The Bet (22 page)

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…” Could he do it? Could he say he loved her? Travis looked at her moonlit face and chickened out. “All I’m saying is, I was an idiot and chased after you to bring you back home. It was stupid that you would run to another city after your parents died. I know you needed a fresh start, but why couldn’t you lean on us? Why couldn’t you allow us to support you?”

“I can’t talk about that.” Kacey looked away again.

Damn his idiot brother. He’d do anything to know what else happened that night besides sex. No way did sex ruin people the way it ruined Jake and Kacey. Was she really telling him everything? Part of his heart clenched at the thought.

“I bought it,” he blurted, much like an eighth grader with no skills with the female sex, or communication for that matter.

“Pardon?”

“The restaurant. I bought it.”

“Today?” Kacey gave him a horrified look.

“No.” He felt suddenly embarrassed. “The day you signed the papers, you signed them over to my business partner. Three years ago I bought him out. It’s all mine.”

“Why?” Kacey’s lip trembled.

“Because I’m a good businessman?” And he got an enormous trust fund when he was eighteen.

Kacey rolled her eyes.

The inside of the truck fell silent except for Travis’s heavy breathing. The windows would be steamed any minute. He wondered if she could hear his heart hammering in his chest. “Because of you, Kace. Everything I do, everything I’ve done in my life, it’s all because of you.”

There, he said it. Now she could rip out his heart and stomp on it.

With a sob, she lunged across the console and into his lap, grabbing his lips between hers in such a forceful kiss he was breathless.

“You knew,” she said while kissing his jaw. “You knew how much this place meant to me, Travis.”

Adrenaline-mixed with lust slammed through him as she wrapped tighter and tighter around him. It was hard to think straight, let alone do anything but strategically plan for ways to remove her clothing in the fastest way possible.

“I knew.” He shuddered as she licked his ear.

“I think I l—”

“What the hell kind of place is this?” a man’s voice shouted outside the window.

Alarmed, Travis turned, then relaxed and grinned. Old man Casbon was smiling from ear to ear and already pulling open the truck door. So much for privacy.

“Mr. Casbon,” Kacey sputtered. “Didn’t know you’d, um, be here.”

“Yeah, well, the woman always sends me out for dessert. Got a phone call a bit ago saying she needed me to bring her some chocolate to her cottage. Hearty appetite that one. Besides, I know the owner.” He nudged Travis and continued. “She had an itch for some sort of chocolate soufflé, so I drove on out to grab her whatever her heart desires.”

“Sounds like love.” Sadly, Kacey hopped off Travis’s lap and leaned against the truck.

“Oh, girlie, it is. Though sometimes I wonder if I rate above that chocolate she likes. Say, Travis…” He turned to face him. “Got any more of that stuff left?”

“Sure thing, follow me.” Travis turned off the truck and led them into the restaurant. It was nearly closing time, meaning there were only a few people scattered about.

He hoped that Kacey wouldn’t be too alarmed with the changes he’d made. When her parents owned the place it’d had a sort of Italian café look. Nowadays, it looked more like an old world café. It boasted original wood floors, thick rugs, modernized furniture, old clocks and pictures, as well as a few hanging lanterns.

Kacey tightened her grip on his arm. “I really like it.”

Her eyes lit up as she broke away from him and began walking the perimeter. His favorite part of the restaurant had to be the outside. The balcony overlooking the water was beautiful. It was decorated as a plantation-style deck complete with ceiling fans. His personal favorite.

Kacey walked outside, so Travis turned to Mr. Casbon. “Soufflé? Right. I’m on it.” He ran to the back and nodded to the manager as he grabbed a to-go box and stuffed in a few treats for Grandma.

Mr. Casbon pulled out a fifty.

Travis shook his head. “Nah, you’ll need it for next time. It’s on the house. I know the owner.”

With a wink and a pat on the shoulder, Mr. Casbon shuffled out, and Travis went in search of Kacey.

When he reached the deck he noticed her sitting in a chair closest to the water.

“This was my dad’s favorite spot. He’d say he could see all the way to China from this spot right here.”

“Hmm.” Travis kneeled down next to her. “Not China, but maybe, just maybe Vancouver though.”

Kacey sighed heavily. “I don’t even know where to start. Do I say thank you for doing something I didn’t have the guts to do? Do I say I’m sorry for treating you so horribly? Do I apologize to my dead parents for being less than what they brought me up to be—”

“Whoa! Wait right there.” Travis jerked her to her feet. “Don’t you ever say that. I will throw you over my shoulder and jump into the river next time you say such stupid things.”

Kacey’s eyes began to tear.

“Oh baby, you can cry. Cry all you want, but you need to hear this, hear it from me, okay? This wasn’t your dream. I know that. And you probably should have gone away for a bit to try to heal. I did this for you, for me, for your parents. I loved them too, you know. And it worked out in the end, didn’t it? Your parents…” He swallowed so he wouldn’t begin to get choked up. When he felt he had control over his emotions again he continued, “I count myself lucky every day I get to see you breathe, let alone walk and talk at the same time. Because each day you do those things is one more day that your parents didn’t. To me that’s living. You are living, and that is what your parents would want, Kace. They wanted you to live, to love, to hurt, to laugh, to cry. They wanted it all because they lived it all. Here look at this…”

Travis lifted the chair Kacey had been sitting in and flipped it over, reading, “X marks the spot. Here lies my treasure.”

He turned to look at her. “My treasure is right next to me.” A red arrow pointed directly to the other chair, and then, as if there was ever any doubt of who the message was talking about, a tiny picture of Kacey as a baby was taped to the bottom.

“Did you put this here?” Kacey choked.

“No.” Travis grinned. “Your parents did, or at least I’m assuming they did, considering it was like that when we bought the place. I’ve just kept it in pristine condition, which would have been easier if they had taken precaution to laminate the picture. No worries though. I’ve got stalker in my genes. I just swapped the photo out with another one from your baby album.”

“Which you got from…”

“Mom…”

“How does she even have those?”

Travis shrugged. She didn’t need to know his family had an entire shed full of the stuff Kacey refused to look through after her parents’ death. “We had it around.”

“This is…” Kacey lifted her hands in the air and huffed.

“A lot to take in, I know. I can be like that. So now, I’m going to feed you.”

“Ah, so that’s your evil plan. Make me emotional then feed me.”

“Of course” He kissed her nose. “I hear chocolate works wonders. It’s also an aphrodisiac, at least that’s what I hear.”

“Lucky you.” Kacey punched his arm.

“No, Kace.” He breathed into her ear and licked the side of her neck, loving the way her skin tasted salty and sweet at the same time. “Lucky you.”

“Arrogant bastard,” Kacey said, playfully pushing him away.

“Always. Now, sit. I’ll be right back.”

****

Kacey was suddenly thankful for the sweatshirt as the wind picked up. But she didn’t want to go inside for warmth. She wanted to stay planted exactly where she was, and never leave.

Ever.

Suddenly the thought of going back to Seattle seemed too depressing to dwell on, and her flight was early the next morning. She leaned back against the chair and played with a sugar packet from the table. Dread filled her stomach as she thought about leaving.

What if she stayed?

What if she stayed here?

Kacey laughed as she looked around her, at the place she’d run away from. The memories made her heart hurt, but they also gave her hope, and the more she looked, the easier it seemed to breathe. As if her stress-filled life was directly correlated with the lie she was living.

She’d actually been a business major with an emphasis in entrepreneurship until her parents died. She’d switched to kinesiology the next year and took extra classes to finish on time with her degree and trainer’s license.

Well, she had a lot to think about, and it was all because of Travis.

The silly little boy who stalked her by the tree house.

The same one who threw rocks at her and pulled her pigtails.

And she was desperately in love with him.

Apparently she was also good at conjuring up the man himself, because seconds later, he was approaching her table with a large tray.

His white apron was damn sexy too.

“Do you happen to have a chef’s hat?”

“My staff would kill me for pretending to be anything less than a waiter, believe me. I’m only allowed to wear the apron on holidays, and even then it’s a big deal. I won’t get into it. But there’s usually a lot of clapping and champagne.”

“Do you want me to clap now?” she asked cheekily.

“Well, does my current look give you reason to clap?”

“I don’t know.” Kacey tilted her head. “Turn around.”

He did a circle.

“Now stop!” She giggled when she had a nice view of his tight butt. “Yup, I’ll clap for that.” She also added in a whistle and a catcall.

“I’m not a piece of meat, Kacey. Geez, I have feelings too.”

“Pity.”

Travis rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’ve brought several selections for the lady, as well as a wine pairing for each selection. What is your desire?”

“All of it.”

“And what will you give me in return?”

She gulped and shakily met his gaze. “Everything.”

Travis stared at her lips, his eyes taking on a hungry glint as his mouth curled into a seductive grin. “I’m sure that can be arranged. But first, we eat.”

“You want to eat before you ravish me, is that it?”

“Kacey, I’ve been ravishing you in my mind all morning and afternoon. Believe me, you have no idea. But first, I feed you.”

“Thanks.” Kacey felt herself flush with pleasure as he poured her a glass of red wine and scooted over a plateful of different types of chocolate.

Chapter
Twenty-nine

Travis displayed eight different types of chocolate from all around the world. “The trick is to take a small bite and then pair it with a glass of wine, or espresso if you prefer, but I think we both know what happened last time you had caffeine.”

“I ended up in your bed.”

“Espresso, it is.” Travis grinned.

Kacey laughed and reached for a piece of dark chocolate. “I like it here.”

Travis told his heart to stop clenching in his chest every time she hinted toward staying. “In Portland?”

“The restaurant.” She shrugged. “It’s as if I never left.”

“They would be proud of you, Kacey.” He reached across the table and grasped her hand. “I know I am.”

Kacey shook her head. “What would they be proud of? The girl who hasn’t finished college? Who lives on her own and has one sad goldfish as a pet?”

“No.” Travis went to kneel next to her. “They’d be proud of your spirit, proud of the woman you’ve become. You’re strong, you’re brilliant, not to mention beautiful.”

Kacey’s head snapped up. “Do you really think I’m beautiful?”

“No. I think you’re breathtaking.”

Kacey flushed.

“I think you’re life-altering.”

She tried to pull away.

“I think you’re uniquely, wonderfully… you.”

Her lips trembled.

“I think I’m going to kiss you.”

“I think I want you to,” Kacey whispered as his lips descended toward hers. She tasted like bittersweet chocolate and wine. His hands moved to touch her skin then glided over her cheeks and dipped into her hair.

“Thank you…” Her voice was husky. “For saying that.” She pulled away and sniffed as her eyes began to water. “The last person who told me I was beautiful was my mother.”

“That,” he said as he kissed her nose. “Is a shame. You should be told you’re beautiful every day. Because every day it’s true, and every time I see you, you grow in your beauty. Just because people don’t say the words, doesn’t mean it’s any less true, Kace.”

She bit her lip and looked down. He kissed her forehead and reached for the chocolate. “Chocolate makes everything better.”

“Where have you been all my life?” she said, watery-eyed.

“Home,” Travis answered a note of seriousness in his voice. “I’ve been home, waiting for you.”

****

They drove home in silence. A light rain pattered across the windshield. Travis wasn’t sure what had shifted between them, but something had changed. Maybe he had been too vulnerable with her, his emotions felt raw, but then again, Kacey’s probably did as well.

It was dark by the time the truck pulled back into the driveway. They had spent at least three hours talking and sharing childhood memories. Several times Travis had wanted to drown himself in the river. After all, most of their childhood memories were of him stalking her or being hateful, and Kacey crying.

But they’d still had fun.

He didn’t remember ever spending so much time with a girl and wanting the day to never end.

Not to mention the night.

He turned the truck off and ran to the other side to open Kacey’s door.

“Tired?” his voice cracked.

“You’d think after all that wine and chocolate I would be.” Kacey hopped out and gave him a shrug. “You up for a movie?”

I’m up for anything
. “Whatever you want.”

“Great.” She bounced to the door and turned around. “But it’s my choice.”

“No Care Bears.”

“No Alice in Wonderland.”

They shook on it like they were five and burst out laughing as Travis let them into the house.

Everything was blanketed in darkness. In all his haste to start his romantic evening, he hadn’t left any lights on. The door clicked closed. Suddenly it felt very small in the giant living room. As if the air was being sucked out the windows. Travis told himself to calm down. But he was painfully aware of the girl standing next to him. The one that really did get away. The girl next door.