Close to You (5 page)

“
Great tree,” he said
finally.

Eve laughed. “That’s a polite reply.
It’s hideous back here, but I think it could be really
nice.”

He nodded, seeing it. “You need a
landscape artist. When you’re ready, I’ll give you the name of one.
She’s really good and fair in her price. You need to fortify the
fence though. A bit more of a wall and you should be nicely
insulated against the wind that whips through here.”

“
That’s what I
thought.”

“
The real problem is here.”
He kneeled by the sliding door and pointed. “There’s a slope to the
cement out here and no run-off. If it floods, for whatever reason,
you’re going to have water inside.”

“
The previous tenant had
that problem once.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’m
banking on our drought continuing.”

“
If you have a way to
control the weather, please let me in on it,” he said with a grin
as he stood.

“
You think I should take
care of it?” she asked, looking up at him with those big blue
eyes.

“
It’s one of those things
that’s not a problem until it suddenly is, and replacing the wood
floor inside because of water damage is an expensive thing.” He saw
the worry in her eyes and couldn’t resist the urge to smooth it
away. “Let me talk to one of my guys and see how inexpensively it
could be fixed.”

“
You don’t have to do
that,” she said softly.

“
I want to.” Unable to help
himself, he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. His
fingers brushed her silky skin.

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move.
Instead it seemed like she waited.

Trailing his hand down her face, he
lifted her chin. He leaned toward her, inhaling vanilla. It was a
good girl scent—the scent of home and affection.

Her lips parted.

Silent assent. He knew women too well
not to recognize that she was willing.

But as much as he wanted to give her
what she was clearly asking for, he couldn’t do it. You didn’t
simply push a woman like Eve against a wall and take her. She was
the sort of woman who needed candlelight and roses and all those
trappings of romance. “I should go.”

“
That’s probably a wise
decision,” she said without conviction.

Fighting every urge to just take her,
he brushed his thumb along her lower lip. “I’m going to be
back.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He nodded too. He breathed her in one
more time before he left, knowing he was going to crave that sweet
scent until the next time he saw her.

Chapter Six

To keep from obsessing about Treat,
who’d stopped by early this morning on his way to work, and Carmen
McKnight, who hadn’t replied to her emailed proposal yet, Eve
decided to clean.

Actually, Allison had shooed her away
to clean when Eve accidentally made a mocha instead of a
cappuccino—for the third time.

She hated cleaning, but it was just as
well. This way she could pretend not to obsess in
privacy.

She wasn’t doing a good job
pretending
or
not
obsessing.

But she couldn’t help it. Treat was
different than any man she’d ever gone out with. She was used to
preppy business guys in khakis and button down shirts, not
long-haired bad boys with capable hands that built
things.

He probably didn’t own one pair of
khakis.

The clack of heels made Eve look up
from the table she was wiping.

Her friend Olivia strode toward her,
long-legged and fashionable, her dark hair pulled back so the thick
blond streaks showed. She waved a piece of paper in the air. “Have
you seen this, Eve?”

“
What is it?” She took the
piece of paper and quickly scanned it. “It’s a flyer for the
teahouse down the street.”

“
That’s not the
point.”

Olivia looked dramatic,
with the way she dressed and her exotic beauty. The fact that she
owned the lingerie store down the street added to her mystique. But
in the months since Eve had opened Grounds for thought, she’d come
to see that Olivia was actually very practical and grounded, which
was why this display was so uncharacteristic. “What
is
the point?”

“
Where the flyer was being
passed out.” Olivia arched one perfect, dark eyebrow. “In front of
your store.”

“
Passing out flyers isn’t
criminal.”

“
It should be, if they’re
giving them to every single person walking in your
store.”

“
What?” She looked it over
again. It offered tea for two for the price of one as well as a
to-go option.

“
The kid was standing just
to the side of your door, handing them to all your customers.
That’s bad neighborly etiquette. Plus Sacramento Street is long.
There’s plenty of sidewalk to peddle from.” Olivia shook her head.
“So I talked to him about it.”

Eve couldn’t help it—her lips quirked.
“Of course you did.”

“
Did you expect I wasn’t
going to look out for a friend? Apparently he was instructed to
pass them out to all your customers.” She poked at the flyer with a
finger. “Margaret Byrnes is trying to steal your
business.”

“
I take it Margaret is the
owner of Crumpet.”

“
Yes.” Olivia made a
face.

Eve laughed. “And you don’t like
her.”

“
She’s not exactly
friendly, but I didn’t hate her until that boy handed me a flyer on
my way in here.”

“
I’ll go talk to her. I’m
sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”

“
Uh-huh.” She didn’t sound
convinced. “I told the boy to pass the rest of them out down the
street.”

“
Thanks.” She linked her
arm through Olivia’s. “Come on. I’ll make you your
usual.”

“
I’m predictable, aren’t
I?” Before Eve could say anything, she continued. “Although I
prefer to call it admirably dependable. It’s your fault. Nutella
lattes are ingenious.”

While she made the latte, Olivia
chatted with Allison. She handed over the drink and a little goody
bag.

Olivia held it up and shook it gently.
“What’s this?”

“
Something you’ll
like.”

Olivia peeked instead and then
grinned. “I didn’t doubt you, but curiosity would have killed me.
You know if I keep coming here I’m going to have to work out twice
as long at the gym. But that’s a mall price to pay for your
croissants.”

As she walked her friend to the front
door, Olivia said, “Stop by the store sometime. I have a bustier
that’d look awesome on you.”

“
I already have a drawer
full of lingerie I don’t wear.”

“
Wear them
then.”

“
You’re looking at me like
that’s a no brainer, but I bake all day.”

Olivia shrugged. “So bake all day in
black lace. Think how hot you’ll look in it and a pair of your
impractical shoes.”

“
They aren’t impractical,”
she said, looking at the Kate Spades on her feet. “They’re
pretty.”

“
So is the bustier I have
waiting for you. Stop by later.”

She rolled her eyes. “I really don’t
need sexy underwear.”

But then she pictured Treat’s admiring
gaze. He’d almost kissed her the other night. He hadn’t made any
sort of move on her since, but then they were in the café with all
sorts of people around.

Olivia tugged on her
sleeve. “You’re daydreaming in such a way that it leads me to
believe that you
do
have a use for it. Tell me.”

Two women pushed past them into the
café.

“
Saved by the bell,” Olivia
said. “But don’t expect that I’m going to let you off the hook so
easily. I want to hear about him later.”

Eve laughed. “Okay.”

“
You can tell me how it
goes with Margaret too.” She hugged her tight and then briskly
sauntered out.

Eve watched her walk to the end of the
block. Then she picked up her discarded rag and went back to the
counter. “One day, when I grow up, maybe Olivia will teach me how
to walk like that.”

“
That girl doesn’t walk.
She sashays.” Allison shook her head in admiration. “I’ve seen men
walk into signs, watching her go down the street.”

“
And yet no man’s claimed
her.”

Allison shrugged. “There’s more to
some stories than meets the eyes.”

“
Speaking of...” She took
off her apron and folded it. “Will you be okay for a few minutes on
your own? I have an errand.”

“
Go. I’ll be
fine.”

She didn’t have far to go.
Crumpet was just across the street, closer to the other end of the
block. She saw the
closed
sign before she got to the door, but she knocked
anyway.

Her chance paid off when a statuesque
woman opened the door. She looked expensive and put together like
the women in Laurel Heights usually did, with her hair styled into
a twist and a strand of lustrous pearls at her neck.

Her expression was less than
welcoming, and her tone was even colder. “Yes?”

Eve pasted her friendliest smile on.
“My name is Eve. I own Grounds for Thought, down the
street.”

She paused, waiting for some sort of
thaw. When nothing happened, she mentally shrugged and continued.
“You had someone passing out flyers in front of my café. I’m sure
it was a mistake.”

“
I don’t believe there’s
any regulation that says I can’t pass out flyers on the
street.”

Eve blinked at the frigid tone. “No,
but—”

“
And you don’t own the
sidewalk, do you?” The woman arched a haughty eyebrow.

Irritation bit at her.
“No.”

“
Well then.” She tipped her
head, condescension oozing off her in waves. “Is that
all?”

No, it wasn’t all, but she didn’t want
to alienate her neighbor. There had to be a way to melt Margaret’s
cold exterior. She was probably a nice woman on the
inside.

“
Goodbye then.” She closed
the door quietly but firmly in her face.

“
Or not,” Eve muttered. She
frowned at the teahouse and walked back to her shop, feeling better
the moment she stepped instead. The warm, homey air enveloped her,
ridding her of the chill she’d gotten.

Chapter Seven

Margaret started walking out of
necessity after Harry’s death. It was either that or go
insane.

She hadn’t continued because she loved
it. It wasn’t for the nature, or the exercise benefits. If she
didn’t walk, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself in the
morning.

Truth be told, she hated walking. San
Francisco was cold and foggy most of the year, especially in the
Presidio, and the smell of the eucalyptus trees made her
sneeze.

Today she was especially eager to get
home. Her day was planned: shower, change, and work. She thought
about the pile of bills she had waiting for her and felt her
stomach clench. But later she had a phone appointment with Carmen
McKnight, Daniela Rossi’s publicist.

It’d taken some research and a few
calls, but she’d finally managed to get Ms. McKnight’s phone
number. The woman had been loathe to give her the time of day, but
Margaret didn’t take no for an answer.

She planned on getting this cookbook
party too.

For the first time since she opened
Crumpet she felt charged with purpose, only this time it was fueled
by fear. When she thought of losing her business to Grounds for
Thought she felt a choking panic grip her throat. She pumped her
arms and legs faster.

And why wouldn’t her customers go
there? Grounds for Thought did everything right: the atmosphere,
the staff, and the pastries. Simply delicious. As much as she hated
the café, she’d still thought about going back every morning this
week. She hated the idea of giving the woman her hard earned money,
but those baked goods…

She couldn’t compete with
that.

And that girl, Eve, was definitely
determined. Margaret would have admired her in any other
circumstance.

In the dark of the night, Margaret
considered letting Crumpet go. But then she woke up and couldn’t
imagine what she’d do without it. She’d fade and become more of a
ghost than she already was.

Determined, she picked up her pace,
not stopping even when she got to the top of the hill. Hugging the
right side, she strode through the Presidio Golf Course parking lot
to the spot where the homeless man camped out. Like every morning,
she set a meal out for him without disturbing his slumber and
walked on. Out Arguello Gate, to the right, four blocks, and then
she’d be home.

A golf ball bounced in front of her,
startling her out of autopilot. She stopped and watched it bounce
twice more before it rolled under a car.