Saving Simon (Tarnished Saints Series Book 5) (16 page)

“I am. Not to mention I’m going to be a new father soon, and already a father of two beautiful children who I see peeking around the kitchen door right now.” Levi flipped the steak onto a plate with potatoes, put it up in the food window and rang a little bell. “Vance and Val, I need someone to help Bernito with the dishes,” he called out. “Come on in here and put on your working gloves,” he said with a smile. “There are a lot of grimy plates that need scraping.” The kids giggled and shut the door and disappeared.

“I’d better go check on them,” said Candace, excusing herself quickly.

“I really enjoyed the dinner, Levi. It was excellent.” Piper didn’t feel comfortable in the kitchen alone and hoped Candace would return quickly.

“Thanks.” He smiled a lopsided grin. “What would you like for dessert? We have lots of peaches,” he said, pointing to a nearby bushel on the counter which she recognized only too well. “You do like peaches, don’t you?”

“I do now,” she said with a smile, remembering her special day in the orchard with Simon. Peaches not only reminded her of Simon, but also of the special time she used to spend with her mother before she moved away. “My mother used to always make us grilled peaches in the summer and serve them with vanilla bean ice cream. My sister and I would eat them in our pajamas while sitting on the screen porch just before bedtime. Can you make those?”

“I don’t know. How did she make them?”

“They’re easy,” she said, smiling as all the fond memories of her mother and sister came flooding into her mind at once. “So easy that even I could do it.”

“Then do it,” he said, taking off his apron and tying it around her.

“What do you mean?” she asked frantically, raising her hands in the air above her head.

He picked up a few peaches and handed them to her. “Why don’t you show me how to make them?”

“No, I couldn’t. You are the chef, not me.”

“True, but I know how much my brother Simon likes to eat. I think if you make them for him, it’ll be something he’ll never forget.” He picked up a knife and a pair of tongs and held them up. “Are you ready?”

She suddenly thought about Simon and what Candace has said about the Taylor men. She’d been so scared about being a virgin around him that she’d been holding back and wondered if what Candace said was true. That is, that he wouldn’t wait forever for her. She wanted to do something to show him her appreciation for saving her life, and also possibly something that would hold his interest and impress him. She had feelings for him and didn’t want to lose him, and she knew her job wasn’t scoring her any brownie points with him. So she decided that maybe the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach after all, and that maybe she could make a good impression – at least where peaches were concerned.

“I’ll need cinnamon and ground ginger,” she told him, tightening her apron around her waist. “And ice cream. Lots of vanilla bean ice cream.” This might be the thing that would hold his interest so he wouldn’t forget about her after all.

Simon wondered what was taking Piper so long to come back from the kitchen, and then she appeared at the table in a chef’s apron with a server holding a tray of desserts right next to her.

“Pippa?” he asked, not sure what was going on. “Why are you in an apron? Are you doing dishes?”

“No, she’s not doing dishes,” said Candace coming up to join them with her children at her side. “Piper made dessert for you, Simon.”

“You did?” He suddenly wondered exactly what he was going to have to eat. He didn’t think a girl like Piper spent any time with a spatula in her hand, but rather a menu. “What did you make, sweetheart?” he asked cautiously, wondering why she’d done this or if he would have to pretend he liked something that might taste vile.

“I made something my mother used to make for me when I was a child. Grilled peaches with ice cream.”

Simon felt his jaw twitch at the idea of eating hot fruit that was grilled. Steaks were grilled, burgers were grilled, but not fruit, especially peaches. Still, she looked so cute in the chef’s apron that he did his best to smile. “I can’t wait to taste it,” he lied, and was almost shocked when the server put the dish down in front of him and it actually looked delicious.

The peaches had grill marks on them and a slight caramelization on top. The smell of cinnamon and ginger wafted up into the air and made his mouth water. He picked up his spoon and dipped it into the vanilla bean creamy ice cream, managing to break off a small bite-sized piece of the piping hot peach. The marriage of the hot peach with the cold ice cream was phenomenal as they melded together, reminding him of his relationship with Piper. He eagerly popped it into his mouth.

Flavor exploded on his tongue and the taste of the peach triggered his memory of kissing Piper in the orchard. His senses went wild, making the dessert seem like nothing more than frosting on the cake of something that would be engraved upon his memory til the day he died.

“Do you like it?” she asked, and he heard the quaver in her voice as she waited for his approval. She wrung her hands in front of her nervously and bit her bottom lip slightly, and he remembered her looking like this on the ship when her father was reprimanding her for falling overboard.

“Nope. Don’t like it at all,” he teased her and watched as a shadow crossed over her face and her mouth turned down into a little pout.

“Simon!” Cat scolded, and he just grinned as he picked up another spoonful and popped it into his mouth again. He took his time savoring the flavor and then swallowed, licked his lips, and a wide grin spread across his face.

“That is, I don’t just like it, I absolutely love it! Pippa, you made the best dessert I have ever tasted in my life.”

“Really?” She smiled, and before he knew what was happening, everyone at the table was applauding, and his little nephew and niece, Vance and Valentine rushed over and plopped down on his lap.

“We want some too, Uncle Simon,” said Vance reaching out for his bowl.

“Get your own,” he said, playfully hitting Vance’s hand gently with the back of his spoon. Then he looked up to Piper, feeling a connection between them that was strong and real. “This is mine and nobody – I repeat nobody, is going to have her but me.”

“Her?” asked little Valentine, looking up to him curiously and giggling while Vance scrunched up his face.

“Is the ice cream a girl, Uncle Simon?” asked Vance, and Valentine giggled even louder.

“
It
, I meant
it
,” he corrected himself, but it was too late. Everyone at the table started laughing.

“Good save, brother,” Zeb mumbled behind his hand and Simon would have felt embarrassed hadn’t he looked over to Piper just then and saw a sense of pride and satisfaction on her face that he had never seen in the whole time he knew her. He knew right then and there that this had come from her heart, and whether she knew it or not, she’d found a place in his heart just then that had never been filled by any of the other girls he’d ever dated in his life.

* * *

Simon walked Piper to the door of the cabin later that night with his arm around her shoulder. She’d even been bold enough to put her arm around his waist as well. They’d had a wonderful time tonight, and he didn’t want anything to spoil it. He figured he’d just give her a kiss at the door and not even ask to come inside. She seemed like she wanted to take things slow between them and though he wasn’t used to moving this slowly with a woman he desired, he would just give her the time she needed rather than to move too quickly and push her away.

“I had a wonderful time tonight,” she told him as they walked up the stairs. “I really like Zeb and Cat.”

“Just them?” he asked. “How about the rest of the company at the table?”

He was fishing for a compliment and was sure she knew it. But instead of saying what he wanted to hear, she just smiled and said something he didn’t expect at all.

“You’re right. That little Vance and Valentine are cute little kids too. I’m glad they joined us for dessert.” He frowned, and she giggled and hit him playfully on the arm. “You too,” she said.

“Well goodnight, Pippa.” He leaned over and kissed her very quickly on the mouth. He was trying his best not to scare her away when all he really wanted to do was pull her into his arms and liplock her so tightly she couldn’t get away. But he knew if he stayed here another minute he’d be pulling off her clothes right there before they even got into the cabin. So he turned and hurried down the steps before he was tempted to stay. Then her angelic little voice called out to him and made him turn around.

“Simon?”

“Yes?” He turned and looked at her and his heart almost stilled, waiting for her to ask him to come in. If she did, then he’d know she was into him as much as he was into her. This was the confirmation he needed to give him the green light to move forward like he wanted. All she had to do was invite him in and he would go. He held his breath just waiting for her word.

“Sweet dreams,” she said instead, and he felt a wave of disappointment wash over him dousing his fires of passion more than a storm at sea. “Don’t bother to pick me up in the morning since Cat is coming to get me and we’re spending the day together.”

Why did this sound like goodbye to him? Now he wondered if he should have tried a little harder to persuade her instead of casting out his lure and hoping she’d take the bait. This woman either didn’t want a relationship with him or she was slower than a sea turtle and needed to be coaxed instead of teased. She obviously didn’t know how to play this lover’s game, and he was going to have to teach her.

“Right,” he said, going to her car. He quickly pulled open the door and heard her call out to him again.

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

Unfortunately, sleeping on that dirty boat, he wasn’t at all sure bedbugs weren’t going to be biting after all. Then again, he almost hoped they would, because then he wouldn’t feel his own conscience eating at him all night for being so stupid and possibly blowing the only chance he had of convincing Piper that she really wanted him after all.

Chapter 14

Piper had dressed and readied herself early the next morning looking forward to her day of luxury. She waited on the porch swing for Cat to pick her up at the cabin. Once again, she hadn’t slept well, but this time it wasn’t from fear that she was going to be accosted by a bear or a spider. This time is was because she was afraid that Simon had lost interest in her and she didn’t know how to make him want her.

“Hi, Piper,” Cat called out as she drove up with the top down on her red Sebring convertible. The woman she’d met that they’d called Aunt Cappy was sitting in the front seat of the car next to her. Piper wasn’t happy about this, as she’d been looking forward to spending the day with just Cat and had hoped she could confide in her about her feelings for Simon. Now with Simon’s aunt along, she knew that was never going to happen.

Piper got up off the front porch swing, grabbing her purse and heading toward the car. Today she wore shorts, a tank top, and flip flops on her feet instead of a dress and heels. She’d learned her lesson yesterday that out here in the backwoods was not the place for dressing like she usually did back home.

“Good morning, Cat. Good morning, Aunt Cappy,” she said walking up to the car. She didn’t really like the idea of riding in the convertible with the top down in the country since a bug had lodged itself in her teeth yesterday when Simon insisted on driving fast with the top of her car down. She also still felt like she had gravel dust lodged in her lungs.

Now it looked like she’d not only be riding in the car with the top down, but she’d be sitting in back which didn’t make her happy either. She’d spent a good hour fussing with her hair this morning, and was only thankful she’d brought along her hair dryer and curling iron from home. It wasn’t easy trying to beautify herself in the cabin’s small bathroom with the rusty sink and cracked mirror.

“Ready to go shopping and then to lunch?” asked Cat.

“Yes, but I thought . . . we’d be alone,” she said, knowing she was probably sounding rude right now, but she didn’t really care. She wasn’t in the best of moods this morning after Simon rushed off with barely a kiss last night. It had been so crushing to her, especially since she was so sure he liked the dessert she’d made him.

“Don’t worry, Missy,” said Aunt Cappy. “Cat is just dropping me off at Laney’s antique shop, I’m not coming with you. Laney is feeling sicker than a worm at the bottom of a bottle of tequila, and I’m going to watch the shop for a while so she can go home and lie down. So you two will have plenty of private time to talk about Simon.”

Piper felt awful now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean – ”

“Yes, you did. Now get in and stop the excuses, and let’s get going.”

“Okay.” She stood next to the passenger door but Aunt Cappy was doing nothing to get out and move the seat so Piper could crawl in back.

“What’s the matter? Just hop on over the side the way the boys do it,” said Aunt Cappy.

“What?” she asked, never dreaming of doing something like this.

“Come over on this side, Piper, I’ll get out,” said Cat, opening her door.