by Tess Oliver
“Unfortunately”—I glanced through the sliding glass door at the beauty on the lounge outside—“yes, I could, and I’d like to start with a pair of legs that look like that.”
Caden opened his mouth to protest, but I pressed my finger over it. “Not a word. Comparing ourselves to other women is instinctual, it’s what we do, so don’t bother trying to stop it.” I kissed him. “Now clean up the egg you made me drop, so I can get the pancakes made.”
The kitchen was the size of a closet, and Caden was big. He hovered around me as I swept from fridge to counter to stove, making the task that much harder. I stopped and looked at him with a frustrated sigh. “Go outside and sit with her. I don’t mind. Really. You take up too much space in this kitchen.”
“Guess I’m not a big help.” He poured himself a cup of coffee and walked outside.
I worked my hardest trying not to stare out the window at them. Together they looked like a couple posing for a magazine. My mood slowly sank as I wondered just how the heck I’d imagined this would ever work—Caden and me, a couple.
The obligatory failure of the first pancake passed. I dumped the odd looking pile of half-cooked batter into the sink and poured the second pancake. I kept my focus and my mind on the griddle. It helped me to not think about how I’d foolishly stepped into something that I wouldn’t find my way out of without leaving behind a chunk of my heart. I thought back to the day an eighteen-year-old Caden had walked away from us at the airport terminal. He was off to boot camp, and when he looked back to wave, his gaze landed on me. I was only sixteen and about as smitten and in love with the guy as any girl could be. I remembered being ridiculously thrilled that he’d looked at me before heading into the terminal. His parents and his brother were standing with me, but his eyes stayed on me and our gazes locked until he pulled his away and disappeared around the corner. I cried myself to sleep that night and for several nights afterward. For months, I tried to repeat those few seconds at the airport over and over in my head, but eventually it faded away. I had to convince myself not to read too much into it, but I kept that moment deep in my heart. These past few days had brought back that memory and the idea that I hadn’t been imagining it at all.
The sliding door opened. Caden and Mindy were laughing as they walked inside. Caden disappeared down the hallway to the bathroom.
“Oh wow, do those smell good. I didn’t touch any of the plane food, and I’m starved.” Mindy stepped into the kitchen. “Can I help with something?”
I motioned toward the refrigerator. “There’s a basket of strawberries you could wash and cut.”
“Absolutely.” She opened the refrigerator and laughed. “It’s a lot better stocked than the last time I was here.”
I stared down at the sizzling pancake.
“Shit, what a stupid thing to say,” Mindy said behind me. She turned on the water to rinse the berries.
I reached down under the stove for the cutting board and handed it to her.
She took hold of my hand. “Sweetie, just so you know, he just spent the last ten minutes talking about you. He’s over the top, over the moon, whatever you want to call it. And I know him well. Caden Stratton never talks about anyone the way he was talking about you.” She picked up a berry and took a bite.
I smiled and pointed my spatula back over my shoulder to let her know I had to get back to the pancakes. I turned back around to face the stove. My smile widened more.
“Caden tells me you grew up with him in Mayfair and that you were best friends with his brother, Grady.” The knife tapped the cutting board as she continued with her berry task.
“Yes. I moved in across the street from the Strattons when I was in first grade. Grady was the same age.” I turned sideways to the stove to keep an eye on the griddle while talking. “We spent a lot of time together. Caden occasionally honored us with his presence.”
“Yep, I let them hang out with me when I was in a generous mood,” Caden said as he came into the kitchen. He walked over to the finished pile of pancakes and plucked one off the top. He dragged it across the stick of butter I’d been using to grease the griddle and rolled it like a cigar. He took a bite. “Hmm, these are good.”
“I’m glad you like it. I’m all done here. Let’s sit down and eat.” I turned off the stove and followed them to the table.
I was curious to see just how many pancakes a hungry swimsuit model would eat. She stabbed her fork in the stack and took two pancakes off the top. She wasn’t shy on the butter or syrup either. I was relieved to see she had a normal human appetite. I hated to gobble down pancakes slathered in syrup while our guest nibbled like a mouse, took two bites, and then declared herself full. Of course, my relief was dampened some by the realization that the woman could eat buttery pancakes and still look as if she subsisted on kale and water.
Mindy smiled at me before flashing her pearly white teeth at Caden. “There’s something that just looks right about this.” Her hand swept in an arc between us. “You two seem right for each other. I’m going to miss our—” She stopped midsentence after a quelling look from Caden. But it was too late. I knew where she had been heading with it. “I’m happy for you, Stratton. Really.”
“Thanks, Min.”
Mindy chewed and swallowed her first bite of food as if she was eating the best food on earth. “Oh my gosh, heaven in my mouth. Well done you,” she said with a wink. “On everything.” She tilted her head toward Caden.
Caden didn’t seem to notice. “Hey, I didn’t tell you, I met Tanner out at the speedway yesterday and took a new Yamaha out for a spin.”
Apparently, Mindy knew Tanner, which meant she’d been around during Caden’s racing days. Somehow knowing they had a rich, fun history together was harder to swallow than the notion that they’d been having sex.
“By taking it for a spin, you mean flying around a track at the speed of light,” Mindy quipped. She looked at me for agreement.
I nodded. “He was basically a blur once he got on the thing. And it took him several hours to stop wearing a toothy grin.”
“Yep, I’ve seen that smile.” Mindy looked at Caden. “You’re not actually thinking about racing again?” She turned to me. “I was there the day of the accident. What a fucking nightmare that was.”
“Shit, Mindy. Sorry I brought it up. And yeah, I might start racing again. Let’s change the subject. Where are you off to next?”
Mindy had only finished half a pancake, but she leaned back as if she was done. It was a ploy. She pretended to eat like a normal person, but it was a front. It actually made me feel better knowing she at least had to suffer some to keep her figure. “I was thinking I was going to hang out here for a week, but you’re busy. I’ve got a shoot in Florida next week. I might head there early.”
Caden took another pancake from the stack. “We’re leaving today. I’ve got the place for ten more days so someone might as well use it. Just don’t throw any fucking parties. I want my deposit back.”
Mindy pulled out her phone as it rang. “You’re a doll. I’ll take you up on that.” She walked outside to take the phone call.
I swirled my fork around the pool of maple syrup on my empty plate.
Caden tapped my foot with his. “Are you all right?”
I shrugged. “I guess. So she’ll be staying here?”
“I’m not going to come back here. I’m staying in Mayfair with you until you decide to go to New York. If you want, I’ll take back the invitation.”
“No, shit no, don’t do that. I’m fine with it. She’s very likable.” I stared at her hardly touched plate. “Who takes two pancakes and only eats a half? That kind of self-control is not normal.”
Caden smiled and leaned over to kiss me. “Hmm, maple and butter. Those flavors taste good on you.” He took hold of my chin and kissed me again. “Did I happen
to mention that I’m nuts about you?”
“Not recently, but after eating breakfast with a beautiful blast from your past I could hear it again.”
He gazed at me and my heart melted like the butter on my plate. “Kenna Ridley, I’m completely fucking nuts about you.”
Chapter 24
Caden
Kenna and I had been back in Mayfair for two days. She’d been busy helping her mom with the candy. On the ride home from the beach, we’d discussed a lot of things, my relationship with Mindy, the possibility of me heading back into racing, her finishing school and how we might figure out a way to make this work. There didn’t seem to be an easy answer without one of us giving up a significant part of our lives. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted Kenna in my life. I just wasn’t sure how strongly she felt about me being a part of hers.
I’d spent the morning mowing the lawn and trimming hedges for my dad. He stepped out onto the porch to survey my progress. He looked as if he’d aged ten years in the past few weeks. He’d lost a good five pounds, and he’d let his beard grow thick and long.
I reached up to my own beard. “Dad, it’s a good look for you. You should chuck the razor and let it grow.”
A shallow grin appeared beneath the silvery moustache. “That’s what I told Sally, but she doesn’t like it. Still, I think I’ll keep it for awhile. What the hell. Thanks for doing this, Cade.” He walked to the driveway to pick up the newspaper as I finished cleaning up the grass trimmings. He stopped to look down the street toward Mom’s house. “I saw Walt and your mom drive past. How long will they be gone?”
“She asked me to housesit for the week.”
Dad nodded. “What will you do then?” I knew my dad and he wasn’t just asking what I was up to after the week. He wanted to know what the hell I was doing with the rest of my life.
I rested the rake against my shoulder. “Not sure yet, Dad.” For obvious reasons, I’d hesitated on telling him about the ride or the possibility of me getting back into racing. For one, it was far from a sure thing, and for another, he’d just lost one son. Telling him that I was heading back to a sport that had a huge risk factor seemed like a bad idea. But I also knew that the idea of me winning titles and doing something awesome like riding MotoGP excited him too. When I’d first gotten into racing, those been some of the best years of our relationship. He’d called me constantly to find out my stats and my speed times and details about the bikes. My broken leg had been almost as devastating to him as it had been to me. The worst part about it all was that I’d felt, once again, that I’d let him down. Something I was damn good at.
“Dad, while I was down at the beach, I met up with Tanner. He let me try out a new motorcycle down at Charter’s Speedway.”
There was a flicker of relief in his face, as if he was glad I was telling him after the ride. “How did that go?”
I nodded and couldn’t hold back a smile. “Pretty fucking good, Dad. Tanner was talking about starting me up again as a rider for the team.”
The mix of emotion in his face, even masked greatly by the thick facial hair, was easy to read. But it seemed excitement about the idea of me racing trumped the worry about me flying over asphalt at two hundred miles per hour. “But what about your leg?”
“Yep, that’s the big what if. I have to go through a physical and talk to an orthopedic specialist first. No sense in wasting anyone’s time or money if I can’t get back into competitive shape. I’m not holding my breath. It would be awesome, but there’s still a lot in the way.” And then, without even thinking consciously about it, I looked at the house across the street. I couldn’t pull my gaze away before Dad noticed.
“Have to say, I’m not terribly surprised that you and Kenna—” He stopped to search for words, fatherly sounding words. “That you two started seeing each other a bit.”
I held back a grin thinking about the last few hot and heavy days together. A bit was definitely an understatement. Of course, not something I would confess to my dad. Ever. “You’re not surprised?”
“Nah, I always knew there was something there between you. Anyhow—” He seemed uneasy enough with the topic that he changed it fast, even after bringing it up himself. “Grady’s things arrived yesterday.” He looked pointedly at me, as if he needed to remind me that I’d just lost my only brother. But I knew my old man well enough to know his main motive for bringing up Grady was to remind me that my brother had strong feelings for Kenna too.
“Dad, we both loved her. I never let on to Grady or to Kenna, or, I thought, to you because I knew how crazy Grady was about her. I had no intention of ever getting in the way of their friendship. I’m sorry the timing of this was so shitty, but none of it was intentional. We were thrown back together because of Grady’s death, but that doesn’t change how I feel about her.”
There was a slight nod of his head, but I knew he was still gnawing on the whole thing. I couldn’t blame him.
I walked over to the lawn mower. “I’m done here, Dad. I’m going to head over to Mom’s and do the same thing.” I laughed. “Damn, that sounds familiar.” I hadn’t meant it to be a dig, but by the look on his face, it seemed, he took it that way.
“It was a joke, Dad. I’ll be back later to trim all the hedges.”
“Are you sure? You don’t need to if you have things to do at your mom’s.”
“I don’t mind. It keeps me busy.”
He walked back to the porch with his newspaper tucked under his arm. “I’ll see you later then, Cade.” He stopped on the top step. “By the way, there’s some really nice pictures of Grady in the box. I think Sally will let you take a few if you’d like to have them.”
“Absolutely, Dad.”
Chapter 25
Kenna
Mom and I had spent the first two days of my return talking strictly business. She had some marketing ideas, and I gave her feedback. I had to admit it was fun as heck watching the mom I knew, who’d spent most of her waking hours taking care of house and family, morphing into a kick-ass business woman. And as much as she loved her new hat, my dad also seemed to enjoy his industrious new wife. After years of leaving at five in the morning and returning a good twelve hours later tired and grumpy from the stress of a work day, he was enjoying all his spare time. He’d even set up a furniture making workshop in the garage. Although Mom complained that the only thing to come out of the workshop so far was a lot of noise and mess. But they had settled completely and happily into their new roles and entirely new lives. It gave me hope that Caden and I could figure out a way to make things work too. Anything seemed possible when two people really cared about each other.
Mom set another margarita on the packing table. She’d spent the morning experimenting with tequila and rum flavored truffles and we’d both reaped the benefits of her research by using the leftover tequila to make margaritas.
I sipped the drink. I was well on my way to being majorly tipsy. If there was such a thing. Being Mom, she was going pretty light on the alcohol and heavy on the sweet syrup, but after three glasses, the tequila was starting to move into gear. For Mom too.
She stopped at the stove and stared down at it. “What was I just about to do?”
“I don’t know, Mom, but maybe you should stay off stove duty until the drinks start to wear off. You could come help me tie off packages.”
She waved away the idea. “No, I just remembered. I need to take inventory of my supplies. I’m going to have to order bittersweet chocolate soon. It comes all the way from Germany and takes a good three weeks to get here, so I have to plan ahead.”
I placed the cover on the truffle box I’d just filled. “It occurs to me, Mom, that you could lower some of your overhead by buying less expensive, less exotic ingredients.”
She swung around and stared wide-eyed at me as if I’d just told her to commit
murder.
“Or not,” I said, quickly.
“My candy is popular because it is of the highest quality. I can’t put out anything less.”
“You’re absolutely right. Terrible suggestion. That’s just the logical law student in me talking. Ignore the last few seconds. They never happened.”
Satisfied that she’d stopped my inane suggestion in its tracks, she continued on to her pantry to take inventory.
My fingers and both hands were in the midst of tying a bow, and it had to be perfect to meet my mom’s high standards, when my phone rang. Just seeing the name Caden on my screen sent my heart skipping ahead. The tequila swirling in my head was going to make a pretty bow impossible anyhow, so I let go both sides of the ribbon and answered it.
“Candy central, how can I help you?”
“Well, now that you ask, there is something you can do.” Caden’s deep voice always sounded extra sexy over the phone. Almost as good as it sounded over a pillow in the morning.
“And what is that? Although, I have to warn you I’m a little off kilter on account of the margarita sipping and booze-laced truffle tasting. So brain surgery and flying an airplane are out.”
“Actually, tequila will only make my request that much better. I’m at my mom’s, and I’m sitting in what used to be my room. Only instead of race car posters, there is a painting of flowers in a vase and a bed covered with lacy, frilly stuff. So I was thinking it was the perfect location for some extremely dirty sex. Which brings me to my request. Why don’t you bring your sweet little, slightly drunk ass over here. I’m bored and you’re the only person who can cure that problem.”
I knew my face was blushed pink from the conversation, but my mom didn’t seem to notice it or the way I was talking quietly into the phone, all while trying to keep my smile to a minimum. “I don’t know. It’s your mom’s house after all.”
“We’ll pretend it’s some over decorated motel on a deserted highway. Hurry. It’s been two days and I need you.” He hung up without another word.