Her Charming Heartbreaker (11 page)

“Well, Ben might have
to settle for my home cooking because I’ve been… sort of
banned.”

“As in, no more coffee?
That’s harsh.”

“You don’t sound
surprised.”

“Nothing that happens
in Eden ever surprises me.” She unscrewed the top of a bottle of
water and took a long swig. “What reason did Joyce give you?”

“Apparently, I’m guilty
of misconduct.” He rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling
then down at her again. “Being tight-lipped got me blacklisted. Do
you think you could do something about lifting my ban?”

“Reinstate your
privileges? What makes you think I have any pulling power?”

He gave her a raised
eyebrow look. “Don’t underestimate your influence.”

“Okay, let’s assume I
can do something about it. What’s in it for me?”

“You sound like a
business person trying to cut a deal.”

“I think I picked up a
bug while I was away, it’s making me act all out of character and
do things out of self-interest.” She gave him an impish grin.

“What do you want?” he
growled softly.

She drummed her fingers
on the counter. “Mm. Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you.
And… here comes Ben. You should go wash your hands too. You
wouldn’t want to set a bad example.”

* * *

She could do this so
long as she managed to make it look easy, normal, not forced. Eddie
set the plates down in front of Ben and Theo, her eyes dancing
between one and then the other before she stepped back.

“Theo can’t decide what
to do for dinner tonight,” Ben said as he took a bite of his
burger. “That scares me. Also, he doesn’t understand how we’ve
survived this long without at least six take out options in Eden.
He says it shows poor judgment.”

“I suggest you fill up
here then. It might be a long night for you, buddy.”

“Seriously? Mom said
he’d take care of me. I’m a growing boy. To quote mom, I need my
regular feeds or else I turn into a gremlin. And not the cute ones.
We’ll probably end up coming here tonight again, but mom’s got that
on a no-way is that allowed to happen list. Lunch at the pub is
fine, but not dinner. She says the place is too rowdy for a young,
impressionable boy.”

“Are you taking note of
all this?” she asked Theo who was looking at his empty glass of
beer and probably wishing for something stronger.

“I’m quietly praying
you come up with a solution. Something along the lines of offering
to cook for us.”

“Yes. Please say yes,”
Ben said, pleading with his hands.

“Do I look like I’m for
hire?” she tried to laugh it off, but the idea of spending any time
with Theo, even as a token friend…
Get a hold of yourself, you
fool
. Again, she looked at Ben and then at Theo, taking in the
same shaped face, the hair coloring, the eyes…

“I’ll pay you. Triple
the going rate.” Theo drained the last drop from his glass.
“Actually, you can name your price.”

“How on earth did you
manage to convince Claire to leave her precious son under your
care?”

He pointed to his head.
“It’s the halo.”

“You’re deluded.”
Shifting her gaze, she caught sight of her brother Markus standing
by the fireplace, his arms crossed, his scowl aimed at Theo, more
as a warning for her than for Theo who sat with his back to
him.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, I’ll throw you a
lifeline, but I’m making a mental note of it. I will expect payment
in due course. As for the currency, I’ll let you know.”

“Just put it on my
tab.”

Ben sunk low on his
stool, playacting his relief. “That’s one meal taken care of. Now
to sort out the rest. Maybe I should fill up my pockets with
peanuts.”

“In your place, I’d be
more worried about being dragged out of bed to go jogging. Did you
know Theo jogs in the morning? He might make you go with him.”

Ben surprised her by
shrugging. “That’d be okay. I don’t mind.”

“How about doing your
share of the housework?”

“There’s a law against
child exploitation.”

“Does that work with
your mom?”

“Never, but it was
worth a try.”

Theo cleared his
throat. “So, what time can we expect you tonight?”

“Oh, you weren’t
kidding. You really want me to go over and cook for you guys.”

“Please.”

* * *

“Eddie? Why are you
bent over? Are you sick?”

Yes. No. She didn’t
know. Her mind had a parade of thoughts marching through, there was
some sort of trapeze act happening in her stomach, and she couldn’t
steady her breathing. “Go away, Mitch.”

“You’re
hyperventilating.”

She had her hand over
her heart, and anyone seeing her, anyone other than her witless
brother, would think she was practicing her breathing and preparing
for labor.

“You’re huffing… and
puffing. Have you been running up the stairs?”

She gave him a slanted
eye look that spoke of murder and mayhem. “I could be dying and
you’d still ask me a thousand questions. I could keel over from a
heart attack and you’d probably prod me with your foot first.”

“Of course I would.
What sort of idiot do you take me for? You might bite.”

She straightened and
glared at him.

“Why are your cheeks
red? That’s not a good sign.”

“You’re full of
insightful observations today.”

“Yeah, and I’m having a
light bulb moment here and thinking you’ve had a run in with a
certain—”

She lifted a warning
finger. “You boys need to stop hovering around me. Just because I
came back doesn’t mean I’m staying. One wrong move from any of you
and you can start looking over your shoulder because I’ll be there,
watching and waiting to trip you up and ruin your lives. And that’s
a promise.”

“Wow, go easy on the
reprisal. You know we have your best interests at heart.”

“How about I release
you from whatever brother-at-arms pledge you’ve made. I’m one
interference away from taking out a restraining order on the three
of you. And tell Markus to stop scowling at Theo. He’ll scare all
the customers away.” She stood toe to toe with her brother, her
finger wagging under his nose.

“Careful with the
ultimatums, Red. I can still throw you over my knees and spank
you.”

“Just you try it. I’ve
got new moves.”

“Eddie.”

She groaned. When Mitch
lowered his tone, he meant business.

“Be careful with
Theo.”

Mitch Faydon, Eden’s
very own bad boy, was warning her off Theo?

* * *

“How about a movie with
aliens and spaceships?” Ben asked.

Go with the flow. Don’t
fight the current. Theo had apparently worked something out with
Claire. That left Eddie with two choices. She’d already decided
against running away so she’d simply have to adjust. Learn to live
with the idea of Theo being with someone else.

He’d come to Eden for
Claire so she shouldn’t feel as if she’d missed out or been passed
over for someone else. Think of sand through the hourglass. This
too shall pass...

“Earth to Eddie? Scary
movie with aliens and spaceships?”

She tapped her chin.
“Those movies don’t scare me. And I can almost always tell when
they use fake aliens.”

Ben rolled his eyes.
“You want a girl flick with kissing and crying and weddings—”

“Young man, you should
study up on those films. The day will come when you will reap the
rewards of a well-informed mind.” She’d never really been into
girly films, but it was all she watched whenever she got together
with her friends. Maybe she should listen to her own advice. She
might learn a thing or two about catching a man and keeping him. “I
wouldn’t say no to
Mars Attacks
. That has to be the best
alien movie around.”

“That’s not scary,” Ben
complained. “It’s a comedy.”

“Bug eyed aliens with
huge heads that ooze green gunk when they explode isn’t scary?”

“Tell me again why
Eddie gets to choose the film?” Theo asked.

“Because she’s cooking
dinner and because she’s a girl. Don’t you know anything? Girls get
first pick,” Ben explained.

“She hit the speed dial
on the phone and called the pizza place. And she brought dessert
from the pub. I hardly call that cooking.” Theo stood with his arms
crossed and his feet apart and glared at her, but Eddie could see
him making an effort to keep his amusement under control.

“In my defense, I never
said anything about actually cooking food.”

“I’m sure there was an
underlying intention implied.” Theo gave her a stern, no-nonsense
look.

Ben shook his head.
“You shouldn’t read too much into what girls say because it’ll do
your head in.”

“Where did you hear
that?” Theo asked.

“Her brother, Mitch.
He’s always saying stuff like that.”

“Okay, guys. We need to
make a serious decision here. Do we eat our pizza at the dinner
table or on the lumpy couch while watching the movie?”

“Cushions on the floor
in front of the TV,” Ben suggested.

“That sounds like a
fair compromise. I’m game. It can’t be worse than the couch,” Eddie
said.

Theo groaned under his
breath. “I can guarantee nothing is worse than that couch.”

Ben whooped with joy
and rushed off to organize the cushions.

“Did we actually reach
a decision about the movie?”

Eddie chuckled. “Yes.
You’re a man who’s easily pleased.”

“And you’re suggesting
I’m not.”

“Shall I quote your
complaints? You know, the ones about me not actually peeling and
cutting things and putting them in a pot and slaving over a hot
stove and then getting to have final say over the movie we
watch?”

“I was only
contributing to the conversation. I didn’t intend for any of it to
be taken as a personal affront on your character.”

“Nice backpedaling, Mr.
Kendrick. Did you just remember I’m standing between you and the
prospect of having to wade your way through an evening entertaining
a young boy who could talk you under the table?”

“More or less. I’ll
admit I feel my head is bobbing on the surface but at risk of
sinking. Your presence here is appreciated. I’ll try to be on my
best behavior for the rest of the evening. And to show how grateful
I am, I’ll wash the dishes and dispose of the empty pizza box. You
won’t even have to remind me to do it.”

“Tonight promises to be
more interesting than I ever anticipated.”

Chapter Nine

“Can we go in now?”

Theo looked at his
watch and frowned. “Eddie said she’d be here at ten. Let’s give her
a few more minutes.”

“I have a voracious
appetite,” Ben complained.

“You have a what?”

Ben rolled his eyes.
“It’s my mom’s doing. She insists I try using a different word
every day to expand my vocabulary. This week we’re doing the letter
v. Today, it’s voracious. Well, it was actually Monday’s word but I
didn’t...” Ben kicked the ground with the tip of his snicker, “I
didn’t get the chance to use it then because I had breakfast, a
packed lunch and dinner at the same time as every other day.” He
gave him a pointed look loaded with accusations of child
mistreatment.

“Why don’t you put on
your valiant veneer and go in and find a vacant table.”

Ben didn’t wait to be
told twice and took off at a trot.

“And get a table by the
bookcases,” Theo called out. “That way you can work on being a
voracious reader.”

Theo would have
followed Ben in to the café, if only to keep him company. No doubt
the ban still stood. But he actually wanted to see Eddie walk
toward him. There was something incredibly tantalizing about her
walk. Casual. Easy. Sexy, in a confident sort of way. He’d bet
anything she wasn’t even aware of it. The thought kept him
entertained until he saw her coming out of the pub.

She skipped across the
street, her lips stretched into a smile as if she’d just thought of
something amusing. Theo slipped his hands inside his pockets. He’d
give anything to know what she was thinking about.

If he drew up a
timeline of his life, the day he’d arrived in Eden and met Eddie
would be highlighted, signaling a turning point.

“That’s a head
scratching thought if ever I heard one,” he said under his breath.
But he couldn’t argue with it. He smiled and shook his head. The
smile spread through him, filling him right up to the brim with
satisfaction.

She wore—

“Hey, there. Look at
you, wearing jeans,” Eddie said as she approached him. “What
happened? Did you run out of tailored clothes and raid a local
store?” She shook her head sending her curls on a playful dance
across her shoulders. “On second thought, those jeans have the wear
and tear of an expensive price tag.”

“Are you done
judging?”

“Are you afraid to go
into the café?”

Theo drew in a breath
and tried to pull himself together. “Joyce threatened me with
serious repercussions. I didn’t want to push my luck and risk Ben
getting kicked out because he’s associating with the wrong sorts
before he’d had a chance to refuel. Speaking of which, I’m starved,
so if we could go in now, test the waters…” The words stopped
flowing and his appreciation took over.

She wore a dress with
tiny flowers printed on it. Cinched at the waist, it showed off her
lovely curves and legs, which were bare except for the ankle boots
she wore. She looked softer, and inviting... Theo knew he was
teetering close to a dangerous ledge. He’d made a promise to
Eddie’s brothers. No more kissing Eddie...

If he could only stop
looking at her, then he’d have a chance of keeping his word. But
going by the way his body reacted he didn’t have a hope in hell of
keeping his thoughts under a tight rein. To hell with it. He’d
enjoy looking at her now and regroup later. With Ben’s constant
chatter to interrupt the flow of thoughts and ideas taking seed in
his mind, he’d be able to make it through the rest of the day.