Kiss Me Every Day Read online

  She trudged behind her like a child being punished at recess and dropped into the chair. “I don’t know exactly how it happened. I didn’t do anything differently.” She sighed. “That’s not completely true. I presented a good plan, but I argued with someone when I should’ve kept my mouth shut.” She had also changed the proposal, but apparently not enough to get buy-in from leadership.

  “Some people aren’t good at receiving feedback.” Mrs. P pointed to the withering lemon tree in the yard. “Mr. P loves that tree, but he has his own method of fertilizing.”

  “It looks sick.”

  “It’s not going to survive the summer.”

  “Is that number three?”

  Mrs. P nodded as she poured her a glass of tea. “He’ll plant number four and do the same thing next year.”

  They both laughed.

  “But you’re not kicking him out for that.”

  She shook her head. “If they didn’t know what a treasure you are, they don’t deserve you anyway.” Mrs. P patted her hand. “Maybe instead of you going out, I should fix you dinner tonight. Maybe some pasta. I know how you love it.” Mrs. P was awesome. She knew just how to make her feel better.

  Her stomach sank. “I’m so sorry. I’m afraid I have a fund-raiser tonight.”

  The rest of the conversation went exactly as it had the previous day. She laughed at Mrs. P’s comments about her love life, but Wynn didn’t pour herself a second glass of tea this time because she didn’t have as much time to chat. She needed to get inside, feed Shadow, dress, and arrive at the fund-raiser earlier tonight. Speeding through the conversation was difficult. Each time she tried to end the exchange, Mrs. P would ask another question.

  Shouting from Jack and Maria’s porch caught her attention. She watched as Maria rushed to her car, but Wynn didn’t approach her this time. Having Maria curse at her would only make her day worse. After Maria sped off, she glanced at Jack on the porch, and he shrugged. Her stomach dropped. She couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. She’d hoped the plan they’d devised today would prevent that, but it had only gotten them all fired. If this crazy loop didn’t end, she’d get up early tomorrow and figure out something new to save all their jobs, or at least Jack’s. This situation had become so much more personal than business had ever been to her before.

  Chapter Twelve

  Earlier, when Carly woke from her nap, she’d glanced at the clock and found she’d slept longer than she’d anticipated. The throbbing in her head had stopped, but she’d had to race to change and make herself presentable for tonight. Her drive home had been filled with thoughts of Wynn, and she’d crawled into bed fully clothed.

  She hoped but wasn’t sure whether Wynn would be here to help tonight. The text she’d received from her this morning had been odd, and whatever had possessed Carly to respond so boldly was even odder. It wasn’t as though they’d dated or even seen each other outside of Suzanna’s events. Lucky would be the word she’d use to describe any woman Wynn chose to escort to the fund-raiser, or any other event for that matter. Carly was crossing her fingers that Wynn would come alone. She could definitely envision worse things in life than being romanced by Wynn Jamison.

  Her stomach fluttered as she saw her enter the restaurant. She seemed to scan the crowd to locate Suzanna before she moved around several people to get to her. She was dressed impeccably, as always, and Carly couldn’t stop the tingling heat that rose on the back of her neck. What was she thinking? Wynn was so far out of her league, she’d never be interested in her, but she wouldn’t know that for a fact until she put herself out there. She took in a deep breath, calmed her nerves, and walked toward them.

  “Hey. I’m so glad you made it.” She touched Wynn’s arm as she spoke over her shoulder.

  Wynn turned slowly and met her gaze. “I wouldn’t have missed seeing you for the world.”

  The flutter in her stomach paled in comparison to the rapid beat of her heart pounding in her chest. Wynn’s electric-blue eyes seemed to become bluer, and every word Carly had planned to say stuck in her throat.

  Suzanna snapped her fingers between the two of them. “It’s about time this happened, but can you two put a hold on it until later? We need to get back to the checklist.”

  Carly smiled shyly. “Of course.” She focused on the checklist in Suzanna’s hands as Wynn stood by and helped her go through it item by item. Her mind flipped to autopilot as her system went into overdrive, and she tried to downshift it into neutral. Suddenly everything about Wynn was different. Super-sensual vibrations seemed to be bouncing back and forth between them. Maybe it was just her. She glanced at Wynn and could see by the darkness in her eyes that it wasn’t. Why had this never happened before?

  “Tables set, check. Food ready, check. Bar stocked…” Suzanna glanced up at Wynn. “Do we have a bottle of Louis XIII?” Suzanna swiped her hand in the air between them. “Let’s just get through this, and then you two can make eyes at each other for the rest of the night.”

  “I’m sorry. What?” Wynn blinked and veered her gaze to Suzanna.

  “Louis XIII? Do we have a bottle?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s find out.” They all went to the bar. “Is there a bottle of Louis XIII cognac back there?”

  The bartender shook her head. “That’s not something we usually carry.”

  “It should’ve been special-ordered for this event.” Suzanna flipped through her checklist.

  The bartender opened a few locked cabinets under the bar, then shook her head again. “I don’t see one.”

  Suzanna flattened her lips. “Jordan is not going to be happy. She has a large donor who drinks only that particular kind of cognac.”

  “It must be a huge donation. That stuff is high-dollar.” She’d only had a taste once before. They’d be lucky to find it with such short notice.

  “Trust me, it is, and happy donors give more money.”

  “Let me see what I can do.” Wynn took out her phone, chose one of her contacts, and hit the speaker button. “Hey, Jean. Do you have a bottle of Louis XIII you can give me at a good price?”

  “Is that all you call me for now? A good deal?” The voice that came through the speaker was low and sexy.

  Wynn glanced at Suzanna and Carly before she took the call off speaker. “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. This is important.” She shifted uneasily and lowered her voice. “I’ll be happy to pay whatever you want. You know I’m good for it.”

  Carly wondered if they were talking about money or another more personal type of payment as she watched Wynn quirk her lip into a half-smile. When Wynn caught her staring, she turned to the bar and collected a few stray glasses onto a tray.

  “Deal.” Wynn ended the call and turned to Suzanna. “It’ll be here in ten minutes.”

  Carly was impressed. “Seems you have connections.”

  “I know a few people here and there.”

  “Someone you see frequently?” She had to ask.

  “I’d say more occasionally.” She reached for the tray of dirty glasses Carly had gathered. “Let me get those.” She spun around, ran into someone, and the trays fell to the floor. “Fuck,” Wynn said as she picked them up and placed them back on the bar.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Suzanna asked.

  Carly waited for her response, curious to know if her questions had sent her into a tizzy or if she’d done something besides the steamy eye contact to make it happen.

  “Nothing.” Wynn shook her head. “I just had a tough day at work.”

  “Anything you want to talk about? I’m good at listening, you know.” She could say that without any doubt.

  Immediately, Suzanna had a hand on each of them and was urging them toward the patio doors. “Why don’t you two go out on the pier and take a break? As long as the booze is on its way, I’ve got this for now.”

  Neither of them protested, and they walked through the doors to the patio. Wynn held the decorative, half-gate open and let Carly lead
her to the edge of the pier, where they stopped at the railing and stared at the ocean. The sun was just beginning to set, creating a fantastic color show filled with reds, purples, and oranges as the light bounced off the water. She took in the subtle scent of Wynn’s cologne wafting toward her, carried by the slightest of breezes. It was the perfect night, and if Carly didn’t know better, she’d have thought it was created just for the two of them.

  “Tell me about your day.” Wynn seemed caught up in her own thoughts as Carly moved closer and waited for her to talk.

  “I made a move at work today, and I’m not sure it was the right one.”

  “It can’t be that bad.”

  “It is, and I’m afraid you might not like me if you knew the damage I’ve done.” Silence fell upon them as Wynn hesitated, seeming to find her words. “I made a decision today that negatively affected a lot of lives, including my own.”

  “Was that the only option?”

  “I thought so, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “I guess there’s no way to undo it, huh?”

  Wynn shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “So how about moving forward? Can you take this as a lesson learned?” The anguish in Wynn’s eyes was clear, and Carly wasn’t sure how to make this better for her, but she wanted to make whatever pain Wynn was feeling go away.

  “Definitely a hard lesson learned.” Wynn shook her head and let it hang as she stared at her fingers wrapped around the railing.

  She couldn’t stand seeing Wynn this way. She reached over, put her fingers under her chin, and lifted her face to gain eye contact. “This right here tells me you have a good heart.” She brushed Wynn’s cheek with her thumb before she took her face into her hands and kissed her softly, sweetly, then pulled back, looked into her eyes, and went back for more. The irresistible urge to hold Wynn closer had come out of nowhere. Carly couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d been tethered to the pier by both hands, and honestly, she didn’t want to try. Immersing herself in Wynn’s warmth felt wonderful as her temperature soared. She slid her hands from Wynn’s face to her shoulders, then to her waist, where she curled her fingers into the shirt inside her jacket and urged Wynn closer.

  Every nerve ending fired as Carly deepened the kiss, her tongue sliding effortlessly into Wynn’s mouth, being accepted, joined with Wynn’s in a slow, sweet dance. She broke away and stared into Wynn’s eyes. She hadn’t planned that, hadn’t even expected it. Yet kissing Wynn felt like the most natural thing in the world right now, like something she’d been searching for since the day she hit adolescence. Warm, sweet, and soft, their kiss held an underlying passion that promised so much more. If they hadn’t been standing on the pier, she’d have her hands inside that dapper button-down shirt, touching a whole lot more.

  A voice came through the hazy fog into which Carly had been transported. They both glanced at the patio to see Jordan rushing their way, shouting for help inside. More guests were arriving. She swallowed hard, looked up at Wynn, and took a deep breath before she rushed past Jordan and inside the restaurant. That kiss was a game-changer.

  * * *

  Jordan smiled widely at Carly as she rushed by her into the restaurant. “What’s going on with her?” Jordan asked.

  “Just taking a break.”

  Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

  “That’s all.” She wasn’t one to kiss and tell. In Wynn’s younger days, Jordan had embarrassed her more than once when she’d found out she was interested in someone. As she’d grown older, she hadn’t changed in that regard. Even though Jordan was pushing forty she’d held onto quite a bit of immaturity. Her phone chimed, and she saw Jean’s name on the screen.

  I’m at the bar with your booze. Buy me a drink?

  I’ll be right there.

  “Your bottle of Louis XIII is here.”

  “You’re amazing, sis. You know that?” Jordan grinned and put her arm around her shoulder. “Not as amazing as me, of course, but a close second.”

  She paced ahead quickly. “Right.” Always a close second. What would it be like to have that kind of confidence and not let it hurt when rejection crushed her ego? She’d never been able to overcome that, which was why she didn’t go out of her comfort zone much.

  Jean was sitting at the end of the bar sipping on an old-fashioned when Wynn got there. “So how about we start that payback now.” She threaded the lapel of Wynn’s jacket between her fingers and let them slide along it before she motioned to the bar stool next to her. “Sit with me.”

  She took a half-seat on the stool, keeping one foot on the floor. “I can’t tonight, but you know I’m good for it.” She hadn’t expected Jean to bring the bottle herself, but it made sense, considering the four-digit cost. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Carly watching them. Not the way she’d planned for this night to play out. She seemed to have created a huge pile of awkward for herself.

  Jean took in a deep breath. “You’d better be extra good for this deal, love.”

  She quirked her lip into a partial smile. “Have I ever disappointed?” Sex with Jean was always good, but there was nothing more between them…until that night—the night that kept repeating. Wynn had lost her chance with Carly, and Jean had been there. The rebound romance hadn’t lasted long. It was a short-lived affair that consisted of late-night sex without emotion or communication. She’d handled the whole situation badly, and Jean had deserved none of the fallout from Carly’s rejection of Wynn.

  “I can’t say that you have.” She gave her a soft smile. “Pity we can’t do something tonight.”

  “Sometime next week?” She took a gulp of Jean’s drink, trying to drain the glass faster and get her out of there. If her life started from this point on again, whether things turned out differently with Carly or not, nothing more would ever happen between her and Jean except the friendship they’d managed to maintain over the years. She wouldn’t destroy that again.

  “Sure.” Jean stood. “This one’s on you.” She kissed Wynn on the cheek before she left.

  When she glanced over her shoulder again, she saw Carly deep in conversation with Jordan. She couldn’t stop her eyes from drifting her way. She studied her profile. Small nose, full lips, perfect ears. Long, dark hair with a swatch pinned back out of her eyes. She drank the rest of the old-fashioned and ordered another. She’d lost Carly again.

  * * *

  As Carly glanced across the car at Jordan, she wondered how she’d gotten into this situation. She’d fully intended to call an Uber, as she usually did after events where she’d been drinking. She’d had the Uber app open on her phone and was in the process of ordering the ride when Jordan had snatched the phone out of her hand and said she’d take her home. At first she tried to take her phone from Jordan and continue ordering the ride, but Jordan had laughed as she handed it back and whispered in her ear that she would be much more entertaining than an Uber driver. Jordan oozed confidence, which made her so much hotter for some reason. Possibly because in all of Carly’s relationships she’d been the one to manage everything.

  Although her conversation with Jordan had been enjoyable, Carly had no plans to invite her into her home—or into her bed. Jordan was probably expecting an invitation, but Carly was cautious about letting women into her life. After the one experience that had left her feeling empty inside, she never let anyone into her bed on the first date, and this wasn’t anything close to that. Not that she expected to be wined and dined, but getting to know someone in a crowd of people Jordan was trying to impress wasn’t her idea of perfect. Besides, Jordan hadn’t been the one she’d been exchanging glances with all night. That was Wynn. Her sister. She’d gotten herself into something much more complicated than she’d intended.

  When they pulled up in front of Carly’s apartment building, she clutched the door handle and tugged on it.

  “Hang on. I’ve got it.” Jordan killed the engine, jumped out, rounded the car, and opened the door for her.
“I’ll walk you up.”

  It was nice to be treated well, but not being given the choice of walking to her door alone both flattered and bothered her.

  “Thank you for tonight.” Jordan smiled. “You’re always there to help at these events, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome.” She didn’t do it for Jordan. She did it for Suzanna.

  “Besides that, I feel fortunate that I’ve gotten to know you better tonight.” Jordan reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair from Carly’s face before she leaned closer. “Maybe I can come up and we can do more of that.”

  Jesus. After a total scattered time of maybe an hour of small talk, Jordan was going to kiss her. She wasn’t that hot. Carly turned her head slightly and felt Jordan’s soft lips on her cheek, then the chuckle from Jordan’s mouth against her skin.

  “Can I see you again?” Jordan asked softly as she backed up. Apparently she’d received the message but wasn’t willing to admit defeat.

  She stared into Jordan’s ice-blue eyes and was so entranced she couldn’t refuse. “Sure.”

  Jordan smiled. “Okay, then. I’ll call you.” She turned slowly, her eyes never losing contact with Carly’s before she walked to her car. She’d clearly expected to stay over tonight, but Carly wasn’t about to sleep with one Jamison sister when she’d kissed another the same night.

  After she entered her house, Carly went straight to the bedroom, tossed her clutch onto the bed, and unzipped her dress. The night hadn’t turned out at all like she’d expected. She’d fully intended to spend more time with Wynn, but her sister had whisked her away. They’d had a fun conversation as they walked along the pier, and she’d been surprised when Jordan slipped her hand into her own. Carly’s mind had been in complete chaos at that moment, not knowing what to do or even what she wanted. Jordan was definitely the type of woman she’d like to date, but, then again, so was Wynn. Carly wasn’t inexperienced with women. She’d dated a few, but never in her life had she been in this position. She’d never had to choose between two women, especially from the same family.