Take the Cake (32 page)

Kate started tapping out a message to Paul on her phone.

Can I bring Michael or do you need Bear time? xK

Her phone beeped a few minutes later with his reply.

No prob. How about Bear time gets 30 min head start? xP

Kate smiled at her brother’s response.

Sounds good. C u soon xK

As expected, Paul got in the last word.

Not if I c u first! xP

Kate groaned at the old joke and put her phone back in her pocket.

“Is that good or bad?” Emily asked as she untied her apron and folded it carefully.

“Definitely good, and a bit mysterious,” Kate answered. “Michael’s coming out with Bear and me tonight.”

“Sounds good. Hey, can I play show and tell?” Wren chimed in, and at Kate’s nod, she unbuttoned her little black waistcoat and pulled it open to reveal a smiling fox print on her T-shirt. “What do you think?”

“I think it was made for you.” Emily grinned. It was true; the fox even had dark brown—almost black—grinning eyes that reminded both women of Wren.

“Funny you should say that,” Wren replied, buttoning up the waistcoat again.

“You made it?” Emily gaped.

“Yep, the shirt and the print. You like?”

“I love,” Emily enthused. “I’ve got to put an order in.”

“Me too,” Kate agreed. Wren smiled beneath their praise, soaking it up like a drug.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Kate said, “you’ve
got
to start selling your fashion somewhere. Hell, you can even sell it here if you like, but you’ve got to get your work out there.”

“We’ll see,” Wren conceded. The idea excited and terrified her all at once.

“So will you, once it starts flying off the racks,” Kate said. “You’ll have fans everywhere. Speaking of which …” She raised an eyebrow toward the doorway.

David had reached the bakery and had stopped to read the quote of the day. He was still laughing as he stepped inside.

“There’s my girl,” he said with a chuckle as he walked toward her to pull her in for a kiss.

Wren ducked her head under his chin and looked oddly shy at his obvious pleasure at seeing her. Kate and Emily exchanged a glance and went about their final duties for the day.

“You ready to go?” David murmured, running his hands on her back.

“Soon,” Wren said, “I’ve just got to—”

“No, you don’t,” Kate broke in. “I’ve got it from here. I’m waiting for Bear so you two can take off. That goes for you as well,” she added, turning to include Emily.

“Are you sure?” Emily began. “I was just about to—” She broke off as Kate pulled the dishtowel she had slung over her shoulder and began to twirl it meaningfully. “We’re going,” she squeaked. She had learned from experience that Kate could snap a dishcloth with deadly accuracy.

“What?” Kate said as David laughed. “It’s good to be the boss.”

“No argument from me.” David held his hands up in surrender.

He leaned against the counter and made idle chitchat with Kate while Wren hung up her apron and gathered her things. When she appeared, he helped her on with her coat and then put his arm around her shoulder as they made their way out of the store and called out their farewells.

“Had a good day?” David leaned down as he spoke, his breath chuffing against her hair.

“Yep.” Wren nodded. “You?”

“Can’t complain, not when I’ve got you at the end of it.” He grinned.

Wren smiled back. She wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to having someone to talk to, to wake up with. For all her conquests, Wren was used to being alone; she had never shared her life with anyone, and yet with David there was a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had known him for years.

“Got any plans for tonight?” he asked.

“Uh …” Wren stalled. She had wanted to sketch some designs. “A few, but I guess we can—”

“Babe.” David gave her a gentle squeeze. “I just want to eat and watch television, so if that’s something I can do in the background of whatever you’re doing, it’s all good.”

Wren squinted up at him. “Really?”

“Really,” he said with a solemn nod before he grinned at her confusion. “Why, you think I need to be entertained?”

“Maybe,” she replied. They had stopped at the light now. “I don’t know how this works,” she went on with a shrug.

“It’s pretty straightforward. You just wait for the light to change to green and cross when everyone else does.”

“Not that.” She gave an exasperated snort. “This whole girlfriend gig.”

“Mmm?” David was kissing her temple and appeared to be half-listening.

“I’m serious.” She dug her elbow into his ribs and he gave a grunt of surprise.

“So I gather,” he said. “All right, so let’s talk. What’s the problem?”

Wren kept her head down. She hadn’t wanted to have this conversation and now she was going to look foolish. David gave her a gentle nudge, signaling he was waiting for her to reply.

“Idon’tknowhowtobeagirlfriend,” she said in a rush.

“You want to run that by me at half speed?” David gave her a curious look.

Wren huffed in annoyance.

“I
said
,” she repeated, “I don’t know how to be a girlfriend.”

David’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned in confusion. “Yeah, and?”

“And that’s it,” Wren muttered. “I don’t know how all this shit works.”

They walked on a few paces in silence before David sighed and slowed down. He looked over his shoulder before steering Wren over to lean her against a building, bracing his hands on either side of her face.

“Wren, this isn’t some sort of job description you have to aspire to,” he began, and then cupped her chin in his hands to turn her gaze back to him when she tried to look away. “No, listen. I want
you
, Wren. Just the way you are.”

“But you don’t really know me,” she replied.

“So the joy will be in finding out.” David shrugged.

Wren mulled this over, and David watched the different emotions flicker across her face.

“Wren, I like you, and I want to be with you. That’s all that matters, and the rest we’ll make up as we go along.”

Wren could feel a tightness in her chest, that had perhaps always been there, soften and release at his words. She sighed and felt her shoulders loosen as she relaxed under David’s steady words and gaze. David was still cupping her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks.

“Okay,” she said at last. “I’m game if you are.”

David’s hands slid down to the nape of her neck as he leaned in closer and kissed her, his mouth warm and open against hers. Wren wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer still.

Chapter 19

Brother Bear and That Word

Kate was tidying up loose ends around the store when she heard a quick tattoo on the store window. She looked up and saw Paul letting himself in, closing the door after himself and flipping the sign on the door to CLOSED.

“Hey,” Paul greeted her as he crossed toward her with a grin. “How’s my favorite sister?”

“Good,” Kate said as she stepped into his hug before returning to the counter to collect her bag where it sat waiting. “You?”

“Yeah.” Paul stretched and gave a quiet groan. “I’ve been better.” He rolled his shoulders and then his neck with a slight wince as his muscles protested.

“I’m sorry.” Kate returned to his side with a guilty look. “All that extra work yesterday wouldn’t have helped.”

“If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have offered,” Paul said in a mild tone as he propelled her toward the door with a light touch on her back. “Plus I had Tom there to help.”

“Hmmm.” Kate sounded dubious at that, making him laugh.

“Granted he made a fuss over getting dirty, but he was pleased with the way it was going when you and Michael showed up.” Paul paused outside as Kate reached for the security grill.

“Right,” Kate commented over her shoulder as she locked the door. “And look how that worked out.” She finished locking up and stashed her keys inside her bag. “Tom’s evil bitch twin came to the party, Michael went home and you got left with all the work.”

“Not that much. We were nearly done,” Paul replied as he draped a brotherly arm around her shoulders. “And you and Tom had some business to attend to.”

“That’s what you’re calling it?”

Paul gave an expansive shrug. “It sounds better than hissy fit,” he said, looking down at her as she gave a rueful smile. The pair of them began to walk across the Village. Kate hadn’t asked where they were going, instead trusting that Paul’s need for pizza would mean he had already decided their destination well in advance. “So,” Paul began when they paused at the light, waiting to cross the street, “Michael. How’s all that going?”

“All that?” Kate looked up at him, noticing yet again the height difference between them, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder. The light changed and they began to cross the street along with the rest of the crowd. Paul drew her close to his side in an instinctively protective gesture as the pedestrians from the other side of the intersection drew near.

“You know,” Paul said, giving her a quick glance before returning his attention to negotiating a clear path. “Did you guys have a talk too? He left you and Tom to it, but I’m guessing he was wondering what the hell was going on.”

“You guess correctly.” Kate sighed. She felt tired again. It seemed all she was doing was talking lately and it was wearing her down. Not for the first time she realized how easy it was at times to be single. Now it felt that by putting herself on the dating radar, she had somehow entered a minefield of emotions.

Paul didn’t miss the sigh. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. Everyone’s fine,” Kate answered as she hitched the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

“Fine as in ‘Fucking Insecure Neurotic and Emotional’ type fine, or okay?” he ventured after a brief pause.

Kate snickered at this.

“I mean we’re
good.”
She emphasized the last word, watching as Paul gave a sage nod. “Tom and I talked it all out, and then Michael joined us at the bar for a drink and the boys played nice.”

“Really?” Paul tried not to look too surprised at this. “That’s gotta be a first.”

“I know, but …” Kate considered this as they kept walking, and then frowned as she looked further down the street. “Where are we going by the way?”

“Lombardi’s,” Paul answered. “And don’t change the subject.”

“Hang on, I said I’d let Michael know where we’d be,” Kate said, slowing her pace a little as she dug in her bag and then began to tap out a message to Michael on her phone.

Paul glanced down and saw what she was doing. “You want to stop and do that?”

“No, you steer and make sure I don’t trip over anything,” Kate said absently as she kept composing the message.

Paul nodded and tightened his arm around her shoulders, whistling tunelessly as they walked.

~~~

Michael looked at the word count of the document and gave a low whistle. For someone with writer’s block for a few months, he had certainly managed to redeem himself. Alistair would definitely be pleased with this. Or not. Michael paused as he considered this. It was certainly a break from his usual style of writing, although the sheer volume of this would give Alistair enough to work on for a while. With luck they would be able to work their way toward a mutually agreeable finished product. He looked away from the screen as his phone beeped with an incoming message.

Pizza at Lombardi’s cnr Spring Mott – see you soon? xK.

Michael smiled and wrote a reply.

No probs. Let me know when. xM

He relaxed in his chair and waited for her response, rubbing an absent hand over his chin and feeling the rasp of stubble against his fingers. His phone beeped again and he smiled when he read her message and then flicked the phone back onto his desk where it landed on some paperwork with a dull thud. For a moment he considered shaving and then remembered with a grin that Kate enjoyed his scruff on occasion.Glancing at the laptop screen again, he began to re-read the afternoon’s efforts, his smile fading as a small voice in his head wondered what Kate would make of it. He sighed and rubbed his face again. There was nothing for it but to wait and see. He’d come this far.

~~~

“Are we there yet?” Kate teased as she slipped her phone back into her bag.

“Nearly,” Paul said. “You hungry?”

“A little,” Kate conceded.

“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to eat a bit more,” Paul commented. It hadn’t escaped his attention that Kate had shivered each time a cold gust of wind had swept against them. She had been working too hard again, and he could see that she had lost a couple of pounds. She had inherited their mother’s slight build and any loss showed. Turning his attention back to the street and looking ahead toward the pizzeria, he resolved to ask her more about her relationship with Michael. Not for the first time, he wished Jack were still alive. He knew Kate would have borne Jack in Papa Bear mode with more grace than she would an inquisitive older brother, no matter how well intentioned.

“Don’t fuss, Bear. I’m okay.” Kate shook her head at him. It hurt her to see the worry in his eyes; she preferred to see him happy. She cast about for a distraction. “On to more important things,” she said, “pizza. Have you thought about what you want?” She knew her ploy had worked when Paul laughed.

“Kat, dinner’s a done deal. I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon.”

By the time they were crossing Houston, they were indulging in a good natured squabble about toppings.

“Definitely sausage,” Paul said, “and plenty of peppers.”

Kate gave him a look of amused tolerance. “Like you could possibly consider anything else,” she said. Ever since their teenage years, Paul had been known for his devotion to pizza. “Just don’t forget I want mushrooms.”

A while later they were settling themselves at a table, Kate stashing her bag between her feet and accepting a bottle of mineral water from a waitress with a smile of thanks while Paul opened the beer he had ordered and took an appreciative swig.

“Good?” Kate asked with a smile when he set the bottle down on the table with a sigh.

“There are times when hard work means a hard earned thirst.” He sighed. “And today is one of those days.” He looked at her and then started to fidget with the label on the bottle. He raised an eyebrow at her. “So, getting back to business, you said that you and Tom played nice yesterday when I kicked you out of the store. How did it go?”

Kate sipped at her water while she considered his question. “As well as could be expected,” she said at last. “Things got a little bumpy.”

“I bet they did,” Paul said, folding his arms and leaning slightly toward her. “But it’s a talk that’s been a long time comin’.”

“Yeah.” Kate nodded.

“You’re both as bad as each other sometimes, you know that, right?” Paul pressed on.

This time Kate’s nod was slower.

“I’m not saying that you two can’t be friends, but c’mon, Kat, sometimes it hasn’t been too healthy.”

Kate couldn’t look at him now. She traced the beads of condensation on her bottle and drew on the tabletop with a wet fingertip. Paul said nothing further. Instead he sipped at his beer and waited for her to say something. Finally she looked up and gave him a watery smile.

“You’re right,” she admitted at last, “but we talked about it.” She reached over and picked up Paul’s beer bottle, raising an eyebrow at him and taking a swig after he nodded.

“So what did you talk about?” Paul prodded as she set the bottle down.

“All the stuff that has been building up for a few years: his sabotage, my passivity, our love lives—together and with other people.” She thought for a moment and shrugged. “Guess it was all the stuff that needed to be said to clear the air.”

“What about Michael?”

“We talked about him too.” Kate nodded.

“No, I meant how was Michael with it all? He took off pretty quickly.”

“Yeah,” Kate agreed. “He left us to talk it out, but came and had a drink with us later on.”

Paul gave a slow considered nod of approval. “Gotta give props to the man for showing up after Tom let the bitch off the leash.”

Kate laughed at Paul’s choice of phrase. “I know, right? He was really good, and Tom behaved himself too.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Paul nodded. “Michael seems like a nice guy, if that smile on your face is anything to go by.” He grinned. “And that blush.” His grin broadened as Kate groaned and put her hands to her face in a futile attempt to hide the color in her cheeks. “Wow, getting serious, huh?”

“I think so,” Kate conceded.

“You think so … what?” Paul prodded. “You’ve fallen in …” He waved an expressive hand for Kate to fill in the blank, and when she said nothing, he lifted his bottle to his lips and took a long sip. He kept drinking, widening his eyes at her before releasing the bottle from his lips with a soft ‘pop’ and setting it down. “What?” he said.

“You know.” Kate reached over and fidgeted with the paper label on the beer bottle for a moment.

“So,” Paul went on, “you haven’t said it?”

“Not to him,” Kate answered. She had all but admitted it to Thomas.

“So when?” Paul asked as he watched Kate turn her water glass in small circles on the table.

“When the time is right,” Kate said at last, looking up when she saw Paul’s grin. “What?”

“Kat, there’s no such thing as the right time. You’re talking about feeling safe enough to say it.”

Kate sipped at her water again and, realizing she wanted something more, flagged a passing waitress to order a Coke. She turned back to see Paul watching her, his face impassive as he waited for her answer. There was nowhere for her to go, no way she could bluff her way through the conversation. No matter how hard she tried to stall, he would simply wait her out. He had done it before.

It had been Paul who had sat waiting by her hospital bedside after the accident with Jack, waiting for his only sibling to wake up so that he could tell her that they were orphans. He had been the only person besides Kate listed as next of kin, and had made the journey from upstate to keep vigil by her side. He had watched and waited for her grief to burn down to ash before telling her she had to leave home and make a life for herself.

“You’re no good here, Kat,” he had said one day.

Kate still remembered the way he had said that, his body looming large in her bedroom doorway, his boot scuffing at the hallway carpet.

She had been sitting on her bed going through an old photo album after another quiet dinner when Paul had appeared at her door and made the announcement.

“Bear, I’m fine—” she had begun, and had stopped when he slowly shook his head.

“See, Babycake, that’s where you’re wrong,” he had said in a gentle tone. “I’ve been watching you,” he’d continued as he stepped into the room and took a seat beside her on the bed, “and you’re just going through the motions of living.”

“Bear—” Kate had begun again.

“No, Kat, this isn’t living, and it doesn’t honor Mom and—” He had stopped and swallowed hard. “Dad. You
know
they wouldn’t like this, so you’ve got to make a life for yourself.” He had reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Go back to college, Kat, get your degree, and make a good life for yourself. You know that would make them proud. You won’t be alone.”

Now Paul sat waiting again, watching Kate smile her thanks as her Coke was delivered to their table, checking her wristwatch to see how much longer it would be before Michael arrived.

Kate looked up and saw Paul regarding her with a steadfast gaze.

“Kat,” Paul said, reaching out a gentle hand, “he’s not Tom.”

“I know.” Kate nodded. “I’m just scared, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” Paul said, giving her hand a soft squeeze before leaning back in his seat. “But sometimes you just have to throw yourself wholeheartedly into something, or not at all.”

Kate cocked her head as she gazed at her brother.

“That’s quite a philosophy you’ve got going there,” she said.

“It was Mom’s,” Paul said easily, making Kate smile. Their mother had been a free spirit compared to Jack’s more conservative nature, but had managed to impart life lessons along the way.

“Mom could be a flake at times.” Paul shrugged. “But her words kinda stuck, I guess, and it’s a philosophy that works for me. Anyway, you want to finish your life feeling like you’ve had one helluva ride, or regret that you didn’t do more when you had the chance?” He leaned forward and grasped Kate’s hand again. “We both know that life can finish anytime, so why hold back?”

“I guess,” Kate muttered, thinking of Michael. She glanced at her watch again and then looked up as Paul straightened in his chair and waved with a broad smile. Kate turned to follow his gaze, and Paul watched as his sister’s face lit up with a smile of recognition.