Just a Taste (33 page)

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Authors: Shannyn Schroeder

BOOK: Just a Taste
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Before she could go back though, she had one more thing to take care of: the letter from her dad. She'd carried it for months and it was the only item from home that she'd brought, other than clothes. Sitting at a table at an outdoor café, she finally opened the envelope.
Dear Carmen, mi tesoro,
Just reading the greeting caused her eyes to fill. The childhood nickname reminded her that her dad had always made her feel like she was a treasure. She blinked back the tears and continued.
If you're reading this, I'm gone, and I'm sorry. I made many mistakes with you, but know that I always loved you. You were the best part of my life. You are a smart, hardworking girl, but you hide from life. Let the world see how wonderful you are.
Please don't stay in the house and let life pass. You did that too much after your mother died. Be sad. But then move on. Find love and happiness. Make a new life for yourself.
Tears cascaded down her cheeks and dripped onto her arms as the paper she held shook. Liam cared about her. He understood her in ways she never thought a man would.
By now, you know I made sure you couldn't sell the truck for a year. That wasn't meant to punish you, although I know you don't like the truck. I want you to have financial security. That is why I asked Liam to help you. I trust him. He'll make sure things go as they should. He'll give you the freedom to find your way without worry.
Now everything fell into place. Her dad asked Liam to not only run the truck, but to take care of her. That's why he'd pushed her away. He was trying to set her free.
Liam wanted her to be free, but he was waiting for her. Time for her to make a new plan, one where she'd prove to Liam that being with him was better than any freedom her father thought she needed.
Liam spent his days on the truck with Rosa, who was a constant reminder of how much he missed Carmen. Rosa was a good employee, but she wasn't Carmen. And Carmen had yet to respond to any of his texts.
So he spent his evenings at O'Leary's drinking far more than he should. He sat on the same stool he'd taken up residence on for the past week, and Ryan stared at him.
“You go nearly a whole year without stepping foot in here, now you're practically moving in. What's up?” As he spoke, he poured a beer for Liam.
Liam filled his lungs, unsure if he could even talk about it. His chest hurt with the pain of missing Carmen. He swallowed a gulp of Guinness to ease his throat.
“I know that look. It's woman trouble.”
“What do you know about it?”
“Nothing that's worth having is easy. It's God's way of making sure we really want something. What happened with Carmen?”
“She left. Took off to Mexico.”
Ryan leaned his elbows on the bar. “Why?”
“It started as a vacation, but now I'm not so sure. She won't take my calls or texts, and her cousin thinks she's not coming back.”
“What happened?”
“I fucked up. I'm just not sure how. She said I don't know what she wants. Right now, she's right. I thought we were good.” He shrugged. “Fuck it.”
Talking with his brother was not going to fix this. Neither was Guinness. He slugged back the rest of the beer. “You got quiet. No brotherly advice?”
Ryan wiped down the bar. “I would've suggested going after her, but it doesn't sound like you know exactly where she is. Couldn't you have stopped her?”
Liam shook his head. “That's what she was afraid of. She needed to go. I told her I'd be here when she got back, but now I'm beginning to wonder how long that'll be.”
“Does it matter?”
Liam thought about that and decided it didn't. He would wait for Carmen as long as he needed to. Even if he didn't want to wait, he couldn't just forget her. Nor did he want to. As he thought about ordering another beer, his phone signaled a text. In his heart, he hoped it was from Carmen, but given her track record, his brain told him not to hope. Sure enough, it was from Rosa. However, it held great news.
 
She's coming home.
 
Instead of texting, he called Rosa. “When?” he asked.
“I'm not sure. She called me to let me know she was coming home, but she wants to surprise you. So act surprised.”
The irritation he felt at Carmen calling Rosa instead of him fled when he heard those words. She hadn't totally walked away from them. She was coming home to him. He knocked his fist on the bar as he stood to get his brother's attention. “I'm out of here. Carmen's coming home.”
Ryan smiled. “Don't fuck it up.”
“Not possible. I learned from all your mistakes.” He turned and left the bar feeling lighter than he had in over a week. He itched to drive straight to her house, but he knew he shouldn't. Carmen wanted to surprise him.
Even as he had those thoughts, he found himself driving to her neighborhood. He'd missed her so much that just being in her house, waiting for her, would feel good. He hoped it wouldn't be too creepy.
When he got to the front door, a piece of paper was flapping with the wind, tape barely holding it in place. It read, “I knew you would come.”
His heart rate kicked up and he fumbled for the key. His hand shook as he opened the door into the dark living room. Dim light shown in the hall, but no sign of Carmen anywhere. He checked the time on his phone. Late, but not very. Maybe she was in bed. “Carmen?”
He locked up behind him and called her again.
“In the bedroom.”
Liam paused in the doorway of the bedroom and just stared. Carmen sat on the edge of the bed, bundled in a fluffy navy robe. He didn't know what to expect, but part of him wanted to see her naked in bed.
“Hi,” she said, with a gentle smile. “I got your texts.”
He leaned against the doorjamb and waited. She seemed to be gearing up for something.
“I looked forward to getting them every day.”
“Why didn't you respond?”
She tilted her head and her smile slipped. “I didn't know what to say. You were right when you told me that I'd put my life on hold. I thought I needed to cut everything loose in order to figure out what I wanted.” She stood and took a few tentative steps toward him. “It was a mistake.”
“What was?”
“Leaving you. Pushing you away.”
Every ounce of tension that had been coiled and tangled and knotted in his chest since she left loosened. For the first time, he was able to take a deep breath.
“I did a lot of thinking while I was gone.” She took another step.
He forced his feet to stay rooted even though every nerve pushed him to grab her and bring her into his arms. “Did you figure things out?”
“Some.” Her smile returned.
Carmen's heart thudded against her ribs. She'd prayed she knew Liam well enough to know that if Rosa texted that Carmen was coming home, he would show up even though she wasn't supposed to be here yet. She had a speech planned, but seeing him, being this close, made it difficult to remember the words.
“I like working on the truck with you, but I don't think it'll be enough for either of us in the long run. You need more than tacos.”
“Carmen—”
She held up her hand. “Let me finish. We talked about maybe selling the truck in a year. We have plenty of time to figure that out. But I realized I like working in the food industry. It's not just that I'm used to it and it's easy for me. I went to school to learn to run a business. My family taught me about food. It's natural to put those things together.”
“What are you saying? You want to keep working on the truck?”
“Sometimes, maybe, but I think you and Rosa have that covered. But I want to be included. When you and Rosa started making plans for the truck and the Heavenly Buns people, I felt left out and I didn't like it.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “I never wanted you to feel bad. I wanted you to be free to follow your dreams. If you want details, I'll give them to you. We're going to have a competition with Heavenly Buns in two days. You want in?”
“No. I don't.”
“What are you saying then?”
“I'm saying I love you. And I want you in my life. I want us to explore some other options as partners. Menu items, expanding, I'm not sure, but I want to think about it. Talk about it. I ate so many wonderful things while I was gone:
cemitas
and
tortitas de Santa Clara
and the elotes, oh, my God . . .”
“Anything you want. I have some ideas too.” Liam pushed away from the door and took a half step toward her.
She held up a hand. “Wait.”
He froze with a look of impatience.
“I had another Christmas present that I was too chicken to give to you. But I think I'm ready now.” She tugged at the belt at her waist and let the robe gape.
His eyes widened and a genuine smile with teeth lit his face. The robe slipped from her shoulders and tangled around her ankles. The rush of cool air kissed her skin through the thin satin fabric.
Her skin pricked wherever Liam's gaze landed, and she realized how much she missed his touch. He licked his lips, but didn't move.
“Are you just going to stare at me?”
“Maybe.”
She stepped over the robe and into his arms. “As much as I love the way you look at me, I prefer the way you hold me.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Take me to bed,” she whispered. “And leave the light on.”
Liam's Luscious Cheesecake
Crust
1½ cups graham crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
 
Filling
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese
2 packages (8 oz. each) mascarpone cheese
1¼ cups sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
4 eggs
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Mix graham crackers and sugar in a bowl. Add melted butter and mix with a fork. Press mixture into bottom and part of the way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake crust for 10 to 15 minutes, until set and golden.
 
In a mixer, combine cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until blended. Mix in sugar. Add almond extract. Beat in eggs, one at a time; mix between each addition.
 
Pour filling mixture over crust. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Middle of cake will still be wobbly. Cake sets when cool.
 
Allow cake to cool for at least an hour. Wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
 
Slice and enjoy.
Don't miss any of the O'Learys series, available wherever eBooks are sold! Look for Maggie's story in July 2015. . . .
MORE THAN THIS
When a lonely teacher teams up with a handsome
bartender for some outrageous acts, they both get
more than they bargained for. . . .
 
 
Learning her ex-husband is going to be a father, Quinn Adams is determined to have a baby of her own—without the partnership of a man. But her sister and friends believe she needs to focus on herself first, and step out of her comfort zone by completing a list of adventures. Challenge number one is to go on five dates within two weeks. After a few disastrous attempts, Quinn's ready to give up—until sexy bartender Ryan O'Leary offers his assistance.
Ryan has always been the dependable one in his family, often at his expense. But lately, he's been longing for a life—and a woman—of his own. Though it seems all Quinn wants is friendship, Ryan can't ignore the explosive chemistry he feels between them. In the hopes of becoming closer, Ryan offers to help out with Quinn's list. But when she asks him for a serious favor, he's afraid it will jeopardize his chance to become more than friends.
A GOOD TIME
A passionate free spirit and a sweet-talking playboy
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Indy Adams values her freedom above all else. She works hard to support herself, moonlighting as a waitress while she fights for her first big sale in the Chicago real estate market. The last thing she needs is to be tied down, so she doesn't think twice about declining her philandering boyfriend's marriage proposal. Besides, she just landed a new client, a wealthy lothario—exactly the kind of guy who would understand her no-strings approach....
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SOMETHING TO PROVE
Two ambitious people team up to prove themselves
to their families—and find there may be more to
their partnership than just business. . . .
 
 
Elizabeth Brannigan is determined to show her father she's capable of running the family business. Saving his struggling Chicago bar seems like the perfect project. But she'll need a little help dealing with the rough crowd. Who better to assist her than the handsome co-owner of a thriving Irish pub? Of course, with so much work to do, there are bound to be a few late nights....
Colin O'Leary's father passed away before he could prove to him that he wasn't a screw-up. Now he wants to show his brother he's responsible enough to own a bar of his own—and Elizabeth may be able to help him. But when their professional aspirations clash, tempers—and passions—flare. Are they mature enough to mix business with pleasure—or will they have to choose between the two?
CATCH YOUR BREATH
As kids they steered clear of one another—but now
a beautiful, well-connected reporter and a sexy,
driven detective are all grown-up and on the job. . . .
 
 
Moira O'Leary's work as a reporter gives her access to some of Chicago's swankiest soirées. She knows how to navigate the jet-set crowd, and her style and confidence help her blend right in. But when her childhood crush starts popping up at posh events, her poise begins to falter—until she realizes she has the upper hand in a high-stakes game of secrets and seduction....
Jimmy O'Malley has always tried to avoid his friend Liam's little sister. Something about Moira spelled trouble. But he's out of his element working undercover in Chicago's high society, and Moira is his ticket to the inner circle. As sparks begin to fly—and their chemistry heats up—Moira gets dangerously close to his investigation. Will Jimmy be forced to push her away to keep her safe—or will they surrender to a desire that could leave them breathless?

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