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“Here.” Taking her elbow, he led her to the passenger side.
But his gruff voice was a little off-putting. Did he regret inviting her? She just could not read this man’s moods.
After opening the door, he waited until she gathered the shimmery material of the dress and tucked it into the footwell before closing it. Alone in the quiet of the car, the jitters took hold. She probably looked like a girl playing dress-up—she certainly felt that way. In her world, she fit in. Her confidence came from belonging to the Giordano family, to Renzo’s bakery. But with Jaime, she felt ordinary. He was so much more than handsome. His physique, his air of authority…he was a man who knew what he wanted and didn’t waste time with anything not on his agenda.
No doubt he was used to women who wore designer clothes and got their hair and nails done. Grace spent her summers in bikinis, jean shorts, and flip-flops. If she wasn’t baking, she was hanging out with her friends and family. No one she knew went to balls or high society events.
Oh, my God. So what? I’m not his date.
He thinks I need to get out of the cabin, and that’s what I’m doing.
With the grace of an athlete, he slid in and fired up the engine. “I wound up dropping Kinny at my parents’ house. She wanted a sleepover.”
Well, there you go. He’d probably drilled it in that she’d be on her own because he had plans. She wanted to tease him and have some fun with it, but for some strange reason, it pinched her heart to think of him with another woman.
She wasn’t his date, but apparently, she wanted to be.
He slung an arm along the back of her seat. Her first thought was that he was going in for a hug, so she leaned in, got a whiff of his subtle masculine scent, and nearly died when he twisted around to see behind him as he backed out.
Why would he hug you?You idiot.Her entire being shriveled like plastic wrap near a flame. Quickly, she opened her clutch and pretended to be searching for something. She couldn’t see anything, though. She was burning up in embarrassment.
She wanted to go back to her cabin, knead butter into dough…fill a pastry bag with whipped cream. She wanted to breathe in the scent of her baking pie crust, aware of the exact moment it was ready. In the kitchen, she was competent. Around her family, she was comfortable.
But apparently, outside her familiar world, she didn’t fit. And it was awful.
Then again, maybe she just wasn’t used to moody men she couldn’t read.Yeah, that.Her dad was fiery, her mom was outspoken, and her brothers were blunt and hilariously cutting. At home, she knew where people stood.
But not with this guy. She gazed out the window, counting the fence posts they passed along the driveway. Until it struck her.
Why am I giving him this power over me?
I don’t even know him. And I certainly don’t know what’s going on in his world.
Between his team, his daughter, and the ranch, he had a million balls in the air. Maybe the sitter canceled. Maybe some of his cows had gotten into a fight.I don’t know.
All she could do was be herself. And if he didn’t like her, so be it. She was only here for another day or two.
Feeling better, she turned on the radio. “How about some music?”
“Think you can choose something other than Lorelei Calloway?”
“Now, why would I do that?”
And there you go. She’d broken the tension.
She found the playlist she wanted and spent the rest of the ride belting out her favorite songs.
Grace stood aloneat the dessert table.
They’re pretty basic. Other than a variety of easy-to-eat petits fours, they had strawberry shortcake in a jelly jar, decadent chocolate chunk cookies, and rich, creamy New York-style cheesecake.
She’d chatted a little bit here and there, met some nice people, and learned that Calamity had a “tiny” population of thirty-thousand full-time residents. She’d laughed because Duff Island hadonethousand. And while Calamity had a million people living here during peak seasons, her town only tripled in size. So, yeah. She knew about tiny.
Throughout the evening, she’d caught glimpses of Jaime shaking hands, engaging with some people and acting a little more formal with others. He’d been particularly kind to the wait staff, always thanking them and telling them they were doing a good job.
She hadn’t seen him with any one woman in particular, nor had she seen him flirting. He’d just been a dutiful son at his mom’s annual charity ball. Maybe the hookup was after?
Whatever. She’d wasted enough time trying to figure out the elusive and mysterious Jaime Dupree. A waiter offered her another glass of champagne, but she’d already had two, so she declined. She planned on baking her butt off tonight and wanted to be sober to really enjoy herself.
