THE DODGE COVE Solarium was both the best and worst venue for the Society of Dodge Cove Matrons luncheon. Nathan blamed the suggestion in his last-minute proposal on the delirium of the fever he’d suffered in Rome. Ideas and reality were totally different animals.
It was the best because of its stunning views of the DoCo Botanical Gardens. The walls and ceiling were made of glass, with maple wood paneling. Inside it had potted fruit trees and a selection of blooming plants. Quaint without being overbearing.
In contrast, it was the worst location because the entire structure was made of glass. For lunch, that meant the noonday sun beating down on all of them could turn the place into an oven. Second was its size. Nathan kept insisting that they couldn’t fit tables for eight, let alone for twelve, inside. But Eleanor Grant was implacable once she had made up her mind. In her own words, she would have the luncheon at the solarium if she had to buy the entire Botanical Gardens to do it. Considering how vast the Grant holdings were, she could make good on her threat in a heartbeat.
So, after making several calls, most of them to the fire marshal, and a little creative maneuvering with the help of Didi, they managed to fit six tables for twelve inside the octagonal space. It was probably one of the hardest things Nathan had had to do for an event.
Besides the tables, they needed space for a podium. As per Mrs. Grant’s instructions, it had to be on an elevated platform. Which meant Nathan had to have one built from scratch. Because of everything they had to cram into the space, the poor caterer would have to serve the food from outside. As a concession, Nathan had a special tent built for the chef and his crew, complete with air-conditioning should the sun decide it wanted to be hot that day.
Then there were the drapes that Eleanor insisted on. The solarium wasn’t made to hold curtains. It was built to showcase panoramic views of the gardens. Once again he had to use all his God-given creativity, since they couldn’t make any changes to the structure. Adding curtain rods was a huge no-no. At the last minute he found a way to maneuver around drilling hooks in the walls by hanging the fabric along the wooden beams. Nearly gave him a stroke at the age of eighteen, but by the holy grace of fashion he had managed it.
Come event day, the solarium was bustling with activity.
He’d arrived early to inspect the space. The servers had draped all the linens and were already assembling the place settings when the flowers arrived.
Everything was a well-orchestrated performance. Nathan had planned each detail down to the takedown of their setup after the event. The solarium would be back to its original condition at exactly four in the afternoon that day.
He checked the time on his tablet after he’d signed for the flowers. Didi was directing the servers where to place the arrangements. Not a minute later, Mrs. Grant appeared by his side in an impeccable white suit—Chanel, of course. Several strands of pearls dangled from her neck, the longest of which reached the waistband of her pencil skirt. Her blond hair was elegantly arranged—not a lock out of place. And she smelled of lilacs.
“Mrs. Grant,” he greeted her, giving her a kiss on each cheek. “You look absolutely divine.”
“I trust that everything is in order” was her ever-curt response.
Nathan had made the mistake of calling her Eleanor once. She’d put him in his place in ten seconds flat. Sometimes he couldn’t fathom how such a frightening woman could have produced such a wonderful son. Well, considering Preston’s unyielding sense of focus to the point where he would forget a date because of an important e-mail, Nathan completely understood.
Mentally slapping himself for thinking of him, he forced himself to focus on the job at hand. He would not be able to breathe easy until this event was over. The planning had certainly shaved years off his life, that was for sure.
“I want all the courses served at seventeen-minute intervals,” Mrs. Grant said as she scanned the area where the lunch would be held. No doubt she was eyeballing the length of the tapers.
“I will let the chef and servers know,” he replied, making a note of it on his tablet. “What if the matrons aren’t finished—”
“You will clear and serve the next course in exactly seventeen minutes,” she interrupted, her tone final.
“Seventeen minutes it is.” Nathan took a deep, hopefully calming breath. He was surprised he hadn’t developed a stomach ulcer during the entire planning stage. He constantly had to remind himself that the recommendation afterward would be worth it. This luncheon would be in the local paper and every party-planning blog come morning.
As the Grant matriarch gave him last-minute instructions, he vowed to never again plan an event for her. He would rather poke an eyeball out first.
Already a headache threatened to pulse between his temples. The servers gave him sympathetic glances as they passed to accomplish whatever task they had been assigned. They knew his pain. When he had set out to slay his dragon, he’d never thought it would be this challenging. He finally understood what drove those other planners toward mental breakdowns.
When Mrs. Grant finally left him to harass someone else, Nathan gave in to massaging his forehead. Almost immediately Didi appeared with a glass of water and an Advil. He thanked her profusely and swallowed the tablet.
Taking another steadying breath, he left the solarium to give the chef his new instructions.
Exactly an hour later, the matrons started arriving. The gasps and exclamations of wonder warmed his heart as he stood by the entrance, greeting each and every one of them. Mrs. Grant was inside, helping seat her guests. He had said she didn’t have to, but Preston’s mother was immovable. Just like her son.
As if on cue, the walls of his chest contracted. Just thinking of him was debilitating.
As he fought to keep a smile on his face, he wondered how long the seemingly fathomless aching would last. And if he would survive it. He’d never believed it was possible to die of a broken heart, but considering the amount of pain he was in, he might as well be a dead man standing.
He was in the middle of greeting Mrs. Hassleback when something green drove past in his periphery. They weren’t far from the entrance to the botanical gardens, so from where he stood, he could see the cars driving by to let their passengers out. He looked past the oil tycoon’s widow. The instant he recognized the Wrangler, he thought his heart would stop beating.
Seconds later the driver’s door opened, and a long leg he would recognize anywhere stretched out. Nathan’s breath hitched. It couldn’t be. No. It couldn’t possibly be him. But he knew in his heart of hearts that only one person in DoCo drove a Jeep like that.
Preston stepped out of the driver’s side, his hair in a tight buzz cut.
Nathan stopped breathing altogether. If he’d thought Preston looked good with long hair, the buzz cut gave him an edge that pushed him into a hot scale that hadn’t been invented yet.
It took everything in Nathan not to make a run for it. Whether it was toward the boy he loved or away, he couldn’t quite tell. Then all his awe disappeared when he spotted his cousin trailing after the swimmer.
So that was where Caleb had disappeared to.
Nathan used the spark of anger to unstick his feet from the ground. He hurried toward the pair. Despite the joy he felt at seeing Preston again, his resolve remained intact. The guy shouldn’t be in DoCo, Nathan thought.
“I would ask what you are doing here, but looking at the unrepentant glee on my cousin’s face already tells me the answer,” he hissed. “Actually, I don’t want to know.”
Preston paused, just looking at him silently through the classic Ray-Bans he wore. Nathan owned a similar pair. They had bought them together just that summer. Ugh. He looked too delicious for words. Not ready to let go of his ire, Nathan shifted all his attention to Caleb.
“You!” He pointed at his cousin, who didn’t even have the decency to flinch. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to by bringing him here.”
“Oh?” Caleb raised an eyebrow at him. “And what exactly am I up to?”
Nathan didn’t have a chance to respond. In seconds he was engulfed by the most powerful arms he had ever known—capable of slaying all who dared to challenge him in the pool. He all but melted the second his face was crushed against that unyielding chest and he inhaled the scent of chlorine and soap he’d craved during the darkest, loneliest hours of the night.
“I’m so sorry,” Preston whispered. “I fucked up.”
A shudder ran through Nathan as that deep, rich voice that teased of secret encounters in dark corners reached his ear. A part of him wanted to forget everything and just kiss Preston senseless right there. But the more responsible part, the one that had watched him train for endless hours every day, knew Dodge Cove wasn’t the place for the swimmer.
It took all the willpower he could muster, but Nathan eventually managed to step away from the embrace. Once he was breathing fresh air again, he was able to think more clearly.
“Whatever it is you think you’re doing, don’t bother,” he said, rejoicing inside that his voice didn’t falter. “There’s nothing for you here.”
“Nathan—” Caleb began.
Preston’s raised hand cut off the rest of what his cousin had been about to say. He removed his sunglasses and deliberately took the time to fold and hook them against the collar of his white T-shirt. Then he rubbed a hand over his short hair, which Nathan couldn’t stop staring at.
“I know where I should be,” Preston said with a firm resolve in his voice that was surely inherited from his mother. “You don’t have to worry about Coach Bennett. He knows I’m here. In fact, he only gave me a couple of days. Then it’s back to Colorado.”
“I say leave now and don’t look back.” Even as Nathan spoke the words, he knew he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he was happy to have a couple more days with Preston.
“I’ll leave as soon as I finish what I came here to do.”
“And what is that?”
Preston reached out a hand for him. “Come with me and see.”
As if he was under some kind of mind control, Nathan immediately lifted his hand with the purpose of entwining their fingers. But before their palms could touch, he remembered what day it was. He pulled back and indicated the solarium.
“As you can see, I have an event to run,” he said. “I don’t have time to leave with you.”
It was for the best. Leaving would just get him into so much trouble. He’d already accepted that he had no place in Preston’s heart. Nothing could change that.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Didi said. She took the tablet from his hands and flitted away when he made a grab for it. “I’m sure you already have everything set. All I have to do is supervise.”
“And I’ll make sure to help her,” Caleb piped up, looking too smug for his own good.
“If this was any other event, I would be happy to let you take over,” Nathan said to Didi. Then he placed his hands on his hips and turned to scowl at Preston. “You know your mother would not accept me leaving an event I’d planned for her. What would she think?”
“I think you should go with my son,” came the stern voice from behind him.
Slowly, Nathan turned around to face the cool expression on Mrs. Grant’s face. She shifted her hazel eyes toward her son, and the corners of her lips pushed up in the smallest smile ever known to man.
“Hello, Preston,” she said.
“Mother,” Preston answered, but Nathan had his back to him so he couldn’t tell what expression Preston had on.
“We will be discussing what you have done with your hair later.” Then she returned her steely gaze back to meet what Nathan hoped was a pleading one. “You have done an excellent job here, Nathan. Consider that recommendation yours.”
He was stunned. That was the best compliment he ever could have gotten from the woman who ate party planners for breakfast. He had done it. He had slain his dragon.
“I believe Didi is capable enough to take over. She has been an excellent liaison while you were in Europe. I wondered why you hadn’t hired her sooner,” she continued. “Now, my son traveled a long way to be here today. Do I have to fire you to get you to leave with him?”
Nathan swallowed and shook his head.
“Good.” She nodded once, clasping her hands together. “Now go before I change my mind.”