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“Ah yes, starting with your cousin’s wedding. I thought I saw Corie around town, or more importantly, her fiancé, Hawk Cameron.”
Everyone who was anyone knew about Hawk Cameron, the star athlete for the Georgia Wolves basketball team. In the Hairston family, Hawk was more known as the man who’d knocked up the golden child of the HFG, the Hairston Financial Group. When Corie admitted her pregnancy, she’d been the topic of brief gossip. All seemed to be forgiven since Hawk stepped up as a father. No, Kenzie thought with a frown, since Hawk the athlete stepped up to the plate. Meanwhile, Kenzie was considered a pariah in her family’s eyes.
“Was there anything you needed, Alexander?” Kenzie swallowed past the irritation growing in her throat.
Alexander admitted he had nothing and then said goodbye, leaving Kenzie and Lexi alone. Finally.
“Must be tough working with your ex?”
Kenzie frowned. “Not as bad as working with him as a boss.”
“No chance he’d...”
Kenzie held her hand up to stop her old friend and mentor. “No, thanks. I’d rather run naked through Four Points Park at the height of mosquito season.”
Mosquito season in the South was unlike anything else in the world. “I’ll take that as a definite no.”
“Exactly. I shouldn’t be embarrassed or single-shamed just because I don’t have a date, or a boyfriend, or anything to pass off as a boyfriend,” said Kenzie.
“Hey, last summer you and...”
With a cut of her eyes Kenzie quieted Lexi once again. Days after the abrupt end to her summer fling with him, Kenzie had perfected the art of masking her hurt and frustration with spite and irritation. “Do not mention his name.”
“Don’t be so stubborn,” Lexi joked. “I don’t understand how you can work with Alexander but you can’t with—” Lexi gave pause and consideration for saying the name “—him. You two bonded last summer.”
Kenzie didn’t miss the way Lexi’s fingers bent into air quotes as she said bonded. “And then he humiliated me by standing me up for the party after the Miss Southwood Pageant. You know I hate to be embarrassed,” said Kenzie. “And sure, I was mortified when I found out about Alexander cheating back when we were college freshmen. I could at least deal with Alexander when we started college, and thanks to a lot of therapy, I accept he’s the one who should be ashamed, not me. Working with him, well, he annoys me but that’s it. We have no...”
“Feelings for each other?” Lexi supplied.
An uncontrollable upper lip curl tugged at Kenzie’s face. “Feelings?” She scoffed and waved off the notion. “Not a chance. I want nothing to do with him.”
“That’s why you had his truck towed?” Lexi mused and played along with Kenzie by not saying the name.
Feigning innocence, Kenzie batted her lashes. “Anyone who parks one inch too close to a fire hydrant needs to be reported, Lexi,” explained Kenzie. “I was looking out for the good citizens of Southwood.”
“Yeah, right,” said Lexi with a knowing smile. “Well, look, let me get out of here.”
The back of the black leather chair scraped against the pale gray wall behind Kenzie. It had a deep groove from the numerous times she’d done the exact same thing. “My goodness, let me get these off your hands.” She reached for the garment bags and immediately the wave of guilt hit her. “I’m so wrong. Here you are, five months pregnant in the summertime. A woman in your condition shouldn’t have to stand and listen to me complain.”
Lexi waved off Kenzie’s fret. “Trust me, I’d stand here and talk to you longer. I’ve been hunched over the sewing machine for the last few days getting ready for Bailey’s pageant debut in a few weeks.”
The two of them headed off to the elevators just outside Kenzie’s door. Pressing the circular down button, Kenzie smiled fondly at the image of her seventeen-year-old niece winning Miss Southwood and keeping the Swayne beauty queen dynasty going. It meant a lot to Kenzie to know Lexi saw the beauty queen potential in Bailey. In the pageant world, Lexi was a goddess. Not only did a one-of-a-kind dress designed by Lexi bring good luck, but her guidance as a pageant coach always brought her girls in at least the top five of every competition.
For Kenzie’s family, pageantry ran in their veins. So far six older relatives on Kenzie’s father’s side of the family were former beauty queens and four on the Hairston side, all before the age of eighteen. More had won Miss Southwood between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five, including Kenzie, but Bailey winning would be quite a feat for someone so young. Plus, there hadn’t been a Swayne queen since Kenzie.
“I’m so excited.” Kenzie beamed. “I know the former Miss Southwood is supposed to hand over the tiara but I plan on crowning her myself.”
“Because we both know she’ll win.”
Kenzie gave her friend a high five and the elevator doors dinged and opened. As they waited, Lexi pressed on. “I can’t wait.”
After the elevator doors closed, Kenzie crossed the long hallway of her office floor toward the big bay windows to make sure Lexi made it safely down the front steps. Pride filled her heart at the sight of the well-manicured, lush green lawn of the town center. Cobblestone sidewalks encased the stretch of space in front of City Hall. Scattered diagonal parking spaces filled either side of the roads. Surrounding the area were diverse businesses such as The Cupcakery, Grits and Glam Gowns, The Scoop Ice Cream Parlor, Osborne Books and others in attractive brick buildings with colorful awnings.
Kenzie rolled her eyes at the only thing she considered an eyesore: the upscale Brutti Hotel, built last year. With its modern architecture and glassy windows, and height, it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the quaint, old town setting. There was nothing historical about the forest area where the hotelier, Gianni Brutti, built the spot and it wasn’t even considered Southwood land but everything about the place irritated Kenzie. The upscale hotel did push tourism, which kept revenue in town, so she guessed she couldn’t be too mad. In the distance a church bell rang. She was reminded once again of her hectic month ahead. Stress over her single status was going to plague her. The second wedding would be worse only in the sense she would be forced to be around Alexander’s and the questions from his well-wishing kin, wondering why the two of them never married. There weren’t many things Kenzie disliked about her small town—the folks around here always remembered Kenzie and Alexander as a couple in high school but forgot about her heartbreak when she’d returned. His family, never knowing the full story, always felt the need to remind Kenzie that they were both still single.
In the reflection of the glass Kenzie spotted a sparkling strand of hair mixed with her awkward reddish mess. As if the stress of her life couldn’t mount any higher, she’d spied a gray strand. Kenzie pressed her head against the cool glass to inspect. To make matters worse, she spotted the silver Ford F-150 truck driving down Main Street. The same tug on her upper lip returned, just as it had when Lexi almost said his name. Ramon Torres was in town.
* * *
There were a few things that could cause Ramon Torres to break the strict set of rules he lived by. After battling childhood obesity, Ramon had a no-sweets rule. But for the debut of the summer cupcake, the Wedded Bliss, sold at The Cupcakery in downtown Southwood, he made an exception. The cupcakes were so famously known and loved, Ramon took time away from his boutique hotel, Magnolia Palace, on the outskirts of town just to get one.
The other ban he broke was his No Kenzie rule. Southwood’s historian had a knack for getting under Ramon’s skin and under his covers. At the moment of spotting the unruly curly red hair secured in a high ponytail on Kenzie Swayne’s head, Ramon Torres contemplated leaving The Cupcakery. Considering the debut of the dessert, he decided to stay.
What he hadn’t planned on was the way his body responded to the sight of Kenzie’s backside in a pair of light-colored jeans. She teetered on a pair of red heels and he recalled how her long legs felt wrapped around his waist. He then ticked off the Yankees’ last world series starting lineup in his mind. If he planned on breaking a rule, let it at least be one, not two, in a single day.
The dozen people separating them weren’t enough. He needed a battalion. Ramon shifted in his boots and tried to blend in with the group of high school–aged football players with letterman jackets. According to the time on his watch, school hadn’t let out yet. Skipping class with identifying clothing to get a cupcake wasn’t smart, but Ramon understood. A couple of bankers Ramon worked with on occasion waited patiently in line. Even the kids he’d seen hanging around in the park doing nothing but skateboarding and intimidating some of the locals stopped and stood in line for a cupcake. Ramon understood the things a person was willing to sacrifice for a cupcake. In his quest for one, he’d put himself in the path of the wrath of Kenzie.
Last summer had given Ramon and Kenzie the spark they’d needed to enjoy some heated moments together. Their time had been brief, but most of all pleasurable, until Ramon realized what a distraction Kenzie had been. He’d moved to Southwood to get away from his controlling family. Generation after generation, the Torres men and women were successful. Ramon knew how to throw a party. The family always teased him about making a “good time” a profession. His oldest brother, Julio, became the mayor of their hometown. Another brother became a United States Marshal and Raul, just one year older than Ramon, owned a booming nightclub in Villa San Juan. Ramon’s own success gene did not kick in until he reached thirty and just as the gears started to grind, he met Kenzie Swayne. Kenzie put a whole new spin on sexy—and bossy at the same time. She’d been a dangerous distraction when he was supposed to get his life together and grow up. He couldn’t live on his parents’ property forever, so when the opportunity to buy the old, plantation-style home in Georgia came open, Ramon took it. Since he’d been so great at making sure his friends always had a good time, whether at a party or on vacation, Ramon turned that into a profession and opened the doors to the boutique hotel for families to come and enjoy the Southern town. Magnolia Palace was his baby, his investment and his chance to prove to his family he’d matured.
They worked together on a favorite pastime of Southwood’s—the Miss Southwood Beauty Pageant—as a favor to his extended family. Lexi Pendergrass, a former beauty queen, had married Ramon’s cousin Stephen. Stephen and his brother Nate were closer to Ramon than his own brothers. With Lexi being kin, as they said in Southwood, Ramon helped her out when the theater downtown, the usual beauty pageant venue, flooded by hosting it at his hotel, Magnolia Palace. With hindsight being 20/20, Ramon now knew he had been in no place to start anything. Had he known hosting the competition would get him involved with Kenzie, Ramon would never have done it. Kenzie wanted a man who was ready to settle down and Ramon was getting on his own two feet.
Ahead of him in line, Kenzie dropped something from her pocket when she retrieved her cell phone from her hip. The ample, heart-shaped view of her behind caused Ramon to forget about the No Kenzie rule. Every red-blooded male in line sighed and cocked their heads to the side to unabashedly appreciate the view. A collective sigh of admiration stretched through the store. Unaware, Kenzie straightened and juggled her oversize purse on her shoulder and committed the ultimate sin...she stepped aside. Whoever was on the other end must have been pretty damn important. Ramon’s jaw twitched with a twinge of something. He couldn’t put his finger on the feeling. He didn’t like the idea of someone so important in her life.
“Torres,” someone called out.
Ramon willed Mr. Myers to keep quiet until Kenzie left the bakery. The retired history teacher went so far as to wave his arms in the air. Ramon offered a quiet head nod in the direction where Mr. Myers sat with three older women. He breathed a sigh of relief when the glass doors closed behind Kenzie.
“Hey,” Ramon said with a head nod in the direction of the table. The line moved forward to the point where the glass counter came into view. Ramon counted the number of people in line versus the number of cupcakes in the display case. If his calculations were correct and if everyone purchased only one cupcake, there would be two left by the time he reached the register.
“Get your stuff and come over here,” Mr. Myers ordered. “I want you to meet my fiancée.”
Fiancée? Ramon thought to himself. Which one? At seventy-eight, Mr. Myers had earned his reputation as a ladies’ man, splitting his time between the two Southwood senior centers. Ramon pointed toward his watch and shook his head, praying the old man understood the silent apology. He didn’t want to be here if Kenzie returned. Bad things happened when she was around. Once, and he couldn’t prove it, Ramon had gone to sprinkle salt on his fries at the Food Truck Thursday event at Four Points Park and managed to get a snow mountain of salt. And even though he couldn’t prove it, Ramon still felt Kenzie had something to do with his name being taken off the Christmas Advisory Council. Anyone with a business in Southwood wanted to be a part of the CAC. The council also helped bring cheer to town. He was also denied membership to a lot of Southwood events because his hotel was slightly outside of Southwood. Also last year, Ramon wanted to invite the whole town to his hotel for a holiday party but the email was somehow lost in the cyber world. And because the committee had gone for an old-fashioned theme last year, guess who had been in charge of all things last Christmas? None other than Kenzie Swayne.
Hell hath no fury like a woman stood up. Apparently Kenzie was the type of woman who didn’t appreciate him bailing on her at the last pageant event last year. That was when Ramon decided to keep his distance and work on a No Kenzie rule...meaning, if he knew she was going to attend the same function as him, Ramon stayed away. So far Ramon had managed not to bump into her face-to-face for six months now. Soon everything would change. Ramon planned on starting up a business not just in Southwood city limits but in the historic downtown area. He was going to get a seat at that damn Christmas Advisory Council this year.
As the cashier argued with a customer, Ramon spied the back of Kenzie’s head leaving the park. The fact his body still reacted to the sight of her proved he needed the No Kenzie rule. Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory went into effect and induced a mouthwatering reaction, much like at his mother’s coquito cupcakes. He still craved her. Just like the desserts, Kenzie was bad for his health and bad for Ramon’s concentration.
“All right, guys,” announced Tiffani, the cashier behind the counter, “after this batch I’m out of the Wedded Bliss cupcakes. I’m shorthanded today, so I’ll need to take a break and make up some more. It will be about an hour until they’re ready.”
Groans from the customers drowned out Ramon’s curses. The line moved forward. Folks behind him left the line, uttering their decision to come back later. As calculated, everyone else in line bought their share of cupcakes, except for the high school students who left, probably due to class. By the time Ramon reached the display counter there were five cupcakes left and no one behind him.
“Looks like you’re in luck,” Tiffani gushed when she realized he was next. “I’ll let you have the rest.”
“The rest?” Ramon imagined himself eating every single cupcake and then imagined how far he’d have to run to work them off. “I really just want the one.”
“But there’s no one else in line and these are going to go to waste once I break out the fresher ones,” Tiffani said as she boxed up the items.
“I’ll tell you what, if you’ll put four in a to-go box and leave them for the next customer who walks in, I’ll take the one and pay you for a dozen.”
“Sounds like a deal to me.”
Once Ramon got his cupcake to go, he turned around at the same time as Kenzie reentered the bakery. Damn, how much was this going to cost him?
Chapter 2 (#u4f0bb17b-58f3-5dec-941f-652c23dd50af)
“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Ramon Torres,” Kenzie hollered at his tailored suit. She hated the way her body heated up at the sight of the man. Ramon turned to face her. His broad shoulders slumped. And she even swore he rolled his neck from side to side, preparing himself for battle. The wind blowing between the buildings whipped a loose piece of hair from his annoyingly cute man-bun on top of his head. The man mixed sex appeal with bohemian chic and wrapped it up in a sharp midnight blue suit paired with black snakeskin cowboy boots.
“What did I do this time?” Ramon stopped his long stride in front of the old post office. He didn’t bother trying to sound shocked to see her, which annoyed Kenzie even more.
“Tiffani told me you purchased these. I don’t need you buying cupcakes for me,” she told his backside as she approached.
“So don’t eat them,” Ramon responded.
Kenzie walked around his large frame to make sure Ramon saw the irritation across her face. If there was one thing that set her off, it was a man telling her what to do. Kenzie had worked too hard for the last ten years to grow from a naive girl dependent on her boyfriend. But Ramon wasn’t her boyfriend. No, he made it perfectly clear last summer he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
Ramon sighed heavily. “Do whatever you want.”
“I ought to throw them away,” Kenzie went on to antagonize him. These were cupcakes from The Cupcakery. No one ever threw them away, especially not out of spite. Besides, she’d already had a bite of the delectable lemony dessert when Tiffani informed her the previous customer paid it forward.
“You’re not throwing anything away.” Ramon called her bluff with a sarcastic laugh.
With the box in her hand, Kenzie crossed her arms. “Fine. But I just want you to know from here on out I don’t want you buy me anything.”
“For future reference, Kenzie, I paid it forward for the next person. How was I supposed to know you were going come back into the shop?”
Back? She took in his choice of words and hated the idea of Ramon having the upper hand. He saw her before she did? “So you saw me and didn’t bother speaking? What are you, a stalker or something?”
The square jaw of his tightened. “You were on the phone.”
Being reminded of the call infuriated her more. Alexander had tried to sneak a project by her without her knowledge. No wonder he’d been so friendly in her office. Had his secretary, Margaret, not given Kenzie the heads-up, Kenzie would have had no idea the old post office was being considered for purchase. “Whatever.”
“Well, if we’re done here...” said Ramon, taking a step toward the closed doors of the old post office. In two long strides, Ramon entered, disappearing from Kenzie’s fruitless rant. So what if the man wanted to do something nice for the next person? But why did it have to be her?
The wind picked up on the street, blowing the unsecured hair from Kenzie’s ponytail into her face. With a sigh she set the box of cupcakes on the top step and twisted her hair into a bun. The doors closed behind Ramon and left her staring at her reflection from the mirrored doors. Growing up she’d hated her naturally frizzy red hair, but she hated her face full of freckles more. Now with a glimpse of herself, Kenzie smiled in appreciation. It took her a while but she found her unique look appealing and if she did say so herself, as she looked down at her attire...she looked pretty damn good today.
Common sense told her to head on back home. She’d already gotten her coveted debut cupcakes. Now she needed to get home and destress about seeing her family at the rehearsal dinner tonight. She wondered if there was someone on Craigslist she could hire...or was that illegal?
The clicking of the lion’s head antique brass door knobs on the post office door reminded Kenzie of her nagging suspicions about the building. Alexander planned on meeting his potential client in a few minutes and Kenzie intended to be here. Funny how he didn’t mention it earlier. She understood the position of a city manager needing to bring in business, but at what cost? Buildings in Southwood were historic. Some of them were built before the Civil War. And he’d scheduled a meeting, knowing she was taking the month of June. “Spiteful bastard,” Kenzie mumbled to herself. Her ex had sworn he would not let their past interfere with working together when he was hired as city manager.
A car sounded off at the end of the street and a couple of high school kids in two different pickup trucks were mock sword fighting with each other. Idle hands, Kenzie thought with an exacerbated sigh. When the drivers spotted Kenzie they honked again and waved. More than likely they were up to something mischievous in the post office. Kids loved to run around in there, regardless of the danger signs. Speaking of which, Ramon didn’t need to be in the building playing around, either. Kenzie reached down and picked up her box of cupcakes and headed inside. Ramon needed to leave.
“Ramon?” Kenzie called out his name. Her voice echoed off the empty walls. An old counter filled with dust split the center of the room. The inside windows were boarded up with old newspapers. Sun damage had destroyed the dates of when the papers were put up.
Footsteps sounded off down the hall just beyond the counter. From old pictures, Kenzie knew there was an elevator. The four-story building was also a playground on Halloween. Kids loved to tell ghost stories about using the elevators and getting stuck between floors, but there was no electricity in the building so Kenzie never believed them.
“Ramon.” She said his name once more.
“Are you following me?” Ramon’s voice sounded through the dark hallway.
“What are you doing in here?” She followed the sound of his baritone voice and swore his footsteps moved quicker and farther away. “Stop playing around in here.”
She finally caught up with him. Sun leaked through the paled paper on the back windows and backlit him. Ramon stood in the elevator car, his back against the wall and his arms folded. He could have easily been a model in an ad for sexiness.
“What?” Ramon asked.
Kenzie placed her hands on her hips and stamped her foot. She hadn’t meant to, but she did. “Get out of here.”
“Are you going to make me?” Ramon offered a cocky half grin and stretched out his arms toward her.
In an attempt to back away, Kenzie slipped on her heels but caught herself in the elevator doors and kept herself from falling. Ramon didn’t have the decency to hide his laugh. “You’re a jerk.”
“Thanks,” he replied. “Why are you following me?”
“I am not,” Kenzie said standing her ground. Her eyes caught the debris on the ground by her foot and as she glanced up the air in front of her began to snow. Snow? A loud rumble above her head sounded off. The moment she craned her neck upward something pulled on her blouse and her body was jerked forward into the elevator. Thunder was followed by a hail of ceiling tiles behind her. Ramon wrapped his arms around her body and turned his back to the falling debris.
Nestled against his chest, Kenzie stood still until the deafening sound stopped. She should have been frightened but she wasn’t. With Ramon’s arms secured around her frame she remained safe.
Ramon leaned backward and tipped her chin up. “Are you okay?”
Lost in his almond-shaped, dark brown eyes, Kenzie nodded her head. “I think so. What happened?”
“The avalanche was the floor collapsing just outside the doors.”
Kenzie peered around his arms. The doors were closed. A light flickered but she didn’t know how. The building had no electricity. Then she realized Ramon held his cell phone over her head. She blinked.
“We’re trapped,” she said rather than asked. The silence was proof. The doors were closed from the fall. They were safe from the falling debris but they were trapped. Kenzie peered again at the doors, which now, in her mind, seemed closer than before. Her eyes traveled up toward the ceiling of the elevator...the low ceiling, which grew lower by the second.
“Hey now,” Ramon cooed, placing his hand on her backside. “Breathe with me.”
“I am breathing.”
“Your breathing is erratic,” he pointed out, pressing his hand with the cell phone against her breast. “Your heart rate is accelerating.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kenzie said with a dry laugh. She pushed his warm hand away from her breast. Her nipples hardened with his touch. Amazing how her body could flip from a mild panic attack to sheer desire. Damn him. “I get claustrophobic sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Ramon chuckled.
“Yeah, well, just when I’m stressed and nearly lose my life,” she snapped.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
“What?”
“I just pulled you from danger.”
Kenzie backed away from him. The cool bar on the wall braced her backside. “And I am pretty sure you popped one of my buttons off my blouse.”
Ramon held the light toward her chest to see. As if naked and exposed, Kenzie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll let the second floor collapse on you.”
