Small-Town Cinderella (The Pirelli Brothers) (12 page)

It would be so easy to stay, so easy to fall even deeper, to let him get too close. Under her skin and into her heart—

Slapping a mental bandage over the break in her self-control, she eased away from Drew and out of the bed. Finding her way in the zero-dark-thirty hours of the morning was one thing. Maneuvering her way around an unfamiliar hotel room was far more difficult.

Where had all her clothes gone? Drew had been so eager to strip them away—

She slammed her mind shut on the memory, feeling her way across the plush carpet, pulling on each article of clothing as she found it—strapless bra, shoe, dress, underwear—freezing at the slightest sound coming from the bed, until she was almost fully dressed.

Almost.

What was it with her and shoes lately? She was missing a black heel, and searching for it in the darkness she couldn’t help remembering the morning at Drew’s house. How ruggedly handsome and yet adorable he’d looked holding the puppy in his arms. How proud and
possessive
on karaoke night when he’d called her out on wearing the shoes he’d bought to replace the ones Rain had used as a chew toy. How excited she’d been to read his invitation to meet him at the hotel and then touched to find the tiny crystal pendant inside. The pendant that had been the only thing she hadn’t taken off when they made love....

There! Was that— Her fingers brushed against leather near the foot of the bed, and she almost wilted in relief as she grabbed the missing shoe. Drew’s low voice came from tangled sheets, and she froze. Not an indistinct murmur, but a single word—her name. Her pulse pounded as she waited for him to ask where she was going, why she was leaving, but no other sound came from the bed. He was still asleep, her presence lingering in his dreams.... The temptation to crawl back into his arms pulled at her, her senses already craving his touch, his taste.

A shiver racked her from head to toe. She needed to go, needed time and distance to put the foolhardy dreams out of her head and out of her heart. But she couldn’t escape without leaving something behind to let Drew know she was fine. That she was every bit the woman he’d overhead the night of Darcy’s bachelorette party. A woman looking for adventure and excitement. A woman mature and sophisticated enough to know sex didn’t equal love.

Aided by the glow of her cell phone, she found the embossed stationary and pen on the hotel room desk. After scribbling out her message, she slipped out as quietly as she could manage and closed the door behind her.

Chapter Nine

S
eated on the small bistro table outside the bakery, Sophia leaned back against the white wrought iron chair and groaned dramatically around a bite of pumpkin-spice-and-chocolate-chip cupcake. “Oh, my gosh! These are
so
good. How long have you been hiding these from me?”

Debbie managed a smile and tried to smother another yawn. Her friend looked so fresh and energetic, her pregnancy glow putting Debbie to shame. She was accustomed to waking up early, but normally that meant she went to bed early, as well. Making love with Drew and spending the rest of the night alone in her bed reliving every moment she’d spent in his arms had robbed her of all but an hour or so of sleep.

She’d picked up the phone half a dozen times to call him, but she didn’t know what to say.
Sorry I’m such a coward?
Or maybe
I know we agreed to a no-strings fling but after one night, I already want more?

And she was terrified by just how
much
more. Wasn’t she the same girl who didn’t want to end up trapped by responsibility? Who wanted her freedom and fun? It was what she’d told her friends. It was what she’d told Drew. So why did those words sound so hollow? So...lonely?

Frustrated by the endless questions circling her mind, she’d been glad when Sophia had stopped by during her break from The Hope Chest, the antiques store just down the street from the bakery. “I haven’t been hiding them. I’ve just added them as part of a fall menu.”

“Tell me you plan to keep them on the menu. They’re too good to only have for a couple of months.”

“I don’t know,” Debbie said lightly. “Maybe what makes them so good is knowing they’ll only be around for a short time.”

Sophia shook her head as she dug her fork in for another bite. “No way. They’re too good and too addicting to give up. Nothing else is going to compare.”

And that was what she was afraid of, wasn’t it? Debbie thought. Of being spoiled for life? Knowing from now on everything else would see like second best?

Pressure built in her chest, almost like feeling the need to cry, and she had to remind herself that they were only talking about
cupcakes,
for goodness’ sake! She huddled deeper into the oversize cream sweater she’d grabbed before joining her friend outside in the cool, fall-scented morning.

“I left you a message and you didn’t call me back,” the brunette scolded once she’d finished the cupcake and reached for her herbal tea. “I hope that means you’ve been too busy to keep in touch with old friends,” she continued with a spark in her dark eyes.

“You only left that message the day before yesterday,” Debbie pointed out. But then again, a lot could happen in two days. A lot could happen in twenty-four hours. Things like meeting Sophia’s brother at a hotel and spending half the night making love with him.

“Which doesn’t answer the question. Did anything happen on karaoke night?”

“Karaoke night?” she echoed, feeling like so much time had already passed since then.

Sophia frowned as she crossed her arms over her pregnant belly. “You chickened out, didn’t you?”

“I did not!” she protested. “I went and I even sang a couple of songs! I had a great time and—”

Drew had kissed her good-night.

She’d had a great time that night because Drew had shown up. She’d sang those songs because Drew had encouraged her. He believed in her, and that had made her want to believe in herself....

“You met someone!” Sophia exclaimed as Debbie’s voice trailed off.

“I— No. No, I didn’t meet anyone.”

Guilt twisted Debbie’s gut for not being completely honest with her friend. She’d known keeping a relationship with Drew secret would be difficult, but she hadn’t thought of this part. The lying part. Although technically, she’d told the truth. She and Drew hadn’t met that night. She’d known him her whole life.

But it’s different now, isn’t it?
Different knowing him as a man instead of just as a friend....

“Gee, that’s too bad,” Sophia said in a voice far too innocent for Debbie to believe. “So I guess you don’t have plans for tonight?”

“Why?” she asked, not bothering to hide her suspicion.

“Because,” her friend drawled, “Kara’s best friend, Olivia, is in town, and we’re getting together for dinner. You should come with us.”

The last thing Debbie wanted was to go out, but staying at home meant having nothing to do but relive each and every moment she’d spent in Drew’s arms—something she’d already determined was not good for her heart. “Sure, I’ll go. Sounds fun.”

“Perfect! Why don’t you wear the sweater you bought the last time we went shopping?”

Debbie’s eyes narrowed. The sweater was the very same one she’d worn to the singles’ meet and greet and was not something she would typically choose for a casual girls’ night out. “Why would you want me to wear that?”

“Because you look amazing in it.”

“When I bought it, you told me my boobs looked amazing in it.”

“And they do!”

“And you want me to wear it tonight...why?”

“Because Sam might have run into Ryder Kincaid the other day and invited him along.”

“Sophia!”

“What? Think about it. He’s a Clearville guy, but he’s been living in San Francisco for ten years, so you can hardly say you know everything about him.”

“I know he’s going through a divorce.” Debbie had heard that much about the hometown boy’s return.

“I know, but you keep saying that you’re not interested in anything serious. I doubt he is, either.”

“So you want me to be his rebound girl?”

“No, I want you to go out with a nice guy and have a good time.” Heaving a sigh, Sophia leaned back in the chair and folded her arms over her round belly. “You know, for all your talk at Darcy’s bachelorette party, I’m not so sure that a wild fling is really want you want at all.”

Picking up her coffee, Debbie dropped her gaze to the rich, warm brew—just the color of Drew’s eyes—and tried to tell herself her friend’s words weren’t all too true.

* * *

As Drew drove back home, his mood was at odds with the crisp, clear fall afternoon. He’d known as he’d made his way out to the job site that today was not a good day to be working at the custom house. He was in the mood to tear things down—preferably with his bare hands—and not focused enough to keep his attention on the work next on his schedule. Sure enough, by midday he had plenty to tear down—pretty much the whole series of stairs leading to the front deck. The stringer, steps and treads weren’t up to his standard, and he’d wasted time and material building them.

Three hours later, when he found himself snapping at Rain as she nosed around his toolbox, chewed on an electrical cord—one that thankfully wasn’t plugged in—stole his one of his leather gloves for the third time and basically acted exactly the way a puppy should act, he knew it was time to call it a day.

Fortunately, thanks to her happy-go-lucky personality, she willingly forgave him for his bad mood and had burned off enough energy to ride back on the seat next to him with her head tucked against his thigh.

The hell of it was, he should have been in a great mood, an awesome mood, after the previous night. He was more ticked off than he wanted to admit at the way Debbie had snuck out of the hotel room like they’d done something wrong. It was one thing to keep their relationship secret; treating it like something to be ashamed of was something else.

He’d agreed to the no-strings clause in their affair. He’d orchestrated the night at the bar, doing all he could to fulfill her fantasy of a stranger sweeping her off her feet, because she wasn’t interested in an ordinary guy like him.

But this morning, he’d thought—what? That Debbie would change her mind about what she wanted...just because he’d changed his? Maybe, Drew admitted, feeling like a fool. At the very least, he’d expected to wake with her in his arms and to spend some time together before they had to head back to Clearville and the real world Debbie found so mundane. What he sure as hell hadn’t expected was to wake up alone.

And that—
sucked,
was the first word that came to mind, but it was more than that. Lifting his hand from Rain’s silky fur, he rubbed at the ache in his chest. It flat-out hurt, but that was his problem, wasn’t it? Debbie was simply playing by the rules—a secret affair away from town, out of sight of friends and family. He was the one who already wanted to change the game.

As if sensing his mood, Rain sat up with her front paws on his denim-clad thigh and licked the side of his face. “Thanks, Rain,” he said with a sigh, “but you’re not the girl who can kiss it and make it better.”

A few minutes later, he arrived home. With the puppy trotting at his heels, he led the way into the kitchen over to the puppy’s water bowl. He’d just grabbed a beer for himself when his cell phone rang. A picture of his sister flashed across the screen. “Hey, Sophia. How’s it going?”

“Drew! Oh, good. I’m so glad I caught you.”

Sophia’s chipper voice took him back to when they were kids, and he couldn’t help using her childhood nickname as he asked, “What’s up, Fifi?”

Ignoring his use of the despised nickname, she demanded, “Tell me you don’t have plans for tonight.”

“Why do I not have plans for tonight?”

“Because...Kara’s best friend is in town, and I thought it would be fun if we all went out together.”

“Forget it, Sophia,” Drew protested.

“What? I’ve seen pictures of her and she’s really pretty. And besides that, from everything Kara says, she’s nice and funny and smart.”

“I’m sure she is, but I’m not interested in any of your matchmaking.”

“What matchmaking? It’s going out with a friend of the family.”

“It’s a setup, and not a very good one. Doesn’t she live in San Diego?”

“That doesn’t mean you two can’t hang out while she’s here. And if things work out...”

She left the unspoken words dangling, but he refused to take the bait.

“Oh, come on! Say yes! I don’t want her to feel weird being the only one there who’s not part of a couple. Not that it makes you a couple if you show up. And of course Debbie and Ryder aren’t a couple, either, though my fingers are crossed....”

“Wait! What did you say?” He’d almost turned out his sister’s matchmaking ramblings until that last part. The untouched beer clunked against the counter. “What was that about Debbie and Ryder?”

“Sam invited him, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Debbie and Ryder to get reacquainted.”

“Jeez, Soph! His divorce isn’t even final yet!” Yeah, like
that
was his only objection.

“No, but it will be soon, and since Debbie’s not looking for anything serious, I thought he’d be someone she could go out and have a good time with.”

“And Debbie—” He cleared his throat. “She agreed?”

“Sure. Just like you should agree to go out with Olivia. Come on. It’ll be fun!”

“Right. Fun.” Drew could think of a lot of words to describe the upcoming night, but that would not be one of them.

* * *

Debbie had tried to get out of the “date that wasn’t a date,” but the more she argued with Sophia, the closer she came to blurting out the truth about her and Drew. And not just the truth that they’d slept together but the whole truth—that she was terrified she was falling in love with him. And once she spoke those words out loud—even if it was just to Drew’s sister—there would be no going back. Her feelings would be out there and she’d no longer be able to deny them. Not to herself and, she feared, not to Drew, either.

She had put her foot down on a few points, though. Ryder didn’t need to pick her up. After all, they were meeting at the bar and grill only a block away from her shop. And Sophia would not go out of her way to force the two of them together. This was simply a group of friends having dinner together and not a date.

Sophia reluctantly agreed, but Debbie still found herself seated next to Ryder Kincaid. That she truly did believe was more by default than by design. They were simply the only two single people in the group.

While she wouldn’t call the atmosphere romantic, their corner of the bar was dimly lit. Most of the illumination was provided by a few neon signs, the flash of the large-screen televisions, a chandelier made out of empty beer bottles, and the love-struck couples were taking advantage. Sophia was cuddled up to her husband, Jake, and Kara was seated next to Sam. The engaged pair had their heads bent together—maybe trying to hear each other over the mix of laughter, music and sound from the TVs, but somehow Debbie doubted the noise even penetrated their own private world. She had yet to meet Kara’s friend, Olivia, and thought perhaps the other woman was running late.

“So...” Ryder began, and Debbie turned her attention to the man at her side. Wearing black trousers and a button-down black silk shirt, part of his San Francisco wardrobe no doubt, he leaned back in his chair and raised a questioning eyebrow. “How hard did Sam have to twist your arm to get you to come tonight?”

“Oh, it wasn’t Sam. It was—” Debbie cut off the words, feeling her face heat as she realized what she’d just admitted.

But Ryder merely laughed, a bit of the teenager she remembered from high school coming back. He had been two grades ahead of Debbie, but she still remembered how he used to walk the halls like he owned them—star quarterback, prom king and half of Clearville High’s golden couple. Ten years was a long time, and Debbie had expected him to have changed. But despite the familiar reddish-brown hair and sharp green eyes, she saw little of the carefree boy she recalled thanks to the shadows in those eyes and the new lines bracketing the sides of his mouth.

“What I meant was that Sophia is the one who invited me tonight, not Sam.”

“Either way, I’m glad you came. I’d be feeling like a fifth wheel for sure in this group,” he said, tilting his head toward the couple on the opposite side of the table. “And Sam was right about me needing to get out.”

“What are your plans now that you’ve moved back?” she asked, careful not to stick her foot in her mouth again by bringing up his soon-to-be ex, Brittany, or the life he’d left behind.