“It matters more than you know. I wish I could turn back the clock and take away that moment that you witnessed me kissing someone else. I’m surprised you want to have anything to do with me given what you’ve shared.”
“Nooo, Alice.”
Stanley grabbed me by the hand.
“I don’t see it that way at all. I didn’t speak up and tell you how I felt about you and we weren’t an item. There’s a big difference.”
He inched closer and gave me a peck on the lips. Feeling his lips for the first time ignited a spark. It’s funny how love works. Perhaps Stanley was all the spice I really needed and just didn’t see it right away.
He drew me in even closer. I had to remind myself to breathe.
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a long time. But, I’ll take it easy… don’t want to get too far ahead of myself and scare you off.” He chuckled.
“I don’t think you would know how to scare me off, Stanley.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
“What do you say we heat up your food so you can enjoy a nice hot meal?” I offered.
“You won’t get any arguments out of me.”
I happily followed him into the kitchen. My heart was full and I was at peace again knowing I had made the right decision.
Payton
We arrived at the bakery for the cake tasting with time to spare. The owner was kind to set up a table with a window view and gave us a catalog of options to look through as we waited for the appointment to begin.
“Wow, there are so many designs and so many options I wouldn’t know where to begin,” Cole said as he closed the catalog.
“Giving up so soon? We’re just getting started.”
“Babe, the design, the amount of tiers, that’s all up to you. If you really want my input I’ll give it to you but I’m all about the taste. I vote for anything that tastes good. I’ll take chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, you name it.”
“You’re easy to please.”
“Yep, I like to keep things nice and simple.”
I felt heavily distracted with thoughts of Jack’s visit swimming around in my head but I tried to stay focused. I could vaguely hear Cole tapping his fingers to the tune of the music in the background. I continued to listen to the sound as I watched a red fire truck drive down the street.
“Payton… Payton!”
“Huh?”
“Are you alright? You don’t seem like yourself today.”
“I’m fine. Why, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing, I was starting to tell you they finally got back to me about the cause of the house fire.”
“The house fire?”
“Yeah, remember the fire that caused me to break my leg?”
“Yes, yes, of course. What did they say?”
“It was my client’s son and his friends. They were cooking something and left it unattended on the stove. He says he completely forgot about it.”
“Wow, what a costly mistake.”
“Tell me about it. They’re still not back in the house. It will probably be a while before they get to move back in again.”
“Forget the house. That fire could’ve cost you your life.” I snapped.
“I know… but it didn’t.”
“I at least hope they were apologetic.”
We were interrupted by Ms. Taylor, the owner of the bakery.
“May I interest you in some fine cake options for your wedding?”
The aroma from the cake samples were to die for. Every piece looked mouth watering and inviting.
“I’m going to position the tray just so. Before we begin I’d love to give you a little introduction if you will.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Taylor’s Bakery is new to the Pelican Beach area but not new to the cake industry. We’ve been baking and designing wedding cakes among others for well over thirty-five years. The recipes began with my great-grandmother and were passed down from generation to generation. Today, I will be presenting to you some of our most popular options. However, if you decide that you want us to create a custom combination of flavors we can do that for you as well. Shall we begin?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cole held his fork in ready position.
“First up, we have our famous chocolate champagne cake. There’s no doubt that this choice will wake your taste buds up.”
He was the first to dig in.
“Yess, this is amazing.”
Ms. Taylor checked in with me.
“It’s good, but maybe a little too rich for the occasion.”
“Okay, how about our next choice which is red velvet with a delicious cream cheese frosting.”
This time Cole fed me a piece of cake.
“Practicing for the reception?”
“Absolutely. What do you think?” he said.
“Umm, again, it’s good. It just reminds me of a birthday cake. What do you think?”
“It’s another winner if you ask me. Hey, like I said, this is really on you, Payton. So far, I love them all.”
“Ms. Taylor…”
“Please, call me Betty.”
“Betty, what about a marble cake? Or a plain cake with a little raspberry filling? I’m looking for something that will hopefully please everyone. Something a little bit more balanced.”
“Well, unfortunately, I don’t know that you’ll be able to please everyone but we certainly can suggest some of the more traditional flavors if you’d like.”
“Yes, traditional works. Let’s try some more traditional options.”
“I don’t know, Pay. Shouldn’t this cake be about what ‘we’ like?”
“Of course we’re going to pick a cake we like… I just think we should consider our guests as well.”
Perhaps Cole wanted to have more of a say so than he originally thought. Either way, we continued to taste several cakes until my pallet was confused. Plus, I was full. Ms. Taylor suggested that making another appointment might be helpful so that we could return for a fresh start.
During the car ride home Cole continued to question if something was wrong.
“Payton, you’re not acting like yourself. Now, you can keep pretending but I’d much rather you just come out with it and tell me what’s bothering you. Maybe I can help.”
“There’s nothing you can do. The problem has already been resolved. I’ve just been trying to find the right time to tell you.”
“Pay, what is it? You know you can tell me anything.”
“Jack came by the store again last night.”
“Okay… did you call the police?”
“No. Last night after he left I gathered all my things and went back to my parents’ house to finish my work.”
“Is that the reason why you sent me a text instead of calling me back last night?”
“I just needed time to think, Cole. I needed to get a game plan together to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t involve me. My job is to help protect you as best as I can. You and Emmie mean the world to me. What would you have done if he showed up at our house? Would you keep that to yourself, too?”
My eyes started to well up with tears. I hadn’t considered what I would do in that situation, but I also didn’t think Jack was a physical threat. He was more of a threat to my emotions than anything else.
“Talk to me, Payton. I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I don’t think he would harm a fly, Cole.”
“Then why isn’t he respecting your boundaries?”
“I don’t know. I think he’s going through it right now.”
“What exactly did he say to you?”
I knew Cole would be disappointed but it was best I tell him everything for the sake of our future marriage.
“He came back to tell me that he wanted to be with me. I guess he called himself catching me at a time when no one else would be around. He told me he was having problems
financially, at his job, and he basically admitted that he was wrong for what he did.”
“You’re darn right he was wrong. He’s also wrong for coming around you like this. Doesn’t he know you’re engaged?”
“He knows… but he tried to convince me to take him back… and…”
“And what?”
“He kissed me.”
Cole stopped at a traffic light and continued to stare straight ahead.
“Should I be worried?”
“Cole, no. Not for one second. You are the only one for me. Jack is the one having a hard time understanding that, not me.”
“I swear if I was there I would’ve punched him square in the face.”
“Oh, I think I smacked him hard enough for the both of us.”
“You did?”
“Yep. He had it coming. Look, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that he wasn’t someone that I cared for deeply. Even though he did me wrong I hate to see him or anyone else hit rock bottom. But, I want to be very clear about where I stand. You, Cole Miller, are my present and my future. It’s you, Emmie, and me until the end.”
He reached his hand across the center console and placed it on mine.
“Thank you, Pay. I know you didn’t ask for this. It’s an awful position to be in. I just look forward to a time when he’s truly a thing of the past. In the meantime, what are we going to do to ensure this doesn’t happen again?”
“I don’t know that there’s anything we can do. I told him I was going to file a restraining order but I don’t know if it would fly since Jack isn’t a physical threat.”
“I beg to differ. A kiss is physical. Way too physical if you ask me.”
I gave Cole a side eye knowing that he was being facetious.
“You know what I mean.”
“Did he mention when he was catching his flight back to Connecticut?”
“I think he left today if I’m not mistaken.”
“Good. In the meantime, I think we need to take a serious look into beefing up the security at the store. You can never be too safe.”
“True but security only works if you use it. I left the door unlocked which made it easy for him to walk in.”
I massaged my throbbing temples. A tension headache was stirring up just thinking about one more thing that needed to get done.
“You look stressed. Do you have time to take a quick little detour before we head back to the house? I want to show you something to help take your mind off things.”
“Sure, why not.”
He made a quick turn and within minutes pulled up to the boardwalk down the street from his renovation company.
“What’s going on at the boardwalk?”
“Wait right there and I’ll show you.”
Cole walked around to the other side of the car and opened my door. I took his hand and followed his lead but was curious about where this little venture was leading to.
“Would you mind taking a trip down memory lane with me?”
“Sure.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“Come on, let’s take a little stroll. I don’t know if you recall but it was a little over a year ago that you met with me in my office. You came over to cancel the contract for your parents’ renovations at the Inn, remember?”
“How could I forget?”
“I could tell you felt awful about having to cancel…” he said.
“Sooo, you made me make a deal with you to take a walk down to the creamery to get ice cream after the meeting.”
“Yes! And it worked. We took a nice walk and it totally shifted the mood.”
“And, if my memory serves me correctly, it was the first time you tried to ask me out on a date.”
“I did, but you let me down… for good reasons of course. You were quite the honorable woman for wanting to make sure your sister’s feelings wouldn’t be hurt.”
Just thinking back to that time made giggle. My youngest sister Rebecca had such a crush on Cole initially. All of that came to an end when mom called her out on it. Cole wasn’t the right fit from the start but you couldn’t tell Rebecca anything without some opposition.
“I’ll admit that was crazy but thankfully we all survived. Now look at Rebecca. She’s married and she’s a mother. Who would’ve ever guessed all that could happen in just a little over a year’s time?”
We stopped to look at the boats just like we did the last time we were here.
“You know, Cole, I really wanted to say yes to your invitation that day. But if you ever tell anyone, I promise I’ll deny it.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Besides, deep down I knew you couldn’t resist all of this charm anyway.”
“Oh yeah?”
I playfully whacked him in the arm with my purse.
“Okay, okay. Just kidding. Come here, let me make it up to you.”
His soft kisses on my ear tickled me. Cole had such a playful way about him.
“Tickle me again and I’m pulling out the purse.” I playfully threatened.
“Alright, in that case let’s head inside the creamery.”
I’m surprised we had room for ice cream with all the cake we sampled. Even if I couldn’t finish it all, this spontaneous date was just what I needed.
Helen
The family is coming over to celebrate Will’s birthday in a little while and Payton was helping me to prepare the food. Having everyone over to the cottage was going to be very uplifting for Will and me, if only for a day. I was secretly starting to grow more weary at the thought of Payton leaving and having to take care of William on my own. She deserved to be married and happy, but with her gone, I would be the only one at the house to support Will as he continued to struggle with dementia.
“Mom, do you have any butter left?”
“There should be some on the left side of the fridge. If not, check the freezer. I always keep extra in there.”
“You’re the only person I know who freezes butter.”
“That’s what your grandmother used to do. I guess old habits die hard.”
“Well, both of you are great cooks, so if it works for you, then it works for me, too.”
“Mm hmm.”
“You’ll never guess who came into the store the other day.”
“Mm hmm.”
“Mom?”
“Yes, dear?”
“I said, you’ll never guess who came into the store the other day. Are you okay? You seem a little distracted.”
“I’m fine. Who came in the store?”
“Susan from high school. I haven’t seen her since our girl’s outing that went terribly wrong last year. Remember the way she spoiled everything for Abby by spreading gossip about her husband?”
“Mm hmm.”
“Mom?”
“I’m listening to you.”
“Okay, then what did I just say?”
“I heard you mention Susan’s name.”
“And?”
If I was being honest with myself I was a bit distracted.
“Mom, there’s something on your mind and we’re not going to lift one more utensil until you tell me what it is.”
I placed everything down on the counter.
“I don’t want to talk too loud and have your father overhear what we’re saying. I know it’s his birthday and all, but I’ve been thinking a lot about what our future is going to look like when you’re gone.”
“Ohh, mom your future is going to be just fine. I’ll be close by, and so will Rebecca and Abby. ”
“I know. It’s the slow decline with Will and day to day functioning that worries me most. You’ve seen how persistent he’s been in the past about not wanting a nurse around, but there are days where he forgets to change his clothes if I don’t help him. We can’t go on like this forever.”
“Maybe it’s time we take matters into our own hands and start looking into hiring someone to at least be here during the day. I really don’t think dad will resist
this time. Things have changed so much.”
“I guess we can give it a try. I wouldn’t put it past him to be resistant but you’re right. We’ll never know unless we try. The other thing I’ve been considering is whether or not it’s time to put the cottage on the market.”
“You want to sell the house?”
“I don’t necessarily love the idea, but Payton, things are changing right before our very eyes. Will was always the one who kept this place up and running.”
“What other options would you consider?”
“I haven’t given it a lot of thought. Mainly because I don’t want to think about it. The cottage has always been home for us. It holds so many fond memories. That corner over there is where you used to play school as a little girl while I was cooking. You would set up your chalk board and line up papers along the floor. I used to ask you what you were doing with all the papers and you would tell me it was for your students.”
Payton smiled.
“I’m surprised I didn’t turn out to be a teacher as much as I used to play school.”
“That makes two of us. Then there was Abby who always wanted to play dress up. She must’ve thought you were her baby doll with the way she would dress you up and fix your hair.”
“My how some things never change. She’d still do that today if I’d let her,” Payton said.
“Ha! Didn’t she try to give you a make-over as soon as you moved back from Connecticut?”
“She sure did. I think she missed her calling as a fashion guru or hair stylist.”
“Perhaps. I guess what’s weighing on my mind most are the memories of you, Abby, and Rebecca growing up here. Those memories have always been a part of me. Now you can see why I’m so torn with what to do.”
“Mom, how about this. Let’s take this whole thing one step at a time. We don’t have to leap. For starters, let’s look into having a nurse or an aide come to the house and help out. The rest of us can help with anything that has to do with regular maintenance around the house. We can evaluate things for a while, see how it’s going, then take it from there.”
A Pelican Beach Affair (Pelican Beach Book 3) Page 8