Beauty and The Best (Once-Upon-A-Time Romance) (16 page)

Barbara glanced over from the double convection ovens set into a fieldstone wall with a cute smile on her face and nodded toward a large bowl and veggie-stuffs on the island. “If you’d like, I was just about to start the salad.”

Back in her element, Jolie was feeling comfortable, chopping and dicing away. And of course, garnishing. A little swirl with the carrot peel here, a decorative tomato there, la la la la la.

“
Do you work at many homes, or just stay at one for a while?” Barbara asked, setting out the preparations for garlic bread.

“
This is my third. I worked for an older couple until they finally had to go into a home. That was sad. They really didn’t want to leave their house, but they just couldn’t get around anymore.” In went some fresh basil and parsley. Adding the basil as part of the salad rather than in the dressing gave it more of a zing.

“
My last job was with a family. When their youngest went off to college they didn’t really need me anymore. I guess take-out and TV dinners work for the two of them because I know for a fact Mrs.—I mean, the wife—doesn’t cook.” Jolie shrugged. She’d bet it had more to do with having the house all to themselves. That was probably the real attraction—and who could blame them?—but of course no one would give that as a reason to let go of the hired help.

“
And now you’re with Todd. It must be lonely after having people around.”

“
Lonely?” Jolie shook her head. “Not really. He’s chatty enough. Plus I’ve only been there two days.”

“
Todd? Chatty?” Barbara pointed a knife at her. “Todd Bartholomew Best?”

“
Is there another?”
Bartholomew
?

“
No.” Barbara shook her head. “But Todd hasn’t really—” The knife paused mid-twirl. “He hasn’t really been himself since… well, I’m sure you know about Trista. His wife.”

Jolie nodded. Oh, yeah. She knew.

“
They were such a great couple. Perfect for each other. Her death hit him hard. He rarely goes out and we only see him when I force him to come to dinner.” Barbara started slathering butter on the bread. A little thicker than necessary, but with the tears welling in her blinking eyes, she probably couldn’t tell.

Jolie wasn’t about to correct her. “Well, I didn’t know him before, but he seems to be doing okay.” She tossed the salad now that all the ingredients were in the bowl. It looked rather festive, if she said so herself. “I mean, he was out yesterday and today. I barely saw him.” No way was she going to mention that she had actually seen him bare-ly.

Barbara put down the knife with a sharp little slam. “Todd? Out? All day? Where did he go?”

“
Um.” Okay, now she was in a spot. Her loyalties were with Todd since he was technically her boss. But also
technically
,
Mike paid her salary since he ran the company, and Barbie here was his wife, so did she owe that loyalty to them or Todd?

Gosh, this reminded her so much of those years in the system. Where to place her allegiance? Without it coming back to bite her in the butt.

So, she pulled on old experience and went for middle of the road, praying she’d get out of the inquisition with her job and integrity intact.

“
He took me to the grocery store yesterday and then he went to Mike’s office.” So far so good. “Then we went to
The Midnight Maiden
—”

“
You’re kidding!”

The reaction wasn’t unexpected given her eavesdropping incident. See? Came in handy at times. Prepared her for this moment. “Uh, no. Then today, he was out all afternoon. Can’t tell you where.”

“
Can’t?” Barbara slanted her eyes. “Is it a secret?”

“
Oh, no.” Jolie tossed the salad a little higher to show it was finished. She was ready to end the conversation. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me and, last I looked, it’s not in my job description to keep tabs on the guy.” She said it with a smile to take the sting out of the words, but really, this little tattle session needed to be over.

“
Of course not.” Barbara got the hint.

Couldn’t blame her for trying. Barbara loved the guy. Mike, too. And, nope, couldn’t blame them for that either.

It would be so nice to have even one person have such feelings for her.

Someday.

“
How did you end up at
The Midnight Maiden
?” Barbara asked.

“
I asked where she’d like to have dinner, that’s how.” Todd strolled into the kitchen, minus the white horse he’d definitely earned with that perfectly timed entry. He picked out a sliver of carrot from the salad bowl and Jolie restrained herself from slapping his fingers.

He waved said carrot Barbara’s way. “Barb, do not drill my chef. I don’t need her quitting because of nosy in-laws. I’d miss her omelets.”

He smiled at Jolie, and, silly her, tingles danced all over her body and a ridiculous grin spread across her face. But she wiped that sucker off pretty quickly. No need for eagle-eyed, suspicious Babs catching it.

“
And,” he continued, “I invited her to
have
dinner, not make it.” He took the salad bowl from her hands and winked at her. “Go on into the dining room and have a seat. I’ll take care of this.”

Just as she cleared the majestically arched doorway, Barbara asked, “Really, Todd. What on earth has gotten into you?
The Midnight Maiden
?”

Hmmm, Jolie would have liked to revive her eavesdropping experience again, but, sadly, Mike was fast approaching so she’d have to forego the clandestine listening-in. Who knew what she would have found out about Todd’s impressions from last night? After the reporter fiasco and his subsequent suspicions, she would’ve liked to hear the outcome of his mental musings.

“
So, Jolie,” Mike said, leading her away from the interesting doorway to the table. He pulled out her chair. Chivalry was alive and well and living in the Best family. “How was dinner last night?”

“
Good. Great.” Did he think it wouldn’t be?

“
I was surprised to hear you went there.”

Nice try, but he knew where they were going beforehand, so all his past tense-ing didn’t fool her. But then, she wasn’t supposed to know all that, so she’d have to go along with the program. “Oh. Well it was very nice.”

Footsteps echoed in the marble corridor, followed by a stern, “Mike.” Todd entered the room. “Leave her alone. You’ve got questions about my dining habits, ask me.” Her rescuer parked himself across the table from her and she could honestly say she was thrilled. And
not
because her hormones were up and dancing.

Todd started dishing out the salad, looking more calm and composed than she would’ve expected with the cross-examination they were getting. “So, dinner was very nice. The weather was perfect, we ate up on deck, and the chef outdid himself. Any other questions?”

Mike clammed up with a smile and poured the wine while Barbara entered and took her seat. “Not a one.” Mike raised his glass. “Here’s to new friends and dinners together.”

Jolie took a sip, just a mite to be polite, and studied Mike over the rim of her glass. Did he mean dinners together as in, the four of them having tonight’s dinner together, or dinners together as in, Todd and his new friend dining together? Was that what he wanted for Todd? She’d gotten the impression from Barb that they weren’t quite ready for him to move on.

Or she could just be reading something into a perfectly innocuous statement because she wanted to.

***

“
So, Todd, what’s going on these days?” Barbara asked. “We barely see you, yet you seem to be out and about all over the place.”

“
Look here, Miss Nosy-Pants.” Todd’s smile brought a blush to Barbara’s face. “I have a life and I’m living it. I’m here at least twice a month. Not too shabby. Plus I’ve decided to start a project that will keep me busy.”

“
Project?” Mike and Barb asked in stereo from opposite ends of the table.

“
Yes, project.” There. He’d said the words. Now he was committed. “I’ve decided it’s time to open the attic above the garage.” He held out his hand for Jolie’s plate. She was quick to catch on. Part of the “getting” thing they had between them?

He filled her salad plate. “I’m hiring a crew to come out this week.”

He hadn’t quite expected the dead silence.

“
Open the attic?” Again in stereo.

Nor the disbelief. Okay, so two years was a long time, but wasn’t this what they wanted? For him to move on?

“
Uh, yeah.” He took a bite of the salad. Ambrosia. “You made the salad, didn’t you?” he asked Jolie. Barb was a good cook, but nothing like Jolie.

“
With Barbara’s ingredients. How’d you know?”

There she was, Good Sport Jolie, again. “I recognize the little twirl to the vegetables.”

Thank God Jolie could carry on a conversation. And since Mike and Barb were looking at him slack-jawed, as if he’d grown a second head, he was really glad he’d brought Jolie along.

For conversation?

Yes for conversation. Great. Now he had to argue with his conscience. He stabbed the arugula.

Barb was the first to recover. “Oh, Todd, that’s terrific news! So exciting. How wonderful!”

“
Does this mean you’ll be showing them?” Mike finally reattached his bottom jaw. “Where do you want to have it? Private or open to the public? Are there enough for an entire show or will you be doing more? When are you planning?”

Hadn’t Mike heard a word he’d said? He wasn’t going to paint landscapes any more. He was done. That phase was over. He knew it as sure as he was sitting here.

“
Mike, I am not showing again. Nor will I add to that collection. You can have them. Hang them in the office, throw them out, donate them to a hospital, I don’t care. But no show. I’ll never do another one again.”

“
Oh, but Todd, you can’t mean that.” Barbara reached over for his hand and he pulled it out of the way.

“
I do mean it, Barb. It’s time to put the past behind me. And that includes my landscapes.” He didn’t care if it hurt her feelings. For Christ’s sake, he’d just made a huge decision. What more did they want from him?

“
Oh, but, but… ” Barbara wiped the corner of her eye. “But, Todd, Trista wouldn’t want you to do this.”

Todd set his knife and fork down carefully beside his plate. He had to do it very slowly, almost jerkily, because he might just break the damned dish. “This has nothing to do with Trista. It’s about me and living the rest of my life.”

He glanced at Jolie. He’d survived her saying it, but once was all he could manage. Although, it didn’t slice him in two as it had last night.

He cleared his throat. Maybe he was making progress.

Then he got a good look at Jolie’s face and had to wonder if she’d survive the rest of this meal.

“
Jolie, I’m sorry you have to be a part of this. I hadn’t expected to go down this road tonight. I shouldn’t have mentioned clearing out the attic.” He turned toward Barbara. “Let’s not go into it any more. I’d like to have a nice dinner and then head home.”

“
Todd—” Mike began but Todd cut him off.

“
Let’s leave it at that, Mike. I can always change my mind, you know.”

That stopped Mike. Barb grabbed her wine and Jolie stared into her salad.

Great. Good job, Best. Way to set the mood.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Yes, they’d been managing his life for the past two years and he appreciated it, he really did, but it was over. As for showing again, Mike could plead all he wanted, but Todd was not going to go through that circus.

He was emptying the attic to start over. To start fresh.

***

Jolie picked at her salad, wanting to fade into the woodwork, hoping someone would shatter the tension in the room before Mouth said something inappropriate; silence making her edgy and all.

“
My apartment burned down so Todd let me move in.” Oops. Too late.
Open Mouth, insert kicky yellow flat
. If she still had kicky yellow flat. Unfortunately, she’d lost that in the fire—along with, apparently, her common sense.

“
Well, there’s a subject change.” Todd had his smile back, so apparently inappropriate comments had their purpose.

Why it had to be
her
inappropriate comment, though, God only knew.

“
You’re living with Todd?” Mike’s fork stopped mid-air and he drilled Todd with his stare.

“
I think I’ll get the rest of the meal.” Barbara’s mouth scrunched to the side as she went back into the kitchen.

“
Wipe the Puritanical look off your face, Mike.” Todd resumed eating his salad. “Her apartment burned down last night after dinner. I wasn’t about to leave her stranded. I may have been out of touch with people over the past two years, but simple courtesy isn’t a social grace you forget.”

So now she was a social grace? First cute, now that.

“
Burned down? That’s awful.” Barbara reappeared, all composed, smiling and Barbie once more. “It’s lucky you were with Todd.”

“
It’s very nice of him to let me stay until I can find another place. I’ve started looking but there aren’t many places available this week.” In her price range and with something other than a pitbull with a choke collar for security.