No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,44
chances. About a mile from my house, he pulled off the road and took me in his arms.” She paused, a dreamy look entering her face. “It was my first kiss, and well worth a week of sleepless nights.”
“Just think how much better he must be at kissing now,” Robin said.
Kait’s lips twitched. “You’re no help at all, Robin Parker. How many lilies do we need?”
“At least a dozen.”
“By the way, I put the word out to my brothers about our upcoming move. We’ll have plenty of muscle to do the heavy lifting.”
“I’m as excited as Owen about living close to the beach. Now that the house is officially ours, I was thinking of taking him over there tomorrow to see his room. It’ll give me a chance to take some measurements for bookshelves.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Only if you don’t get a better offer.”
Kait rolled her eyes. “When did you become a member of the Miles Slater fan club?”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for second chance romances.”
* * * * *
“What happened to celebrating your birthday with family and a few close friends?” Aunt Leigh asked. “Why do you need a hundred people standing around pretending they want to be here?”
Reece hid a smile. Aunt Leigh hadn’t stopped complaining about Maxine’s birthday party since he picked her up two hours ago. He’d fallen into the trap of asking why she was going when it was obvious she didn’t want to. The result was a ten-minute monologue about doing one’s duty.
“You started out at fifty people,” he teased. “Now you’re at a hundred.”
A wave of her hand indicated the line of cars on either side of the street in front of his father’s house. “Trust me. It’ll be that many by the time it’s all said and done.”
Reece found an open spot to park. Any minute now he’d be seeing Robin. The flutterings in his stomach seemed more appropriate for a teenager instead of an experienced man of the world. Love certainly leveled the playing field. Taking a deep breath, he got out and walked around to open Aunt Leigh’s door.
“Just remember, Reece. Faint heart never won fair lady.”
He helped her out of the car and closed the door. “That sounds like a battle cry. What happened to your slippery slope metaphor?”
“There are honorable ways to capture a woman’s heart. For someone of your talents, it should be a piece of cake. No pun intended.”
Reece removed the gift bags from the backseat. Aunt Leigh wasn’t in the habit of speaking idly. She’d used that particular phrase on purpose. “Who told you Robin owned a cake shop?”
“Maxine. She called yesterday to get my recipe for smothered pork chops. She waxed poetical about Wade and his new girlfriend. Once she got started, it all came tumbling out. It wouldn’t do to trust her with any state secrets. Anyway, you should be proud of me. I could easily have driven to Truly Scrumptious to see Robin. Instead I waited until today.”
By this time, they were almost to the front door.
“Your self-control is admirable.”
She sent him an amused glance. “I surprise myself sometimes.”
Jeanette let them in, took charge of the gifts, and ushered them outside to the veranda. String lights and colorful paper lanterns hung overhead. Music from the live band set up in the gazebo filled the air. A crew of uniformed servers circulated with trays of drinks and appetizers.
“Just like I thought,” Aunt Leigh said in a low voice. “Standing room only. Can you see Carlson and Maxine?”
Reece scanned the crowd. He spotted Addison and Clayton occupying one of the hanging chairs surrounding the copper fire pit. Locating his father and Maxine took a little longer. They were partially hidden by a huge arrangement of flowers. The two people he couldn’t find were Wade and Robin.
“Dad and Maxine are sitting in the outdoor dining area,” he told her.
“Let’s go greet the birthday girl.”
Reece nearly laughed out loud as he listened to the conversation between Maxine and his aunt. One would think tonight was the highlight of the latter’s existence.
“You’re nothing but a fraud,” he whispered as they walked over to join Addison and Clay.
“It’s called being polite to my hostess. We got interrupted before I could ask her about Wade and Robin.”
“Try to curb your impatience. They have to be here somewhere.”
Addison jumped up to hug Aunt Leigh and then turned to give Reece a peck on the cheek. “I’ve never been to a party where I know so few people.”