Aaron choked on the water he’d unfortunately just swallowed. He’d never deny his niece was beautiful. When she got to high school, she’d have guys lining up at her door. Already he was dreading when the time came because he’d been a high school boy. He knew how most of them thought. Tiegan’s beauty aside, he didn’t want to see her get involved in the modeling world. From the little he’d seen in the media, it wasn’t a kid-friendly lifestyle, and Tiegan might not want to admit it, and she might sometimes act older than her age, but she was still a child.
Candace passed him a slice of cake before cutting one for herself. “Not seriously, no. But I’ve always thought she was beautiful enough to do some modeling. I’m not even sure she’d be interested.”
“If she is and you’re okay with it, I can get you in touch with my agent, Pierre. I’ve been with him since I started out. He’s got his quirks, but he’s a great guy to work with and knows the business better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
Aaron stuffed a large forkful of cheesecake in his mouth to avoid telling their guest what he really thought of her idea. As he chewed, he looked over at his sister. He recognized the expression on Candace’s face. He’d seen it enough times over the years to know she was considering Juliette’s suggestion.
“Let me think about it and talk to her. Honestly, I have no idea if she’d be interested or not. And I’ll let you know.”
“No pressure. Whatever you decide is fine. I just think she could have a phenomenal career. And Pierre is great. I think you’d like him.”
Like a magnet, her voice pulled his gaze in her direction. Much to his annoyance, he couldn’t look away as her lips closed around a forkful of dessert. The image of him removing the fork and replacing it with his lips formed.
He didn’t daydream, so he didn’t know why his mind was conjuring up images now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Juliette’s lips, like everything else about her, were perfect. Or at least perfect in his eyes. They were full, but they looked natural, not as if a doctor had injected them with chemicals.
“Mmm. This is delicious. Did you make it?” she asked, cutting another forkful off her piece. “I wish I could bake like this.”
“Come over one night I don’t have class, and I’ll show you. Making cheesecake isn’t hard.”
Yep, he’d expected his sister’s offer as soon as Juliette asked if Candace baked the cake. She’d always been a social butterfly willing to help or teach someone else.
“Sounds good.”
For the second time that day, Juliette surprised Aaron by finishing her entire slice. While Candace walked her to the door, he cleaned up the few dishes left on the table. Overall, the evening hadn’t been as unpleasant as he’d feared. That didn’t mean he wanted to do it again anytime soon. He didn’t consider himself shy in the least, but he preferred to spend his time with friends and loved ones, especially when he was in his own home. At the moment, he didn’t know Juliette well enough to determine if he liked her or not. And since she wouldn’t be around long, he saw no reason to waste his time learning.
“Thanks for taking care of those.” Candace entered the kitchen and retrieved her iced tea from the table.
Before he launched into the discussion he wanted, Aaron closed the dishwasher and turned it on. Then he leaned back against the counter and picked up his drink. “You’re not seriously going to consider Juliette’s offer, are you?”
“About letting Tiegan model?”
No, the one about her giving you a million dollars. “Yeah.”
His sister nodded. “I’m not sold one way or the other on the idea. And I’d need to talk to her first. She might not be interested, and I’d never force her.” She took a sip of tea before she continued. “Who knows, it might be a way for her to help pay for college down the road.”
Even if it helped his niece afford college at some point, he didn’t want her trying it. “I think you should forget Juliette ever mentioned it, Candace. It’s more important she focus on school and having fun with her friends.”
“Who says she can’t do all three?”
“I don’t see it happening.” The guest in Cottage 10 was the first celebrity he’d had dinner with, but he’d seen enough internet stories and magazine covers to know children thrust into the spotlight had anything but a normal life. And more often than not, they struggled as adults because of it.
“First of all, I never said I intended to speak with Juliette’s agent. And second, Tiegan might not even be interested. So, relax.” She patted him on the shoulder as she walked by on her way out of the room.
Relax? Right. When Mom had first told him who their long-term guest was, he’d worried she’d be trouble. Looked like he might have been right.
Chapter 6
“It smells good.” Juliette eyed the lemon-blueberry upside down cake Candace, her new friend and baking teacher, set down on the counter. It was the third dessert she’d made with the other woman’s help.
As promised, Candace had shown her how to make a New York-style cheesecake the Friday after she first joined them for dinner. It’d been far easier than she’d anticipated. In fact, Juliette believed she’d have no problem making it again on her own. A few days later, she’d attempted double chocolate chip brownies. That time she’d received instruction more or less from Tiegan rather than Candace. But either way, they’d come out fantastic, and she’d eaten far more than she should have.
Candace pulled a knife from the drawer and handed it to her. Then she pulled two plates from the cupboard. “Cut it and let’s see.”
She cut one sliver and put it on a plate.
“You can have that one. Make mine a little bigger,” Candace said before Juliette cut a second helping.
After cutting a slice about twice as wide as hers, Juliette dug into her piece. The combination of sweet blueberries and tart lemon exploded on her tongue, and immediately she wished she’d given herself a larger portion. “Man, this is good. If I didn’t make it, I’d think it came from a bakery.” She washed it down with some tea before she got another forkful. “When Curt and his fiancée come to visit, I might have to make this for them. Or maybe the