When Catherine and Marta joined her, she wasn’t sure what they were going to say. They each had good poker faces, which didn’t lend to what they were thinking. Patreece had a million questions running through her mind. Did they like her pie? Were her cupcakes sweet enough? Were they too sweet with the extra powdered sugar? The list of questions that flew through her mind went on and on. One right after the other, they would come just as quick as the last.
“Well, Patreece. We’ve made a decision.” Catherine spoke for them both. “We loved what you did. But the truth is that neither of us can afford to pay you a wage. So we were thinking about maybe…an eighty-twenty split. Providing of course that you do the delivering.”
“Really? That’s great. But how exactly would that work?”
Marta chimed in. “Well, I need more pies at the store and Catherine here needs more cupcakes. We’re thinking you bring us deliveries every day or every other day, if you get too busy. Then we’ll pay you eighty percent of whatever we’re going to sell it for. So if I sell a pie for ten bucks, I’ll give you eight for it. Of course, we’re going to have to see how things go the first week or two in order to see what sells and what doesn’t. If business slows and we don’t need some things, we’ll have to adjust accordingly. Like we said earlier, you won’t get rich doing this. But it’s a way for you to take some money while taking a load off of our backs.”
Patreece listened to the proposition laid out before her. She didn’t really need the money. Not that the two women knew that. Still, it made her happy to be given the business opportunity. To hear someone else say they loved her baking so much they were willing to pay her for it was better than hitting the lottery. She didn’t have to spend another minute considering it.
“I think you two ladies have yourselves a deal.”
“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then. I’d stick around, but we’re short one today at the market. Some sort of stomach flu going around. I tell you what, if anyone gets me sick, there will be hell to pay. Anyhoo, see you tomorrow, Patreece. Catherine, I’ll talk to you later.” Marta waved good-bye and hurried out the door.
“This is fantastic. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect since I’m babysitting little Rachael Rawlings today and don’t have time to bake a thing. Do you think you can add a couple of pies to my order for tomorrow? I’d like to say I’ll make them later, but I know darn well I won’t. The kid wears me out.” Catherine shook her head. “I’m not a spring chicken anymore.”
The little girl’s name had no sooner been mentioned than she ran through the café doors at full speed. “Hi, Catherine!”
“Hey there, punkin. Where’s your dad?”
“Present and barely accounted for.” Chuck strolled in behind his daughter.
“Eww…you don’t look so good, Chuck. Kade said you were sick yesterday. Are you not feeling any better?”
“Oh, I am. Unfortunately, the babysitter has it now. I’d be worried that this little monster is going to get it, too, but we all know she has an iron stomach. Nothing gets her sick.”
“Well, don’t you worry about a thing. You head off to work. I was just finishing up with Patreece here and then I’m all hers,” Catherine explained.
“Ms. Warren.” Chuck nodded. “Nice seeing you again.”
“Likewise. But please call me Patreece.” For the first time since getting her new identity, the name actually rolled off her tongue as if it fit her.
“That’s the one I was telling you about,” Rachael whispered to her dad.
Chuck smiled. “Sorry, she doesn’t always have her filter turned on. She seems to think pretty highly of you. And she adores her uncle Kade. I’m sure you can figure out what her little mind is brewing.”
“It’s quite all right. I don’t mind. And besides, your little girl is a delight to be around. I should really be going, though. Lots to do, and I better get to work.”
“What do you do?” Rachael asked as her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
Patreece was delighted with watching Rachael’s expressions. She looked so happy and entertained. Catherine may as well have told Rachael she was an elf in Santa’s workshop from her gleeful reaction.
“Can I help you make treats? Do you have a name for your job? I like to name all my animals and dolls. We could name your new job Ms. Patreece’s Treats. Or Patreece’s Treats. Wait, what about Treece’s Treats? I like that. It sounds pretty, just like you. See, I told you I’m a good helper. Just ask Uncle Kade. I help him with stuff all the time. He says I have skills.”
All three of the adults burst into laughter. Patreece couldn’t help herself. Out of the mouths of babes, she mused.
“Actually, that would be up to your dad. I certainly wouldn’t mind the extra help, though,” Patreece answered.
She tried to play it casual, but the idea of spending the afternoon with Rachael sounded like more fun than she cared to admit. She didn’t want them to think her completely weird. Even though her one pregnancy with Carl had ended in a miscarriage, she couldn’t help but still want children of her own in the future. The idea that she may have them with Kade crossed her mind, though she didn’t take it too seriously.
“Um…I don’t mind, per say. It’s just, well, this little one here is a lot nicer than she looks. She can be a real handful,” Chuck said jokingly while ruffling Rachael’s hair.
“I don’t mind. Maybe she’ll keep me on my toes. So, what do you say?” She bent down to Rachael. “You wanna come help me out at the house? I have to bake a few pies and a couple dozen cupcakes. If you do, maybe I could give you an official title.”
“Really?” She turned to her dad. “Can I, Daddy? Please?”
Chuck didn’t even have a chance to respond before she was talking again. Her words came out a mile a minute as they all stared at her in amazement. The child was nothing if not hyper.
“Pretty please, Daddy? I’ll be really good.”
“What do you think, Catherine? Should we let her?” Chuck teased.
Catherine shrugged. “Meh…why not? This way, you’ll get some fishing done and I’ll get the afternoon off. Sounds like a win for me.”
Chuck laughed. “Like mother, like son, I tell ya. All righty then, I guess it’s settled. You’re going with Patreece and I’ll pick you up around five. Does that work?”
“That works perfectly. Come on, little one. We’ve got work to do.”
Patreece took the girl’s small hand in hers and walked out of the café with her. The idea of spending the afternoon doing something she loved while earning money and getting the help of one of the sweetest little girls she had ever met all seemed too good to be true. For years, her world was a nightmare, and now it would seem things were just the opposite. Patreece was finally living the fairy tale she always dreamed of. And if she was really lucky, the Prince Charming she had her eye on might just turn her into a princess.
Chapter Nineteen
Kade walked in the front door carrying two boxes of materials. He’d brought Kenny with him so they could go over the schematics for the laundry room refurbish. He hoped to do it as a surprise for Patreece. Once they had delved into the chaos of her house, Kade had gotten a closer look at all that had been neglected with it over the years. Minor but essential repairs had been made to the foundation. The plumbing had finally finished getting updated just that day with copper piping all throughout the house. And other than a few cosmetic things, they hadn’t had much time for anything else.
Over the past two weeks, he’d been busy with projects and she’d spent most of her time with Rachael, baking for her new business. Their schedules had been hectic, but he’d been able to find the energy for her every night. Not that it had taken that much. All she had to do was look his way, give him a knowing glance or a playful wink and he was awake and ready.
In an hour, he needed to be back at home. She had been using his kitchen and staying with him for the past two days since the plumbers had torn up her walls and floors. He ha
d a crew coming up to do patch and repair work tomorrow. Until then, he planned on taking full advantage of this house renovation.
These past weeks with Patreece had turned out to be the happiest he’d ever had. His mother was working less. Rachael giggled on a daily basis and his father was finally glad he got his wife home at a decent hour. Everyone who mattered to Kade had been affected by the woman who came into town out of nowhere. There were still some nights he’d lie awake, holding her in his arms while he pondered his questions. None of them he asked aloud. He waited patiently, hoping someday she would begin to open up to him completely.
“Is that the last of the boxes?” Kenny asked.
“Huh?”
“The boxes? You said there were some boxes that needed to be brought in?” he asked again.
“Oh yeah, sorry. Just these two here.”
Kenny chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Kade asked, his tone a bit brusque.
“Nothing, Kade. Not. A. Thing.”
“Oh, don’t give me that ‘nothing’ crap. What is it?”
“Okay, if you really wanna know. You got it bad, man. It’s kind of funny, seeing Kade Riley all gaga over some chick.”
“Well, not that I’d expect some kid to understand, but she’s not a chick. She’s one hell of a woman. And in two days, come Monday morning, you are going show up bright and early for work and help me fix up that musty old cellar of hers so she can do laundry. Other than that, I won’t be needing any dating advice from the peanut gallery. Besides, I already heard it from my mother trying to marry me off to Patreece. I’m over my quota on my daily dose of crap.”
“Yeah, okay. Only because you said my mom is hassling you, though. I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that.”
Kade brought one of the boxes into the kitchen. “All right. That’s all for today. Thanks for working late and helping me run these things over. We’ll pick up where we left off on Monday. Don’t be late. I’m giving you two whole days off, after all.”
“You’re so kind, sir,” Kenny said sarcastically.
“Whatever. Get out of here, smartass.” Kade waved him off and set the box on the counter.
Kenny closed the front door and Kade took a look at the small kitchen. So much had happened in this tiny house since he showed up that night to find her in the middle of a plumbing emergency. He’d come to give her a piece of his mind. Instead, he ended up giving her something much more elemental.
A newspaper clipping from the local paper hung on her refrigerator. Looking at it, he couldn’t help but smile as he remembered that day. It may have only been three days ago, but it just went to prove all that Patreece had accomplished in such a short time. He looked at the picture of her and Rachael holding up cupcakes and pies. The article read, “Small town sweets, Treece’s Treats take Grand Isle by storm.”
He was so proud of her and all she had accomplished in such a short time. No matter how much he tried to commend her for her hard work, she modestly declined his complements, saying she was only doing what she loved.
To Kade, it was something more. Whether she wanted to admit it to him or even to herself, he saw something change in her when she baked. It was as if she’d found purpose. Having Rachael as her baking assistant only made the effort all the sweeter. She may not say it aloud, but Kade could tell Rachael had won over Patreece’s hear, just as Rachael had stolen his own the moment he saw her tiny hands and feet. The little girl was a force to be reckoned with and it would seem Patreece thrived on her company.
Many nights he’d come home to find her busy in the kitchen, baking and talking with Rachael just as if she was playing the motherly role. It made him wonder if she wanted children. In fact, lately he’d been wondering a lot of things. They talked every day, laughed at every chance and made love each night. On the surface, there wasn’t a thing missing in their relationship. It was just as close to perfect as he could get. Still, he couldn’t help but feel greedy and want more.
He replaced the magnet back on the fridge and left the article there. It was time to go home to Patreece. He wasn’t sure what it was that was missing. The only thing he knew for certain was that when it came to Patreece Warren, he always needed more. With her, he could never have enough.
Chapter Twenty
Carl sat in his rental car outside the small and dilapidated bungalow. He’d watched a young man leave and now another man followed behind. The lights were now turned off, and as he watched the red truck pull away from the curb, he wondered why anyone would choose to live in such a hole-in-the-wall, Podunk town. He glared at his surroundings, annoyed that his dear wife, Sandra, had forced him to track her down. As if he didn’t have more important things to do. She always had been a selfish bitch who never appreciated all he did for her.
He’d been watching the house and waiting for her to appear for two days. He saw some workmen leave earlier that day, but she never had. There hadn’t been a sign of her anywhere. Had it not been for the newspaper article his private investigator had stumbled upon, he might not have found her at all.
He thought back to the hundreds of calls he had placed after she disappeared. He’d called her good-for-nothing parents. He’d called her old friends from the days when they were married. He even called her divorce lawyer. The beady-eyed attorney always leered at Sandra as if he wanted to fuck her. He was sure she probably had let him, too. That along with many other things would be dealt with as soon as he had her back home. This time, he was going to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t easily forget.
He got out of the car and hurried up the cracked concrete sidewalk. Walking around to the rear of the house, he took a rock to one of the back windows. He stood silent for a moment, hiding in the shadows in case a neighbor had heard. A neighborhood dog barked and eventually quieted.
He reached in and unlocked the back door. Once inside, he took a good look at the surroundings she had been living in. The house was even smaller than he’d thought and looked like hell. Tools and home improvement items were strewn about the kitchen. Holes in the walls and floor proved to him she had hit rock bottom. If she wanted to live like this, he’d gladly stick her in the dingiest hole in his cellar just to prove a point.
When she got back, he would prove many points to her. She was an ungrateful and insubordinate bitch who had dared to defy him. It was an infraction he would not forget. He planned to punish her for years to come. His beloved wife would learn the hard way why no one leaves Carl Jameson. No one.
Chapter Twenty-One
Patreece said good-bye to Chuck and Rachael and made her way back to Kade’s bedroom to change. Her days and weeks had been exhausting, filled with making messes with Rachael, cleaning them up and then starting all over again. She no longer lay awake at night with horrible memories flooding her thoughts. Now she slept soundly in Kade’s arms.
Staying here with Kade these past few days had been fun. He had a nice place and an even bigger bed than they were used to. It made their nightly activities all the more fruitful. Despite all of this, she couldn’t wait until her house was ready. It gave her pride, knowing that it was her house. Even little things like updating the pipes made her giddy. The place might be small, but it was hers. And if there was one thing she learned after all she’d been through, it was that her past could not steal her future. She owned it. It was hers for the taking.
“Hiya, beautiful.” Kade stepped into the bedroom, startling her.
“Oh my God, Kade. You scared me!” She held her hand to her heart and steadied herself. He’d given her such a scare that it was all she could do to keep from jumping out of her skin. For the first time in weeks, she felt that familiar pang of fear Carl always managed to give her.
“Whoa. Are you okay? I’m sorry.” He leaned forward and gave her kiss. “I thought you would have heard me come in.”
“It’s okay.” She shook her head, mad at herself for being so jumpy. “How was your day?”
“Very good. And yo
urs? How was little miss mini-baker?”
“As adorable as ever. Today she spent five minutes telling me about a frog her dad found in the backyard. I swear, I think Chuck must give her caffeine. She talks so fast, I’m surprised her tongue doesn’t get tired. I wish I had her energy.”
Patreece lifted her shirt over her head to change into something that wasn’t covered in proof of her junior assistant’s mixing abilities. Kade also started to undress. It had become a habit for them at the end of the day. They would change out of their dirty clothes with the intention that they would put on clean ones and go to the café to pick up dinner. It was becoming pretty clear from the way that Kade was leering at her that tonight would be no different.
Reaching around, she unsnapped her bra and slid the straps down her arms. Her nipples were already puckered and hard. It was all in the way he looked at her. He could cause her pussy to become moist and tingle with the smallest of efforts.
“You’re so damn beautiful.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her over to him. Spreading his legs, he invited her into his embrace as he covered her nipple with his mouth. She held onto his head and arched her back into him.
He sucked and nibbled on her taut peaks. The sensation heated her pussy and sent trickling fluid from her lips and dampened her panties. His large hands tugged at her pants, pulling them down along with her panties. Reaching around with one hand, he firmly grasped one of her ass cheeks, squeezing it into his palm before one of his fingers slid past the slick folds of her pussy.
For weeks, Kade had taken the lead on everything they did. His touch, his kiss and licks all left her caving to his every whim. Not that she much minded. There wasn’t a thing he did to her that didn’t make her explode in release. Still, she was beginning to grow impatient. She found herself wanting to do other things with him. She wanted to taste him. Not just his kiss, but his very essence. She wanted to know what it was like to have him fill her mouth as she opened herself to him.
Risqué Renovation [Blue Collar 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 13