Lucy smiled, quite satisfied with her cousin’s reaction. “There’s cheddar cheese in it, too,” she divulged.
Lydia took another bite and inhaled through her nose. “Is that apple cider?”
Lucy nodded and put her hands on her hips. “Good, huh?”
“Yum,” Lydia said while she chewed. “Let’s put these out today.”
“Put them out?” Lucy asked, petrified. “Out, like, as in for sale?”
Lydia nodded and popped the last bite into her mouth. She licked her fingers and sighed as the last of the cupcake went down. “Make a little sign to put over the plate. What do you think: $3.99 each?”
Lucy’s heart began to thump as if she were running a marathon. “I wasn’t planning on that,” she said, stunned. “I just make them for fun, not to sell, Lydia.”
“I’ll give you the money for them, dummy,” Lydia said, clearly confused. “I’m not trying to make money. I just want to help you out.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Lucy said, frowning. “I just … I don’t know.”
“What’s the problem, Lucy?” Lydia snapped. “Stop being so freaked out by everything and just go with it.”
“I’m not freaked out by everything,” Lucy said, her voice barely a whisper. Lydia had never snapped at her like that.
“Look, my darling cousin, you witnessed something horrible and all kinds of tragic.” Lydia blew out a breath and compassion washed over her face. “I’m sorry that happened to you. And I’m even sorrier that you fell for the guy who went with that disaster. But it’s time to get your life moving, not just past that whole ordeal, but away from nursing and all of it. It’s time to take charge of your life and make things happen.”
“I didn’t fall for him.” She had heard everything else, but for some reason, that seemed important to clear up. It was a lie, but she still needed to defend it.
“Oh, yeah, you did. And I can’t really say that I blame you, honey. I know I was pretty drunk myself that night, but from what I saw, I think most women would—I’m sure many have.”
“It’s not about how he looks, Lydia.” Lucy stopped herself before she dug even more of her confusion up to the surface and put it out there in plain sight. His looks weren’t what drew her to him, although they were definitely a bonus. It was his tenderness combined with this manly exterior that really made him sexy. And then there was the way they seemed to connect with each encounter. She had never felt that with anyone. He made her feel beautiful with his every action and word, and he wasn’t even trying. No one had ever made her feel so linked to them just by wiping frosting from her face. She was well aware of how ridiculous that made her, but she couldn’t help it.
Lydia walked over and picked up the plate of cupcakes. She carried them over to the counter and set them down on top of the glass case of baked goods. “Let’s just see what happens today, okay?”
Lucy looked at the cupcakes and her chest tightened. It was one thing to make a batch of cupcakes and give them to her friend and cousin, but it was a completely different thing to hand them over to strangers. What if they hated them?
Where would she go from there?
As silly as it sounded, cupcakes were the lifeline that held her in place each time she saw the tunnel closing. They were the only tangible thing she could claim at the moment. She hung on to them and hoped that someday she would have something to feel proud of.
“Okay,” she said quietly, and stared at the plate.
Now, each cupcake had transitioned from her greatest creation to something she criticized as amateurish. All of a sudden, the frosting looked rippled and the cakes looked crooked. The tiny cinnamon chips shaped like apples that she had put on top of them didn’t look like apples anymore.
Now they were ugly cupcakes.
“Stop doubting yourself,” Lydia said, sensing her self-loathing. She put a card that read “Apple Bacon Cheddar Cupcakes with Mesquite Buttercream ~ $3.99” into a silver price stand, and smiled at Lucy. “See? Beautiful.”
“Sure,” Lucy murmured, and looked out the window just in time to see something that was even more beautiful: Charlie, walking up the sidewalk outside … carrying a toddler.
Lydia’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of Charlie, who looked absolutely gorgeous with his messy hair, aviator sunglasses, a tight black T-shirt, and jeans that were hanging just right. And when her eyes shifted to his small son resting in his big arms, Lydia let out a sound that could only be described as a moan.
“Oh my God. My ovaries are on fire,” Lydia said, and grasped Lucy’s shoulders.
Lucy closed her eyes and laughed at Lydia’s reaction, which wasn’t surprising, but still hilarious. When she opened her eyes again, Charlie was closer to the door. He stopped and said something to his son, then he opened his mouth so the boy could plop whatever he was eating inside. Charlie smiled and chewed before giving his son a kiss on his temple.
Lucy looked down at the sweat marks her palms had left on the counter and wiped her hands on her apron. She felt her stomach tie into a knot when she realized that Charlie Mathews was a perfect human being. There was simply nothing bad about him.
“Hello,” he said, his smile glorious.
Lucy threw out an easy wave of the hand. “Hi,” she said, and fixed a pile of napkins by the register that didn’t need fixing at all.
“Hi,” Lydia said in an unusually high voice.
“Lydia’s Delights,” Charlie said, his expression knowing.
“Standing upright and not passed out on your couch,” Lydia said, her face red.
“I didn’t even notice,” he teased. “My brothers have a way of making people do that, so don’t feel bad.”
“No walk of shame here,” Lydia said with a shake of the head. “I can’t say the same for Grace.”
Charlie nodded and stifled a smirk. His gaze shifted to Lucy, who swore her heart could be seen beating through her shirt. “Hi,” he finally said. “While we plan my son’s birthday party, my sister wanted to check out your coffee and scones for a benefit she’s throwing.”
Lucy looked behind him and then back to his face, an action he understood. “She’s real; I promise. She’ll be here soon.”
“I see. So, introduce me to your friend,” Lucy said, and smiled at the little boy who was the mini version of his daddy. “We’ve never been formally introduced.”
“This,” Charlie said as he flipped his son around, “is Jackson Mathews.”
Lucy stared into his familiar green eyes and lost her breath. Face-to-face with him, she felt her heart crack as the memory of the first time she held him so protectively in her arms came rushing back to her. As she stared at this perfect little boy, it took all her strength to hold back the tears.
“Nice to officially meet you, Jackson,” she cooed.
Jackson didn’t smile, but he slowly raised his hand and offered his snack to Lucy.
“For me? Thank you,” Lucy said, and accepted the cookie from his gooey hands.
Charlie scrunched his nose. “Seriously, you don’t have to eat that,” he said with a laugh. “He’s licked his hands fifty times in the last two minutes. I don’t know what’s on that cookie.”
Lucy brought the cookie to her lips and pretended to place it in her mouth. “Mmmmm,” she said, and discretely slipped it into her apron.
“Mmmmmm,” Jackson repeated, and then flashed a toothy grin.
“Smooth,” Charlie said, and chuckled.
“Bee!” Jackson said, and laughed hysterically.
“Bee!” Lucy said back, and then raised an eyebrow at Charlie.
Charlie shrugged. “We don’t really know who or what bee is, but we just go with it.”
“Well, Jackson certainly knows what it is,” Lucy said in her best baby talk. “Don’t you, Jackson?” She nodded, laughing when Jackson mimicked her.
“Charlie, do you need a high chair?” Lydia asked as she dragged one out from behin
d the counter.
“Actually, I do,” Charlie said. “My sister is meeting us here so we can plan Jack’s birthday party and rummage through your baked goods.”
“Jonah’s twin, right?” Lucy asked.
“Yeah,” Charlie answered. “Good job. No one can ever figure out my family.”
“That’s all I know,” Lucy admitted. “It sounded familiar, so I jumped on it.”
“It’s easy.” Charlie walked over to the table where Lydia was setting up the high chair. “Brandon, me, Hugh, then the twins, Jonah and Dylan.”
“Got it,” Lucy said as she followed him absentmindedly. “You’ll have to remind me tomorrow.” She wasn’t sure what made her say that; she probably wouldn’t see him tomorrow.
“Do you want anything while you wait?” Lydia asked, which made Lucy give her a funny look.
“I’d love a coffee, if you don’t mind.” He frowned and looked out the window. “My sister should be here soon. She had to drop her fiancé off at the airport.”
“Lucy’s on her break, so I’ll grab that for you.” Lydia headed behind the counter to grab his coffee. “Lucy, do you want anything?”
I have a break? Lucy shook her head.
Charlie slid Jackson into the high chair and placed a plastic cup and more snacks on the table before taking a seat next to his son. He looked up at Lucy, who was just standing there, and said, “You’re on break? Have a seat.”
Without thought, Lucy did as she was told. She smiled at Jackson and then Charlie, but felt a chill shoot up her spine when she thought about Grace’s words during their argument: you don’t need to be that woman’s replacement.
“What are you doing?” Charlie asked when Lucy shot to her feet. “You can sit with us.”
“I have some things to do while I’m … breaking. I mean while I’m on break.”
Charlie pulled out a strange-looking toy and suction cupped it to the table. He spun the top of it around and smiled when Jackson tried to grab it. “Please sit down with us,” he murmured without taking his eyes from his son.
Lucy sat back down. How could she possibly say no to this man? If he asked her to run outside naked and jump on top of cars like a gorilla, she would more than likely do it.
Lydia brought over the coffee and placed her hands on her hips while she stood over the three of them. “I’ll keep an eye out for your sister,” she said, and gave Lucy a look that demanded she stay in her chair.
Lucy watched her walk away and could only imagine what she was up to now, though she had an idea. Between her and Grace, Lydia always seemed to lack reasonable thinking. She was the dreamer while Grace was the analyzer. When Lucy got advice from them both, it was really confusing.
Lucy picked up a toy that Jackson dropped and plopped it back down in front of him. She smiled when he knocked it back off the table.
“That’s a fun game,” Charlie said, and reached back down to retrieve it.
“So, when is Jackson’s birthday?” Lucy asked, knowing exactly when his birthday was. She even knew what time he was born: 2:13 AM. He only had his mother for an hour.
“March eleventh,” Charlie said, and ran a hand through Jackson’s soft hair.
Lucy nodded and sighed as “All of Me,” by John Legend came on the radio. It was quite possibly the most romantic song she’d ever heard.
Charlie pursed his lips, his breathing heavier than it had been only minutes before. He stared into her eyes, which only made her cheeks flame with a rosy color.
“Good song,” she said, breaking the deafening silence between them.
“It is,” he agreed and finally looked away.
Lucy noticed that Jackson had dropped another toy. She leaned down to get it and smacked her head on the bottom of the table on her way back up. The table shook with the contact and rattled the contents on top, causing Jackson to exclaim, “Whooooa!”
“Lucy!” Charlie called.
She couldn’t sit up; she didn’t want to get up. Maybe if she just stayed hunched over with her hands on top of her head he would forget that she was there. She closed her eyes as the shaking took over and a tear slipped down her cheek.
She opened her eyes and saw Charlie’s feet in front of her, then his knees as he crouched to the floor. “Lucy?” he asked, and lifted her head. “Are you crying?”
Lucy sat up and covered her face. She shook her head. “Did he just say whoa?” She covered her face as the uncontrollable laughter took over.
Charlie blew out a breath of relief. “You’re laughing,” he said, and shook his head. “I thought you were hurt.”
“Oh, believe me, it hurts.” She rubbed the new bump on her head.
Charlie snuck a look at Jackson, who was grinning down at them. “He says whoa for everything.”
“I think it’s the way he said it.” Lucy wiped the tear from her eye. “It must have been like an earthquake for him,” she said, and mimicked Jackson’s “whooooooa!” before slapping her leg and making Jackson burst into hysterics of his own.
Charlie straightened up and smiled. “Let me see,” he said, and leaned in to inspect her head. He placed his gentle hands on top of her hair and ran his fingers around in search of the bump. “Here?”
Lucy winced and nodded.
Charlie ran one hand down the side of her head and grazed her ear before settling his open palm on her cheek. “Are you accident prone?” he asked with a tender curve to his lips.
“Only when you’re around,” she said, and licked her lips.
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to have to start bringing fire extinguishers and first aid kits with me.”
“Da-yee?” Jackson asked, a little concern in his voice.
“Lucy got a boo-boo, Jack.”
“Ow,” Jackson said, and touched his head.
“Ow,” Charlie repeated quietly as he held Lucy’s eyes with his.
Lucy got lost in the emerald and golden blend of colors as her heart picked up its pace. “You have the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen,” she whispered.
Charlie tilted his head to the right. There was something there—something that he was about to say, but he was interrupted by a voice calling his name.
Lucy slowly turned her head to find a beautiful girl standing above them, giving them a peculiar look. Dylan, she assumed. She looked just like her brothers, absolutely gorgeous, with green eyes and long, beautiful hair that curled at the ends.
“Hey,” Dylan said with a big smile on her face. “What’d I miss?”
Charlie took his hands from Lucy’s face and slowly stood up. “Dylan, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is Dylan.”
“Ow!” Jackson said when Dylan leaned down to kiss him.
“Hi,” Dylan beamed when she stood up again. She held out her hand to Lucy. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Lucy stood up and shook Dylan’s hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“You don’t have to get up,” Dylan said. “Please, sit back down.”
Lucy collapsed back into her chair for what felt like the twentieth time. People really wanted her to sit today.
“I’m going to grab a coffee,” Dylan said, and looked from Charlie to Lucy. “So, please … continue whatever I just interrupted.”
Lucy snuck a look at Charlie, who glared at Dylan in annoyance and then ran his hand through his hair. Dylan, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care at all about her brother’s irritation. Lucy pretty much came to the conclusion right then and there that Dylan had Charlie wrapped around her finger. She suspected it might be the same for her other brothers, too.
“She’s stunning,” Lucy said to Charlie.
Charlie slid his gaze from Dylan’s back and smiled at Lucy. “She knows it, too.”
“I don’t think she does,” Lucy said, and laughed. “I think she’s just happy. She glows.”
“Glows?” Charlie gave her a funny expression. “What do you mean?”
“When a woman is loved, when she is shown that every day, she radiates it.
It doesn’t matter who she is or how she looked before.” Lucy stopped talking when she saw the look on Charlie’s face. She shrugged her shoulders. “That’s my assessment, anyway.”
“My mom used to always say that loving a woman is like taking care of flowers; when you neglect them they wither away. I guess that applies here.”
“It does.” Lucy smiled when she looked at Dylan again. “If a woman feels beautiful, then she is. But when a woman feels cherished, everyone in her presence can feel it. It’s that simple, really. When women feel loved, they glow.”
“I can see that being true,” Charlie said, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
“Hey, Char, you didn’t tell me they had cupcakes! Do you want one?” Dylan asked from the counter. “They look yummy!”
“I didn’t know, but sure,” Charlie said without looking away from Lucy. “Get a little knife, too, so I can share with Jack.”
Lucy whipped her head around to the counter and saw the excitement in Lydia’s eyes. She slowly shook her head no, silently telling Lydia to keep her mouth closed about who made them.
Dylan came back over and placed her coffee and two cupcakes on the table. She exhaled with a hint of a smile as she glanced between Charlie and Lucy. “So, Lucy,” she began, “do you work here?”
“I do.” Lucy lowered her chin and wondered if this was the beginning of an interrogation. She couldn’t say that she blamed anyone in Charlie’s family for having questions; he was, after all, a widower with a son. That would make anyone protective.
“Is that how you know each other,” she asked, waving a plastic knife between the two of them. “Did you meet here?”
“Not quite,” Lucy answered.
“We unofficially met at the park.” Charlie winked at Lucy when she looked at him. “We just didn’t really talk until we ran into each other here.”
Dylan flashed a sly look. “Interesting,” she said slowly.
“I hear you’re getting married,” Lucy said, trying her best to ignore whatever Dylan was picking up on.
Dylan stopped cutting her cupcake and raised her sparkling eyes to Lucy’s. “This June,” she confirmed with flushed cheeks and a grin.
Beyond the Orange Moon (Mathews Family Book 2) Page 11