The Bakery Sisters (57 page)

“I know you've spent the past five years thinking the worst of me,” she said. “I know it's going to take a little time to consider that there might be another explanation for what happened. Can you at least be open to the possibility?”

“I can try.”

“It's a place to start.”

The server returned with their bottle of wine. After she'd opened it and Matt had tasted it, she poured them each a glass and left.

He picked up his wine. “To new beginnings.”

She touched her glass to his and hoped new beginnings were possible.

They ate their salads and talked about how Seattle had changed. When the entrées arrived, she asked him about his business. “When did you go out on your own?”

“Four years ago. I had some ideas that didn't fit in with what I'd been doing at Microsoft. With the money I had from the games I'd licensed, I was able to start up without bank financing.”

“And keep all the profits for yourself.”

“How do you know there are profits?” he asked.

“I've seen your house.”

“I've been fortunate.”

More than that, she thought. “Now you're the boss. How does that feel?”

“I like it,” he admitted. “Having a staff means I can focus on what I want to do. They take care of the details.” He cut into his chicken. “You'd like my assistant. Diane. She's opinionated and does her best to run my life.”

“I'm surprised you allow that.”

“I don't, but she ignores me.”

“Then she must be really good at her job.”

“She is.”

Jesse liked that Matt kept a mouthy assistant around, although she couldn't say why. Did it make him more approachable? More like the man she remembered?

“Are you ever going to believe me?” she asked. “Is this ever going to be okay?”

He looked at her for a long time before reaching across the table and touching her hand. “I want it to be,” he said.

And for now, that was enough.

A
FTER DINNER
, M
ATT WALKED
Jesse to her car. The meal had been an interesting combination of comfortable and awkward. They managed a few minutes of easy conversation, only to reach another bump. Jesse told herself that while she'd had years to work everything through, this was still new to Matt. She had to give him time.

She was oddly aware of him as they crossed the parking lot. It was summer, and the sun still hadn't completely set, despite the fact that it was near nine.

“Thanks for dinner,” she said when they reached her Subaru. “We needed to talk.”

He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I understand why you're here,” he told her. “I'm working the problem.”

“Someone's been to management seminars,” she teased.

He grinned. “More than I want to admit to.”

“You must hate them.”

“Every second.”

“All that group bonding.”

“Not my style,” he admitted.

That hadn't changed, she thought. He'd always been more of a one-on-one guy. And speaking of one-on-one…

He seemed to be standing a little too close. He was still touching her cheek and she could feel definite heat where their skin brushed. His eyes were so dark, she thought, her brain getting fuzzy. She remembered when getting lost in them was the best way to spend a day. Was that still true?

“Dammit, Jesse,” he murmured.

Was he upset about the past? Aware of the growing tension between them? Thinking about kissing her as much as she thought about kissing him?

She knew she had to keep things light. Try to establish a friendship so he would be in a good position to get to know his son. Anything else would be a mistake. Only this was Matt and he'd been the last man she'd kissed. She suddenly ached to feel his mouth on hers, his arms around her. She wanted to feel aroused and safe at the same time. She wanted—

He leaned in and kissed her, just as she'd hoped he would. A light kiss that allowed her time to adjust to the reality after years of living on fantasy.

His mouth was exactly as she remembered. Warm and firm, but just soft enough to make her want more. She leaned in slightly, putting her hand on his upper arm where she felt his strong muscles. He cupped her jaw, then tilted his head and licked her lower lip.

Electricity shot through her. Need burned hot and bright, melting every part of her. She went from interested to intense in a heartbeat.

He put his free hand on her spine, above her butt. He used just enough pressure to draw her closer, but not so much that she felt she was going to be forced. Which made her want to shift nearer on her own.

Parts of her began to ache. It had been forever, she thought dreamily, and here she was, back where she'd started. She couldn't help remembering how it had been between them—all passion and surrender. She wanted that again. Wanted all of it.

He deepened the kiss, then pulled back and kissed her jaw, the side of her neck before returning to her mouth. She felt herself getting swept away. The fact that they were in a restaurant parking lot didn't really matter. There was only the moment and the man.

He kissed her over and over, arousing her with each stroke of his tongue. But something was different and that difference was what brought her back to reality.

She became aware of the way he slowly circled her spine with his palm. It was deliciously exciting and made her want to purr, but it wasn't anything he'd ever done before. He dropped his hand from her jaw to her shoulder and lightly rubbed her bare arm. Again, thrilling but not Matt. Even his kisses were different. They were more perfect, more practiced. He was a man who knew how to arouse a woman in a matter of seconds.

She hadn't taught him that.

She drew back and told herself it didn't matter. That it had been a long time and of course he'd been with other people. But it hurt to have proof that his life had gone on.

“Jesse?”

She forced herself to smile. “Impressive. You know your way around a good seduction.”

“I've always enjoyed kissing you.”

It was true, Matt thought, knowing that getting Jesse into bed would be pleasurable for them both. So what if he had a good time? That didn't mean he wouldn't walk away when it was over.

“You're kissing differently,” she said, then looked away as if she hadn't expected to admit that.

“I've had practice.”

“I can tell.”

There was something in her voice. Annoyance? Hurt? He'd done his best to be charming during dinner—all part of the plan—and now he reminded himself there was a goal. Still, his temper flared to life.

“Did you expect me to live like a monk after you left?” he asked.

She met his gaze. “No. I expected you to take everything I'd taught you and use it on someone else.”

She
was
hurt and angry, he thought. Welcome to the club.

“Then you're not disappointed,” he said. “I took everything I learned with you and put it to good use.” When she shivered, he added, “Come on, Jess. It's not like you've been living a solitary life yourself. You've had guys around. That was always your style.”

She stepped back. “I told you before. There hasn't been time. You have no idea what it's like to be a single parent.”

“You're right about that.” Because of her, he didn't know
anything
about being a parent. “What about Uncle Bill? Gabe likes him.”

“He's a friend. Nothing more.”

“Right.”

She glared at him. “Where do you get off judging me? I've told you the truth.”

“It's hard to believe. It's been five years. That's a long time to go without getting laid. And before you and I hooked up, you'd always had a guy around. No, wait. You had a guy around even when we were together.”

“You know that's not true.” Her mouth twisted. “But let's not let a little thing like the truth get in the way of your righteous anger. Once a slut, always a slut. Isn't that what you told me when you thought I'd slept with Drew? Except I hadn't done anything wrong. One day you're going to know that for certain, Matt. And when you do, you're going to have to accept the fact that I loved you, I was faithful to you and when I came and told you I was pregnant with your child, you threw me out. You weren't interested, and you couldn't begin to bring yourself to believe that there was even a
chance
the baby was yours.”

He narrowed his gaze. “It's not like you tried to convince me,” he reminded her. “You knew what Nicole had told my mother and what she had told me. Why would I think your sister was lying? Why wouldn't I believe her?”

“Because you loved me,” Jesse yelled. “Because you knew I loved you. You should have at least tried to listen.”

“You weren't very convincing. You knew I was devastated and you left anyway.”

“Oh, right. I went to Spokane, Matt. That's three hundred miles away. It's not like I was living off the grid. If you'd cared at all, you would have come looking for me. You would have found out for sure. But you couldn't be bothered.” She opened her car and tossed her purse inside. “Here's the thing. If you want any kind of a relationship with your son, you're going to have to deal with me. Which means you'll have to make peace with the past and accept the fact that, for all my faults, I didn't lie to you. I just wish I knew if that was possible for you or if you like being pissed at me so much, you can never accept the truth.”

She got in her car and slammed the door. He stepped back and watched her drive away.

The sun was warm on his back, not that he needed the heat. His temper blazed bright enough to chase away any chill.

She still thought he was that naive kid she'd fooled five years ago. But she was wrong. He was going to take her down, break her and leave her, just as she'd done to him. Then the past would be over and he would never look back.

 

J
ESSE ARRIVED AT THE
Keyes Bakery a little before six in the morning. It was her first day working and she didn't want to be late. If things worked out and she actually filled in for Nicole, she would be getting there a whole lot earlier. Sid and Phil started at three and she would be expected in around four-thirty.

Years ago, she always complained about the early hours, but now she knew she wouldn't mind. She would be off by noon and able to spend the afternoon with Gabe.

She walked to the rear door and stepped inside. The sounds and smells were familiar—the scent of rising dough, the sweetness of the frosting and cinnamon thickened the air. She heard mixers and the hum of ovens, a radio playing and conversation. She headed for the latter.

She found Sid standing by a massive mixing bowl. He looked a little older, a little heavier. He wore all white and seeing his familiar scowl made her smile.

“Morning,” she said loudly.

He turned toward her. The scowl lifted and he actually grinned.

“Jess! You're back. Nicole said you'd be working here again, but I didn't know you were starting today. Kid, how you doing?”

She rushed toward him and he held out his arms. He hugged her tight, squeezing until her ribs hurt, but she didn't complain. It felt good to be welcomed.

“I'm great, Sid. How are you?”

“Same old, same old. Keeping busy. So what's this I hear about you making brownies?”

“I've been working on a recipe for a while now,” she said as he released her. “They're really good.”

“Uh-huh. I'll let you know what I think. It's one thing to cook in your kitchen, it's another to make big enough batches to sell. You think all that through, kid?”

“We'll find out.”

She didn't mind him wanting her to prove herself. Sid had always been fair with her. If he liked the brownies, he would tell her. There wouldn't be any subtext or hidden agenda.

Sid led her around and introduced her to a mostly new crew. They all seemed nice enough.

“Where's Phil?” she asked.

“Florida, if you can believe it. He and his wife won a two-million-dollar lotto and took off for the sunshine. Lucky SOB.”

He continued talking about Phil and his good fortune. Jesse took the opportunity to look around.

The equipment was exactly as she remembered. The same old machines in the same place. They all needed to be upgraded. She'd been doing a lot of research and she knew they could buy smaller, more energy-efficient ovens that worked better and faster than what they had now. The same with all the mixers. Not that she would mention any of that to Nicole. Her sister wouldn't be interested in her ideas—not for a while.

“I'm going to have to prove myself,” Jesse murmured. “And I will.”

Sid looked at her. “Talking to yourself? That's new.”

She laughed. “Sometimes I was the only adult in the room. I'll try to remember not to mutter in public.”

“That's right. You had a kid.”

“A boy. Gabriel. Gabe. He's great.”

“So you gonna bring him around to meet his uncle Sid?”

Jesse nodded then threw herself at the older man. “I missed you.”

He smoothed her hair. “I missed you, too, Jess. I was real sorry that you and your sister fell out with each other. It was a shame.”

Jesse didn't want to talk about that. “Can you show me my corner of the kitchen so I can get started with the brownies?”

“Sure. I've pulled off a couple of guys to help you. Nicole said you get the college help.”

Jesse wrinkled her nose. Great. Her sister had assigned her the summer employees who had no real experience. Yet more evidence that Nicole wasn't exactly on board with the brownie idea. Not that it mattered. She was going to make this a success despite any obstacles thrown in her way.

“Any help is appreciated,” Jesse said.

“Good attitude. Jasper's okay. Jasper. Can you believe it? That's his real name. And D.C. He's got some attitude on him, but he does the work, so I ignore it and him.” Sid pointed to a back corner of the kitchen where an ancient mixer stood by itself.

“You're kidding,” Jesse muttered. It hadn't worked most of the time five years ago.

“Sorry. That's what the boss said. Oh, and she wanted me to tell you not to make too many brownies until we know if they're gonna sell.” He shrugged. “You know Nicole.”

“Oh, yeah. I know her.”

Jesse found her help and introduced herself. They were both young and obviously just putting in their time to earn money for school. She collected the ingredients she would need, then set out the few special items she'd brought with her in her backpack.

“We're going to be making small batches at first,” she told the guys. “I rented a kitchen to work out the problems of expanding the recipe and I don't want to go bigger than I've already done.” She couldn't afford to make a mistake. She had a feeling that Nicole was more than ready to toss her out on her ass.