Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

“I’m sorry about what she said. We both wanted to keep that private. Taryn and the guys won’t say anything and none of our guests heard. I talked to her and she’s promised to be on her best behavior for tonight.”


“Taryn talked to her, too.”

“She mentioned that.” He paused. “You know it’s not personal. She blurts things out without considering the consequences.”

Dellina nodded. “She can’t help herself. It would be better if she weren’t so intuitive.”

“I agree.”

He looked worried, which was sweet. And he’d come down early to talk to her. The concern was nice. She smiled. “I’ll be okay. It’s just one of those wacky things. I don’t regret this morning.”

Heat flared in his eyes. “Me, either. You were spectacular.”

“I can live with that description.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

FAYRENE PULLED ON the hem of her T-shirt and told herself she was dressed appropriately and that she wasn’t the least bit bitter that while she was with twelve children, her sister got to preside over an elegant dinner. That was for later. For now, she had a crisis.

Ryan had gotten stuck at work. He had texted to let her know he would be a few minutes late. She’d reminded him to stop by her apartment and pick up Caramel. She’d left the dog home alone for a few hours, but now that everything had been delivered to the hotel, she planned to have the little Pomeranian spend the weekend with her. Because right now Fayrene could use a friendly face.

Twelve children of varying ages all stared at her. They didn’t know one another and they didn’t know her. The extra babysitters, the ones who did this sort of thing on a regular basis, were checking on dinner, which meant Fayrene was alone in a room that was way too quiet.

“I want my mom,” a little girl of maybe seven or eight said. “Why does she and my dad get to go to a nice dinner while I have to stay here? It’s not fair.”

“This is stupid,” one of the boys said. “We’re supposed to be having fun and we’re not.”

Fayrene swallowed against rising panic. She’d taken the job with the kids for a number of reasons. For one, she wanted to help her sister. For another, the reference and experience would be good for business. But more important, she’d hoped that hanging out with a bunch of kids would allow her and Ryan to talk about what it would be like when they had their own children. Which would lead to a conversation about getting married. Which would mean he would finally propose.

But none of that was going to happen if she had a mutiny on the very first night. Dellina would not be happy if the kids broke ranks and sought out their parents.

Fayrene looked around the large room they were using for their first event. There were balloons and a working jukebox and tables with ingredients. But no activity and no conversation. She didn’t know what to do or how to make it better, but she’d best come up with something fast.

Ana Raquel strolled in. Fayrene rushed to her.

“Help. They’re not having fun. Do something.”

Her twin raised her eyebrows. “I’m a chef, not an entertainer.”

“Give them food, then. That will distract them.”

“We’re supposed to have the mixology class in a few minutes, and make appetizers. Greg is bringing the rest of the ingredients before he heads off for the wine tasting. We can’t start until he brings the rest of the food.”

“We have to do something.”

“You know this is your gig, right? There’s technically no ‘we.’”

Fayrene was about to beg when Ryan walked in. He held Caramel in his arms. When she spotted Fayrene, she wiggled to get free and rushed over to greet her.

Fayrene picked up the happy dog and held her close. Protection at last. Ryan gave her a brief hug and kissed her cheek.

“It’s quiet in here,” he said. “Too quiet.”

“I know. I thought they’d be more interactive. We have to do something.” She’d figured they would supervise, not be in charge of helping them get along. Weren’t kids supposed to be friendly and outgoing? She remembered having tons of friends when she’d been young, and talking to virtually anyone who would listen.

Ryan picked up a pen and wrote his name on a tag, then put it on his shirt. “No worries. Watch the master at work.”

He took Caramel from her and carried the dog over to the milling children.

“Who here likes dogs?” he asked.

A few hands went up.

“Who’s afraid of dogs?”

Fayrene saw one of the littler girls stare at the ground, but no one said anything.

“Can you tell me what kind of dog this one is?” Ryan asked.

There were blank stares.

“A Pomeranian. Her name is Caramel. She’s got a lot of fur, but underneath, she’s tiny.”

“She has really little feet,” a young girl said. “But she’s pretty.”

“She is. She’s also friendly and loves people.” He winked at a blonde girl in sandals. “She likes to lick toes.”

The girl giggled.

“I’m going to put her down and let her get to know all of you. While we’re doing that, let’s get on our name tags. We don’t have much time before the activities start.”