A Splash of Vanilla (Three Sisters Catering Book 3) Read online

  “Okay, good,” I said, settling back down in my chair.

  We had a promotion event that evening at a local insurance agency to celebrate their new president. This was a big event for our company because it was allowing us to branch out in a way we hadn’t yet.

  Being the go-to catering company for corporate events could only mean big things for us, and we were all a little anxious about it. We wanted everything to go off without a hitch, so I could only imagine Millie’s stress level when her delivery had been late.

  I’d caught up on all of my emails, had ensured the van was loaded up and ready to go to the event, and was about to check on Millie, when Tanisha, our brand-new manager, and my new neighbor, popped her head in the office.

  “Hey, Dru, I was hoping I could ride over with you, get the chance to see the event from set up to tear down, is that okay?”

  “Of course,” I replied, putting the last of my things in my leather messenger bag. “I’m just going to stop in and make sure Millie’s good, let her know we’ll see her over there. Meet you outside?”

  “Perfect,” Tanisha said with a smile.

  She’d only been with us a few days, and I’d been the toughest sell when it came to hiring management and assistant management positions, but I could already see that Tanisha was going to be an asset to our company.

  “You need me tonight?” my sister asked as I started out. “I was going to get a head start on the Germaines reception.”

  I thought about it for a minute, then shook my head.

  “No, I think between Tanisha and I, we’ll be good. Don’t forget that the mother of the bride and mother of the groom are mortal enemies, to quote the bride,” I reminded her. “So, make sure you divvy up their contributions and work it so they don’t have to interact with each other.”

  Tasha chuckled.

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “Great, see you later, then.”

  “Kay. Hey, knock when you get home. If I’m still up, maybe we can have a glass of wine or something.”

  “Will do,” I assured her, then walked to the kitchen.

  Millie was putting everything into containers and ensuring the hot food stayed hot and the cold food stayed cold. She had her team working diligently around her, and even had a smile on her face when she caught my entrance.

  “Hey, Dru, we’re just about ready.”

  “Great, I was stopping in to let you know that Tanisha and I are on our way to the event.”

  “I’m glad you did, cause there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Millie said, her eyes shifting slightly.

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to set up dinner at our place next week. You up for it?”

  “Sure, why? Is something going on?” I asked, wondering if there was an issue with their formal engagement party that weekend. Maybe Prime Beef fell through . . .

  “No, nothing’s up, I just thought it would be nice if we had you over for dinner.”

  “Just me?” I asked, thinking it was unusual for Tasha not to be included.

  “Uh, no, we’re inviting Mick as well,” Millie said, all wide-eyed and innocent.

  “Millie,” I began, trying to glare at her even though my lips were twitching. “I thought we already talked about this? Mick and I are grown adults, we don’t need you to set us up.”

  “No, I know, Mick already said he didn’t want to be set up, it would just be casual . . .”

  My breath caught.

  “He said that?” I asked, wondering if it was just me he didn’t want to be set up with, or if he was on hiatus from all women.

  “Yeah, but it was no big deal, just said he’s not dating right now. Still, I think it would be fun . . . just the four of us.”

  “I don’t know,” I replied. If he wasn’t interested in me, I wasn’t going to throw myself at him. I did have my pride, no matter how hot I thought he was.

  “Come on . . . please?”

  “Aren’t you going to be tired of get-togethers? What with all of the engagement parties?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Tired of parties? Who are you talking to? Besides, we can plan engagement and dinner parties in our sleep and you know it. Plus, with all of the stress of the last few months, I could really use a nice relaxing night, and I miss my twin time.”

  “Oh, sure, you’re going to pull the twin card on me? It’s not my fault you’ve been spending all of your free time with Jackson, and now want to live in sin.”

  Millie batted her eyes and gave me the little pout that had bent me to her will for the last three decades.

  “Fine,” I said, throwing up my hands, “but only if you make me your short ribs and there’s plenty of red wine.”

  “Done. Thanks, Dru.”

  I pushed her shoulder playfully and said, “Now, stop distracting me and let me get to work.”

  Mick

  IT HAD BEEN A WILD week.

  I’d closed a couple cases, made a quick stop in at Jackson and Millie’s “official” engagement party, and spent last night with the guys at O’Reilly’s, where I’d found out that rather than going on the kick-ass bachelor party trip to Vegas they’d told me about, they were actually surprising Heeler with a co-ed literary bus trip.

  Yeah, I told them to count me out of that one.

  We’d learned that Jericho and Natasha had finally stopped tap-dancing around each other and were back together, Millie and Jackson were shacking up, and we’d busted Ty’s balls about how he should propose to Rebecca.

  In other words, it was like a lady’s night rather than a stag night, but whatever, I was getting used to it with this crew.

  They were much different than the guys I hung out with from the gym, but Heeler and his teacher friends were always good for a laugh, and Jericho had overcome a lot to get where he was today.

  I figured it was good for me to be around guys who didn’t just drink whiskey and talk shit all night. These were the type of dudes you could be yourself with, no holds barred, and no judgement. They didn’t look down at me because I’d rather eat glass than go on a literary trip, and didn’t try to give me shit or change my mind either.

  They let me be me, and I was happy to do the same.

  Now, I was diving headfirst into Dru’s case. First stop, her father’s office.

  “Yeah, I’m looking for Mr. Temple. A Mr. Johnson Temple,” I said to the pretty young receptionist.

  She glanced up, then did a double take and gave me a onceover. When her eyes finally landed on my face, her expression conveying her interest, I gave her a small smile and leaned in toward her.

  “Oh, uh, Mr . . .” the receptionist began, running her hands through her long blonde hair.

  “O’Donnelly, but you can call me Mick.”

  I didn’t mind laying on the charm while working on a case. Did that make me a dick? Maybe, but it usually got the job done.

  “Mick,” she repeated with a little laugh.

  “So . . . Mr. Temple?” I asked again, keeping my voice low, deepening it a bit.

  The pretty blonde cleared her throat and made a play of looking around to make sure no one was listening . . . they weren’t . . . then leaned over the desk to ensure I got an eyeful of cleavage.

  “He’s out of town . . . on business,” she whispered, emphasizing business to let me know that wasn’t actually the case.

  “Do you know where?” I asked, getting an inch closer. Close enough to touch her hand gently.

  She looked down at my hand, then batted her big blues at me.

  “Vegas.”

  The phone on the desk rang. I half listened as I looked around and picked up her name. Dani.

  “With Susan?” I asked.

  Blondie shook her head then shifted and tilted her chin toward a closed door to her left.

  I looked over and read the name plate.

  Susan Temple, Marketing Director.

  Through the mirror I could see Mrs. Temple standing behind her desk, a phone
cradled against her ear as she looked blindly at the wall in front of her.

  I turned back to the receptionist and raised an eyebrow.

  Really? my eyebrow asked, and she let out a giggle.

  “How long is he away on business, Dani?”

  Dani flushed with pleasure at her name on my lips.

  “At least through the weekend. He likes to get his money’s worth.”

  “Do you happen to know where he’s staying?”

  She bit her lip and tried to look contrite before saying, “There’s only one place Mr. Temple stays in Vegas.”

  I waited.

  “The Bellagio.”

  “Thanks, doll,” I said, standing back up and looking once more around the bustling office.

  I wondered how a man who seemingly ran a successful business could disappear for almost a week with his side piece, and still stay afloat.

  “Hey,” Dani called when I would have turned and walked out.

  I paused.

  “I hope you nail his ass to the wall,” she said, her chin jutted out in a show of strength. “I like Ms. Susan. She deserves better.”

  I nodded, sure that she’d assumed Susan had hired me to find out whether or not her husband was cheating, then shot one more glance at Susan’s office, before putting on my sunglasses and heading outside.

  Looked like I was going to Vegas after all.

  Dru

  THE BACHELOR/BACHELORETTE ROAD TRIP had been a blast, but who knew traveling around on The Beast, which is what we’d lovingly termed the luxury van Jericho had rented, could be so darn exhausting.

  First, we had to deal with Millie and Jackson being all lovey dovey, which was understandable, since they were the one’s getting married, but now that Natasha and Jericho were officially back with each other, they were fused at the hip.

  Plus, with those two couples, and Rob and Ty feelin’ a definite bromance, I’d been the odd woman out.

  Sure, they’d all ragged on me about my driving skills, and always kept me involved in all of the activities, but I’d still often felt very much alone.

  The only time I hadn’t minded my solitary status had been when I was shown my room at the Inn Boonsboro. I stayed in the Titania and Oberon room, and it was the most splendid place I’d ever stayed. I’d especially enjoyed the gorgeous copper tub in my en suite.

  Unfortunately, in the midst of enjoying said room, I’d gotten a call from Mick. And no, he wasn’t calling to pronounce his attraction to me or ask me out on a date, liked I’d naively hoped when I saw his name on the screen. Instead, he was calling to tell me he had a line on my father, and was on his way to Las Vegas to gather more intel.

  I should have been ecstatic by this information. He’d worked fast, faster than I’d imagined when I’d hired him, but rather been being excited about getting what I wanted, I’d totally freaked out.

  Even worse, I couldn’t talk it out with my sisters, because not only was I not prepared to deal with the backlash, but I didn’t want to ruin Millie’s big weekend. So, I’d tried to play it off and act like everything was cool, when all I wanted to do was get home, get back to work, and distract myself from what Mick was doing in Las Vegas.

  I was currently checking out a new venue space to see if it would be a good fit for an upcoming quinceañera.

  We’d been home for a few days, and I still felt like I was playing catchup. Plus, we had Millie’s wedding coming up. In other words, my phone had been ringing off the hook for days, and I’d been running my pumps into the ground.

  I bit back a sigh when my phone rang again, then felt a little flutter at the sight of Mick’s name on the screen.

  “Hey, Mick, what’s up?”

  “Well, I got some photos of your dad in Vegas, and some information on what he’s been up to, but, I’d really like to walk you through it all in person.”

  “Okay . . .”

  “The thing is, I had an emergency come up for a client and I’m currently on my way to Philly. Not sure how long I’ll be there . . .”

  My shoulders sagged in relief at his words.

  “Oh, that’s no problem, I’m not in a hurry,” I said quickly, then hoped I didn’t sound like a complete coward.

  “You sure?” he asked, his voice deep and gruff. “I could send you what I got if you really want it, but, like I said, I’d like to go over it with you.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure . . . totally. I can wait until you get back,” I replied, thinking how much I’d like to see him again.

  “Perfect, I’ll hit you up when I’m back in town.”

  “Sounds good. And, Mick, stay safe.”

  I wasn’t sure why I said that last bit, or how he’d react to me looking out for him, but all he said was, “Will do, doll,” and disconnected the call.

  I was still smiling when the phone rang in my hand again. It was Tanisha.

  “Everything okay?” I asked when I’d answered.

  She’d handled things perfectly while we were gone, but I still worried that something she couldn’t handle would come up.

  “Yeah, I just need you to meet us at Natasha’s apartment . . . Can you come soon? It’s a family meeting.”

  “Uh, sure,” I said, wondering why Tanisha was calling a family meeting.

  I finished up at the venue with my heart pounding and my palms starting to sweat.

  Did Millie and Tasha find out about me hiring Mick? Are they angry with me for locating our dad? Is this some sort of intervention, or do they just want to yell at me?

  By the time I reached Three Sisters and bounded up the stairs to our apartments, I’d practically made myself sick with worry. I opened the door to Tasha’s without knocking and rushed in, expecting to see them sitting in a circle waiting for me.

  But, they weren’t.

  Millie and Tanisha were standing outside Tasha’s bathroom door. They turned toward me as I entered, and the look on Millie’s face had my heart plummeting.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked, rushing toward her, my mind automatically going to worst-case scenarios.

  “She’s in there taking a pregnancy test,” Millie whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

  “Five actually,” Tanisha added.

  “She’s in there taking five pregnancy tests,” Milled amended.

  “What?” I whisper shouted back.

  Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door and it flew open to reveal Jericho looking half-crazed.

  “Where is she?” he demanded, and the bathroom door flew open.

  Before we could say anything to our sister, she flew out of the bathroom and into Jericho’s arms, crying and talking all at once.

  Jericho was stunned, but remained strong and steady, and I felt tears well in my eyes at the expression on his face when he asked, “You’re pregnant?”

  “According to this and the four others, yes, but I need to make an appointment with a doctor to be a hundred percent sure.”

  Jericho turned all business at that, and we stood there watching and he told Tasha everything that was going to happen next. They were going to make an appointment, he was going to move her out of the apartment and into his house, and they were going to get married.

  If I wasn’t so shell-shocked, I would have laughed at Natasha’s expression, but mostly, I was so happy that she was getting the family she’d always wanted, with the man she’d always loved.

  She was giving him shit about his lack of proposal, when Millie and I could no longer hold back. We started clapping, shouting, and laughing, all while jumping up and down with excitement.

  “We’re going to be aunties!” I shouted as I hopped my way over to her and threw my arms around her and Millie.

  Knowing it was time to forget the past they shared and finally accept that Jericho was going to be in my family, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon, I let go of my sisters and gave him a quick hug of congratulations.

  I could still feel his stunned gaze on me as I ushered Natasha downstairs to
get some food and make her appointment with the OB/GYN.

  “I can’t believe you’re moving in with him,” Millie said as we walked down the stairs.

  “Well, everything he said in his non-proposal made sense. We practically lived with each other in college, and we’ve wasted so much time already, I don’t want to waste anymore. Plus, I think it’s sweet that he doesn’t want to miss any of the pregnancy.”

  “Sure, it’s sweet, but that means I’m going to be here alone,” I cried, trying to make it sound like a mock-whine, even though I really was upset at the realization that both of my sisters were leaving me here alone.

  “You’re not alone, Tanisha is here,” Millie countered.

  “Yeah, and, if you want, we could always rent out my place, too, that way you have two new neighbors.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but I get to choose who moves in,” I said.

  “Deal,” my sisters said in unison.

  Mick

  SHIT WAS HITTING THE FAN in Philly.

  The client that brought me to Philly was actually Jericho. He’d hired me to find his mom, who’d recently got out of jail, because he was worried about her making trouble for him and Tasha.

  I’d gotten a lead on a place where Jericho’s mom had stayed right after her release, but the guy, Gregory, said he’d kicked her to the curb a couple weeks ago. Couldn’t put up with any more of her shit.

  Next, I’d gone to see Mrs. Smythe’s parole officer, to see when their next meeting was. Once I told him about her call to Jericho, he said he’d schedule a meeting with her for ten the next morning, just to make sure she was where she was supposed to be.

  So, I went back to my motel, thinking I’d finally get some shut-eye, then close this shit out for Jericho after I talked to his mom.

  Unfortunately, that’s not how shit went down.

  I’d been having a pretty hot dream involving Dru and a can of whipped cream, inappropriate, sure, but it wasn’t like I had control over my dreams, when the phone rang and pulled me out just as things were getting good.

  “Smythe,” I barked into the phone when I saw it was Jericho.

  The man needed to learn a little patience.

  “Sorry to wake you, but Natasha is gone. Have you found my mother?”