Sway (15 page)

you can get anytime you want. People

like special things.”

“I told Ryan you’d be perfect for

this job. I know you have the gallery

going and I respect that. But around

that time, I’d love to have you

helping me get all this in place.

Whatever time you have.” She rattled

off a salary that was more than fair

and the look on her face dared Daisy

to not accept it.

“So you’d need me to find you a

place with a big kitchen and enough

cold storage and all that jazz for your

catering biz and a dining room that’ll

seat, what, thirty? And then work on

some marketing to get you gigs?”

“Yes. Exactly. You’re good at all

this stuff. I am a disaster at it. Ryan

will continue to own part of the

business. He and I have agreed to

give you the authority you need to

find a place and get it set up. And

then to hire someone to be my

assistant and they can take over the

scheduling. I know this isn’t a career

for you. I just want your brain while

we get it set up.”

“You got it. Maybe you can have a

counter for a few fresh dinner items.

Make extras so people can come in

and get something for a party that

day? Not a lot, you don’t want

anything going to waste. But it’ll be

some

good

word

of

mouth

advertising when people can try you

out so easily. Then they’ll think of

you when they need an event catered.

I’ll work with Gillian on some

graphics.”

They continued to plan as one of

Mary’s part-time helpers came to get

the truck loaded and on the road.

It had sucked not to see her. Nearly

ten days since the last time he’d been

able to touch her. Even though they

didn’t live too very far from one

another, his life had been filled to

nearly

exploding

with

family

obligations for Mal and Gwen’s

wedding.

“I think it’s time you stopped

moping around and found another

wife. Kelsey has been dead for years.

You need to move on.” His mother

said this as she thrust a champagne

glass into his hand.

“Mother, this is one of those things

that falls under none of your business.

With all due respect.”

“Levi Warner, don’t you talk to me

that way. Carrie is smart like her

father; thank God she’s nothing like

her mother but the looks. The best

part of that horrid woman if you ask

me. But you’re second oldest. You

need to produce us some heirs. You

know I love you all equally, but Mal

is clearly under the spell of Gwen’s

well, her other skills. She’s not

smart. I worry their children will be

pretty and dumb.”

He laughed and kissed her cheek.

“You should work on speaking your

mind. Being so shy isn’t a good

thing.”

She arched a brow. “He’s a lovely

boy. Got good grades. Never got

expelled.” She paused long enough

that Levi heard,
like you did
, before

she continued. “But that wife of his is

a twit. She’s got decent genes. A

good family. That’s something. But

really, she’s not very bright. No,

Carrie will take over the firm after

you and Jonah are ready, but you

need to help him out. I’m beginning to

think the twins will never settle

down. I know you loved Kelsey, but

she’s gone. She wouldn’t want you

pining this way.”

Christ, he’d been living the lie so

long he nearly believed it the way his

mother appeared to. All the things

he’d wanted to say for so long

pushed at his tongue and he knew it

was time to go before he said them.

“I have another engagement. Since I

won my auction I’m off. Oh, don’t

fret, I got my picture taken for all the

PR. Everyone important saw me.”

He wanted to be with Daisy and he

was done waiting.

“This isn’t over, Levi.”

He kissed her cheek again before

straightening. “It is, actually. If and

when I get married again, it’s going

to be because I love someone enough

to risk exposing them to my crazy

family. Right now I have plenty of

other things to think about.”

“You can’t have babies forever,

you know. What if you wait until it’s

too late?”

“Men have babies when they’re in

their sixties. And there’s always

adoption.” He stood. “I’ll see you

soon.”

“You’re living like you’re thirty.

And you’re not. You have a

responsibility to yourself and to your

family.”

He sighed. “I’ll see you soon.”

And got the hell out of there,

dialing her number once he’d reached

his car and was on his way back

home.

“Are you free?” he asked when she

picked up.

“I’m not home right now. But I

will be in an hour or so.”

“Can you come to me when you’re

finished? To my place? Stay over.”

She paused. “All right. I’ll be at

your house in about an hour. I have to

stop at my place first.”

He felt a lot better then.

Daisy had no plans to cut her evening

with her friends short, but they were

nearly done anyway.

Gillian, Jules, Mary and Daisy all

sat on Gillian’s back deck drinking

hot chocolate and talking about the

wedding and everyone else’s week

and good and bad things.

She’d looked at several places for

Mary’s place and had found a few

that were adequate. And one idea she

thought was far better. “I have an

idea.”

Everyone leaned in. “Can’t wait to

hear it.” Mary winked.

“Mary, I’ve been looking for a

place for you to buy or lease. I’ve

seen a few I think would work.” She

turned to Jules. “And one I think

would be perfect.”

“Do tell.”

“Tart. Jules’s kitchen is huge.

She’s got plenty of space for cold

storage. A place to park the catering

van out back. She only uses the space

during the day. Noon on weekdays,

one on the weekends. You two can

share the space. It’s central. It has the

licensing issue dealt with. She’s got

enough room to set it for thirty if you

set up long tables on supper club

nights. She could provide the dessert

for your supper club. You could have

her sell your self-serve catering stuff.

You could share the cost of a counter

person to handle any extra business.”

“Oh my god. I was just thinking of

options to use the space better.”

Jules’s eyes lit. “Mary, I didn’t know

you wanted to run a restaurant. We

could totally make this work.”

“Not a restaurant in a big sense.

Just dinner three nights a week. What

I really want is your kitchen. And

you’re right, Daze, it’s the perfect

size. I’ve cooked in there many times

as it happens. If we shared staffing

where we could, we could both save

some significant money while helping

each other’s businesses out at the

same time.”

“Right now you both use as many

locally made ingredients as you can

in your food. I think you’d be better

off combining your work with others

in the community. If you get your fruit

and vegetables locally, you can note

it in the menu for some break in

price? I don’t know if that’s doable,

it just came to me as I was working at

the gallery yesterday. Oh and by the

way, I just thought I’d let you know

my piece got chosen for art walk.”

There was much celebrating, so

much so that Adrian came out to see

what was going on and joined the

celebration.

“Why didn’t you say sooner?”

Mary took her hands and squeezed

them.

“I only found out right before I left

to come over here. Then we were

talking about other stuff. I just waited

my turn. Everyone is having a great

day.”

Which was true. Plans for Adrian

and Gillian’s wedding continued

apace. She’d shown them three

possible ring designs and they’d

loved the second one so much Adrian

had called a jeweler right then to

make an appointment to have the

rings made.

Mary had landed a big catering job

and she and Jules had decided to

share the building Tart was in. A lot

of great news for the people she

loved most. And now she was going

to see Levi for the first time in ten

long days.

“I can’t wait!” Jules raised her

mug of chocolate and everyone

followed suit. “To Delicious.”

“Delicious!” everyone echoed.

She stopped at her place and

grabbed a change of clothing and her

toiletries bag. She liked his house

well enough. Loved the view most

certainly. But it was so neat and

serene. It made her want to muss

things up. His bed though was very

nice, especially with him in it.

She did two quick braids and

touched up her lipstick before

leaving. He liked things that way.

With that in mind she also changed

into a skirt she knew he’d like as

well.

And then she went to him.

She went to him, all the while

knowing how much she’d come to

need him in the last weeks. Knowing

she wasn’t being mysterious at all,

about her need for him. She couldn’t

have even if she’d tried.

When he opened his door it was

while holding the sculpture she’d

donated to the auction.

“I thought today was the auction.”

She came in and kissed him before

taking off her coat and hanging it in

the hall closet and dropping her bag

nearby.

“It was. I bought it. I’ve been

planning to buy it since the first

moment I saw it. I put a stack of your

cards on the table where it sat for the

bidding and every single one is

gone.”

Warmed, she smiled. “Really?

Thank you. You didn’t have to buy it.

Unless, oh god, were you the only

bidder? Wait, don’t tell me. I don’t

want to know.”

Smiling, he put the piece down on

a nearby shelf. “I’d planned to put it

in my bedroom and I still might. But

I’m trying it out here too. I think it’s

going to look pretty there in the

morning.” She walked to the spot and

liked her barbed rose there just fine.

“That was my very first thought

when I saw it at your studio. I had to

have it.”

She liked him just then, far, far

more than was wise. There was

nothing else she could do but like him

far, far too much than was wise.

It filled her with joy to be there

with him. To stand and look at her

artwork right there, in his home. It

felt staggeringly intimate and she had

to swallow back a knot of emotion.

He pulled her to him and she went,

sucking in a breath when they touched

and all she could see or feel was

him. Greed rose up from her gut.

Greed to have him and not share. To

be the only one in this part of his life.

“I’m wildly flattered.”

talented you are. Part of my reasoning

was purely business, I can’t lie.

You’re going to have a healthy career

ahead of you. Snapping up a piece I

love is wonderful. Snapping up a

piece I love that will be worth ten to

fifteen times more than what I pay for

it now makes it even better.”

She drew a shuddering breath as

he dipped his head to breathe in at

the place where her neck met her

shoulder. His teeth abraded the

tender skin there.

One of his hands slid down her

back to her ass and squeezed, hauling

her closer and then spinning her,

backing her against the doorway. The

breath left her as her adrenaline

spiked and then she found that place

where everything went soft and slow,

so torturously good that she’d begun