Читать книгу Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise - Jennifer Faye - Страница 12

WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?

The last time she’d been alone with this man, her world had come undone. Pepper kept her gaze focused on the busy roadway. But she couldn’t ignore Simon’s presence. With him next to her, it felt as though the interior of the van had shrunk.

He was so close that she could reach out and touch him—like they’d done after his party to announce the launch of his Pet Playground stores. They’d been hand in hand as Simon drove them back to his place. They’d laughed. They’d talked. The exact opposite of now.

She quietly followed Simon’s instructions as she weaved her way through traffic. Even with Simon’s input, it still wasn’t a quick journey.

And with hustling out the door, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d turned everything off. She hated rushing. It left room for error and she always strived for perfection, though she never reached it. But she’d grabbed everything for the party and she’d set the alarm.

Still, worry niggled at her.

“What’s the matter?” Simon asked.

“Did I turn off the lights?”

“You did.”

“Did I lock the front door?”

“You did.”

“Did I get everything?”

“Pepper, what’s the matter?”

She sighed. “I just have the feeling I’m forgetting something.”

“I don’t think you have to worry. Everything is under control.”

She hoped he was right.

Other than some instructions on where to turn, silence fell back over the van. It wasn’t a comfortable silence. In place of conversation was a strained void. She should have refused his offer to ride with her. But then she would most definitely be late and that would be very bad, especially if this guest list was anything like his last party.

She couldn’t help glancing around in traffic just to make sure the paparazzi weren’t following them. Thankfully, they weren’t. She glanced over at Simon as he lounged back in his seat, checking messages on his phone.

The silence in the van was deafening. She reached over and turned on the radio. She adjusted the tuner to a station that played nothing but Christmas tunes. Andy Williams’s “Sleigh Ride” was playing. At least it was upbeat, unlike her passenger. She turned it up.

She chanced a quick glance at him. The frown on his face had deepened, marring his handsome face with deep lines. What was up with him? Did he regret offering to ride with her?

“Is something bothering you?” The question popped out of her mouth before her brain had a chance to restrain her tongue.

“What?”

At the same time, they reached for the radio. Their fingers touched. A tingle pulsed up her arm. She glanced at him. His gaze met hers, making her heart pound.

She yanked her hand away as she turned her attention back to the road. Simon lowered the volume on the radio. She swallowed hard, gripping the steering wheel with both hands as she tried to put a lid on whatever it was that just happened between them.

“That’s better,” Simon said. “Now what did you ask?”

She felt really weird asking him now, but she refused to let on how their contact had unnerved her. “Is something bothering you?”

“You mean besides you being angry at me when it was you who dumped me?”

So they were back to this again. “I didn’t see you minding so much when you were out with that tall blonde the next night.”

“It wasn’t the next night.” His tone was gruff. “It was two weeks later.”

“A day. A week or two. It’s the same difference.”

“Turn left right up here.” He was quiet for a moment. “And it does matter, because it wasn’t the same thing.”

She made the turn. She shouldn’t care, but her curiosity was eating at her. “Why is that?”

“Because that appearance wasn’t a date. It was arranged to draw the paparazzi’s attention from you.”

It wasn’t a date? She caught sight of the serious look in his eyes. Should she believe him? After all, they had looked like a real couple in the photo. “But they said you were both on the rebound.”

“Turn left in a mile onto Willow Lane.” He shifted in his seat so he could look at her. “Since when do you believe what they print online? Remember, those are the same fools that said we were getting married.”

“Like that would ever happen.”

“Exactly.” His tone softened just a bit.

He didn’t have to agree so quickly, like the thought of marrying her would be worse than a death sentence. Maybe it was better if they didn’t talk. In fact, that sounded like a really good idea.

The ride had gone far worse than he’d imagined.

Thankfully, the Christmas party was faring much better.

Simon was certain he was losing his touch with women. That or Pepper was immune to his charms. Rekindling their friendship was never going to happen. The realization was a sobering one.

But even though their relationship was broken beyond recognition, he noticed that didn’t stop her from putting on the most amazing display of pastries. But it wasn’t just sweet treats. She’d mingled in flowers and twinkle lights. The display really drew the eye.

She was attentive to the guests as their hungry gazes meandered over the lengthy selection of sugary temptations. She was kind. She was patient. And she beamed as she talked about the baked goods and her beloved bakery.

As a professional, he had no qualms with her. On a personal note, he wished they’d never taken things to the next level—even if it had been the most amazing night of his life. The price had been too high. It had cost him a friendship that he didn’t know how much he valued until it’d ended.

He made his way through the great room, greeting all of his guests. These were important clients who’d helped get his products on the store shelves. And now that he was branching out with his Pet Playground chain, he was talking it up, hoping a groundswell of excitement would carry through to his launch at Christmas.

“Your Christmas tree is gorgeous,” the wife of a business associate said.

“Thank you.” Simon didn’t admit that the tree wasn’t his. His assistant had hired a decorator to come in and stage the house with holiday cheer. When the party was over, the tree, the twinkle lights and all of the other decorations would go away. None too soon as far as he was concerned.

But the funny thing was, as much as he tried to talk business, everyone wanted to talk about the baker he’d hired. Forget the heated appetizers; they were all agog over the sweets. Not that he could blame them. They were delicious.

“Isn’t she the best?” Elaine stepped up next to him.

His assistant was a few years younger than him, married and the most efficient assistant he’d ever hired. He would be lost without her. She kept him and his calendar on task.

“Yes, Pepper is very good.” He only hired the best.

“The guests seem to love her. And everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”

He nodded. “You’ve done an excellent job coordinating this party.”

He made a mental note to speak with Elaine at a later date about removing Pepper from their list of vendors. No matter how good Pepper was, they needed to maintain their distance. He felt bad about having to do it, but it was for the best—for both of their sakes. Because no matter how much they both wanted to deny it, there was still chemistry sizzling between them.

His gaze kept straying to Pepper. He assured himself that it was his job to keep an eye on the staff, to make sure the party was running smoothly. He noticed her on the phone. He couldn’t have his employees chatting while they were supposed to be working. She turned her back to him and headed toward the kitchen with the phone pressed to her ear.

His jaw tightened. Surely she had to know how important this party was to him. He set off after her. When he stepped into the kitchen, the door almost bumped Pepper.

“Are you sure?” she said into the phone. “Okay. Okay. I... I’m out of town. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He couldn’t see her face, but he could hear the tremor in her voice. “What’s the matter?”

She turned to him. Her face was white like the frosted snowflake cookies on the buffet. Her eyes filled with unshed tears, but she didn’t speak.

“What’s the matter?” He repeated with more urgency.

“I have to go.” She rushed to the coat check.

He followed her. “Go where?”

She attempted to shove her hand in the sleeve of her coat, but missed. She tried again and got it. Her movements were quick and jerky. She muttered something under her breath.

“What did you say?”

“My backpack. I need my backpack.”

It was hanging right in front of her. He took it down from the hook. “Here you go. Now tell me, what is going on?”

“I don’t have time. I have to go.”

Concern pumped through his veins. He took her by the shoulders. “Pepper, look at me.” When her wide-eyed stare met his, he said, “Tell me what’s going on.”

“The bakery. It’s on fire.”

“Fire?” This was the very last thing he was expecting her to say. “Are you sure?”

“It was the alarm company.”

“Okay.” He rushed to process this information. “Maybe it’s a false alarm. Those happen all of the time.”

“I have to go.” She looked as though she was trying to figure out how to get around him, as he was blocking the doorway.

There was no way she was in any condition to drive. Before he could decide the right and the wrong of it, he said, “I’ll take you.”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

The fact that she didn’t argue with him let him know how scared she was of losing the most important thing in her life. He texted his driver to meet them in the back. And then he texted Elaine to let her know that she was in charge of the party, as he had an emergency.

Once they were seated in the back of the black sedan, the driver wasted no time heading south to the city. Simon wasn’t sure what to do to comfort Pepper. She wrung her hands together as she stared out the window at the passing lights.

He wanted to say something—do something—to lessen her worry. “Everything will be all right.”

Her head whipped around and her worried gaze met his. “You don’t know that. I was certain I’d forgotten something when we left. What if it was the stove? What if I started the fire?”

He reached out, taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze. “If that’s the case, we’ll deal with it.”

“Everything I had—everything I dreamed about—is tied up in the bakery. What will I do? How could I be so stupid?”

“Calm down. You don’t even know if anything happened.”

She left her hand in his. It felt comfortable there, as though they’d been doing it for years. And though it was a small gesture, at least he was able to do something for her.