“A party without cake is just a meeting.”

Julia Child

The Bonavera sisters all wore dark red, sequined dresses that distinguished them as the evening’s hostesses. Each dress was different, but Liam noticed one thing they had in common. They all looked as if they’d been custom-made to show off every dip, curve, and swell of the women who wore them—to perfection.

Even Marcella, whom he’d never seen in a dress before that night, looked ravishing. He’d had to do a double take when he realized it was her. He knew she and Caterina were twins, but their personalities were so dissimilar to him that it was easy to forget. Although their facial features were identical, he’d never noticed how alike they were in height and build. He’d never seen Marcella in anything but work clothes or wearing jeans and a sweater, usually with her nose in a book. Tonight, in a floor-length, form-hugging dress with no shoulders, she looked every bit the manslayer her sisters could be.

His eyes rested on Caterina. She wore a short dress that embraced her like an enamored lover, from her shoulders to a couple of inches above the knee. It had long, narrow sleeves with a somewhat modest V-neckline in front, but modesty gave way to pure seduction when she turned to reveal a plunging back that ended below her waist, displaying a glorious expanse of creamy white skin.

He wanted to get his hands on all that skin. Lick his way up her back, taste her neck, spin her around and covet those full lips with all the hidden heat he’d tapped into each time he’d kissed her.

“Daddy, will you reach me up, so I can get one of the high candy canes from the tree?”

Liam looked down at Riley. He hadn’t planned to come to the open house, but she’d remembered that it was tonight, and after helping with the decorating last weekend, she’d just assumed they’d be going. He’d picked her up from daycare, and when they got home put one of her shows on for her to watch while he got a shower, just as he did every other night.

When he came back out, she was sitting on the couch watching her show, and he saw that she’d changed into one of her good dresses. She’d looked at him and frowned. When he asked about the frown, she’d said, “You’re not planning to wear that tonight, are you?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Daddy.” She’d given him an exasperated look that he thought must be inherent to all females. “Miss Caterina said this was going to be a special night, and that’s why we were decorating everything to be so beautiful. You have to wear your nice clothes. Like me.” She stood up, as if he hadn’t noticed the dress, and looked up at him with bright eyes filled with excitement for the evening she’d been anticipating.

He didn’t tell her that he hadn’t planned on them going. He hadn’t had the heart to disappoint her. No, he did what any father at his daughter’s mercy would do. He went to his room, took off his tee shirt and sweats, and changed into something he thought she’d approve of.

Liam lifted Riley up and set her on his hip. “Which one do you want?”

“That one.” She pointed to a candy cane near the center of the tree. He took hold of her waist and held her in the air.

“Would you mind looking this way?” Liam glanced to his right to see Damien aiming a camera at him and Riley.

“Riley, do you want to be in a picture of you getting your candy cane?” Liam asked.

“Sure.” Riley reached for it and, as she wrapped her fingers around the stem, looked at Damien and flashed her dimples. His daughter was a true ham.

“Got it. Thanks,” Damien said. He let the camera dangle from the strap around his neck and approached them.

“Are you having fun, Riley?” he asked.

She scrunched her forehead. “How do you know my name?”

Liam wondered the same, but then Damien cleared up the mystery when he said, “I met your father this morning. I was talking with Antonio and Lucia a few minutes ago, and when she saw you and your dad, she said, ‘Oh good. Liam came, and he brought Riley with him.’”

Damien smiled down at Riley. “I guessed you were Riley.”

She grinned. “You’re a good guesser. Did you know I got to be in charge of the candy canes? Miss Caterina said it was an important job ‘cause we needed to make sure every little kid could reach them.”

Damien looked the tree over. “It looks like you did an excellent job.”

“Thanks. Miss Caterina said I did a great job too. My dad got some pictures when we did the decorating. He took them on his phone, not with a camera like you.”

“Hey, Riley! Thanks for coming tonight.” Caterina had come up behind them. Liam glanced around, and their eyes connected. She slid him a smile that made him want to nibble it right off her lips.

“I love your dress,” Caterina said to his daughter. “You look just like a princess in it. Give me a spin, so I can see it twirl.”

Riley put one hand on her head, then spun around like a ballerina. The skirt on her dress flared out, then flattened back down when she stopped. Liam wondered where she’d learned that move. Probably watching one of her shows.

“Nicely done,” Caterina praised.

Riley beamed. “I like your dress too. It doesn’t twirl like mine, but it’s still pretty. I like how it sparkles. When I’m growed up, I can get some high shoes like yours. Daddy won’t let me get some now ‘cause he says they’re only for adult ladies, and you have to take years of practice to learn to walk in them.”

Oh Lord, Liam thought. He’d be happy if the day Riley wore a dress and shoes like Cat’s never came. He didn’t even want to contemplate his baby girl dressed in something that would require him to threaten every guy who looked at her to keep his hands in his pockets or risk losing them.

Caterina chuckled. “Your daddy’s right about that, but don’t worry, when you’re old enough I can teach you how to walk in heels, so it doesn’t take so long.” She shot Liam an amused, if mocking, look. “I’ve had lots of practice.”

“I’m going to move through the rooms and get some more pictures,” Damien, who Liam had forgotten was still standing there, said. “Before I do, why don’t I get one of the three of you by the tree.”

Before he or Caterina could respond, Riley grabbed one of Liam’s hands and one of Caterina’s and stood proudly in front of the tree she’d helped decorate. She glanced up at each of them. “Smile, guys.”

On her command, they looked toward the camera and smiled as the flash went off. Liam glanced at Caterina. He didn’t think a picture of the three of them would make the cut in an exposé to highlight the season, but it occurred to him that someone seeing it might assume they were a family. No one who knew them, but to someone who didn’t know better, he could see how it might depict something other than the spontaneous moment it had been.

THE LAST GROUP of the tour guests walked down the wide front porch steps and made their way along the sidewalk toward the winery’s gravel parking lot.

Lucia closed the polished double doors that had been left open for the night and then turned and leaned her back against them. “Congratulations, sisters mine. Tonight couldn’t have gone more splendidly!”

“I’ll second that,” Caterina agreed. “Everything looked beautiful, the tour guests all seemed to enjoy themselves, and everyone had nothing but good things to say. The night, most definitely, was a success! And I couldn’t be happier to see it end. I’m exhausted!” She dropped into one of the armchairs that flanked the large stone fireplace in the library and slipped off her heels.

Marcella claimed a corner on one of the couches and did the same, massaging her feet. “I don’t know how any of you can stand to wear these all the time. One night of torture in them, and my feet are going to need a week to recover.”

“If you wore them more often,” Eliana said, from where she already sat on the opposite end of the couch from Marcella, “you’d get used to them. Put your feet up here, little sister.” She patted the couch beside her.

Marcella swung her legs up. Eliana slid over, lifted Marcella’s feet onto her lap, and started massaging them.

Marcella groaned. “I love you. You’re my favorite sister. I’ll pay you a dollar a minute to keep doing that.”

“I love you back, honey. Keep your dollars, though; this one’s on the house. You wouldn’t be able to afford my rates.”

“I’m going to grab a bottle and some glasses from the solarium, so we can celebrate,” Lucia said, pushing away from the front door. “And some food. I’m starving. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I haven’t had a bite since lunch.”

Cat got up from her chair. “I’ll help you. I think we were all so busy this evening that none of us got a chance to eat anything. I’ll make up a couple of platters from the leftovers.”

“Do you need us to do anything?” Eliana asked.

“No.” Caterina left her shoes by the chair and followed Lucia, padding toward the solarium in bare feet. “You take care of gimpy, and we’ll take care of getting us some sustenance.”

Antonio walked out just as they were entering.

“We’re going to have some wine and nibbles to celebrate,” Lucia told him. “Do you want to join us?”

“Thanks for asking,” he said, “but I think I’ll call it a night and let the four of you have this time to yourselves. Enjoy your success. You earned it.”

“To a successful night!” Caterina proposed a short while later as they sat around the library. Each held one of the winery’s signature glasses, etched with the Bonavera name, underscored with a cluster of grapes and trailing vines. The glasses reflected the flickering flames of the three large, white pillar candles, set in the table’s opulent centerpiece, another of Lucia’s creations. Inside their bowls, one of the winery’s rich, ruby-red cabernet sauvignons glowed, liquid rubies in the dancing light.

“A successful night,” her sisters echoed. They tapped glasses, and a clear, delicate chime rang out in blessing.

The lights in the library and reception flickered on and off twice, then went out. The other candles set about the room lit by an invisible hand, and flames sprang to life in the fireplace, leaving the four sisters bathed in nothing but the glowing, soft light of several dozen candles and the gently crackling flames from in the large, stone fireplace.

Lucia looked around. “I guess Rosa thought a more romantic atmosphere would be nice to celebrate our success. And,” she added with an affectionate tone, “wanted us to know she was here celebrating with us.”

“It looks so pretty with just the candles and the fire. You have to give it to her,” Eliana said. “Subtlety might not be one of her strong points, but she sets a nice scene.” She raised her glass toward the ceiling. “Thanks, Rosa. This is much nicer with the lights off.”

Cat took a sip of wine and held it in her mouth a moment. She had to agree with Eliana. Their aunt could be a bit of a pain at times, but she clearly had a romantic side.

CATERINA STARED AT the seven dresses spread out over her bed. None of them were saying, Wear me, I’m the one that’s going to knock Liam off his feet.

She needed to go shopping in Eliana’s closet. Of her three sisters, Eliana had the most extensive wardrobe and would be most likely to have something that fit with Cat’s style. If El didn’t have anything that spoke to her, she’d check with Luch. If neither of them had anything that said, He’ll be down for the count when he sees you in me, she’d have to search deeper in her own closet for something that might.

She turned at the sound of a knock. Marcella stood in the doorway. “What are you doing?” her twin asked, looking at the growing mound on Cat’s bed.

“Ugh! I can’t find anything for my date with Liam tonight.” She picked up a dress and dropped it again. “I think I wore this the day I met him.” She picked up another. “I wore this the night I broke up with Mitch and quit at the restaurant. Depending on how our date goes, I don’t want any reminders of either, in case I decide I want to try to seduce Liam over dessert.” She let that one slip from her fingers to rejoin the pile.

“If you decide you want to seduce him, I doubt whatever you’re wearing is going to make much of a difference. The two of you have been straining to get at each other for weeks.”

“That’s not true!”

“Yes, it is. Eliana and Lucia will back me up on it. ‘There are none so blind as those who will not see’, sister dear.”

“This family’s just full of helpful quotes lately,” Cat said sarcastically.

“We like to be helpful.” Marcella put her hands into the pockets of her cargo pants and strolled into the room. “You’re welcome to wear something of mine,” she said, extending her sisterly helpfulness, “but if you’re going for seduction, you’ll probably have more luck in El or Lucia’s closets.”

“Thanks for the offer. It’s sweet, and I do appreciate it, but I think you’re right. If I’m ever trying to go for that salt of the earth, bohemian, carefree, and don’t care if I’m trendy or out-of-touch look, you’ll be the first one I come to.”

“Damn, it’s so awesome to be needed.”

Caterina laughed. “You are needed, honey, in many, many ways, just not for your wardrobe.”

“Speaking of being needed, Luch, El, and I agreed that we’ll take care of the breakfast setup tomorrow morning.” Marcella crooked her lips. “So, if your date night goes well and ends up becoming a date-morning-after, no worries, we’ve got it covered.”

“Man! Did I ever score in the sister department! But considering Riley, it’s unlikely I’ll be—” Liam’s words from the day he’d asked her out drifted back to her: And tell your sisters not to wait up for you. Riley’s having a sleepover with her cousin, so I get to stay out past her bedtime.

“Actually,” she said, thinking it best to cover all bases, “Riley’s supposed to be spending the night with her cousin, so I may be getting in much later than I would otherwise.”

Cat walked over and wrapped her arms around her twin. “You guys are the best! I’ll probably be waking up in my own bed tomorrow morning, but if I do get in really late, it’ll be nice not to have to get up early to do the setup.”

“We just want you to go out and have a good time, whatever you decide that is, without worrying about things here.”

“None of you think it’s a mistake…me going out with Liam?”

“Pffft. Rosa saw it right from the start, and it didn’t take the rest of us long to figure it out either. There’s something between the two of you, and although you’ve tried to play it down, it’s been gnawing at you for the last couple of months. You need to figure out if it’s a thing worth pursuing. Until you do, you’re not going to be able to find your balance again, Cat.”

After Marcella left her to her own musings, Caterina thought a lot about what she’d said. Cel was the most internal of all of them. She felt no need to be seen, be heard, or prove herself to anyone. She was very much her own person, and comfortable in it.

She tended to sit back, listen, and observe, chiming in if it was important to her or she had something relevant to add. She saw more than others, often more clearly, so although they all teased her for her more serious, sometimes reclusive ways, when Marcella offered an opinion or piece of advice, it merited consideration. And, being twins, she and Caterina had always shared a heightened perception of the other’s thoughts and feelings.

Marcella was right that she’d been off-balance, Cat reflected. Ever since the debacle with Mitch and quitting her job. And it wasn’t just because she was in limbo until Serendipity opened and she had something concrete to focus her energies on again. Opening the restaurant would be a major accomplishment, her most cherished dream, but, she realized now, it couldn’t be all there was.

During the early years of her career, she’d put other aspects of her life on hold. Had focused solely on learning everything she could about the industry, distinguishing herself as a chef, making her mark. It had been enough then. It wasn’t now.

Of course, she would aim for the stars with Serendipity. She’d always been an overachiever, she admitted, but she saw nothing wrong in that. Why waste time doing something if you didn’t do it to the best of your ability? One or two Michelin stars would suit her fine, but she couldn’t cuddle up with accolades at the end of the day. Rave reviews wouldn’t warm her bed on cold winter nights or hold her close when she needed to feel loved. If her dreams for Serendipity came true, what good would it be if she had no one to celebrate with, to share in the success?

She’d always have her sisters, true, and they always had, and always would support and cheer her on, but that was different. She wanted—no, she needed—more.

Cat walked out of her own room and went down the hall, to Eliana’s bedroom. Was Liam the more she needed? The thought didn’t repulse her as it might have five months ago. Rather, she realized, the possibility that he might be the something, or someone, missing in her life to make her dreams complete made her very glad she’d agreed to go out with him.

A flutter of butterflies took flight in her stomach. What if, after everything that happened between them, he turned out to be her Prince Charming—someone she could truly be happy with—but she’d botched it up?

No. She wouldn’t hex the night before it started. Despite their past, he wanted to go out with her tonight. She wanted to go out with him. Something—attraction, curiosity…her dead aunt—had been corralling them toward each other for weeks.

She needed to get out of her own way, let whatever it was take her where she needed to go to find out if Liam was the more she wanted, or if he’d turn out to be just another mistake in judgment when it came to the men she’d gotten involved with.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE you picked this restaurant.” Caterina glanced around at the intimate dining room. White tablecloths over longer, floor-length dark gold ones covered the tables. Crystal glassware sparkled at every setting, winking beneath a gathering of chandeliers that danced across the ceiling, as if in invitation to indulge oneself. Ivory china, rimmed with gold filigree borders, waited in understated elegance for the culinary delights, yet to be revealed, that would be set upon them to tempt curious palates. Everywhere she looked, her eyes soaked in the stage that had been set to seduce the diners’ epicurean senses before a fork ever touched their lips.

She looked at Liam in wonderment over his choice.

“I hope it meets with your approval,” he said, his eyes searching her face as if looking for confirmation that he’d chosen well. “Nothing against the Spaghetti Castle. In fact, Riley and I both love it, but I wasn’t sure it would be the best place to take a chef on our first date. Someone told me if I wanted to impress, this would be the place.”

“I’m impressed. Not only did you pick a wonderful restaurant, you managed to choose my favorite one outside of New York.” It touched her that he’d wanted to please her, and that he’d gone to the effort of asking around for suggestions. “You can tell whoever gave you the recommendation they couldn’t have suggested better if they knew me.”

“They do know you. In fact, when I asked, all three of your sisters said, ‘The Silver Phoenix,’ in unison, without having to think about it.”

“They would know.” She smiled lightly. As they waited to be shown to their table, she was filled with warm feelings that she wasn’t sure how to express. She felt embarrassingly happy. “Thank you, Liam,” she said. “It’s…it’s perfect.”

His eyes glowed as he considered her, apparently pleased her sisters hadn’t steered him wrong. She would have been just as happy…well, no, she wouldn’t have been, but she wouldn’t have complained, if he’d taken her to the Spaghetti Castle. If they got along well and enjoyed their time together, it wouldn’t have mattered to her if they’d done it over pizza or prime rib. Not that she wasn’t looking forward to the divine meal she was confident she’d be enjoying here, but it was the man who most intrigued her tonight.

“I am surprised you were able to get a reservation on such short notice,” she said, knowing how difficult it was to get into this restaurant, particularly on weekends.

“I made it three weeks ago, but even so, they only had two openings left for tonight.”

“Three weeks ago?” Cat gazed at him in confusion. “But you only asked me to dinner four days ago. Unless you were intending to bring someone else when you made the reservation, and they bailed on you.”

“I wasn’t intending to bring anyone else.” He slid a hand around her waist as they waited to be seated and gave an affectionate squeeze, then left it there, resting on her hip. She didn’t object. She liked the way it felt, comfortable, right somehow, as if it belonged there.

“So, you made a dinner reservation,” Cat said, wagging a finger between them, “for you and me three weeks ago and didn’t ask me until this week?”

“Yeah. I was working up to it.”

“Did you think I’d say no?”

“The thought occurred to me. I decided to spend a couple of weeks charming you first to hedge my bets.”

“Mr. Dougherty.” A tall, young man in black trousers, a starched white shirt, and a black bow tie addressed Liam. He held two menus resting in the crook of his elbow with one hand and extended the other toward the dining room. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”

Liam slid his hand to the small of her back as they walked across the room, past other tables with diners conversing over culinary delights, to a beautifully dressed table for two toward the back of the restaurant.

Caterina shifted self-consciously in her chair a few minutes later as they waited for the waiter to return with their wine order. Liam sat with his chin resting on his joined hands, watching her intently, the corners of his mouth curled upward every few seconds, as if amused by some private joke.

She wasn’t used to being scrutinized so openly. It made her wonder if he liked what he saw or, in such proximity, had zeroed in on one of her flaws. Her nose was too straight. Her face, perhaps a bit narrow. Her hair was at that in-between stage where she couldn’t decide if she wanted to grow it out or lop it all off.

“I’m not sure what I want to order,” he said. “Everything on the menu looks good, but I doubt any of it will be as appetizing as you look tonight.”

She beamed at him, her doubts scattering like autumn leaves in the breeze. “That was a corny thing to say, Liam, but thank you. I’m not opposed to corny flattery, and if we’re sharing honest observations using culinary terminology, I think you look positively delectable yourself.”

He chuckled, a rich reverberation that rolled over her and tickled her nerves. And he did look delectable. He’d almost knocked her off her feet when she’d walked into reception and seen him standing at the front desk talking to Lucia.

Dressed in a dark, charcoal-gray suit and a white dress shirt, with a black paisley tie, he could have walked right off the pages of a fashion magazine. None of the male models she and her girlfriends drooled over after they’d had a couple of glasses of wine had anything on Liam Dougherty dressed in a suit. Or anything for that matter, she conceded. He was hunky as hell in faded jeans and a tee shirt. This was just a different side of him. One that had surprised her because she wasn’t used to it. She liked them both.

He’s probably even more gorgeous wearing nothing at all.

Oh really? Did her dirty little mind have to go there?

She looked away to avert her slutty thoughts from becoming obvious. But damn, her curiosity was killing her, and was it so wrong for her mind to travel that path? She was a healthy, curious, horny woman.

“Should we decide what we want to order before the waiter returns with our wine?” Liam asked. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to convince you to come over to my place for an after-dinner drink since Riley won’t be there. We could continue sharing observations then, in culinary terms if you like, about each other. Who knows where such talk might lead?”

His eyes held a suggestion of where he’d like it to lead. Maybe his mind had joined hers on the same road.

“I never pegged you for such a cornball,” Cat said, grinning. “And I’ve never had a guy warn me about his plan to talk me into going home with him, in the hopes of getting lucky.”

“When a man decides to pursue a woman, his next decision is when and how to get her alone someplace in the hope of getting lucky. We can’t help ourselves. I’d tell you otherwise if I was a more selfish bastard who only wanted to get you out of that dress and have my way with you, but it would be a lie. I’d prefer to get you out of it and have my way with you honestly.”

Their waiter returned with their wine. “Have you decided what you’d like to order?”

“We need a few more minutes. The lady distracted me from deciding.”

“No rush,” the waiter assured them. “Would you like me to bring rolls for the table while you’re deciding?”

“That would be great,” Caterina said. When he walked away, she smirked at Liam. “I distracted you?”

“You’ve been distracting me for about six months, sweetheart.”

She shook her head but couldn’t hide the smile his admission raised. She picked up her wine and held the glass over the table. “To honesty. I like knowing it’s your preference. I don’t know if it’ll help you get me out of my dress tonight, but I do appreciate it.”

“Does that mean I can stop wondering how to convince you to agree to the after-dinner drink and focus my thoughts on how I’m going to accomplish the other?”

Caterina picked up the burgundy, leather-bound menu and held it in front of her face. “I’ll agree to an after-dinner drink,” she said from behind creamy vanilla pages that were embossed in navy ink and full of tempting appetizers, soups, entrées, and desserts. “Beyond that, I’m not making any promises.”

She settled on the petite filet of beef, rare, with parmesan-encrusted mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus bundles with dill butter sauce and cracked black pepper.

They conversed over their meals, sharing stories about themselves—what they liked to do in their spare time, what places they’d visited, those they never had but wanted to someday, why they’d chosen the careers they did. They talked easily, laughed easily, flirted easily, and often.

She’d settled on something else, she realized, after giving her order to their server. She would let the night play out. See where it led. Make no decisions until she needed to make them. And wherever it led, whatever she decided, it would be because that’s what she wanted.