by Willow Aster
My mother is waiting in the driveway with Herb when I step outside. I open the door and Louie’s tail wags when he sees me.
“Nice seersucker suit,” I tell him.
“I’ve given some thought to the direction you took the hotel—I’m not pleased that you went about this without me. Not pleased at all. But if it’s more freedom in the business you’re wanting, I concede. I’d much prefer you let out your little rebellion in that area than in this business with Jeremy.”
“That’s just it, Maman. I don’t want to look at the man I’m supposed to marry as a business at all. I want to marry for love. I can’t be like you and Papa.”
She gasps, but she knows it’s true. She’s twenty-two years younger than my father and married him for his money. I’d like to think they have a fondness for one another, but I haven’t seen much evidence of that, at least not from my mother’s side as of late. And Juliette followed that path with Beecham.
I lean up and smile at Herb. “Please drop me off at the hotel instead of our office.” He nods. I take note of his new car air freshener. It’s lessened the garlic smell by at least fifty percent. It’s the little things. “Thank you.”
Maman huffs next to me and all I can think about is how nice it will feel to breathe. The sooner I can put some distance between myself and my family, the sooner I will feel like I can catch my breath.
My head is pounding as I walk into The Lux, but already, I feel better. Caden is in the lobby and he waves something at me.
“There you are, and looking lovely, I might add.” He grins at me and it feels like everything will be okay. “I have an extra greasy breakfast sandwich. Thought of you when I ordered it.”
My face flames and I put my hand on one cheek to try to cool it down. “I am so embarrassed about last night. I don’t even remember everything, but the parts I do remember are—” I shake my head and grit my teeth, making a face.
“—Are not bad at all,” he finishes for me. “You were fine. Don’t worry about it. I hope you’re feeling okay though.”
“Yeah, not the best, but that’s what I get for trying to drink my body weight. Never again, lesson learned.” I laugh. “And yes, I will take that sandwich. Thank you.”
Someone calls him and he hands me the sandwich before hurrying to help the guy. I unwrap the greasy goodness and dig in, moaning as I take the first bite.
“What is this?” I ask out loud.
Caden walks back over just then. “Sausage Egg McMuffin.”
“Where do you find these things?” I gasp, taking another bite. It is heaven.
And I think he’s going to pop an eyeball out with his shock and laughter. “You’ve never gotten an Egg McMuffin from McDonald’s?”
My eyes widen. “We were never allowed. This is from McDonald’s? I always saw the commercials and wanted a Quarter Pounder so bad, but my mother insisted that was the devil’s food.”
He laughs harder. “Well, some would say you’re right. But who doesn’t need a little devil in their life every now and then?” His tone and the way his gaze dances across my face and down my body leaves heat licking across my skin.
I finish chewing but can’t look away from him. I know my cheeks are pink, but I can’t care about that right now. It’s really hard to tell sometimes if he’s flirting for real or playing this boyfriend role. He was nice before, but things have definitely kicked up a few notches.
I fan myself. It’s too hot, he’s too hot. I take another bite of the sandwich because it’s so damn delicious and I can’t seem to think in clear sentences when I’m around Caden Taylor.
He doesn’t seem in any hurry and when I finish my sandwich, I grab his arm, catching him by surprise. He grins and I melt. Again.
“I forgot—and don’t feel like you have to, it’s all last minute, but I just wanted to ask—” I run out of air and he chuckles.
“Deep breath,” he says.
I listen and take a long, cleansing breath. When I’m done, he’s still waiting patiently for me to say whatever I want to say.
“Are you always this laidback?” I ask.
He has a dimple. My God, he has a dimple and it is out in full force now. “That’s what you wanted to ask me?”
“No. Yes. Well, and something else too.” I wave my hand. “Sorry, I’m all over the place today.”
“You’re fine. And I guess the answer is yes … I’ve never seen the need of stressing over things that I have no control over.”
“And what about finding control in the first place? Have you always been this self-assured guy who does whatever he wants?”
He puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I wouldn’t say I always do whatever I want, but yes, I’ve tried to shape my life into doing the things I want to do, being the kind of person I’m proud of. It helps that my family has always cheered me on along the way.”
I sigh wistfully at that. Maybe it’s not just in movies after all.
“What else did you want to ask me?” he asks when I’m quiet for a long time, mulling everything over.
“Would you be willing to go to dinner with me tonight?”
He’s already nodding his head and smiling when I shake mine, holding my head up.
“With my parents, Jeremy, and his parents?” I add.
He whistles and then takes my hand, twining his fingers through mine. He leans in a step and my heart gallops ahead of me.
“Is it time to pull out the big dogs?” he asks, leaning his forehead onto mine.
“I don’t know that expression, but I’m thinking the answer is yes."
"I would be glad to go to dinner with you tonight.”
Just then someone calls my name and it’s a delivery person holding a massive bouquet of white flowers. Are those lilies? Caden lets go of my hand and takes the flowers from the man since he’s closer.
“This is Ms. Cosette,” Caden says. “Looks like you have another admirer.”
I sneeze twice. Oh no. “Weird that they’d come here and not my office. Are these lilies?” I frown and sneeze again.
“I don’t know. I’m just the delivery guy. Where would you like these?”
“Wherever is convenient, I guess.” I look around and there aren’t many surfaces that aren’t cluttered with all the projects going on. The lobby reception desk is the only place I see. There are roses and hydrangeas and only a few lilies, maybe I’ve outgrown the allergy by now.
He sets them there and watches while I open the card and back away a bit just in case. My anger boils when I read it. And my eyes blur, burning, as I sneeze five times in quick succession.
“Are you okay?” Caden asks.
I grab a tissue from the box sitting a few feet from the flowers and wipe my eyes and then grab another tissue and sneeze into it.
I try again to read the card, between more sneezes. My throat feels kind of weird too.
If two can play this game, count me in. You belong with me, Cosi. I won’t give up until my ring is on your finger.
~Jeremy Alphonse Toussaint
I wave the card toward Caden and he stares at me in alarm. “Cosette, I think you’re allergic to these flowers.” He grabs my arm and pulls me away from them.
“Those are definitely lilies. I’ve always been allergic, but I’ve never reacted quite this badly.” I sneeze again and again. My skin itches and I glance down and see a bunch of red splotches all over my arm. I move farther away from the flowers and he takes them and quickly leaves the room.
When he hurries back, he reaches in his back pocket for his wallet and hands me a Benadryl. “I should’ve given you this first,” he says.
“You carry Benadryl in your wallet?” I ask.
“Pen has a nut allergy, so we each carry it with us at all times just in case.”
My eyes get glassy as I take it from him, and I lean my head on his chest for a second. “Thank you,” I whisper.
I think about what it must have been like to grow up in the Taylor household. To have som
eone always looking out for your best interests.
I may have grown up with marble floors and a trust fund that will last me a lifetime, but they have something that money can’t buy.
They have a family.
And love.
Chapter Nine
Caden
“You sure you’re up for this?” I ask Cosette after she settles into the passenger seat beside me. She’s been off all day since taking the Benadryl. I found her slumped over against a wall in my office at the hotel when it was time to leave for dinner.
“Yes, of course. Benadryl just makes me sleepy. I can’t believe how long this is lasting. I’ve never had such a strong reaction to lilies. Thank you for getting rid of those.” Her words are soft. I don’t think the hangover mixed with the allergic reaction is making her feel very well at all.
“My pleasure. I think Anthony was more than happy to take them home to his wife and score some brownie points,” I say, referring to the painter that was working at the hotel all day. “Plus, I don’t need Jeremy sending my woman flowers, right?”
She chuckles and turns to face me. She looks tired. “Right. Thanks for doing this tonight. Truly, you’re going above and beyond.”
I chuckle. Hanging out with Cosette Dubois is not a hardship for me. I enjoy her company, so I’m happy to help.
“Of course.”
“Well, prepare yourself. My family is no walk at the park, but Jeremy’s family can also be a handful. I love them because I’ve known them most of my life—but his mother, Sabine, is not pleased with me for ending our relationship. You’ll like his father, Gerard. He’s my favorite. But, I’ve never been on the wrong side of the Toussaints.”
“Well, too bad that they don’t get to decide who you date, or who you marry.” I shake my head because I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that they’re trying to arrange a marriage in this day and age. “So let’s turn things up a bit tonight. Really send the message home.”
She chuckles. “Okay. We should probably know more about one another if we’re madly in love, right?”
“Good idea. What do you want to know?”
“Favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite season?” she asks as I pull into the parking lot at the restaurant.
“Blue. Tacos. Fall because of football. How about you?” I put the car in park and turn to face her. Her cheek is resting against the seat, and she looks like she could fall asleep if we stopped talking.
“Periwinkle. Pizza. Summer because I love the beach.”
“Nice. What’s your favorite holiday?” I ask.
“Christmas. You?”
“Same. The presents, the food, the snow. I fucking love it,” I say. “Favorite movie?”
“Little Women. I’ve watched the old version and the new version more times than I can count. You?”
“Rocky. The Godfather. Jaws.”
Her eyes double in size and she laughs. “Jaws traumatized me. I refused to swim in an ocean for years after watching it.”
I unbuckle my seat belt because we’re going to be late.
“Oh yeah? Well, Little Women traumatized me.” I jump out of the car and come around to open her door.
“How does Little Women traumatize anyone?”
“Because Pen made me watch it when we were young and then she insisted all of us act it out. I was cast as Jo.” I shiver at the memory as I reach for her hand. “I still break out in a sweat every time I remember her trying to force us all into her dresses that were far too small anyway.”
Her head falls back in laughter. “I think if you saw the new version, and no one forced you to act it out, you’d really like it.”
I guide her in the door, my hand resting on the small of her back. She smells fucking good.
She looks fucking gorgeous, even hungover and with a severe flower allergy.
My fake girlfriend is fucking perfect.
“Why’s that?” I ask as we make our way inside.
“Because it’s all about family—and so are you.” She winks, and it takes all I have not to dip my head down and taste that sweet mouth of hers.
Get it together, asshole.
This girl is not looking for a hookup or a boyfriend. She’s looking for an exit strategy for her current situation. She wants to be free. Single.
“Your party is already here. Follow me,” the hostess says, and she stares at me a little too long.
“I think she likes you,” Cosette whispers close to my ear so only I can hear. Her lips graze against my ear and my dick springs to action.
Shit.
I mentally curse him. I have a feeling I’m about to walk into the lion’s den, and I certainly don’t want to do so with an award-winning erection. The thought makes the big guy calm down and I chuckle.
“Too bad for her, I’m crazy about my girlfriend,” I whisper close to her ear this time, and I don’t miss the way she shivers just a little at the contact.
She looks over her shoulder and smiles. Lavender eyes so trusting and sweet. “You ready for this, lover?”
“I was born ready, baby.”
The restaurant is a lot stuffier than where I normally dine, but it smells damn good. The tables are covered in white cloths with candles and flowers sitting atop, and the dim lighting sets the mood. The hostess stops at a large round table and Cosette squeezes my hand.
I take in the group. The dicklicker, Jeremy, moves to his feet and I don’t miss the way his icy gaze moves past me.
“Cosi,” he says, moving toward her and kissing each side of her face. “Did you receive my flowers?”
He speaks loud enough for everyone at the table to hear him and he reeks of booze.
“I did.” Cosette’s posture is stiff and her hand does not leave mine.
“You don’t look pleased? In fact you look a little off, are you feeling all right?”
“I actually had a horrible allergic reaction to the lilies,” she says, and I fight the urge to laugh at the douche kabob’s reaction. He looks like he’s been slapped.
“What? Since when are you allergic to lilies?” He’s aggravated and he doesn’t hide it.
“Since birth.” She delivers it so perfectly that I try to cover my laughter with a cough.
“Oh, nonsense. You’ll be fine, Cosi. The point is that he sent you the gorgeous arrangement,” her mother says and I’m startled that there is no concern whatsoever for her daughter having a severe reaction.
“Hello, Maman.” Cosette displays little emotion in her tone. “You remember my boyfriend, Caden.” She turns and looks at each person at the table and they all move to their feet at once.
“Yes. Nice to see you, Calden,” Vivenne says, and I bark out a laugh as Cosette corrects her.
Again.
“You as well.” I make my way around the table shaking hands. I get a chilly greeting from Sabine Toussaint, but I’d prepared for that. Alban Dubois isn’t chilly nor warm, he appears completely distracted and disengaged. Perhaps put out that he’s even here. I don’t get the feeling it’s my presence that annoys him, but that everyone seems to be bothering him.
The surprise of the evening is Gerard Toussaint who appears to be clueless that I’m stepping on his son’s turf. Or he just doesn’t care. Either way, he claps me on the shoulder and pulls me in for a hug.
“Nice to meet you, young man. Any friend of our Cosi’s is a friend of mine.”
When I step aside, he pulls Cosette in for a long hug. I can see that he adores her. More so than his son who just appears to want to lock her down.
Cosette takes in the table, and there is one vacant seat next to Jeremy and one empty seat beside Gerard on the other side of the table. She comes to a stop and stares at her mother. “You’re kidding, right? I’m not sitting away from Caden.”
“Come on over here, I don’t mind moving,” Gerard says, shooting his wife and Vivienne a look of disapproval.
“Thank you,” Cosette leads me to the two seats.
“You look ti
red, darling,” Vivienne says, studying her daughter.
“I have a mean hangover and I’ve taken Benadryl to stop my throat from closing due to my twenty-four-year allergy to lilies.” She places her napkin in her lap and I laugh. The girl is witty as shit, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m charmed by Cosette more and more each day. She is full of surprises. I’ve always appreciated her strength on the job, her no-nonsense attitude, but she’s even stronger than I’d originally thought. Maybe she’s just finding that side of herself, and I’ll do whatever I can to help support her.
“It was pretty bad,” I say, and Sabine’s eyes double in size when she looks at me. Was I not supposed to speak at this dinner? These people are fucking crazy and I’m just getting started. “She had welts all over her body.”
A gasp echoes around the table as if I’ve just committed a mortal sin. Vivienne rolls her eyes. “We don’t need the gory details.”
“Well, I needed to make sure my girl was okay, and that meant checking every inch of her beautiful body. You know, to make sure the welts were going down.”
Cosette’s hand finds mine beneath the table and she squeezes. I glance over to see her covering her mouth to hide her smile.
Just getting started, baby.
“Oh my. Well, that’s more details than is appropriate for dinner talk where I come from,” Sabine says, and Jeremy nods before waving over the waiter and ordering a double whiskey straight up and another bottle of wine. We all place our dinner orders before the server hurries off.
“I’m just thankful she made it to dinner. I almost took her to the hospital. Probably best you stop sending flowers to my girlfriend anyway. It’s disrespectful where I come from to send flowers to a woman who has made it clear that she’s in a relationship.”
“Amen to that,” Gerard says, holding up his glass and shaking it for the server to bring him another.
