Читать книгу The One Winter Collection - Rebecca Winters - Страница 21

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE STAR OF the fund-raiser for Dolphin Bay Dogs, the shelter Jesse’s mother Maura was involved with, was the cast of dogs, ranging from cute puppies to venerable senior citizens with grey around their muzzles.

They sat in a row along the raised platform that acted as a stage for the ballroom of the Hotel Harbourside. The volunteer carers who kept the dogs in check were busy either soothing the nervous ones or calming the excitable ones who just wanted to be part of the action.

It was clever marketing on his mother’s part, Jesse thought. He was sure people would be more inclined to open their wallets when they saw those pleading canine eyes.

But, appealing as the puppies were, Jesse’s eyes were only for Lizzie. They’d agreed she’d arrive with Sandy and Ben so as not to draw attention to the way their ‘friendship’ had escalated into something so much more.

And now she was here. As she made her way across the room to him he was literally lost for words. His heart thudded into overdrive and his mouth went dry.

Last time he’d seen her she’d been wearing her chef’s jacket and black pants, her hair pulled tightly back from her face and her cheeks all flushed from the heat of the kitchen. He’d thought she’d looked lovely then. But the transformation from chef to seductress was nothing short of sensational.

Her dress clung to her slender shape and left her shoulders bare, with a tantalising suggestion of cleavage, and its colour was a tint of aqua that glistened like the underside of a wave on Silver Gull beach. Her hair puzzled him for a moment until he realised it looked so different because her wild curls had been tamed into a style that was straight and sleek and falling around her face. She looked sophisticated. Elegant. And sexy as all get-out.

‘Lizzie,’ he said in the most casual just-friends voice he could muster, ‘you’re looking very lovely.’

‘Thank you,’ she said in the tone she used to accept a compliment about the food from a customer, but lit by a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. ‘So glad you approve.’

‘I approve, all right,’ he said, his voice more the hoarse whisper of a lover than the light tone of a pal, no matter how he tried to keep it casual.

The silver high heeled shoes that strapped around her ankles brought her to easy kissing height. She kissed him lightly, first on one cheek and then the other. ‘Just friends, remember,’ she murmured into his ear.

It was an effort not to clamp her possessively to his side. To beat away anyone who came near her. She aroused caveman instincts he hadn’t known he possessed.

‘You look so beautiful,’ he murmured back. ‘No man would want to stop at just being friends.’

She laughed as she pulled away from him to normal conversation level. He had better try and mask the hunger in his eyes.

‘I bought this dress in Paris years ago. It’s so long since I dressed up I could hardly remember how. I thought it was going to be a big fail.’

‘Count it as a first class honours pass,’ he said.

She wore make-up too, dark stuff around her eyes that brought out a purple ring around her iris. And deep pink lipstick on her sweet, seductive mouth. It only made him want to kiss it off.

‘This is the same room where Sandy and Ben’s wedding reception was held, isn’t it?’ Lizzie asked in a low murmur. ‘Do you get a feeling of déjà vu?’

‘In a way,’ he said. ‘You’re the loveliest woman in the room again.’

‘I bet you say that to all the girls,’ she said in mock flirtation, but he saw a touch of wariness in her eyes.

‘No, I don’t, and that’s the truth,’ he said. He bent to whisper in her ear. ‘You have to learn to trust me, Lizzie.’ As he had to trust her.

She nodded. ‘I know.’

He wanted to kiss her to reassure her, but of course he couldn’t. Not with the eyes of a sizable number of his family and friends upon them.

‘One thing is for sure,’ she said, as if she’d read his mind. ‘Nothing could take me out onto that balcony again.’

He didn’t want to share her. Wanted her all to himself somewhere very private. But she was right—that place wasn’t the balcony. No matter how beautiful the view of the full moon over the bay.

He was about to tell her that when Ben came up beside them. He slapped his brother on the shoulder in greeting. ‘It’s not you I’ve come to talk to,’ Ben said. ‘It’s Lizzie.’

‘Okay,’ said Lizzie. Did she feel as annoyed as he did at being interrupted?

‘Mum wants to show you something special,’ Ben said to Lizzie. ‘She’s over there near the stage. Please don’t be surprised if it’s a dog.’

Lizzie laughed. ‘I don’t mind at all if it’s a dog. Isn’t that what we’re here for?’

She casually brushed her hand against Jesse’s arm as she left—he got the message she would rather stay with him and it pleased him.

‘I actually do want to talk to you,’ said Ben. He went from smiling to serious, as he did when money and investment was concerned.

Jesse’s interest was sparked. When he was younger, he’d trusted Ben with financial advice that had paid off very handsomely. A generous inheritance plus business savvy and wise investment meant that at his age he was very well off. Well off enough to be able to take the weight right off Lizzie’s feet if that was what she wanted; maybe into a job that wasn’t so physically demanding. It concerned him to see her so exhausted and in pain at the end of a long day in the kitchen.

‘I want to talk to you about a business proposition,’ Ben said.

‘If you want to hire me as a full-time barista, forget it,’ Jesse said with a grin.

‘Sandy would sign you up in a moment,’ Ben said. ‘But that’s not the money-making proposal I have for you.’

* * *

As Lizzie walked away from Jesse, she was surprised to realise how much she was enjoying herself. She couldn’t help but contrast the last time she’d been in this room for Sandy’s wedding.

Then she’d been the bride’s sister who didn’t know anyone. Now, even after only a few weeks in Dolphin Bay, she recognised lots of faces and they were all very complimentary about Bay Bites. Several people told her they’d put in bids for the prize of lunch for two she’d donated to the silent auction.

Maura came bustling up and swept her up into a hug. ‘Gorgeous, gorgeous dress,’ she said. ‘So glad to see you having a night out.’

‘We had another busy day in the café today,’ Lizzie told her. ‘The fish pie I made from your recipe was a sell-out. And we’ve already got customers asking us to put your strawberry sponge cake on the regular menu.’

‘Only serve that cake when strawberries are at their finest,’ Maura advised. ‘It’s at its best with the freshest, sweetest strawberries. Anything else is a compromise and the flavour will suffer.’

Lizzie smiled. Maura truly was a woman after her own heart when it came to food. ‘I’ll keep that advice in mind,’ she said.

‘I’m pleased about that, dear. But we’re not here to talk about cooking. There’s someone I want you to meet.’

Lizzie followed Maura up onto the platform where the dogs were waiting to play their roles for the evening with varying degrees of good behaviour.

‘If we can appeal to people’s hearts for adoptions tonight that will be grand,’ said Maura. ‘If we can get them to open their wallets, too, that’s all the better.’

Lizzie suppressed a smile. It appeared the Morgan family were born businesspeople. That augured well for the future of Bay Bites—and her own security in Dolphin Bay.

Maura led Lizzie to where a puppy snuggled with a teenage girl. ‘He’s sad, Mrs Morgan,’ she said. ‘He misses his brother and sister who got adopted.’

‘Sad? Maybe a little lonely,’ said Maura. ‘But he’s quiet because he’s exhausted from being run around the yard all afternoon.’ She turned to Lizzie. ‘Meet Alfie.’

At the sound of his name, the puppy sat up. He was black with a few irregular white patches, soulful dark eyes and long floppy ears that made Lizzie think he had some spaniel in him. He gave a sweet little whine and lifted up a furry paw to be shaken.

Lizzie was smitten. ‘Oh, he’s adorable.’ She shook the puppy’s warm little paw.

‘Mother, are you up to your “get the puppy to shake paws” tricks again?’ Jesse spoke from behind her and Lizzie turned. Her heart missed a beat at the sight of how devastating he looked in a tuxedo. She hadn’t thought he could look more handsome than he did in his jeans and T-shirt but he did. Oh, yes, he did.

‘And if a few tricks help a homeless animal find his way into someone’s heart, who am I to miss the opportunity?’ said Maura with the charming smile that was so like her son’s.

‘He’s won my heart already—can I pick him up?’ Lizzie asked.

As soon as he was in her arms the puppy tried to enthusiastically lick her face. Lizzie laughed. ‘Jesse, isn’t he cute?’

‘He is that,’ said Jesse with a smile she could only describe as indulgent.

‘Amy would adore him.’

‘Yes, she would,’ said Maura. ‘A dog can be a great friend to a little girl.’

‘Her grand-maman in France has a little dog that Amy loves. She’s heartbroken every time she says goodbye to her. It might help her to settle here if she had a dog of her own.’

‘But is it practical for you to have a puppy?’ Jesse asked.

‘Not right now,’ Lizzie said reluctantly, kissing the puppy’s little forehead. ‘Who knows what the future might bring for us? But he’s utterly enchanting.’

She turned to Maura. ‘Amy will be here on Wednesday. If Alfie hasn’t found a home by then I’ll bring her to see him.’ She gave the puppy one more pat, to which he responded with enthusiastic wagging of his tiny tail, and reluctantly handed him back to his carer.

Maura put her hand on Lizzie’s arm. ‘You have to do what’s best for you and your daughter. But a dog brings such rewards.’

If Lizzie stayed in Dolphin Bay a dog would be possible. For one thing, she’d be happier if Amy had the comfort of a puppy while she settled into her new home and made new friends. But it was still early days yet.

It wasn’t just the possibility of something serious with Jesse that made her hesitate. She only had a job here if the café was a success. Otherwise she’d be back in Sydney flat-hunting in a difficult rental market with the added hindrance of a dog in tow.

And then there was Jesse’s career. If they had a future together, where might it be?

‘Don’t you have to give your speech soon, Mum?’ Jesse said.

‘Yes, of course I do,’ said Maura. ‘You just keep little Alfie in mind, Lizzie.’

Jesse put his arm casually around Lizzie’s shoulder as he led her down from the platform. ‘Don’t let her talk you into something you’re not ready for. A dog’s a big commitment.’

‘Don’t I know it,’ she said.

She was silent for a long moment. Holding the squirming little bundle in her arms had brought back memories of Amy as a baby. Amy often asked if she could have a little brother or sister, but another baby had never been on the agenda. Why was she thinking about it now?

* * *

As the evening progressed Lizzie couldn’t help being overwhelmed by that déjà vu. They were in the same room as the wedding reception. She was enjoying the opportunity to wear a beautiful dress, do something special with her hair—she loved the effect of having it straight—and wearing more make-up than usual.

With the Parisian dress she felt she had donned some of her old Lizzie party-girl spirit. That Lizzie had been pretty much smothered by maternal responsibilities and anxieties. She loved Amy more than she could ever have imagined loving another person. But there were times she wanted to be Lizzie, not just Mummy or Chef. This was one of them. She was determined to enjoy every second of the evening.

She even enjoyed the speeches. She wasn’t the only one near tears when Maura spoke about the homeless dogs and cats in the area and the maltreatment some of them received before they got to the shelter. Someone else spoke convincingly about spaying and neutering to help bring down the number of unwanted kittens and puppies.

When Maura returned to the table after the speeches, she saw the pride in Jesse’s father’s eyes as he helped his wife of heaven knew how many years back into her chair. She realised Jesse had been brought up in a family where love and kindness ruled.

How very different from her family, where her father, a specialist anaesthetist, believed in excessive discipline, rigorous academic achievement and ruthless competition. No wonder both she and Sandy had rebelled. No wonder her mother had eventually divorced him and moved to another state.

Her father hadn’t been a part of her life for a long time but he had asked to see her when she’d brought Amy back to Australia. She’d hoped he’d regretted the way he’d treated her, maybe wanted to make up for it by developing a relationship with his granddaughter. But no. He wanted to pay to send Amy to an exclusive girls’ boarding school where she could develop her academic potential, away from her mother’s influence. Needless to say, Lizzie had declined the offer.

The food at Maura’s function was good, but not as good as she’d expected from the Hotel Harbourside catering. ‘Should I mention it to Sandy?’ she whispered to Jesse. They were seated together at the Morgan family table, surreptitiously holding hands under cover of the tablecloth.

‘When the moment is right,’ Jesse said, keeping his voice very low, pretending not to be too interested in what she was saying. ‘You’ll need to be diplomatic.’

‘Aren’t I always diplomatic?’ she started to say in a huff.

He smiled. ‘You can’t pride yourself on being both blunt and diplomatic at the same time.’ He squeezed her hand to emphasise he didn’t mean it as an insult.

‘Point taken,’ she said.

Again she marvelled at how quickly Jesse had got to know her. She didn’t feel she knew him as well but was enjoying each revelation of what lay beneath the heartbreakingly handsome exterior. So far she’d discovered he was a thoughtful, highly intelligent man with a good heart, a good head for business and a whole lot of common sense. That was on top of being a master kisser.

‘Do you know what I’m missing?’ she said. ‘The music. I wish I could get up and dance with you. Do you remember how we danced together at the wedding?’

‘How could I forget?’

‘I think dancing with you was when I—’ She swallowed the words that bubbled to the surface. When I thought I might have found someone special.

‘When you...?’ Jesse prompted.

‘When I...when I realised you were so much more than the best man who I, as the chief bridesmaid, was obligated to spend time with.’

And now? Now she was falling in love with him. She’d fought it so hard she hadn’t let herself recognise it. Could you fall in love this quickly?

‘You okay?’ asked Jesse. ‘You seem flustered.’

‘Yes. Yes. Of course I’m okay.’ How did she deal with this?

‘I want to dance with you too,’ said Jesse in a husky undertone. ‘The evening is winding up. In half an hour we leave separately, then—’

‘Yes?’ she asked, her heart thudding.

‘Then we have our own private dance on the beach.’