Chapter Fifteen
Kiara
I sat down in Pappy's tiny, cluttered office and faced his computer. Learning the restaurant business was a lot more numbers than I had first imagined.
I had a whole spreadsheet of inventory and revenue to fill in and double-check. The numbers swam in my vision; normally it was a relaxing exercise away from the rush of the kitchen, but today, all I could think about was Teddy.
I froze. I should have said Charlie. It was my brother who was missing in action, not Teddy. I summoned up my positive energies and sent them out to wherever in the world Charlie was now.
Except, images of Teddy kept getting in the way. Teddy pouring me wine, laying tussled in my bed, and laughing with customers over the pizzeria counter. I missed him at work most of all.
It wasn't a stretch to think that a billionaire would be miserable in the tight, overheated kitchen of a small Brooklyn pizzeria. Except, Teddy had been more relaxed and his smile easier there than anywhere I had ever seen him before. Even his own estate.
The only exception was my tiny, attic apartment. Somehow, Teddy seemed to fit in there just right.
I shook my head.
It was no use thinking about Teddy when we were two of the most opposite human beings to ever exist. His little interlude in Brooklyn was over, and I was certain he'd forgotten about it before he even crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. Teddy had been devastatingly handsome in the pressed suit his driver had delivered. He looked like a million dollars, and all the world knew he was worth more than that.
I glanced down at my snug jeans and pizzeria tee-shirt. At least I got to be myself. No fancy breakfasts, no stuffy meetings, no status-claiming conversations with people who measured every stitch that I wore. I had the one thing that Teddy did not: the ability to be myself and not care what other people thought of me.
I took a swig of coffee and ignored that it was watered-down and bitter compared to what Teddy had brewed for me. I tackled the bookkeeping and was ready to move on. I got as far as the office door when I froze again.
Daniel was at the counter, asking Pappy for directions.
He looked every bit as handsome and sharp as the day I had met him. He was such a catch, so perfect for me, that I had to watch my over-eager words. I remembered the first time I spoke to him; the only thing I said without a twinge of worry was my address on Long Island.
I whirled behind the door and pressed my back against the wall. What was Daniel doing in Brooklyn? He'd left me a message or two about another date, but in all the chaos with my family cottage, I had never returned his call.
But that wasn't the reason I was hiding. My shoulders slumped. I didn't want to have to tell Daniel that I was done with law school and not becoming a lawyer. I didn't want him to find out that my address led to nothing but a muddy construction site that would never yield anything but a tiny cottage. Or have him realize that I was not a patron, but a full-time employee of the pizzeria.
I cared about what other people thought, after all.
I breathed easier when Daniel moved along. I edged my way out of the office and joined Pappy at the counter.
"Another one of your fancy friends?" he asked, watching me peer out the window after Daniel. "I don't like him as much as that Brickman fellow."
"You like Teddy?"
Pappy laughed. "Let me guess, you were hiding in the office so Mr. Expensive Suit there didn't see you?"
"Sorry, it's just—"
Pappy held up a hand. "Think about the difference. You didn't hesitate to bring Teddy Brickman in here and toss an apron at him. You two opened and rinsed anchovies together, for God's sake."
I laughed, but shook my head. "That doesn't mean anything. Teddy wanted a dose of the 'real world.'"
"He wanted a dose of you," Pappy said.
My cheeks flared up. "He just wanted a break from his exhausting schedule of social engagements and spending large sums of money."
"So, he should have been worse than that man you just avoided. But Teddy was different. You let him walk right into your world and see everything the way it is. I've never seen a man smile so much while folding pizza boxes." Pappy picked up a wooden paddle and slipped a hot pizza out of the oven. "You know what that means, right?"
"That I don't care what Teddy thinks of me?" I bundled up napkins, a packet of chili peppers, and our special garlic sauce to add to the pizza box.
He laughed and knocked the heel of his hand against his forehead. "The girl doesn't even know she's in love," he said.
"Kiara's in love?" Pappy's gangly teenager nephew said. "You and Teddy getting married?"
"Why would you think I'm in love with Teddy?" I asked.
The other employees laughed, too. I wanted to smile, but the thought of everyone noticing my innermost thoughts, the ones I hadn't even admitted to myself, was too embarrassing.
Could everyone see how I felt about Teddy Brickman?
"It doesn't matter," I said and stomped one foot. "Teddy's gone back to his world, and I've got work to do. Besides, I have more important things to worry about than what some billionaire playboy thinks of me."
"So, you don't care if you ever see him again?" Pappy asked. "You're content letting him be chauffeured right out of your life?"
I threw my hands up in the air. "This is ridiculous. Have any of you thought this through? Think about how many times Teddy Brickman has had women decide they love him. Do you think he wants some poor woman like me following him around, just hoping to be with him? He doesn't even want to marry one of Manhattan's most beautiful heiresses."
"Because he wants to marry you," Pappy said.
"Ridiculous," I muttered again, my cheeks even brighter.
"What if he comes looking for you today?"
I turned to scrub down the counter. "He won't."
"Then you won't mind coming to Long Island with me," he decided. "I've been asked to cater a party out there, but I don't like driving."
His nephew snorted. "He hasn't driven around the block in almost two years. It's leaving Brooklyn he doesn't like."
"And that's why I'm not taking you," Pappy snapped. He held up the list of ingredients I needed to load in the van. "Unless you want to stay here and hope your billionaire reappears."
I snatched the list and headed to the backroom. It was odd that Pappy had accepted a catering gig on Long Island, but he'd maneuvered me into a corner. If I stayed, it looked like I was waiting for Teddy. And Pappy did need my help. I started stocking the van and hoped to God I didn't know where we were going.
I was following familiar directions onto Long Island when Pappy's phone rang. He fumbled with it and grumbled about the tiny technology being more like a torture device. I gripped the steering wheel with one hand and held out my other. Grateful, Pappy handed it over.
"Hello, Pappy's Pizzeria," I said.
"Ah, yes, I was just calling to give more specific directions to the estate. There are three driveways, and you should take the third turning to pull up near the kitchen," the stilted voice said.
"Vincent Jeffry?" I asked with a snarl.
"Kiara?" His smooth veneer dropped for a second.
"So you didn't know," I said. I shot Pappy a look, but he feigned innocence. "Well, you can tell Teddy that he can come pick up his own pizza. I'm sure his chauffeur remembers how to get there."
"I have some additional instructions," Vincent Jeffry voice bounced back to his polite intonations. I heard a voice listing off specifications.
"Who is that? Is that Whitney Barnes?" I asked.
"It is important that you use the third driveway and come directly inside the servants’ entrance," Vincent Jeffry relayed word for word. "This is intended as a surprise."
"I bet it is," I snarled. "What? Did she have someone follow Teddy to the pizzeria? Let me guess, she's wearing some giant diamond that she wants to flaunt in my face?"
"Just tell them to hurry or we'll refuse to pay the transportation fee," Whitney snapped in the background, oblivious to whom Vincent Jeffry was speaking.
Pappy took a long, deep breath when I hung up the phone. "Maybe she simply inquired what kind of pizza he liked best? I don't think this was meant to be an ambush."
"I don't care what it was meant to be." I hauled the van off the road and into Old Jim's gas station. "I'm not going. Don't worry, just go straight ahead, and you'll see the Brickman Estate. I have friends here who will help me find a way back to Brooklyn."
Pappy looked miserable as he slid into the driver's seat. "Isn't your family home out here? I thought you might want to see how the construction is progressing. That's the only reason I invited you along."
I patted his hand through the open window. "I know you didn't mean to put me in an awkward position, but I'd rather just get back to Brooklyn. This isn't the place for me."
Old Jim and his son came out to join us at the curb. "Kiara! You're back. So glad to see you home again. Are you heading over to the cottage?" Old Jim asked.
Pappy arched an eyebrow at me. "Sure I can't drop you there?"
Young Jim stepped up and said, "I'm coming off shift now, I can take her. Just wait until you see your place, Kiara. They did a great job."
"They did?" News about my family's cottage was the only thing to distract me from introducing my friends to each other.
"The crew worked almost 24/7. The architect even went around the neighborhood, asking for old pictures so he could make sure he was doing a faithful recreation," Young Jim said. "Mr. Brickman insisted. He even came and sorted through all of Dad's old Polaroids."
"Mr. Brickman?" Pappy asked from the van. "He did all that for you?"
"Aren't you going to be late?" I asked him.
He sighed and gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. The van lurched away from the curb and took a hundred yards to reach a snail's pace. I almost ran to catch him and save Pappy the trouble of driving, but then he sped up and waved out the window.
"I'll give you a lift to your old, I mean, new place," Young Jim said with a bright smile.
"No, thanks," I told him. "I've got to get back to Brooklyn."
Old Jim headed me off before I could walk towards the bus stop. "Is everything all right?"
I took a breath to confess all my worries about my brother, when my phone rang. I snatched it out of my pocket and answered without looking at the screen.
"Kiara? Thank God you answered," my stepsister Ivy said. "You gotta get out to Long Island. Madison's about to make a big scene."
"How is that any different from any other night?"
"It's different," she said.
Something in her tone, a seriousness that sounded so foreign in her voice, stopped my heart. "Is Madison all right? Are you all right? Where are you?"
"We're at the Brickman Estate. There's going to be some big surprise party, but Madison's got her own plans. Please tell me you can get here," she pleaded.
"I'm nearby; I'll be there in a few minutes," I said.
"I'll drive you," Young Jim said.
Just as he dashed across the gas station lane, a sports car flew into the parking lot. The glinting window dropped down, and Roger Dallas' smiling face appeared. "Kiara! I'm so glad to see you again."
Old Jim chuckled. "And you said this wasn't the place for you. Don't worry, I'll tell my boy you caught a ride."
"You need a lift out to Teddy's?" Roger asked. He immediately sprang from the sports car and ran around to open the door for me. "Got any idea what this big surprise is going to be?"
"A mess," I said.
Roger laughed as he climbed back into the driver's seat. "And here I thought it was going to be a boring night."
I thought about what Whitney's face would look like when she saw me, and then I worried about whatever Madison had planned. The miles disappeared under Roger's sports car and suddenly, we were at the first driveway.
"Wait, no, can you drop me off by the kitchen? It's the third driveway," I said.
Roger shook his head and pulled right up to the front steps. "Nope. I've decided that if this whole night is going to be a mess anyway, then I need someone to help me weather the storm. Besides, it's about time you were a guest in Teddy Brickman's house, don't you think?"
"Why would I ever be a guest in his house?"
He grinned. "Exactly. I have a theory about that, and tonight is a good night to test it out."
I gave him a dark look, but it was too late. Ivy had seen the sports car arrive, and she flew down the front steps to yank the door open herself.
"There you are. Thank God! Wait, what are you wearing?" Ivy asked.
I fought back as my stepsister hauled me from the car and up the front steps. "Where's Madison? I'm just going to talk to her and then leave."
"Not dressed like that," Ivy objected.
"I'll see you at the party, then," Roger called. "Remember who you came with. You're my date!"
"What was that?" Ivy asked as she dragged me to her guest room. "You and Roger Dallas?"
"I doubt it," I said. "He's got some theory he needs me to help him test. Probably just another chance to show the world that I don't fit in with high society."
Ivy shoved me on to the bed and flung open the closet. She whipped out a wine-colored dress. "You'll fit in when you're wearing this."
"Why do I have to fit in at all? Why can't I just talk to Madison and get the hell out of here?"
Ivy flung the dress at me and turned to the vanity to sort through her make-up. "Because Madison is in trouble, and she's downstairs in the middle of the party. You can't get to her without making a scene unless you're dressed right. Seriously, Kiara, we don't need any more attention right now."
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. If my stepsisters didn't want more attention, the world must be ending. Then, I thought about what would happen when I walked into the party on Roger Dallas' arm. Whitney would blow a gasket, and then there was Teddy. My heart flopped over and then galloped away. What would Teddy do when he saw me?
"I'm not going to be much help," I said. "I might cause a worse scene."
Ivy stopped and stared. "So there's something to the rumors?"
"What rumors?"
My stepsister and I stared at each other until Ivy flapped her hands. "Doesn't matter. We have to get you dressed and down to Madison. She's either going to propose to Cameron Falcon and be the most rejected woman in the room, or she's going to stick a brooch pin right through his heart. Either way, it's going to ruin her."
"Ivy, what aren't you telling me?"
Ivy shook her head and blinked back tears. "Wow, Kiara, you're stunning."
She turned me towards the vanity mirror, and I caught my breath. The wine-colored dress fit perfectly. The satin neckline plunged down almost to the tight waist. Smooth pleats accentuated the curve of my hips before the dress gathered in at the knees. A little flare of bright netting peeked out from the hem of the skirt and drew the eye to my long legs with every step. Ivy found a pair of black heels and dropped them at my feet.
"I thought you didn't want me to cause a scene," I squeaked.
She pushed me onto the vanity stool and quickly swiped make-up onto my face. A few quick, efficient moves and my eyes were wondrously huge, my lips full and pouting, and all traces of tired worry gone from my face.
"Have you heard anything about Charlie?" Ivy asked.
I caught her hand and pressed it to my cheek. "Not yet. But no news is good news."
Ivy's eyes filled with tears again, but she dried them with one fluttering hand. She was so young and so all alone. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her.
"I'm glad you're here," Ivy said. "Even if your hair looks crazy."
I let my stepsister brush out my wild waves and sweep it into an elegant knot. Then, we both took a deep breath and headed to join the mingling guests. I was glad that Ivy clung to my arm as I felt unsteady on my heels. I had no idea what Madison was planning to do, but I feared it wouldn't even be a blip next to the scene my presence could stir up.
"Don't move," Ivy said. "I'm going to tell Madison you're here."
Right after she left, Roger appeared with two glasses of champagne. "Teddy doesn't know you're here, does he?"
"I'm not here to see him," I said.
He chuckled. "That goes right back to the theory I want to test out."
"What theory?" I snapped.
"That," he said with a wide smile.
Across the ballroom, Teddy stood frozen by the French doors. Whitney, her arm entwined in his, lurched back when he didn't keep walking. She said something to him, but he didn't respond. His eyes were locked onto mine. It didn't matter that there was a sea of partygoers between us. I braced myself, but there was no hiding from the impact of his eyes.
"He's in love with you," Roger said. "Everyone can see that."