Read Online The Bachelor and the Beauty Queen by Carolyn Hector - Free Book Online Page B

girl,” Stephen called out, waving his arm in the air.
    â€œShh, Uncle Stephen, I’m at work right now,” Philly lectured. “I want to start over.”
    Before Lexi could protest, Philly took off behind the fuchsia curtains. Standing this close to Stephen made Lexi’s cheeks burn with heat. Well aware of his strong masculinity, she tried to focus on Philly’s stride rather than how dainty she felt standing next to him. The mental score card in her head for him rated Stephen at a high nine out of ten for poise and presence. She certainly felt it.
    â€œI wanted to give your coach these.” Stephen presented the four branches of Dancing Lady orchids. Her favorite.
    The corners of her mouth twitched, and she reluctantly raised his score up to a full ten. “You didn’t have to.” Lexi remained calm, keeping her smile to a minimum. The chocolate scent wafted upward. She closed her eyes at the memory of her Grandma Bea’s backyard. The sweet smell had always enticed Lexi to linger longer at her place.
    â€œI did.”
    The pep in Stephen’s voice irritated her. She needed to stay angry with him. “Well, then, thank you.” Her lashes betrayed her, batting against her cheeks. “You’re just in time for lunch. Hungry?”
    Lexi did not mistake Stephen’s eyes lowering to her lips. She bit the corner of her bottom lip. The temperature in the room rose a degree or two. Why did she decide to wear the pink sweatpants and matching jacket? Maybe something had happened to the air conditioner? With the orchids in her arms, Lexi turned her attention back to the stage. “After lunch, we’ll work on hair and makeup.
    â€œAre y’all hungry?” Lexi asked the two Reyes brothers as she strolled past Stephen.
    Kimber, who’d kept her eyes glued to her iPad during the entire rehearsal, glanced up and offered a half shrug of her shoulder. Lexi gave the girl a coy smile, then spoke to Nate, who stood up to close the gap between them. “We have some finger sandwiches if you’re starving. Do you like cucumber or pimento cheese sandwiches?”
    â€œGot some without the pimento?” asked Andrew, whizzing by with Philly in his arms. His heels clicked on the marble flooring of the kitchen. The bottles of jams, hot sauces and other condiments jingled as he yanked the refrigerator door open.
    Rolling her eyes, Lexi shook her head. “Then you want a cheese sandwich, Andrew.” She turned her attention back to Nate and Kimber. “I’m sorry. Someone must have forgotten to take out the platter. You know what? I have a better idea. I have some shrimp and grits upstairs ready to be eaten. Kimber, would you mind coming with me to help?”
    Without making eye contact, Kimber nodded her dark head. Such great bone structure. If only she showed the slightest interest in pageantry. Lexi headed toward the back of the store to the spiral steps leading upstairs, where she kept more dresses. Expanding the store would have allowed her to separate the inventory. Now she needed to rethink things.
    â€œYou know the way?” Lexi asked, stopping to tug down the plastic covering on a sold dress.
    â€œYes ma’am.” Kimber quietly sighed. She took two steps at a time.
    The two-story building had once belonged to one of Southwood’s first dressmakers. Lexi didn’t break from tradition too much, hiring contractors to gut the majority of the downstairs area into a showroom floor with changing rooms and an office. The spiral steps led to an upstairs kitchenette and into the two-bedroom apartment. Lexi followed Kimber up to the second floor. Racks of more dresses, all wrapped in plastic, were lined up against the far wall, waiting to be picked up. A black-speckled marble bar with two high-back wooden bar stools separated the kitchen and dining area from the living room. Behind the bar on the black stove, a red pot simmered with what Lexi