Five

 

Dakota stepped into the entryway of her parents' home and immediately relaxed. Laughter sounded from the kitchen. Her dad laughed the loudest, but Sullivan wasn't much quieter. Her mom and other siblings also joined in.

After such a stressful week, it felt good to be in her childhood home. She threw off the stresses of unhappy brides-to-be and trying to get in touch with Charlotte. The only good thing about the week had been Clay. Every day, he proved himself more and more helpful. He was a real asset, and Dakota loved every moment with him.

Her parents' house smelled of lasagna—one of Mom's favorite dishes. It brought back many memories of family dinners over the years. She loved their weekly family meal.

She slid off her winter coat and hung it on the rack before going into the kitchen.

The full table in front of Dakota relaxed her further. Her parents, three brothers, sister, and brother-in-law all sat together, happily talking.

"Dakota finally made it," Sullivan teased.

"Sorry. Busy day at work."

"Have you met Charlotte yet?" Freya asked, her eyes wide. She was a model and as a result, really into actors and actresses.

"Not in person."

"Is she as obnoxious in real life?" Shale asked. Freya's twin didn't have the same stars in his eyes as his womb-mate.

Dakota slid into the seat next to him. "She has a strong personality."

Shale snorted. "I'll bet. I saw a video where she—"

"Let's focus on our meal," Dad said. "Mom spent hours slaving over it."

Mom chuckled. "Hardly. I don't mind hearing a little celebrity gossip. It's not every day one of the kids meets someone famous."

Dakota piled some lasagna onto her plate and turned back to Shale. He had a black mark on his cheek. She studied it. "Did you get burned?"

"It's nothing." He glanced away.

"Shale saved a toddler from a house fire." Mom's expression emanated pride.

"Mom." Shale groaned.

"You can't blame me for being proud of my boy."

Next to Freya, Nico grinned. Freya's husband was the newest member of the Hunter family, and he always seemed to enjoy the friendly banter that had been part of their interactions as long as Dakota could remember. She wasn't sure if Nico's amusement was because of his stressful job as police lieutenant or because his own family had never been close.

"I sold another house today," Sullivan said. "Aren't you proud of me, too?" He laughed.

"You're a real hero," Logan said, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Where would Enchantment Bay be without you?"

"Homeless." Sullivan gave his brother a playful smirk and dug into his food.

A smile tugged at Dakota's mouth. Funny how just a few minutes with the family could make her forget about her worries.

"How's your case coming, Logan?" Dad asked.

"It's another tough one," Logan replied. "But some new evidence came to light today which is really going to help."

"Another slam dunk for the town's best attorney." Mom beamed.

Logan shook his head. "It takes a lot of people to win the case. I just get the limelight."

"So humble." Mom's eyes shone. No one could ever convince their mom that her five kids weren't the greatest around.

"It's the truth," Logan insisted. He nodded toward Nico. "His team arrested a guy who confessed to being involved. I had nothing to do with it."

The lively conversation continued until everyone finished eating.

Shale yawned and stretched. "Sorry, guys, but I'm not going to be able to stay for a game. I hardly slept at all last night with all the calls that came in." The dark circles under his eyes and the extra-scruffy beard proved his point.

Mom frowned. "Are you sure you can't stay for just one round?"

He yawned again. "Not unless you want me falling asleep on the way to my apartment."

Her eyes widened. "No, we can't have that. Next week, we'll pick a better day for you."

"Thanks. Love you guys."

Shale gave everyone a hug and left in a hurry.

Mom shook her head. "I don't know how he keeps that crazy schedule."

Freya frowned. "I think he takes extra shifts to keep his mind off everything."

"He's still in counseling, isn't he?" Dakota asked.

"Yeah," Freya said, "but he hates having nothing to do. He starts thinking, and since he's given up his vices…"

Everyone nodded, understanding. Shale had married young and lost his pregnant wife, sending him into a depression that spiraled out of control until he leaned on the rest of the Hunters for help.

Logan rose and started clearing the plates. "I need to get back into my weekly basketball nights with him. It's so hard between our two schedules, but I have to make it happen."

Everyone else got up and helped clean the mess.

"Cards or a board game?" Mom asked.

They agreed on a card game that had been a family favorite since Dakota was a child. Every once in a while, her mind wandered over to Charlotte and the unusual video tour. Clay had been great, not only holding the phone, but pointing out things about The Chateau that he thought the star would love—and he'd been right.

After the game, Dakota pulled Sullivan aside. "Thanks again for telling Clay about my job opening."

"Oh, no problem. I take it he worked out?"

She smiled. "He started on Monday, and I couldn't have asked for a better assistant, actually. This has been The Chateau's most productive week in a long time."

"That's what I like to hear. And if he's looking to buy a home, you know where to send him." He winked.

"I'll keep that in mind, but who else would I send him to?" Dakota glanced at their dad. "Your boss, maybe?"

Sullivan shrugged. "He's selling me the business soon. His clients are mine."

She laughed. "That's one way to look at it."

Everyone made their way to the door and said their goodbyes with hearty hugs.

Dakota drove home with her mind busy. She was a little worried about Shale—though a grown man, he was still her baby brother. She was also concerned about work. Could she pull off Charlotte's big wedding? Remotely, no less? Sure, there was plenty she could do without the bride and groom, but they would need to taste the cakes, try on the dress, and a few other things in person.

When she got home, she was too tired to do anything other than go straight to bed. Normally, she liked to get a little work done in the evenings, but it would have to wait.

She climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Just as she was drifting off, the image of Clay taking a stack of papers from her so she wouldn't have to worry about them sprang into mind.

Her heart fluttered. On top of being gorgeous, he really was thoughtful—even offering her to take her lunch break first when he was hungry. If only she could find a guy like that to date. Except that she'd decided to take a break from the whole dating scene, anyway.

Dakota rolled over and thought about how to convince Charlotte to come down. Even just a few hours would make all the difference.

Her alarm blared, waking her from the middle of a deep sleep. Eyes closed, she barely found it to turn it off. It felt like she'd barely slept.

Some weeks, she hated working on Saturdays. Not usually, but she didn't want to see The Chateau today. The good news was that it should be a short day, and she wouldn't need to worry about either of the weddings they were hosting.

She trudged downstairs and got the coffee maker going before heading back upstairs for the shower. By the time she climbed into her car, she felt a little better about the day. The caffeine was starting to kick in, and she felt good about talking to Charlotte today.

When she pulled into the parking lot at The Chateau, a bright red motorcycle caught her attention. She walked by it, watching how it shone in the early morning sun. There wasn't a speck of dirt on it. Whoever owned it obviously took great pride in it.

Not that she had time to think about it. It probably belonged to one of the grooms. Sometimes couples came in before work for early consultations.

She headed for the front door, her mind already mulling over the conversation she was going to have with Charlotte shortly.

Aria ran to Dakota as she came in the front door. "I've got a bride who's insisting on a dog as a ring-bearer. Do we do that?"

"As long as they pay the deposit, and the dog has to be fully trained and friendly. No bodily fluids spilled in here and no biting. We have an agreement form somewhere. I'll dig it out."

"Thanks." Aria pulled out her phone, dialed, and walked away.

Marina ran to her, holding a phone. "Do we still have a package for someone who wants to rent the space only? I've got a bride who wants to handle everything herself."

Dakota nodded. "Yes, but you'll still have to go over everything with her, and there's additional paperwork."

There was always extra paperwork, no matter what they did.

"That's what I thought." She brought her phone to her ear and began explaining what Dakota had just said.

Dakota headed for her office, confused. If neither Aria nor Marina had clients in person, who did the bike belong to? A new chef, perhaps?

In her office, Clay was already at her desk, entering information from the files.

"You're here already?" she exclaimed.

"I want to get through this so I can help you with Charlotte. She seems to stress you out."

"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly. I just have a certain way of doing things, and she wants to do the opposite at every turn." Dakota set her purse down. "I can't really complain because if she's happy, then it could hit our clientele into another stratosphere, you know? Really put us on the map."

"If she found you, I'd say you're already on the map."

"Maybe." Dakota opened up her files for Charlotte's wedding. "I—"

"You don't give yourself enough credit, do you?"

She glanced up at Clay.

"This place is amazing, and from what Sullivan said, you built it from nothing."

The room heated a good ten degrees. Dakota pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "It's a labor of love."

"In every sense of the word." He grinned.

Business and pleasure, she reminded herself and turned away from him, desperately trying to think of something else. "Did you notice the motorcycle in the parking lot?"

"The red Ducati?"

"Yeah." She flipped through some papers, unable to pay attention to what was written on them.

"That's mine."

Dakota spun around, eyes wide. She knew enough about bikes from Cruz to know that they were the Lamborghini of the motorcycle world—in fact, they were actually one and the same. Her cousin had always eyed them with jealousy.

"Is that a problem?"

She blinked a couple times. "N-no. Not at all. I just didn't realize it was a Ducati. Or yours. It's gorgeous."

He arched a brow, and his face lit up. "You know about Ducatis?"

The back of her neck heated. She cleared her throat. "Italian. Owned by Lamborghini."

"I'm impressed. I didn't take you as a biker girl."

She relaxed and the temperature seemed to be dropping. "I've ridden motorcycles. Plenty of them."

Clay studied her and pulled some hair behind his ears. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Dakota shrugged. "My favorite cousin is really into them. He was practically my best friend growing up. It was hard not to pick up on the hobby."

His eyes shone with excitement. "Ever ridden a Ducati?"

"No."

"Want to?" He stared at her expectantly.

Her heart raced and her mouth went dry at the thought of wrapping her arms around him on his fast, sleek bike. "Of course."

"How about at lunch?"

She couldn't hold back her smile any longer. "Sounds perfect."