Don't Tempt Me (39 page)

"No, I meant I'm impressed you got all the powdered sugar off in time for the wedding."

"Oh, you!" She gave him a playful shove.

Laughing, he pulled her to his side and glanced at the camera. "Now you know the real reason I'm marrying this woman."

"Because I'm turning into such a good cook?" Jackie offered brightly, knowing the comment would earn some laughs. Truth was, she was next to hopeless in the kitchen and becoming famous for her blunders.

"Nooo." Adrian scooped a dollop of icing off the cake. "Because you taste so sweet covered in sugar!"

She shrieked as he smeared the icing down her neck and pretended to eat it off for a second before turning back to the camera. "That's it for this show, and the season. Thanks to all of you for your questions and your good wishes. Join
Cooking Lessons
next year when we'll bring you a taste of the Caribbean and highlights from our honeymoon. Well, some of the highlights." He grinned down at her. "Say good-bye, Jackie."

"Good-bye, go away!" She waved sideways at the camera, her eyes eating up Adrian. Having the show crew around on her wedding day had helped her forget for brief snatches what a momentous thing she'd done just an hour ago; out on the lawn beneath a rose-covered arbor, she'd married Adrian St. Claire!

The magnitude of that life-changing event filled her as he took her in his arms and covered her mouth with a deep kiss that was all too brief. When he lifted his head, he looked equally dazed with happiness.

"I love you," he said, with a wealth of feeling.

"I love you, too." Just saying the words still made her heady.

"And we'd love a taste of that cake," Rory said pointedly.

"Oh, sorry." Blushing, Jackie turned to see Rory and Alli waiting at the front of a line of wedding guests. The sisters looked stunning in their burnished-gold bridesmaid dresses and fall flowers in their hair. Well, Rory looked stunning; Alli looked radiant and hugely pregnant with twin girls. Their husbands stood with them, dressed in tuxes since they'd served as groomsmen.

Pulling away from Adrian, Jackie took up the cake cutter and eyed the towering white monster, deciding on a plan of attack.

"Whoa, wait." Adrian wrapped his arms around her from behind, taking her hand in his before she could wreak havoc on his creation. "Think surgery here, not 'Jackie the Ripper'."

Together, they cut neat slices and laid them on small china plates. Ti came through the line next, tugging at his bow tie. He'd complained royally about donning a monkey suit, but when Jackie had told him he didn't have to be in the wedding, he became offended and informed her no one else would be giving the bride away.

"Ya look beautiful," he told her.

"So do you." She winked, laying a piece of cake on the dainty plate he held in his massive hands.

He scowled at her compliment. "Now when we cast off?"

"Just as soon as we can get away." Exhaling a deep breath, she looked around the crowded room. "Which could take a while."

Nodding, Ti went to join the crew as they waited for her signal to return to the ship and prepare to set sail.

When she'd told Adrian about her lifelong dream to sail the
Pirate's Pleasure
to Bequia to see her family, he'd suggested doing exactly that for their honeymoon. She'd objected at first, saying they couldn't afford to spend that much time away from the inn, and her charter business.

He'd given her a look that said he knew the real reason behind her reluctance. Thanks to the cooking show, they had the time and money to take off sailing for half of each year if they wanted. But after the awkwardness of her past visits, Jackie wasn't sure how welcome they'd be.

Adrian had finally badgered her into at least calling her grandmother to tell her she was getting married. The day she placed the call, a few of her aunts and uncles had been at the house. They'd all insisted on talking to her, and demanded to know why she never came to see them anymore.

When she hung up, feeling dazed, she'd asked Adrian what he thought of their change in attitude. He'd suggested the change was as much with her as them. After the past few months of interacting with his family, she wasn't as defensive and standoffish as she used to be. Plus, her father was out of the picture.

So, as amazing as it seemed to her, they were about to embark on an extensive sailing trip around the Caribbean that would include a stop to see her family.

First, though, they needed to get through the reception.

Vivian and Carl came through the line, with Vivian holding a resplendent Lauren. "Priddy!" Lauren informed Jackie, touching her own frilly peach dress.

"Yes, peanut," Jackie agreed. "You are very pretty. Want some cake?"

"Cake!"

"Here you go." Jackie placed a slice on the plate Vivian held out, then looked at Adrian's aunt. "Are we eating or dieting today?"

"Eating," the woman announced. "I only have one nephew, and I'm not going to deprive myself on his wedding day. Besides, I've officially retired from Broadway."

"Retirement seems to agree with you," Jackie observed. They hadn't seen Vivian for the past four months, but when Adrian spoke to her on the phone, he insisted his aunt had never sounded happier.

"Retirement and marriage," Vivian said, smiling at her new husband. She and Carl had eloped to Maryland when he'd chased after her to New York. "By the way, Carl's been hired for a dive off the coast of Grenada, so it looks like you two aren't the only ones headed for the islands. If you make it to St. George's, you'll have to come see us."

Adrian gave Jackie a questioning look. "Can we make it that far south?"

"We can try," she answered.

Carl held out a plate, as well. "Just be warned, I may put you to work diving."

"In that case, we'll definitely make it." Jackie sliced a piece of cake for him, realizing that by an odd twist of fate, the man was now her uncle. Before he could move away, she touched the pearl pendant. "I never got to thank you personally for talking to the state on our behalf."

"You're welcome. I'm glad they agreed to let you keep it."

"Me, too," she said, thinking how inadequate the words were to describe how she, Adrian, and his family had felt the day they'd received the news. Although that was only one of many gratifying days that had followed since she had found the powder horn. As the rest of the wedding guests filed by, she thought of all the good turns her life had taken.

Following Scott's advice, they had hired a publicist, and soon the media had done a complete about-face.
Good Morning America
had even returned for a follow-up story. By then, they'd been interviewed enough that she'd learned to relax before the camera ---with a lot of coaching and encouragement from Adrian. Their teasing banter had given the network the idea of including her on the cooking show. After two months of filming, the first episodes were just starting to air, but the show had already been heralded as the perfect blend of cooking, comedy, and romance.

Never in her wildest dreams would Jackie have imagined herself as the co-host of a cooking show, being financially secure, and having a warm circle of family and friends. She looked around the crowded room at all the people who had become special to her during the last months: the show crew had abandoned their equipment to descend on the wedding buffet; Scott and Chance chatted with her sailors; and in the far corner, Rory and Alli held court with volunteers from the Historical Society.

In spite of her busy schedule, Jackie had helped out with the new museum exhibit as much as possible. The work had allowed her to become part of a community in a way she'd never experienced before. The highlight was the day the exhibit had opened to the public. She'd stood and watched as people viewed the replica of Captain Kingsley's cabin, learning the truth about his heroism and honor.

"How you holding up?" Adrian asked her an hour later.

"Pretty good, actually," she told him, as he slipped an arm about her waist. "As much as I'm enjoying this, though, I'm counting the minutes until we can get out of these fancy clothes."

"My thoughts exactly." He grinned.

When the time finally came for them to depart, the guests gathered on the lawn, lining the path down to the pier. She and Adrian made a dash for the ship beneath a barrage of birdseed, her gauzy veil flying out behind her. A camera on the dock had been set up to film their departure, although a second camera crew would be traveling with the ship's crew to shoot highlights of the trip for upcoming shows.

She and Adrian went to the stern rail of the quarterdeck so they could wave good-bye as the ship pulled away from the dock.

The setting sun was coloring the sky as the brand-new sails unfurled and filled with wind: yards and yards of pristine white canvas, without a single tatter or patch. Glancing up, Jackie imagined how it all would look caught on film: like a fairy tale come to life.

Happiness filled her and she threw her arms around Adrian, hugging him tight. "Thank you."

"For what?"

She leaned back enough to see his face. "For teaching me to believe that sometimes dreams do come true."

~ ~ ~

Don't stop reading. Continue on for the

Bonus Chapter

Return to Pearl Island: Part Three

and

Chapter One excerpts from

Falling for You
, book one in the Pearl Island trilogy

Lead Me On
, book two in the Pearl Island Trilogy

~ ~ ~

Learn more about Julie Ortolon and where to buy her heartwarming, contemporary romance novels at
JulieOrtolon.com

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Return To Pearl Island

Part Three

~Ten Years Later~

"Why are all the lights off?" Jackie stopped in the stairwell that led down to the family apartment in the basement of the Pearl Island Inn.

"I have no idea," Adrian said from behind her. A shaft of light came through the door to the back hall, spilling down the stairs. She heard him flip the switch a few times, but nothing happened. "Maybe the bulb is burned out."

"But
all
the lights are off downstairs."

"Then let's go down and turn some on."

Running a hand along one wall, she made her way halfway down before the door closed, shutting out the light. She stopped as blackness engulfed them.

"Daddy, it's
dark
," their five-year-old son, Taylor, whispered, clearly thrilled by the prospect.

"Yes, it is," Adrian whispered back in the same tone. "You better hold my hand."

"Naw, I'm okay." Taylor's shoes scraped on the treads. "Do you think the ghosts made it dark?"

"Maybe." Amusement tinged Adrian's voice at his son's excitement. "Watch your step."

"I am ---
Oops
!" Taylor's solid little body collided into Jackie. "Thorry!"

"Okay, brave guy ..." Laughing, she scooped him up and set him on her hip. "How about I carry you."

"Why? I'm not scared."

"Maybe I am." She tickled his belly.

"Naw-ah." He giggled. "You never scared."

"Why don't you hold me anyway. Just to be sure. Okay?"

"'Kay." He flung his arms around her neck.

The feel of him snuggled against her flooded her heart with joy. She'd thought her dreams had come true the day she'd married Adrian, but that had only been the beginning.  Contentment and adventure had filled the last ten years as they'd operated the
Pirate's Pleasure
as a windjammer cruise ship, sailing from Galveston to the Caribbean. The honeymoon episode of
Cooking Lessons
had gone so well, the network had spun it into a new show,
Caribbean Spice
, with Adrian showing how to cook and where to eat in the islands. The show's popularity had boosted the cruise business nicely.