing.”
“I thought you’d left,” Maggie said with surprise. “And dancing? This event is only supposed to be appetizers and then the couples were to go off for dinner or a cocktail if they hit it off.”
“They could do that. Or…I could help solidify their attraction with a little Salsa and Mambo.” Ariana did a Latin swish of her hips.
“Does Silver know about this?” Maggie bit at her lower lip. “And are we sure Dallas Dating would be good with it?”
“Silver will know momentarily. And the Dallas Dating representative who was here earlier was thrilled the entertainment wouldn’t be on their dime.” Ariana tapped her phone as she continued. “Cole feels really bad he messed things up for you tonight and told me he’d give me three thousand dollars if I stayed to DJ and teach some dance moves. As they loosen up dancing, these couples will bond and have a good time. Not to mention, I’ve been wanting to remodel a bathroom at my gym and this is a fun, quick way to do that.”
At the mention of Cole’s name, Maggie felt the skin of his cheek in her hand. Her body warmed from the memory
of their connection. She shook her head. She had to concentrate. If Silver was onboard, Maggie wouldn’t sweat it. “I don’t see a problem with that. We have the building until eleven. I can come back after the auction to clean and lock up if you think people will want to stay.”
“They may even want to donate more.” Ariana winked. “I’ll put another plug in for Muscular Dystrophy when I’m DJing.”
“I’ll check in with Silver, but it sounds like you know what you’re doing. If she’s good with it, so am I.”
“Now,” Ariana wiggled her eyebrows, “what are you going to wear tonight to the auction?”
“Silver dropped a dress off at my hotel,” Maggie responded.
“Silver’s dresses are gorgeous, and they should fit you. And the shoes?”
Maggie’s eyes bulged. “Shoes?”
“What size are you?”
“Seven and a half.”
“Here,” Ariana said, taking off her stilettos and handing them over to Maggie.
“I would trip and die in those!” Maggie exclaimed.
Ariana laughed. “Okay, I have a pair of sexy sandals in the kitchen that will show off your toes.” She paused as her face wrinkled up in thought. “How are your feet?”
“Fine. I think,” Maggie said with hesitation. “I mean they’re not unsightly or repugnant.”
“Unsightly? Repugnant? Did you just walk out of a Jane Austen book? You crack me up,” Ariana laughed out. “I hope you stick around, Maggie.”
Maggie’s stomach tightened. “I’m not so sure…after I botched this event tonight.”
“You botched up tonight? Please get that thought out of your head and go help Silver at the auction. This is nothing compared to what she’s dealing with there.”
“You’re right, I need to get to the auction,” Maggie said as she turned for the kitchen. “Thanks Ariana.”
We are no better than our worst thoughts. Be positive and a positive outcome will follow, ran through Maggie’s mind as she hopped into her rental car to jet back to her hotel and change. She dreaded the thought of wearing a formal gown. And it would only happen once in her lifetime, so she’d need to take a selfie, or her family would never believe her, or Pineapple. She felt bad that she hadn’t set aside time to meet Pineapple’s cousin. Perhaps she’d call him from the airport on her way back to Park City.
