Except he was her brother.
Shit.
“Stay back here. It’s probably Max. Just don’t come out of the kitchen and he’ll never know you’re here.”
I pressed myself against the wall behind the door so the swing wouldn’t reveal me. I heard the click of the lock as Abby opened the door for her brother. She greeted him warmly and I heard the rustle of fabric that I assumed was them hugging. I couldn’t help but wonder if Abby had ever hid behind a door to spy on her cheating husband, because that was what I felt like I was doing.
“Did you see Charlotte?” Max asked, his voice carrying easily to the kitchen.
“I did.”
“What did she say?”
“She’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Good. So will I.”
“No, Max. You won’t be. She trusts me. I’m not going to let you destroy that. She needs this opportunity. She’s worried about Bite Me! not making it when she opens back up. If you’re here tomorrow she won’t be able to bake and she won’t get her order done. If you want her to trust you again, you have to prove to her you can be trusted. You didn’t send her that note to trap her, did you?”
I heard his sigh as I held my breath. “No, I didn’t. Dammit, Abby, what the hell was I thinking? I can’t believe I fucked it up with her. I just want to see her. To hold her. I miss her.”
His voice caught as he said the last words, making me swallow hard. God, I missed him too. I wanted to run out there and throw my arms around his neck, bury my face in him, and never leave.
But I couldn’t.
I wasn’t going to accept that I wasn’t his focus. I wasn’t so selfish that I didn’t want him to have anyone else in his life, but I needed to know he would put me first. And he hadn’t proved that to me yet.
A little while later Max left. The driver from Soup’s On showed up as Abby was locking the door. She came back to the kitchen carrying out lunch. “I’m guessing you heard all that?”
I nodded, not looking at her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to show up today or I wouldn’t have insisted you come over.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. I’m just glad he didn’t burst in here.”
“Charlotte, can I ask you something?”
I nodded.
“Is it really just about trust? Is that the main reason you won’t forgive Max?”
I chewed on my lip. How did I tell his sister that I was jealous of her?
“I won’t tell him if that’s what you’re worried about,” Abby said, misinterpreting my silence.
“I know. You showed me I can trust you by telling him not to come back tomorrow. Of course if he does then I’ll know I can’t trust him.” I sighed. “It isn’t just trust. When my grandma died I was alone. I had no one to turn to, no one who would turn to me. A few years later I met my best friend, Lexi. When she got together with her husband I went from first place in her world to second. I haven’t had anyone put me first in a long time, and-“
“You feel like Max isn’t either. Damn. He’s an even bigger idiot than I thought he was. I’m sorry, Charlotte, I really am. He’s always been there for me. It never occurred to me that he wouldn’t be. I’m sorry I ruined everything for you.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t. Max did. I don’t like putting all the blame on him, but if he had put me first, we wouldn’t be here. By not putting me first, he kept you a secret from me. I’ve been terrified that your bakery would steal all my customers and I wouldn’t have anyone left to come to Bite Me! when I opened back up.”
“Well, then we need to make sure that doesn’t happen, don’t we?”
Twenty-Three
Abby and I brainstormed ideas the rest of the day to make both bakeries successful. We were going to go in together on some marketing campaigns. While I was off for a month I was going to work toward getting some corporate events lined up for us both to supply. We also drew up some ideas for getting both our names out there.
The anniversary party that weekend went well. The clients sang my praises and I passed out business cards for both Bite Me! and SkinnyCakes.
On Tuesday we invaded Abby and SkinnyCakes for girls’ night. Abby let me cook my friends’ favorites so we had our usual cupcakes, but we all tried some of her cakes. Reluctantly I admitted they were really damn good.
January passed quickly. I ended up a lot busier than I’d thought I would be. Between working with Abby and promoting Bite Me!, I barely had time to miss Max.
Barely.
A week earlier than I’d expected I was able to get into the new location of Bite Me! I scheduled the delivery of all my equipment from storage after the cleaning company came in to insure everything was food safe. While I got the kitchen functional another crew painted the dining area. Before I knew it, I was ready to open again.
“I’m really going to miss baking with you every day,” Abby said tearfully. I stopped by to chat my last morning off. I decided to host a private Grand Re-Opening for my most loyal customers and a separate public event for everyone. I wanted to invite Abby to the private event.
“I am too. But now you can expand. It’s crazy that you’re already selling out of everything.”
Abby nodded. “I wouldn’t have done it without you. Even though things didn’t work out with you and Max, I still think of you as a sister. The sister I never had.”
I hugged Abby, wishing I could have been her sister. I still missed Max every day, but it was getting better. Once I started baking with Abby he stopped calling and texting me. I knew she had to have something to do with it, but I never asked. After that first day we kept our conversations Max free.
“Well, we can be baking sisters. God knows we’ve shared enough flour.” Abby laughed with me and we hugged again. “I really hope you’ll come tomorrow to the party. The rest of the crew will be there.”
“I never would have thought they’d be so welcoming of me, but I really like your friends.”
“I think they’re your friends too, Abby.”
Her eyes watered and I wondered what was wrong. “I’ve never had a big group of friends like that. It’s nice to have people to spend time with.”
I nodded. Abby was right. Even if I wasn’t first to any of them, I loved them. I didn’t have to be first to know I was loved, or to love.
~*~
The next day I was up early getting ready to open. My apartment upstairs was perfect, except it was lonely. I still hadn’t figured out what I was going to do with the second bedroom, but that would come eventually.
I checked my phone when I headed downstairs and nearly tripped down the stairs. Max sent me a text at four o’clock wishing me luck with the grand re-opening. I wasn’t surprised he knew, but it made my breath catch to hear from him after so long without a word. I’d assumed he’d moved on since he never contacted me.
Distance gave me perspective. The more I’d gotten to know Abby the more I loved her, and the more I loved Max for helping her. I still wished he’d told me what was going on. Abby and I could have become friends earlier. But I also decided I wasn’t going to wish my life away on what could’ve beens.
If I was going to be friends with Abby, maybe I could be friends with Max too.
I sent him a text back thanking him then tucked my phone away so I could bake.
When I opened the door a few hours later, I held my breath. I half expected Max to be standing on the sidewalk waiting for me to let him in, but he wasn’t. I tried to push aside the disappointment and retreated to the kitchen until people arrived for the party.
When the bell above the door chimed I pushed through the swinging doors from the kitchen to find the O’Neills inside. I grinned and rushed around the counter to hug them both.
“Charlie, dear. This place is beautiful,” Mrs. O’Neill gushed. “You did such a wonderful job, not that we’re surprised.”
“Thank you so much for coming out here. I know it’s a bit further for you.”
“Oh, we’d go anywhere for you dear. Plus, we’re retired. It’s not like we have a schedule to keep.”
I smiled and started fixing their usual order. “You two are my first customers.”
“Wonderful, dear. That’s exciting. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing great. It’s been a busy month even though I haven’t been open. I met the woman who owns SkinnyCakes and we became friends. She let me use her kitchen and we worked on some promotions together.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. How are her cakes? We never wanted to go and be disloyal to you.”
I smiled and handed over their cupcakes and coffees and waved off their attempt to pay. “Today is all about thanking my customers. No one is paying today. We’re just here to have fun. And Abby’s cakes are good. Better than I expected. She does a lot of other things too though. Her bread is amazing.”
“Well, we might have to try it out sometime.”
“You should. Is your family coming today?”
Mrs. O’Neil nodded. “Yes, Molly will be here soon and a few of the others.”
“How is Molly doing? She’s about five months now, right?”
“Yes, almost. Did we tell you she’s having a boy?”
“Oh, how exciting. My friend, Sam, just found out she’s having a boy also.”
“We’ll have to get the boys together when they’re born. I know Molly will be looking for other moms with kids close to his age.”
“Sam will too. Have they picked out a name?” I asked.
Mrs. O’Neill shook her head. “No. They’re not sure yet. How about your friend?”
“No, she isn’t sure either. Her baby was a bit of a shock and they’re still… getting used to the idea of being parents.”
“Oh, well, a baby is always a little bit of a shock, even if it was planned. Is the dad involved?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s married. They hadn’t really decided on whether or not to have kids. Brady had a rough childhood and was afraid to be a dad like his own.”
“What do you think?”
I smiled and nodded. “Brady is one of the most amazing men I know. He’s going to be a great dad. Their child is very lucky.”
“Good. I’ll pray for them. Will they be here today?”
“Yeah. I’ll introduce you.”
“Thank you. Molly will love to meet another mom. We can sit them down and they can trade pregnancy stories.”
I smiled. Sam had definitely gotten hit with a lot of pregnancy abnormalities and could use someone to talk to. “Sam would like that.”
The door chimed and Sam and Brady walked in. I waved to them as the O’Neills turned to grin. I gestured to Sam behind her. “Actually, this is Sam, and her husband, Brady.”
“Oh,” Mrs. O’Neill exclaimed. “We were just talking about you.”
Sam grinned. “Should I be worried?”
Mrs. O’Neill laughed. “My granddaughter is five months pregnant with a boy. Charlie and I were conspiring to get the two of you together today.”
“If she’s anything like me, we’ll both be hard to miss.”
Mrs. O’Neill laughed. “Well, I imagine that’s true. But only because a pregnant woman is beautiful.”
Sam blushed and grinned. Brady wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. “I agree,” he said.
The O’Neills smiled at them then walked away to choose a seat. I hugged Sam and Brady across the counter. “The usual?”
Sam grinned. “Unless you think I need The Charlie Special today.”
I laughed. Whenever they had a bad day I would select something that they needed, according to me, and force them to eat it. My friends dubbed it ‘The Charlie Special’ and would tease each other when it was sitting on their plate. It was an unintentional signal that something was wrong so the others could pounce.
I meant help.
I eyed Sam carefully and laughed at her cheesy grin. I shook my head and declared, “You’re good. You can have the usual.”
Sam smiled back. “Thank you. How are you holding up? Are you excited to be back in business?”
I nodded. “I am. It’s great to be open again. I think everything today is going to go well. Next Saturday will hopefully go just as well. Are you sure you’re okay with offering up your services for the party?”
Sam nodded. “Definitely. A free photo session is a great idea. And Brady’s loving the publicity he’s getting by offering a free membership from a bakery. I love that you’re doing prizes for the event. It should help create a little more buzz.”
“It seems to be. Even Connor is promoting it on his radio show. None of this would have been possible without all of you.”
“We’re happy to help. You’ll be back to normal in no time.”
“I hope so.”
Sam and Brady moved away from the counter as more customers filed in the door. When all our friends were there, as well as the others I’d invited, all except Abby, I smiled. The people I loved were all in one room. I turned and looked up at the picture of Grams and me that Max had given me. It was on a shelf above the cream and sugar table, with her mug and a single white orchid. I smiled at Grams and thanked her for believing in me, for getting me so far.
I was loved.
And that was enough.
I hoped it was enough. The emptiness in my heart told me it wasn’t, but that would go away eventually. I would forget about Max. I would move on. I would fall in love again.
But would it be enough?
I honestly didn’t know.
Twenty-Four
Just as I was about to thank everyone for being there the door chimed again. Abby walked in with a look of apology on her face. My brow creased, wondering what she was worried about, then the door chimed again.
And Max walked in.
Connor was out of his seat before I could leave the room. He nodded at me and I knew he wouldn’t let Max get close to me. Max knew how important Bite Me! was to me and he wouldn’t jeopardize it, I was sure of that.
Max kept his eyes on me as Connor approached him. He held a bouquet of pink flowers in his hand. I could feel my heart shredding inside my chest with every second our eyes were locked. Eventually I closed my eyes and looked away, wiping the tears that were threatening to fall.
“Max, what are you doing here?” Connor asked quietly, glancing back at me.
“Connor, I just wanted to wish her well on her first day. I have something for her.”
Connor looked at me, asking me with his eyes what I wanted to do. I shook my head and he turned back to Max. “She isn’t ready to talk to you. Listen, I know you love her. Not today though. She needs to have today.”
Max shook his head. “I can’t do that Connor. I respect the hell out of you and I know you’re trying to protect her, but so am I. I’ve been sitting outside all night, wishing I was inside with her like I was supposed to be for her first night here. I saw the first lights come on inside. I almost bolted through the door when I saw her unlock it. I knew you guys would be here. I’m asking you, man to man, would you back off if Riley was upset with you?”
“You know I wouldn’t.” Connor crossed his arms over his chest, making him appear even bigger.
“Then you know how I feel. I’m not giving up. I’m not here to ruin the day-“
“Except you are,” Brady jumped in, standing shoulder to shoulder with Connor. “Charlie’s standing over there as if she’s afraid to move. If her reaction to you isn’t enough to convince you she doesn’t want you to be here, nothing will.”
Max looked at me. I knew he was watching me, deciding for himself how I was really feeling. Max had always been able to read me, like I was a book and he was the author. There weren’t any secrets from Max when he wanted to discover something. The problem was, I didn’t want him learning my secrets anymore. He’d lost that right.
Especially since at the moment he was likely to see how much I’d missed him. How much I still wanted him. How much I was hoping he c
ould explain it all away and we could be together again.
“Guys, I mean no disrespect, but I’d like to hear it from Charlotte that she doesn’t want me here. That she doesn’t want to see me again. I need to hear those words fall past her beautiful lips. If she can tell me that, to my face, then I will leave and never bother her again.”
He spoke the words to Brady and Connor but his eyes held mine the entire time. Max knew I couldn’t do it. I’d never be able to tell him to go away.
I still loved him in spite of all he’d done.
And he knew that just by looking into my eyes.
“She doesn’t have to tell you anything, Max. We’ve told you for her. We’ve repeated the words she’s said. You left her alone for the last month. Why now? Why when she’s finally getting herself back? Today is the first time we’ve seen her acting like herself. Please don’t ruin today for her.”
“But not once has Charlotte told me to leave. As for coming back today… I knew I had to respect her wishes. I knew if I didn’t leave her alone she wouldn’t trust me that I was going to put her first. It killed me every day to listen to Abby tell me about the things they were doing. To hear my sister spending time with the woman I loved. It wasn’t fair, but it was what Charlotte needed. I wasn’t going to take that time away from her. I hoped Abby would put in a good word for me and help us get back together, but she refused. Abby knew if she kept talking about me that Charlotte would just close up and leave. Abby gained a friend, a group of friends,” Max gestured to where Abby was sitting in the middle of our group. “And I lost everything. I know you guys are here to protect her, but that’s my job. I love her. I put her first for a month so she could heal. So she could forgive me. I told myself if you replied to my text this morning that I would come here and tell you I love you and ask for another chance. Nothing made me happier than hearing from you after a month of nothing. When I saw you at Lexi and Mike’s house I couldn’t bear not charging in and dragging you home with me. When I went to SkinnyCakes and knew you were in the kitchen it took all my strength to not do the same.”
“How did you know I was there?”
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