Untangle My Heart (Tangled Hearts)

by Alexander, Maria K.

“Meaning I’ve always taken the easy road?”

  “The easy road might have worked in your twenties, but maybe it’s time for an adult relationship now. Don’t fuck this up with Kate because you’re thinking with the wrong part of your body,” Charles said.

  “I have no problem controlling all parts of my body. It’s not meant to be with Kate and I’m moving on.”

  “Fine, I’ll back off. You were there for me when I had trouble with Meghan, and I’m here if you want to go off about Kate, or anyone else,” Charles said.

  Edward nodded. “I know and thanks.” He followed Charles out of the kitchen.

  Yes, it was time to move on, and Ingrid would definitely take his mind off Kate and the frustrated state she’d kept him in since he’d been with her over the summer. If being with Ingrid didn’t help, he didn’t want to think what that meant or what he did from there.

  Chapter Two

  The next morning, Edward awoke with a hangover that thumped like the loud music at last night’s club. He opened his eyes and winced at the sunlight streaming in through the blinds. It served him right for drinking more than usual, at least more than he had in quite some time. A few years ago, he regularly spent the weekends overindulging in both alcohol and women. However, since his battle with lymphoma over a year ago, he’d curtailed his more promiscuous ways. That was, until last night.

  The events of the prior evening came back in fragments. With a groan, he rolled over and buried his head under the pillow as the details came into focus. What the bloody hell was wrong with him? He’d been a thoughtless git more times than he could count, but never as bad as last night.

  He and Kyle met Ingrid and her friend, Yvonne, at a club. After several hours and too many tequila shots, the next thing he remembered was the taxi ride to Ingrid’s flat. She’d been all over him, not that he’d been complaining. After all, they’d been doing this for years, and sex was the climactic end to their evening. They danced, they drank. Then they fucked. End of story. There was no love, no romance between them. Never had been and never would be. Sure, he’d developed affection for her over the years, but it had never been anything but sex—for either of them.

  Despite his allusions to his brother, he hadn’t planned on sleeping with Ingrid, but the combination of alcohol and his need to forget Kate drove all common sense from him. Once at Ingrid’s, it wasn’t long before they were naked and in her bed. What would have happened if Ingrid hadn’t spoken, hadn’t snapped him out of his vision of making love to Kate? What if they hadn’t stopped?

  “For fuck’s sake,” he mumbled and rolled out of bed.

  He stumbled into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. A glance in the mirror showed a man he almost didn’t recognize. Dark shadows haunted cold and unfeeling eyes. When had he become this person, or had he never truly seen himself? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like what he saw.

  While under the jets of the shower, he recalled Ingrid’s reaction when he blurted Kate’s name. He’d been lucky all she’d done was make a snide remark and not belt him across the face—or somewhere more vulnerable. At what point had he morphed Ingrid’s pale blond hair and model-thin physique into Kate? It’s not like the two could easily be confused. Kate was the polar opposite of Ingrid, with a mane of auburn curls, olive-toned skin, and soft curves that could—and had—brought him to his knees on multiple occasions. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known or wanted, and she didn’t want anything to do with him. And after his behavior last night, he couldn’t blame her.

  After dressing and popping two acetaminophen to ease his pounding head, he started coffee. Last night was a wake-up call he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. Kate wasn’t out of his system, and he couldn’t escape his desire for her in the arms of another woman.

  Wasn’t that what his brother told him yesterday? That he needed to stop running from situations that made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was time to deal with whatever this was between him and Kate, and force her to deal with it, too. He pressed his hands to his temples as the mere thought of this made his head throb harder.

  He chose a blueberry muffin from the pastry box on the counter, thankful he’d had the foresight to stop at his favorite bakery yesterday morning, and had eaten about half of it when his cell rang.

  It had to be Charles, wanting to find out how his evening went. Even if it was warranted, he sure as hell wasn’t in the mood for a lecture from his brother. He pressed the answer button quickly, anxious to end the blasted ringing. “What?” he snapped.

  “That’s a hell of a way to answer the phone. Good morning to you, too,” an irritated voice shot back.

  Caught off-guard, he struggled to find his voice. “Kate. I’m sorry. I didn’t look at the display and thought you were Charles.”

  “He must have royally pissed you off to deserve a greeting like that.”

  “Maybe I’m not in the mood for conversation this early.”

  Kate snorted. “Early my ass. It’s almost eleven. You sound hung over. You must have had a hard night partying last night.”

  He wasn’t up for their usual banter. “Is there a reason you called? After our last conversation, I didn’t expect to hear from you until Monday at the office.”

  “As a matter of fact, yes.” She paused, and he imagined her biting her lower lip like she usually did when dealing with things that made her uncomfortable. “I was hoping you could help me, my family, actually.”

  He sat up straighter in his chair. In the short time he’d known her, she’d never asked for help. “And you’re asking me? As I recall, you said you’d rot in hell before you came to me for anything outside work.”

  “Yeah, well…I was angry, and you know how I get.”

  He most certainly did. Kate had a tendency to speak before she thought, without considering the repercussions.

  “Right.”

  “Come on, Edward. I’m sorry for what I said. Are you going to make me beg?”

  An erotic image of Kate begging flashed through his mind, causing heat to shoot down to his groin. He cleared his throat. “What is it you need?”

  “There’s a restaurant my family wants to lease. We need an opinion on how much it will cost to fix it up and get it operational.”

  “I thought your family had a business. Are they looking to expand?”

  Kate sighed. “No. The pizzeria isn’t doing well, and they’re going to have to close. They plan to open a more sophisticated, upscale sort of place.”

  “I see. And you need my help,” he said.

  “I don’t need your help, Edward. I could have gone to Charles, but I’m asking you.”

  He swung his long legs off the bar stool and walked into the kitchen to refill his coffee. “My brother turned you down, didn’t he?” Edward could envision the indignant expression on her face and a hand on her hip.

  She huffed out a breath. “Okay, fine. I called Charles and he wasn’t available to help me today. He suggested you might be.”

  Edward didn’t believe for a minute his brother wasn’t available, but rather, said he was busy simply to throw Kate and him in the same room together. While a part of him wanted to throttle his meddlesome brother, he supposed it was best to not delay confronting his feelings for this woman considering the events of last night.

  “Where is this place?”

  “On City Line Avenue, just outside Philly.”

  “When do you want me there?”

  “I’m here now with my dad. We don’t want to take too long to make a decision because they’ve already lost another place to a competitor.”

  “I suppose that means today, then?”

  “If you can. My mother offered to make you a home-cooked Italian feast for dinner.”

  “And you? What will you do for me?” he teased.

  “Not near anything close to the thoughts running through your perverted little mind.” She paused. “But I’ll be eternally grateful for your advice.”

  The idea of Kate’s etern
al gratitude brought a smile to his lips.

  “I like the sound of that, luv. Tell me where to meet you.”

  After getting directions to the restaurant, Edward packed a small overnight bag in case he wanted to crash in a hotel later. After grabbing something more substantial to eat at his favorite deli, he headed out of New York.

  It would be interesting to meet Kate’s family, and he was curious how she would show him her gratitude. For the first time that day, he was optimistic he may be able to use this to his advantage.

  ****

  Kate stared out the front window of the restaurant, searching for Edward’s BMW.

  “He should be here soon.” She glanced at her watch for the twentieth time that minute. “He was close when he sent the last text.”

  Joe grasped his daughter’s hand and led her to the bar. “Relax. I’m sure he’ll be here shortly.”

  Relaxation would not be possible in the presence of her former lover. Not when every time she saw him reminded her of the weeks they’d spent together that summer. She didn’t regret their brief affair—how could she regret something so fantastic—but working beside him every day while pushing aside her attraction grated on her nerves.

  She opened a bottle of water and took a sip. “I want to make sure we have enough time before we have to return the key to the real estate agency.”

  “We’ll have plenty of time. Ah, I think your architect just arrived.”

  She turned to the entryway as all six feet of Edward Weston strolled through the doorway, a blast of cold November air following him. Dark brown hair tousled from the wind and a day’s worth of beard only enhanced his distractingly good looks. A cocky grin greeted her when his blue-gray eyes met hers and held. Her heart skipped a beat before resuming at a rapid pace. Damn him. Why couldn’t Charles have come instead? Then she wouldn’t be forced to see this man’s full lips and remember how fantastic they’d felt.

  After taking a steadying breath, she hopped off the bar stool and walked toward him, wondering if he was still annoyed at her for turning him down the other day. But from his expression, he didn’t seem any more aloof than usual.

  “Hi. Thanks for coming so quickly,” Kate said.

  “I’m glad to help.” He held up a container holding three cups from Starbucks. “I would have been here ten minutes ago, but I popped in to fetch us some coffee. I got your usual. I hope that’s okay.”

  Kate nodded and reached for the coffees. “Thanks.” Boy, did she hate it when he was nice to her. She didn’t know how to deal with nice.

  A voice cleared behind her.

  “It seems my daughter’s forgotten her manners, so I’ll introduce myself,” her father said, walking forward. “Joe DiFrancesco.”

  Kate stepped aside. “Sorry. Daddy, this is Edward. Edward, my father, Joe.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. DiFrancesco,” Edward said, extending his hand.

  Joe clasped Edward’s in a firm handshake. “The pleasure’s mine, and call me Joe.”

  “Come put your stuff down and we’ll show you around,” Kate said, walking over to the bar to set down the coffees.

  “You have a great location. It’s off a main highway and in a busy shopping center,” Edward said.

  “It’s one of the things that drew us all the way here. The neighborhood pizzeria isn’t working any more. It was good while it lasted, but we want to go beyond the local pizza joint,” Joe said.

  Kate handed Edward and her father a coffee. “And there’s a hotel just past here, too. That should help bring in out-of-town customers.”

  Edward removed his coat and hung it over a barstool. “Right. Give me the grand tour.”

  Before Edward could follow her father into the main restaurant area, Kate put a hand on his forearm.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  “With helping you?”

  “Yes. I don’t want you to read more into it than it is. I haven’t changed my mind about getting involved with you.”

  He studied her face before lingering on her lips. Her nipples contracted. He took a step closer to her and leaned down. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, and dammit if she didn’t want him to.

  “I believe you’ve made your position crystal clear. I can’t force you to feel an attraction you obviously don’t.” His gaze moved down to her breasts, which, despite her sweater, surely displayed her aroused state. With a crooked grin and a wink, he stepped aside and left her alone in the entranceway.

  Kate blew out the breath she’d been holding. Damn, if this wasn’t going to be a challenge.

  ****

  Edward took notes on a legal pad while following Kate and her father around the restaurant. Although the main room was open and spacious, he didn’t approve of the dark decor. There didn’t appear to be any major structural problems, mostly cosmetic improvements.

  “What type of image do you want to project?” Edward asked.

  “Sophisticated dining in a casual, family-style restaurant. Nothing too fancy that folks will need to wear a suit and tie, but something more upscale than a pizzeria,” Joe replied.

  “We want to do the bare minimum to give it a more suitable atmosphere than it has now. We were thinking of a Tuscan ambiance with pale walls, dark brown furniture, and red tablecloths,” Kate added. Excitement sparked in her eyes. She knew exactly what she wanted.

  Edward reached into his bag, pulled out a sketchpad, and sat at a table. “Tell me what else you see.”

  Kate moved through the main dining room, examining every inch with her critical eyes. Skintight jeans hugged the sweetest ass he’d ever seen—and touched. The emerald green sweater fit snug to her narrow waist and revealed enough cleavage to remind him of the perfect breasts beneath. Then there were the red suede boots. The heels added a good four inches to her height and did all kinds of things to arouse his libido. She’d left her hair natural and it framed her face in a tumble of auburn curls, which he knew often drove her crazy, but made her appear wild and delectable. At least to him. He scowled and dragged his gaze away from her to the pad. Get a bloody grip.

  She stood staring at the booths that lined the side wall. “I thought we could remove the booths and put one long, padded bench along the side here. Then stagger smaller tables with chairs along it. This would give us the flexibility of combining tables together for larger parties.”

  “What about the walls?” Joe asked.

  Kate studied the dark walls and frowned. “There’s too much dark. We can’t have dark walls and dark furniture. It’s like a cave. We want a soft and welcoming atmosphere.” She squinted. “I’d like a golden yellow, accented with wall sconces and paintings from Italy.”

  She tilted her head at Edward, who was sketching something on his pad. “What do you think so far?”

  “You’re doing brilliantly. Continue,” he replied, focused with intensity on his drawing.

  “Dark red tablecloths and curtains will add color and warmth.” She gazed at the floor. “The floor isn’t too bad, but we may want to spruce it up.”

  Edward glanced over at where she stood and noticed the scuffs and scratches in the wood. “It won’t take much to refinish it and tone the color down a bit. The dark color is nice, but it’s too harsh. Lightening it will also give it warmth.”

  He rose and approached the bar, stroking the wood as he moved down the length and behind it. “This is in good condition. However, I’d suggest putting mirrors along this wall. It will give the illusion of space.”

  He walked toward the back of the room and made some other recommendations to soften the lines. They worked their way through each room, making plans to finish the smaller room that had been used for storage into one that could be used for private parties.

  It was after five when they finished. Joe left to return the key to the real estate agent, while Kate rode with Edward to her parents’ house.

  Energized with thoughts about the restaurant, Edward sped along the road,
following Kate’s directions while taking in the surrounding area. The area was highly populated with shops, which he expected would bring a good amount of clientele.

  “I think the restaurant has a lot of potential.” He stole a quick glance when she didn’t respond to his statement. Tension rolled off her, which he didn’t think had anything to do with their conversation.

  He covered one of her tightly clenched fists with his hand. “Everything all right?”

  With an irritated look, she jerked her hand out from beneath his and grabbed onto the door handle. “Can you slow down and stop changing lanes? This isn’t the Daytona 500,” she all but shouted. “You’re making me seasick. Are you sure you’re used to driving on the opposite side of the road and all?”

  “I’ve been driving in the States for many years, but thanks for your concern.” He grinned and eased up on the gas. “Are you still worried about your family?”

  She sighed and rubbed at her temples. “I want this whole restaurant business to work out. I hate to see them at such loose ends. I’d feel better knowing they can afford to lease the restaurant before I return to New York. Vinnie and Vicky aren’t any help when it comes to making decisions. It’s always been up to Nick and me.”

  “Aren’t they all involved with the pizzeria?”

  “Nick’s a cop and doesn’t get involved with the business except when he’s off and they need help in the kitchen. Vinnie just finished culinary school but knows squat about running a business, and is too cocky for his own good. Vicky is…” She trailed off. “I don’t know what goes on in the mind of my little sister. She’s divorced at twenty-six, after catching her husband cheating on her with his best friend. His very male best friend.”

  Edward nodded. “Ah, I see. That must have been difficult for her.”

  “It was. She walked in on them during sex. What a horrible way to learn one’s husband is gay. The sad part is he didn’t know he was until after they were married, or so he says.”

  “A pity.”

  “Now, she has a miserable attitude toward everyone and flirts with any available male with the hope of proving she’s still a woman. She has a year left to get her undergraduate degree. She’s on the eight-year plan.”