“Then why don’t you?”
“My parents will be there, so…” And before she could elaborate, there was a knock on her door. “Brody’s here so…I need to go.”
“Have fun and we’ll talk tomorrow!”
Standing, Leanna slid her phone into her tiny purse. When she walked over and opened the door, she forced herself to smile and not get all swoony when she saw Brody.
“Hey, Beautiful,” he said softly, leaning in and kissing her cheek.
And cue the swoon…
When he lifted his head and smiled at her, Lea felt a flutter in her belly and rested her hand there.
“You ready to go?” he asked, and all she could do was nod.
Tonight’s party was a little dressier than last night’s, so she had on a simple black cocktail dress that hit just below the knee. It hugged her curves without being overly sexy, and yet the way Brody was looking at her made her feel like maybe she was wrong.
He motioned to the elevator and they stepped in. “So how was your day? Did you get all the baking done?”
“We did,” she said with a nod.
“That’s great! So you should be free all day tomorrow, right?”
Leanna looked at him like he was crazy. “Um…no. There’s still a lot to do. Plus, your mother added a ton of cupcakes that need to be done tomorrow, so I’ll be in the trailer most of the day.”
“Define a ton of cupcakes,” he prompted.
“Five hundred.” She shook her head. “Five hundred cupcakes equal a ton to me.”
“But…there’s all kinds of activities going on tomorrow for guests. I just thought…”
The doors closed and she felt them going down to the first floor. “That may very well be, but I’m still here to work. I’ll be around for dinner tomorrow night, but I’ll be working all day.”
“You have a staff with you, right?”
She knew exactly where this was going. “I do, but I am a very hands-on boss. It’s very important to me that I be the one overseeing everything that is made in my kitchen. I don’t believe in delegating a whole lot–especially on an important job like this one.” Shrugging, she added, “Plus, isn’t tomorrow just things like golf, tennis, and group activities like that?”
The doors opened and they stepped out. “Well, yeah, but I just thought it would be nice for us to do them together.”
Another shrug. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t.”
Together, they walked quietly across the foyer and out the front door where Brody asked for a golf cart to take them over to the party tent and, considering Leanna was in heels tonight, she was incredibly grateful.
They rode in silence and she figured he was annoyed that he wasn’t getting his way–something she just had a sixth sense about–and she knew she was busy thinking about how she was going to introduce him to her parents in a matter of minutes.
And prayed that they didn’t ask too many questions.
The golf cart came to a stop and Brody got out and held a hand out to her. His expression was grim but at least he was still being a gentleman.
A grumpy gentleman.
As soon as Lea straightened and smoothed a hand down her dress, she heard her mother call her name.
And instantly groaned.
One strong arm came around her waist as he whispered in her ear, “We’ve got this.”
It was silly how those three little words relaxed her, but they did.
Leanna was quick to put a smile on her face as her parents approached. She was immediately hugged and kissed before her mother stood back and examined her. But before she could say anything, she noticed Brody.
“Leanna? Why don’t you introduce us to your date?” Claire Baker prompted before glancing at her husband.
“Mom, Dad, this is Brody King,” she said. “Brody, these are my parents, Claire and Thomas Baker.”
He immediately reached out and shook both of their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Baker. Leanna’s told me a lot about you.”
They both smiled, but Leanna knew her mother had a dozen questions she was dying to ask. “Really? Because Leanna hasn’t told us anything about you!”
“King?” her father chimed in. “Are you related to Travis?”
“He’s my younger brother,” Brody replied, his arm going back around her waist.
“Oh, is that how the two of you met?” her mother asked.
Brody answered before Lea even had a chance. “It is.” He hugged her a little closer. “She was here going over things with my mother and Charlene, and I took one look at her and she knocked me off my feet.”
Leanna tried to stifle a laugh and ended up coughing and choking.
Smooth, Lea. Real smooth.
One strong hand rubbed up and down her back as he went on.
“I knew I had to get to know her but she is such a hard worker!” he gushed. “And one taste of her confections and she truly worked a miracle.”
“Oh?” her mother asked, utterly enthralled with the tale he was spinning.
Beside her, he nodded. “You see, I am a total health food nut. I swore off cakes and sweets years ago. But everyone urged me to try just one bite of one of Leanna’s cupcakes and…well…let’s just say I’ve had to jog a few extra miles every morning!” He laughed adorably. “And it’s completely worth it because your daughter is an absolute cake goddess.”
Her mother went to comment, but Brody kept talking.
“And if my testimony wasn’t enough, you should know that my mother is a bit of a snob when it comes to desserts and baked goods. But just today, she ordered an extra five hundred cupcakes–five hundred!–because she wants to gift them to people.” Turning his head, he smiled down at Leanna. “And she’s already talking about ordering even more for her next charity fundraiser.”
“Leanna!” her mother said, beaming from ear to ear. “That’s marvelous! Look at you! This would be a wonderful opportunity for your business to finally take off!”
She made a small move forward to correct her mother, but again, Brody spoke first. “I don’t think that’s the case at all, Mrs. Baker. Meet Me at the Altar is the top event planning company in this region and soon to be the top for the entire state of North Carolina. That’s one of the reasons my mother wants to use them.” Then he laughed softly. “Well, their reputation and the fact that Leanna is truly the best baker there is.”
She felt her cheeks heat and saw a contrite look on her mother’s face. “Well, of course, she is. And we’re so proud of her!”
“Thanks, Mom.” Now she wasn’t sure what else to say.
“How about we go and join the party?” Brody suggested. “And Mr. and Mrs. Baker, I’d love to introduce you to my parents. Come on. I see them over by the entrance to the tent!”
The entire night had been an exercise in frustration.
Now as he walked Leanna to her door, he could see she was exhausted and yet it didn’t stop him from wanting to kiss her senseless and join her in her bed.
Unfortunately, when she turned to him, he knew at least part of that wasn’t going to happen.