The odd explanation sent a puff of a laugh through her lips. “Why?”
Sincerity oozed from his expression. He smiled gently, then placed a hand on each shoulder, the move starting something thrumming along her spine. He gingerly steered her behind the overgrown red hibiscus bush. The bush, which had been there as long as Lacy could remember, blocked out the view of half of her tiny porch. “Because I was also wondering if I could kiss you good-night.”
The humming under her skin turned to a buzz and shot straight through her, right down to her toes. She needed to swallow, but without speaking or thinking, she lifted her chin to meet him halfway as his mouth made contact with hers.
It was happening, though she still couldn’t believe it.
Softer-than-expected lips surprised and pressed lightly against hers. They were warm and gentle, not needy, but extending a subtle invitation. Instead of fighting her feelings, she let the kiss run over, through and around her, all the way to tickling the backs of her knees. If he hadn’t kept such a firm hold of her shoulders, she might’ve moved her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. But she let him be in charge, since it was his idea, and she needed to figure out the meaning of this kiss!
It was clear the kiss wasn’t meant to be sexy or pushy, just a sweet, getting-to-know-you gesture. Still, it set off a euphoric pop right in the center of her chest.
And boy did she like how Zack Gardner kissed.
Chemistry. They had it. She may have recognized the possibility years ago, but she knew it for a fact now.
Chapter Four
Lacy’s Social Media Page
OMG, what just happened?
Not posted
Zack drove home from Lacy’s on a high, until he started realizing what he’d done. He’d kissed a woman for the first time since his divorce. It was a big deal and, honestly, he wasn’t sure he was ready for it; yet, some other part of his brain had taken over and besides kissing her had asked her out. The reason he hadn’t kissed anyone before now had a lot to do with being gun-shy. Mona had done a number on him, and until tonight he’d felt it was too soon to move on. It probably still was, but hey, he’d made his move, and it felt exhilarating.
He’d known Lacy for a couple of weeks, and from the very start he’d felt a connection with her. He wasn’t looking for that, and he’d never expected her to be interested in him. It’d happened anyway. Sure, they’d gone back a long time, twenty years to be exact, but that quirky part about history wasn’t the reason he’d made the move. It was this. He liked her. He’d been around her long enough to know that for a fact. He liked her personality, her never-say-die attitude, her crazy foodmobile, the way she treated his daughter, the bond she and his kid had already forged. Especially that. Emma needed a person like Lacy in her life as much as he did.
Did he? Yes! And wasn’t it about time?
Mona may have decimated his confidence, but he wasn’t completely ruined if he wanted to date again.
He hadn’t liked much about any woman for a long time, so it was a bit unnerving to start now. And keeping it real, he also liked her looks. Superficial or not, he couldn’t deny she made him a little crazy with that red hair and the way she wore an apron. The draw was dangerous, he knew—guys always got in trouble falling for looks—but he couldn’t ignore it, either. The kiss had proved that. The thought of what turned him on about Lacy besides her appearance made him laugh over the absurdity—her food truck and spunky attitude—on the drive home. His tastes had sure changed since before he was married. And that was good, showed maturity. So he may as well face the fact that his attraction to Lacy boiled down to one thing—she made him feel good. He hadn’t felt that way in ages.
He stopped laughing abruptly when his mind wandered back to the actual kiss. Yikes. For a first-time, “maybe we should, maybe we shouldn’t” kiss, they’d knocked it out of the park. Together. That was the part that could get him in big trouble, too. It could also ruin the great start with Emma’s cooking lessons. What the blazes had he been thinking?
That life could get normal again. About time, too. Scary as it was, he was a grown-up, and it was time to accept that life went on and maybe even got better.
Now he had a date lined up for Saturday night after Emma’s next cooking lesson. Like a regular person. Would wonders ever cease? Thanks to Lacy showing up in his life, he’d gone from a guy stuck on automatic to a man with a social calendar...with exactly one date planned. He chortled at the absurdity. But hey, it was a start.
For tonight, that was enough. In fact, it was more than enough. Instead of overthinking every little thing, he’d enjoy the small risk he’d taken by asking her out, and the successful outcome. She’d said yes. Little steps.
Though there was nothing “little” about that kiss.
Lighthearted and smiling the rest of the way home, he decided to invite her to visit his Santa Barbara worksite on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If she was looking for a five-day gig, why not give it to her?
His brows nearly collided with the next thought. Was that unethical? Dating a woman who needed his business?
His foot went to the brake a little firmer than he’d meant as he slowed to pull into his driveway. He was jolted forward, and the smile he’d pasted on his face for most of the drive home slipped away. He didn’t want to open a whole can of “human resources” worms. He just wanted to enjoy the company of a nice woman, on not only their first date, but his first since getting divorced. It was a big deal, no way around that.
But it was also just a date, he reminded himself. Just a date with a nice woman. Nothing epic or significant.
Right. The kiss came to mind again. Definitely epic.
Getting back on topic, dating wasn’t a requirement for Lacy to continue working for him. No matter what happened, he planned to make that perfectly clear. That had never been his style. If things fizzled out between them, she’d still have a job.
The more disconcerting thought turned out to be, what if things didn’t fizzle out?
* * *
Monday, 11:30 a.m. Lacy, as was her routine over the last couple of weeks, pulled onto the construction site blasting her silly Happy Days horn. The food was prepared and ready to become wraps, the pies were already baked to a light crusty brown, and she’d keep them warm under the heating lamp. All she had left to do was set up her cold drinks and make the huge urn of coffee.
One thing was different today, though. Last night she’d shared a kiss with Zack. She’d let it unravel her world a bit, had almost posted about it on her social media page like a dorky teenager, and had subsequently thought about that near perfect kiss until she’d fallen asleep. Not to mention doing a recap the instant she woke up this morning. Could she handle a social and business association with the man? Bigger question—was she capable of handling dating anyone yet? Regardless of being unsure and confused about Zack, today she’d worn mascara and lipstick and had combed her hair in an updo. With a fancy hair clip.
Gee, you think he might notice?
The goofy thought had her spurting a laugh at the absurdity as she parked. Construction briefly stopped, with all eyes on her in the big pink truck from guys she’d trained like Pavlov’s dogs to drool upon her arrival. Hadn’t taken long, either. Three days a week, fellas, bring your appetites. Lunch is on.
Life was good, had gotten exponentially better last night, and for the first time since her father had passed away, she felt optimistic for the future.
No sooner had she parked, opened her serving window and put on her apron than she noticed Zack standing on the other side. A sight she’d longed for, even thrilled a little over. He wasn’t wearing his usual hard hat, and his light denim shirt made his baby greens pop, but what stood out the most was the smile. The man wore a smile that framed straight teeth and drove deep groves on either side of his mouth. From that grin, he was most definitely glad to see her, and the
feeling, good sir, was mutual.
“Hey,” he said, taking her all in, at least from the waist up, since she was behind her truck counter. She liked that he hadn’t tried to hide it, either.
“Good morning,” she said, both hoping he’d notice her hair and feeling a little self-conscious, then chiding herself for being insecure. Grow up. You already know he likes you.
He glanced at his watch. “I guess it is still morning. Yeah. Well, good morning, then.” Okay, so they were off to an awkward start. But there went that slow, try-to-take-your-eyes-off-me smile, and her knees knocked a little. “Before it gets crazy with lunch orders, I wanted to throw something out there.”
More goodness? He’d greeted her with a smile just now, had kissed her like a prince last night, and asked her on a date. What could he possibly be tossing around now? “Sure. Shoot,” she said as though she fielded off-the-cuff options all the time, while secretly going on alert.
“I’ve got a second construction site in Santa Barbara, building more senior living apartments there. Since you’re tied up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays here, I was wondering if you’d be willing to drive up there and feed my guys on Tuesdays and Thursdays, too?”
Five days a week? That had been her plan from the start. A full-time job. No more weekend weddings to make ends meet. A steady gig feeding hard hats, something she’d dreamed about since she was a kid. “I’d love to! Wow. Thanks!”
Instead of being glad along with her, he looked concerned, which confused her. He’d just given her a great opportunity—why the sudden change?
“I hope you don’t think this is related to anything we did last night,” he whispered as he leaned in.
That was the last thing she would’ve put together from the offer, but now that he’d mentioned it... “It’s not, is it?” On her side, the only strings attached to that kiss had been a longing for more. Never in her life had it occurred to her to kiss her way into anything.
He shook his head briskly. “Not at all. Let’s call it a coincidence.”
She pointed the spatula she held at him. “I like how you think.” She shrugged, palms up. “Everything about us seems to be one big coincidence.”
With one brow raised, he’d gone thoughtful again. “I think you’re onto something there.” He took time to study her, evidently liking what he saw. “Suddenly I’m really liking coincidences.”
She couldn’t help the blush. He’d said such a sweet thing and now her cheeks were heating up. There was no hiding it—the man got reactions out of her, which both pleased and terrified her. She’d been hiding out for a long time, and she knew where to run if it got too tough for her, but right now she just wanted to be where she was. Outside. Interacting with people. With Zack. Progress, right? Still she would hold on to her safe zone, just in case.
“Look, I’ll let you get set up. Wouldn’t want to make the guys wait.”
Yep, he’d noticed her full blush. “You’ll have your usual?”
“Uh, think today I’ll go with Name That Tuna.”
“Albacore!” she teased, her pointer finger raised.
It took him a second to catch on to her nerdy joke, but then his shoulders popped along with his short laugh, sweetly tolerant of her effort at comedy. “Cute,” he said, a hint of flirting in his eyes, giving her the impression the word cute was meant for her, not her dumb joke.
Holy heater, had someone left the burner on?
That was what she liked so much about him—their attraction was obviously mutual. How often did that happen in life? Until recently, she’d been convinced it could only happen once, and Greg, the love of her life, was gone.
Oh, man, this business between her and Zack could really go somewhere. Which both frightened and thrilled her. Fortunately, the apron covered the very physical reaction skittering across her chest.
* * *
Monday night, Daisy Mae found a new favorite place to lounge—on top of the second storage box from the attic that had sent the cat into hiding two weeks ago. It reminded Lacy she’d been so distracted with the new job and, more recently, with Zackery Gardner that she’d never opened it. Gazing at her cat elongated to the max across the cover and purring like an electric fan, she surmised now was not the time to check it out. Still, it got her thinking about something she’d put out of her mind since that wedding. The hat wearer who’d called her Eva.
Eva. Her doppelgänger?
Nah, to some people redheads often looked alike, since they couldn’t get past the hair color to notice the faces. In fact, if she ever saw this Eva person, she’d probably laugh, then be shocked and quite possibly dismayed at how dissimilar they looked. Just like that commenter on her social media page had said. She understood people were notorious for skimming over appearances, categorizing people into groups, deciding they looked alike for generalities—in her case red hair and blue eyes—not specifics. That had to be the thing with that person named Eva.
Don’t give it another thought.
Still, the notion brought out of hiding a feeling she used to have all the time growing up—the old and intense longing to have a sister. Someone to share every little thing with, like her first kiss with Zack! Because she’d been shutting people out the last year, she couldn’t think of a single friend she’d want to tell about that kiss. She’d had best friends all her life, shared with them like anyone else would, too, but secretly always longed for the best friendship of all—that with a sister. What could beat that?
Lacy glanced at Daisy Mae sprawled across the lid again. Who had time to look in a dusty old storage box, anyway, when she needed to prepare for tomorrow’s new construction-site gig! Wiping her hands as if she’d actually shooed her cat away from and touched the dirty box, Lacy dropped the interest and redirected her energy toward tomorrow. Then she headed for the garage to get supplies from the refrigerator and freezer.
* * *
Tuesday morning, Lacy understood the drive would be longer than usual from Little River Valley to the coast of Santa Barbara, so she left early. Good thing, too, since her GPS didn’t know the exact location of the new building site because it didn’t really exist yet. She came to a stop at the end of the paved road. In the distance, above the street, she saw two stories of apartment framing along the ridge of a hill. The pristine cloudless sky was California blue and the ocean’s teal tones sparkled in the distance under the nearly high noon sun. Zack had stepped it up a few notches here. Wow, some seniors were going to retire in style.
Five minutes later she’d navigated the winding dirt road to the site. The seniors may have a great view, but it would be a PIA to go grocery shopping and run errands from all the way up there. On the other hand, with these upscale dwellings, they’d probably have people who did that for them, anyway.
After scanning the area, she parked the truck under the shade of another ancient oak tree and prepared to set up, deciding to hold off on the foodmobile horn until she was completely ready. The place was isolated, and her truck was the only takeout nearby. The workers probably all brought lunch pails. Glancing around at the loud and hectic construction going on, she hoped Zack had told the guys about her coming today.
A short time before noon, Lacy had completed her preparations and decided to check out the single wide mobile office before metaphorically clanging a lunch bell with the silly horn. Even though the construction sign said Franks & Gardner, she wanted to make sure this was the spot. As she walked, she considered that this was probably something she should’ve done first, not after she’d set everything up, but, oh well.
When she was ten feet out, Zack stepped through the door with a wide grin pasted on his face, relieving her of any last-minute concerns. Right spot. Right man. Sure felt right.
“Your timing is perfect,” he said with a broad smile.
“Good to know. It was quite a trek up that hillside.”
He grimaced. �
�I should’ve warned you, sorry.”
“That’s fine.” She clapped her hands while imagining running into his arms and laying a big kiss on him that would make the already beautiful day turn magical. An adult version of her little-girl fantasies about Zack. What had gotten into her! Him. Obviously. One little kiss. An upcoming date. She felt more alive than she had in ages. Would her silly expression give her away? Instead of going with her gut, because who did that sort of thing real life—certainly not her—she turned and headed toward the truck.
“Hey,” he said, making her ticker pick up a beat or two without trying.
“Yes?”
“Thanks for coming.” With the full sun making him squint hard, she couldn’t tell if he’d just winked at her or not.
“Of course!” She squinted back, along with what felt like a jack-o’-lantern grin.
“The guys are gonna love the wraps.”
How could she resist a man who believed in her?
Fifteen minutes later, the workers mobbed her foodmobile like she was the only game in town. Because she was. Still, she noticed many had put their lunch pails aside to order from her. A high compliment, and a far cry from the first time she’d shown up at his other construction site. Maybe word had traveled among the hard hats? If she didn’t deliver the goods with hearty guy-sized wraps, she might find herself twiddling her thumbs on Thursday.
Forty-five minutes later, given the good groans and moans emanating from the lunchtime crowd, including two women who weren’t office workers but part of the crew—which impressed her to no end—she figured everyone liked her food. Some had even ordered the day’s deal: buy one, get half off the other. She’d thought up that one on the longer drive.
“I told you guys you’d love it.” Zack’s voice carried above the contented sounds of sloppy eating, as he approached her truck.
“Hi! Hungry?” she said, high on the great lunch turnout, yet noticing a distinct look in his eye that made her think about something other than food.
Cooking Up Romance (The Taylor Triplets Book 1) Page 7
