What's Cooking? (18 page)

Maggie regarded him with surprise. "I'm amazed you didn't lose your cool."

"Why would I? I like them. And they're just interested in seeing us happy." He gave her an embarrassed grin. "First time in my life anybody's worried about me."

"As warm and fuzzy as I'm sure that made you feel," Ashley said with a bite in her voice, "you're not buying a word they said, are you? Are you just playing games with my sister?"

Maggie frowned at her. "Butt out, sis,"

"How can I sit by and watch you get hurt? He's spelled it out for you, Maggie. He's not interested in anything permanent."

"Who says I am?" Maggie retorted, unhappy with the

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whole turn the conversation had taken. This was between her and Rick, not between the two of them and everyone they knew. "You're not managing your own life all that well lately. Maybe you should concentrate on that and leave mine alone."

Rick stared at her in obvious shock that she would take a potshot at her sister.

"Hey, slow down, Maggie," he soothed. "It's no big deal. Your sister's just expressing an opinion. She's entitled to do that."

"Well, it's an opinion I don't care to hear," Maggie insisted.

Ashley glowered at her. "Well, pardon me all to hell. I think I'll leave you two to your lunch."

"But you haven't even touched your salad," Rick said, clearly distressed by the argument.

"Doesn't matter. I need some air."

She slid out of the booth and stalked off, leaving Maggie feeling rotten. She uttered a sigh of belated regret. "Okay, okay, you don't need to say it. I shouldn't have said what I did about her life. Sometimes that kind of remark is the only way to get Ashley to shut up once she's on a self-righteous roll. Still, I know it was a low blow, and I shouldn't have done it."

"So why did you?" Rick asked, studying her with obvious curiosity. "Is it because you're afraid she's right?"

She took a very long time before answering. "Maybe," she admitted eventually.

"Do you want to settle down?"

"Someday, sure," she said at once.

'fWith me?"

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She regarded him with confusion. "I don't know. It's too soon."

He gave a nod of satisfaction. "My feeling exactly. So, what do you say we stop worrying about everyone else's opinion and trust our own guts?"

She gave him a halfhearted smile. "Deal, though I think you're deluding yourself if you think it will be that easy."

"Could be," he admitted, then grinned. "Want to forget about eating healthy and split a hot-fudge sundae with me?"

She felt the tension in her shoulders easing at last. If Rick wasn't uptight over all the interference, why should she be?

"No," she said at once, then grinned back at him. "I want my own."

He leaned over and touched his lips to hers. "You've got it." His gaze locked on hers. "As long as I get to lick away whatever chocolate happens to stray."

"In that case, we probably ought to have this sundae at home."

"No way. Having it right here where we can't do so much fooling around is better," he said, his expression mischievous. "A little restraint and anticipation can be very good things."

"Something tells me you've raised them both to an art form."

"Not yet," he replied. "But I'm working on it. We can consider the next half hour or so to be practice. You can decide if I'm getting any better."

Ashley came back just as Rick's tongue touched a dribble of chocolate at the corner of Maggie's lips. Ash-

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ley whipped a napkin out of the dispenser and shoved it at Maggie.

"Have you forgotten what these are for?" she asked testily.

"Oh, don't be stuffy," Maggie chided, then gave her sister an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I do love it that you care about me."

Ashley's expression softened at once. "I know."

"But I'm a big girl. You have to trust my instincts," Maggie reminded her.

Ashley sighed. "I know that, too. It's just that it's so much harder, because the stakes are so huge. Your entire future's on the line."

Rick laughed but the sound didn't have a lot of good humor in it. "Pour on the pressure why don't you?"

Ashley gave him a huge, obviously phony smile. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

Rick regarded her with amusement. "Are you threatening me, counselor?"

"Indeed I am," Ashley replied sweetly.

Maggie decided enough was enough. "Okay, you two, that's it. From now on any discussion of my relationship with Rick is off-limits." She leveled a look into Ashley's eyes. "Are we clear?"

"Absolutely," her sister said, though she didn't look particularly daunted. "/ won't say another word."

"Good," Maggie said, still eyeing her suspiciously. "Why are you being so agreeable all of a sudden?"

Ashley glanced past her and beamed. "Oh, look who's here. And just in time, too," she said cheerfully.

Maggie's gaze shot to Melanie, who immediately crowded into the booth next to Ashley.

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"The rules apply to her, too," Maggie said, instantly suspicious that Melanie had been called in as reinforcement.

Melanie looked blank. "What rules?"

"Our sister is violating the First Amendment of the Constitution," Ashley declared. "She is trying to limit our freedom of speech. We're not to say another word about her relationship with Rick."

Melanie glanced at Rick. "You okay with that?"

He grinned. "I'm loving it."

Ashley shook her head. "And I thought all you media types were great defenders of freedom of speech, freedom of the press and so on," she muttered.

"We are," he said cheerfully. "As long as it doesn't cross the line into invasion of privacy."

Maggie slapped his hand in a high five. "Good one," she enthused. She turned back to her sister. "Well, hotshot attorney, what do you have to say to that?"

Ashley held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "You win. We will remain silent on the previously discussed topic. For now, anyway." She peered at the remains of their sundaes. "Those look decadent. What do you say, Melanie? Want to split one?"

"Absolutely," Melanie said eagerly, then gave Maggie a sly look. "As long as they're buying. There ought to be some perks in return for our silence."

"Deal," Rick said at once. "Believe me, one sundae is a small price to pay for getting you two off our backs."

Melanie got a devilish glint in her eyes. "You may not feel that way when you see what I intend to order." She gestured toward the remains of their sundaes. "Those were nothing compared to the hot-fudge volcano Ashley and I are going to share. You in, Ashley?"

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"Absolutely," Ashley said without hesitation.

Melanie placed the order, then sat back with a smug expression that Maggie thought was the tiniest bit worrisome.

When the waitress finally arrived with the dessert, she felt her jaw drop. Even Ashley, who could consume ice cream like a champ, looked stunned. Rick simply laughed.

"Oh, this is going to be good," he said. "Now remember what your mama no doubt taught you girls. You have to clean your plate."

"Not in a million years," Ashley muttered, but she gamely picked up a spoon and dug into the three-inch swirl of whipped cream that topped what must have been an entire quart of ice cream in a sea of hot fudge.

Melanie attacked the dessert from the opposite side.

Maggie turned to Rick. "I'm betting they won't eat half of that. What do you think?"

He studied Melanie, then Ashley. "I say they're going to scrape the bowl clean."

"No way."

"I've got a ticket to Paris for you that says they will," he said. "They quit and you're on your way."

Maggie stared at him with bemusement. A trip to Paris? The man definitely played hardball. She'd always wanted to go to Paris. Had she ever told him that or had he guessed? Now she had to put something on the line that she knew he wanted.

"I have a new state-of-the-art digital camera that says they won't," Maggie said. "If they do finish, it's yours."

She glanced across the table to see Ashley and Melanie regarding each other in some sort of silent, sisterly

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communication. Normally Maggie could read the two of them easily, but right now she was hard-pressed to say what they were thinking. Would they leave some ice cream in the bowl out of sisterly loyalty to her and to spite Rick? Would they see how badly she really wanted to go to Paris and quit? Or would they want to accept Rick's challenge and eat every bite, even if it made them both sick as dogs?

Ashley chuckled. "They've made it interesting, haven't they?" she said to Melanie.

"For themselves," Melanie agreed. "What about us? What's it worth to either of you for us to throw this game?"

Maggie frowned at her. "You're trying to bribe us?"

"I prefer to think of it as an incentive," Melanie replied cheerfully, even as she took another bite of the gigantic sundae.

She gave an exaggerated pat to her stomach. "Yum, this is good, but I'm getting full: How about you, Ashley?"

Ashley shot an expectant look at Rick. "I'm beginning to get a little full myself."

He chuckled. "Okay, if I win, you get a free family portrait, Melanie." His grin spread as he turned to Ashley. "And you get a glamour shot."

Ashley laughed. "Okay, Melanie, dig in."

Maggie frowned at them. "Hey, what about me, you two? I'm your sister. Can you be bought off with a couple of snapshots?"

"Snapshots?" Rick said indignantly.

"Uh-oh," Melanie murmured. "Eat up before it melts, Ashley. Things are about to get a little hot in here."

"You have no idea," Rick confirmed, frowning at Maggie. "I do not take snapshots."

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"Oh, that's right," Maggie taunted. "You're the world-famous fashion photographer who built his reputation on taking pictures of pretty women. How hard can that be? The scenery's incredible. They're beautiful. All you really need to do is click the shutter and try not to let the camera shake, isn't that right?"

She saw the fire in Rick's eyes and realized she might have gone the teensiest bit too far. He leaned close, his breath whispering against her cheek. She shivered.

"Take that back," he said.

Maggie held her ground, even though her stomach was doing somersaults. "No."

"Take it back."

"Or what?" she challenged.

His eyes flashed with something dark and dangerous. Maggie held her breath. Suddenly he laughed.

"God, you're amazing," he whispered right before he closed his mouth over hers.

Maggie went up in flames right there wim her open-mouthed sisters and half the town looking on. She wove her fingers into Rick's hair and hung on tight as the breath left her lungs and the world tilted on its axis.

"Holy kamoley," she whispered when he finally released her.

"Ditto," Ashley and Melanie echoed, their dripping spoons still suspended in midair.

Rick gave the two of them an amused glance. "Your ice cream's melting."

"Uh-huh," Ashley said weakly.

Looking dazed, Melanie dutifully shoved another bite of sundae into her mouth. "I really need to go find Mike," she said.

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Maggie bit back a smile. "Oh, why is that? Haven't you ever seen two people kissing before?"

"Sure," Melanie said. "But only once like that. It was in a movie. I went looking for Mike then, too." She stepped out of the booth. "Got to go."

Rick frowned at her. "What about the rest of the sundae?"

"Who gives a damn about that?" Melanie said. "And if you lost the bet, it's your own fault."

"I agree," Ashley said, pushing away the bowl. "I'm going home to take an icy shower."

As they walked out of the cafe, Rick stared after them with a perplexed expression. "How did that go so wrong?"

Maggie laughed. "Believe me, there was nothing wrong with that kiss."

"But up until that moment, they were going to let me win the bet, weren't they?" Rick asked. "They were going to eat every last spoonful of that sundae."

"That was my take on it," Maggie agreed.

"I guess you won," he said, not sounding all that dismayed about it.

"You're conceding defeat just like that?"

"You won the bet. When do you want to go to Paris?"

The question totally flustered her. She didn't want to go to the most romantic city in the world alone, and he hadn't said a word about coming with her. "I can't go to Paris right now. I have work to do."

"It's your trip. You pick a date and I'll get the tickets."

Tickets, she noted with a little leap of her pulse. Plural. "You're coming, too?"

He laughed. "You didn't think I'd let you go off to meet all those sexy Frenchmen without me along, did you?"

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Maggie wanted to leap from the booth and do a little victory dance, but that would be too crass. She wanted to appear cool and blase about the whole thing.

"Let me check my calendar and get back to you," she said. "If you're really serious, that is."

His gaze held hers. "Oh, I'm serious, Maggie. I want to show you Paris."

When he looked at her like that, when he made her knees go weak, Maggie realized there was only one thing on earth that could make this whole thing better. ..if they were going to Paris on their honeymoon.

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JKick was struck by a thoroughly unexpected and way too beguiling image of standing in the moonlight at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with Maggie in his arms. He'd never planned a trip with a woman before. Not that he hadn't been with women in exotic locales, but usually it was work that had taken them there and whatever romance had been on the agenda had been spontaneous. This was almost like planning.. .what?

A honeymoon.

The completely outrageous thought popped into his head and refused to die, even though a part of him was screaming no, no, no, so loudly he was surprised the entire restaurant couldn't hear it. He glanced at Maggie to see if she had any idea what was going on in his head. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't, but she was looking a little dazed herself at the moment.