Bonnie Winn - Rules of Engagement

“Nice.”

“Nice?” the trio repeated in unison.

“Details,” Sandy urged.

Trapped, Tess decided to opt for the truth. “He has these blue eyes, really mesmerizing.”

A chorus of sighs greeted this statement, but her cousins continued to stare at her in expectation.

Tess didn’t have any trouble remembering his appearance, just putting the image into words that wouldn’t intrigue her cousins. “He’s good-looking, handsome really. Dark hair.”

“Harrington Engineering!” Rachel announced. “I knew I’d heard that name.”

Again Tess met three matching stares. “Well, yes.”

“About a year ago he made the list of Houston’s most eligible bachelors,” Rachel mused.

Tess was surprised. “You seem to know a lot about him.”

“Financial circles aren’t that large,” Rachel reminded her. “More like a small town with a very credible grapevine.”

“Oh.”

Sandy wriggled her eyebrows. “He sounds yummy.”

“Yes,” Kate agreed.

Years ago, they had sworn never to let a man come between them. They’d survived a few simultaneous crushes during high school, but they’d never had a serious threat to their pledge.

But Tess didn’t want to overplay her nonexistent relationship. “It’s not serious.”

“Is that why you haven’t told us about him?” Kate asked. She looked hurt.

Tess wanted to kick herself. She knew how sensitive Kate was. “Of course not. It’s really just begun.” She crossed her fingers against the fib she planned to tell. “I saved it to tell you together this morning.”

Kate smiled. “Oh! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you’ve met someone.”

Tess tried to ignore the guilt nibbling at her conscience. “It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” Kate looked appalled. “Of course it is. In fact, you have to bring him to the party.”

“Party?”

“The anniversary party.”

For Kate’s parents, of course. “Sorry. I haven’t been very good with dates lately.”

All three gaped at her. Tess was known for having a mind like a Rolodex, organizing events for family, friends and the restaurants.

Tess smiled. “The anniversary party, of course. I remember.”

They didn’t believe her. She saw it in their faces.

“You’ll bring him?” Kate asked.

Tess wanted to say no, but she had to convince her cousins that she was all right. “I’ll ask him.”

“Then I’ll count on it,” Kate replied happily.

“I didn’t say he could come!”

“If you ask him surely he will,” Kate countered.

“Yes,” Sandy chimed in.

“My vote’s on you,” Rachel agreed.

Tess wished it were that easy, that she could simply pick up the phone and invite Cole. He’d be shocked to know he was now the man in her life. Especially after they’d ended the evening on such an antagonistic note. But she didn’t see a way to pull her foot out of her mouth.

Sandy lifted her glass. “To Tess and Cole.”

Rachel and Kate clinked their glasses with Sandy’s, then glanced at Tess expectantly.

Seeing no other choice, she picked up her glass, joining the toast. What in the world was she going to say to Cole?

“So have you decided on the gift for your parents?” Sandy asked Kate. “Or are your brothers still arguing?”

Kate sipped her mimosa. “If it had been up to them, my parents would have gone deep-sea fishing either in Mexico or Alaska, but I held out for the European river cruise to Vienna.”

“They’ll love that,” Sandy agreed. “Even on my budget, I’d have voted for that one.”

Rachel reached for a doughnut. “You and Tess sharing these?”

Sandy counted the remaining doughnuts. “Possibly.”

“Tess, your mother had the pastry chef design an incredible cake. Did she tell you about it?” Kate asked.

Tess blanked again. “No.”

“It’ll be fantastic. Be sure and ask her about it. He’s going to use their original cake topper.”

“That’s amazing,” Sandy said, wiping her fingers on a napkin.

Rachel groaned. “No wonder you’re such a romantic, Kate. It’s genetic. You can’t escape it.”

Tess met Kate’s eyes, knowing that in truth her cousin actually guarded her heart. It was one of the few secrets they shared from the others. Kate had been so devastated by a bad experience, she rarely opened herself to new relationships. Tess reached for a gooey, chocolate-filled doughnut, her favorite. So much for romance. Maybe they should buy a cruise for the four of them and just be done with it.

DAN NELSON held the latest financials. “You could accept one of the offers to sell, Cole. It wouldn’t have to be from Alton. You’d get out with enough for another start-up.”

“I’ve got employees, including you, who count on their paychecks. After a new owner stripped the place, you’d all be out.”

Nelson thrummed his fingers on the printout. “There’s another option. Borrow enough to float us.”

“I’m running out of property to mortgage. Short of selling a kidney, I don’t see any cash looming in the future.”

Nelson allowed a few beats of silence. “So, you want me to put together a loan package?”

“Yeah.” Cole waited until the door closed to cross to the window. He stared out at the plant. When the building was first erected five years ago, he didn’t have a single doubt that his business would succeed. All the economic factors were in place. He’d done his research, put in the long hours. He’d hired the most talented, the most competent people. But he hadn’t counted on his deployment.

His fingers itched for a cigarette, but he’d broken the habit while he was overseas. Surviving withdrawal once was enough.

Someone knocked lightly on the door, pushing it open at the same time. Marcia. She was the only employee brazen enough to believe a closed door meant come in.

“Hi, boss. Mail call.”

He didn’t turn around. “Anything interesting?”

“There’s an article in Texas magazine about the Spencers restaurants, how they’ve been in the magazine’s top picks every year. Even has something about that pretty Spencer girl.”

That did make him turn.

Marcia’s smile was wide. “I marked it for you.”

Cole picked up the magazine, flipping it to the marked pages. Tess looked almost as pretty in the glossy photo as she did in person. And classy.

He’d noticed that right away. From the sleek cut of her dark hair to the confidence in her walk.

Glancing at the picture of her parents, he saw where she got her beauty. But there wasn’t a group picture of them together, he noticed. Maybe the reporter had been sensitive to the painful omission of David.

The article talked about Tess’s management style, her stamp on the restaurant scene in general.

Nothing about a boyfriend or fiancé.

And nothing that gave him a clue or connection. He needed a way in. And they didn’t have one thing in common that was going to get him there.

TESS WAITED until the last possible moment to invite Cole. Her cousins wouldn’t be fooled if she invented a reason he couldn’t attend.

She expected him to have an excuse for not going to the party with her. To her relief, he accepted. She felt odd asking him, but he didn’t sound as though it was unusual.

Because of restaurant events, Tess had an extensive collection of evening wear. But nothing seemed right as she picked through the dresses.

She finally settled on a long-sleeved, high-necked silk that bared her back. Since her hair matched the dark dress, Tess decided to pile it loosely in a topknot. She kept her accessories simple. Diamond stud earrings, heels and a purse just large enough to hold keys and lipstick.