by Meg Benjamin
Eventually, Kit knew she’d have to ask around for someone to take her home, too, but she wasn’t entirely sure her feet would carry her that far. She definitely couldn’t drive herself, and she had a feeling Nando would still be busy with the aftermath of Brody’s arrest. Maybe she’d just find an empty room at the inn, if there was one. If there wasn’t, maybe she’d just sleep on one of the banquettes in the dining room. She didn’t think she could stay awake for the trip home, even if it was only ten minutes or so.
“Hey, darlin’, you okay?” Joe squinted down at her with narrowed eyes. He looked like he was doing a quick assessment of her sobriety.
“I’m okay,” she murmured. “Just tired. Really, really tired.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Want me to drive you home?”
A couple of weeks ago, she’d probably have said yes. Now… “That’s okay. I’ll ride with Allie.” Kit frowned. There was something she was supposed to tell Joe. After a moment, her sluggish brain kicked into gear again. “I talked to Mabel about hiring Bryson. She okayed it.”
He frowned slightly. “Without a fight?”
“She said…” Kit searched her memory, trying to unearth the right facts. “She said she was going to ‘review’ the Rose. The expenses. Next month. She said we were spending more money than we were taking in.”
“What the fuck? Spending more than we’re making? Since when?” Joe brought the flat of his hand down on the hostess stand with a solid thwack.
Suddenly Kit was wide away again. “You promised,” she said weakly. “You’re not going to go after her until after the wedding tomorrow night.”
Joe’s hands were clenched on the edge of the hostess stand, his eyes like lasers. After a moment, he nodded. “I promise I won’t do anything to upset Allie’s wedding,” he said slowly. He pushed himself away from the stand and stalked back toward his kitchen.
It was another moment before her sluggish brain understood that he hadn’t exactly promised to do nothing at all.
“Oh great,” she muttered. “Just great.”
“Kit?”
She peeped around the side of the hostess stand. Nando stood in the doorway, peering around the room. He still wore his rumpled Konigsburg police uniform.
“Nando?”
He walked toward the hostess stand, his mouth stretching into a grin. The band of tension across her shoulders began to relax again, marginally.
“Hi.” He stepped beside her, then ran the back of his hand along her cheek. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m not, really. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired in my life.”
He nodded, his smile softening. “It’s reaction. You had a shock. You should have driven home and gone to bed after they took him away.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t. I had too much to do out here. After tomorrow, I can relax.”
“Why didn’t you call?”
She shrugged. “I figured you’d be busy with Brody. I was just trying to get up the energy to go find Allie.”
“I told you to call me. I can take you home.” He moved his hand to the nape of her neck, his fingers kneading lightly. “I’m off duty now.”
“Did they…is he gone?” Her stomach gave a quick lurch.
Nando nodded. “They took him to the county jail. My guess is they’ll take him to Austin tomorrow.”
“Will Allie have to testify?”
He grimaced. “Possibly. But it won’t be soon. This particular episode is likely to be pretty far down the list of Brody’s crimes.”
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against him. “I’ll think about it tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay by me.”
A gust of laughter sounded from the hall where the rehearsal dinner was still in progress. Allie and Wonder ambled toward them. “Kit,” Allie called. “Come on, you’re missing the dinner.”
Kit gave her a ghost of a smile. “I’m just resting right now, Aunt Allie. You go ahead.”
Allie leaned against Wonder. She looked almost as tired as Kit felt. “Sweetheart, are you all right?”
“I’m okay. Honestly.” Kit closed her eyes for a moment. “What about you?”
Allie pressed a hand against Wonder’s chest. “I’m going back to town with Steve. Would you like us to drop you off at my place?”
“No,” she said resolutely. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of myself.”
“I’ll take her home,” Nando said.
“Oh.” Allie turned to look at him. “That’s nice of you, Nando. I’ll be there later.”
Wonder cleared his throat.
Allie narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not coming home with you tonight, Steve. I told you that already. You can’t see me before the wedding. I’m going to sleep at my house and then head back here tomorrow afternoon. Eloise is going to run Sweet Thing.”
Wonder’s face looked like a mask of tragedy all of a sudden.
“Oh for pity’s sake,” Allie muttered. “It’s just one night.”
“I don’t want to be away from you. Even if it is just one night,” Wonder said mournfully. “I don’t want to be away from you any more than I have to. Not after today. Not ever.”
Allie stood up slowly, her eyes suspiciously bright. “Steve Kleinschmidt. That is one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever said to me.” She slid her arms around Wonder’s waist, pressing her face against his chest.
Wonder leaned his head against hers. “It’s the truth.”
Allie looked back at Kit, smiling tearfully. “Okay, I’ll see you later I guess.” She turned back to Wonder. “I’m still not going home with you.”
“We can negotiate,” he said.
The two of them walked side by side toward the Damask Room. Or tried to walk, anyway—the fact that they were holding onto each other so tightly apparently made it a little difficult.
Kit felt her own eyes stinging slightly. Wonder the Romantic. Who knew?
Nando sighed. “C’mon, sweetheart. You need to get some rest before things get any crazier.”
She fell asleep almost as soon as she sank into the front seat of his truck. She was dimly aware that her cheek was resting on his shoulder, but not much more than that.
“Kit, wake up,” he murmured after the truck pulled to a stop. “We’re here.”
She leaned forward, discovering that the truck door beside her was open and he was standing outside waiting for her. Another moment, and she was scooped up in his arms. “I feel a lot better after that nap. I can walk.”
“I know you can. Indulge me. Close your eyes.”
She was dimly aware of a door opening and lights. And then a faintly surprised masculine voice. “Kit?”
Her eyes popped open. Esteban Avrogado stood in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing a UT T-shirt, battered running shorts, and flip-flops. He looked almost as shocked to see her as she was to see him. She grabbed Nando’s arms, staring around the room. “This isn’t Allie’s place.”
“Nope.” He grinned down at her. “I said I was taking you home. I didn’t specify whose home I was taking you to.”
“Is she okay?” Esteban’s voice sounded dubious.
“I think so.” Nando was still grinning. “Are you okay? My brother wants to know.”
“I’m…okay.” Kit blew out a breath. “I can walk. Really.”
“Take it easy. You had a shock.” He glanced at Esteban. “Brody tried to take Allie hostage. Kit fought him off. With a cake.”
Esteban blinked. “I’m sure that will make sense eventually, right?”
“I wouldn’t count on it.” Nando grinned again, shifting her in his arms as he turned down the hall toward his bedroom, then glancing back briefly. “Can you convince Guinevere to stay with you tonight?”
Kit thought she heard some feline grumbling from the direction of the kitchen table.
“I don’t know.” Esteban sounded like he was grinning too. “You’re breaking her heart here.”
“She’ll
get over it.” He hit the door with his shoulder, moving into the bedroom.
She felt her face flush hot. “God, this isn’t fair to Esteban. It’s his house too.”
“Right, well, we both live here. And he’s a big boy.” Nando flipped the latch on the door.
“Nando, I really…I mean I should probably be home tonight.” She fought down a quick pinch of guilt. Allie might need her to keep things moving tomorrow morning.
He let her slide to her feet slowly, so that she felt the hard reassurance of his body against hers. “I want you to stay here. I need you to. I could have lost you this afternoon, Catarina. And I’ve got some things to say.”
Kit was suddenly wide awake. “What things?”
He sighed. “We’ve wasted way too much time pretending that we know what each of us is thinking, when neither of us really has a clue.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Huh?”
“You know what I mean, even if I didn’t say it right. You walked out eighteen months ago because you thought you knew what I was thinking. I also thought I knew what I was thinking. It turns out we were dead wrong on both counts. From now on, I’m going to be as clear as I know how to be.”
“Okay.” She sank down on the bed, leaning back on her elbows. “Go ahead.”
He licked his lips, folding his arms as he looked down at her. “I love you, Catarina. I’ve loved you since I first knew you. I walked out on you because I was pissed off, and it almost took me down. You hurt me, and I wanted to hurt you back. So I did it in the stupidest way possible—with Lizzie Farraday. I didn’t care about her, and she didn’t care about me. But god knows I cared about you, and I knew it was wrong as soon as I did it. I ended up damn near killing both of us. I’m sorry, chica. I know that’s not enough, but I’ll say it anyway. I was a fucking idiot, and I’m sorry.”
Kit swallowed hard, staring up at him. What was she supposed to say now? What could she say?
But he wasn’t finished.
“I told you I loved you eighteen months ago, although you might not have heard it at the time. That hasn’t changed.” He ran his fingertip lightly down her nose. “I loved you when we had that last knockdown, drag-out fight. I loved you when I acted like a damn fool. I loved you when you left. I loved you all the time you were gone. And god knows, I love you now that you’re back. If you walk out now, I’ll go on loving you. I won’t want to, and it’ll hurt like hell, but that’s the way it is for me.”
He cupped his palm around her cheek, slowly leaning down beside her to leave a line of whispering kisses along her throat. “I didn’t stop loving you even when I thought you hated me. And believe me, I didn’t want to then. But I couldn’t help it.”
For a moment her throat felt too tight to say anything. “It was mutual,” she mumbled finally, snuggling under his arm.
“We were afraid. That’s what I think anyway.”
She turned to look at him again. “When?”
“Eighteen months ago. When we had the fight to end all fights that didn’t seem to be about anything in particular except fighting. When you told me to go to hell. And I went. When I did the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and regretted it the minute it happened.”
“Oh.” She sighed. “That.”
“Yeah, that. I was scared shitless myself. I’d guess you felt sort of similar.”
She closed her eyes. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
She felt him moving so that he could look down at her again.
“Okay, probably. Maybe even certainly. It was a very scary time.”
“I don’t know why exactly.” He tipped her chin up, gently. “What were you—we—afraid of?”
“This.” She nodded toward him. “What’s happening now. It means changing all our plans. Back then neither of us was ready to do that yet.”
“And now?” One eyebrow arched up.
She sighed again. “I knew you were going to ask that. And I don’t have any answer. I also don’t have any plans beyond getting Allie down the aisle tomorrow. Can we just live in this moment, please? It feels so good.”
He touched his lips to her forehead. “It is good. Living in the moment works for me right now.”
She closed her eyes, leaning against him.
“You’re dead on your feet, chica. You need to sleep.”
She nodded, sighing. His body felt so good against hers. “But I don’t have anything to wear tomorrow.”
“We’ll worry about that tomorrow.”
“But…” She knew there was something else she should be worrying about. She just couldn’t remember exactly what it was.
“Hush, Catarina,” he whispered. “Let it go. You scared me half to death this afternoon. Let me hold you tonight. Let me know that you’re safe.”
Suddenly she couldn’t remember why she’d thought that wasn’t a good idea. The best idea she’d ever heard. “Yes,” she mumbled. “Let’s do that.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kit awoke with sun in her eyes and Nando nibbling on her ear. “Hmmm.” She burrowed deeper into the bed beside him. “Fifteen more minutes please. Just let me sleep fifteen more.”
He sighed, moving his palm along the side of her hip. “I’d love to let you, babe, but you told me to get you up at seven.”
She squinted in the sunlight, then opened her eyes all the way. “Oh, hell. The wedding.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed the sensitive area behind her ear, his breath warm on her throat.
“Oh, don’t,” she whispered. “I’ve really got to get up.”
“You will. I promise.” She heard the smile in his voice. “Both of us will. Eventually.”
She curved her spine against him, soaking up the warmth of his body against hers. “Okay,” she murmured, “fifteen more minutes. No more.”
Nando chuckled against her ear. “Ah, woman, I do love a challenge.”
An hour later she was on her way to Allie’s house to make sure everything about the wedding was on schedule, feeling warm, sated and almost ready to face the total chaos that she feared the day was going to slide into. Nando had promised to try to make it to the reception, assuming he could get someone to cover for him at work.
She found Allie sitting at her kitchen table, her eyes slightly glassy, staring with dismay at the plate of scrambled eggs on the table in front of her.
Kit took a deep breath. “You okay, Auntie?”
“I’m fine. Perfectly, absolutely fine. Really.” She took a swallow of coffee. “Of course, I’m feeling a little nauseous but that’s understandable, right?”
Kit poured herself a glass of orange juice and dropped into the chair across from her. “Do you need a pep talk? It’s going to be wonderful, Allie, I promise. Everything is going to fall into place today.” She restrained herself from rapping her knuckles on the wooden kitchen table.
Allie glanced up at her, smiling slightly. “It’s all right. I’m not going to run. Yesterday I confirmed that I love Steve right down to his socks. And once we’re married, I can always buy him new ones.”
Kit snickered. “Do you want any help getting ready?”
“No. Docia and Janie are supposed to come over to do my hair and makeup. Although what they think they’re going to do with this escapes me.” She gestured toward her short black bob.
“It’ll be beautiful, regardless.” Kit pushed up from the table. “Okay, enough conversation. I need to get my wedding clothes together and get out to the Woodrose to make sure everything does, in fact, fall into place out there. I’m working lunch, but I’m off afterward.”
“Kit…” Allie stretched across the table and took her hand. “I haven’t thanked you enough for all this. I know I wasn’t much help. And I know you basically saved my wedding and my butt.”
Kit felt the quick sting of tears. She had a hunch that would be happening a lot today. “No problem, Aunt Allie. You’ve saved my butt more times than I can count. Including this time around when I showed up on yo
ur doorstep with no job and no idea of what I was going to do up here.”
Allie pushed herself to her feet, wrapping her arms around Kit’s shoulders for a quick hug. “I was glad to do it, sweetheart. But I’ve got one more favor to ask.”
“What’s that?” Kit frowned, her shoulders tightening.
“It’s about the house. I’ll be moving in with Steve when we get back from the honeymoon. But I’m not ready to sell this place yet. It means too much to me.” Allie’s eyes took on a misty look. “And Steve says it’s okay if I keep it. Would you maybe consider staying on here until I decide what to do? I promise I won’t charge you much rent, just enough to cover my mortgage payment and utilities.”
Kit felt the first of what would probably be a lot of nervous churning in her stomach. “I’d love to, Aunt Allie. We can set it up after the honeymoon.”
Allie sighed. “Okay. We’ll talk about it when Steve and I get back from Cancun.”
The front door opened behind them and Janie’s voice echoed down the hall. “Where’s the bride? We’re here to work our magic. And we’ve got champagne.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Oh groovy. A drunk wedding.”
Joe did a quick survey of his kitchen. Since the restaurant was closed after the lunch service, they could concentrate on Allie’s reception, which, given the high profile the wedding had in the foodie community, was probably a very good thing. Not that he had any real worries. He’d planned the menu to show off the local produce, and to show what he could do for a crowd.
The appetizers were sitting in the cooler, although some would have to be heated before they were served. The cases of wine and champagne were stacked in the cellar, waiting to be transferred to the bar in the event center. The tenderloins were sitting in their bath of salt and spice rub. The redfish was waiting to be dressed. Jorge, the faster of the two line cooks, was dealing with the baskets of asparagus. Leo, the slower, was working on the potatoes. And Allie’s wedding cake sat in solitary splendor at the side of the kitchen. He’d get Jorge and Leo to carry it to the restaurant when Gabriel had cleared out after the lunch rush.
