“Come in,” he said, and glanced toward the closed bathroom door as he made way for the man to enter.
“Where do you want this?” the deliveryman asked, moving into the room.
“Here.” Cale opened the closet door.
“Nice setup,” the man said as he paused beside Cale and peered into the unusually deep closet with the plug socket against the back wall. He set down the cooler and plugged it in, explaining, “This is the newest model. Portable. You can hook it into your car lighter if you need to take it on the road.”
“Great, thanks.” Cale tipped the man and saw him out. He then immediately moved back to the waiting cooler. Squatting in the closet door, he flipped the lid open. One glimpse of the bags of dark red blood inside was enough to make his teeth start to drop, and Cale immediately grabbed a bag and popped it to the sharp tips. He then simply squatted there as the liquid was sucked up into his teeth and body.
Cale hesitated after the first bag, wondering if he had enough time for another, but the fact that his stomach cramps had barely lessened made him decide to take the chance. The bag was only half-empty, however, when the bathroom door began to open.
“Knock knock. I’m coming out. Are you decent?” Alex’s voice sang out teasingly, and Cale reacted with all the aplomb you’d expect from a man of his considerable age: He half stumbled and half fell into the closet, pulling the door closed behind him with panic.
“Cale?” he heard Alex say uncertainly from the room. “Where are you?”
Cursing silently, Cale stood up in the closet, and then cursed aloud as his head slammed into the clothing rod.
“Cale?” there was a nervous quality to Alex’s voicenow, but it was also drawing closer. She’d heard him banging around and was coming to investigate, he realized with alarm, and immediately tore the half-full bag from his teeth. Big mistake, he realized at once as cold blood splashed across his face and down his chest. Cursing again, he dropped the now-hemorrhaging bag in the cooler, slammed the lid down, and then quickly mopped at his face with his maroon shirt.
He’d barely started on his chest when the closet door began to slide open. Cale instinctively jerked his shirt up in front of his torso to hide any remaining blood as light splashed over him.
“What on earth are you doing in the closet?”
“I wasn’t quite dressed yet,” Cale blurted.
“Oh,” Alex said nonplussed, her gaze sliding over the shirt he held defensively before him, and then to his jeans-clad legs beneath. She was obviously a bit perplexed as to why he was acting like a Victorian virgin when he was only lacking a shirt, but she backed away. “Well, I’ll give you another minute then.”
Cale sighed as she moved out of sight. He quickly wiped away the remaining blood on his chest, not stepping out of the closet until he heard the bathroom door close again.
Cale took a moment to inspect himself in the mirrorfronted sliding closet door, relieved to see he’d gotten all the blood. He then threw the shirt into the closet on top of the cooler and rushed to his suitcase to retrieve a fresh one, this time a green T-shirt. As he pulled it over his head, he called, “You can come out now.”
“Are you sure?” Alex called through the door. “I wouldn’t want to catch a glimpse of your bare chest. I might not be able to contain myself.”
“I wish,” Cale muttered, grimacing at her obvious amusement as he tugged his T-shirt into place. He so wasn’t impressing this woman yet. Shaking his head, he walked over and opened the bathroom door, and then stood aside and held his arm out in a gesture for her to exit. “I’m ready to go if you are.”
Alex grinned and then walked past him, murmuring, “I applaud you for your courage.”
“Courage?” he asked with confusion.
“Hmm.” She headed for the door to the hall, swinging her purse gaily as she went. “Many men find it difficult to come out of the closet.”
Cale was sure she was making a joke at his expense but didn’t understand it. Shaking his head, he grabbed his coat from the bed and followed her out of the room.
Grocery shopping was an incredibly interesting experience for Cale. Food had certainly changed since he’d last indulged in eating. Instead of having to hunt it down, slay, clean, and cook it yourself, you could now buy it already prepared or even cooked for you and ready to eat. He’d known this, of course—he wasn’t completely ignorant of the world he lived in—but he’d never actually had a reason to be in a grocery store and never seen one for himself. That made it all much more interesting, and he found himself hanging over counters, dawdling in the aisles, and picking up almost everything he saw. And absolutely everything looked good.
“Good Lord,” Alex said with exasperation, grabbing his arm to urge him away from the baked-goods section. “One would think you’d never been shopping.”
“I haven’t,” he muttered without thinking. When she turned on him sharply, he quickly added, “Not in a North American grocery store.”
“Oh, right,” she said relaxing. “I suppose everything here is different from what you’re used to, different brands, different packaging, etc.”
“Oui,”
Cale murmured, eyeing the deli counter as she urged him past it. There were some wonderful smells coming from it.
“I think that’s everything,” Alex murmured, selecting several packages of sliced meat and cheese and setting them in the cart. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nodding, Cale pushed the cart after her as she led him to the front of the store. His mind was on the problem of getting her to agree to his being her manager rather than her chef. Aside from the fact that it would make her much happier to cook than manage, it would definitely be better for him, and yet she seemed to be resisting the idea. At least, she hadn’t yet agreed to it.
The ringing of his cell phone distracted him as they reached the cash register, and Cale pulled it out with a frown. Recognizing Lucian’s number, he hesitated, his gaze sliding between the phone and the counter Alex was presently unloading their groceries onto.
“Go ahead, I can handle this,” Alex said quietly. “At this hour it must be someone in France calling about a business problem.”
Cale didn’t correct her but nodded and pressed thebutton to take the call, moving away from the cash register as Lucian growled, “Bricker said you were heading over to the restaurant to see Alex. What’s happening?”
Cale smiled wryly at the greeting. Lucian wasn’t known for “Hello? How are you?” type greetings.
“We’re at the grocery store, shopping for a snack.” He paused out of earshot and glanced back to watch Alex.
Lucian grunted at this news. “Marguerite’s trying to find a chef to replace you, but no luck so far. I understand Leigh and Marguerite gave up their night at the movies to help you out. It won’t happen again. I’ll not allow it, so if you know a chef that might help, speak up now, or you’re going to get a crash course in cooking tomorrow night.”
Cale sighed, now understanding the reason for the call. Lucian was pissed about Leigh’s helping. He didn’t really blame him. Leigh was pregnant, and since she’d lost the last child she’d been carrying, Lucian was extra protective of her. An immortal only lost a child if there was a genetic flaw, something that was rare, and he knew it had upset both of them.
“I may not need a chef,” Cale said, and then quickly explained his hope of taking over the business end of things and leaving Alex to cook.
“What’s the problem then?” Lucian asked sharply. “She should be jumping at that offer. You’re one hell of a businessman.”
Cale pulled the phone from his ear to peer at the number again just to be sure it was his uncle. He’d never known the man to give compliments. Leigh wasdefinitely having a beneficial effect on the man. Putting the phone back to his ear, he said, “She’s resisting. I suppose after the trouble she had with the project manager, she’s afraid to trust someone else.”
Lucian grunted, was silent for a minute and then announced, “I’ll have Bricker meet you at the new restaurant and help you convince her.”
Cale sighed at the suggestion, knowing Lucian meant he would have Bricker use mind control on Alex. The idea was tempting. It would certainly make things easier, but he didn’t like the idea of taking the decision from her in that way. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. This is her business, Uncle. She—”
“She isn’t aware of all the facts,” Lucian interrupted. “And she can’t be told. She can’t make a proper decision with only half the facts, so I’ll make it for her.”
“But—”
“She’s your life mate,” Lucian said grimly. “Your winning her over and convincing her to take up that role will make you happy, her happy, and Sam and Jo happy, which in turn will keep my enforcers happy. I’m sending Bricker.”
The announcement was followed by a
click,
and then dead air. Lucian had hung up.
Muttering under his breath, Cale pocketed the phone and turned to head back to the register in time to stop Alex from paying for the groceries.
“I’m the one who was hungry,” he reminded firmly when she appeared about to protest allowing him to foot the bill. Alex hesitated, but then nodded solemnly and didn’t argue further.
“Are you all right? “ she asked moments later as they drove back to the restaurant. “You seem a bit quiet.”
Cale forced a smile. “Just hungry,” he assured her, but the truth was he was fretting over Bricker’s meeting them at the restaurant to use mind control on Alex. Part of him was irritated at his uncle’s underhanded tactics. The man really had no business in their relationship. Not that something as insignificant as it being none of his business had ever stopped Lucian. However, another, much larger, part of Cale was rather relieved at the idea. It would certainly simplify things. That way, Alex would be happy, and he could stay close and woo her.
“Is that Justin?” Alex asked, as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Yes,” Cale murmured, spotting Bricker seated in his SUV.
“I wonder what he’s doing here,” Alex said with a frown. “I hope there isn’t something wrong with Sam.”
“He’s here to help with the painting,” Cale said to keep her from worrying unnecessarily. He then decided he’d bribe the man into helping to ensure what he’d just said wasn’t a lie.
A loud and rapid banging dragged Alex from sleep. Yawning, she opened her eyes, sat up in bed, and peered around with confusion, slow to comprehend what had woken her. When the banging came again, she tossed the bedsheets and cover aside and got hurriedly to her feet, nearly tripping over her own feet as she stumbled out the door of her bedroom. She managed to make itdownstairs and to the front door without breaking her neck and yanked the door open just as a third round of rapping started.
The young man on her porch caught himself midknock, smiled uncertainly as he took in her flannel pajamas with pandas on them, and said, “Ms. Willan? Alexandra Willan?”
Alex nodded and then shifted to stand on one foot, covering it with her other foot against the cold rushing in at her.
“Here are your keys,” the fellow said, raising a hand to dangle them before her.
“My keys?” Alex echoed with confusion.
“Yes ma’am. Your car’s all fixed up. Turns out the battery connection had somehow come loose. She’s good now. Can you sign here that you received the car?”
“Oh, yes, of course.” Alex took the pen and clipboard he offered and signed where he pointed. As she handed the clipboard back, her gaze slid to her vehicle now parked in her short driveway. It looked like it had been cleaned as well as fixed. The salt stains that had marked it were gone. Alex shook her head slightly. She’d left the keys with Cale last night. He’d promised to have someone look at her vehicle for her. Apparently, he’d done as he promised.
“Have a good day.”
Alex glanced back to the young man to see that he was heading off her porch. Frowning, she switched feet to warm the one that had been on top of the other, and asked, “What about the bill?”
“Oh, Mr. Argeneau said to send the bill to the restaurant. You should get it in a few days,” he said with a wave over his shoulder as he hurried toward a truck idling at the curb.
“Thank you!” Alex called as he slid into the vehicle. He nodded again and gave another wave as he closed the door.
Alex immediately closed the door, very glad to be able to do so. As one would expect for late February, it was cold, but it was also windy, making it seem colder still.
Shivering, she headed back upstairs, thinking she should shower, dress, and head over to check on the new restaurant. Somehow last night she’d found herself agreeing to Cale’s taking over as business manager, leaving her to cook. Alex had been leaning that way anyway, bending under the weight of temptation, but she didn’t recall actually deciding it for certain.
She’d just suddenly announced that he was hired as they were sharing their picnic with Bricker. Then she’d allowed herself to be convinced to give him the keys to the new restaurant, as well as to her car, and found herself being driven home and leaving the rest of the painting to the two men. Alex wasn’t really sure how that had happened.
“I must have been seriously exhausted,” she muttered with a shake of the head as she crossed her bedroom to the attached bathroom. It was the only explanation she could come up with. Alex wasn’t the type to shirk a job and go home to bed leaving others to do it.
The cold air when she’d answered the door hadwoken her up properly; now the shower warmed her, but Alex knew she wouldn’t be fully awake until she’d had coffee. However, she didn’t want to take the time to make a pot. She’d pick up a couple of coffees from Tim Hortons on the way to the restaurant, she decided as she washed and rinsed her hair: one for her and one for Cale, who had somehow convinced her that he should work today and be at the restaurant to accept the furniture delivery.
She never should have agreed to that, Alex thought irritably as she stepped out of the shower. The man was going to burn himself out by week’s end at this rate. The possibility was a bit worrying, and Alex decided she’d pick him up a breakfast sandwich on the way to help keep up his strength.
Or normal sandwiches, she decided as she walked back into her room and saw the time. It was late afternoon. Cripes, Cale had probably received the tables and chairs and headed to his hotel by now. Still, she wanted food, and she’d double the order just in case he was still around.