Fated Bliss (Bliss #2) (16 page)

“Nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Raiden,” he replied, shaking her hand politely.

“I’ll have none of that Mrs. Raiden nonsense. It’s Emma,” she scolded him lightly, twittering again. She motioned for the house. “What are we doin’ out here? Y’all come on in. I was just finishin’ up breakfast. I’m sure I can scrounge up enough for everyone.”

“Sorry, Emma, but I have to decline,” I interjected before she could dash inside. “I have to get to the clinic. I only stopped by to drop off Linc. He has a lawn to fix.”

“Oh.” Her smile dimmed as she glanced at Lincoln. “That was you?”

Lincoln lifted his chin, owning up to his actions. “Yes, ma’am.” His nerves started getting the better of him, and he licked his lips. “I…I’m sorry for what happened. I was a jerk, but I’m willing to do whatever to fix it.”

God, but I love my son.

“Right,” Emma stated, nodding. “Well, before you fix it, I better put some food in that belly. You’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of you, and you’re a growin’ boy.” She looped her arm through his and pulled him inside, calling over her shoulder, “Nice to see you again, Ben. Oh, and dinner is Sunday night at six. I expect you and Lincoln to be here.” She walked through the door before I could agree, but I caught Lincoln’s wide-eyed plea for help before he disappeared.

I extended a raised brow to Brad. “Dinner?”

“Just go with it,” he recommended, his lips twitching under his beard. “When she’s got somethin’ in her head, there is no swayin’ her.”

“Okay,” I drawled, shrugging. “Dinner it is then.” I glanced at Pops, surprised he’d kept quiet. “You good here?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” he grumbled, looking at me like I was crazy.

“No reason.” I chuckled and turned my attention to Brad. “I left some tools for Linc at the end of the driveway. The earliest I could have the sod delivered was first thing Monday morning. It’ll give Linc enough time to prep the yard.”

“Works for me,” Brad agreed easily.

“Whoa, who’s that?” I heard Lincoln ask from inside. There must have been a window open somewhere. “She’s smokin’ hot.”

“That, young man, is my daughter, and she’s a little old for you,” Emma replied, tickled.

I groaned.

Brad chuckled. “Can’t blame the boy – Sammie’s a looker. I had to beat the boys off with a stick when she was younger.”

That was my cue to leave.

“Well, I’m off. Call if you need me.”

“Will do.”

Chapter 14

Samantha

I was still
on London time, so when I woke, it was just after four in the morning. I laid in bed for a while, hoping I’d catch a few more hours of sleep. After half an hour, I knew there was no way around it – I was up and ready for the day.

Dressed in shorts, a cute frilly blouse, and flip flops, I arrived at the B&B a little before six, over an hour sooner than my normal start time, and found Teresa already in the kitchen, getting breakfast ready for the guests.

“Hidie-ho,” I sang, startling her.

Teresa jumped and swung around, wielding a spatula. “Oh, my goodness!” She clutched the spatula to her chest. “You scared me to death. What are you doing here so early?”

“Good to see you, too,” I teased.

Her face gentled as she rushed towards me, her arms open. “Come here and give me a hug. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the party. I had a meeting with my attorney.”

I wrapped my arms around her, the rightness of being home and settling into my normal routine washing over me. “You’re fine. How’s that goin’, anyway?”

She sighed as she walked back to the stove, checking a pots’ contents. “Pretty routine if one’s husband is in prison. We were wrapping up everything.”

“Ex-husband,” I corrected her.

“Yes, ex-husband.” Brittle and wobbly, Teresa’s smile was strained. “After four decades of marriage, that’s gonna be the hardest thing to get used to.”

“I can only imagine,” I murmured, my heart going out to her.

Teresa had only recently come to Bliss. She was originally from Indiana, but she moved to be closer to Bella, her granddaughter. Her daughter was Bella’s biological mother who was married to Jon, Clara’s brother, and had passed away with him in the accident.

It was a fairly long story, but in a nutshell, Teresa’s husband was in prison for blackmail and a few other things. He was a hard man to live with, very stern and unyielding. Right before he was arrested, Teresa had had enough and fled to Bliss from Indiana to be closer to Bella.

Teresa and her husband owned a rather large farm, so she didn’t need to work, really. One of her sons, Clyde, was running things back home and made sure his mother was well provided for. Teresa was accustomed to hard work on the farm, so after she’d arrived, she became bored – she couldn’t spend every waking moment with Bella.

That’s where I came in.

Before Grey moved in with Clara, he lived in a house at the back of our property. We needed someone on the grounds at all times in case of an emergency. Since he moved, it had been a juggling act to make sure that happened. Dad and I took turns staying at his old house for months, which I found tiring and irritating – I loved my space.

When Teresa mentioned looking for a job, a lightbulb went off in my head – she was perfect for the B&B
and
she needed a place to live. I offered her the house and a position as the morning cook and maid. Although Mrs. Birdie would deny it, she wasn’t getting any younger and was on her feet too much. I split her normal duties between the two of them. Plus, I added a few odd and ends to Teresa’s job description that I normally handled. It worked out perfectly for everyone, and the B&B ran more efficiently than it had in years.

I was still patting myself on the back for my ingenuity.

“There’re some single men in Bliss, and you’re not married anymore. It might be good to get back out there,” I suggested.

By her appalled expression, she hated the idea. “A woman my age shouldn’t date.”

I leveled her with a pointed stare. “Any single woman, no matter how old she is, deserves a chance at love.”

“Hmm,” she hummed and turned back around.

Point taken.

It would be a long while before she was comfortable with that idea.

“Do you need help with anythin’?” I questioned, glancing around the kitchen.

“Sure,” she replied over her shoulder. “The coffee just finished brewing. Wanna take it into the dining room and get the coffee bar ready?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I agreed, happy to get back into the swing of things.

I filled the two large insulated thermoses and lugged them into the dining room. We had a massive antique dining table that sat eighteen so that our guests could easily dine together. On the patio were smaller tables and chairs if anyone wanted to eat alone. During the winter months, we provided space heaters and blankets if that happened.

Lined on one wall was a small table in which we used as our coffee bar. We provided all the fixings, including creams, sugars, cinnamon, fresh whipped cream, and hot water and tea bags. I placed the thermoses down and made sure everything else was stocked. I filled another thermos with hot water for the tea and made another thermos of decaf. I was finishing up when the first guest walked in.

Mid-thirties with a strong body, dark eyes, and a square jaw, the man was very appealing to the eye. Because so many people came through these doors, I was very good at reading them – Adam was spot on when he said I was a good judge of character – and this guy screamed trouble.

The man noticed me and grinned, but I didn’t miss the interest underneath the grin. “Hello, doll,” he said as he approached. “You’re a new face. I thought I’d met everyone here.”

“I just arrived back in town,” I stated cordially. “I’m Sam, one of the owners.”

I was hoping that would shut down the dirty glint in his eyes. He was practically undressing me with them, though his outward appearance gave nothing away.

“Is that so?” His gaze ran down the length of my body. “Awfully young to own one of these places.”

I smiled tightly, keeping my retort to myself.

He seemed to have gotten the hint and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Is breakfast ready?”

“Should be out any minute now. I will check with Teresa to make sure,” I replied and walked away.

“Thanks, doll,” he called to my back.

If he called me doll one more time, I was going to find one and shove it somewhere highly uncomfortable.

I found Teresa assembling the scones and croissants on a platter. “Who’s the creepy man?” I questioned, keeping my voice low.

She spared me a quick glance and then aimed her eyes back to what she was doing. “Creepy?”

“Tall, slender, dark hair and eyes,” I described.

“Oh.” She laughed, rolling her eyes. “That’s Mr. Johnston. He seems like a sweet young man.”

Right.

Sweet.

And foul.

Something was off with him.

“The eggs and grits are in the chafers. Can you put them out?”

“Sure,” I agreed, though I didn’t want to go back out there, and grabbed one of the stainless steel warmers.

When I walked back into the dining room, Mr. Johnston was sitting at the head of the far end of the dining table, giving him a perfect view of me as he read the morning paper. His eyes followed me as I placed the chafer on the buffet table located on the opposite wall of the coffee bar. He continued to watch me as I made more trips to the kitchen, and an uneasy feeling swarmed my stomach.

By the time I was done, a few more early-risers wandered into the room. “Foods up,” I told them and skedaddled back into the kitchen. Teresa was coming out as I was going in, so I said, “I’m headin’ to the office. Let me know if you need help.”

“Sure thing, Sam,” she responded, smiling brightly.

Even though I was creeped out, I noticed that she was completely in her element. She was a very good choice, I decided, giving myself another mental pat on the back.

∞

I worked in the office the rest of the morning, going through neglected paperwork. I knew Grey hated paperwork, but I didn’t realize how much – he’d barely touched anything.

“Lazy shithead,” I muttered to myself for the millionth time.

“What’s that?” the man of the hour questioned as he strolled in.

“Paperwork, Grey,” I grouched, shooting him a scathing look. “You were supposed to do it. I’m gonna be in here the rest of the weekend catchin’ up on it.”

“You didn’t have to go on vacation,” he retorted, grinning.

My face scrunched up with astonishment. “You paid for my vacation.”

“Didn’t mean I had to do paperwork.”

“You little…” I grumbled, choosing to stop before I called him every name in the book. “You suck.”

“Nope. That’s Clara’s job.”

“Ugh! TMI, Grey. T.M.I!” I shivered, disgusted.

He laughed, enjoying my discomfort.

“If Clara knew you said that to me…”

Unperturbed, he finished, “She’d be laughin’ with me.”

“Whatever.”
Speaking of Clara…
“I forgot to ask Clara how the weddin’ plans were comin’ along. I’m sure there’s a lot I need to catch up on.”

She’d taken over organizing things while I was gone. Since it was being held at the B&B, and I’d coordinated many weddings here, I’d become the unofficial wedding planner.

Grey lifted a shoulder. “Not sure.”

Such a man.

I rolled my eyes, then joked, “She’s not gettin’ cold feet yet, is she?”

He rewarded me with an
are you mad
expression. “Like that would happen.”

“Hey,” I held up my hands, “I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s so far out of your league.”

A loud peal of laughter burst from Grey. “Seriously, Sam? I’ve got that woman wrapped around my finger.” He held up a pinky and wiggled it.

It was more like
she
had
him
wrapped around her little pinky. If she told him to bark, he’d let out the loudest and longest woof
possible. Nevertheless, Clara was deeply devoted to my big brother. They had the type of love that you could literally feel when they were near each other. They bettered one another, too – where she was weak, he was strong, and vice versa. It was pretty incredible.

A pang shot through my heart at the thought. I wanted that for myself.

One day, Sam.

If Ben and I had met at a different time and place, would we have had that?

Sigh.

I needed to stop thinking about him constantly.

Grey broke through my musing. “She told me to tell you no bachelorette party, by the way.”

“What?!” I cried, outraged. “No! That’s the best part. I’ve been plannin’ it since you bought her ring!”

“Exactly.” He narrowed his eyes. “She doesn’t want anythin’ crazy.”

“If I promise to cancel the strippers and the order of dildos and nipple clamps will she reconsider?”

Grey scratched his cheek and cocked his head. “It’s hard to tell if you’re jokin’ or not.”

I smiled deviously.

“See!” he shouted. “No bachelorette party!”

I stuck out my lip bottom lip and used my best baby voice. “Pah-pah-please don’t do this to me, Grey.”

He laughed again. “You’re out of your damn mind.”

“If she’s not havin’ one, you aren’t gonna have a bachelor party either, right?” I inquired, scowling. There’d be no double standards around here. “Adam started plannin’ yours around the same time I did.”

“Not happenin’.” Blanching, Grey was horrified by the prospect. “Even if I did want one, that man would be the last person to plan it. God, could you imagine?” A shiver raked his large frame.

Snickering, I agreed, “Okay, no bachelor and bachelorette parties.” An idea struck me. “How ’bout we do one together. We’ll make a weekend out of it or somethin’. Maybe go to Vegas.”

“You just got back from vacation, Sam. We can’t all disappear for an entire weekend so soon after you’ve been gone.”

“Okay…okay,” I allowed, pouting again.

Another idea came to mind, and I beamed.

I’m a flippin’ genius!

“I know!” I cried, causing Grey to jerk in surprise. “We can go to Asheville the weekend before and go to the bar where you and Clara had your first date. It would be perfect!”

Grey’s head rocked back slightly. “You know…that’s a pretty good idea.”

I smirked. “Of course it is. I came up with it.”

His lips twitched. “Smart ass.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way.” I snatched my keys from my drawer, pleased with myself. “Anyhoo…I’m goin’ to Mom and Dad’s for lunch.” I pushed my chair away from my desk and got to my feet. “Handle the fort while I’m gone.”

“Speakin’ of Mom and Dad,” he stated before I could walk out. “Mom knows the man whose son wrecked their yard. We’re havin’ dinner with them on Sunday. Don’t try and get out of it.”

Damn, I was hoping I wouldn’t be involved in that when Mom mentioned it yesterday.

I groaned. “Really? Why
this
weekend? I have so much laundry to do, and there’s an inch of dust coverin’ my shelves and furniture – I’m gonna be cleanin’ for a week.”

“Dramatic much,” Grey goaded me, winking. “Suck it up, Sam. You can clean anytime. Mom said it’s mandatory.”