Always in my Heart (The Subzero Series, #2)

by Rebecca Elise

  “No but that’s different. First of all, Abby finds me irresistible and would never be able to turn me away and secondly that boy has no skills.”

  “And you do?”

  “Absolutely,” I say as we walk back towards the building. “Do you know what I said to win Abby over?”

  “This ought to be good.”

  I hold the door open, letting Jack walk through first.

  “Nothing. I said absolutely nothing. All I did was give her a sexy, smoldering glance as she was walking up to us that first day. Just one look was all it took.”

  Jack grimaces. “If I remember correctly, you fell in love with her the moment she came into view so maybe she is the one with the skills.”

  “You’re probably right. That would make more sense.”

  I walk over to reception and tap the palm of my hands on the countertop. Clara looks up and she lets out a loud gasp. Her hand flies up to her mouth.

  “Mr. McDermott!” She exclaims. “Are you okay?”

  “Totally fine, no need to worry. I was just wondering if there is a first aid kit around here.”

  Clara jumps up from her seat causing it to spin a couple of times. She rushes over to a wooden cabinet, opens one of the drawers and pulls out a red and white kit. She hands it to me and I thank her, turning to walk down the hall towards the bathroom.

  I hear a gasp and look up to see Cath standing in front of me. Both of her hands are clasped over her mouth. She slowly walks towards me, stopping when she is barely a few inches away.

  “Oh my God Tyler!” She barely whispers. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  I nod and smile. “It’s okay. It isn’t your fault. He shouldn’t be bothering you anymore though.”

  She grabs the first aid kit from my hand, latches onto my arm and pulls me into the bathroom.

  “Umm...this is the men’s room.” I say.

  She glances around. “So it is.”

  “You shouldn’t be in here. I’m just gonna clean myself up and I’ll be out in a minute.” I tell her.

  She shakes her head. “No, this happened because of me so I want to take care of you. I’ll be your own personal nurse. Whatever you need...I will give you...I’m happy to do it.”

  She grabs a paper towel, wets it and presses it to my lips. She pats gently around my mouth. When she is done she tosses the paper towel into the trash can, grabs a q-tip, dips it into a bottle of antiseptic and slides it along the skin below my mouth.

  “There you go.” She says softly as she puts everything back in the first aid kit.

  Cath glances up at me, her brown eyes look so sad. She reaches a hand up and caresses my cheek with her fingertips. She bites her lower lip and my gaze falters from her eyes to her mouth. Her lips look so soft.

  I wonder what it would be like to kiss her.

  I shake my head at the thought. Why on earth am I thinking about that? It must be a side effect from the two blows to the face I just took. She looks as though she wants to kiss me and I am yelling at myself to run away...fast.

  The bathroom door swings open and Dean walks in. He looks back and forth between Cath and I and I can practically see the anger radiating off of his body.

  What is wrong with him?

  “What’s going on in here?” Dean asks.

  “I was just cleaning up the cut on his mouth. I figured it was the least I could do.” Cath says quietly.

  “Well that’s...nice of you.” Dean says, his eyes never leaving my face.

  Cath looks back and forth between me and Dean. To call this moment uncomfortable and awkward would be a major understatement.

  “Okay well...I should go,” Cath says. “I’m sorry again that you got hurt.”

  Cath grabs my arm as she walks away. I noticed Dean checking her out as she walks by him. He turns back to me shaking his head.

  “She has a nice bum.” He says.

  “Indeed.” I say.

  Dean gives me an odd look that makes me think maybe I should have kept that comment to myself. I turn towards the mirror to look at the damage that wanker did to my face. I touch my fingers up to the bruise that is already marring my eye and wince, sucking in my breath.

  “He really got you good didn’t he?” Dean asks.

  “Maybe but I wasn’t going out there to fight. If I had, it would have been his ass on the ground and not mine. I would have hit him with an elbow to his jugular, a knee to the stomach and I would have finished by grabbing his arm and flinging him over my shoulder.”

  Dean leans back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and frowns at me. “Since when do you know how to fight like that?”

  I shrug. “I don’t really. Saw it in a movie once. Doesn’t look like it would be that hard.”

  “What movie was it? Was it a Chuck Norris? I would love to be him for a day.”

  “No, it was Miss. Congeniality actually.”

  Dean looks as though he doesn’t know what to say to that. Then he bends over, slaps his knees and starts laughing hysterically.

  “What?” I ask him incredulously. “Look one of these days, when you’re a big boy, you’re going to meet some poor, unsuspecting woman that clearly has low standards and she’s going to want to watch chick flicks and guess what...you watch them and you don’t say a word about it.”

  “What exactly does Abby see in you again?”

  I shake my head. “I ask myself that question all the time. I think I’ve narrowed it down to my dashing good looks and my ability to make her laugh...that and the fact that she finds me unbelievably sexy.”

  I stand in front of the mirror, put my hands on my hips and puff out my chest. Just then my cell phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket, check the display and groan.

  “Abby?” Dean asks.

  “Worse,” I say. “It’s Chloe.”

  Dean laughs. “I swear she knows things are happening as they are happening.”

  “You’re probably right,” I mutter as I accept the call. “Chloe love, how is my favorite future sister in law?”

  “I’m well, slugger, do you want to tell me when it was you decided to get into street fighting?” She asks.

  “Hmmm...guess it was round about an hour or so ago.” I say.

  “And how was it?”

  “Eh...a bit overrated.”

  “What exactly happened?” She asks, sounding tired.

  “I was just asking him to leave because he has been following Cath around and she was upset that he was here. He asked me and Jack if we were sleeping with her, which we said we were not, and the next thing I know his fist is in my eye. I hit him and then he hit me again...you know how these things work.”

  “So he hit you first? Because he is saying you hit him.”

  “Ask Jack. I didn’t start this.” I say defensively.

  Chloe sighs. “I’m not saying you did. You just...you know out of the four of you, I get the most calls about you. You definitely don’t make my job easy!”

  “Your job isn’t easy? He popped me in the moneymaker...twice! What am I supposed to do if it leaves a mark?” I exclaim.

  “Ask Abby to teach you how to use cover up.”

  “Have you completely lost it? I am not putting on makeup!”

  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing that drummers are in the back!”

  “You’re an evil woman. You know that right?”

  “I know but...you’re kind of stuck with me,” She says with a laugh. “Alright, I have to go field some calls. Try to keep yourself out of trouble.”

  “I will. I promise and you have...”

  “Your word. Yes, I know. Goodbye Tyler!” Chloe says before she hangs up.

  Chapter Nine – Abby

  “Ty?” I call out as I walk in the door.

  I know he’s home because I saw his car parked in his normal spot but the apartment is dark and unusually quiet.

  “I’m on the couch.” He answers.

  I frown. I wonder what is going on. This isn’t like h
im to just lay around in complete silence. I put my stuff down on the counter in the kitchen and walk into the living room where it is so dark I can barely make out the outline of the furniture. I hope I won’t be getting home this late on a daily basis after the bakery opens!

  “Are you okay?” I ask as I flick on the light.

  Tyler is sprawled out on his back on the couch. His eyes, or at least one of them, are closed. The other one he has covered up with a bag of petite sweat peas. I rush over to his side, kneeling down next to the couch. One side of his lower lip is swollen and there is still a little bit of dried blood in the corner of his mouth.

  “Oh my gosh! What happened?” I gasp.

  Tyler waves a hand through the air as if this appearance was normal for him.

  “I’m fine, it’s okay.” He says.

  “What happened?” I asked him again.

  “Oh you know...I was out saving the world from ne’er-do-wells.” Tyler says as he moves to sit up.

  What the hell is that supposed to mean?

  “Translation?”

  “This guy has apparently been following Cath around and I asked him to leave her alone.”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes...well...that isn’t entirely accurate. I wanted to fight the urge, I really did, but he said the “C” word and the eye roll is a natural response to that. Tyler puts his ice pack peas down on the coffee table and pats the seat on the couch next to him. I sit down and he turns to lay down with his head in my lap. He looks up and gives me a mischievous grin.

  “Hey...do you want to play nurse?”

  “No, not so much.” I reply.

  “Don’t be mad.” He says.

  I take a deep breath in and let out a loud sigh. “I’m not mad. I just don’t get why you feel the need to constantly stick up for her.”

  “It’s not like that. He was bothering her. I felt bad. I would do the same thing for you?”

  “Cath bothers me. Are you going to go punching her in the face?”

  “Well...no... she’s a girl.”

  “Fine, then can I punch her in the face?”

  Tyler laughs. “Would it really make you feel better?”

  “It depends,” I say. “Let’s say I go in to your studio tomorrow, walk up to her and punch her right in the face...whose side would you be on?”

  “Yours,” Tyler says without hesitating. “I’m always on your side Abby Jayne.

  ...

  “Hey Abby, there’s a couple of guys here wanting to know if there is any way they can put in an order for a cake.” Marco says as he walks into my office.

  I look up from the paperwork in front of me and frown.

  “We haven’t even opened for business yet.” I say.

  Marco shrugs. “I told them that but they won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Where are they at? Are they outside?”

  “No, Marci told me to let them in. They are sitting at one of the tables.”

  I roll my eyes and shake my head.

  Are you kidding me? What the hell is Marci thinking?

  “Could you tell them I’ll be out in a few minutes?”

  “I will tell them.”

  I pull out the binder containing the list of cake, icing and filling flavors we offer and a photo album containing pictures of cakes I have made in the past as well as pictures Juan Pablo and Carolyn have contributed. Now, I just need to find where I stuck the order forms that came in the other day.

  “Uhhh, Abby?”

  I look up at Marco. “Yes?”

  “They told me to tell you they are terribly busy and important and don’t have all day to wait for you.”

  My jaw sets hard like stone and Marco looks as though he is trying hard to not laugh. I snatch up the stuff I need for a consult and grab a pen, fighting the urge to grab anything that could do bodily harm to someone.

  Okay, you are a professional. No matter how difficult these guys are, just remember you are a damn professional.

  I pause by the door that leads into the bakery to take a deep breath. Just as I am about to push through the swinging door, I hear a male voice say “It’s atrocious how long you have to wait for someone around here.”

  My eyes narrow and I run my tongue across my teeth. I push through the door, walking confidently and purposefully into the bakery.

  “You know, you can feel free to take your business elsewhere,” I say motioning towards the door with my pen. “There are plenty of other bakeries you can bother.”

  “Aw, but Abby, we only want to bother you.” Tyler says, flashing me a toothy grin.

  “And bothering me you are. So I’m dying to know which one of you is terribly busy and important.” I point back and forth between Tyler, Jack and Noah.

  “I’m terribly busy...terribly.” Says Jack.

  “And I am important.” Tyler pipes in.

  I shake my head and laugh. “Well I can’t argue with you there Ty. Did you guys actually need something or are you just here to bother me?”

  “We need a cake, bothering you is just an added bonus.” Noah says.

  “We’re having a birthday party for Dean in a little over a month. Could you make a cake for us?”

  “I can but you know, you don’t have to place an order so early. I just need at least forty eight hours’ notice.”

  “We aren’t sure how busy we are going to be for the next few weeks so we want to get everything squared away now.” Jack says.

  I nod. “Makes sense. What kind of cake are you thinking of?”

  “What’s good?” Tyler asks.

  “Well, salted caramel is pretty popular right now. I could do that as a filling with vanilla cake. I don’t have any samples but I can always make a small cake this weekend at home so you can try it.”

  “What kind of bakery doesn’t have any samples?” Noah says. A look of mock disgust crosses his face.

  “The kind that isn’t open yet. Had you guy waited until we opened, like normal people, you would have samples to try.”

  The front door opens and Caroline comes walking in with a couple of bags from The Bake Depot in her hands.

  “Hey Abby, I have to show you...”

  We all glance up at Caroline and she stops dead in her tracks. Her face turns bright red as she stares at Noah, who is staring right back at her.

  “You okay Caroline?” I ask.

  “Huh? Uh, yeah,” She looks flustered as the blush coloring her cheeks turns a little bit deeper shade of red. “I was just going to show you this stuff I got but it can wait. I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Real quick, Tyler and his friends are throwing a birthday party for their band mates birthday. Do you think you could sculpt something for the top of the cake?”

  “Yeah, if you give me a picture, I could sculpt a miniature image of the birthday boy. I’m assuming it’s the fourth member of the band seeing as there are only three of you here.”

  Noah nods. “Yes it’s for our guitarist Dean.”

  “If you get me a picture of his guitar, I can make that too.”

  “You’re amazing.” Noah says gazing at Caroline. She blushes again and he shakes his head in an attempt to regain his composure. “I mean that you can do that. The fact that you can do that is amazing.”

  “Oh well, I mean, it’s pretty easy.”

  Jack clears his throat and Caroline and Noah both jump a bit.

  “Okay, well, I’m gonna go put this stuff away.” Caroline says as she slightly lifts the bags in her hands.

  “I’ll drop those pictures off to you.” Noah says quickly.

  Caroline nods and glances at me quickly before walking in to the kitchen. We all turn at the same time and stare at Noah.

  “What was that?” Tyler asked.

  “What?” Noah shrugs. “I was trying to be nice.”

  “She’s single.” I say.

  “Is she?” Noah says in a bored voice, as if he could care less what Caroline’s romantic status was. His emerald green eye
s sparkle though, contradicting the blasé sound in his voice.

  “It doesn’t matter since, as we all know, Noah Walker doesn’t do commitment.” Tyler says.

  “Yeah, well that’s a whole other issue that I don’t have time to get in to. Caroline is great. That’s all I’m going to say.” I lean back in my seat and hold my hands out in front of me, my palms facing Noah.

  Jack and Noah glance at Tyler, raise their eyebrows and cock their heads towards me.

  “Abby my love,” Tyler pauses to give me a toothy smile. “Would you be willing to do one more small, tiny favor?”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes because I am pretty sure this small, tiny favor is going to be anything but small and tiny.

  “What’s that?” I ask warily.

  “We were wondering if you could also make loads of delicious treats for a table.” Tyler says.

  “For how many people?” I ask.

  Tyler, Noah and Jack look at each other, making a big production of shrugging their shoulders, bobbing their heads from side to side and making mumbling noises.

  Just as I am about to ask them to just spit it out, Jack opens his mouth and says “Just a few hundred.”

  “How many is a few hundred?”

  He shrugs. “Don’t know, like two or three maybe.”

  “How do you guys even know...never mind. I don’t even want to know. I’ll have the cake and three different types of pastries. Do you have something in mind or can I just give Juan Pablo free reign to make whatever he wants?”

  “Dean loves those mini éclairs you make. Other than that, we don’t care. Thank you so much Abby. You are a total star.” Jack says.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I press the palms of my hands onto the table and push myself up. “As much as I would love to sit here with you boys all day, I have to get back to work.”

  They stand up and Tyler pulls me into his arms for a tight hug. I inhale deeply, the clean scent of the soap he uses fills my nose.

  “I’ll see you at home later?” he asks.

  “I love how you ask, like I might say no.”

  He feathers kisses across my cheek and whispers into my ear. “Be prepared to receive a little bit of...motivation for agreeing to do this for us.”

  “This is a pretty big order. I may need a lot of motivation.”