by Eliza Ellis
“Parker and I made up. She wants me to continue planning her wedding and bake the cake.”
Susie let out a relieved breath. “Good. Give her the platinum package for all the work you’ll have to do in such a short period of time.”
Kat arched a brow. “What platinum package?”
“The one I just made up yesterday after all that drama. Rush fee, a last-minute fee, the wedding fee…”
Kat laughed so hard she had to hold her constricting stomach. “Susie, that’s terrible.”
She hiked up her blonde brows. “Uh, it’s good business.”
“Agreed. Platinum package it is then. You’re the boss.”
“That’s right, I am. This is good news, isn’t it?”
Kat blew a breath up to cool her face. “I’m still not sure.”
“Because you like Drew?” she whispered after looking over her shoulder. Did she expect Parker to be at the door listening?
Maybe she was. Kat took a few steps closer and lowered her voice. “I don’t deny that I’m attracted to him.”
“Honey, he’s so hot I’m attracted to him.”
Kat chuckled.
“But that’s not what I asked,” Susie said. “Do you like him? Are you afraid that what happened yesterday will happen again?”
Nothing did happen, thanks to Parker’s impeccable timing.
Kat leaned against the counter and thought about Susie’s questions. Parker said she and Drew worked things out. They were still going through with the wedding.
Although Kat was happy for both her friends, and that Susie still had business coming in, Kat’s heart had fractured after hearing Parker’s words, and now the pain intensified. She didn’t have a chance with Drew if he could want to kiss her and then recommit to making things work with Parker. What about where they were going to live? What about Parker’s new position? She was flying out today to go to London. What did Drew think about that?
Whatever he thought, it didn’t matter. All that Kat knew was he still wanted to marry Parker, despite everything. Kat’s soul shuddered, but she suppressed the freezing feeling stealing over her body. She’d turn the temperature of the ovens up to warm up the room.
Drew had made his decision, and Kat wasn’t a part of it.
End of story.
No happy ending for Kat.
Kat put a smile on her face. “I don’t think anything will happen. Drew and Parker are back together, and they want to make things work. I’m just an old friend to Drew. He and Parker have been stressed out about the wedding and Parker’s job. Now that she has the position, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Susie gave her an exaggerated look of disbelief. “Do you hear what’s coming out of your mouth?”
“Yes,” Kat said firmly. She went to the mountain of dough on the island’s metal countertop and began kneading. “And they are my friends. I’m committed to seeing this through. To seeing them happy. I’ll continue to plan their wedding as if nothing happened.”
“But something almost did happen,” Susie argued.
“But nothing actually happened. It’s over. Whatever it was, or could have been, it’s gone. Drew made sure of that by staying with Parker. And I’m going to make sure of it by getting them to the altar.”
Susie sighed and crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to. But you’re about to get a lot of money for their cake, so that should make up for it.”
Susie’s pink-stained bottom lip poked out. “I want to see you happy, Kat. That’s all. I’m not pushing you to break them up…I mean, unless it’ll mean your happiness.”
Kat genuinely laughed. “You’re a good friend, Susie, thanks. But I…I am happy.”
Her gaze roamed around the tiny kitchen. She caught sight of one oven timer about to go off, saw the automatic mixer slowly stirring the ingredients to another pound cake creation she couldn’t wait to bake. All day she was surrounded by lovely sweet aromas and customers who never failed to smile in pleasure at the goodies they prepared. With Drew’s standing order, Susie could afford to expand, which would only mean more money in Kat’s pocket.
Until she handed it over to the bank.
But she would get to keep her house.
“Life’s not perfect, but it could be a lot worse.”
“I love your outlook, even if it’s unrealistic.”
Kat rolled her eyes. “Get out of here. I have to make some more cupcakes for Drew to eat so he can pick their cake.”
“Too bad we gave away all the ones you made yesterday. They were an absolute hit! You’ll have to add them to the regular menu.”
“But then they won’t be selective flavors for wedding cakes.”
Susie frowned. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll have to come to some sort of compromise. Those cupcakes flew off the display tray. I meant to tell you that yesterday before you left. We might have to consider how much money we’ll make if they’re part of the daily menu.”
Kat had kept to the kitchen after the incident with Parker and Drew. Too many patrons had eyed her, and she was embarrassed over what they might’ve heard. She worked on perfecting recipes and creating ones that would pair well with melodrama and depressed feelings like unrequited love.
“Okay, whatever you want. You’re the boss.”
“Thanks,” Susie said dryly. “I’ll let you know. Good work, Kat.”
Susie left and Kat went on to shape the dough for a new bread recipe she was just dying to try.
Tears of Rye.
Chapter 13
Drew sat with his ankles and arms crossed, watching a few pairs of dancers twirl around the floor. Parker didn’t know how to dance. And she wasn’t going to learn now that she was in London.
He really was happy for her. Parker was a goal-oriented, driven individual, and he respected those qualities a lot. Their goals might not line up perfectly, but if she thought they could work on that, then the least he could do was give their relationship his maximum effort.
She was on her hands and knees yesterday looking for her ring and found it underneath the bed while he ordered them expensive steak dinners. They’d spent the rest of the evening in her room celebrating her promotion and talking about what that would mean for her professionally and for them relationally. She showed him all the locations they could visit while in London and Europe. He’d been overseas plenty of times, having grown up in Guam and Germany as a military brat, but there were a few places he hadn’t been like Sardinia and Iceland. They would make great vacation spots.
The perks of Parker’s job had to be considered. As the president of the international division, she would be given a penthouse suite in an extremely nice building, rent-free. She’d have a car and driver available at all times and free plane tickets for her and her spouse to any place she had to do business. The company would pay for airline tickets and lodging for pre-approved vacations, and her salary would triple.
As she was a silent investor in his firm, the potential for his business to surge was high. She had talked about investing twice the amount she had already contributed. Drew hated to see the world through dollar signs, but there were projects on the back burner and the gas suddenly flamed on. The people he could help and the communities that would be influenced couldn’t be easily ignored.
He suspected her offer was to placate him on moving to London. He liked to be hands-on in his work, and he’d have to do a lot of traveling if they did more projects. He wouldn’t mind that, but the one project he wanted to work on the most would inevitably be delayed: building his forever home, the lake house in Springfield.
He emailed Parker the updated plans for the home, including the designs provided by the interior decorator. If Parker could see herself in the home, then maybe she would reconsider the length of stay in London. Right now, her tour would be at least a year. If she succeeded in becoming president of the entire company, then she’d be back in Boston and having a second home in Missouri wouldn’t be
a stretch.
The more he considered his plans, the less he felt they were attainable, but he would give Parker the benefit of the doubt. She said she wanted to work on their relationship, and that meant making compromises. Once she saw the designs, he figured she’d be willing to compromise a little on her professional goals.
At least where they would live…he hoped.
The door to the studio burst open, and Kat practically fell in. Her eyes frantically searched the room. When they landed on him, her expression relaxed. Drew smiled. He remembered her being slightly clumsy. He wondered where that girl had gone.
Drew stood when she was near. “Hi. Thanks for coming.”
“I’d forgotten about this appointment. When what happened yesterday”—she visibly swallowed—“happened, this was the furthest thing from my mind.”
Drew’s own throat constricted as his thoughts traveled back to the moment his fiancée had interrupted what had been brewing between himself and Kat for far longer than he had realized. His gaze traveled to her slender throat. There his necklace still hung. His heart thumped strangely, but he ignored it. He was marrying Parker. A childhood promise meant nothing.
“Okay, dancers! Come out onto the floor. It’s time to start!” A woman clapped and hollered at the rest of the couples who hadn’t been brave enough to dance in front of everyone else. Kat tossed her purse onto Drew’s seat and took his offered hand.
Her warm hand felt delicate and tender tucked into his own. He forced himself to let go once they’d found a spot on the floor. After a quick lesson on how to stand and where to place hands, the instructor teased them with some music. They really had to do this.
“The waltz is a dance everyone should know. This piece, The Emperor’s Waltz, is perfect to practice to. You’ve probably heard this all of your life. Well, now you’re going to dance to it. Grab your partners!”
Both Drew and Kat let out a breath at exactly the same moment, and then they chuckled. Drew held out his hand for Kat’s, and she slipped hers in. His other hand fingered the curve of her shoulder blade until he found the spot just beneath it. He nudged her a couple of inches closer than what was taught.
Kat kept her gaze lowered, and he could almost swear the light rose color on her caramel cheeks was an actual blush. Heat rose in his own neck. He leaned in closer, drawn in by the floral scent of her hair. You smell amazing.
Was that out loud? He stiffened his back and concentrated on the beat of the music. He didn’t want to screw this up. Kat already knew how to dance the waltz. Gotta impress Parker.
“Okay, begin!”
Kat’s warm chocolate eyes met his, and fear struck him deep in his gut, but he moved his feet anyway. Her lips parted into a pleased grin. “Very good.”
“It’s not hard,” he said smoothly. Inside his stomach was a swarm of butterflies. He didn’t want her to see him as a screwup.
She laughed softly. “I know that look in your eyes. The same one you got when we walked all the way out onto that thin branch over the lake. Remember the one? Before we jumped in?”
“Wow. Your memory is impressive. I’d forgotten about that.”
She nodded. “You were afraid the branch would break, and then it took you a while to leap.”
“You were taunting me. I’ll admit going after you was intimidating. You had no trouble going to the end and flipping off. It was incredible.” His eyes bore into hers. “You are incredible,” he breathed.
He watched her chest hitch.
“Drew…”
He cleared his throat and looked away. “I know. Sorry.”
This wasn’t going to get any easier if he didn’t stop thinking about Kat and how amazing she was. He had to remember he had an incredible fiancée…who was hundreds of miles away.
They continued in silence, Drew focusing on the music and marveling at how he hadn’t stepped on her toes yet. In truth, it was nothing to lead Kat. She hadn’t once made him feel inadequate. The perfect dance partner.
“Parker and I had a good talk yesterday. I’m happy the two of you worked things out,” she said.
He stole at glance at her, but she wasn’t looking up. She was lying, judging by the noticeable lack of acceptance in her voice. But of what? The good talk or that she was happy for him and Parker?
“So am I,” he lied right back. Her eyes came up then and he let them search his own. If they couldn’t be on the same page vocally, then maybe they could at least acknowledge it in silence.
“Are you…excited about your move to London?”
“Getting there.”
“What about your house here?”
“Still going to build. Everything is going through. I have the permits, and I’ll break ground next week.”
“How does Parker feel about that?”
“She’s okay with it, for now. I’m sure that’ll change once we’re in London.”
“She seemed eager to work things out.”
He snorted. “I don’t know why.”
Her look turned incredulous. “Don’t you want to work things out?”
Irritation settled into his stomach, giving him a nauseated feeling. Why did they have to talk about Parker? Was that the only subject he could talk about?
Ever since Kat lie, he had this feeling of confinement, and he was desperate to get out. Maybe he’d been too hasty at patching things up with Parker. His impending marriage shouldn’t feel like a prison sentence.
“Ow!”
Drew stopped. “Katrina! I’m so sorry.” He bent down, in part to check on her foot—which he stomped on—and to hide his face from the massive embarrassment he felt.
She tugged at his arms. “It’s okay. Let’s keep dancing.”
He slowly stood. She offered a pained smile. “If that happens at the wedding, just dance through it. No one will think anything’s wrong.”
“You think Parker’s going to let me? She’ll probably shout I stepped on her foot.”
Kat looked sheepish. “Sorry. I could’ve been quieter, but it was such a shock. It was going really well.”
“I have two left feet.”
She squeezed his bicep. “No, you don’t. You’re just a beginner. After the first few tries, you began flipping into the water too, remember?”
He smiled. He did remember. And Kat had encouraged him then too. “Is there a time you were ever mean to me?”
“Oh, all the time. Definitely when you were dancing.” She winked, her grin teasing.
“Right. I remember.” He chuckled. “You’re a terrible friend.”
“Hey! I’m here getting battle-scarred for you. That should count for something.”
He tugged her in closer. “It counts for a lot,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers. “And I won’t forget it.”
She swallowed. “Drew, I’m not—”
“I know.” He wouldn’t let her finish what she was going to say so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed about it later and wish to take it back. He knew she wasn’t happy for him and Parker. He knew she wanted him to kiss her. But he’d made a promise to Parker, and he had to be a man of his word if nothing else.
He couldn’t treat Kat any worse than Marcus did.
Drew’s hand on her back slacked, and she eased away from him until they were the appropriate distance apart.
“Thank you for being our wedding planner—again.”
The knowing look in her eyes followed by the appreciative smile settled Drew’s raging stomach. They were on the same page without words.
“I’ll have the cakes ready for you to taste tomorrow. I think you’ll have a hard time deciding which flavor to choose.”
“Maybe we can have all of them?”
She raised her brows. “If you’d like. Susie is charging the platinum package amount, so that probably means multiple flavors.”
Drew laughed softly. “I guess we deserve that after coming in at the last minute and then making a scene yesterday.”
“Eh, it was more the last-min
ute thing.”
Drew’s smile widened the longer he stared into her eyes. “You’re kind. And tell Susie we appreciate you accommodating us.”
“She needs the business. She’s trying to expand to the empty space next door.”
“Really? I figured with how well you bake, business would be booming for your shop.”
Kat nodded. “It is, and so are the rent prices. It’s been hard for her to keep kids employed because they’re just unreliable these days. So a lot of the time I have to help out front, and that keeps me from baking.”
“And it’s just you back there creating.”
“Exactly.”
Drew let out a breath. “Well, I certainly get it.”
“Thanks for your standing order. Susie told me you’ll need it for your workers. That’s very sweet of you. How did you grow your company? I’m assuming you have a lot of people.”
“There’s about a dozen of us core guys, and we’re all over the country. At the beginning, we asked people we knew to invest. Usually family members. Parker has invested a lot. Now with her new promotion, she’s offered to increase her contribution.” He saw her lips slant down to one side. “The projects that have been on the back burner for a while can get done. It’s going to be great.”
“I see.”
She didn’t meet his gaze, her mouth still in a slight frown.
“What, Kat. What aren’t you saying?”
She looked up and gave a quick shake of her head. “Nothing. It sounds like you’re really going to help a lot of people. That’s fantastic, Drew, really. Find investors. That’s a smart idea.”
He cocked his head to one side. “No, that’s not it at all. What don’t you like about Parker giving me money? What’s wrong with it?”
She shrugged. “You don’t find it…muddies the water a bit? You know, like you kind of owe her because she’s invested so much?”
“Owe her?” he said a little sharply.
She jerked back.
“Hey, you two!” the instructor called out.
Drew and Kat looked around and caught the instructor clapping her hands at them to get their attention.
“This isn’t some movie where you dance under the moonlight with no music. This is a class. The music has stopped, and so can you.”