by Jill Sanders
“Don’t drop anything in. Last time we did this, Aunt Megan was livid about the slice of pizza she found floating in here,” Riley mentioned.
“That was all you. I was out of town the time you and Sara sat in here, remember?”
“Right. She found out she was pregnant the week after that. Hence her eating pizza and pickles that night.”
“Yuck.” She visibly cringed as she thought about it. She sunk her teeth into a chicken leg and sighed.
“She told me the worst thing she’s had cravings for so far was pickled eggs topped with Cool Whip.”
“What?” She nibbled on a roll while the jets massaged away the tension between her shoulder blades.
“Yeah. My mother said with us, the strangest craving she had was Cookie Crisp cereal.” Riley finished her chicken and then stuffed a piece of cheese in the roll and started eating it as she leaned back.
“I’ll have to ask my mother.” Lilly swallowed a mouthful of wine. Since there was less than half a bottle left, she hadn’t bothered grabbing a glass and drank directly from the bottle.
“I can’t wait until my birthday,” Riley said out of the blue.
“Oh?” She held the bottle up and swirled it. “It’s not like you’ve never had a drink before.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Of course. It’s not that, it’s just…” She sighed. “People will stop treating me like a child.”
Lilly set the bottle down. “Who treats you like a child? Not me, and not your family.”
“No, just… people.” She rested her head back.
“Carter?” Lilly said out of the blue. Riley’s eyes met hers and she shrugged.
“I’m not a child.”
“No,” Lilly agreed, “you’re not.”
“Then why does he treat me as if I am?” she asked.
Lilly thought about it. “Some men need to be shown in different ways. You know the story of how my parents met and fell in love, right?”
Riley nodded. “Everyone does.” She smiled.
“Well, sometimes it takes more than just flirting and glances to get the spark going.”
They sat there in silence as the hot tub hummed and soothed their aches, watching the stars above them and dreaming of identical-looking men.
4
Corey was a genius. Or so he thought as he smiled down at the perfectly balanced numbers on his laptop screen. The extra money in the account meant that they could hire Robin on full time and another person part time. He still had his doubts about Jim and was going to put out feelers for a more reliable employee before deciding.
“Hey.” Carter stepped into the room, a towel wrapped low around his hips as he dried his hair with another towel.
“Hey.” He let his smile grow. “Look at this.” He nodded to the computer screen. Carter walked over and leaned on the back of Corey’s desk chair, then whistled.
“Did you ever think we’d see so many zeros?”
“Hoped, yes. Believed?” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m going to bring Robin on full time.”
Carter nodded in agreement. “What about Jim?”
He shut his computer down. “I’ll look around. Maybe ask Robin if she knows someone more reliable. Jim’s been late the last few times. I don’t mind keeping him on part time, but I’d like someone more… dependable.”
“Good idea.” Carter slapped his back. “I’ll meet you at work. I have a few things to deal with first.”
“Sure.” Corey had been up since six that morning, getting in his daily five-mile run. He’d mixed up some eggs and toast after a quick shower, which had given him time enough to glance at the numbers. It was still early enough that he decided to head in and make a few calls before opening time. Maybe he could poke his head into Classy and Sassy before going into Baked. It had been almost two weeks since they’d helped Lilly and Riley tear down the brick walls. Since then, there had been a slew of hammering and numerous workers coming and going next door. He was a little curious to see how it was coming along.
Also, he hadn’t seen Lilly in almost a week. Each time they’d ordered pizza for next door, Riley had come over and picked it up.
As he drove away from the small two-bedroom house they rented on the outskirts of Pride, he thought about all the changes they had made when they’d moved there.
But they had gotten used to change early on in life. They’d also learned to rely only on one another. It was probably the reason both of them were still single.
Carter had had a somewhat long-term relationship once. Amy wouldn’t have been Corey’s choice for his brother, but after the first few dates, he knew that Carter wasn’t serious about the busty redhead. After all, behind the bright red hair was an empty shell. She had been focused on money and gifts she could swindle out of his brother.
Six months after Carter started dating her, his brother had moved on, thankfully. He’d had a few brushes with long-term relationships himself, with the longest lasting two months.
It wasn’t their relationships that had changed the most though in the seven months they’d lived in Pride. It was the business.
He smiled as he drove past the front of Baked, turned into the back alley, and parked in one of the two designated spots behind the building. Their building. He smiled as he turned off his car and just looked at the place, thinking about what he and his brother had created.
Then his mind wandered to Lilly and his eyes moved to the other back door marked Classy and Sassy. A mixture of feelings swirled so fast, he would have a hard time describing them if he had to. Lust? Passion? Love?
Did he even know what love was? Sure, he’d dated, had even thought he’d been in love a few times in his life, but nothing had pulled him this much or felt this deep before. Closing his eyes, he could picture every detail about Lilly and could, if he were an artist, sketch her perfectly.
When there was a knock on his window, he jumped slightly, then laughed as he opened the door.
“Sorry.” Lilly smiled at him. “I caught you daydreaming.”
“Just admiring the building.” He nodded to the back of his store.
“It’s not the best view of the place.” She chuckled.
“No, but it’s ours and it’s turning a profit. Enough that I’ll be hiring a few full timers.”
Her eyebrows jumped up. “How wonderful.” She smiled again, and he felt his heart kick in his chest.
“How’s it going in there?” he asked, nodding to her door.
“Come see for yourself.” She motioned for him to come, and he followed her to the door. She unlocked the door and allowed him to go first.
He whistled when he walked in. The place was clean. There was new hardwood flooring down and the walls had a fresh coat of pale blue paint on them. Boxes and a stack of large canvases lined one wall.
New lights hung from the freshly painted ceiling. They had left the metal beams exposed and had painted them a dark blue so that it appeared like an open sky instead of an old ceiling in a brick building.
Several large pieces of furniture were scattered around the place, some covered with paint tarps, others with small boxes sitting on them.
There were four small dressing rooms along the back wall just beside a large storage room where he saw a bunch of boxes, a table, and a few chairs.
“The bathroom was finished yesterday.” She opened a door and motioned for him to look in.
The walls were a soft purple, and pictures of flowers hung on two walls. The third wall had a full mirror, and the sink and toilet sat across from it.
“Nice.” He nodded. “I’ve never seen a purple bathroom before.”
“Lavender,” she corrected.
“It looks better than I thought it would. Those help.” He nodded to the paintings.
“It helps to have an aunt who has loads and loads of paintings we could choose from to hang up in here. Each one will have a little plaque with information about the painting.” She walked over and picked up two small squares and showe
d them to him.
They said, “Painted locally by Allison Jordan,” and below were the title and price for each painting.
“Hers?” He stepped out and nodded to the stack of canvas’ against the wall.
“Yes, we’ll hang them up where we can.” She smiled.
“The place is looking amazing.” He nodded to the floor. “Nice.”
“Thanks. We’d hoped to salvage the old cement floor, maybe stain it or paint it, but my dad swooped in and surprised us with the new wood one.”
“Nice.” He couldn’t explain why a wave of sadness hit him all of a sudden, but he took a step back. “I’d better—” Just then, the back door flew open and a very winded Riley rushed in.
“Call Carrie.” She had a small ball of fur wrapped in a jacket. “I think it’s dead.”
He rushed over and, on instinct, took the animal from her hands. There was blood covering her shirt and jacket.
“I didn’t see it. I swerved, but it was just there, under my tire.”
“I’m calling my dad, he’s closer,” Lilly said, punching her father’s number. While she stepped away, he took the small kitten into the lavender bathroom and gently laid it on the counter. When he pulled the jacket that Riley had wrapped it in away, the small thing opened its eyes and let out a low meow.
“Easy buddy,” he said softly.
“I think there are more in the alley,” Riley said, looking towards the door as she bit her bottom lip with worry.
“Go, look. I’ll take care of this one for now.” He cupped his hand and let it fill with water from the sink. He gently washed some of the blood away and realized it was gushing from where one of its hind legs should have been. He took a clean cloth from the sink area and wrapped it around the area, cutting off the blood flow. The kitten meowed with pain, but its grayish-green eyes met his and something passed between them.
“Sorry, buddy, I’ve got to stop the bleeding,” he said softly.
“My dad is on his way.” Lilly stepped in. “Is it dead?”
“No, but he’s missing a leg.”
“Oh my.” Lilly touched his arm. “You’re getting blood on your shirt.”
“I’ve got a spare.” The kitten tried to get away from him and he held it to his chest. He needed to keep pressure on the back leg.
“I’ve also called Carrie’s mother, she’s the local vet,” Lilly added as she looked down at the kitten.
“Two more,” Riley said, walking in with a black-and-white kitten and a bright orange one.
The one in his hands appeared to be a dark gray, but since it was covered with blood, it was hard to be sure.
Just then, Aaron Stevens rushed in, a black back in his hands. “Did you call Amelia?” he asked as he set his bag down.
“Yes, she’ll be waiting for you at her office,” Lilly answered.
Lilly’s father took the small bundle from Corey’s arms. He didn’t miss the look that the man gave him, or the look he had given his daughter upon seeing him in the bathroom.
“Dad, will he be okay?” Lilly asked after her father glanced over the animal.
“Lost a leg, but thanks to the pressure you applied”—he nodded in his direction— “the blood loss has almost stopped. He should make a full recovery.” He wrapped the towel around the kitten again. “I’ll drive him up to the vets.” He glanced over at Riley. “Those two you’ll have to deal with for the moment.”
“I’m keeping them,” Riley said clearly. “And when that one is better, he’s coming home with me too.”
Aaron Stevens chuckled. “What’s three more to the dozen you already have around, right?” He smiled and then glanced back when he was halfway out the door. “Quick thinking.” He nodded to Corey, then left.
“Thank you,” Lilly added, then followed her dad outside.
“You ruined your shirt.” Riley frowned down at the blood-covered work shirt.
“I’ve got a spare,” he said again as he moved over to pet the two kittens in her hand. “You know, Carter and I were just talking about needing a cat around our place. We found mouse droppings the other day.”
Her eyes grew large. “Really?”
“Sure,” he smiled. He had always wanted a pet. Why not start small?
“Take your pick.” She hugged the kittens to her chest.
“I’ll take the tripod, when he’s better.”
Her eyes grew big. “You want him even though I drove over his leg?”
He nodded. “I want him because of it. He’s had a hard time.” He dropped his hands and his eyes moved towards the doorway. “I know how it feels, having a rough start to life.”
“Then he’s yours,” Lilly said. “I’ll let Amelia know to contact you when he’s better. If he makes it.”
“He’ll make it.” Corey stepped out of the pretty lavender bathroom.
“How do you know?” she asked.
He smiled down at her. “It was in his eyes. He’s a fighter, like me.” He stepped out of the building and grabbed the spare work shirt from the back seat of his car. He hadn’t heard Lilly follow him into the alley, but he felt her standing in the doorway as he pulled off his ruined shirt and tossed it in the back seat and then slipped on the fresh one.
When he turned, her eyes moved over him, then quickly rushed to meet his.
“Thank you, for what you did back there.” She nodded behind her.
“I like your place. Looks like you only have a few more days before you’ll be ready to open your doors.”
“We’re hoping for Riley’s birthday, on the third.” She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms over her chest. He smiled at the nervous move.
He couldn’t help it, he stepped closer. “When you do, let me know. There’ll be a free large pizza waiting for you after closing.”
Her smile was back, and he saw her visibly relax. Reaching up, he brushed a finger down a long blonde lock. “Sticking with the lighter color?” he asked, throwing her off kilter.
Her smile faltered slightly. “It’s growing on me,” she said under her breath.
“It suits you,” he started, but then another car pulled into the alley, and he glanced over to see Carter park his car next to his own. “I’d better get to work. See you later?”
She nodded, then stepped back inside her store and shut the door behind her.
“What was that all about?” Carter asked when they stepped inside.
As he filled his brother in, they started their morning routine.
“We don’t need a cat,” Carter said.
“Rule… I think it’s thirteen. Be kind to animals.”
“Be kind doesn’t mean adopt a three-legged cat that may or may not make it through the night.”
“It will.”
“How do you know?”
“He had the same look in his eyes we did when we were younger.” Corey had stopped prep work and had turned to his brother. “The kind of look we had after one of our parents’ fights.”
Carter sighed, then nodded. “If he survives, he has a home.”
Corey smiled. “Besides, now we don’t have to buy mouse traps.”
Carter laughed. “Right, we’ll save a fortune buying cat food, litter, and whatever else you’ll be getting for it.”
Corey chuckled. “I knew you’d see it my way.” He nudged his brother’s shoulder. “Riley has two more over there.” He nodded to the wall that separated their businesses. “If you want to take a look, you might fall for another one and decide to take two home.”
Carter glanced over at the wall, then shook his head. “One is good for now.”
Corey smiled. “It’s a great excuse to see the place. It’s come a long way.” Again, his brother’s matching green eyes went to the wall.
“Can’t. Too much work. Maybe later.” He turned back to his task.
Corey had a few things to do before they opened the doors of Baked. He found the time to step back into the small office and call Robin. She was excited about working mor
e hours and gave him a few names and numbers of people to consider for the other full-time position. She was on shift for later that day and promised to give him a few more when she got in.
It surprised him a little that he knew a few names on her list. Either they had come into the restaurant themselves or he’d heard about them from someone else in town. Still, the names were familiar, and he was pretty sure he could even picture a few faces.
It wasn’t that he and Carter had never stayed in one place long enough to get to know people, but it still surprised him to realize that they had lived in Pride for almost eight months. The longest they had stayed in one place was a year, when the owners of the house they had rented a few years back had demanded they sign a full year lease.
Since they’d been out on their own, they had bounced from place to place, as if they could outrun their past.
He hated thinking about the past. Hated knowing that one day, they would come face-to-face with it.
“Hey.” Carter stuck his head in the office door. “Opening time.” He smiled. “We still have a line.”
Corey smiled, letting all the darkness drop away. He turned and marked a red check mark across the calendar they kept hanging there. “Keeping up our record.”
“Think this will get old?” Carter asked.
“Hell no.” He stood and rolled his shoulders. “We now have a full-time employee. Other than us.”
“Great.” Carter rolled his shoulders. “I could use a day off.”
“You and me both, bro. I’ve been wanting a day at the beach or maybe a hike.”
“If all goes well, we can start taking a few days here and there, maybe set a schedule where we each have a day off per week.”
They both sighed together. “Dreams, for now. I’ll open the doors.” Corey’s smile was back.
He stood back as everyone came in out of the light rain that was falling outside. The leaves on the trees that lined the streets of the small town had already turned golden colors, but now, some of them covered the ground, which made the roads and sidewalks slick. Moving behind the counter, he started taking orders.