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

  Before I could respond, the line went silent.

  “Smythe!” I yelled into the phone. “Jericho?”

  I was about to hang up and call him back when I heard him say, “Mick, it sounds like my mom was here . . . I’m guessing she has Natasha.”

  I explained about my conversation with the parole officer and that his mom would have to be at that meeting, or face the consequences.

  “I’m getting in the car now,” he said, and I could hear him frantically moving around.

  “No,” I said loudly, my tone firm. The last thing I needed was a man on the edge coming in and messing things up. “You hired me to do a job, let me do it.”

  “Fuck!” Jericho yelled, and I knew he was going to listen.

  A minute later, Jericho’s best friend and sous chef, Hector, took the phone.

  I explained why I needed them to stay put and let me handle things on my end, and got Hector’s word that he’d keep Jericho in check.

  When Jericho took the phone back, I assured him, “I’ll bring her home, Jericho, yeah?” Then, for whatever reason . . . maybe because I’d just been dreaming about her, or knew she’d be worried about her sister and wanted to make sure she was okay, I added, “Tell Dru, too.”

  If he thought that was a strange request, Jericho didn’t say so, he just agreed to tell her, and when I told him I’d call as soon as I got news, we hung up.

  After that call, I wasn’t able to go back to sleep, so I spent the night following dead-end leads. I was in a local diner pouring coffee down my throat and waiting on my eggs, when I answered a call from an unknown number.

  “Yeah this is Gregory,” he began, and I pushed back from the table. “The girl, Natasha, is here.”

  “Is Smythe?” I asked, walking to the register as I pulled out my wallet.

  “Sir, your food just came up,” the waitress said as she ran over to meet me at the register.

  Gotta go, I mouthed as I pulled out cash.

  “No, she went to see her PO. She won’t be gone long, so you’d best hurry.”

  I dropped the cash on the counter and walked out, eager to get to Gregory’s before Jericho’s sorry excuse for a mother returned. This may be my only window to get Natasha without things getting messy, and I knew I had to take it.

  As I drove, I called the parole officer and told him what had happened. Her leaving town, breaking into her son’s house, and abducting Natasha and taking her across state lines. Needless to say, Mrs. Smythe had just gotten herself a one-way ticket back to jail.

  Still, I wouldn’t feel good about it until I had Natasha safely with me.

  I ran up the steps of Gregory’s crappy apartment and knocked on his door. When he opened it, I stepped inside and surveyed the space until my gaze landed on Natasha. She looked scared shitless in a robe, nightgown, mismatched pajama pants, and thick socks.

  She let out a relieved gasp when she saw me and ran toward me like her ass was on fire.

  I caught her in my arms and held her as she struggled to keep it together.

  “There’s a lass,” I said gently, then looked over her head and said, “Thanks, Gregory.”

  I led her down the stairs, out the door, and got her settled in my work truck.

  I shot off a text to Jericho, telling him his girl was safe and that we’d call soon. We waited until the PO confirmed that he had Mrs. Smythe in custody, then took off, not looking back, eager to get the hell out of Philly and back home.

  Once we were finally on our way, I handed Natasha my phone and suggested she call Jericho. I knew he was likely waiting by the phone.

  I tried not to pay attention to what she was saying, wanting to give them their private moment, but when Tasha started crying uncontrollably, I took the phone from her hand and assured Jericho that although she was shook up, Natasha was unharmed, and we’d be back as soon as possible.

  She laid down on the seat next to me and dozed off, sleeping most of the drive.

  When we pulled up to Jericho’s, everyone was waiting, and Natasha was barely out of the car before he was there, holding her, kissing her, and promising to kill his mother.

  I hung back, letting them go inside before following.

  I’d just walked in the door and shut it behind me, when Dru was there.

  “Thank you,” she said softly, then, before I knew what she was about, Dru put her arms around me and pulled me in for a tight hug, much like her sister had.

  I knew it was inappropriate of me to cradle her gently against me, it went against all of my rules, after all, but I couldn’t quite stop my arms from holding her close and my lips from brushing across the top of her head.

  I inhaled her fresh, sweet fragrance, closing my eyes for the briefest moment to commit it to memory, then I pulled back and let her go.

  “Just doing my job,” I said, but she just shook her head and gave me a small smile.

  “It means more than that to us . . . to me. Thanks for being there, and bringing her home safely.”

  I didn’t reply, just watched as she walked away, then went into the kitchen, accepted the beer Jackson offered, and followed him out onto the back deck where there was a fire going in the pit.

  A few seconds later, Jericho came out and threw the outfit Natasha had been wearing into the fire, and I handed him a beer.

  “Cheers,” the three of us said, then we watched in silence as the cotton turned to ash.

  Dru

  TRAUMATIC EVENTS CAN OFTEN MAKE living in the moment seem that much more important.

  When you realize how things can change in an instant, that one moment you can be safe and sound in your bed, and the next you can be abducted and driven across the country with an unhinged ex-junkie, you may decide you don’t want to wait another second for the good in life.

  That was the case with Natasha and Jericho.

  Once she went to the doctor and was positive that both she and the baby were healthy, Natasha decided not to live another minute not being Jericho’s wife.

  Although Millie and Jackson had graciously offered to share their special day with Natasha and Jericho, they decided not to wait to have a big wedding, but to go ahead and make an appointment at the Justice of the Peace and get married as soon as possible.

  That’s why, in the middle of the week on a Wednesday afternoon, Hector and Jackson were standing with Jericho, while Millie and I, along with Kayla, were standing with Natasha, as they vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Natasha was positively beaming in her ivory backless knee-length gown with a lace underlay. Her bright-red bob was recently dyed and cut and styled to perfection. She wore matching strappy heels and a smile that just wouldn’t quit.

  After the short ceremony, we met the rest of the gang—Mick, Ty, Rob, Jan, Rebecca, and Tanisha—at Prime Beef, for a delicious dinner celebration, which also included the staff of Prime Beef and Three Sisters.

  It was a beautiful day, and I was so happy for both Jericho and Natasha.

  Although Jericho and I had gotten off to a rocky start, I knew he loved my sister, especially after being with him during the harrowing day of her abduction. I had no doubt that he’d love and cherish her and their baby for the rest of his days.

  “You look beautiful.”

  I turned from the bar, where I was waiting on a champagne refill, to see Mick standing behind me, devastatingly handsome in a perfectly fitted navy-blue suit.

  I looked down at my little black dress, which was lacy enough to be a bit dangerous, and gave him a smile.

  “Thanks, you look very handsome yourself,” I replied, my stomach dipping under his green gaze.

  “I can’t believe they pulled this together so quickly,” Mick said with a half grin. “Good thing I’d already gotten my suit cleaned for Millie and Jackson’s wedding next weekend.”

  I chuckled.

  “Yes, we’ve definitely been going nonstop the last few weeks. Once Mill
ie and Jackson are married, though, we should get some reprieve, at least in our personal lives.”

  “Yeah, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that . . .”

  “Oh?” I asked coyly, hoping and praying that he was going to ask me to be his date for Millie’s wedding.

  He looked confused for a moment, then ran his hand through his hair and explained, “Yeah, Jackson said you may be able to help me . . . see, my ma’s birthday is coming up, and it’s a big one, eighty-five. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to really think on it, not that I’m the kind to throw a party anyway . . . but, I was hoping I could hire you . . . to throw my ma a party.”

  “Oh,” I said again, the disappointment evident in my tone.

  “If you’re busy, or you guys don’t do those sort of parties . . .”

  “No, that’s not it,” I assured him, trying to smile. It felt tight on my face. “Of course, we can plan your mother’s eighty-fifth birthday. We’d be delighted, honestly. After what you did for Natasha, we’ll throw you parties for life.”

  “What was that, then? Your hesitation?” he asked, calling me out rather than letting it slide.

  I sighed.

  “Honestly? I was kind of hoping you were going to ask me to go with you to the wedding. Not this one, obviously . . . Millie’s.”

  Mick winced, which was never a good sign, and nodded.

  “Shit, Dru . . . it’s not that I don’t think you’re smokin’ hot, funny, and just an all-around cool lady, but you’re my client, and I don’t mix business and pleasure. It’s kind of a hard and fast rule of mine . . . no dating clients.” He ran his hand through his hair again and let out a huff. “I should have made that clear from the beginning, not that I assumed you wanted to get with me or anything. Jesus, I’m making a mess of this. It’s just, I like you, Dru, I do, but I can’t be your date to the wedding.”

  I felt like I was going to throw up. My body flushed with embarrassment, as all hope fled.

  “Sure, yeah, I get it,” I stammered. “That’s probably a smart policy to have.”

  “We good?” Mick asked. “I don’t want shit to get weird between us.”

  “No, yeah, things are good, of course.”

  They had to be, considering he was looking for my dad, I’d be planning his mother’s birthday, and we shared all the same friends. Gosh, why did I have to say anything? I should have just kept my big mouth shut, then things wouldn’t be so awkward.

  “So, do you have an idea for a theme for your mom’s birthday?” I asked, taking a gulp of champagne.

  Mick chuckled and replied, “I was thinking a casino night. She and her friends at the assisted living place will get a kick out of it. They always love it when they get to take field trips to the casino.”

  His mother was in assisted living and he wanted to throw a party there for her and all of her friends? Of course, he did . . . Because only I would finally find the man of my dreams and have him be completely off limits.

  “We can definitely have a lot of fun with that,” I assured him. “Why don’t you come by the office this week and we can go over the particulars.”

  “Sounds great. I’ve been working your case since getting back from Philly and have some info to share, so I’ll shoot you a text tomorrow and we can set up a time and place to discuss both.”

  As we broke away from each other, I gave him one more glance and wondered where he was in the investigation. Maybe I could find a new PI to find my dad, and then I’d no long be Mick’s client, so we’d be free to date . . . or, whatever.

  Then I sighed, realizing it was selfish of me to fire Mick from a job he’d already begun, just because I thought we had a connection. I didn’t know what his situation was, maybe he needed the money, plus, I trusted him, and couldn’t see talking to a stranger about my personal life.

  Mick

  “THANKS FOR MEETING ME HERE,” Dru said as she took her seat across from me at Rooster’s, a little coffee shop down the street from her building.

  “No problem,” I replied, taking a gulp of black coffee.

  “We’re pretty swamped today, so I can’t break away for too long, so I thought this would be easiest,” she explained, and I could tell she was nervous.

  Shit, it’s probably because she’d admitted she wanted me to ask her out and I shot her down.

  “Like I said, it’s no problem. I spend most of my time driving around, so it was no skin off my nose to come here.”

  Dru nodded and took a sip of her frothy steaming drink that was covered in some kind of syrup and whipped cream.

  “All right, so here’s what I got so far. Your aptly named father, Johnson . . . cause seriously, this guy’s a dick . . . is living in Chicago with Susan. They’ve been married about fifteen years and he’s had multiple affairs.”

  “Susan . . . the woman he left Mom for? He’s still with her?” she asked, her voice pained.

  I nodded and continued.

  “Yeah, but like I said, the man can’t be faithful. They live together and work together, but he’s always on a trip. I know they have kids, but I’m not sure yet how many and what genders, although I do know one is a twenty-two-year-old man.”

  “What?” Dru asked, her hand coming out to grab mine on the table.

  I could see she was floored. Although she’d mentioned the possibility of having more family out there, the reality of it was obviously a bit of a shock.

  “Yeah, I can find out the details, or, you can ask him yourself.”

  “Who?”

  “Your father,” I said, suppressing a chuckle. She was blinking rapidly, still stuck on the fact she had a brother, and I had to admit, she looked cute as hell.

  “Oh, yeah, right. My father. So, Chicago, huh?”

  “Yup. Look, I know you’re busy this week and this weekend is the wedding, but if you wanted to head out on Sunday, do a quick overnighter since you guys are closed on Mondays, then head back, I can make the arrangements.”

  “You’d go with me?” Dru asked, her eyes finally focusing back on me.

  “Of course. I’m not gonna send you off to Chicago on your own.” Sure, some clients I might have, but just like with Jackson, Dru was different. Yeah, she was a client, but she was also more. A friend. “I’ll make sure he’s gonna be home and get us a flight and hotel. All you have to do is pack an overnighter.”

  She was quiet for a minute and I had a feeling she was having an internal debate about whether or not she even really wanted to meet this asshole, but I could see it in her eyes when she decided that yes, she did, and she could do this.

  “Leaving Sunday and coming back Monday will be perfect. The wedding’s Saturday night, so we’ll be done with that and Millie will be safely on her way to her honeymoon . . . Natasha, too. They won’t even need to know I’m gone until they get back and I decide how much I want to tell them.”

  “Whatever you want,” I assured her.

  “A brother,” she murmured, her tone full of wonder.

  “Yeah, at first, I thought Susan was stepping out with a younger man, but then realized it was their son. I did a little digging and learned that he’s in college and seems to be a big man on campus type. Plays sports, runs in one of those fraternities, and meets his mother for brunch.”

  “Wow,” Dru breathed, and I could see her eyes start to glisten.

  “Do you want me to do more digging, or do you want to ask your father on Sunday?”

  She cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter.

  “I’ll ask him myself. I think we deserve to know that much at least. I mean, I already knew he was horrible for leaving us and never looking back, but to keep our half-brother from us, too, to not give us the opportunity to know him? That’s unforgivable.”

  Her hand on mine started to tremble, so I turned mine palm up and held her hand gently.

  “Hey, I’ll be right there with you. If it gets to be too much, say the word and I’ll get you out of there. This is about you get
ting what you need, not about him.”

  “Thank you, Mick, sincerely. It makes me feel better that you’ll be there.”

  She looked like she wanted to say something else, then thought better of it and slid her hand out of mine.

  It was probably for the best. I was getting entirely too comfortable touching and holding Dru. I needed that reminder to keep some space between us.

  “Now, let’s talk about your mother’s birthday party.”

  I grinned, thinking of how surprised my mother was going to be.

  “I talked to the admin at my ma’s place and they said we could take over the rec room for the evening. Ma loves Poker and Black Jack, so those are a must, but I’m open to suggestion on the rest. Grace, an admin, also said she could make up fake money, and see if they’d be allowed to use it for different things around the complex, but she has to get that approved by management.”

  “Oh, that would be great, but if that doesn’t work we can use casino chips. We have plenty.”

  “Cool.”

  “Poker and Black Jack are perfect, easy to set up and execute. We can also rent Craps and Roulette tables, it just depends on the budget. Here’s the form we have clients fill out, so that we can determine the theme, which we’ve already done, as well as color scheme, food, staffing, and, of course, budget. Once I have all of this, I can start planning and making all the necessary arrangements.”

  “You only turn eight-five once, right?” I asked as I wrote down a number that would buy a car.

  I didn’t care, I had the money. Saving money had always been a priority for me, and I’d invested well, so dropping a good chunk to give my ma a night she’d never forget was totally worth it to me.

  “What about music? Does your mom like Jazz? Or, oh . . . I know . . . a Frank Sinatra impersonator,” Dru asked, her eyes lighting up.

  “Yeah, she’d love the impersonator,” I said, and couldn’t help thinking, she’d love Dru as well.

  Dru

  MILLIE AND JACKSON’S WEDDING WAS beautiful. Jackson had gotten emotional watching Millie walk down the aisle toward him, and between the look on his face, and the look on Jericho’s face as he looked at his new wife, I was beginning to feel like the sad, desperate, doomed to be eternally alone, sister.