Defy the World Tomatoes (9 page)

“What?” Darcy tossed her purse on the sofa, but she couldn’t even imagine why he would make such an outrageous request. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Just try it, and you’ll see.”

He was smiling now and, persuaded there was no threat involved, she kicked off her flats and stepped up on the low table. “Here I am. Now what’s supposed to happen?”

Griffin stepped in front of her. “Now we’re nearly the same height. Doesn’t it make you feel more comfortable?”

It took Darcy a moment to appreciate the change in her perspective now that they could see eye-to-eye. He was still better-looking than any man had a right to be, but at least he no longer towered above her. “Yes, actually, it does.”

He moved closer still, but didn’t touch her. “Kiss me.”

He had a maddening way of issuing commands, but Darcy didn’t mind obeying this one. She rested her hands on his shoulders and slanted her mouth over his to begin a kiss that grew increasingly bold. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on while he kissed her as passionately as he had last night. When he drew away, she was too dazed to focus clearly.

Griffin took hold of Darcy’s waist and carefully set her down on the floor. “I never take it any further on a first date and, while I could stay and kiss you until dawn, I know you have to be up early. Good-night. I’ll let myself out.”

Darcy watched the door close behind him, then bent to grab a shoe and hurled it against the varnished wood. She was positive he’d tasted how eager she was for more and had deliberately left with her wanting it. She reached for her other shoe and threw it as well.

“Manipulative bastard!” she fumed. She was used to dating fertilizer salesmen who, while charming, always wanted more than she was ready to give. To find herself on the other side of that dilemma with Griffin annoyed her no end.

“That man will be the death of me yet,” she swore, but when she turned on his CD, it was again pure magic.

Chapter Five

Christy Joy took Twink to church on Sundays and then out to brunch, so on those mornings, Darcy opened Defy the World Tomatoes. That Sunday she came in at eight a.m., shut herself in her office and completed the watercolor sketches she hadn’t been able to even begin on Saturday.

When George arrived at ten, she’d already opened the shop, bid the clerks good morning and was out watering. “Beautiful day, isn’t it, George?”

George bent to angle a potted geranium toward the sun. “Yes, it sure is, and it sounds as though your date went well.”

Darcy swallowed a harsh laugh. “The film at the Monarch is hilarious. You ought to take Marge.”

“That all you care to say?” George straightened slowly and rubbed the small of his back.

“Pretty much, but thanks for the wardrobe tip. I like the new clothes.”

“Good, and I’ve got another tip for you. Saw this one on TV. Scientists did a study of what scents men respond to best, and they found pumpkin pie spice beats out the most expensive perfumes. You ought to get yourself a little canister in the baking aisle at the market and use it just like dusting powder.”

Darcy was tempted to turn the hose on him. “Are you just making up this stuff, George?”

“Absolutely not. Give it a try and see if Griffin doesn’t stick to you like glue.”

“I’m not sure I even want him stuck on me,” Darcy argued.

“Well, then, just do it as an experiment, and you’ll know if it works when Mr. Right comes along.”

“If he’s Mr. Right, won’t he notice me without my smelling like a Thanksgiving pie?”

George shook his head. “Sadly, a lot of men need a swift kick in the seat before they realize what a treasure they’ve found, so it’s better to be on the safe side and douse yourself with the spice.”

“I’d rather you just kick Griffin around the block a time or two.”

“If I were ten years younger, I’d give it a try, but now, darlin’, you’ll have to rely on your own devices.”

“Thanks anyway, George.” Darcy seriously doubted Griffin could be enticed with pumpkin pie spice, but the mere possibility of getting the better of him lifted her spirits enormously.

The lovely day brought out tourists as well as residents of Monarch Bay, and Defy the World Tomatoes had their most profitable Sunday ever. As Mary Beth ran the final total, Christy Joy squealed with glee.

“We didn’t expect to do this well until summer. What do you think, Darcy? Should we rethink our objectives?”

“No, let’s not get too excited just yet. This might be a mere blip rather than a trend.”

Mary Beth was quick to agree. “It’s always best to err on the conservative side. Besides, just think how excited you’ll be to keep exceeding your target.”

Darcy waited until Mary Beth had gone home to confide her real worry. “If our sales remain this high, we’ll have to reorder stock, but that’ll mean using most of the money we should be putting aside to move.”

Christy Joy briefly considered their alternatives and suggested a plan. “Let’s reorder only what’s selling really well. We’ll sell that merchandise through the summer, then unload everything else at a gigantic moving sale. That way we’ll be able to reopen in our new location with brand new stock.”

After all the hard work they’d put in last fall, Darcy didn’t understand how Christy Joy could sound so enthusiastic about repeating that ordeal. “We’ve learned a lot about running a business, but the thought of moving simply exhausts me.”

“It does me too, but we’ll survive. I’m sorry we’ve been so busy all day that I haven’t had a chance to ask about your date. How did it go?”

Darcy again commented on the amusing film and then shrugged. “Griffin is such a complex individual that I can’t figure out what he’s really up to, so I’m being real careful.”

Christy Joy gestured with a rose-tipped pen. “With Twink and J. Lyle to consider, I’m forced to be cautious, but you don’t have to answer to anyone. You ought to do exactly as you please where Griffin is concerned.”

Darcy pulled up a stool and sat. “It’s not just that he plans to coldly put us out on the street, Christy Joy. The guy’s got more layers than an artichoke, and I’m not sure I want to start peeling off leaves and dipping them in butter.”

“My God, that sounds decadent, but the better Griffin knows you, the more difficult it’ll be for him to screw with Defy the World Tomatoes.”

“Oh, he’s already screwing with something, but I’m just not sure what.” Darcy had thought he might come breezing through there that day with one of his ridiculous requests, but she refused to admit how disappointed she truly was that he hadn’t.

Their work completed for the day, Darcy bid her partner and Twink good night, left her truck parked behind the nursery and walked around the corner to her rented house. Preoccupied, she failed to notice Griffin’s Range Rover until he climbed out carrying a bag from the Emperor’s Palace.

“I had no idea you delivered Chinese food in your spare time,” she called to him.

“Only to you. As I see it, I owe you a dinner. If you’d rather have something else, I’ll go get it.”

Darcy paused on her front steps. “Did you bring their walnut shrimp?”

“Of course. It’s the best thing on their menu.”

“Damn straight,” Darcy swore. “Come on in.”

She wished she had time for a quick shower, but she didn’t trust Griffin not to pick the bathroom lock and climb in with her. With his gorgeous bod all slippery wet, she would drown for sure.

“Just put everything on the table. I’ll get the plates.”

Darcy hurried into her kitchen, but first opened the cupboard where she stored her baking supplies and searched for the pumpkin pie spice. She’d actually used some a couple of years ago to bake a pie from scratch for a friend’s potluck Thanksgiving dinner. The little jar had been pushed to the back, but once found, she quickly flipped open the sprinkle lid and tossed some inside her T-shirt. She felt utterly ridiculous, but she’d been comfortable in George’s choice of clothes, so it was worth a try.

She put the tea kettle on the stove, grabbed plates, napkins and utensils, and carried them out to the round oak table she’d refinished herself. She’d started out in a furnished rental and had bought what she now owned one piece at a time at antique and used-furniture stores. None of it matched, but with so many plants sitting around, she doubted anyone noticed.

“At least I own a table,” she mumbled as she set their places.

“And a fine one it is too. I like your furniture. It has character.”

“It’s a wonder
Architectural Digest
hasn’t called.”

Griffin slid into a chair. “Perhaps they believe bigger is better.”

Darcy watched his sly smile widen. The man had a killer grin, and she was certain he knew it.

“I won’t touch that one,” she replied.

Griffin laughed. “Yeah, you will. It’s just a matter of time.”

Darcy couldn’t subdue the bright blush flooding her cheeks, so she sat and reached for one of the food cartons. “You want to keep those pretty teeth of yours long enough to eat dinner?”

“I sure do, but Darcy, you’re so awfully cute.”

She opened the container to find the promised walnut shrimp, and her stomach began to rumble in delighted anticipation. “After I’ve fashioned a noose from your black belt, you’ll rethink your opinion.”

“That’s quite an image, but let’s call a truce while we eat. You can talk dirty to me later.”

The whistle of the tea kettle provided Darcy with an excellent excuse to leave the table. “Do the air-headed society chicks you usually date actually get your jokes?” she called from the kitchen.

Griffin waited until she’d brought him a cup of tea to respond. “Like fast cars, I outgrew brainless beauties in my twenties. In the last couple of years, I’ve dated a museum director and a French Olympic champion. What about you?”

Darcy returned to her chair and savored a bite of shrimp while she searched her mind for someone, anyone, even remotely impressive. Unfortunately, she came up empty. “Let’s just say my last couple of boyfriends were employed and leave it at that.”

“Having a job is a commendable trait,” Griffin remarked between bites of broccoli and beef. “Let’s try a more entertaining subject. What would you do if you won the lottery?”

“That’s easy
—
I’d buy our building from you.”

“It’s not for sale. What else would you do?”

Darcy paused to consider some choices and frowned slightly as she voiced them. “It bothers me that families with small children are homeless. With low-cost housing disappearing, things are only going to get worse, so I’d give the money to Habitat for Humanity.”

Griffin stared at her a long moment. “Nothing for yourself?”

Darcy scooped out a second helping of walnut shrimp. “All I want is your building. Now what would you do with the lottery loot?”

“I’d help keep music in the schools with VH1’s Save the Music.”

“You watch VH1?” Darcy was shocked to learn he was a fan of the popular cable station.

“I’m not a total nerd,” Griffin protested.

Darcy licked her fingers, then caught him watching her a bit too intently and used her napkin instead. “I never said you were.”

“True, but I’m sure you’ve called me a lot worse names, and frankly, I’ll admit to having a few faults.”

“No! I never would have guessed. Oh, I have your sketches ready. I could run back to my office and get them when we finish.”

“Don’t bother. Just bring them by in the morning.”

“Sure,” Darcy agreed, but now that she’d taken the edge off her hunger, it was difficult to concentrate on the last of her dinner. It was a delicious surprise, but seeing him was even better. She had a terrible weakness where he was concerned and held the uncomfortable suspicion that he knew it.

Still, she would be a fool to get attached to him when he would surely wake up soon to the fact that she earned her living hauling plants around in a battered truck, while he was accustomed to being wined and dined by royalty.

“Your frown worries me,” Griffin remarked. “If you have other plans for the morning, just say so.”

Darcy speared a crisp piece of broccoli, but didn’t guide it toward her mouth. “No, I can come by around nine.”

“Well, if it’s not a scheduling conflict, what’s wrong?”

Darcy laid her fork across her plate and sat back in her chair. She was reluctant to broadcast her insecurities, but she didn’t feel right remaining silent about her misgivings either.

She took a comforting sip of tea and answered as truthfully as she dared. “I’m afraid our lives are too different for us to ever have anything serious, and I’d rather not be your flavor of the month.”

“What makes you think you’d last a month?” Griffin shot right back at her.

Appalled by that arrogant rebuff, Darcy came out of her chair to point him toward the door, but he easily caught her arm and pulled her down on his lap. She struggled to rise, but she lacked even a quarter of his strength and couldn’t break free.

“Let me go, you bastard!”

Griffin nuzzled her ear. “I was teasing you, sweetheart. I don’t treat women like scoops of ice cream, and the truth is, they usually leave me, not the other way around.”

“Liar,” Darcy insisted through clenched teeth. “You just gave me a sample of your vicious wit, and I’ll bet you use it whenever you tire of a woman. She’d be as insulted as I am right now and leave you. Then I’ll bet you sit back and congratulate yourself on not having to face a messy breakup.”

Griffin slid his lips to the tender hollow behind her ear. “Where do you get this stuff? I’m not into causing pain just to watch women cry.”

He dropped his voice to a husky whisper as his lips again grazed her skin. “I love your perfume. When you take the trouble to smell this good, it’s difficult to believe you don’t care about me. What’s it called?”

“It’s just something I whipped up in the kitchen,” Darcy replied smugly. She wasn’t certain how she’d gone from being livid with his lip to snuggling against him, but with his incredible charm, none of her usual defenses proved effective.

“Whatever it is, it suits you.” He pressed her close, then relaxed slightly, but not enough to allow her to escape him.

“If I have a vicious wit, as you claim, I’ve not used it to end relationships. I’ve traveled a great deal in years past, and if I’m away at Christmas, or miss a girlfriend’s birthday, she usually finds someone else to keep her entertained.”

“You ought to find a woman with her own business so she’ll have plenty to keep her occupied when you’re out of town.”

Griffin slid his fingers through her hair and then gently mussed it. “I thought I already had.” When Darcy failed to respond, he dropped his arms, but she surprised him by remaining seated in a graceful curve across his lap.

“I’m in no rush,” he assured her, and he gathered her into a fond embrace. “We have plenty of time to get to know each other.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” Darcy admitted softly, “and I don’t even know where to begin.”