She said it with a shrug and expression that indicated she wasn’t ashamed. Shane nodded, unsure of how he was supposed to respond to this. Things were better than ever between them since last night, and he intended to keep it on a good course.
Hopefully, that would help AJ make up her mind about Italy.
“I certainly didn’t want to sound like I’m slamming my family,” AJ continued. “I suppose my mother is a better woman than I am because she’s so wonderfully sweet. She just can’t say no to my grandmother. Yet the problem between them lingers. It’s certainly not for lack of effort on Mom’s part. But that’s a big enough Sherwood-Antonelli baggage dump for one evening. Come in and see the show for yourself.”
“That’s quite an introduction,” Shane said.
“It’s not too late to back out,” AJ said with a gleam in her eye.
Shane leaned in a kissed her soundly on the lips. “Let’s go in. The sooner we get there the sooner we can go home. Not that I don’t want to spend time with your family. It’s just that’s I’ve been looking forward to getting you alone since I left for work this morning.”
Shane got out and walked around the truck and opened AJ’s door. She stood so close they were nearly toe to toe. He wanted to gather her in his arms. Probably not the thing to do in Agnes Sherwood’s driveway.
AJ straightened his tie and picked a piece of lint off his collar. Mrs. Sherwood didn’t seem to like him very much. So, he had no idea why she’d invited him tonight. He did his best to project a demeanor of calm and collected, but on the inside he felt as if he were walking into enemy territory—or at best, a lion’s den.
* * *
It turned out that Grandmother had called the dinner party to thank Shane for all he’d done to “support Agnes Jane through this unfortunate time.”
Since that was totally out of character, AJ had to believe she had an ulterior motive. She wanted to check out this man her granddaughter was spending so much time with. She was testing his mettle. Why she would bother was a mystery to AJ—other than maybe the old woman was still trying to win this battle of wills with her granddaughter.
The cocktail hour went better than AJ had hoped. Shane had one of those personalities that ebbed and flowed with the tide. He was charming and engaging with AJ’s mother, Rebecca. He politely held his own with Agnes, putting in plugs for AJ’s culinary talents every chance he got, to which her grandmother would throw out a barb such as, “cooking is something the hired help does.”
AJ had vowed she would not be goaded into an argument tonight. That’s why she was surprised when it wasn’t her grandmother that she wanted to exchange words with. It was Shane, of all people. He announced to her mother and grandmother that he was trying to convince her to come to Italy with him.
AJ nearly choked on her drink. Her mother made polite noises, but didn’t really say anything. Grandmother sat there like a queen on her throne wearing her normal I-smell-something-and-it-doesn’t-smell-good expression.
“Think about it,” he said, obviously determined to sell the idea. “Since she is without a kitchen and office for the time being, she could come to Italy while it’s being rebuilt. I will be able to retire in less than a year. And then we will see where that leaves us. It makes perfect sense to me.”
AJ stood. “I will have a kitchen and office—even if they’re temporary—before I cater the Lapham wedding. Then it will be business as usual. So, I can’t go because I will lose more business.”
Agnes finally broke the silence, “Are you suggesting you want to marry my granddaughter?”
A croaking noise escaped before AJ could stifle it. Still, she was able to get out the words, “Shane, why don’t you come with me and I’ll give you a tour of the house and the garden?”
Before he had a chance to answer, AJ had herded him off toward the back of the house.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “Why did you tell them about Italy?”
Shane smiled a devilish smile. “I figured if your grandmother is so against you cooking, she might be an ally and help the cause. But...I’m surprised. You didn’t let me answer her question. The one about whether I wanted to marry you.”
A ringing sound akin to the symphony of cicadas that performed nightly outside AJ’s bedroom window started in her ears. She felt a flush begin in her cleavage and spread upward. “Don’t tease about things like that, okay?”
AJ yanked on his arm.
“Come here. I want you to see something.” She took him by the hand and led him to the kitchen at the back of the house.
“Look at this,” she finally said.
A catering company was plating the salad and preparing the dinner.
“She hired one of my competitors for tonight. There are so many catering companies in the Dallas area that if I take off even a few months I will have to start over at square one. I will lose all the momentum I’m gaining by landing the Lapham wedding.”
“In your grandmother’s defense, wouldn’t it have been a bit difficult for you to cater tonight and attend the party?” Shane asked.
“Party? What party? Honestly, I’d be more comfortable in the kitchen—in this kitchen—” she gestured around the cavernous room “—cooking than I am sitting out there sipping champagne cocktails waiting to be called to the table. I mean, look at this kitchen. Do you know what I’d give to have access to it? And to think Grandmother never sets foot in here. Shane, I can’t come with you. Don’t you see? I just can’t, so please don’t ask me again.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Oh, my gosh! Are you crazy?” Pepper shrieked. “You could write a cookbook while you were over in Europe. Think of all the new recipes you’d come home with. And the shoes. And you might even come home engaged.”
Ahh, there was the real reason.
AJ should’ve known better than to confide in her friends about Shane’s pseudo-proposal and his invitation to Italy. As they gathered for their weekly brunch at AJ’s house, her girlfriends were on it like white on rice, insisting that she was crazy not to go.
“I can’t, guys. I’d have to close up shop.”
“In my professional opinion, I think it would be quite good for business. You’d come back having all this European experience. People would eat that up, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
The three laughed. Then Pepper nudged Sydney and the three exchanged a certain look. Why was it that lately she always felt like the only one left out of the inside joke?
“Well, funny you should mention closing up,” said Sydney. “Because I just might be looking for a job soon. I was hoping that Celebrations might be in need of a front-of-the-house person.”
“What? What’s going on at work?” AJ pushed aside her curried-chicken salad and trained her full, serious attention on Sydney.
Sydney told them about how each department head had been given boxes of documents to shred, and how, for the third time this year, they’d switched the figures for the quarterly earnings statement at the last minute before publishing. She didn’t know whether the figures were correct or not, but she had suspicions that they weren’t. Now she feared the answers she needed were in the reams of paper that staff had worked around the clock to destroy.
“Something isn’t right,” Sydney said. “And I’m not sure if I’m helping them do something illegal by publishing false numbers and destroying corporate documents.”
AJ looked at Pepper to gage her reaction. All Pepper did was shrug. “I don’t know. I asked Daddy if everything was okay and he truly acted like he had no clue what I was talking about. You know, he and Mama have spent several months of this year out of the country. I can’t imagine he’d be out of the loop, but I can’t imagine him being so nonchalant if something was up and I, of all people, was asking questions. Because that would mean word was getting out and I think he’d freak.”
“Or maybe he’s smart enough to put two and two together,” Sydney said. “And he realizes we’re friends and I told you everything I know.
That’s why I have to get out of there.”
“So, you see,” said Caroline. “It’s looking very auspicious for you to go to Italy. Caroline can hold down the fort and you can go with Shane and fortify the business by your European connection.”
“There’s only one problem,” AJ said, their persistence and overcoming of her objections was starting to make her squirm.
“And that would be?” asked Caroline.
“Syd and Pepper are brilliant when it comes to bookings and front of the house, and you’ve already earned yourself the title of Pastry Goddess, but one detail you’re forgetting is the savory kitchen. That’s the majority of our business. If I go, Celebrations will be left without a chef.”
They exchanged that look again and it was starting to get on her nerves. Obviously they’d been having discussions without her.
“Hear me out,” said Pepper. “We all know you’re irreplaceable, but the menu is small and you’ve been working hard on honing the right recipes. What would happen if you trained a chef to work in your absence? He or she could follow your recipes and anything new would have to pass the three-way test.” She motioned to herself, Caroline and Sydney.
The gesture almost looked like she was making the sign of the cross.
“We know Celebrations, Inc. I mean, you’ve used us to perfect the items you’re offering now.”
Pepper reached out and put her hand on AJ’s. “For months you’ve been after us to officially come on board. Now is our chance.”
AJ gulped. The woman knew how to play hard ball. She was pushing all the right buttons.
“Let me ask you something,” said Sydney. “Do you love him?”
Yes.
Her heart screamed the answer, but for some reason, she couldn’t form the word on her lips and put the declaration out into the universe.
Maybe it was the fact that Italy held so many bad memories for Shane. Bad memories and bad luck. It scared her to death. She didn’t want to be painted into that bad-mojo motif, not to mention that she didn’t want to move to a foreign country if he still had unfinished business with this Manuela woman.
A woman he’d met when he was a teenager and hadn’t had contact with since. It was, she had to admit, unlikely she would come between them.
And, of course, she just might be the person—or this might be the time—that Italy and Shane got on better terms.
She couldn’t be sure.
For that matter, she knew from experience that life carried no guarantees.
So then, what she so afraid of?
As luck would have it, at that moment her telephone rang. Seizing the opportunity to escape, AJ hopped up and answered it.
“Bonjour, AJ! It’s Maya. How are you?”
A shiver—a good shiver, but a shiver nonetheless because of the sheer coincidence of the timing—shimmied down her spine.
It was Maya, her friend from St. Michel, proprietress of Maya’s Chocolates, which were rumored to make people fall in love. Maya—the one who had landed Shane on her doorstep bearing a gift of her chocolates sent special delivery from Maya herself—managing to ring the phone just as AJ was having trouble making the decision that could possibly change the course of her life forever.
As if Maya had reached through the phone line and given her that final nudge, AJ’s heart swelled and took the metaphorical tumble she’d been so vigilantly guarding against.
Suddenly, she knew exactly what she had to do.
* * *
AJ planned a special dinner.
Pepper and Sydney came over and erected a small gauzy canopy, strung it with lights and candles, turning it into something that looked like a magical fairy land. A romantic, magical fairy land.
After all, they had a lot to celebrate and she couldn’t wait to tell him the good news—that she’d managed to arrange everything so she could go to Italy with him when he left next month.
But she wanted to save the news for dessert, if she could. It would be hard to keep it to herself until then, but she’d try. Or maybe she’d meet him at the door with a flute of bubbly and a huge, deep kiss and then she would tell him.
The champagne was chilled and AJ was in the process of carrying the hors d’oeuvres outside when there was a knock on the door.
He was early.
Funny, though, why would he knock rather than letting himself in?
Quickly, she grabbed a champagne glass and filled it as much as she could before it bubbled over.
Should she take two glasses so that they could have a toast? No, too formal, and she’d probably end up spilling both glasses in the process of trying to hand him one and hug him.
So she opted for one and quickly made her way to the door. When she opened it, it was not Shane standing there, but the sheriff, looking pale and grim.
“AJ, I’m sorry to come to your door bearing bad news, but there’s been an accident.”
AJ nearly dropped the flute as she steadied herself by gripping the door. “Shane?”
She heard herself utter his name, but it sounded as if it came from somewhere else.
The sheriff nodded.
“What happened?”
“We don’t know the entire situation, but from what we can piece together so far, it looks like somebody messed with his tires and one of them blew. He lost control and the truck flipped.”
Hearing those words, the glass slipped from AJ’s hand and smashed on the floor. This couldn’t be happening.
As the sheriff took her arm and helped her over to the couch to sit down, nightmares of the evening she heard the news about Danny flooded back. It was like an ugly instant reply. A Pandora’s box of never-ending bad news.
How could this be happening again? She’d given her heart to a man, only to have him taken away.
She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the answer to the question she had to ask.
“Is he...alive?”
Chapter Fourteen
Shane opened his eyes and blinked at the strange surroundings. He winced at the blinding pain that shot through his head. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was or how he had gotten there. Then, in a flash and rush, his memory returned.
He’d gone home to shower, change clothes and get Houdini before he headed over to AJ’s house for dinner. She’d said she had something exciting to tell him and he was in a hurry to get there. That was the last thing he remembered.
He must’ve been in an accident.
Houdini had been in the car. Dammit, where is he?
Shane found the nurse call button and pressed it several times.
The doctor was actually the one who answered the call. The sheriff was trailing in behind him.
Shane tried to sit up, but the pain made him fall back. Now he realized that not only did his head hurt, but the pain extended all the way down his body to his toes.
“What the hell happened to me?” he asked.
“Your truck flipped. They believe someone tampered with your tires and one of them blew when you were driving. You flipped your car and sustained a concussion, some broken ribs and a broken femur. You’re pretty banged up, but you’re going to be okay. The sheriff needs to talk to you to get a report. Do you feel up to it?”
Shane scrubbed his hand over his face then looked at the cop. “Sure, but first—my dog was in the truck with me. Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine. The airbag cushioned the impact. Don’t worry, he’s over at your girlfriend’s house. She specifically wanted us to make sure you know that your dog is fine and she is taking good care of him.”
AJ. Oh, God.
“How long have I been here?”
“About forty-eight hours,” the doctor said. “We’ve had to keep you sedated to manage the pain. That leg of yours was in pretty bad shape. We had to set the fracture. You’re lucky if you don’t remember.”
He didn’t, and he said a silent prayer of thanks—for that and because Houdini was okay. He’d gotten attached to that damn dog, whether he wa
nted to admit it or not. He was glad the mutt was okay. AJ must’ve been out of her mind when she heard.
“When can I see my girlfriend?” he asked.
“Right after you finish with the sheriff. She was here for the better part of the day. She just stepped out about fifteen minutes ago. But she asked us to call her if you woke up while she was gone.”
“Would you please call her?” Shane asked. “Maybe she’ll get here as we’re finishing up.”
“I’ll have one of the nurses do that right now.”
“By the way, Doc, did anyone contact my commanding officer? If not, they must think I’ve gone AWOL.”
“I’ll check your chart to see who they spoke with, but someone in military dress was here checking on you yesterday.”
In the meantime, the sheriff grilled him about whether or not he’d seen anyone suspicious loitering in the parking lot.
“It’s a rent-by-the-week apartment. A lot of people come and go. But I didn’t see anyone or anything out of the ordinary.”
By the time the sheriff finished his questioning, Shane felt like he hadn’t been a tremendous help.
“So, what makes you think this was intentional as opposed to a random tire blowout?”
The sheriff took his time folding up his small notebook and putting it back in his breast pocket.
“Well, for one thing, the three tires that are still intact had been slashed. Not badly enough to flatten them, just enough to where the right kind of friction might cause them to blow. Somebody knew what they were doing.”
Texas Wedding Page 14
