My phone jangled in my purse. I reached between my feet and dug through my bag.
“Miranda, hey… Can you get a housekeeping team to Margot’s in the next couple hours? And uh… I don’t know, um. Orchids. Something like that. White and blue?”
I miss u, came the text.
“Just a little thing,” Declan continued.
I held the phone angled away from his line of vision and scowled at it. Now? Kevin wanted to text me now?
“Like five people…. Well I don’t know, use your judgement.”
Five people, right, because of our special surprise guest, I thought as I stared at my phone.
Hi, I texted back simply.
Hi yourself, came the instant reply.
Declan turned onto the main road and chuckled quietly in a flirtatious tone into the phone. What on earth was Miranda saying to him?
I just drove by, Kevin texted. Thinking of you. It’s been forever.
I stared at the screen. He was in town? And presumably circling my house? Huh.
Declan thumbed his phone and dropped it into his lap as we headed for downtown.
“Why do I need to be hungry?” I asked.
“Oh, Mike is whipping us up a tasting menu,” he said, cutting his eyes toward me to gauge my reaction. He loved his ta-dah moments.
“That’s amazing. Instant dinner party?” I asked with the required amount of admiration in my voice. I was getting pretty good at Declan-Burke-style communication.
“Oh, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, you know,” he purred.
What have you been up to? came the next text. I flipped the phone face-down against my thigh.
“So have you ever been to Amsterdam?”
“No,” I shook my head.
“Oh you should go,” he said. “It’s a gorgeous city. Jack and I have to head back in a week or so, I think I told you.”
“No you didn’t tell me,” I said, carefully not sounding irritated.
“Oh didn’t I?” he asked, glancing at me. “Sorry, I thought I let you know we wouldn’t be in town long.”
“Oh. OK, yeah, you mentioned something about that,” I mumbled as I flipped the phone back over and looked at the face.
“Well, you’d love Amsterdam,” he said, gunning the motor as we shot onto the freeway. “You should come.”
I looked at him. Was he serious? I was never really sure.
Not much, I texted back to Kevin. Just getting a little dinner party together for tonight.
Oh darn, was hoping to see you, Kevin texted back.
“Anyway Anneka is going back after tonight, and Jack and I will tag along after. You’ll like her. She’s brilliant.”
“Sounds delightful,” I said with absolutely no trace of sarcasm.
You should come, I texted back to Kevin.
Declan’s phone vibrated in his lap and he pulled it to his ear.
“Yeah that’s fine,” he said into the mic. “We’ll be there in about twenty. Desserts too, for five, say eight o’clock.”
“Six,” I said, looking at him as I tucked my phone back in my purse.
Declan looked at me from under his brows.
I nodded. “Six,” I said again.
He shrugged and resumed looking at the freeway.
“Mike, it’s six guests, sorry. Yeah…. OK yeah. See you soon.”
CHAPTER 2
MIKE ARRIVED AT 6:30 with two other white-coated, handsome men and asked me which way to the kitchen. They brought in covered trays and a case of wine and a crate full of pots and pans while I stood there helplessly like I was guarding the refrigerator.
“What are you doing?” Jackson asked when he saw me standing, my hands flapping uselessly at my sides.
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “I didn’t realize he was going to use my kitchen. Am I supposed to, like, show him where stuff is or something?”
“No,” he chuckled. “Just let him do his thing. If he really needs something he’ll speak up.”
“OK, well…” I sighed, “what am I supposed to be doing? Like… I mean Miranda’s team cleaned, um, everything. Stuff I haven’t cleaned in years. If ever. Should I set the table or something?”
“No, baby,” he said, leaning close and kissing my forehead. The scent of his shower-damp throat made me dizzy. “Why don’t you just relax?”
“I forgot how.”
“Take a nap?”
“Who could sleep at a time like this!”
“Go for a swim?”
“And get my hair wet? Are you serious?”
“Margot.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest and pouted.
“Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll be in my studio. Not working. Just hiding.”
“That’s my girl,” he cooed and I wriggled like a puppy on the inside as he patted me on the bottom and sent me on my way.