Sugar And Spice (Holidays: Valentine)

by Charlotte French

  Crissy took a deep breath and cast her gaze towards the ceiling. Amy would have had this resolved in no time but Crissy was floundering. Drowning, actually.

  After a moment, she returned her gaze to the woman at the counter. The two boys were still plastering their fingers and faces against the display case.

  “Since you are sure,” Crissy said in a forcibly measured tone, “that wasn’t what you ordered, I’ll…”

  “Of course it’s not what I ordered,” the woman cut in. “My sons are allergic to nuts. I wouldn’t let them touch any of this!”

  The boys had wedged their fingers into the glass door again and Crissy had to push her way between them and the display case, blocking the door with her body. God, Amy’s kids better be more well behaved than this. Then again, Amy was already better behaved than their mother.

  “If you could just tell me what you originally ordered,” Crissy said, “I’ll get it fixed it up right away and…”

  Crissy let the sentence trail off as Quinn seemed to materialize next to the woman, his hand on her elbow.

  “Such a concerned mother like yourself,” he said, “wouldn’t let her handsome young boys risk coming in contact with a nut allergen.”

  The woman squinted in suspicion but she nodded. “Of course. They’re my children.”

  Quinn nodded at the boys still trying to wrestle past Crissy. “Then you must be well aware that two hungry boys won’t know the difference between a peanut butter cookie and a chocolate chip cookie once they get their hands in that case and start eating.”

  The woman’s mouth opened and closed then she whipped around, grabbed the wrist of each boy and hauled them out of the coffee shop. Crissy pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the laugh that was beginning to bubble up. Quinn leaned over the counter.

  “I can’t stand parents who are allowed to run wild like that,” he whispered.

  A small yip of laughter escaped Crissy’s lips and she clamped her other hand over her mouth as well.

  “People will hear you,” she whispered back.

  He shrugged. “Everyone else was thinking the same thing. Just stating the obvious. Except for that one little lie.”

  Crissy frowned slightly. “What do you mean? What lie?”

  “Those boys were not handsome.”

  Her eyes widened and she hiccupped even harder with laughter. “That’s terrible!”

  He trailed one hand over the countertop as he walked around the display case and came around to Crissy’s side. He held up a brown paper bag and set it on the counter.

  “You left your coat and scarf back at the station last night,” he said. “After your quick getaway.”

  Crissy winced. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just…”

  “I’m teasing,” he said softly as he slid his hand off the countertop and around her waist. “At the risk of sounding cheesy here – especially after I only saw you less than twenty-four ago – I missed you.”

  Crissy beamed. She took a step closer, making his hand slide even further around her waist, but as she reached up to wrap her fingers around the back of his neck and pull him down to her level…the bell over the door jangled. A herd of college students tumbled in, shaking a small blizzard of snow onto the floor as they made their way to the counter. She sighed and let her forehead rest against Quinn’s chest for a moment, just one blessed moment.

  Quinn chuckled, a warm, vibrating rumble deep in his chest. Crissy closed her eyes and almost melted right into that sound. He kissed the top of her head and she forced herself to pull back.

  “You’re half-dead on your feet already,” he said. “And it’s only the lunch rush.”

  Crissy groaned. “Don’t remind me.” She knew she should at least start moving towards the register, those kids would get restless real quick. But she didn’t want to leave Quinn’s welcome presence.

  “I should probably go,” she hedged, glancing over her shoulder at the swarm of college kids.

  “And I should stop getting in your way.”

  “You’re not,” Crissy replied, perhaps a little too fast.

  Quinn’s eyebrows shot up and a slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  A hot blush blossomed across Crissy’s cheeks. “I meant…”

  She fumbled for a full minute and Quinn just stood there, his smile growing wider by the second, until finally he had mercy on her and interrupted.

  “Are you working the place all by yourself today? I haven’t seen anyone else around.”

  She nodded. “My friend…she needed a day off. Personal problems.”

  Quinn lifted his gaze over Crissy’s head. “Well if you don’t get help soon, you’re going to be pretty swamped.”

  I already am, she thought.

  A beat of silence passed, seemingly heavy with expectation, and Crissy looked up at Quinn. He was staring down at her, waiting for…something.

  “I could…” he started, “I don’t know…lend a hand. If you wanted.”

  “What about the station?”

  He shrugged. “Got the day off.”

  “But I can’t ask you to spend your time off working my job.”

  He chuckled and edged between Crissy and the counter. Crissy sucked in her breath at how close he was, how his hand brushed against her arm.

  “You don’t have to,” he said, his voice pitched low so only she could hear in the small space they occupied for this brief moment. Then he was past her and shedding his coat.

  “But consider it fair warning,” he said over his shoulder. “I’m still a little hazy on the details of how to work a microwave without burning my food to a black crisp so I’m probably not much help with kitchen duty.”

  He turned to the register, put on a bright smile, and started chatting with the college kids like they were old friends.

  Crissy watched him for a moment. He looked so natural there, like it was a perfectly normal, everyday occurrence that he would simply work alongside her. She smiled to herself as she slipped into the kitchen, cradling that sweet, sweet thought all to herself for the rest of the day.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Throughout the day, Quinn never complained. Not once. His feet must have been killing him, but he didn’t say a word. Crissy brought him little things every hour or so – cinnamon swirl cupcakes, a fresh cup of coffee, some warm baguette with butter, and he always thanked her with a smile that lingered a moment longer than necessary. A small voice in the back of her mind wouldn’t stop nagging at her with guilt. She was so sure, every time she went out to check on him, that he would be gone, that he would have vanished after having had enough of doing her work for her.

  But Quinn surprised her over and over, never leaving his post at the register. So Crissy thanked him in the best way she knew how – with food. And partly she did it because she loved to see him smile at her like that….

  When the day started to come to an end and only less than a handful of customers were left lingering over their coffee or pastries, Quinn poked his head into the kitchen.

  “Permission to enter?” he asked.

  Crissy grinned from her place in front of the stove, starting a fresh batch of blueberry filling for next week’s pastries.

  “Of course you can come in,” she said. “Especially after the incredible work you did today.”

  Quinn moved into the kitchen and leaned back on the counter next to her. Crissy wiped her hands on a dish towel and turned to face him.

  “So are you ready to take up the coffee shop profession?” she asked.

  He thought about it for a moment. “It’s definitely a different pace than the station. I think I could get used to it. But I’d have to rescue a few cats from trees every once in a while.”

  Crissy pulled out two plates of croissants, cheese, and meat from the refrigerator. She slid one plate across the counter to him.

  “Is that an invitation to stay for dinner?” he said with a smirk.

  “Absolutely.” She edged her plate next to h
is and tore off a chunk of her croissant. For the entire day, she had made sure that Quinn had enough to eat, but she’d hardly eaten much herself, apart from the few routine taste tests she did throughout the day on batters and icings and sauces.

  They ate in silence for a while until Quinn pushed his plate aside and leaned over to kiss her shoulder.

  “Should probably start heading back to the station,” he said, his breath warm and gentle against her skin. “Got an early morning shift tomorrow.”

  But he didn’t stop his attention to her shoulder, his lips now moving so, so lightly up against her neck that she shivered. Crissy closed her eyes and turned her head to the side to grant him more access. He ran his hands down her sides to settle on her hips and she twisted around to face him. He ran his thumb over her chin before he cupped her face in his palm and kissed her, harder this time, until she could barely breathe. She could feel his hips pressing her back against the counter, the bulk of his body warm and firm and comforting.

  Then Quinn slid just his thumbs under the hem of her t-shirt and Crissy’s breath hitched in her throat. She caught his wrists, digging her fingertips into his skin a little harder than she had intended. Quinn pulled back to look at her, his eyes clouded with concern.

  “Crissy?” he said. “What’s wrong?”

  “I…” She stopped, swallowed. Her heart was thundering so hard and so fast and she couldn’t really think straight despite the blur of sudden panic that such a simple touch had brought up.

  What was she doing? She had barely known this man for a few weeks – she hardly knew him at all really – and she was letting things go this far already? The last time she’d let a man see her undressed was Rob and he had said horrible, horrible things. Words that still echoed in her ears at night when everything was quiet and the shop and the customers and the baking were no longer a distraction. Words that still burned after three years. What if Quinn looked at her like that? With disgust? What if he made a comment like her mother did, about going on a diet? What if…what if she let him in and he hurt her too?

  Crissy tried again. “I think…I think we need to slow down a bit.”

  For a moment – one long, dread-filled moment – Quinn was silent, hesitant. And it only made Crissy’s heart speed up even faster to a galloping pace that made her throat go dry and her hands start to shake.

  At last, Quinn spoke. “I didn’t mean to…” His hands fell away from her and Crissy bit back a sob at the cool air that chilled her skin where he had been so warm before.

  “I just need a little more time, Quinn,” Crissy said, reaching out for him again. “This is all still new…”

  “I get it,” Quinn said with a nod and a small smile. “You need space. You’re right, we’ve been rushing things a bit lately and I’ll…I’ll leave you to it then.”

  He seemed to flicker where he stood – his body leaning towards her, his hands twitching out to her – but his shoulders pulled back towards the door at the same time, like he couldn’t decide which way he should go so his body was trying to move in two directions at once. Then he took a large step back and it was as if a spell had snapped like a delicate, fragile piece of string.

  Something was off. Quinn was being all polite, good manners as usual, but there was something in his eyes, something Crissy couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wanted to hold him there, get him to talk to her, tell him all her worries that this was nothing more than a fleeting fantasy that would shatter and she’d wake up with a broken heart. Again.

  But before Crissy could get a word out, Quinn was gone. The little bell over the door barely made a peep as he left. And Crissy was still standing in the kitchen, alone, feeling as if something had just gone horribly wrong and she didn’t know what it was or how it had happened.

  Crissy placed one trembling hand on the counter to brace herself as she sucked in a small breath.

  “I’m sorry, Quinn,” she whispered into the roaring silence. “I just need time. Please.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A week dragged by, one slow day at a time, and Quinn didn’t come around again. Ever since Quinn had walked out the door, a pit of dread had been growing in Crissy’s stomach, day by day, until it was a gaping chasm.

  Crissy had lost count of how many times during the past week that Amy had caught her standing in the kitchen, staring off into space, whatever task at hand completely forgotten which typically ended up in disaster. The same was true now as Crissy stood at the stove, her gaze seeming to blaze a hole right through the counter top, the butter she was supposed to be browning for coffee cake long since passed out of her mind.

  Amy surged into the kitchen on Thursday morning and dropped her massive bag on the counter. “Sorry I’m late,” she chirped. “Manu and I were arguing over baby names. I told him I wanted to think about kids a little more but it’s kind of fun tossing names around every once in a while.”

  Crissy shook herself back to the present then swore under her breath as she caught a whiff of smoke. The butter had turned to a black-brown mix, completely unusable, and she hurried to turn the stove off. She growled and dumped the ruined butter down the drain.

  “That’s the third butter batch you’ve burned in as many days, cupcake,” Amy pointed out. She leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her arms. “The only time I’ve seen you burn butter is when something is holding your attention more than food. And I can guess what that would be. Or I should say…who…that would be,” she added with a smirk.

  Crissy sighed and braced her hands against the lip of the sink. “It’s just been a long week, you know?”

  Amy placed a hand against Crissy’s back. “How about we make it a half day and take a three day weekend?”

  A long weekend would give her time to talk to Quinn. And she really, really needed to talk to him, even though the thought made her sick with worry and anxiety. But Crissy knew she would have to face him at some point. Things couldn’t sit like this between them for too much longer, she would go absolutely batshit crazy. Maybe she could take him a peace offering on Saturday. That would give her the entire day on Friday to mentally prepare herself…

  “Crissy,” Amy said. “You were miles away. Come on back to me, girl friend. What’s going on?”

  Crissy glanced up at Amy, the small, understanding smile ever present on Amy’s lips, soft dark eyes so steadily trained on Crissy. For as long as Crissy could remember, she had always told Amy everything. Ever since they were little, Amy had been her better half, inseparable. But there had been some things, about her ex-fiance, that she didn’t tell Amy, some things she just couldn’t bring herself to tell anyone because she’d much rather forget them. And if she told Amy what happened with Quinn, Amy would make the connection that Crissy hadn’t told her everything and she would want to know.

  “I long weekend sounds perfect,” Crissy said instead. She turned back to the sink to scrub the sticky butter out of the pot. Amy squeezed her fingers into Crissy’s shoulder for a moment then let her hand slide away.

  “Suit yourself, sugar,” Amy said. “But when you feel like talking, I’ll be here.”

  The bell over the door jangled, jarring in the sudden stillness, signaling the arrival of customers. As Amy headed out of the kitchen, Crissy’s stomach, already a mess with dread over Quinn, tightened even more until it almost hurt. She already watched Quinn walk away from her, but she couldn’t bear to watch Amy do it too, not with the way Crissy was handling things at the moment.

  Crissy wiped her hands on a towel and dove into the refrigerator until she found the pink and white box she’d safely hidden all the way in the back. She lingered in the kitchen until Amy had finished with the customers before she slipped up to the counter next to Amy and bumped her shoulder.

  “Hey,” Crissy said.

  Amy turned and smiled at her. “Hey yourself,” she said.

  Crissy sighed. I don’t deserve her, she thought. Amy always offered herself up, listened to Crissy’s problems, and w
hen Crissy shut her out, Amy didn’t even flinch, just kept smiling. Crissy placed the box on the counter and slid it across to Amy.

  “I was going to wait until tonight to surprise you with this when you went home but…” She shrugged, letting the sentence trail off unfinished.

  “Is it going to jump out at me?” Amy teased, taking the box and unfastening the lid.

  “That was one time,” Crissy replied. “And only after you’d been pranking me for two weeks straight.”

  Amy snickered. “And you screamed every time, like it was so unexpected.”

  “You’re a brat.”

  “Damn straight. Your life would be so dull without me and you know it.”

  Crissy let out a small wisp of laughter and leaned her head against Amy’s shoulder. “I do know it. Now open it already before I open it for you.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Amy said, tugging the box towards her again. “You’re going to make a great boss someday.”

  Amy popped the lid open and sucked in a surprised breath. Inside, sat a small white cake, Amy’s favorite chocolate covered strawberries nestled into clouds of icing around the rim, and in the center, carefully piped in purple icing read, “Mama Bear.”

  “I realize you haven’t made a final decision yet,” Crissy said. “But I’ve known you for most of my life, I think I can guess what you’ll choose.”

  Amy grinned from ear to ear and wrapped her arms around Crissy in an unbearably tight hug.

  After a moment, Crissy mumbled, “You’re squishing me,” and Amy pulled back with a laugh.

  “Sorry, sugar, I just can’t help it,” she said. She plucked a strawberry off the cake and studied it for a moment. Without looking up, she said, “I went off the pill last night.”

  Crissy raised her eyebrows. “So you…you’ve decided? You’re going to…”

  Amy took a shaky breath and let it out. “I guess that’s sort of making the decision, right?”

  Crissy gripped Amy’s hand. “Are you okay?”