Mabe's Burden (14 page)

“
Ha ha,” Mabe retorted.
“Nice tie.”

“
Nice cast.”

She laughed. “Guess we both know how to
accessorize.” She stood next to him. They both faced
Mara.

“
What do you think,
Mar?”

“
A striking couple indeed.
Be home by midnight, Cinderella.”

Mabe slipped her purse onto her good
shoulder. “Very funny.” She faced her date. “You ready?”

“
After you.” He held the
screen door open for her.

“
Let us know where you end
up.” Mara waved.

They moved onto the porch, and Mabe
rolled her eyes for effect. But she knew she’d text her sisters
throughout the evening. He seemed trustworthy; otherwise, she
wouldn’t be going out with him at all. But her mind was still
filled with plenty of questions.

He held the passenger door of the BMW
open for her. The night was muggy, but the interior of the car was
cool and dry. She slid into the seat. Before she could reach for
the seat belt, he leaned in.

“
Allow me,” he said his
voice a low sexy growl.

He reached for the strap, stretching it
across her chest. He clicked it into place. She caught the scent of
his cologne, slightly musky with just a touch of spice. The scent
shot ripples of desire straight to her core. She’d never reacted to
any other man like this. It baffled her how part of her could
loathe the very ground he walked on, yet another part wanted to rip
his clothes off and throw herself at him.

Mabe swallowed as he
extracted himself from the car. His deep brown eyes captured her
gaze. He smiled. The sexual innuendo of the simple gesture along
with the memory of their searing kiss nearly ripped an orgasm from
her right in the front seat of his car.
What the hell is wrong with me?

Aaron shut the door. She let her breath
out in a whoosh, quickly trying to compose herself before he slid
in on the driver’s side.

“
Where are we going?” she
asked over the growl of the BMW’s engine.

“
I hope you like my idea. I
wanted to be somewhere private where we could talk. None of the
restaurants in Tallahassee appealed to me.”

“
I don’t mind driving a
little farther if you want to.”

He didn’t speak, pulling out onto
Washington Street. He drove to the intersection of Palmer Mill Road
and turned right.

“
Actually, the distance
isn’t far.” He pulled into the driveway of Hope’s and Dreams. “I
asked Hope to prepare something for us. She has a little private
dining room off the kitchen, and I reserved it for the night.” He
glanced at his watch. “We should be just about on time.”

She stared at him.
The man is full of surprises.
She’d heard Hope would offer private catered dinners at the
inn from time to time, but she’d never experienced one. Again, she
was touched.

“
I don’t mind. I think it’s
kind of nice. I’ve heard Hope is an amazing cook.”

“
If her breakfasts are any
indication, she is.” He patted his stomach. “I’ve gained ten pounds
in only a few days.”

Mabe glanced at her cast. She smiled,
thinking of their collision. “If I hadn’t been coming around the
bush at full steam, you would’ve been able to exercise.”

He chuckled and pressed the button to
stop the engine. “I think you got the worst end of that deal. I’m
sorry about your arm. Does it still hurt?”

She shook her head. “Not much. The cast
is pretty annoying though.”

He reached over, stroked a finger up
the pink plaster. Even though she couldn’t feel it, the gesture
sent a fresh set of shockwaves through her system. She needed to
pull herself together. Her desire for the man was completely
insane.

“
I’m sorry,” he said again
and leaned forward, catching her by surprise. He brushed a soft
quick kiss across her lips, lingered in her gaze just for a moment,
and then slipped out of his seat.

Damn, he was sexy. Mabe ramped up her
guard. If he kept this up, not only would she sell him the pub,
she’d sign away her first born, too, if he wanted it.

Aaron opened the door. She wrapped her
fingers around his warm strong hand and allowed him to pull her
from the car. He led her across the crunchy gravel to the back of
the house. He swept into a low bow, gesturing her inside. It
reminded her of the saying, “‘Enter my parlor,’ said the spider to
the fly.”

She was no fly. Squaring her shoulders
she crossed the threshold, determined to keep the upper hand during
dinner. Hope stood in the kitchen, dressed in a white chef’s tunic
with black pants. She held a carafe in one hand a crystal glass in
another.

“
Can I offer you some wine?”
she winked.

Mabe smiled. “Of course.” She played
along.

“
Mr. Shaw, your first course
is ready to be served when you are.”

Aaron grinned, seeming to enjoy the
game. “Excellent. Please serve when you’re ready, Chef.”

With a simple nod, Hope poured the
wine. She ushered them into the small dining room.

The rectangular table was covered with
a powder blue tablecloth. She’d dressed it with fine white china
and crystal. Two silver candlesticks held the same shade candles,
which cast flickering warm light throughout the small room. A
heavenly scent wafted in from the kitchen. Mabe’s stomach flipped.
She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.

He pulled out her chair. She sat on the
beautifully upholstered Queen Ann seat. The eloquent room surprised
her. She hadn’t even known it existed.

Aaron sat across from her, held up his
wine glass. “To a simple meal with great company.”

He clinked his glass against hers. She
sipped her wine, enjoying the delicious dry tartness of the dark
red liquid. Hope entered with two plates of prosciutto-wrapped
steamed asparagus covered with a light creamy sauce. She set one
plate in front of Aaron.

“
It looks fantastic,
Hope.”

Hope merely smiled. She placed Mabe’s
plate in front of her, and slipped quietly into the
kitchen.

“
Bon
appetite
,” Aaron said.

She wondered how she would negotiate
eating her meal with her cast. When she viewed her plate, she
snorted. Hope had already cut the appetizer into bite-size pieces.
Delighted, she simply reached for her fork, popped a piece into her
mouth. She sighed. Hope indeed was a remarkable chef. She and Mara
would have to trade secrets.

“
It’s good, huh?” He watched
her over his wine glass.

“
Mmm.” Mabe took another sip
of wine. “Okay. What is this all about? Are you going to try to
twist my other arm for the pub?”

“
To be honest with you, I
wasn’t even going to talk about the pub tonight. But since you
brought it up….”

She couldn’t resist smiling. He was
charming if nothing else. But there was a whole lot of else going
on. “Oh, come on,” she scoffed. “You know you’re here to pressure
us into selling. If you get into my pants during the process, so
much the better for you. Am I right?”

Aaron spit wine onto his plate. He
grasped his napkin, wiped his mouth. “What on earth gives you the
impression I’m trying to get into your pants?”

She spread her arms wide. “Romantic
dinner by candlelight, pink tie to match my cast, the steamy look
you gave me when you fastened my seat belt. Hell, a woman would
have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to miss those signals.” She took
another sip of wine, swallowed quickly. She held up a finger. “Um,
the hot smooch you just gave me before we came inside the inn. Not
to mention the soul searing kiss you gave me in the back of the
pub.”

Mirth filled his expression. “You
thought it was soul searing?”

Heat crept up her
neck.
Damn wine
.
Instead of speaking, she gave him a haughty glare and finished her
appetizer.

Hope strolled in, cleared their plates,
replacing them with a salad so fresh the lettuce practically
crackled when she stuck her fork in it.

“
Listen,” Aaron started.
“Your family is in a bind. I want another restaurant. It’s a
win-win for everyone. I’m willing to give you more than it’s worth
to take it off your hands.” He crunched a bite of salad, swallowed.
“Isn’t there anything you’ve always wanted to do if you didn’t have
to work?”

Mabe calmly placed her fork upside down
on her nearly empty salad plate. “Yes, there is.”

“
What?”

“
Run my pub.”

He offered a seemingly exasperated
stare.

“
I’m serious. I love
Shenanigans. It’s all I’ve ever done. I take great pride in being
so young and having built it to what it is today. After thinking
over some of the things you said to Mara, I see it could use some
updating, but not too much. We have a loyal, regular clientele. Our
atmosphere works for this town. I don’t want to give it
up.”

Hope tiptoed in, removed the
salad plates. Mabe watched her, silent while her friend moved
around the table. With Hope’s back to Aaron, she winked at Mabe and
mouthed,
“You tell him, honey.”

Mabe offered her a small smile in
return. She sat back in her chair, sipped her wine. She glanced
about the beautiful room. Finally her gaze settled on
Aaron.

“
Mabe,” he started. “How are
you and your sisters going to get the money to pay Toreni? Gavin
can’t help you. He hasn’t got it. The life insurance won’t pay out
for a while—”

“
If there even is any,” she
muttered.

His eyes widened. “You really think
your father let the policy lapse?”

She shrugged. “Who knows?
Probably.”

He crossed both arms over his chest,
leaned back in his chair. “So, if that’s the case, what the hell is
your plan?”

Hope entered the room, the steamy aroma
of stuffed sea bass wafted across the table.

“
Oh my, Hope, this looks
wonderful. I never knew you had it in you. ”

Hope blushed. “It’s nothing. With a
little practice and a good recipe, anyone can do it.”

“
Oh no, I can’t,” Mabe
scoffed. “I can burn water.”

“
Funny. And so not true.
I’ve had many a sandwich at your pub I’d be proud to serve
here.”

“
Those are the ones Jake
makes.”

Hope laughed. She left them to their
meal.

After several bites of delectable sea
bass, Mabe looked up. Aaron still stared at her. “Eat your
fish.”

“
I’m serious. What is your
plan? Toreni is getting impatient. He won’t wait much longer. He’ll
find a way to force you to pay.”

She put down her fork. “How do you know
so much about this guy? Have you had dealings with him?”

“
Not directly, but his
reputation precedes him.”

She studied his face. He held her gaze,
but something made her uncomfortable. He seemed trustworthy, but it
was all just a little too convenient. He’d shown up, riding on his
white horse, to save the day just when the loan payment was
supposedly going to come due. Suspicious though she was, she still
couldn’t help her attraction to him. She might not sell her pub to
the man, but she certainly wouldn’t mind exploring a friendship
with benefits.

“
He’s a businessman.
Right?”

Aaron nodded.

“
Then he’ll understand
business terms. I’ll just propose he take a down payment now, and
I’ll pay him the rest in a few months. I’ll take another mortgage
out on the pub then pay him off.” Using her knife, she pushed the
last bite of fish onto her fork. She chewed, a slight moan escaping
her throat. “God, that was delicious.”

“
Listen to me. Toreni is a
businessman but not the type you’re used to dealing with. Even if
he does agree to let you give him a down payment, do you have any
idea what interest rate he’ll slap on you? Thirty percent at the
lowest.”

“
Thirty percent? Shit!
That’s crazy. I won’t pay it.” She raised her chin in
defiance.

“
Honey, you’re in too deep.
Your father has already stalled this man for longer than Toreni is
willing to wait. Gavin told me he wants the money by tomorrow
night. If you sell to me, I can do a cash deal. I’ll have my
attorney draw up the papers tonight.”

Her back bowed. She would not be
pressured into selling her pub. It was hers, damn it. It was going
to stay hers, or she’d die trying. “How many ways do I have to tell
you no?”

Hope brought in two plates with white
slices of cheesecake smothered in fresh strawberries.

Mabe groaned. “Oh no, I don’t think I
can eat another bite.”

“
Oh, come on,” Aaron
commented. “A tough Irish girl like you, afraid of a little piece
of cheesecake? Show me what you’re made of.” He forked up a bite,
closed his eyes. “This is pure bliss.”

She shot him a mock glare. Maybe he was
willing to drop the whole buy-the-pub thing. She hoped so. It was
really becoming a downer. Her head buzzed from the wine, but she’d
had a great meal. Now, all she wanted to do was enjoy the company
of a sexy man—one who was not going to out eat her.