me. Unfortunately, you’re both decent.” She turned to Trace. “So who’s Chloe?”
“No one for you to worry about,” Trace replied, looking fondly at his future sister-in-law. Nina didn’t have any competition for his brother’s affections. He’d never seen Jake so besotted with a woman.
She smiled up at him. “So I can let you live?”
“You’d better, since I’m the best man. Somebody has to catch Jake when he passes out from a panic attack during the wedding ceremony.”
“Ignore him,” Jake said, drawing her into his arms and giving her a tender kiss on the lips. “If I start to panic, it will only be because it’s taking so damn long to make you my wife. Six weeks seems like forever.”
Nina laughed. “I agree. So why is everyone else calling it a whirlwind courtship?” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m ready to start the honeymoon.”
Jake responded with another kiss, this one longer than the last. Trace folded his arms across his chest, waiting for them to come up for air. They’d been like this ever since they’d announced their engagement two weeks ago.
As much as Trace hated to admit it, he envied his big brother. Soon Jake would have exactly what Trace wanted—an adoring woman as his wife. A family of his very own.
He tugged at his bow tie. Not only had the Kimberly fiasco set him back, but now this situation with Chloe would cause an even longer delay. He just wanted a woman who fit all his requirements, who shared all his likes and dislikes, who didn’t make him completely crazy.
Was that so much to ask?
He glanced at his watch, then impatiently cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but you two aren’t on your honeymoon yet.”
Nina turned to him, her cheeks flushed a becoming pink. “So who’s Chloe?”
“Ramon’s sister,” Jake informed her. “She also happens to be Café Romeo’s new interior designer, as well as Trace’s date for this evening.”
“Date?” A wrinkle creased Nina’s brow. “What about Kimberly?”
“Kimberly is out of the picture,” Jake said, sparing the details. “Chloe is in. Madame Sophia matched them up.”
Nina’s eyes widened. “Oh, Trace. How wonderful! You’ve finally met your match.”
“You can say that again,” Jake said with a chuckle.
“Chloe D’Onofrio is not my perfect match. I’m only doing this for Aunt Sophie. Once she sees how wrong we are for each other, maybe she’ll stop trying to interfere in my love life.”
Nina looked thoughtful. “You know, it is possible Sophie made a mistake.”
“Hey,” Jake interjected as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “I thought you were a believer.”
“I am,” Nina insisted. “But Sophie did confide to me that there was a mix-up with your coffee cups when she secretly confiscated your coffee grounds. She wasn’t exactly certain which coffee cup belonged to which Callahan.”
“Wonderful,” Trace said dryly. “I knew it was all a big mistake.”
“So give Noah a call,” Jake said.
Trace scowled at him. “Why?”
“So he can get together with Chloe. She must be his perfect match.”
Nina pulled a quarter out of her purse. “I’ll call him right now on the pay phone around the corner. He’s investigating a possible arson case this afternoon, but he could probably take your place on this date tonight.”
“No!” His tone was more strident than he intended. Clearing his throat, he spoke more calmly. “Noah could never handle a woman like Chloe.” He squared his shoulders. “I’ll suffer through it.”
“All right,” Nina agreed with a shrug. “But you two don’t give your little brother enough credit. I was here with him earlier today when he tried on his tux.” She sighed. “He looked so handsome. Three women came in off the street when they saw him through the window.”
“Speaking of handsome,” Jake said, holding out his arms and executing a slow turn in his tuxedo. “What do you think?”
She tapped one finger on her chin as she took her time studying her fiancé. Then she turned her analytical eye to Trace. “Well, if you want to know the truth…”
“We can take it,” Trace said.
Nina’s mouth curved into a slow smile. “Then I’d say Chloe D’Onofrio and I are the two luckiest women on the planet.”
3
CHLOE HAD NEVER had so much trouble preparing for a date. First, her curling iron went on the blink, leaving her bangs hanging down in her eyes. Too pressed for time to go out and buy another one, she had to settle for sweeping her hair off her forehead and securing it with a silver filigree hair clip. Then her topaz ring snagged on her only decent pair of panty hose, causing a run from knee to thigh. She halted any further damage with a dab of clear fingernail polish, then rummaged through her closet for something long enough to cover up the run. She finally settled on a colorful broom skirt and a matching red peasant blouse.
Then there was Ramon.
“I’m the head of the family now,” he said, propping his skinny form against the door frame in the open doorway of the upstairs bathroom. “And I don’t like the idea of you dating Trace Callahan. Call it off.”
“I made you a pot roast with carrots and potatoes for supper.” Chloe leaned close to the mirror as she carefully applied a touch of mascara to her long, dark lashes. “If you eat all your vegetables, you can have some mocha ice cream for dessert.”
Ramon wrinkled his nose. “I don’t like pot roast. Besides, I have plans tonight.”
Chloe turned to look at her brother. His shoulder-length brown hair was slicked back into a neat ponytail. He wore a blue pinstripe shirt and crisply pressed denim blue jeans. He’d shaved recently too, judging by the small tuft of toilet paper stuck to his chin. “Plans? What kind of plans?”
He shrugged. “I’d rather not say.” Then his brown eyes widened in dismay. “And you changed the subject again. We were talking about Callahan.”
She turned back to the mirror, able to see his reflection in the glass. “What about him?”
“He’s not your type, Chloe. I’ve heard he even has a list of requirements for the perfect wife.”
“Don’t worry, Ramon. I’m not interested in the job.”
“I still forbid you to go out with him. I don’t trust the man, and I certainly don’t like him. He wouldn’t let me handle any of his precious tools at work today.” His mouth drew down in a pout. “Except the broom.”
“You’re
