Not His Type (24 page)

Brooke closed
the door behind her.  As she did, she heard her cell phone vibrate in her
purse.  She took it out and saw a text message from Jazz.

Well?
 
the message read.

Brooke thought
for a moment before answering,
OK I guess.  Will tell you in the morning
.

The following
morning, Brooke was barely in the door of Babycakes when Jazz grabbed her by
the arm and pulled her into the kitchen.  She pointed at the large bottom tier
of a wedding cake.

“Get started on
that and tell me about yesterday!” Jazz ordered.

“Good morning to
you, too!” Brooke laughed.

“Please,” Riley
drawled.  “Just tell her what happened!  I think the anticipation is going to
send her into labor!”

Giggling again,
Brooke began relating the events of the previous day.  When she finished,
several emotions flickered across Jazz’s expressive face.  Finally, she settled
on a satisfied smile.

“So he finally
said something about the dress, eh?”

“Well, yes,”
Brooke admitted.

“I can’t believe
that hateful cat talked to you like that!” Jazz said, leaping from a smile to
sparks leaping in her eyes.  Then she was back to grinning impishly.  “So the nephew’s
cute, huh?”

“He’s also
nineteen,” Brooke said dryly.

“Ooh, you could
be his cougar!” Jazz teased.

“That’s just
wrong,” Brooke giggled.

“Well, it
couldn’t hurt to make Travis jealous,” Jazz replied.  “Which brings us to
tonight!  Rafa is all set to go.  He’s going to pick you up and bring you to my
parents’ house.  You guys will hang out with us for a while – his fiancée will
be there – and then he’ll take you home just late enough to annoy Travis
Cooper.”

“Are you sure
this is a good idea?” Brooke asked doubtfully.  “I mean, how do you know this
isn’t just a waste of your cousin’s time?”

“Riley, honey,
can you come here, please?” Jazz called.  Riley immediately popped into the
kitchen; the closer the calendar got to his wife’s due date, the more quickly
he answered her summons when she called.  “Riley, what do you think Travis will
do when he sees Rafa picking up his little Bunny tonight?”

“I think he’ll
be very unhappy,” Riley answered without hesitation.  He smiled at Brooke.  “I
think he’ll start to wonder if he’s making a mistake by not snapping you up.”

“What if you’re
wrong?” Brooke asked.  “I still don’t know why you’re so sure he’s interested
in me.  I heard Travis say I’m not his type.  Heard it with my own ears, you
know!”

“To paraphrase
Hamlet’s mother, Travis doth protest too much,” Riley drawled.  “You may have
heard him say that with your own ears, but
I
have seen him kissing you
with my own two eyes.  Trust me, Brooke.  He may not know it yet, but you are
definitely Travis Cooper’s type.  He just needs a little push to make him
realize that, and Jazz’s cousin Rafa may be just that push.”  He grinned
rakishly.

“Thank you,
mi
amor
,” Jazz said to Riley.

Riley kissed her
lightly, then headed back to the front of the bakery, saying, “Glad to be of
service, baby.”

By six-thirty
that evening, Travis was pacing the floor in his office.  From time to time,
he’d stride to the kitchen and look out the window over the sink, looking for a
strange vehicle in Brooke’s driveway.  Finally, at six-forty-five, he couldn’t
take it any more.  He walked purposefully across the yard and knocked firmly on
Brooke’s front door.  It was a long moment before he heard her coming to the
door; the door swung open to reveal her surprised face.

“Travis!” she said,
her look shifting to one of confusion.  “I – did we have plans?”

“No, not
tonight,” Travis answered casually.  “May I come in?”

“Um…sure.”

Brooke stepped
aside, allowing Travis to enter.  He looked down at her, taking in her
appearance from head to toe.  Her hair was swept up in a messy bun at the crown
of her head, a few silky wisps allowed to escape and frame her face and neck. 
Her dress was a deep magenta taffeta that followed her curves as if it were
tailor-made for Brooke’s figure.  Travis had caught her before she’d finished
dressing and her feet were still bare.  In fact, she turned slightly and
gestured at the back of the dress.

“Can you get
that hook for me?” she asked.  “I don’t know if it’s bent or what, but I can’t
get it into the eye.”

Travis hesitated
briefly before reaching for the small hook and eye.  As soon as he touched her
silky skin, Brooke’s fragrance drifted up to tease his nose.  Travis bit the
inside of his cheek, quickly hooked the fastener and stepped back.  Brooke
turned and smiled up at him.

“Thank you!” she
said sincerely.  “So what can I do for you, Travis?”

“I’ll hurry,” he
said.  “It looks like you’re going somewhere…?”

“I, um, have a
date,” Brooke replied.  “He’ll be here shortly.”

“Oh, well, in
that case, I’ll make this quick.”  Travis had no intention of leaving before
Brooke’s date arrived; he could drag this out all night if he had to in order
to see the man.  “Listen, there’s a tree lighting ceremony downtown tomorrow
evening.  There’s a parade, caroling, everything you could imagine.  Have you
ever been?  They do it every year the weekend of Thanksgiving.”

“No, I’ve never
been,” she answered, clearly puzzled by his behavior.

“Oh, I think
you’d really enjoy it,” Travis continued.  He rambled a bit longer, aware that
Brooke was staring at him as if he’d lost his mind.  Relief flooded through him
when he heard the sound of an engine in front of Brooke’s house.  Finally!  He
stalled a little longer, making sure the other man would hear his question when
he asked, rather loudly, “So do you think you’d like to go?”

“Uh…sure,
Travis,” Brooke answered.  She smiled sincerely.  “I’d love to!”

“Brooke?” a deep
voice said from the open doorway.

“Rafa!”  Brooke
was clearly surprised; she hadn’t heard his car, but then she hadn’t been
listening for it, either.  “I’m sorry, I’m almost ready.  Let me grab my shoes
and I’ll be right out!  Oh!  Travis, this is Rafa.  Rafa, this is Travis.”

With that,
Brooke hurried from the room.  In her own room, she leaned back against the
door, listening breathlessly.  She still wasn’t convinced this ploy to make
Travis jealous was going to work.  It just seemed deceitful to her.  But Riley
and Jazz both assured her it would be fine.

“Rafa, is it?”
she heard Travis ask.

“Si,” Rafa answered,
his deep voice like dark chocolate.  “I mean yes.  Rafael de la Cruz.  You are,
perhaps, Brooke’s brother?”

“No!” Travis bit
out.  “I’m Brooke’s friend.  We’re very
good
friends.”

“I see,” Rafa
said easily, the smile evident in his voice.  “I, too, hope to be good friends
with Brooke.”

Grabbing a pair
of heels the saleslady had insisted finished the outfit, Brooke hurried back to
the living room.  Using a hand to support herself against the sofa, she slid on
first one shoe, then the other.  She picked up her small bag and smiled at the
two men.

“We can talk
more tomorrow, Travis, all right?” she asked.

“Sure,” he
answered, although his eyes were on Rafa de la Cruz.  His tone was cool, his
gaze direct.  “It’s a
date
, Cupcake.”

Travis pressed a
quick kiss to Brooke’s forehead and turned to precede her and her date out the
front door.  Halfway across his yard, he suddenly turned back and shouted
across to Brooke.

“You look
amazing tonight, Brooke!” he called.  “I hope you saved an outfit for
our
date tomorrow!”

Brooke heard
Rafa chuckle as he opened the passenger door and assisted her into the
low-slung seat of his red corvette.  He walked around and slid behind the
wheel.  The engine roared to life and Rafa revved it loudly, grinning across at
Brooke.  He leaned very close and spoke quietly.

“I’m going to
kiss your cheek now,” he said in perfect, unaccented English.  “Don’t act
surprised.”

Brooke barely
had time to register his words before he did, in fact, put his arms around her
and kiss her cheek.  Grinning, he leaned back in his chair and put the car in
reverse.

Chapter
33

Travis closed
his front door with much more force than was necessary.  Glass rattled in the
windows.  He ignored it and strode angrily to his room where he quickly changed
clothes.  He’d made a date with a woman he’d gone out with a few times in the
past, thinking she’d serve as a distraction from Brooke; now, however, he found
he was in no mood to go out with another woman.  Instead, he found himself
thinking about that handsome Latino who was currently driving Brooke who knew
where.

Travis headed
out the door to his own vehicle, his mind still occupied with Brooke and her
date.  All the way to his date’s front door, Travis’ treacherous mind replayed
that kiss he’d seen when Rafael de la Cruz got in his car.  By the time he
knocked on the front door of the condo where his date lived, he wore a dark
scowl on his face.

“Wow,” the
pretty blonde woman chuckled upon seeing his face.  “Excited about our date,
are you?”

“I – what?”

“Travis, you
look like you’re ready to strangle someone!”

“Oh.”  Travis
took a deep breath and gave himself a mental shake.  He looked directly at the
woman who stood before him and gave her his usual killer smile.  “Sorry about
that, Kaye.  Traffic, that’s all.”

“Glad to hear
it,” Kaye replied, smiling.  “Come on in.  I just need to put my earrings in
and I’ll be ready to go.”

Travis stepped
inside and pulled Kaye into his arms.  He kissed her lips and she wrapped her
arms around his neck, returning his kiss enthusiastically.  When Travis raised
his head, Kaye gave him an odd look and a curious little frown.  She turned
away.

“Be right back,”
she said, wiggling her fingers in a little wave.

As Kaye walked
away from him, Travis sighed and closed his eyes.  He was an idiot, and this
was a mistake.  Kissing her had only served to remind him of Brooke’s kisses,
an intoxicating blend of innocence and passion.

Certainly Kaye
Kelly was a gorgeous distraction; she fit perfectly the description Will had
noted as Travis’ usual “type” of woman.  She was easily six inches taller than
Brooke, with long legs currently displayed nicely in a short black leather
skirt.  Her pale blonde hair lay in a perfect sheet down her back, stopping
between her shoulder blades; her hair was a stunning contrast to her tight
black angora sweater.  Thigh-high black leather boots completed Kaye’s outfit. 
Try as he might, Travis couldn’t picture Brooke in the outfit; the black outfit
was something he’d have found very sexy not too long ago, but tonight, all he
could think of was that magenta dress his neighbor was wearing on her date.

Kaye returned to
her living room, a pair of large dangly earrings sparkling at her earlobes. 
She tossed Travis an alluring smile as she bent over to pick up her purse; the
move was intentional and well-practiced to get a man’s attention.  Travis
simply returned her smile and extended his arm politely.

“Shall we?” he
asked.

“I’m ready if
you are, handsome!” Kaye laughed.

On the other
side of town, Brooke was laughing as she and Rafa related the beginning of
their “date” to Jazz, Riley, Rafa’s fiancée, and a few members of Jazz’s
family.  Rafa sat on the arm of his fiancée’s chair, hands raised in a cowering
gesture.

“I really
thought the guy was gonna deck me!” he laughed.  He looked at Brooke.  “And you
were no help, standing there smiling so innocently!”

“I was still
recovering from the shock of Travis showing up out of the blue like that!”
Brooke replied.  “And by the way, where did your hot Latin accent go?”

“Hey, I’m from Lubbock,” Rafa answered with a shrug.  He pointed at his fiancée.  “The accent was her
idea!”

Meghan, his
fiancée, giggled, saying, “I just thought it would make him that much more
annoying to your neighbor.”

“You know why Travis
was there, don’t you, Brooke?” Riley asked.

“No!  He just
showed up on my doorstep and started rambling about a parade and a Christmas
tree lighting tomorrow night!”

“You’re kidding,
right?” Rafa asked.  He looked at Riley.  “She’s kidding.”

“I doubt it,”
Riley replied, smirking at his cousin-in-law.  “She’s fairly clueless where the
guy is concerned.  But that’s okay, because Travis is pretty clueless where
Brooke is concerned, too.  Hence Jazz’s little scheme here.”

“Hello?” Brooke
called.  “Clueless girl right here in the room!  What are you talking about?”

“Brooke, that
guy was there checking out the competition!” Rafa insisted.  “Oh, and that
little kiss on the cheek as he left?  Marking his territory.”

Brooke blushed
deeply.  She breathed a little sigh of relief as Jazz’s mother, Maria, called
them all to dinner.  The embarrassing conversation was quickly forgotten in
exchange for a rousing argument about a local high school football team’s
chances in the state play-offs.  Brooke found herself laughing helplessly as
the conversation ebbed and flowed around her.  The evening was highly
enjoyable, even if she didn’t completely agree with Jazz’s scheme, or hold out
hope for any grand results.