Defy the World Tomatoes (12 page)

She’d hoped working for Griffin would bring her additional commissions on Ridgecrest, but this woman had just seen her truck and been inspired to call. Maybe she should have driven around the exclusive neighborhood a couple of times a week and let everyone assume she was working up there. Of course, she didn’t actually have the job yet, but she at least had a good chance of landing it, and that perked up the day considerably.

Needing fresh air, she left her office to walk through the nursery and clear her mind. There were some cacti that needed to either be marked down and sold or repotted, and she debated which would be the smarter move. Because repotting cacti was a chore everyone hated, she marked them down and bid them a hasty farewell.

She was standing by the suspended fish sculpture Griffin had admired when he walked through the gate. He wasn’t smiling, and Darcy braced herself for another unfortunate confrontation. She felt her cheeks tremble as she tried to smile.

He responded with a curt nod. “I thought maybe I’d take the fish home today.”

“Well, think again,” Darcy countered. “It’s too heavy to throw in the back of your Land Rover, and even if you got it home, you couldn’t carry it yourself.”

“I’m a lot tougher than you apparently think I am.”

Darcy looked at him askance. “I know you’re tough, Griffin, I’ve seen just how muscular you are, but the fish weighs a ton, or at least it feels like it. I’ll hang a big sold sign on it and deliver it just as soon as we get the arbor built.”

“I doubt Toby McClure would appreciate your reluctance to collect my money and deliver the work today.”

Darcy was amazed he recalled the artist’s name. Then the truth hit her with the force of an actual slap. “It isn’t just Kate Sessions’ name you recall, is it? You remember everything you hear. It must be the auditory version of a photographic memory.”

“I don’t play by ear,” Griffin scoffed. “I actually read music.”

The warning gleam had flashed in his eyes before he’d glanced away, but Darcy refused to back off. “You have a phenomenal memory, speak several languages fluently and probably have an I.Q. in the 200 range.”

“Sorry, but it was only 177 when I was tested, but I was fourteen, cocky as hell and didn’t give it my best effort. But what does any of that have to do with an iron fish?”

Darcy shook her finger at him. “Precisely, and we both know that’s not why you’re here.”

Griffin gave a begrudging nod. “No, it’s not. I came to see you. Let’s go on down to the beach and talk.”

“I work here,” Darcy reminded him. “I can’t just go flitting off to the beach after I’ve missed half the day.”

“I could help out. What needs to be done?”

Darcy thought of the cacti and immediately discounted the idea. When he had such handsome hands and arms, she didn’t want him scratched. “We’re doing all right here. Why don’t you go to the gym, and I’ll meet you later.”

“I don’t feel like working out. Maybe I’ll just go down to the docks and look at the boats, but I’ll be back at six.”

It was more of a threat than a promise, but Darcy was trying to make sense of things, not avoid him. “Fine, I’ll be right here.”

He turned on his heel and left, and only Darcy heard one of the teenagers snickering nearby. “What’s so damn funny, Todd? If you have time to stand around laughing at me, get a broom and sweep off the walkways.”

Caught, Todd shrugged and went to fetch a broom.

It truly was a lovely afternoon, and Darcy sat on a redwood bench to enjoy it. Unfortunately, she soon had to rise to answer a customer’s question about bougainvilleas, but she sold the woman three good-sized plants with peach-toned blossoms and considered the effort worthwhile.

She was checking the day’s total on the nursery register when Christy Joy came outside to join her. “Thanks for not throwing a fit about this morning. I really didn’t mean to be so late.”

“We got along fine, but now you owe me.”

Darcy couldn’t dispute that. “You need a babysitter?”

“Not today, but I do have a favor to ask. Jeremy wants to take Twink and me out whale watching one morning early, and I want you and Griffin to come along.”

“Why, to throw J. Lyle off the scent?”

Christy Joy smoothed her upswept curls. “I know, it’s stupid, but I’d feel a whole lot more comfortable if Twink and I didn’t have to be alone with Jeremy.”

“He seems like a nice guy.”

“I think so too, but I’m just hollow. I can manage Defy the World and raise Twink, but that’s it. I’ve nothing left for Jeremy, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings and turn him down when I brought up the subject of whale watching in the first place.”

Darcy knew what she meant by hollow, as in empty of reserves, but she certainly didn’t have that problem with Griffin. “I’ve got an appointment for an estimate tomorrow at nine which might cut it too close. What about Wednesday?”

“Jeremy said anytime this week, so Wednesday should be fine.”

“Good. I can’t speak for Griffin, but I’ll be there. It’s been ages since I’ve been out on a boat, and it’s always fun. I’m very proud of Defy the World, but we aren’t having nearly enough fun, Christy Joy.”

“Oh, come on. I enjoy the shop and the time I spend with Twink.”

“But you’re complaining of feeling hollow,” Darcy reminded her.

Christy Joy raised her finger to her lips. “Hush. Don’t you dare spread that around. I need to get back inside, but tell me first, how was your morning?”

“Indescribable,” Darcy exclaimed.

“That good? Well, lucky you.”

Darcy let Christy Joy go without expanding upon her appreciative comment, but she was still confused about what had really happened that morning when Griffin returned.

“I still want to go down to the beach,” he said. “Do you have a jacket?”

“Sure, I have several hanging in my office. I’ll go and get one.” She expected him to wait by the gate, but he came along with her and helped her into the dark green windbreaker. When he took her hand, the thrill was still there despite her misgivings.

It was a short walk to the beach, and they took off their shoes and strolled on down past the vacation homes to the tree-lined edge of the bay before Griffin pulled Darcy down beside him in the sand.

“I have a concert in Seattle on Saturday, and I want to take you with me.”

The invitation was the last thing Darcy had expected to hear, but there was no way she could accept. “Last weekend was really busy, and if the beautiful weather holds, next weekend will be the same. I can’t even afford to be late, much less leave town.”

Griffin kept his gaze focused on the sailboats returning to the bay. “I understand. I’ve put you in a bind, and naturally you’d not want to harm Defy the World any further by being away.”

While that was the truth, Darcy hated the slant he’d given it. “Eventually things will work out,” she replied.

“I have no such faith, but still, I wanted to ask you. Sit still.” He stood then sat behind her so she was cradled between his outstretched legs. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her back against his chest.

“If I get the opportunity to play an encore or two, I’m going to play one of my own pieces.”

That made the concert doubly important, and Darcy’s heart sank. “Have you done that before?”

“No, but there are some excellent music critics in Seattle, and I’m anxious to hear their opinion of my work.”

“So this is a major event for you,” Darcy mused aloud.

“Yes, but if you can’t be there, I’ll just have to tell you about it when I get home. If you’re still speaking to me. I’ve spent the day trying to figure out what went wrong this morning, but I’ll be damned if I know,” he confided softly in her ear.

He had the most seductive mannerisms, and Darcy wasn’t immune, but she felt vaguely uneasy as well as guilty about missing the Seattle concert. She hadn’t forgotten George’s warning, and wondered if she wasn’t just piling up more problems than Griffin could surmount. She covered his hands with her own and tried to sound reasonably sane.

“I shouldn’t have gone snooping through your house,” she said.

“Snoop all you like. I’ve nothing to hide. I told you the bathrooms were worth seeing, and they are. I always take a laptop with me, and I could send you an email or two while I’m away.”

He’d changed the subject so smoothly, Darcy was simply in awe. She told him her email address and was confident he would remember it. She was going to have to be careful of everything she said when he might dredge it up later to prove a point. It was another reason to be wary, and she already had too many.

“Would you like to go whale watching Wednesday morning? Christy Joy and Twink are going out on Jeremy Linden’s boat and want us to come along. It should be fun, even if we don’t spot any whales.”

“I get seasick,” Griffin confessed.

Darcy turned to look up at him. “So do I, but we’ll be out on deck with plenty of fresh air, and seasickness shouldn’t be a problem.”

“So you say.”

Darcy was astonished to learn he possessed any weakness at all. “Do you get motion sickness when you fly?”

“Yes, but I have pills for it.”

“Then take a couple Wednesday morning, and you’ll be fine.”

Griffin shook his head. “They make me kind of loopy, and I might fall overboard.”

For a split second, Darcy wondered if he were refusing to come along to pay her back for missing the Seattle concert. It would be a petty way to get even, but she couldn’t put it past him.

“I don’t want you to get sick, Griffin, but when I tell you about the whales we saw, you’ll be sorry you missed it.”

“Probably, but I’ll not be sorry I spent the whole voyage puking over the stern either. Besides, I’m flying up to Seattle Wednesday afternoon, and I can’t really spare the time.”

Now, Darcy was convinced he was paying her back. Rather than let him see her seethe, she just shrugged. “I imagine you do need to practice a bit.”

“I’ll have three days to rehearse with the symphony before the concert, so that should be enough. If it isn’t, well, those critics I mentioned will have something new to report in their columns.”

“You don’t sound worried.”

“I’m not, but I’ll miss you. What do you want to cook for dinner tonight?”

Darcy looped her arms around his thighs. She’d never dated a man with his height, and it was nice to be surrounded with so much muscular male flesh. “Are you inviting yourself to dinner at my house, or asking me to come up to yours again?”

“Whichever you’d like. I’m the most agreeable of men.”

“Except when it comes to boats.”

“Oh, all right, boats are the exception, but at least I eat seafood. Let’s just grab something at the little market we passed and eat at your place tonight.”

Darcy rested her cheek against his upper arm. “It’s getting chilly, but I’m awfully comfortable right here.”

“So am I, but I’m hungry. Let’s go.” He slipped free of her grasp, rose and, with an easy scoop, lifted her to her feet.

Darcy took his hand and carried her shoes as they retraced their steps, but she made a mental note to keep track of how many times he discounted her suggestions to do what he wished. He might pamper her, but still, they did things his way. That was annoying, but at least she’d refused to abandon Christy Joy and go to Seattle.

“Where will you be performing next?” she asked.

“Budapest. Do you have a passport?”

“No, but
—
”

“Get one. Sooner or later, you’re bound to want to come along.”

Dazzled by the thought, Darcy tripped over a piece of driftwood and would have fallen had Griffin not kept her on her feet. The man was going to flit all over the world, but she couldn’t be his traveling companion. That wasn’t any contrived barrier either. It was simply the way things were, and what they spelled was disaster.

Chapter Seven

Griffin surprised Darcy by wanting to make soft tacos for supper. While she browned the ground turkey, he chopped and diced lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and sliced an avocado. After completing that chore, he grated a whole block of cheddar cheese.

“How’s the turkey coming along?” he asked.

“I just added the spices, and it’s sizzling nicely. The tortillas are warm, so the only thing left to do is slap the tacos together.”

“Please, they’ll taste so much better if we ease the ingredients into the tortillas slowly.”

He winked at her, and she was certain he had something other than Mexican food on his mind. “My mistake, but I like things fast and hot.”

“You ought to slow down and enjoy the moment,” he cautioned more seriously.

“Oh, I enjoy myself immensely. I just slam my moments together, is all.”

“Let’s eat and argue later.”

“Now where have I heard that before?” Darcy mused under her breath.

Her kitchen was so small they bumped into each other often, but it was far more entertaining than troublesome. “Would you put some ice in the glasses for soda, please?”

“I’ll be happy to, ma’am.”

Darcy observed in amazement as Griffin not only popped the ice from the trays, but refilled them and put them back in her freezer. She’d never expected to meet a man who would bother to refill her ice cube trays, and yet here he was. It made her heart flutter.

As soon as Griffin had poured the sodas, she ladled the meat onto the tortillas and handed them to him to assemble. “I can’t eat more than two. What about you?”

“I’ll start with four and count when I’m finished, but you should have enough salad stuff left to last you until I get back.”

“I’ll take care to make it last.” Darcy carried her plate and soda out to the oak table, and Griffin followed. “Will the Seattle folks keep you as well-fed?”

Griffin sat and took a bite of taco and a sip of soda before he replied. “They’ll try, but the company won’t be nearly as interesting.”

Darcy slouched down in her chair to run her toe up his leg. “Am I merely interesting? A history professor might be deemed an interesting companion.”

“True. Perhaps it was a poor choice of words.” Griffin was well into his second taco before he spoke again. “How’s provocative?”

“Makes me wish we were in a restaurant where I could slip under the tablecloth to tease you a bit.”

“Darcy MacLeod, you astonish me, but as long as you like me, I’ll not complain.” For the last hour, he had laughed so often there was no hint of the angry man who’d stormed into Defy the World that afternoon and demanded to take immediate delivery on an iron fish sculpture.

“What’s not to like?” Darcy purred.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Fortunately, I’ll be gone fairly often until I complete this season’s concert schedule, and you might actually learn to miss me.”

Darcy pushed a bite of avocado back into her taco. She was still on her first while he was halfway through his third. He’d bought the groceries, however, and had every right to enjoy them. When he filled the whole house with his presence, it was ever so nice that he was again in a playful mood.

Although she still believed it was a good thing she couldn’t accompany him on the Seattle trip, where surely she would be shunted aside and ignored by his adoring fans. “Do you usually take your women with you when you travel?” she asked, while attempting to appear fascinated by her taco rather than his reply.

Griffin wiped his hands on a paper napkin and reached for another. “I don’t have a posse of women. I already told you, the women I’ve dated have failed to grow any fonder of me while I’ve been away.”

“None traveled with you?”

Griffin caught her gaze and held it. “No. You’re the only one I’ve ever invited to come along.”

Darcy was full and she pushed her second taco to the side of her plate untouched. “Why me, Griffin? What’s so special about me?”

“Oh no, you’re not going to pry that secret out of me. Aren’t you going to eat that taco?” When she shook her head, he reached over and added it to his plate.

“That isn’t fair,” Darcy insisted. “You said no secrets.”

“I didn’t realize you were listening.”

Darcy hung on his every word, but that would remain her secret. “Occasionally I take note of your ramblings.”

Griffin shot her a highly skeptical glance, but kept right on eating. “I swear these are the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. You’re an excellent cook.”

“Thank you, but you did more than half the work.”

Having finished his fifth taco, Griffin finally pushed his plate aside and again wiped his hands on a fresh napkin. “We’re a good team.”

“If an unlikely one.”

“I disagree. Are you sure you won’t come to Seattle with me?”

“Are you sure you won’t go whale watching with me?”

“Positive. But before I forget, your sketches looked great, and I signed your estimate.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the folded form. “Here you are. When can you begin?”

“I’ll finish as much as I can while you’re out of town. That way the noise and dust won’t bother you.”

“But I won’t get to watch you work either. I’ll have a key made for you, so if you want to go inside and take a nap or a shower, you can.”

“That’s very considerate of you, but
—
”

“But nothing. Use the house, live there if you like. Several lights have timers so it looks as though the house is occupied, but it would be better if someone were actually there.”

“Your house is huge. I’d probably get scared staying there all alone.”

Griffin straightened slightly. “I’ll not have you staying there with one of your crew.”

Darcy laughed at the absurdity of that threat. “They’re a great bunch of guys, but there’s no danger in that.”

“That’s a relief. Now let’s do the dishes.” He got up and carried their plates and glasses into the kitchen.

“Make yourself at home,” Darcy called.

“I’ll be glad to. Go lie down on the sofa and rest until I have your kitchen sparkling again.”

“Griffin, really, it didn’t sparkle in the first place.”

“Of course it did. Go.”

“Oh, all right.” Darcy kicked off her flats and stretched out on the sofa. It was covered in a nubby dark green fabric that blended in perfectly with the profusion of house plants. She positioned a throw pillow beneath her head, yawned and closed her eyes.

She heard Griffin rattling around in the kitchen cleaning up and wondered if George was also giving him advice on how to score points with a woman. She covered a wide yawn and dozed a bit before Griffin sat at the end of the couch and began to rub her feet.

“You’re either worn out, or bored witless. Which is it?” he asked.

Darcy wiggled her toes. He captivated her on every level, but he already thought too highly of himself, even if it was deserved. “Perhaps it’s your constant need for praise rather than your frequent absences which sends women running.”

Griffin gave her big toe a playful nibble.

“Ouch!” Darcy cried in mock pain. She tried to jerk her foot free, but he held on fast.

“Never insult a man within striking distance of your toes,” he admonished.

At that bizarre comment, Darcy erupted in a fit of giggles. “That’s the most ridiculous advice I’ve ever heard, but it has an endearing charm. Perhaps I can persuade Christy Joy to embroider it on a pillow for me.”

“Just be sure you give me credit for the quote. You have such a beguiling laugh, Darcy. If I were smart, I’d say good night now.”

“You’re brilliant,” Darcy reminded him.

“So I’ve heard, but it complicates my life rather than makes it any easier. Tell me what sent you running this morning, and I’ll do my best to see it doesn’t happen again.”

His fingers were working such blissful magic on her feet, she feared she might tell him anything he wished to know. “My father was a colonel in Army Intelligence and retired last year. Maybe it was finding computers and maps in a room I expected to be empty that triggered old memories, but that room struck me as a spook’s den.”

“Spook as in spy? When would I have the time to engage in espionage, and for whom? Some secret cultural affairs society?”

He looked as perplexed as she and, with the benefit of a day’s perspective, she felt extremely foolish. “Obviously I didn’t stop to consider what your purpose could possibly be. I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven. Did your father discuss his work with you?”

“No, never, and I’ve no idea what he actually did. My folks now live in San Antonio where my dad and one of his army buddies have opened a private security firm.”

“Body guards and high-tech security for millionaires, that sort of thing?” Griffin inquired.

“I believe so.”

Griffin patted her calf. “What’s his name?”

“Kieran MacLeod. Why, do you usually travel with body guards?” That he might actually require professional protection frightened her.

“No.” Griffin chuckled as though the thought were absurd. “Lovers of classical music are big on decorum. They’d not rip the tux off my back nor yank out handfuls of my hair.”

“Thank God.”

“Yes, I’m grateful not to be adored to that extent, although I have had several women express an interest in having me serve as their sperm donor.”

Darcy rose on her elbows. “You can’t be serious!”

“Oh, but I am. You’ve doubtless heard of the sperm bank that offers their clients a range of Nobel prize winners as prospective fathers. Why not have such an enterprise that counts artists and musicians as donors?”

“Well, with so damn many artists and musicians sleeping around, it might be difficult to charge much,” Darcy countered.

Griffin was too amused to be insulted. “That’s undoubtedly a valid point in some quarters, but I’m no slut.”

“There’s no such thing as a male slut. Men who sleep with any woman who’ll look their way are just called men. Which is totally unfair, but as you always say, we could argue that point later.”

“Hey, I’m all for equality, so I’m on your side. Now I hate to end such an entertaining evening so early, but I really do need to practice at least the pieces I’ll be playing Saturday night. I’ll have to stay in tomorrow too, but I’ll stop by before I leave Wednesday to drop off my key.”

Darcy was badly disappointed that he seemed able to tear himself away without more than a twinge of regret. She wanted him to stay, and it pained her that he had such an excellent excuse to leave. Then again, only that morning she’d used work to justify running off and leaving him. She swung her legs off the sofa, stood and stretched.

“We each have professional commitments. I’ll not fault you for keeping yours, if you’ll not complain when I keep mine,” she offered.

Griffin also stood and spread his arms in dismay. “Damn, I wanted you to be disappointed.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t devastated, but I don’t want the Seattle audience to throw rotten tomatoes at you.”

“Neither do I, but it’s unlikely any of them will come laden with bags of spoiled fruit, and they won’t be allowed to carry champagne flutes into the auditorium after intermission ends either. So even without chicken wire across the stage, I believe I’ll be relatively safe.”

Darcy walked him to the door. “I’ve never dated a man who owned his own tuxedo.”

“I own half a dozen.”

“Armani?”

“A couple, and others by designers who are equally fine, but they’re just suits. They’re not me. Why don’t you call your dad, tell him you’re seeing an itinerant musician, and see how thrilled he is.”

While she wouldn’t call her folks just yet, she found his down-to-earth sensibilities endearing. She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him good night, and he responded with a playful sweetness rather than the passion she craved. She closed the door behind him and leaned back against it.

“Definitely too good to be true.”

On her way to bed, she checked out the kitchen and was pleased to find it cleaner than Griffin had found it. He’d even swept the floor. Clearly his mother had raised him right, but she wasn’t used to men who cleaned up after themselves so beautifully and, just like the strange computer-filled room, warning bells rang in her head.

Tuesday morning, Darcy met with her second client on Ridgecrest. Charlotte Peavey was a tall, willowy blonde, as was her daughter Michelle, the bride-to-be. The pair loved her ideas for picking up the peach tones of the bridesmaid’s dresses in flowering shrubs and borders.

“Could you do all the flowers for the wedding?” Charlotte begged with clasped hands.

“Do you mean the bouquets, corsages and centerpieces?” Darcy inquired.

“Don’t forget the boutonnieres,” Michelle added.

Darcy had worked for a florist while in high school and at least knew the basics, but bridal bouquets were now works of art. It would be a stretch, but Christy Joy would be there to help. Still, she paused to look up at the Peaveys’ sprawling modern home as she considered the surprising request. All glass and stone, the stark house sparkled in the morning sun, but in her view, it was in dire need of more elegant landscaping.