Page 46 of A Little Harmless Pleasure

She really wanted to know what those things were but knew better than to ask. Chris would never reveal those secrets, not without Evan’s permission.

The waiter interrupted them once more for their food orders. Once he left, Chris said, “I can’t believe you made me come to a rival for dinner.”

She chuckled. “Count it as a busman’s holiday. Besides”—she gestured toward the opened window—“I love the view.”

He followed her direction and smiled. “I have to agree with you there.”

Neither of them said anything for a bit, just taking in the sight of the sun sinking below the horizon, the dinner cruises going by.

“I’m thinking of opening a bakery.” She didn’t look at him, but she sensed his focus was now completely on her.

“Here in Honolulu?”

“Or up on the North Shore. I thought I’d look around for a shop that was reasonably priced.”

He didn’t say anything, so she gathered her courage and glanced across the table at him. “What do you think?”

“Hmm. I think that it’s hard to start a business, especially in the food industry.”

She pursed her lips and tried to fight back the wave of disappointment that swept through her. Cynthia had been so sure of his support.

“Oh, don’t look like that. I just wanted you to think about what you’re getting into. It isn’t easy.” When she didn’t say anything, he tugged on her hand. “Stop thinking I’m going to condemn you for every thought. I happen to think it’s an excellent idea.”

“Really?”

He smiled. “Yeah, with your talent, you could probably do very well.”

The excitement that gripped her every time she thought about opening her own bakery bounced back to life. “I wasn’t thinking of anything big. Just a little shop, something in a good location with a lot of morning traffic.”

“I have a great real estate agent who can help you scout locations. He’s excellent with negotiations and if you find a place in need of some renovations, I’ll blackmail Evan to help. I can also hit up Drew Franklin. His family is big in the food business here in Hawaii and he always seems to know if there are any openings.”

She bit her lip, trying her best not to let her emotions bubble over and embarrass both of them. No one, other than Anna, had ever pushed her, believed in her ability. To have the one man who meant the most to her encourage her, well, it was almost too much. He squeezed her hand. The simple gesture reassured and calmed her. It was as though he knew exactly what she needed.

“Thanks, Chris.”

“It’s no problem.”

She couldn’t allow him to dismiss it so easily, as if it meant nothing. “No, it isn’t, but thank you for the support.”

He said nothing for a second, then reached across the table to give her a long, slow, sweet kiss. “Anything for you, love,” he whispered against her lips. She leaned into the kiss, slipping her tongue between his lips, and taking his face into her hands.

Someone cleared their throat, breaking into the private moment, and Chris pulled back. The waiter had returned with their salads. Instead of the normal embarrassment that usually held her tongue-tied in these types of situations—not that she had been caught kissing a man in the middle of a restaurant on a regular basis—she just smiled at the young man while he did his duty.

“That was a first.”

“Just wait.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Before long you’ll be a regular wild woman.”

She laughed and thought that it sounded like a good thing to be.

Several weeks later, Chris was busy trying to finish off a day’s work to get to his wild woman. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. The throb that had been there most of the day refused to go away. Even the pain reliever he’d taken hadn’t eased a bit of the pain. A surprise health inspection, troubles with scheduling conflicts with some of the waitstaff’s new school schedules, his mother’s concern over some problems with his sister Jocelyn, and May informed him money was missing.

Opening his eyes, he looked at his computer. The screen showed the proof that someone on staff had been skimming a dollar here and there…at first. In the last few weeks, the amount had grown, causing May to notice it in the books. Anger and disappointment burned into his gut. He hated to think one of his own was stealing from him.

The knock at the door interrupted his depressing thoughts.

“Come.”

The door opened and May poked her head in. “Ready?”

---