that didn’t explain why Joseph Barone wanted nothing to do with her. He was attractive in a way that made her uncomfortable. She’d grown up around men, having helped to raise her three brothers, but something about this Barone made everything feminine in her spring to life.
He watched her the way a panther watches prey. Not afraid of her, exactly, but ready to pounce if she did anything threatening. Was he afraid she’d embarrass Baronessa?
Damn. She should have checked her appearance in the mirror before she’d come in. Maybe she still had flour on her face or in her hair.
Gina Barone-Kingman took her arm. “Holly, we can’t do that. Baronessa needs the publicity your gelato will bring.”
“I’m willing to do my part,” Holly said. And she was. She’d never shrunk from her responsibilities and didn’t intend to now. Even if there was something she couldn’t identify in Joseph’s eyes….
“Listen, Gina, we need to talk,” Joseph said, stepping forward.
Flint Kingman took control. “Not now.”
Holly had met the man earlier. She could tell he worked in public relations by the way he moved and talked. He had a quick smile and a confident, take-charge attitude. She liked him, but had the feeling he could charm just about anyone.
“Outside, both of you,” Flint ordered.
Flint took Joe’s arm and herded them all out the front doors into a beautiful garden awash with colorful flowers. A camera crew stood ready, while the makeup team put some finishing touches on Holly.
Suddenly she didn’t know if she was going to be able to talk intelligently with a camera on her. She’d never really been proficient at public speaking. She’d made it her practice to blend into the background, and she was very good at it.
“Until I arrived this morning, I didn’t know we were doing television interviews,” she said softly.
“Relax, you’ll do just fine,” Flint said, patting her shoulder. His touch and tone made her believe his words.
Although he was kind, he was steely in his determination. She made a note to read the fine print before entering another contest. In fact, the only thing she hated more than speaking in public was seeing herself speaking in public. She only hoped none of the Boston stations would pick up this satellite feed and use it.
Flint gestured for her and Joe to sit in some director’s chairs that were set up in front of a screen with the Baronessa logo on it. Holly’s hands shook so badly that she had to clench them together.
Joseph reached over and covered her hands with his. His touch surprised her. She glanced up to see if his expression had changed, but his eyes were still guarded. His hand on hers was big and warm, his nails neatly manicured. Not at all like the masculine hands she was used to seeing. Hands with dirt under the nails and calluses on their palms.
“Don’t worry. I might not like this but I know what I’m doing,” Joseph said.
“That’s reassuring.” She meant it. She needed his experience to navigate this. She’d have to make sure to someday return the favor.
He removed his hand. “I thought it might be.”
Around them stage techs bustled, making adjustments to mikes and cameras. Flint and Gina both gave them last-minute tips, and then everyone backed away. Through it all, Holly wondered why Joseph didn’t want to spend the day with her. If it were the press, she could understand. She too, was reluctant to be interviewed all day long.
But it couldn’t be, because he said he knew how to handle them. It must be her. This was a new record for Holly. She’d never had a man detest her on sight before.
“Can I ask you something, Joseph?”
“Sure, and call me Joe.”
“Why don’t you want to spend the day with me?” she asked. She knew she shouldn’t voice the question, but couldn’t help herself.
Maybe she hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before. Maybe the closer you got to thirty the less control you had over your mouth. Maybe…maybe she just needed to feel as if she was sitting by a friend in the glare of the spotlight, instead of next to a man who didn’t want her near him.
“It isn’t anything personal.”
Let it go, Hol. Just smile at the camera, talk about cooking, collect your check and get out of here.
“It kind of sounded like it,” she said. What was her deal today? Definitely not enough sleep, she decided.
Joe shrugged. “You remind me of someone.”
Though he didn’t say it was a woman, she sensed it was. She knew men. Knew the way they thought and acted.
So she should have known better than to ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue. Her dad and brothers would never admit a woman had broken their hearts. “Did she break your heart?”
Joe stared at her in a way that made her feel like she had a spotlight shining on her.
“Sorry, that was way too personal,” Holly said quickly. But she knew by his reaction that she’d struck a chord, and she wanted to know more.
“Yes, it was.” The look he gave her made her squirm in her chair. Not in embarrassment, though. It was a male look that made her blood flow a little faster. This man had a presence of sophistication that made her feel like an inexperienced prep-chef in the kitchen of a world-renowned master.
She looked around but couldn’t stand the suspense. “Well, are you going to answer?”
He laughed and the sound surprised her. It was a warm sound from a very cold-looking man. A man she sensed didn’t find much humor in life.
“No.”
Fair enough, she thought. The stage director came over and gave them some directions, and when he left, Holly glanced over at Joe. He didn’t look nervous, but she was.
“Is it my hair?” she asked after a few minutes. Men had some strange illusions about redheads.
“Is what your hair?” he asked.
“The thing that reminds you of the other person.”
“Yes.”
“She’s not Orphan Annie, is she? Because I thought all the makeup I’m wearing covered my freckles.”
He didn’t smile but she sensed his amusement. “No.”
“No to freckles or to Annie?”
“Annie. I can still see your freckles.”
“I knew it. I’m covered with them.”
“Everywhere?” he asked in an intimate voice.
“Yes,” she said, meeting his clear brown eyes. There was something sensual in his gaze and she couldn’t look away.
Joe
