Chapter Six
While in her office, Colby set down her pen and listened for another outburst from the kitchen. He’d fooled her these past several days, masking an egomaniacal temper with a soft voice and delicious pastries. More proof of her poor judgment when it came to people and, more specifically, men.
Her phone alarm beeped, reminding her of her appointment with her former colleague Todd Martin. He’d agreed to bring the final estate paperwork here. Todd had been a true friend during her tenure at the law firm. Given that he’d started in family law before switching to estates and trusts, he’d also been the one person she’d confided in when she’d been considering divorcing Mark.
She’d made those inquiries just prior to Joe’s accident. Even now a sense of disloyalty pervaded. It hadn’t been easy to admit that she’d no longer loved Mark the way a wife should love her husband. She disliked herself immensely for it, and yet he wouldn’t commit to a protocol, and she hadn’t been able to envision another forty or more years on that uncertain path.
She hadn’t wanted to hurt him. Or abandon him. Or do anything to make his already-difficult life any harder or more isolated. To this day, Mark’s defeated expression when he’d discovered her change of heart gripped her throat like an angry pair of hands.
“Colby?” Todd knocked on her office doorjamb, jerking her from the painful memory.
A little on the short and stocky side, Todd reminded her of a teddy bear, with his boyish, dimpled face and light-brown curls. A teddy bear with tortoiseshell glasses, a pink-and-blue bow tie, and an encyclopedic memory.
“I didn’t hear you come in.” She walked around her desk to give him a friendly hug. “Thanks for coming all the way out here.”
“No thanks needed. I love any excuse to get out of the office.” He sat in an empty chair and placed a manila envelope on her desk. “The place looks great, by the way. All this and you jumped off the billable-hour train.”
“I don’t miss that!” she chuckled. “But I do miss the people.”
“We miss you, too.” His warm smile helped her set aside disturbing comparisons of Alec and Mark. “Your replacement is competent, but she isn’t a team player.”
“Sorry.” Colby grimaced.
“No, you’re not.” He pursed his face comically while shaking his head.
“I swear I am!” She grinned. Then her gaze landed on the large envelope, and she let loose a quick sigh. “So this is it.”
“The last of the paperwork for Mark’s estate.” Todd’s voice turned sober, and his cheerful gaze softened. “I’ll witness everything and finalize the filings.”
“Sometimes it’s still so unreal.” She stared at the envelope, toying with her wedding band. “How can these papers be all that’s left of someone who, at his best, was so energetic and charming?”
“It’s not all that’s left. You have your memories. I know there were issues in your marriage, but there’d also been a lot of love. Hold on to the good memories, and let the rest go.”
Like a slide show, she remembered their first date, when Mark had serenaded her with his guitar. How she’d lain in his arms for hours kissing and talking. Their wedding, when he’d gotten teary during their vows. His terrible home science experiments, the enormous bookcase he’d built and painted her favorite color (lilac), his love for Monty Python movies, the way he always sought Hunter’s and her father’s approval.
But she couldn’t hold back the other memories. The sexts from other women. The annoying impulsiveness, like when she’d come home during a “creative” burst of mania to find he’d purchased a dozen expensive instruments he didn’t play because he suddenly planned to compose the world’s greatest symphony. The anger and exasperation and depression he’d display, no matter how much it frightened her.
His illness had steamrolled straight through the center of their lives and her heart, destroying all the promise of their love.
Love. For all the love Mark had professed for her, it had never been enough to convince him to stick with therapy when he’d crave the highs of mania. And at the end of the day, it hadn’t been enough to give him the will to live. It hadn’t even been enough to keep him from taking his life right in front of her.
Her eyes watered. “Easier said than done.”
“I know.” Todd shifted in his chair.
“Sorry.” She dabbed at her eyes, wishing she didn’t still lapse into pointless musings about the past. “I’ll sign these and let you get back to your day.”
Colby thumbed through the tabbed pages and signed where indicated, then handed everything over to Todd. He double-checked them before closing the folder and then heaved a short sigh.
Leaning forward, he said, “This place is a solid fresh start, but you also need a little fun in your life. Come out with me one night before this place opens up.”
She shook her head. “I’m not a good wingman anymore, Todd. I’ll just cramp your style.”
Two red stains colored his cheeks as he cleared his throat. “No, not as a wingman. Let me take you out. Dinner. A movie. Whatever you want.”
“Oh.” She froze, blindsided. She’d never thought of Todd as anything other than a friend. Had she missed seeing his interest in her? Probably. Apparently, she missed seeing most everything when it came to men. “Like a real date, or a friend date?”
He shrugged. “Maybe a little of both?”
Her pulse hammered at the base of her throat while she stalled. A date. A date with Todd? She tried to picture it but couldn’t. She hadn’t been attracted to a man other than Mark in years. Well, except for Alec recently, which was obviously the height of stupidity. “I’m sorry, Todd. I’m not interested in dating anyone yet.”
Honestly, she might never be ready. The flutters of attraction Alec inspired terrified her more than anything else. Panic didn’t seem like a good ingredient for a relationship.
“Okay.” Disappointment marbled his benign expression. “If you change your mind, just say so.”
“I will.” Would she? She didn’t know—impossible to think during an out-of-body experience. The small office closed around them, yet Todd sat there looking comfortable and familiar. Unruffled. Calm.
Maybe a date with Todd was exactly what she needed. She’d known him for six years. He’d been consistent, levelheaded, and kind. The opposite of Mark in some important ways. And apparently the opposite of Alec, too. If she didn’t want a spinster’s life, maybe someone like Todd was the answer. Genuine—if friendly—affection couldn’t hurt her like passion.
“You’re still coming to the soft opening in about two weeks, right? Maybe I should invite some of the gang, too.”
“A little reunion.”
“If you all enjoy it, you could lobby to hold the firm’s annual holiday dinner here in December.” She remembered being a first-year associate at that dinner years ago.
“I love you in a dark suit.” She laughed as Mark twirled her around the dance floor to the band’s rendition of “I Could Write a Book.” All around them, her colleagues were dining and drinking in the ballroom decorated with twinkling light-strewn garland.
“I love you . . . period.” He pulled her close, bussing a quick kiss on her lips. “Next year will be so much better, I swear. I don’t want to lose you, Colby.”
They’d been frightened by his behavior and diagnosis, but with treatment, he’d been doing better. “You’ll never lose me. We’re in this together, and together we can conquer anything.”
He’d been so dashing and happy. It had made it easy to pretend they weren’t hiding the truth from the world or from themselves.
“Impressing a roomful of lawyers and rich clients could be very good for business.” Todd winked before stuffing the paperwork back in his briefcase, and she was glad to see that her putting him off hadn’t made things between them awkward.
“Let me walk you out.” She followed him into the dining room, where they ran into Alec, who’d just blown through the kitchen doors like the Tasmanian Devil. Now what?
He stabbed one hand through his hair before he saw them. “Sorry.”
Colby’s body heated from a mix of irritation and embarrassment as she watched Alec open and close his fists.
She turned her face away from Todd. Shooting Alec a warning with a look, she then spoke through a forced smile and clenched teeth. “Alec, this is my former colleague Todd Martin. He’ll be here for the soft opening.”
Alec stepped toward them and shook Todd’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Funny how she used to consider Alec a little geeky, but next to Todd he appeared vital and intense. Determined. And, despite better judgment—or rather, because of her lack of judgment—sexy.
“This is our executive chef, Alec Morgan.” Colby’s phony smile faltered thanks to her screwed-up thoughts.
“Alec.” Todd returned the firm handshake with a pleasant grin. A puppy compared with Alec’s pit bull presence. He pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. “I’m looking forward to being your guinea pig.”
Alec rocked back slightly on his heels and nodded. “I’ll aim to make it memorable.”
“For Colby’s sake, I hope you succeed.” Todd brushed his hand along her shoulder but didn’t let it linger. Still, Colby noticed Alec’s gaze home in on Todd’s gesture.
“Todd is on his way out, so we’ll leave you to whatever it is you rushed out here to do.” Colby nodded and led Todd away from Alec, who stood there blinking.
As they approached the door, Todd said, “Think about dinner, okay? Anytime, anyplace. I’ll even do Thai.”
“You hate Thai.”
“But you like it.” He grasped her hand and squeezed it. “At the very least, we’d have a pleasant night out, Colby. How long has it been since you’ve had one of those?”
Very recently. With Alec. The night she’d been bracing for a fight but instead had been treated to a delicious meal. Not that she, his boss, should entertain thoughts in his direction. His family would never look at her without thinking of Joe’s death. Most important, she shouldn’t invite another man into her personal life who could change so suddenly and violently, no matter how oddly mesmerizing he looked when brimming with emotion.
If she were to date again, she’d have to choose someone with less baggage. Was that so much to ask? “Let me think about it.”
Deep down she knew a fresh start meant more than a new career. It meant taking chances again. Calculated chances. Todd might not rock her world, but he wouldn’t blow it up, either. They were true friends with similar interests, and that was as good of a foundation as any for a relationship.
She waved goodbye and then turned to find Alec still standing in the dining room, staring at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” His quiet tone drew her in. It was as if he’d bottled up all that vitality with a heavy-duty cork. Unnerving, really, the way he could turn it off and on so fast.
“If nothing’s wrong, why’d you blow back out here looking like you wanted to kill someone?”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Then why are you looking at me with that tight face?” What kinds of screwed-up moods were coursing through him, and when had this become part of his personality? Mark’s illness hadn’t surfaced until his midtwenties. Had Alec also changed dramatically after college, and she’d just never been around him enough to notice?
“Now?” He didn’t blink. “I suppose I’m just surprised.”
“By what?” She stood, rooted to the ground, wondering why he looked almost dejected.
“By the fact you’d go out with him.” His jaw ticked before his gaze skittered away from hers.
What did that mean, and why did it feel like the temperature in the room increased by ten degrees? “Why does that surprise you?”
“Because he’s nothing like Mark,” he replied without any hesitation.
Exactly, she thought, and then swallowed the lump of guilt in her throat from years spent living in the gray area between truth and lies. She stepped closer to Alec—the invisible energy from his body gripping her like a magnetic pull.
“You never liked Mark. And, anyway, just the other night you told me to get back out there.” Her pulse drummed rapidly thanks to this uncomfortable conversation. Did she care what Alec thought, or whether the idea of Todd and her bothered him? “Has something changed?”
Alec rubbed the back of his neck before shoving his hands in his pockets. “No. I want you to be happy.”
As if love secured happiness. Not in her experience—nor her mom’s, for that matter. Maybe Gentry had a point about love and marriage, after all.
In any case, she detected melancholy in Alec’s voice, although she didn’t doubt his sincerity. Her thoughts skipped back to the puzzle on his coffee table. She pictured him sitting alone night after night, working on that instead of being with people. She’d always assumed he’d preferred his solitude, but now she wondered. Could he, like her, be using it as a shield against disappointment and hurt? Had his experiences, like hers, made him wary?
Is that why he bullied the staff?
“I think we should end each day with a staff meeting where we offer some kind of positive feedback.” She braced for his reaction.
“What?” He was looking at her as if her skin had changed color.
“You heard me, Alec.”
“You’re serious?”
“Deadly. Maybe if you’re forced to acknowledge the things that are going well every day, you won’t be so quick to blow your top.”
“Why on earth would I pander to my staff, especially with so little time until the opening?”
“You just said you wanted me to be happy. This will make me happy.”
He stared at her, his jaw clenching as time stretched between them. “Fine.”
Before she spoke again, he wandered toward the kitchen.
“Alec?”
“We’ve both got a lot of work to do.” This time he forced a smile. “Let’s stay focused on that for now.”
He held her gaze intently for another moment and then disappeared behind the kitchen doors, leaving her in the middle of the dining room. She spun toward her office, straightening her skirt before returning to her desk.
Resting her fingers on the pulse at the base of her neck, she willed her thoughts and heart to settle. The restaurant—not a man—would be her salvation. She knew this to be true. Yet Alec’s soulful gaze tempted her beyond reason.
“Whoa, that’s a big pour!” Colby held up her hand to her sister-in-law, Sara, with whom she’d immediately bonded the first time Hunter had brought her home from college to meet the family.
“Don’t worry, I’m having more, too.” Sara poured herself an equally large glass of sauvignon blanc. She’d been drinking all through dinner, which meant she still hadn’t gotten pregnant. Twenty-seven months in a row with no luck and one failed round of IVF. No wonder she wanted more booze.
Colby had stopped asking about their pregnancy status back in April. Now all she could do was pray for her brother and sister-in-law. Parenting required a kind of bravery Colby didn’t yet have, but she’d love a niece or nephew.
“Besides,” Sara continued, her startlingly sky-blue eyes filled with mischief, “you need it. You’ve been jumpy tonight, and it’s not because Hunter called you here to sign those new partnership documents.”
“I’m not jumpy.” Colby sipped the chilled wine, aware that she had, in fact, been jumpy, especially when forced to watch Gentry’s coquettish behavior toward Alec. Trust Sara’s uncanny ability to sniff out sexual tension like a foraging bear. Colby had admitted her ill-advised attraction to herself, but she could resist it in favor of smart choices. If only Hunter hadn’t invited those two to dinner. “But I am a little anxious. Taking on all that risk just to avoid answering to Hunter is a big leap,” she teased.
“I don’t blame you,” Sara commiserated. “He can be a dictator.”
“One you adore.” Colby envied her brother’s solid marriage. If she could be guaranteed their kind of steady love and respect, maybe she’d risk another try.
“Most of the time, anyway.” Sara quickly unwound and readjusted the loose knot of sandy-blonde hair piled on top of her head. Her generous, wide mouth turned upward in a knowing smile. That Julia Roberts smile might be Sara’s best feature. “But you don’t fool me. Alec has you worked up.”
Sara grinned like she’d just thrown a bull’s-eye, but Colby refused to cop to that suspicion. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh, come on. In all the years I’ve known you both, I’ve never seen you so aware of him before.” Sara backhanded Colby’s arm. “Don’t worry, they can’t hear us from the patio while Gentry’s yakking.”
Colby didn’t need that reminder. Gentry, in her skimpy, cleavage-baring black romper and high-heeled sandals. As if her laughing, devil-may-care sister needed any help making herself more appealing than other mere mortals.
Oh, dammit. Colby would not allow herself to feel jealous of her sister. Or possessive of Alec. She must be unhinged, because nothing else explained why she didn’t run in the opposite direction after witnessing his Jekyll and Hyde transformations several times this past week.
“I’m not aware of him, for Pete’s sake.” Of course, she was aware that he’d brought her mom some chocolate éclairs two nights ago, and Colby hadn’t even encouraged that visit. Moreover, he’d stayed and chatted for a half hour, which had thrilled her mom. How could Colby not be grateful? She’d also caught him consoling Margo, the entremetier, after she’d had an argument with her husband. Glimpses of Alec’s finer points let her gloss over his bad behavior, until she reminded herself of where that kind of thinking had gotten her in the past. “Dinner was great, but you’re brave to cook for Alec.”
“I’ve cooked for him dozens of times. He doesn’t scare me.” Sara’s expression grew pensive. “In fact, I feel sorry for him. He’s still grieving, even if he won’t talk about it with me or Hunter.”
“Considering the fact that he and Joe weren’t that close as adults, I’m surprised it’s hit him so hard for this long.”
Alec had turned the other cheek against Joe’s snarky remarks for years. She’d admired his maturity and assumed Joe would grow up and stop after high school. Then Alec was in Europe, and when he returned, he was so busy with his restaurant she barely saw him. At that point, she’d written most of Joe’s sarcasm off as jealousy, because no one could dispute Alec’s success.
“That’s probably exactly why it’s so hard.” Sara’s gaze turned distant as she smoothed her hand along the farm table she and Hunter had purchased at some antique shop a few years ago. “He’ll never get the chance to resolve anything with Joe.”
Colby knew how that kind of remorse poisoned the soul. If Mark hadn’t known that she’d been considering leaving him, maybe he wouldn’t have completely given up on life. That particular “what if” always formed a thick lump in her throat.
She’d never know the answer, and she’d never be able to make it right. Her inadvertent role in his suicide taught her that she could never predict the ripple effect of any choice, which made every choice seem more dangerous.
Another thing she now knew—something had hardened Alec. Part of her wanted to know what that was, but another part dreaded the truth. Past experiences had etched her consciousness with fear. Fear of never trusting whether the next man she might love would also be someone so different from whom she believed him to be. Fear of making another mistake and living another lie.
“Alec’s changed,” Colby blurted.
“You make it sound ominous. He’s still Alec, just a little sadder.”
Clearly Sara had never heard him working in the kitchen.
“There’s an edge to him now. An instability.” Surely Sara and Hunter had noticed.
“No one is more stable than Alec. He just needs to find his footing again and move forward.” Sara glanced at Colby’s left hand, which Colby then withdrew from the table. “Come to think of it, you two could help each other. You’re both a little stuck.”
“I’m getting unstuck, thank you very much.” Colby gulped her wine and eyed the bottle to make sure there’d be more. She’d need it if Sara planned to keep needling her about Alec.
“With work, maybe. But don’t you get lonely?”
“I don’t really think about it.” She wouldn’t confess that the thought of dating was more terrifying than being caught naked in a crowd.
Because Mark and Colby had avoided family and friends whenever he’d swing to either extreme, Sara and Hunter had little idea of her marital ups and downs. Or of how difficult it had been to keep his secrets, even when she’d understood his concern. Mark hadn’t feared much, but that stigma had scared the shit out of him. He’d been convinced it would hurt his career opportunities by making his boss and peers doubt and fear him. And he’d already been somewhat of an outsider in her family, so she hadn’t wanted to widen that gap.
“I’m not suggesting you can ever replace Mark.” Sara squeezed Colby’s hand, apparently sensing her surge of sadness. “But you should consider your future and the family you may want.”
“Not everyone’s like you, Sara. Maybe some of us aren’t meant to be wives and mothers.” I failed miserably.
Sara frowned. “Maybe not, but you are.”
“She is what?” Gentry asked, having waltzed into the kitchen carrying some dirty dishes, which she set in the sink.
“Meant to fall in love again and have a family.” Sara smiled.
Gentry rolled those green eyes. “Why get married when you can date around?”
“You’re only twenty-five. We’ll see how you feel in another five years.” Sara laughed. “Or if you meet Mr. Right.”
“Mr. Right Now is just fine with me.” Gentry grabbed the bottle of wine and poured herself a fresh glass. “Not that you’d understand that. Jeez, you picked Hunter. Who could be more predictable than him? Clearly you and I don’t want the same things.”
Her tone had been light, but Colby noted a defensive sparkle in Sara’s eyes.
“We should be so lucky as Hunter and Sara.” Colby raised her glass like a toast. “They’re perfectly matched.”
Sara’s gaze wandered away for a moment. Before Colby could ask why, Sara said, “Let’s go back outside with the guys.”
“Actually, I’m going to grab my laptop from my car to show Colby the photos I took for the website. Hunter will probably want to see, too, even if he no longer gets a vote.” She flashed an impish grin and dashed outside.
“She’s so frank.” Sara wrinkled her nose. “One of these days her lack of discretion will be her undoing.”
“I know she drives Hunter crazy.” Colby sighed. Her type A brother couldn’t comprehend Gentry’s laissez-faire attitude, or the way Dad and Jenna pampered her. Neither could Colby, but it didn’t irk her the way it got under Hunter’s skin.
“Only because your dad tolerates so much from Gentry that he never let you and your brother get away with.” Sara pressed her index finger to her lips, ending the conversation just before they passed through the French doors to the slate patio.
Hunter’s Craftsman-style house, which clung to a wooded hillside, had a partial view of Lake Sandy. A vigorous fire burned in the copper fire pit, infusing the night air with heat and a smoky aroma. Summer evenings like this were the stuff of movies, not real life.
Colby slid onto one of the empty Adirondack chairs. Given Sara’s heightened observations, she made herself look at Alec and smile as if it were old times. Hopefully, the fact that she’d pressed her hand against her stomach to settle its cartwheels went unnoticed.
Gentry returned with her laptop and her camera bag. “Come see.”
Despite Gentry’s pretense of indifference, a spark of pride lit her eyes. Ah, good. Colby might’ve failed to save Mark, but she wouldn’t fail her sister. No more taking tomorrows for granted when it came to her family.
Gentry flipped open the laptop and began scrolling through her photos. She’d taken some artistic shots of the interior: wood and glass, tables and chairs, the modern chandeliers, and some of Alec’s dishes. The exterior shots were a bit more generic but did the job, showing the garden beds, gazebo, and lake views.
“These are wonderful.” Colby patted Gentry’s back.
“What’s missing are photos of you and Alec. I think we need those for the ‘About Us’ page. Let’s do that now, before the sun sets.” Gentry reached for Alec’s hand. “You first, handsome.”
Sara’s eyes bugged with surprise. Hunter scowled, and Alec froze in the face of the bald flirtation. Then his lips quirked and he rose. “Lead the way.”
Gentry led Alec to the corner of the patio and positioned him to take advantage of the soft evening light. Colby’s focus on whatever Hunter and Sara were discussing faltered because she was eavesdropping on Gentry and Alec. Epic fail there. Only Gentry’s playful laughter pierced the melodic murmur of Alec’s deep voice.
“Colby, your turn,” Gentry finally called. Before Alec could escape, she grabbed his arm. “Actually, let’s get some with you two together.”
Colby glanced at Alec. The setting sun glinted in his eyes, making the gold in his olive-colored irises sparkle. He shrugged before stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. Those gray pants that fit him so well, their flat front calling attention to his trim waist and narrow hips. Horrified by her observation, she yanked her gaze back up to his face only to catch him cocking one brow. Shoot. Busted like a kid with a mouthful of cookies.
Her entire body flushed, but she managed to walk toward him and Gentry with confidence. She stood beside Alec and smiled for the camera, hoping her photos didn’t turn out like those awful middle school ones where she’d tried to hide her braces.
“Side by side doesn’t look right. Stand in front of Alec, like a prom picture,” Gentry ordered.
In her peripheral vision, Colby noticed Sara watching them with her head tipped, her wineglass at her lips.
Colby stepped in front of Alec. She could feel the heat of his body in the space between them. That, plus the faint bergamot scent of his cologne, made her dizzy. The hairs on her neck and arms prickled with awareness when his breath brushed softly against her hair. Had he just touched her waist, or was that wishful thinking? Honestly, this mad infatuation couldn’t continue. Hyde. Hyde. Hyde, she reminded herself, determined not to make another impulsive mistake like she had with Mark.
Gentry shot Colby an annoyed look. “It would help if you’d smile instead of giving me that deer-in-the-headlights look.”
“Sorry,” Colby mumbled, wishing she could rein in her thoughts. She noted Sara smothering a giggle.
“Should I tell a joke?” Alec was clearly fishing for a way to break the tension.
“She asked me to smile. If I recall, your jokes were never very funny.” Colby remembered his childish jokes, and how he’d often ended them with a silly “bah dum bum.”
“Did you know that atheism is a non-prophet organization?” He paused. “Bah dum—”
“Stop it.” Colby elbowed his ribs, grinning.
“You’re smiling now, though, right?” he murmured.
She was indeed.
“You two look good together.” Gentry snapped several photos, then turned off her camera. “Maybe you ought to rethink that stupid rule, Colby.”
Colby’s heart stopped. Truly.
“What rule?” Sara asked.
“No luuuv between coworkers.” Gentry winked at Alec. “Maybe I ought to rethink this job.”
“Maybe,” Alec joked, playing along with her flirtation. Or maybe he wasn’t playing. Maybe he liked the attention. Colby felt a frown form.
“Good rule.” Hunter nodded at Colby.
“Shocking that you agree with her.” Gentry zipped up the camera case and then sank onto a chair. She crossed those long legs, letting the one with the Taurus ankle tattoo casually swing. “Sultry” would be the right word to describe Gentry’s poses. No doubt most were done for effect, although this one might have been accidental. Colby buried a pathetic sigh, having never been sultry a day in her life.
“You never told me that,” Alec announced, tipping his head to the left. His quizzical gaze effectively snapped Colby from her depressing self-assessment. “When did you decide it?”
“The second I told her I thought you looked hot.” Gentry swallowed some wine, shameless as ever. Smiling, even.
Colby checked the ground for the pools of blood that she actually felt draining from her body. My God, her sister had no boundaries. She risked a glance at Alec, who sported the same expression she’d seen him wearing whenever embroiled in solving a difficult puzzle.
“Okay, stop.” Hunter waved his hand. “I know you love to shock people for attention, but let’s not be ridiculous, Gentry. Besides, you’re making Alec uncomfortable.”
“Are you uncomfortable, Alec?” Gentry asked, lips playfully pursed.
Everything about her teased and provoked. It must be exciting to be a woman like that . . . to draw notice and attention like nectar does bees.
“Not really,” he chuckled. Yes, he was enjoying Gentry’s games.
Great. Another frown seized Colby’s forehead.
“Don’t panic, Hunter. Gentry lives on her phone, while Alec’s is always missing or dead.” Sara snorted. “They’ll never be able to make plans.”
“There are other ways to communicate.” Alec wiggled his brows.
“Alec.” Hunter shot his friend a warning look. It seemed he didn’t like the idea of his friend flirting with his baby sister. Good. An ally.
“Oh, come on.” Alec waved his hand. “We all know Gentry’s joking.”
Gentry shrugged. “Like I told Sara, I’m just out for some fun. And speaking of, I’ve got to roll. Jake asked me to hang with him tonight at the cart.”
“Wait a sec.” Hunter leaned forward. “You’re going to spend the night standing on a city street corner?”
“We’ll be in front of the Tunnel.”
“I didn’t know that club was still open,” Sara remarked.
“It is. Jake’s hoping to do great business once everyone pours out of its doors looking for a late-night snack. He says I’ll help attract the guys, so he’s going to give me a share of the night’s take.”
“Just what I wanted to hear. My sister being pimped out in the city by her boyfriend for money.” Hunter shook his head. “You’d better not let Dad find out.”
“God forbid people find out his daughter sold hot dogs. We wouldn’t want his pride to take a hit.” Gentry’s bubbly demeanor had swiftly shifted to irritation.
“Just be safe,” Colby pleaded.
Gentry turned, apparently surprised by the sincerity. “I will.”
Alec watched Colby and Gentry, wishing he could have overheard the conversation that triggered Colby’s workplace ban on relationships.
“Catch you later.” Gentry gathered her things and left, her barely there outfit lifting in the breeze with each step she took.
Alec liked that Colby always wore tasteful but feminine skirts that didn’t risk a crotch shot, and dresses that didn’t reveal her bra straps. Her sophistication made her stand out compared with the Gentrys of the world.
Gentry was a handful. He wasn’t interested in a handful. He wanted compassionate. Calm. Steady. Smart. He wanted Colby. Her new rule was just one more thing on the list of reasons why he could never have her, and that just sucked.
Alec stared at the fire, only half-aware of the conversation going on around him. His thoughts jumped and crackled like the mesmerizing flames. He shouldn’t allow schoolboy yearnings to distract him from his priorities. A CertainTea’s soft opening had to be as perfect as possible in such a short time frame. His dad might be ignorant enough to write off one James Beard Award as a fluke. But if Alec could make A CertainTea earn one, too, perhaps his father would finally look at him like he’d always looked at Joe—with pride.
“Alec?” Sara asked.
“Hmm?” Dammit. He had no idea what she’d asked.
“Where’d you go?” Hunter asked.
“Nowhere important.” He swigged his beer, but not before he caught Colby staring at him as if she didn’t believe him. As if she cared. Of course, she cast her gaze the other way when she realized he’d noticed her watching him. Ever since she’d caught him scolding the staff, she’d acted funny around him. To say he found that shocking would be an understatement. As far as he knew, she’d never shied away from assertive men before.
“Colby, your workplace rule is genius,” Hunter said. “Not only because Gentry could cause all kinds of trouble, but remember Colette, Alec? That didn’t work out so well for you in Mougins.”
“Stop.” Alec waved him off to shut him up, but not before his thoughts veered to Colette, the sexy brunette with the fullest lips he’d ever seen.
“That’s some grin.” Colby cocked a brow.
“She was some girl!” Hunter joked. “And that was some visit.”
“I didn’t get the appeal.” Sara shrugged. “I mean, she was attractive but kind of bitchy. Anti-American, which didn’t make much sense given that she seemed so into you.”
“She admired my potentiel incroyable.” Alec winked. Of course, at twenty-six, broke, and not often the object of a hot woman’s attention, he couldn’t have cared less about her bitchy personality. She had worked his hours and pulled him away for quickies on their breaks whenever possible.
“I remember seeing Sara’s photos from that trip. Colette looked . . . confident,” Colby ventured. “So what happened?”
“I came home.”
“No, I mean, what’s Hunter referring to that made the trip, and her, so memorable?” She stared at him, waiting.
Oh, that. “I was first commis to the poissonnier, whom she also flirted with. When he found us together, he made my life even more of a living hell for months.” He nodded toward Hunter and Sara. “These two were there when he caught Colette and me getting friendly.”
“Exactly why you shouldn’t shit where you eat.” Hunter swigged his beer and fended off a light punch from Sara.
“Hunter, that’s gross.” She frowned.
“Sorry, babe.” Hunter leaned over and kissed his wife with the kind of carefree intimacy Alec had never really known. “So, how’s it going with the restaurant?”
“Busy,” Colby said. “Actually, I’ve been doing some reading on restaurant promos to generate ideas to support a strong opening. I’m thinking about trying a ‘Hump Day Happy Hour’ on Wednesdays to draw customers.”
Alec coughed up his drink. “A CertainTea isn’t Hooters.”
Her cheeks colored. “We have a beautiful bar. Why not use it to our advantage?”
“The food will draw people in.” Alec rubbed his hand over his chest to loosen the band of stress constricting his lungs. Hump Day Happy Hour?
“People like to be social, Alec, especially over cheap drinks.”
Alec leaned forward, hoping his voice sounded calmer than he felt. “I choke out praise to the staff every day for your sake, but listen to me on this. ‘Hump Day Happy Hour’ is not the tone to set. If you insist on using alcohol to create interest, at least go upscale and do wine pairings.”
“I agree with Alec,” Hunter interjected.
Thank God!
“Shocking.” Colby rolled her eyes at her brother. “Luckily, I just signed those papers tonight, so you don’t get a vote.”
“Not officially, but I hope you still consider my opinion.” Hunter cocked a brow in challenge.
Alec didn’t want Colby to assert herself on this issue just to prove she didn’t have to answer to the men in her life.
“Colby, you won’t need gimmicks at A CertainTea.” He kept his voice calm despite the panic rising as he imagined loudmouths at the bar while his customers were trying to enjoy Kingfish–Osetra Caviar Tartare with Smoked Crème Fraîche Emulsion. “Please, save the happy-hour plan as a fallback if the restaurant falters, which it won’t.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment while Colby stared at a spot in the distance.
“I should head home.” Colby stood suddenly and straightened her dress.
Hunter rose to give her a quick hug. “Don’t be mad. We’re only trying to be helpful.”
“I know,” she conceded and then hugged Sara goodbye. “Dinner was delicious, thanks.”
“I’ll go, too.” Alec bolted from his chair without knowing exactly why, or what, he hoped to gain by following Colby to her car. He only knew he had to do it.
“Oh?” Sara’s brows rose.
“You two will enjoy the rest of your night better without a third wheel.” Alec gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“You got that right.” Hunter grinned, tugging Sara against his side.
A flood of envy rippled through Alec. He’d had women—even hot ones like Colette—but he’d never experienced love. Except for the unrequited kind, he thought dimly. “Good night.”
He and Colby silently strolled through the house and to the driveway until they reached her car. As much as he had to convince her to drop this happy-hour nonsense, he was just as interested in what prompted that no-dating rule.
“I don’t like being lectured about what to do in my restaurant, Alec.” She sounded tired.
“I’m sorry, but I’m passionate about this.” He’d promised his goals wouldn’t conflict with hers, but this was too important. “You told me you want your customers to relax and be happy. How relaxed and happy will they be with a buzzed, disruptive crowd guzzling cheap drinks at the bar?”
“How limiting is it if the only people who come are foodie snobs?”
She had it all wrong, but he didn’t say that. “Restaurateurs generally like people who appreciate quality food. And locally sourced, organic, artisanal cuisine is hot now.”
“I agreed to let you handle the menu, but A CertainTea isn’t Une Bouchée 2.0.”
“Why not mimic a place that won Best New Restaurant the year I opened it?” My God, did that even need to be asked?
“It was excellent, but it isn’t what I’d planned. I want A CertainTea to have broad appeal and be a venue for parties and weddings and whatnot for ordinary people. Believe it or not, ordinary people like me don’t give a fig about amuse-bouches.”
Alec’s focus snagged on the sexy pout her lips formed when pronouncing the “sh” end sound of “bouches,” so it took him an extra second to reply. “If your primary goal was to be involved in planning parties, then maybe you should’ve started an event-planning service instead of a restaurant.”
She glared at him, making him regret that last quip. Now she might institute the happy hours out of spite.
“Have a good night, Alec.” Colby fished her keys out of her purse.
He’d already stepped in it, so he might as well ask the other question that had been bugging him for the past twenty minutes. “Did you make that no-dating rule because you don’t think I’m good enough for Gentry?”
Her eyes widened. “Of course not.”
“Honestly?”
“I promise.” She hugged her purse. “Why would you think that?”
“I know your whole family thinks Gentry needs some direction, so I would’ve thought her interest in me would be welcomed, given that I’m older and certainly more stable than her current boyfriend.”
Colby nibbled at the corner of her lower lip. “Are you interested in Gentry?”
“No.” Only you. It seemed impossible that she couldn’t feel the depth of his longing.
She huffed. “Then why are we even talking about this?”
“Because I get the feeling you don’t trust me anymore. With few exceptions, you’re edgy around me lately.”
She sighed. “I think we both know why.”
“I don’t.”
“Well . . .” Her voice trailed off before she finished her thought.
“Well, what?” His demand made her flinch. Carefree Colby no longer existed. Now all she did was jump and recoil, or lash out defensively. All changes caused by her witnessing Mark’s suicide. If possible, he loathed himself even more for the way he dismissed Mark’s note. Two men dead, one woman splintered, all unwittingly because of him.
“Your temper . . . it’s not like the friend I remember. You were never so ruthless.” She looked at him now, her luminescent eyes seeking reassurance that the old Alec still existed.
That stopped him. He was harder. And given his secrets, he couldn’t reassure her. She shouldn’t trust him. Why the hell was he pressuring her when he couldn’t be honest? Did he want to lose his job? His one path to some kind of redemption?
“You’re right. I have changed, and you should keep your distance.” He turned before she could grab hold of his arm. Without glancing back, he waved over his shoulder. “Drive safely.”