by K. M. Scott
“Any chance you have anything hanging around I can do a taste test on?” he asks with a sly smile.
“I have a Boston Cream Whoopee Pie I think might change your life,” I joke and then point over toward the rack behind him.
He and Meadow turn around and let out audible gasps. “Hailey, it’s huge!” Meadow says. “No one person can eat that and live.”
“Then it’s perfect for sharing.”
The two of them grab forks and knives and dig in to taste what has of yet been my best creation for my meeting with Brooke Dunning. “You two enjoy. I’ll be right back. I want to grab some strawberries for an idea that just came to me.”
By the time I return from the refrigerator, the whoopee pie is gone. Coming around the corner, I spy Meadow wiping chocolate from Alex’s chin and I can’t help but smile. They really are cute together.
“So how did that taste?” I ask as I sit down and place the case of strawberries on the table in front of me.
“Incredible. I would eat your desserts every day if you’d agree to come work at CK,” Alex says, licking his lips of the last hint of chocolate on them.
“Honey, you are going to be single-handedly keeping dentists in business in this town with treats like that,” Meadow says with a laugh.
I smile at her, remembering what Brooke said after she ate the apple tarts the other day. “And gyms too. The woman I’m meeting with said she needed to take three extra spin classes after indulging in the dessert she had here that day, and those were only apple tarts. What do you think what you guys just had would require? A week or two of those classes?” I ask with a chuckle.
“At least,” she says. “Who is this woman? Does she look like she takes that many spin classes? I guess I always pictured food bloggers to be a softer lot since they spend all their time with food.”
My attention turns to Alex, who at the moment looks confused by Meadow’s idea on people who work in our industry. “I admit I might be a little soft, but I don’t think he could be called soft by any stretch of the imagination.”
Before he can say anything, Meadow quickly tries to clean up her statement. Shaking her head, she says, “Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. I don’t think either of you are soft. No, no. I just meant I guess I thought food bloggers were.”
Alex and I look at her, neither one of us smiling, and she says, “Maybe I’ll just stop. How about those Rays? They played yesterday and looked pretty good. Don’t you think?”
I try not to smile, but Alex simply shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Smooth. So Hailey, what are you doing with the strawberries?”
Happy the subject has changed, Meadow asks, “Yeah, those strawberries look huge. What are you doing with them?”
Lifting one out of the case, I hold it up in front of me. “Well, most people go for dipping strawberries in chocolate. I’m not against that idea since I’m a huge chocolate fan, as you can tell by the whoopee pie you guys just enjoyed, but I wanted to come up with something different. I’ve tried strawberries dipped in honey and peppercorns, but I was thinking that I’d play around and maybe try chili powder or something equally as spicy. You get the heat but you get the sweet too.”
“Or cayenne pepper,” Alex suggests excitedly. “That’s sounds good.”
“I might throw in some lemon juice to see how that picks up the flavors,” I explain as the two of them nod.
“You think of the most interesting stuff. I would never even consider mixing those ingredients, but now that you’re talking about it, I think I’d want to try it,” Meadow says.
“I just want to impress this woman. If she likes what I make, then maybe people will start to finally come in to try my desserts. Then my parents can benefit, like I always intended in the first place.”
Meadow’s phone rings, and when she takes a look at who’s calling, she apologizes for having to take it. “I’ll just be a minute. I wouldn’t answer this call, but it’s a client who’s been giving me a hard time, and being new at the firm means I can’t lose anyone. I’ll be right back.”
She hurries out to the dark dining room, leaving Alex and me alone. I want to ask him about Cade after that phone call with him left me wondering if anything’s wrong, but I don’t know how to broach the subject. He might not even know either.
Still, I have his best friend standing in front of me, so I can’t let go of the chance to find out.
“Have you spoken to Cade at all in the last couple days?” I ask in a quiet voice as I focus on the strawberries and hope I don’t sound too pathetic.
“Not since the other day,” he says, not sounding like he wants to continue this conversation.
I look up at him to see his expression and notice he doesn’t appear uncomfortable. Maybe he really has nothing to say about Cade.
“The last time I saw him he was attempting to beat the hell out of our cousin Wilder in the middle of my kitchen.”
Alex’s voice holds little emotion, but what he’s saying sounds like it should. I know I’d be furious if people came into my kitchen and stared a brawl near where I was working.
“Why would he do that? Is he okay? He didn’t seem right when I talked to him a little while ago. Maybe that’s why.”
Alex shrugs, as if all of this is perfectly normal and he’s seen it a hundred times before with his best friend. “He and Wilder don’t get along. I’m not sure they ever have. Not that I blame Cade. I’m not a big fan of Wilder either. But don’t worry. Cade got the best of him before my father and uncle broke them up.”
I think back to that night at the house on the island and remember Wilder was the name of the person who interrupted us in the pool. “I think I met this Wilder person. He and two of his friends came by your grandmother’s house out on Anna Maria Island when we were there. Cade was pretty frosty with him, but I thought it was just because he walked in on us.”
“Just the most recent straw that broke the camel’s back, I’m guessing,” Alex says. “They aren’t close like he and I are. In fact, Wilder’s not close to any of us, even his own brother. So it’s not only Cade who has a problem with him.”
The way Alex defends his best friend makes me smile. “Well, I was worried they were going to get into a fight that night out at the house. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it happened, but in your kitchen? You must have been livid.”
“I’m passionate about a lot of things, including my job and my kitchen. I understand other people don’t see why, but they’re passionate about their own stuff. It was bound to happen at some point. The situation between them just boiled over that day. It’s not like they planned to bust up my workplace.”
“Was it because Wilder and his friends came to the house when we were there?” I ask, still trying to figure out what’s changed with Cade to make him sound so different on the phone when we talked earlier.
Alex nods, giving me a tiny smile I sense is to make what he has to say about his best friend easier for me to hear. “That and a bunch of other things. Cade’s under a lot of pressure from our family to decide what he wants to do with his life. I think it’s unfair, to be honest. He isn’t like me. I’ve known what I want to do since I was a kid. He isn’t that way. Then he sees our cousin two years older than him and not knowing what he’s going to do with his life and nobody says a word about it. I think it finally just got to him.”
“I like how he is. He’s smart and funny, and I’m sure when he finds what he wants to do, he’ll be all in on it. Having your whole life planned out isn’t as good as everyone thinks either. I thought I knew what I wanted to do and that didn’t turn out. Now I’m making desserts in my parents’ restaurant when three years ago I could barely microwave soup.”
Forcing a smile to hide my true feelings about the memories of what brought me to this point in life, I point down at the strawberries, suddenly uncomfortable with talking about this subject. “And tonight, I get to do fabulous things with strawberries. I definitely didn’t need to get a degree in ps
ychology to do that.”
“I agree with you. Cade’s a free spirit, and everyone trying to pin him down on something only makes him want to rebel. When he finds something he loves, he’ll go head first into it. That’s how he is. He can go from zero to hundred percent once he decides he wants something. You’re proof of that. Just a few weeks ago, you two didn’t even know each other. Now, you’re all he thinks of. When he finds what he wants to do in life, he’ll be the same way. He does nothing halfway.”
His mention of how Cade is with me makes me blush, and I look away to avoid his gaze. I don’t know how much his friend has told him about us, but I hope he’s left out some of the sexier details. I’m not sure I could face Alex if he knew everything.
Like skinny dipping with Cade at his grandmother’s house, for example. Or the specifics of our sex life.
Thankfully, Meadow returns before the silence between us grows truly awkward, and I’m thankful she doesn’t pick up on it. “So that client is going to make me age overnight, you know that? I have to get to the office. I’m sorry to bail on you, Alex.”
“Perfectly fine,” he says with a smile. “I understand being on for the job. Hailey and I were just talking about that. I’ll take you back home so you can get to work right now.”
Turning to face me, Meadow asks, “Are you going to be okay here alone? Your father and everyone else is gone already. I feel terrible us leaving you here like this.”
I wave away her concern, truly not worried about being the only person in the restaurant after hours. It’s not the first time, and I doubt it will be the last time.
“Nonsense. Go take over the design world. I need to figure out what I want to do with these strawberries, so it’s no problem. I’ll see you guys later.”
After they leave, I think about what Alex said about Cade and smile. I like how he’s someone who can dive into something he’s interested in and become engrossed by that thing. Or that person. Other women might not like how he can go from zero to one hundred percent in no time, but for someone like me who wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to trust another man, that’s exactly what I need.
I just hope he isn’t changing his mind.
Chapter Twelve
Cade
During a lull on an unusually busy Monday night, I see Alex poke his head out of the crowd at the front bar and wave me down to him. It’s not like him to be out at a club on a weeknight. He’s like a kid who’s always good in school—weeknights are for doing good stuff, not trolling the bar at Club X.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask with a smile. “Isn’t it after your bedtime on a school night?”
An eye roll and a fuck you are what I get in return. “I just came from hanging out with your girlfriend. She’s working hard at coming up with some great things for her meeting this week. I got to try a whoopee pie that might have sent me into sugar shock, but damn, it was worth it.”
That should have been my whoopee pie. If I hadn’t been called in to sub for Katelyn, I’d be with Hailey right now enjoying all sorts of things, including one of her delicious desserts.
“Yeah? Must be nice. So did you come over to rub it in my face?” I ask as I scan the bar for any customers who need a drink.
“No. Just making conversation. You planning on trying to kick my ass too? Is it some kind of thing you’re doing, getting into fights with every male member of your family? Cash and Liam aren’t here, so you can’t get a three-for-one thing going on.”
Alex is unusually snappy tonight, and I turn to see his gaze leveled on me pretty aggressively. That’s not like him. What the hell is going on?
“What’s up with you?” I ask, leaning forward to see him close up.
He lightens up instantly, shrugging away my question. “Nothing. Just frustrated. Give me a Jack and Coke, and go light on the soda.”
I mix his drink and set it down in front of him before waiting on some guy who looks like he’s going to burst if he doesn’t get some alcohol in his system in the next sixty seconds. When I get back to Alex a few minutes later, half his drink is gone. That’s definitely not like him. Something must be really frustrating him tonight.
“So do you want to tell me what’s making you into an alcoholic, or do I have to do my best bartender routine and let you gradually confess what’s wrong? I’m here all night, so feel free to take your time, but it might be easier to just tell me.”
Alex downs the rest of his drink and pushes his glass forward toward me. “Get me another just like that and I’ll tell you.”
I mix him another Jack and Coke and set it down in front of him, ready to hear what’s wrong with my best friend tonight. “There you go. Not too much soda. So what’s the problem?”
After he takes a gulp, he lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s Hailey’s friend Meadow. I think we could have a good time, if I could ever get her to stick around for more than a half hour. She had to rush off back to work tonight. That’s the third time in a row. Well, second if you aren’t counting her not even sticking around here that night we were supposed to meet.”
His moping and why he’s so upset make me laugh. “So you have a hard time with a fellow workaholic. I’m guessing you don’t appreciate the irony in all of this. Too bad because it’s rich.”
Alex twists his expression, shaking his head. “I’m not a workaholic. I have no idea why you think that. I don’t work because there’s a ton of shit to get done. I enjoy my work. I love my work. That’s not the same as a workaholic,” he protests before taking another drink.
“Probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. She gorgeous and all, but I doubt she’s a freak like you.”
I know that will get him going. He’s not exactly a freak. What he likes isn’t necessarily any different than most guys. What makes Alex different is the intensity of how he likes the run-of-the-mill things.
He’s a pure hedonist, through and through.
“So enjoying life is being a freak? Maybe I should be a surly bastard who goes around being miserable and picking fights with people?”
I smile at his swipe at my own recent behavior. “Sounds like you’re doing just that right now.”
As he tilts his glass up to his mouth, he grins at me. “You know, you’re lucky to be with someone like Hailey. She was working on doing something with strawberries that sounded incredible. Maybe I should change my policy of dating women in my business.”
“Go find your own beautiful baker. Hailey’s taken.”
He looks down the bar and then up at me. “So what are you doing here on a Monday when you could be with her?”
“Filling in for Katelyn,” I answer, practically grunting my disgust. “First her sister nearly makes me lose my girlfriend when she pulls that shit at the anniversary party, and now she’s out until Thursday. I thought Wilder was a huge cock block. He’s got nothing on the twins.”
After he finishes his drink, Alex sets his glass down on the bar and frowns. “You should have heard him after you left the other day. To hear him talk, it was all your fault.”
“What? Him busting in when I’m trying to be alone with Hailey out at the house or the fight? In my opinion, both were his fault.”
“No, the problem between you two. He was acting like he has no idea why you’re not his biggest fan.”
I roll my eyes at the thought of any excuse Wilder could come up with. “Well, I’m not even sure he has a problem with me. I mean, other than the general problem he seems to have with everyone in the world. That whole miserable fuck who hates all of humanity thing is such bullshit, but I don’t know if he has a problem with me. I know I have a problem with him, and his showing up with those two shitheads the other night didn’t make it any better.”
“Is that why you were acting weird with Hailey when you talked to her? She asked me about it, but I sidestepped giving her an answer since I had no idea. I think she’s worried, though.”
Hearing Hailey told Alex something was wrong between us irritates me. “Why
would she say that?”
He gives me a look like I just asked the dumbest question in the world. “Because she’s worried.”
“Well, she has no reason to be. I was just pissed that I had to work so many nights this week. That’s all.”
“Don’t tell me. Tell her.”
“What else could she think was wrong?” I ask, once more getting pissed off that I have to be here tonight.
Alex shrugs, but I see in his expression he thinks there could be something else. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s gets worried when someone acts like they’re a hundred percent about her and then gets all moody. That running hot and cold thing you do isn’t easy if you aren’t used to it like I am, and that’s only because I’ve known you all my life. She hasn’t, Cade. It’s not surprising she might get uneasy.”
I nod, but I know it’s more than just that. True, I do tend to run hot and cold like he said, but for Hailey, I know she’s got to be wondering if the same thing that happened with that asshole who cheated on her is happening again.
Damn Katelyn and whatever crisis she’s dealing with this week. She and her sister should get together with my goddamned cousin. They could be the cockblock triplets. Somebody should make up T-shirts they can wear so people know to steer clear of all three of them.
“So, are you planning on giving up on Hailey’s friend? I don’t think two people who love to work are a good fit,” I say, teasing Alex once again.
“We’ll see. She might be just like me. You never know.”
The wicked look in his eyes tells me he hopes Meadow is just like him. She seemed pretty normal to me, though. No weird wearing of cartoon costumes as an everyday way to dress. No bizarre habits like most of Alex’s girlfriends. Not exactly the usual type of woman he likes to pursue.
“If all she does is work, you might never know either.”
“Fuck you. I don’t know why I even talk to you,” he snaps before pushing his glass toward me.