Only You (24 page)

“I know, but let me help you anyway.”

“Why?”

“The truth?”

She looked flustered. “Of course.”

He turned in his seat to face her, taking both her hands in his. “I like you, Holly. I'm not sure you fully grasp how
much
I like you. I want to have something with you. I want to see where this goes.”

She pushed out a groan of frustration. “You know I can't—”

“Yes, I know all too well about my mother. But you told me there's a light at the end of your indentured servitude: the Johansen wedding. When you pull that off without a hitch, you should get enough referrals to start your own business, right?”

“A lot of things have to fall into place. …”

“You don't want to date me while you work for my mother.”

“She'll fire me, Kevin.”

“So we spend the next two weeks as friends, and then, after the wedding in two weeks, we can be out in the open and we can give this a real try.”

Wariness filled her eyes. “You would wait two weeks?”

“Jesus, Holly.” He grinned. “You make me sound like a horn dog.”

She laughed. “Well, aren't you?”

“When it comes to you,” he leaned into her ear and whispered, “I think about sex with you All. Day. Long.”

She sucked in a breath, and he started to get hard, thinking about taking her to bed.

“But I'm willing to wait,” he said, nibbling her earlobe. “Because the prize at the end is more than worth it.”

“I thought we were waiting.” Her voice was breathless, turning him on even more.

“We are,” he murmured against her cheek as he trailed kisses to her mouth, then sucked her bottom lip between his teeth.

She pulled her hands from his, linking them behind his neck. “This is waiting?”

“I never said we couldn't kiss,” he said against her lips. “We'll just stay at first base until the Johansen wedding. It seems like a good compromise.”

She laughed. “You think you can stay at first base for two weeks?”

“I'll do whatever it takes to keep you. Now, I need to ask a favor.”

“You know you have me at a disadvantage, right?” she said breathlessly after he kissed her again. “I'd agree to just about anything.”

“I need to go to the grocery store. I want to grill for you.”

She grinned. “Sounds like I'm getting the better end of the deal.”

They drove to the grocery store, and after they got a cart they headed to the produce department. Holly checked out a display of strawberries while Kevin looked for the ingredients to make a salad. He was grabbing an onion when he heard a man exclaim, “Oh, my God. Holly Greenwood. Is that you?”

“Tony!” she said, sounding excited.

Kevin stood back, getting pissed at the jealousy rising up when he noticed the guy standing a little too close.

“You look really good.” Tony's gaze stayed on her legs and chest longer than appropriate.

“Thanks.” She swiveled to look at Kevin, but he pretended to be interested in the potatoes as he waged a massive inner battle not to go over and stake his claim.

“What are you up to?” Tony asked. “Still at the Marriott?”

“No,” she said with a shy smile. “I'm working for an event planner. I mostly work on weddings.”

“No kidding. I remember you used to give the brides advice when they booked the reception room at the hotel. Glad to hear you're getting paid for it now.”

She cocked her head. “Yeah. Mostly.”

Mostly. What did that mean?

“So does that mean you're busy most weekends?” he asked.

“Some. I don't have that many weddings scheduled yet. Most are booked out into next fall and winter. What are you doing back in town?”

“I'm working for a stockbroker in Kansas City now. And Mara and I broke up.”

“Oh.” Then a second later it seemed hit her. “
Oh.
”

“You still at the same number?”

She looked flustered, and it took everything in Kevin not to walk over and tell the asshole she was taken, but he wouldn't. Because she wasn't. Not officially. And that pissed him off so much he literally saw red.

But Mr. Oblivious caught none of it. “Great. I'll give you a call sometime.”

“Yeah…”

“It's really great to see you, Holly. You look
really
good.” He pushed his cart toward the bread section and Holly's gaze followed him, making Kevin even angrier.

Was she interested in him?

“Who was that?” he asked, trying hard to sound casual and nonchalant but failing miserably.

“Tony. We used to work together at the Marriott.”

“So he broke up with his wife?”

“Girlfriend.”

“He moved away somewhere with her?”

“Wichita. She was in grad school.”

“And now he's back and wants to take you out on a date.”

“No.” Wariness filled her eyes. “He just wants to catch up.”

“He wants to catch up, all right. He wants to catch up on your legs.”

Her eyes flew wide and a middle-aged woman picking up a head of lettuce next to them stopped and stared open mouthed.

“What are you talking about?” Holly asked, her hands on her hips. “He's an old friend that wants to catch up. You know…talk.” But she seemed less sure.

“I saw him checking you out, Holly. He wants to do more than talk. Much, much more.”

“You don't know that.”

“He'd have to be a fucking idiot to not want to. Do you even have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

“Why are you getting so mad?” she asked, getting irritated herself. “We worked together for three years. I haven't seen him since he moved. We just said hello. That's it.”

He counted three full seconds before he said, “I don't like that guy.”

“Why?”

He swallowed and asked in an even tone, “You want to go out with that guy?”

Her eyes blazed with anger. “No, you moron. You really think I'd make out with you ten minutes ago, then arrange a date with someone else in the grocery-store produce aisle with you standing four feet away?”

She was right. He was an idiot, but he hesitated long enough that she mistook his silence. “Find your own way home.” Then she spun around and stomped out of the store.

The woman who had been eavesdropping moved closer to him. “I hear picking up women in the produce aisle is the new dating trend.” Then she batted her eyelashes. “I'm available.”

“Thanks,” he told her, “but we're going to work it out.” He hoped.

Sighing, he pulled out his phone, trying to figure out whether to call Megan or Matt—which one was less likely to give him grief over this?

The answer was easy: neither. He was better off walking home.

H
olly was surprised to see Melanie sitting on their couch watching TV when she walked in the door. “You're home. I thought you were going to Kiera's.”

Sitting up, Melanie grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “I've been thinking about what you said.” She paused. “You're right. I keep trying to run away from what's going on with Grandma. Like, literally. It's time to face it head-on.”

Holly shut the door and sat down beside her. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means I can't handle the thought of losing Grandma, so instead of facing the truth, I pretend she's not sick. Even if she's not here.”

“I get it, Mel. It's hard. But she misses you something fierce.”

“I know.” Tears filled her eyes. “I was thinking about going to see her tonight. Will you go with me? Do you have plans?”

“Not anymore.” Kevin had overreacted to her conversation with Tony, but she had, too. There was little chance Kevin would want her to come over for dinner when she'd left him stranded in the produce aisle.

“Will you go with me?”

“Of course.” She gave Mel a hug, then headed to the staircase.

“Who's Tony?” Melanie asked.

Holly froze on the bottom step. “Why do you ask?”

“You left your phone on the kitchen counter. He sent you a text asking you out to dinner. So who is he?”

Holly's face burned. “I used to work with him at the Marriott.”

“The assistant manager? The hot one?” She handed Holly her phone. “Good thing, since I told him yes for you. He's picking you up tomorrow night at seven.”

“You did
what
?”

Melanie sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the sofa. “What's going on with you and Kevin?”

“It's complicated.”

She held her hands out at her sides. “Well, then there's no reason you can't go out to dinner with Tony.”

“This is not a good time for me to go out with someone.”

“Yeah, because of the guy next door.”

“Melanie. That's not for you to decide!”

“It's too late. I already told Tony yes for you.”

How was she going to get out of this one? She needed to call him later, explain that her cousin had answered for her, and tell him she needed to cancel. Surely he'd understand.

Holly waited for Kevin to come home, but she didn't see any sign of him until later that evening. She considered going over to apologize, but she was still emotionally drained from the visit with their grandmother. Melanie had been jittery and nervous, but at least she hadn't been sad, and, best of all, Grandma Barb had recognized them both.

The next morning, Nicole quizzed Holly about the Murphy–Douglas wedding, seeming pleased with her answers.

“How's the Johansen wedding coming along?”

“Good. Coraline still seems happy.”

“That's a small miracle,” Nicole muttered to herself. Holly wondered if it was an insult to her ability to keep the bride happy, but then Holly realized Nicole really did see how difficult the woman was. “Keep up the good work.”

Maybe Holly had been viewing Nicole through the wrong lens. What if she wasn't as nitpicky and self-absorbed as Holly thought?

But she had little time to think about it as she got busy setting up appointments with two other brides-to-be from the Murphy wedding.

She stopped to visit her grandmother after work, finding her in the dining hall, where she was finishing her dinner. Her grandmother looked past Holly. “Where's your young man?”

“Kevin couldn't come. The visit with Melanie last night was great, wasn't it?” she asked, hoping to get her grandmother off the Kevin topic.

But Grandma Barb was clearly focused on just one thing. “Yes, the visit with Storm Cloud was lovely. But I'd really like to see your handsome young man. Maybe he'll come next time,” she said hopefully.

Holly sighed. “Probably not, Grandma. He's very busy working on his house. Yesterday was probably a one-time thing.”

“Don't let him get away, Holly.” Her eyes were clear and bright. “You really like him and he likes you.”

“It's not that easy.” Holly sighed. “His mother is my boss.”

“Dragon lady?”

Holly grinned. “Yeah.”

Her grandmother was silent for several long seconds, then she grabbed Holly's hand. “Love is a very precious gift, Holly. Some people are fickle, falling in and out of love. But that's not really love.” She waved her free hand back and forth. “But once you find real love, something so deep it sinks to your toes, a love that fills you so completely it makes you a better person than you were without him—once you find that love, don't let it go.”

Holly looked down at her lap. “Grandma, it's not that easy.”

“Nothing worth having in life is easy.” She tilted up Holly's face to look into her eyes. “Life is short, my precious girl, you and I know that firsthand. You never know how much time a person has left in this world, so don't squander it. Hold on and enjoy the ride while you can.” She winked. “And I do mean the ride.”

Holly gasped. “Grandma!”

“Kevin's Gram came and gave a yoga demonstration today. We had a chat.” Her grin spread. “I like her.”

Holly spent a bit more time with her grandmother, then left, realizing on the drive home that she hadn't cancelled her dinner with Tony. She sat several seconds through a green light as she dealt with a mini panic attack. Was it too late to cancel? What would Kevin think? But she hadn't talked to Kevin since she'd left him at the store. Besides, she and Tony had never been anything but friends. She wasn't interested in starting anything with him now, and she'd make sure he knew it.

The rest of the drive home, she thought about her grandmother's advice. When she got home, she sent Kevin a text, telling him she was going out for the evening but when she came home, she wanted to come over to his house and talk.

He sent a text back within seconds.
I'll be home.

Tony picked her up minutes later, and she met him in the driveway, eager to get the evening over with. But their dinner went better than she expected. The conversation flowed easily, and Tony was genuinely interested in hearing about Distinctive Events and how she'd gotten her job there.

“A friend of a friend,” she said, taking a sip of her water. “Nicole had just started her business last fall and she held an event at the Marriott. I helped her with a few things and she offered me a job.”

He laughed. “You mean you did what you usually did when the brides came to book the rooms for receptions—you planned half the wedding.”

She grinned. “I wasn't
that
bad.”

He looked worried. “It wasn't an insult, Holly. Those brides loved you. You saw that they were worried and confused, and you stepped in and helped them. That's what you do. You help people.”

“Nicole as a client is a whole lot different than Nicole as a boss.”

“Who was the guy in the grocery store?” Tony asked, giving her a wry grin.

“What?”

“The guy who looked like he was about to crush an onion with his bare hand. If he had laser eyes I would have been vaporized on the spot.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks heated. “That was Kevin. My next-door neighbor. We stopped at the store after we'd gone to the nursing home to visit my grandma.”

“You took a guy to see your grandmother? It must be serious. You protect her like she's the Hope Diamond.”

“Oh, no,” she said, getting flustered. “We're just friends.”

“Hate to break it to you, Hol, but the looks he was giving you were not the looks of a friend.”

Holly looked into his eyes. “His mother just happens to be my boss.”

“Oh,” he said in a knowing voice. “And if she's half as bad as the stories you've told me tonight, she'll never approve.”

“No. And I need this job.”

“For your grandmother.”

“Yeah. That, too.” Her job used to be the most important thing in her life.

But now she wasn't so sure that was true anymore.