Temptation on Ocean Drive - Jennifer Probst Page 0,25
unsweetened iced tea?”
For a moment, her blue eyes locked on him, an odd intensity radiating from her figure. “Yes, thanks.”
He cocked his head. “You didn’t think I knew what you wanted?”
She shifted in her chair but didn’t break the gaze. “I guess not. We’ve never been as close as you and my sisters.” An awkward shrug moved her shoulders. “Sorry. I only meant—”
“I know what you meant,” he said softly. He studied her face. The graceful curve of her cheek, the lush pink of her lips, the startling blue of her eyes framed by thick lashes, the heart-shaped mole on her jutted chin. “I’ve always been listening. And I’ve always been here, waiting until you needed me.”
She jerked back, but the tiny flare of awareness in her eyes told him there might be more. Maybe she was finally allowing him a peek inside a place that had been locked up tight.
Perhaps working together on this wedding was a way to get close and finally confess his real feelings. The thought caused cold sweat to prickle from his brow.
There was so much to lose.
But there was more to win. The conversation with Carter and Pierce reminded him if he didn’t try, he’d never know if he had a real shot with her.
He was tired of playing it safe. Yes, things were easier as casual friends, but what if he could make Bella happy? What if they were meant to be together and he’d been wasting all this time? His heart already belonged to her, and the idea of spending another year afraid to admit his feelings, living like a monk, made his gut clench.
If he could use planning Adele’s wedding to build a solid connection, he might be able to man up and ask her to take a chance on him. He’d noticed a softening this past week toward him. Spending time with her was key.
But it was still too soon, so he decided to lighten the mood. “And you finally do need me,” he added with a teasing wink. “I’m crucial to dazzling New York society with the wonders of Seussland. Hey, how about we have Sneetch greeters at the doors? They can have big bellies and one will wear a star—the other won’t. It can be a subtle dig at the have and have-nots, right?”
She groaned, and the heaviness in the air drifted away. “That’s truly awful.”
“I’ll work on it.”
He called in the lunch order and tried not to hope too hard.
“How’s Adele’s wedding going?” Avery asked.
They were gathered in Taylor’s part of the house for dinner. They tried to schedule regular family dinners twice per week, but lately Taylor and Avery had been traveling, so they’d been missing each other. Bella was looking forward to a chill night with her sisters.
“We got a handle on it,” she said, expertly stirring multiple pans of sizzling vegetables and seasoned chicken. “Can you get the toppings?”
“Sure.” Avery set up a makeshift assembly line and began dumping shredded cheese, lettuce, and chopped tomatoes into bowls. “Did you decide on any details yet?”
“We’re going with a Lorax theme.”
Avery nodded, but Bella noticed the obvious frown. Her sister was a true type-A personality who thrived on details. And though her intentions were always good, she loved to offer suggestions. What made it even more frustrating was that her older sister was usually right. “Lorax is great to pull from. Is that Adele’s favorite Dr. Seuss book?”
Taylor took out the wine, filled three glasses, then poured milk for Zoe. “Can we please not talk about work tonight? Did anyone see the new Bachelor pick? Talk about yumminess.”
Bella added another dash of garlic to the peppers and onions, then removed the pan of chicken from the burner. Damn, why hadn’t she thought to ask Adele what her favorite Dr. Seuss book was? Her sister would have gotten that detail.
She tried not to sound defensive. “I don’t know. But we have enough feedback to know The Lorax will be perfect.” She refused to second-guess herself now. Besides, Gabe had been just as enthusiastic, and she trusted his instincts.
“If you include Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, you can focus on travel, and there’s tons to pull from. Maybe even more than The Lorax.”
Bella tried not to slam down the pan, reminding herself Avery was only trying to help. “We’re mimicking the Truffula plants in our decor. We’re going to use birch trees and place settings with recyclable materials. It’s going to be fresh yet focused.”