Beefcake & Cupcakes Page 6

  When McCullough set down his fork, Gage headed back and took a seat at the table. He laid the tablet with his mock-up in front of McCullough. “How about this? We match the stone from the patio and carry that through the base walls and roof supports. I’ll use cinder blocks for the interior, then cover them with the stone. I’m assuming you want the roof to match the pool house, right? Slate is a great product for this sort of feature.”

  “Of course. I want the best.”

  No surprise. Gage kept the smile off his face. The guy definitely wanted this for bragging rights, or a keep-up-with-the-Joneses thing—which was just fine with him. The more high-end the design, the bigger the profit. “Slate it is. It’ll help with the upkeep, too, since that’s minimal. A bigger outlay up front, but it evens out over the long-term.”

  McCullough took a sip from his snifter. It had to be brandy; a guy like him would drink brandy with his meal. Probably brought out the Port and cigars with dessert. “Money isn’t the issue. Time and appearance are. This is my engagement party and I want it to be perfect for my fiancée.”

  Gage had a funny feeling that the appearance and money-is-no-object things had a lot more to do with the engagement than the gazebo.

  God, he was cynical. Why couldn’t the guy have a fiancée who loved him for who he was and not for his money?

  Because this guy was about as lovable as the wrought iron furniture he was sitting on.

  “Okay, I have what I need. I’ll work up a quote and email it to you by tomorrow afternoon. Sound good?”

  McCullough nodded and opened the newspaper again. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  Prick didn’t even shake his hand goodbye.

  Chapter 10

  “Ready to dazzle them with your cupcakes, cuz?” Cara plugged the Ferris wheel display into the cable strip taped between the booths at the charity benefit in the middle of the community center’s football field.

  Lara had to resist the urge to look at her cupcakes. She could still hear Gage’s teasing drawl when he’d called her that at the expo.

  She had to resist smiling about it, too. Cara would ask, and well, she didn’t really want to share. It’d been a long time since flirting had been fun, and with Gage, it definitely was.

  “Lar? You with me, honey?” Cara poked her. “I know the Simpson party last night was a late one, but we need to be on today. It’s our biggest exposure yet.”

  “I’m good. No worries.” She got her mind back into the here and now since Gage was over and done. “Hand me the cupcakes with the sports team logos, will you? I’m expecting them to be a big hit today.”

  Given that the benefit was for a six-year-old boy, she figured sports were a safe bet since, many times, boys would refuse to touch “girly” cupcakes.

  Gage wouldn’t. He’d be all over a girl’s cupcakes—

  Oh, Lord. Could she get her mind off him already? He was so one-week-ago and other than that one weak moment when she’d looked him up online, she’d really tried hard to forget.

  Obviously that wasn’t working for her.

  By the time she and Cara finished setting up the rest of the booth, there was a line waiting. Food was always a draw at events like these. Lara had made sure to bring double the amount she normally would. Cara had designed new brochures to capture local attention and handed them out at the front end of the booth. Lara then hooked them with samples in the middle, and the newsletter list sat at the end, all alone, begging for email addresses, which almost everyone was gladly filling in.

  “I have to run to the ladies’ room,” Cara said during a lull. “Think you can manage by yourself?”

  “No problem. I’m just going to replenish the table. Can you grab me a lemonade on your way back?”

  “Sure. See you in a bit.”

  Lara bent down to open another box of cupcakes. She’d discovered that people were less likely to approach a booth if the set up was sparse, so she always brought more than what she’d thought they’d need. She’d only miscalculated once.

  “Hey there, Cupcake.”

  Make that twice.

  Lara looked up. Cowboy Gage was standing at her table. Sans hat, chaps or boots, but it was definitely him. Those aquamarine eyes were one of a kind. And so was his effect on her.

  She stopped herself from running a hand through her curls to make sure they were manageable. The humidity made it futile anyway, and there was no reason to call attention to the unruly mess when he was looking very well put together in navy shorts, a white button-down, and a smile.

  Lord, that smile. The man could heat a third world country with the power it packed.

  “Uh, hi. Are you, that is, is your company participating in the benefit?” She would’ve thought strippers were too risqué for a community event, but maybe the organizers were counting on the draw factor.

  “No. BeefCake’s not exactly appropriate for this crowd.”

  True. It was more the Zambuca-bachelorette party crowd—of which she was now a card-carrying member, much to her chagrin.

  “I’m here because I’m Connor’s uncle.”

  “Connor Nelson? The boy the benefit’s for?” She didn’t know why she was surprised; Gage was certainly entitled to have a family. She just hadn’t thought of him that way.

  Maybe because she’d been thinking of him in other, inappropriate, ones.

  “Yes, Connor’s my nephew. I’m going around to all the sponsors to say thank you in person for helping him and my sister out. They really need it and greatly appreciate what you’re doing. We all do.”

  His voice had thickened in a way that had nothing to do with flirting, and it made her want to comfort him. She reached for his hand. “I’m happy we can help. I hope this works out for all of you, and that Connor will be okay.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “He has to be.”

  “If there’s anything I can do, all you have to do is ask.”

  “Thanks. It’s been…” He looked away. “It’s been rough.”

  She couldn’t imagine what they were going through. Bad enough for the accident and the injuries, but then the added stress of the mounting medical bills; it was no wonder Gage was on edge.

  It was also no wonder why she wanted to comfort him. For all his teasing and flirting, there was something very real about Gage. Something that called to her.

  No no no. She wasn’t going down that road again. She had a business to see to. A broken ego to pull back together. Self-esteem to rebuild. By and for herself; not because of a man.

  “Hey, want a cupcake?” She held up one of the “girly” ones. The ones she’d baked, that is. Not the other—

  She put a lid on that thought.

  But her question did get a smile out of him, just as she’d intended.

  “Pink and rhinestones? Is that what you think of me?” he asked, his smile wreaking its own special brand of havoc.

  “That’s actually tiny rock candy, but it got you to smile, didn’t it?”

  And that got him to chuckle. “Give it to me. I’m sure it’s terrific no matter how you decorated it.” He peeled the hot pink foil wrapper off and took a bite.

  She so should not have watched him do that.

  He closed his eyes as his tongue made a quick swipe over his lips and he moaned. All things she’d missed out on that one drunken night.

  “Wow, Lara. Your cupcakes are spectacular.”

  She was not going to mention the Seinfeld episode. She wasn’t.

  But she was going to think about it.

  “Glad, uh, that you like it.” She went back to refilling the table. And the Ferris wheel. And heck, she put more brochures out, too. Anything to keep from watching him lick hot pink buttercream off his lips.

  She wasn’t very successful at that either. Especially when he licked his fingers.

  Where was her cousin with that damn lemonade? Lara needed to cool down pronto.

  Gage balled up the wrapper and shot it—two points, of course—into the trashcan behind her.
“Hey, thanks. For the cupcake and for participating.”

  “You’re welcome. Like I said, I hope it helps.”

  “I’m sure it will.”

  “Good.”

  “Yes.”

  Okay, now it was awkward. Especially since he had the tiniest bit of buttercream on the corner of his mouth and she really really wanted to be the one to lick it off.

  “Cupcakes!” The squeal cut into the awkward moment, thank goodness. So did the hundred or so summer-campers that descended en masse onto her booth.

  “I want the Eagles!”

  “Lakers!”

  “Nah, give me the Cowboys!”

  Lara wouldn’t mind a certain cowboy…

  She got her mind off of Gage and onto the hungry pre-teens who were demanding every team she’d made, which wouldn’t be a problem if she could remember which logo went with what team. While she enjoyed sports, this was pushing her knowledge.

  Luckily, Gage jumped in to help, grabbing cupcakes left and right to meet the demand. “Who wants the Marlins?” He held up the cupcake like an auctioneer.

  Six kids raised their hands.

  “I want the Dolphins!” hollered another.

  “What’s a marlin?” asked another.

  “It’s a baseball team, dummy. And the Dolphins play football.”

  A girl shook her head. “Nuh uh. A marlin’s a big fish. My dad caught one once.”

  “And dolphins are mammals,” said another girl, this one all decked out in pink and bling. “They’re smarter than most people.”

  Lara had the perfect cupcake for her. She handed over the twin to the one she’d given Gage.

  He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled.

  “Anything’s smarter than you,” snickered one of the boys, and his cohorts laughed with him when the girl’s face fell.

  Lara was just about to say something when a gangly boy pushed through the crowd and confronted the bully. “Hey, Miller, watch it.”

  “Whadya gonna do about it, Greeley?” Miller crossed his arms with a grin that made Lara’s skin crawl.

  “This.”

  She wouldn’t have thought Greeley had it in him, but he slugged Miller in the arm.

  It was a very bad decision. Miller and his cronies puffed up with pre-pubescent anger that might be lacking in testosterone, but not by much.

  It was just about to get ugly when Gage barked out a, “Hold it right there, guys!” and ran out of the booth to put himself between the two kids. “Hey, chill. This is supposed to be a nice, relaxing day. No fighting allowed.”

  “He started it,” said Miller, petulantly.

  Gage eyeballed him. “Let’s not go there. You were just as guilty. Let’s talk about what today is all about instead.”

  “Some kid got hit by a car.” Miller flipped that off as if it were no big deal.

  Lara could see the hurt rush into Gage’s eyes, but he tamped it down.

  Her heart went out to him. Today was personal for him on a very real level.

  “That kid is a six-year-old boy named Connor. Do you guys remember what it was like to be six?”

  The oh-so-sage ten-year-olds nodded solemnly. Lara had to hide her smile. Gage was really good with them.

  “Awww, he’s just a baby,” said the pink-and-bling girl, now gazing adoringly at her knight in shining shin guards.

  How bad was it that Lara was jealous of a ten-year-old with her first crush?

  “That’s right; Connor is someone’s baby,” said the object of her crush, hunkering down to be on their level. “His mother loves him very much. Just like your parents love you. And she’s very sad that he got hurt when someone hit him with his car. He can’t walk and can use only one of his arms because of his injuries. So we put together this family day with the help of all of these caring people in the booths to raise money for Connor’s medical bills so he can concentrate on getting better instead of worrying that he won’t get the proper care. How would you like to be stuck in a wheelchair all the time and not able to move unless someone helps you?”

  Miller and his sycophants nodded sagely. “That would suck.”

  In a word, yes, it would. Lara had to choke back the tears while listening to Gage. He was speaking to them on their level without allowing the emotion she knew he was feeling to cloud his voice.

  “It does suck, er stink for Connor. He can’t do anything by himself, and he can’t go outside to play with his friends. Even eating one of these cupcakes would be hard for him because he can’t get it out of the wrapper by himself. So what do you say we treat each other kindly and everyone will get a cupcake without bloodshed, okay?”

  The brawlers shuffled their feet. “Yeah, I guess,” mumbled Miller.

  “ ’Kay,” said Greeley—whose hand had somehow migrated into bling girl’s.

  Lara’s lips twitched. Ah, young love.

  Gage stood up and glanced at her.

  No. She wasn’t going there.

  “Good. That’s settled.” Gage clasped the boys’ shoulders. “Now let’s get everyone a cupcake.”

  After that, the kids behaved themselves, getting into an organized line and each waiting their turn. The harried counselors thanked Gage as they brought up the end of the line.

  “That was amazing,” said Lara when the group cleared out.

  “Yeah, they really wanted cupcakes. You’re almost out.”

  “Not that.” Lara grabbed one of the boxes they’d emptied and broke it down to give her hands something to do other than migrate to his hand like Greeley’s had. “I meant you. How you handled them. You’re really good with kids.”

  He shrugged. “Comes from dealing with adults, I guess. You wouldn’t believe how many women I have to pull off the guys. Then there are the jealous boyfriends or husbands. Sometimes it can get hairy. At least with these kids, I didn’t have to worry about getting physical.”

  “Well you really have a way with people.” Her included. She could feel her resolve to stay uninvolved when it came to him melting. For as charming as he was in his flirty, cowboy mode, he was even more dangerous to her equilibrium right now. This was the real Gage and he was a potent blend of sexy and sweet.

  “I’m used to dealing with a six-year-old who’s confined to a wheelchair and scared about never getting out. Trust me, I can handle the emotions these kids were spilling a lot easier than dealing with Connor’s.”

  And there went another chink in her armor.

  Gage wiped his hands on a paper towel and scored another two points. “I guess I should be going. There are a lot of other people I need to thank.”

  “Thank you for helping out.”

  He gave her arm a squeeze. “My pleasure.”

  Hers, too. “Um, yes, well, thanks for stopping by. It was nice to see you again.”

  He smiled a cute side-smile, complete with that dimple. “You, too,” he said before leaving the booth, taking part of her resolve with him.

  But as she watched him walk away, she wanted to groan. Thanks for stopping by? It was nice to see you again? Forget about today; he was the man she’d been in bed with. The one who’d changed her out of her dress into his t-shirt. Who’d been gentlemanly enough to not take advantage of her (but who’d probably been planning to that next morning), and she thanked him for stopping by?

  No wonder she hadn’t had more than two dates with anyone since the divorce if that’s how she treated a guy. She didn’t deserve any more.

  ***

  It took everything Gage had to walk away.

  Your cupcakes are spectacular.

  Good God. He was completely off his game. He’d never say anything so cheesy to a woman if he was thinking clearly, but then, obviously he hadn’t been. His emotions were all over the place today which wasn’t the time to be around a woman who had that same effect on him.

  He’d recognized the line from that sitcom and knew she had, too, and it’d sent his brain off on a tangent it had no business traveling when his nephew was stuck in a
wheelchair and facing the possibility of never again being the way he was before.

  Thank God those kids had come along; he’d needed the distraction. Lara had looked gorgeous even with her chef’s hat on, a tough thing for anyone to pull off. But her hair was a riot of curls he’d wanted to sink his fingers in, and the flush on her cheeks from the heat had made her eyes sparkle, and the smile she’d had for him when she saw him…

  He’d like to think there was more there than just a “nice to see you again” thing.

  Yet he’d left her with just that. Where was his charm? Could he have been any more awkward?

  He was never awkward with women. But he was coming to realize that Lara wasn’t just any woman.

  He scraped a hand over his mouth. Shit. Icing. He was batting a thousand in the impress-Lara department. She’d passed out on him, couldn’t wait to get out of his booth, left the expo before he could see her again, and now he was walking around with pink icing on his face on top of the “nice to see you again” thing. He ought to just cut his losses and move on.

  Except, thanks to his knight-in-shining-armor complex, he’d be seeing her at Gina’s gig next weekend.

  His phone rang. “Hey Miss, I’ll be right there.” Connor had arrived. It was important for everyone to see him, but he and Missy had to be careful not to overdo it. For as stir crazy as the kid got, something like this would sap his energy.

  Hell, look what it was doing to Gage.

  ***

  Lara watched Gage leave and for once her thoughts weren’t on the splendid backside hidden by his pants.

  Well, not much.

  He was hurting. It was so at odds with the guy she knew. Not that she knew him. Not really. He was good-looking, could dance, owned an interesting business, and could flirt like Casanova, but she didn’t really know him.

  She did now. Or, she knew a little bit more about him than she had before. And what she now knew, she liked. A lot.

  She bent back down under the booth, both to get more cupcakes to refill the display and to get her eyes off of him. She couldn’t want to like him. Anything between them wouldn’t be practical. She had too much to do, too many hours to put into Cavallo’s Cups & Cakes, to even contemplate ditching her no-relationship rule. She wasn’t like Cara who could do casual so easily. It was one of the few differences between them, but Lara didn’t sleep around—the night with Gage notwithstanding. And that had been an alcohol-induced bid to feel good about herself. Logically, she knew Jeff was the one with the problem, but emotionally? Emotionally, she’d been grasping at validation.