All I Ever Wanted (6 page)

“You and your guests are welcome,” Henri said. “We pride ourselves on the pleasure of our guests from the moment they enter Casa de Serenidad, the house of serenity.”

Faith beamed proudly at her executive chef.

Brandon had recovered by then. “My wife and I are going home.”

Henri had caught Faith’s hand and kissed it before Brandon could pull her away. “If you must. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He’d bested Brandon again, and Brandon knew it.

Blade had to hold Sierra to keep her from falling out of her chair, she was laughing so hard. Blade’s lips twitched. Obviously, he was having a tough time not joining his wife.

Brandon’s attention snapped to Sierra, who quickly straightened and wiped away the moisture from her eyes. “You know I’m on your side.”

“Because your chef isn’t flying back from vacation until Monday and neither you nor Blade can even boil an egg,” Brandon said. Then a gleam entered his dark eyes. “And I had some nice salmon ready for you to take back to the castle.”

“I also have salmon,” Henri said, then added, “but when food is prepared with love, it tastes better.” With a curt nod, he left.

“I think he definitely won that round.” Luke slapped Brandon on the back. “But you have Faith.”

Brandon instantly brightened. “Come on, you can go with me and make sure I don’t put anything vile in my favorite’s sister’s food. I think we might be out of dessert.”

“Brandon, you might not have Faith if it wasn’t for me,” Sierra said, seemingly not worried. Especially since she was his only sister and all her brothers spoiled her. “In any case, did I tell you about this gadget Rio has? It can ring a phone every ten minutes.”

“Phones can be unplugged,” he came back.

“Faith likes being available to her employees.” Sierra’s smile was sweet. “Besides, like Henri said, food tastes better when it’s prepared with love.”

Brandon shook his head, laughed, then slung his arm around Faith’s shoulders. “Bested twice in one day. That’s a record I hope never to repeat. Good thing I sort of love you, too.”

“And I love you right back.”

Ruth Grayson had looked at her children with a smile, then she sniffed. “I wish your father were here.”

All of them, her guests, her children, her daughter-in-laws, and Blade moved to her. When the crowd parted, Ruth stared straight into Rio’s unblinking eyes. He didn’t move.

Then he came to his feet in one fluid motion. “I’ll go get the car.” Long, graceful strides carried him quickly from the terrace. There was total silence for four seconds, then everyone erupted into laughter.

“Mrs. Grayson, I believe you’re the only person on this earth Rio might be afraid of and can’t figure out,” Blade said.

“One day I hope to change that.”

Naomi frowned, wondering if Mrs. Grayson planned on finding a wife for Rio. If so, she certainly had her work cut out for her.

Chapter 4

Thirty minutes later, Richard stopped at the concession counter of the movie theater for their usual: a large box of popcorn, Milk Duds, and soft drinks. Naomi didn’t think he should buy her or Kayla food because they had just eaten. He reminded her that it was almost five and gave his order to the cashier, well aware that she never stayed cross with him for long.

Richard wasn’t sure if that could be said of Fallon’s feelings for Lance, since they’d just met. He’d returned from seeing her to the valet looking none too happy. Apparently he’d struck out with Fallon. A rarity for him. More so since she was the first woman Lance had taken an interest in since the incident.

However, aware of his cousin’s tenacity when he wanted something, Richard knew he hadn’t given up. It might be interesting to see the two get together. In the meantime, Richard was working on his own romance. He put the popcorn box in Kayla’s waiting hands and glanced at Naomi. He certainly knew what it was like to want a woman and not have her.

“Your diet soda,” he said.

Shaking her head, Naomi accepted the large drink. “You know I’m weak when it comes to sodas and popcorn.”

He wished she’d add his name to her list of weaknesses.

Kayla sipped the soft drink she held in one hand; her other arm was curved around the giant box of popcorn. “Teddy would, too, if he wasn’t asleep.”

“That he would.” Richard ushered them from the lobby. On their first movie outing, Kayla had learned that she couldn’t hold Teddy and the popcorn. She enjoyed being a part of the group and sitting in the middle. Since he was crazy about her, he didn’t mind her being with them.

“I wonder how Brandon is doing?” Naomi asked.

“Fine, since Faith loves him,” Richard assured her. “A couple arguing doesn’t always mean they don’t love each other.”

“I know,” she said. “None of the Grayson women seem to have a problem standing up for themselves, but it can be different for other women.”

Since it was the truth, Richard didn’t argue. He just handed the attendant their tickets. They’d only gone a few steps when he said, “I hope you know you can disagree with me.”

She lifted her soda and angled her head down at Kayla. “For all the good it does me.”

Baby steps. Naomi was learning how loving couples treated each other. He couldn’t think of a more loving or diverse family than the Graysons. Ruth had certainly hit it out of the park with her selections for her children.

“It’s not really a movie if you don’t have food,” he told her. If Richard thought Ruth could help him move from friend to lover and beyond with Naomi, he would have asked for her help long ago.

Ruth had helped Richard once with Naomi, but he hadn’t been interested in her romantically—at least he’d told himself that at the time. In any case, he thought as he followed Naomi and Kayla into the row of seats, those Ruth had matched hadn’t asked for her help. He idly wondered if she was serious about helping Lance.

If anyone needed to move on, it was his stubborn cousin. So it looked like he was on his own. Ruth’s instincts had been dead-on with his friend Brandon, who had been enjoying his bachelorhood. He was passionate about his food, but he was even more passionate about Faith. Richard looked at Naomi and knew just how his friend felt. But Brandon had his woman; Richard wasn’t even close.

* * *

Kayla scooted back in her theater seat, her arm wrapped firmly around the popcorn, her drink in the cup holder. She liked going to the movies with her mother and Dr. Richard. It was almost as if they were a family.

She didn’t remember her father much except that he yelled at her all the time and made her mother cry. Kayla didn’t like to remember the awful time when he’d come to Santa Fe for them. He’d taken her from her mother and gotten in his big car. Kayla had been crying and begging for him to let her go back to her mother, but he wouldn’t listen. Crying, her mother had gotten into the car as well. Kayla was scared, and just held on to her mother while her father drove.

She could tell time now, but then she hadn’t been sure how long they were in the car before she heard a police siren. Dr. Richard had come with the police to get them. He’d held them while her mother cried. Only this time Kayla knew they were good tears, not the bad ones of before.

Kayla looked at her mother smiling and sipping her drink. She always smiled when they were with Dr. Richard. Sometimes she’d look worried and scared and squeeze her eyes tight—her fists real tight, too. Those times made Kayla sad. She wished she knew how to make her mother smile all the time.

Kayla tried hard to be good and take care of herself so her mother wouldn’t have so much to do. She’d heard the mommies at her school talking about how tiring it was to take care of their children and work. One mommy said she couldn’t wait for summer to send her children to their grandparents.

Kayla tucked her head. She had grandparents, but her mother didn’t talk to them. Kayla guessed they didn’t want her coming to visit.

“You all right, pumpkin?”

Kayla looked up to see Dr. Richard smiling down at her. She liked that he had a special nickname for her. He’d started calling her that after he’d helped her carve a pumpkin for the school competition and she’d won the first prize for her class. “Yes, sir.”

“Just checking on the celebrity.” He picked up a few kernels of popcorn and tossed them into his mouth. “You’re the only person I’ve ever met who’s a character in a book. Catherine was right to choose you.”

Kayla felt the warm glow she always did when he praised her. She might not have grandparents to visit, but she had Dr. Richard, Mrs. Catherine, Mrs. Grayson, and now Fallon.

She dug into the popcorn with her hand, munched, and looked around the theater. Like always, there were lots of mommies, but few daddies. She didn’t tell her mama that she wished she had a daddy. One who smiled and gave her lots of hugs, not one who yelled and said bad words.

She looked up at Dr. Richard and leaned closer. Almost immediately he hugged her. She wished he was her daddy. As the lights dimmed, for a little while she could pretend he was.

* * *

They arrived back at Naomi’s apartment shortly after eight. They’d stopped for ice cream and a walk in the park. Richard carried a sleeping Kayla to her room and gently placed her in bed. “She’s worn out.”

Naomi slipped off one of Kayla’s sandals. “She had a wonderful ending to her memorable day, thanks to you. Although we both eat too much when we’re with you.”

“You need a break from cooking. I’ll wait for you in the living room, if it’s all right.”

Feeling nervous for some reason, Naomi tucked her head and reached for the other sandal. “Of course.”

Naomi lifted her head once she heard Richard moving away. She did all right when others were around, but just the two of them made her … restless for some reason.

Kayla tucked in, Naomi pressed her hand over her dress, took a deep breath, and headed for the living room. Passing her bedroom door, she found herself going inside to check her hair. The other women at the restaurant had looked so nice. The odds were none of them did their own hair as Naomi did. It couldn’t be helped. She needed to cut corners and save when she could. After combing her hair, she returned to the living room.

The moment she stepped into the room, Richard looked up from the magazine he was flipping through and smiled. Her stomach got that free-falling feeling from the warm way he looked at her. It amazed her that around other people she might not be noticed, but Richard always seemed to be aware of her.

Her steps were slow as she crossed to the sofa where he was sitting. She admitted to herself that she hadn’t thought about how beautiful Fallon was until she’d introduced her to Richard. He’d been cordial, but even Naomi with her limited experience with men could tell he wasn’t romantically interested in Fallon. Fallon later told her how yummy Richard was, and that Naomi had good taste. Naomi had responded that they were just friends. Fallon had just smiled.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Nope. I’ve reached my limit,” he said.

Naomi sat on the other end of the sofa, her hands folded in her lap. “Thank you again for the movie, and ice cream. Kayla had a wonderful time.”

“What about you?”

Her head snapped up, her eyes widened in surprise. “Of course.”

“Just checking,” he said easily.

She relaxed. Richard liked to tease her at times. He was a good friend. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

He was instantly alert. He reached for her, then clenched his hand. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” she assured him, thinking it might have been nice if he had touched her. Her emotions were all over the place where he was concerned, but she felt safe with him. Not for anything would she tell him about her nightmares. She’d burdened him enough with her problems. “I’m thinking of buying a house.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” he said.

The tension eased. She’d been half afraid that he’d think it was a terrible idea. She should have remembered, her ex might have always told her what she couldn’t do, but Richard never doubted that she could do anything. “I’ve been saving since I was hired. I want Kayla to have a backyard. Maybe the puppy she talks about,” she told him. She didn’t mention that a house would also make her feel more secure. The apartment was located in a good neighborhood, but people were going and coming at all hours at the apartment or to the little store behind the complex.

“Sierra helped you find this apartment; she can help find you a house,” he told her.

She shook her head. “When she helped me, I didn’t know she sold property listed in the millions. And that was before she married a billionaire. Now she’s even more out of my league.”

“That hasn’t changed Sierra and you know it,” he told her. “Dinner this evening should have convinced you of that.”

Sierra was friendly, but Naomi didn’t want to impose or make Sierra feel obligated to help because Naomi worked at the Women’s League or was friends with Catherine. “I’ll think about it.”

“If you’ll let me, I’d like to help as well,” he told her.

“I’d like that.” She folded her hands in her lap again. “I don’t know anything about buying a house, and your place is beautiful.”

“Thanks. You and Kayla should come out tomorrow and we can go riding,” he said.

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m terrible at it.”

“You’re getting there. Riding isn’t as easy as it looks.”

“Kayla rides better than I do.” Naomi smiled. “She took to riding as she does everything with you.”

“I’m here for you as much as for her,” he said softly, his gaze direct. “You should know that.”

Naomi was captured by the intensity of his gaze. Her stomach got that fluttery feeling again. Unsure of herself, a bit embarrassed by her reaction to him, a reaction that was happening more and more, she glanced down at her hands clenched in her lap. She wanted Richard’s friendship, but even thinking about anything more made her uneasy. She wasn’t good in a relationship. Her ex-husband’s degrading comments had taught her that.

Richard barely kept from sighing. As much as he wanted to, he wouldn’t push Naomi. She wasn’t ready for anything more than friendship. However, it was becoming more and more difficult not to reveal how much he cared. Two steps forward and three back. At least he didn’t see fear in her eyes.