One Funeral (No Weddings Book 2) (9 page)

“So becoming a good chess player will help me outthink my competition with Sweet Dreams?”

He nodded. “It will also help you think outside the box in business planning by looking at different aspects of various components—like marketing, products, distribution, even buying and pricing—from fresh angles.”

After downing my last bite of cake and seeing only a crumb left on his, I stacked both plates, crossing our forks on the top one, and put them aside on the coffee table by the couch. “Okay, Chess Master. Deal me in.”

“That’s poker. This is chess. Get your lingo straight, woman.”

I laughed. “Okay, run through what each piece does. All I remember is pawns move one or two spaces, rooks move straight, the horse does some L-shaped thing, and this pointy guy goes diagonal.”

He snorted, fighting laughter. “The horse is your knight. Yes, he does L-shaped moves—one space then two on a right angle, or two spaces then one—in any direction. The pointy guy is your bishop, and you’re right, he moves on the diagonal. The queen can move in any direction on a row she’s on. And the king can only move one space in any direction. Pawns can only move forward, are only able to move two spaces on a first move, and they can only capture pieces on the diagonal.”

Head swimming with rules, I waved my hands wildly over the board. “Let’s just start. I’ll learn better as we go.”

And so the game began. Cade talked me through every play on either side. He let me decide which piece I wanted to move, but then had me examine possible second and third moves from there, as well as vulnerabilities I’d opened up by my action.

The game was actually quite complicated.

And a blast.

Midway through our second game, I started moving pieces without thinking much beforehand, learning from the consequences. For the third game, I concentrated. I made decisions with careful thought, taking every possible angle into consideration with each move. And I played better, capturing more of Cade’s pieces.

He removed his hand from his chin and moved his rook, placing my king one move away from checkmate.

But if I read the board right, we wouldn’t get that far. I moved my piece, going for the kill. “Queen takes knight.”

His gaze lifted to mine, heating. “Yeah, she does.”

I smirked. “Oh, and checkmate.”

Blinking hard, he stared back down, scouring the board for a way out. “Nice move, Maestro.”

“Thanks. I have a few.”

He regarded me for a moment but said nothing as we started to replace pieces on their colored squares.

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “My brain hurts.”

He stood and stretched his legs, walking into the center of the room. “Give it a few games. Soon you won’t think about the moves, and the big picture will jump out at you more vividly.”

I snorted and got up. “I sure as hell hope so. I plan on kicking your ass again. And often.”

Before I turned fully toward him, he embraced me from the side, solid and warm. Then he dropped his lips down to my neck. “I look forward to it.”

I shuddered at his heated breath trailing down my neck and swallowed hard. My brain scrambled, and I couldn’t remember what we were just talking about. Chess?

He chuckled. “C’mon, Maestro. It’s late. Walk me out before we jump the tracks on our whole no-pressure non-dating thing.”

I nodded, thinking he made very good sense but feeling so much like jumping the tracks. Or him.

He grabbed his jacket off the coat hook and shrugged into it. “Hey, did you get the email I sent earlier today?”

And just like that, the shift to business brought me out of my tawdry thoughts. I nodded. “About tomorrow’s meeting? An Easter event?”

He sighed. “Yeah. Don’t know what it’s all about. When Kristen doesn’t send a theme, I have no idea what we’re doing. I’m thinking it won’t be religious, which only leaves an egg-hunt vibe—which gives me the hives.”

I laughed. “Why?”

He shot me another deadpan expression. “More rules we’d made when my sisters and I created Invitation Only. No balloon animals. No clowns.
No kids.
”

I held back laughter and braced myself as he leaned in and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. As fast as the searing contact had been, he pulled back, walking backward onto my front stoop. “Good night, Maestro. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Cade.” I leaned into my doorframe and watched him climb onto his bike and ride away. My thoughts drifted from the chaste kiss to the heated ones we’d had, and I pulled my lower lip into my mouth. I released it and blew out a slow breath.
This waiting thing?
So
overrated.

S
hortly after 8:00 p.m. Saturday night, I knocked on Kristen’s front door and waited a couple of minutes to no answer. When I turned the latch, it was unlocked, and I let myself in.

The front entryway had a single lamp on, and the dim hall lights led me toward the back where a rising commotion echoed through the house. Some kind of cheesy stripper music was streaming from tinny-sounding speakers.

I made my way back to Kristen’s living room, a smile curving onto my face as the music continued to play amid escalating shouts and grunts.

Cade stood over one of the dining chairs, leaning over the table, holding his laptop—the source of the horrendous song—out of reach of his sisters Kiki and Kendall, who swiped at it from opposite sides. Kristen, the oldest of the four, ran around to the other side of the table, snatched it from him, and snapped it shut. Blessedly, the music stopped.

Kendall collapsed across the table. “Thank God.”

Cade relaxed down into his chair, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Kiki shoved his shoulder hard. “We are
not
playing that.”

Cade’s gaze drifted over to me, and he winked before looking at Kiki. “Yes, we are. You three have vetoed my music choices for the last time. At McGinty’s, they played my raunchy suggestions even after you removed them from the playlist. Face it, I know what the clients want before they do. I sure as hell know them better than you.”

Kristen scrunched her face but didn’t deny his claim.

Cade swiped his laptop back from her when she came within range. “If left to your devices, you’d play Michael Bolton. And
Michael Bublé
.” He winced, shuddering.

We all burst out laughing.

By the time we settled down at the table, the three pizzas they ordered earlier had arrived. When I pulled off a slice of the pepperoni and mushroom, its cheese stretching all the way to my plate, Cade put his hand on my forearm.

His brows drew together. “I forgot that you can’t have dairy. I’ll order another one without cheese.”

My heart warmed at his concern. “No, some kinds of cheese are okay. Mozzarella has almost no lactose compared to milk. I usually have no reaction.”

Narrowing his eyes, he gave me a skeptical look.

“I promise. I’ll be fine.”

He gave me a nod and removed his hand. “Okay.”

Kiki tilted her head. “How do you run a bakery if you can’t eat what you make?”

“When I’m experimenting, I use coconut oil instead of butter. Some of my products are dairy free if they taste better that way.” I glanced at Cade. “And I have very eager taste testers when I use real butter.”

Cade gave a curt nod. “Use me anytime, Maestro.”

As it turned out, the pizza was delicious and harmless. We ate and drank beer while we began hashing out the next event, which was two weeks away.

Cade reopened his laptop and scrolled through a to-do list. “Kristen, you got the location?”

She nodded. “At the country club.”

Cade arched a brow. “You’re kidding. Couldn’t you talk them into using your barn?”

Kendall leaned over toward Cade. “It’s Dwight’s fiftieth birthday. He wants to show off all the young tail he attracts to his club friends.”

“No. We’re not doing this at the club. Invitation Only has a reputation to uphold. We have to direct the clients on what we will and won’t do. No way are we throwing a party that has the potential to go wild in those hallowed, snobbish halls. We’re exclusive. This party is exclusive. We’ll create more buzz by
not
holding it there.”

Kristen sighed. “Then you talk to Dwight. You’re the only one who might convince him. He needs to see your raunchy vision.”

Kiki nearly choked, coughing.

Kristen stuck her tongue out at her.

I leaned over Cade’s shoulder, watching him scroll the cursor down the list on the screen. “What about the cake?”

Cade took a swig of beer, then glanced at me, raising his eyebrows. “Thoughts?”

I lifted my bottle, placing my lips to the rim and took two slow swallows. I licked my lips as Cade’s eyes dilated, his breaths shortening. On a slow smile, I leaned in closer. “Do you think I might be able to do something with raunchy and wild as my inspiration?”

He swallowed hard.

All the attention in the room centered on me and Cade, the only sounds our breathing and the click of a white ceiling fan overhead.

Cade blew out a breath. “Fuck yeah, you can. Sold.”

Kendall snorted. “Of course you are. Men are so predictable.”

He shrugged. “Not gonna deny it.”

Kendall tossed a cheese puff at him, which he caught in his mouth before giving an extra snap of his teeth at her.

An hour later, the Monopoly board was spread on Kristen’s coffee table. Cade had stretched out on the couch and leaned forward only when it was his turn to move his thoroughly appropriate game piece: the dog.

I sat in the space he’d left for me by scooting his ass back into the couch. Kristen reclined on the other end of the couch. Opposite us, Kiki leaned on an enormous floor pillow that was propped against the front of a pretentious wing chair. And Kendall sat perfectly upright on the floor, her legs folded cross-legged beneath her, like she was meditating in between turns.

I rolled the dice, then groaned. My top hat landed on the dog’s hotel strip. Park Avenue, of course.

He chuckled behind me. “Pay up, woman.”

I groaned. “You are ruthless.”

“I’m only playing by the rules. Pay attention, Maestro. When luck rolls your way, cunning decisions make successful businesses.”

Kiki launched a throw pillow at Cade and nailed him in the face. Without getting up, he lobbed it back at her but missed by two feet.

I counted out bills to the evil landlord, slapping them down. “That’s the last of my money. I’m out.” I stood from the low couch, stretching my legs.

“Hey, while you’re up, beer me?” Cade leaned forward and onto his side, sorting his newly acquired rents in an evenly-spaced line on the edge of the table.

Glancing over my shoulder, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Funny how you time requests to match one of us girls getting up.”

He grinned. “Usually when you have to pee. You girls have tiny bladders.”

Kristen called out as I entered the kitchen. “It’s been his MO since we were little. We’ve catered to his cute mug far too long.”

I opened the fridge and smiled, seeing Kristen’s own version of obsessive compulsive on display with perfectly lined rows of sorted drinks. I decided their neurotic tendencies must be hereditary. “Anyone else want one?”

Kendall and Kristen murmured they were fine. The sound of dice tumbling onto the board followed.

“I’ll have one,” Kiki shouted.

“What, no oolong tea?” Cade reached up for his beer as I passed by, then settled back into the couch.

Kiki shook her head, reaching for hers. “No. I don’t want to be wired all night. Besides, if it’s good enough for Hannah, I’m down with it.”

I tilted my head in thanks and clinked bottle necks with her. Then a thought occurred to me. I sat beside her, next to the floor pillow in front of the chair. “Hey, do you want to get together sometime? Like hang out, just you and me?”

Neither of us had suggested hanging out before, other than going out as a group once with her sisters to tease Cade at his bar, Loading Zone. Kiki and I had gotten along well in the two college art classes we’d taken together. But back then, I was a little distant with everyone after the break up with my ex.

She nudged my shoulder, smiling. “Yeah. That’d be cool.”

Kiki was a few years older than me but seemed younger with her free-spirited nature. We also had a lot in common: our creativeness, business interests, and maturity level.

“Great. I’ll give you a call.” Both relief and excitement buzzed through me. I was amazed at how easy inviting her out had been once I’d opened myself up to making new friends.

When I returned to the couch, Cade scooted back again, making room.

“You two seem cozy on the other end of the couch,” Kristen remarked.

Cade rolled his eyes. “Nothing to see here, busybody.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Kendall gave Cade a hard look.

And yet, interestingly, whenever we were together around his sisters, he seemed to be extra “non-touching” with me. At the moment, I sat in the space he’d carved out, my jeans barely touching his. But Cade moved at their comments, scooting further back into the couch.

Why was he hiding our interest in each other? We hadn’t outright talked about it, but maybe it was because there wasn’t yet much to tell.