Okay everyone, I took some time off for the holidays but I'm back at work and enjoying every second of it. My newest trilogy begins with Come to Me. This is Rob's story, because well, everyone insisted I write one. And since I love to make my readers happy I was happy to do it. It's so close to being done, but I'm in such a good mood this beautiful (really gray and kind of gross) Monday morning, I'm giving you a sneak peek. Let me know what you think!
Rob
Downing opened the front door of his mother’s house and took in a deep
appreciative breath. He owned his own
restaurant and was no stranger to good smells but no one made lasagna like his
mom. He slipped his jacket off and hung
it up before following the sounds and smells down the narrow hallway. He glanced around at the home he grew up in
and automatically winced. He had offered
to help his mom sell the house and buy a new one but she refused. So he’d
renovated it and upgraded every time a birthday or Mother’s Day came up. But he
still wished she’d let him spoil her a little and buy her a new home or condo.
There was one thing about Anne Downing that he could always count on. Her stubbornness.
He
paused in the doorway and grinned at his family. There was his mom, smiling and ruling the
roost as usual. She had been a widow for over 15 years thanks to a car accident
that had taken their father. She had mourned but had gone on with life knowing
that she had three children who needed her.
She’d become mother and father to her son and two daughters. She’d been strong and hard but Rob had always
known that his mother loved him.
Rob
glanced at his sister Taryn and grinned automatically. Between his two sisters, she was the most
like him in looks and personality. They both had the dark brown hair like their
mom and warm brown eyes. He could tell
by the lines between hers that their mom’s bossy ways were starting to get on
her nerves.
Bailey
was different though. She took after
their dad in looks in temperament. She
had blue eyes and lighter brown hair that sometimes turned gold in the summers. She was as laid back as she was beautiful and
Rob loved that about her.
“Looks
like all the work is done,” Rob said, as he walked into the kitchen and leaned
down to kiss his mom’s cheek.
Anne’s
face lit up and she turned around and patted his face as she looked up at
him. “You’ve been working hard all day
at the restaurant. You just take a seat
and rest while the girls and I finish up.
Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” she said and then went back to
preparing the salad.
Rob
heard Taryn’s loud snort and raised an eyebrow at his sister as he grabbed a
chair and turned it around so he could watch them cook. He was tired, but not from the restaurant.
He’d just come from rugby practice and his legs ached and his shoulder throbbed
from a tackle. Tate Matafeo still held a grudge because he’d taken Jane on a
date and kissed her. Of course, it
probably hadn’t helped that he still teased Tate about what a good kisser she
was every chance he got.
“Poor
baby, you worked so hard? I’m the one who put in the orders today and talked to
the accountant today and dealt with your annoying chef today. It must have been
exhausting taking off at three to go hang out with your buddies,” Taryn said
with a snap in her voice.
Rob
smiled coolly as he rubbed his thigh where another bruise was blooming.
“Problem Taryn?”
Taryn
flipped her long dark brown hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Our mother still lives in the fifties when
men didn’t do housework and were pampered and given the newspaper and a pat on
the head. I just barely left the
restaurant a half an hour ago where I worked three more hours than you! Why don’t you get over here and chop this
onion while I sit down and rest?”
Bailey
laughed and Anne made a huffing noise while he tried hard to look
contrite. Rob stood up and walked over
to Taryn and took the knife from her and began chopping the green onion for the
salad.
“Sweetheart,
I’ll gladly chop this onion for you while you take a seat. You’re right, you deserve it,” he said
kindly.
Taryn
looked at him suspiciously but took a seat with a tired sigh. Rob noted that his sister did look tired and
decided to look into getting her an assistant.
“Now
you leave your brother alone Taryn. If
it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have that nice job of yours. You’re managing one of the best restaurants
in the Pacific Northwest. He didn’t just
give you a job, he gave you a career.
And one you enjoy,” Anne said with her chin in the air.
Taryn
blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes and smiled at her brother. “I do enjoy my job and I love my brother but
the facts are, I work twice as hard as him and he makes ten times what I do.”
Rob
paused his chopping to shake his head at his sister. “Taryn, I’m the owner. You’re the manager. You want my life, buy your own restaurant and
hire an amazing manager.” He grabbed the cucumber and began chopping that
too. “You’re ambitious, you’re smart and
you know what you’re doing. No one’s
stopping you. If working for me is too
hard, or annoying, I’ll understand if you want to break away and be queen of
the world.”
Taryn
rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I haven’t
thought about it. You need tons of
capital to start a restaurant as you very well know. And I’m not some hot shot ex-professional
baseball player with tons of fans who like to come in just to get a glance of
my magnificence. So I guess I’ll just bide my time.”
Rob
laughed and shook his head. The restaurant business was hard. Getting a new one off the ground and
successful took a miracle and he knew how lucky he was. He’d had the money to get it started, but
keeping it going was another thing all together. He put his success down to a good menu, a
good wait staff, great location and a certain amount of luck he wasn’t dumb
enough to discount.
“You do
that Taryn. Bide your time baby.”
Taryn
got up and walked over to Rob, putting her arms around him from behind in a
quick hug. “You know I’m teasing. I love you Rob. And I love my job. Most
days. Your chef is killing me
though. He’s driving me nuts, he’s
driving everyone nuts. And he’s so
mean! He was yelling at Wren today for
no reason. Poor thing. I had to stomp in there and put him in his
place. I swear, anyone who can yell at
Wren needs to be shot. She’s an angel.”
Rob’s
smile faded and he turned and looked at Taryn with a frown. “He was yelling at Wren? Why?” he demanded in a hard voice.
Taryn
shrugged and picked up a cherry tomato.
“I don’t know. Something is up
though, I’ll tell you that. I told Jared
to go cool off so he took a break, but when I tried to get it out of Wren, she
just clammed up. Rob she looked close to
tears. If she quits because of him I’m going
to poison him,” Taryn swore and stomped into the dining room to set the table.
Rob
stared off into space as he thought of Jared yelling at Wren and felt slightly
murderous himself.
“Pish.
Leave work at work. No worries
here. You’re home now Rob. Just relax.
So what if your chef is putting someone in their place. That’s what
chef’s do. I see it on my shows all the time.
Chefs are passionate creatures. If they’re not yelling at someone,
they’re not happy. Leave the man
alone. Taryn is too soft . . .”
Rob
ignored his mother’s prattle and felt his good mood dim. He wouldn’t rest now
until he found out why Jared had yelled at Wren. It was his restaurant and he insisted on
knowing every little thing about it.
From which waiter was dating which waitress to which customer liked to
steal the salt and pepper shakers, to how his chef’s treated the people
underneath him or her.
He’d
only hired Jared five months ago when Brenda had quit becuase she’d had her
baby. He’d only planned on Jared being
temporary so Brenda could come back but she’d decided to be a full-time mom and
he’d ended up with Jared on a permanent basis.
Jared was okay. He wasn’t spectacular. He wasn’t even as good
a chef as Brenda was. But he was
consistent and that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Wren
had only been with the Iron Skillet for a little over a month. His sous chef had quit on him with no warning
and he’d been desperate. He’d called a
friend of his who taught at the Art Institute of Seattle and asked for a
referral. Newly graduated culinary
students made great sous chefs. Jack had
insisted that Wren was something special and so he’d arranged for
everything. His best friend Michael
Bender found a cheap condo for rent down by the water and he’d offered it to
her over the phone. He’d been surprised when she’d jumped at the offer without
seeing the restaurant or the condo.
Wren
Tyler had been something of a surprise.
She didn’t look like a chef should.
Brenda had been a big boned woman who adored food and enjoyed eating as
much as she did cooking. Wren looked
like a poet with her long strawberry blond hair, big innocent blue eyes and
soft mouth. He’d checked her application
and couldn’t believe she was twenty-four.
She barely looked nineteen. But
she was sweet and quiet and everyone from his feisty sister to the lowest
dishwasher seemed to love her.
Everyone except Jared Patterson.
“Dinner’s
ready. Grab that salad Rob and bring it
to the table,” Anne commanded snapping him out of his reverie as she disappeared
into the dining room with a large pan of lasagna leaving him and Bailey in the
kitchen.
Bailey
walked over and patted his arm with a smile.
“And that’s why you’re the successful owner of a restaurant Rob. Because even a little thing like a chef yelling
at someone is enough to consume you.”
Rob
smiled and relaxed a little. Who
couldn’t relax around Bailey? “Ah, you’re sweet Sis. No, I just hate the idea of anyone picking on her. She’s such a shy
little thing.”
Bailey
grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Oh
really? We’re talking about the beautiful girl with the strawberry blond
hair? The one who made me a salmon Carpaccio
last week that was so good I almost cried? She’s not shy really. I think she’s
more of an introvert.”
Rob
picked up the salad and shrugged. “She
is a little timid. She can barely put
two words together whenever I talk to her. I can’t stand the thought of her
being bullied.”
Bailey’s
eyes twinkled in amusement as she picked up the bread bowl. “Please don’t beat
your chef up Rob. I’d hate to have to write about you in the paper.”
Rob
laughed and followed her into the dining room. “Good point. I promise not to beat up my chef.”
After
Anne said the prayer, everyone began to pass the food around, laughing and
talking and reverting back to the teasing of their teenage years.
After
about fifteen minutes, Anne raised her hand.
“Now that you have some food in your bellies, I’d like to thank you for
coming to this family council.”
Rob
groaned and put his fork down. “Why
didn’t you warn me?” he demanded, looking over and glaring at Taryn. “I told you to warn me when these things were
coming up.”
Taryn
held up her hands in defense. “Like I
knew. This is not my fault. Oh my word,
who’s in trouble now? It’s gotta be you
Rob because I haven’t done anything.
Bailey? Did you do something?”
Bailey
laughed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“You know it’s not me. It’s
always you or Rob. I’m the angel of the
family. Remember?”
Taryn
stuck her tongue out at Bailey and then looked at Rob in disgust. “You owe us for this Rob. Honestly.
How many family councils do we need to have before you remember to take
your mother out to lunch and call her every day?”
Rob
looked affronted and began to say something when Anne stood up, looking
fierce. “Well, I had no idea you all
hated our family councils so much. I’m hurt.”
Rob
laughed a little and shook his head. “A
family council is just a fancy way of saying someone is going to get their rear
kicked.”
Anne
put her nose in the air and sniffed. Her dark brown, ruthlessly styled hair
didn’t move at all. “That is so rude
Robert and I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. But now that you’ve brought it up, there is something on my mind,” she said,
sitting down daintily and looking sad and forlorn all of a sudden.
Rob’s
eyes narrowed wondering if his mother was sick. “Mom, what is it?”
Anne
licked her lips and sighed heavily. “I’m
lonely Rob. I’m going to be honest here.
Now that all three of my children are grown adults and living elsewhere, it’s
hard. I miss Pat every day and for a while
you children filled the void. But now .
. . now there’s nothing. I have empty
nest syndrome, I looked it up. This
could lead to depression, isolation, anxiety and who knows what else.”
Rob’s
mouth opened in shock as the vibrant energetic woman he knew his mother to be
looked sad and small. He felt his heart twist painfully as guilt poured through
him.
Bailey grinned at her mother as
he and Taryn looked horrified. “What a
crock Mom. What’s this really
about? I saw you looking at those cruise
brochures. Just come out and say you
want to go on a cruise with us. You
don’t need to put on this big soap opera,” she said with a laugh.
Rob
blinked in surprise and glanced at Taryn.
Taryn raised an eyebrow and they turned and stared at their mother. As sad and small and dejected as she looked,
there was a militant spark in her eyes that Bailey must have caught. Rob nodded to his youngest sister in
respect. Bailey smiled regally and
nodded back.
Anne
threw her hands in the air. “Oh for the
love of . . . fine. Maybe I’m not depressed but I could be! I very well could be any day now and it’s all
your fault. All three of you,” she said
glaring at each one of her children with her eyes staying on Rob’s the longest.
Rob
laid his napkin on his plate and pushed it away. “What in the world is this about? Just spit it out.”
Ann
pushed her plate away from her and rested her arms on the table. “It’s time that the three of you get
married. I mean it. Rob, you’re not getting any younger. You’re in your late twenties, well past time
for you to settle down. Now I know you
sort of tried with Kit and that was a disaster, but it’s time to get to
work. I’m still young enough to enjoy my
grandchildren. I don’t want to turn into
one of those old women who hate when their grandkids come over because they
make messes.”
Rob’s
mouth fell open in shock. He’d rather
get tackled by Tate Matafeo ten more times than have this conversation with his
mother.
“And you Taryn. You’re twenty-six now. Have you thought about your fertility? Because I have. It’s all I can think about.”
Rob
covered his grin as Taryn stared at her mother as if she couldn’t decide
whether to laugh or cry.
“Mom,
you have to be stopped,” Taryn whispered turning bright red as she stared at
the doorway longingly.
Anne
shook her head, automatically rejecting the idea that anyone should stop
her. “And you little Miss Bailey. You’re not off the hook. I don’t care that you’re twenty-four. It’s time to get to work. You hang out with your friends but when’s the
last time you actually went on a date? A
real date? Dinner?
Movie? Concert? Goodnight kiss on the front porch?”
Rob
grinned at Bailey’s frozen expression just grateful that he wasn’t the only one
facing the firing squad tonight.
“Mom, I
hate to break this to you but our social lives are really none of your
business,” Bailey said thoughtfully as she straightened the silverware beside
her plate.
Rob and
Taryn looked at each other as their eyes widened. They slowly turned and looked at their mother
and Rob was not surprised to see a hint of flames peek out of her ears.
“What
did you just say to me?” Anne whispered staring at her youngest daughter.
Bailey
tilted her head and looked calmly back at her mother. “I said our social lives are none of your
business.”
Rob
closed his eyes and let out a long breath, praying that they would all be able
to survive this evil night.
Taryn
reached over and gripped his hand and Rob opened his eyes to see a continuous
stream of tears flow down his mother’s cheeks.
Rob turned and stared at Bailey.
“Really
Bailey? Did you have to make her cry?”
he muttered, now feeling hideous.
Bailey
sighed loudly and stood up, walking around the table to hug Anne. “Mom, I love you but this emotional blackmail
has to stop. You can’t control our lives
anymore and crying like this is just going to give you a head ache. Tell you what. Let’s all make Rob take us to the movies and
buy us some popcorn. You can tell us all
about Aunt Barbara’s new boyfriend. We’ll
have fun. Let’s just forget all about grandchildren for a few years. Okay?” she said leaning back and staring
kindly down into her mother’s eyes.
Anne
sniffed and wiped her eyes. “You heartless, ungrateful daughter, don’t you
patronize me. Do you love me or not?”
she demanded, stepping back from Bailey.
Bailey
tilted her head up and stared at the ceiling as if she was praying. “Okay, I’m passing this one on to you
Taryn. Your turn,” she said and sat down
looking irritated.
Anne
put her hands on her hips and turned to Taryn.
“Yes Taryn, it is your turn. It’s
your turn to fall in love and get married and bring a few grandchildren into my
lonely life. I’ve already planned it all
out. You’re a successful smart, amazing
and beautiful woman. Lucky for us, Rob
knows just about every successful smart man in this area. Rob is going to be a good brother and find
you a nice CEO to fall in love with.”
Taryn
blinked in surprise looking uncomfortable and nervous. “Mom, I don’t
. . .”
Ann
hushed her and then looked at Rob. “My
son. My only son.”
Rob
massaged his temples feeling a headache brewing. Whenever Anne said, My son, my only son, it usually preceded something close to torture.
“Mom,
before you even start on me, you know I tried.
I’ve been dating like crazy these last few years. Do you think I don’t want to get married?
I do mom. More than
anything. I want a wife. I want children. I want it all. I gave my heart to Kit Kendall but she didn’t
want it. Looking back on everything, I
can’t say that I blame her either.”
Taryn
and Bailey exchanged a look as Anne’s whole body stiffened in offended honor.
“Well, I can blame her! I blame her every day picking that computer boy over a
good looking man like you. That Kit Kendall doesn’t deserve you. I never buy from their bakery anymore and I
never will,” she said in a huff, her foot tapping loudly against the wood
floor.
Rob
sighed loudly. “Mom, stop blaming the
Kendalls because I messed everything up. Go get a cupcake tomorrow. Really, there’s no reason to torture yourself
because she fell in love with another man who happens to treat her like a
queen.”
Bailey
nodded. “I stop by all the time
Mom. You should try their crème
brullee. Honestly, it’s so good it makes having a boyfriend seem
superfluous.”
Taryn
snorted, Rob looked up at the ceiling innocently while Anne glared at
Bailey. “Stop using stupid words like superflew-us. Really Bailey just because
you work at the newspaper doesn’t mean you have to talk like a twit. Honestly, I have no idea what has come over
you. You’ve always been my quiet well
behaved child and now you’re talking back to me. What has happened to you?”
Bailey
looked surprised by the question. “Mom,
I’m an adult now. I have free-will. I don’t actually have to do everything you tell me to do now, like get married and
re-produce. Besides, don’t get distracted.
You’re talking to Rob now,” she said more meekly.
Rob
glared at her before smiling at his mother.
“Let’s just call it Mom. This
conversation has grown old for everyone here.
We appreciate that you’re lonely and would like a few grandkids to spoil
but love happens when it’s supposed to.
Although I think it probably is wise for Taryn and Bailey to socialize
more and focus on dating men they see as future husbands.”
Taryn’s
and Bailey’s mouths fell open as they looked at each other before turning and
glaring at Rob.
“Way to
throw us under the bus Rob,” Taryn said under her breath.
Bailey’s
blue eyes turned cold as she stared at her beloved older brother. “You’re dead,” she whispered and made a
slicing motion across her neck.
Rob
blinked at Bailey. “You’ve changed. It
must be your dying eggs. I hear it can change personalities, make people weird
and mean.”
Anne
covered her mouth and hid a snort as her eyes twinkled at her children. “Well let’s vote on it then. Who thinks Rob needs to get married soon and
have children as soon as humanly possible?”
Rob
sighed as his mother, Taryn and Bailey put their hands in the air.
“Good,
good. Now who thinks Taryn should fall
in love and get married and have a family?” Anne asked in a quiet, soothing
voice that reminded Rob of horror movies.
Rob,
Anne and Bailey raised their hands.
Taryn glared at her younger sister.
“What!”
Bailey
winced. “Well, I kind of think you are
ready to fall in love Taryn. Sorry,” she mumbled.
Taryn
rolled her eyes as Anne smiled and looked at her youngest. “And who here thinks Bailey should get
married soon and gift me with delightful grandchildren?”
Rob and
Taryn lifted both their hands as Anne lifted her hand regally. Bailey ignored them all and studied her
manicure. “Well, you can vote all you
want to but you can’t force love and there’s no way I’m falling in love with anyone
until I’m good and ready. And on that
note, I’ll see you all later. Much, much later,” she said and stood up and
flounced out of the room.
Rob
grinned and stared at his mother’s furious face. “I just love these little family councils
Mom. We should have more. Really. Like one a week at least.”
Anne
licked her lips and took a deep breath before turning to look at her two
remaining children. “She’s a good
girl. I’ll give her a few days to get
used to the idea. Now you two. I’d love for you both to go on a date this
week please. Rob, I expect you to come
up with a nice date for Taryn. Maybe
give her a few options. Send her
pictures of course and maybe a little background. I want this to be fun for her. Make sure they’re late twenties to early
thirties. Well off, successful and
talented would be good too,” she added thoughtfully.
Taryn
groaned softly. “What about
kindness? Honor? Compatibility?”
Anne
waved her words away like they were flies.
“As if Rob would have friends who weren’t kind or honorable.”
Rob
cleared his throat and decided not to answer that. “I already have a date set up for Friday, so
I’m good to go,” he said standing up.
Anne
shook her head and pointed at his chair with her finger. “Taryn, I know you’ve been working hard all
day. I don’t know how Rob runs that
restaurant without you. Why don’t you go
home and soak in the tub. I need to have
a few more words with Rob.”
Taryn
jumped up so fast he could swear he felt the wind on his face. Within seconds she was gone leaving Rob to
stare cautiously at his mother.
“A few
more words? Mom I've had about all the words I can stand today.”
Anne
shook her head and smiled gently at him.
“We need to talk women Rob. You
don’t know much about them.”
Rob
leaned his head on his hands and groaned.
“You've
been going after the wrong girl all along.
Kit was pretty and talented maybe, but you should have never fallen in
love with her. She was all wrong. You need a girl like Layla. Although Jane is really sweet. So if you ask me, your wife should be a
mixture of those girls. Someone,
interesting like Kit, but strong like Layla and a little sweet too.”
Rob
nodded his head as if he were agreeing with her and stood up. “That is excellent advice Mom. I will go home and think about it and make
sure the girls I date are up to your standards.”
Anne
stood up and leaned over to kiss his cheek before walking him to the door.
“You’re such a good son Rob. I knew
you’d see I was right.”
Rob
drove home and shivered at the thought of marrying someone like Layla
Bender. There had been times when she
would look at him and he knew that woman was seconds from killing him. No
thank you. He did not need someone like Layla. Jane?
Now Jane was darling. Too bad she’d been
in love with Tate and he’d still been in love with Kit when they’d gone out on their one and only date.
Timing
was everything. No, he’d be picking his
own wife out regardless of his mother’s wishes.
And he knew exactly the kind of woman he needed. Someone like him. Someone driven, successful, and someone who
could meet him on his own level. He also
knew he needed help for that. He had the
money so a couple months ago he’d hired the services of a professional
matchmaker from Seattle to help him make the right connections. The woman he was seeing Friday was coming down
to have dinner with him. Her name was
Candice Sherwin and she was a successful lawyer a couple years older than
him. It didn’t hurt that she was
gorgeous too.
Nah, he didn’t need his mom telling him
what to do. He knew it was time. Forget love though. Just give him the wife and children and let
him get on with his life. Play time was
over.
(Copyrighted 2014)
