Crissy made to pinch him again but Quinn caught her wrist and held her hand at bay. At that moment, the timer on the oven went off and he let her go. As Crissy reached for the oven mitt, she swiped another pinch.
“So that’s how it’s going to be then, is it?” Quinn asked. “You get the last word in all our arguments from now on?”
Crissy slid the brownies onto the cooling rack and grinned up at him. “You bet, mister.”
***
February slid away into March. There were no more sudden kitchen fires. Crissy doubled her baking productivity. And Quinn stopped in at the coffee shop nearly every day with a warm, familiar greeting and a kiss just for her.
One morning, as Crissy was juggling two fresh pans of pound cake before the breakfast rush, the bell over the door signaled a customer had arrived. Crissy burst into a wide grin, knowing full well it was Quinn. She rushed to drop the cakes on the counter, pulled her apron off and darted out of the kitchen.
Crissy pulled up short. Amy was glaring at the woman on the opposite side of the counter in stiff silence. For a heart-stopping moment, Crissy thought her mother had paid a visit. Then she realized that wasn’t possible. Her mother would have fanfare. Her mother would not have waited at the counter. So if it wasn’t her mother then…it had to be her sister. And she was glaring daggers back at Amy, looking wholly out of place in her designer black suit against the humble coffee shop. Her bleached blonde hair was swept up in a perfect, flawless French twist. One hand rested on the counter, her bright red manicured fingernails drumming away with impatience.
“Andrea,” Crissy said, shocked. “What…are you doing here?”
Andrea turned, her blue eyes cold and annoyed. Always annoyed.
“My wedding, of course,” she said. “The clock is ticking and I only have a few months to prepare for June. You obviously have to be a bridesmaid but you’re too busy with your little…shop here. So I thought I’d come to you. I couldn’t afford being put off with any of your excuses about being busy.”
Crissy stifled a sigh and summoned up an infinite amount of patience. Amy looked about ready to pounce but Crissy caught her elbow and Amy snapped her mouth shut with a growl.
“Do you have the bridesmaids dresses all picked out?” Crissy asked.
“Minor details need to be fixed before I make my final decision. I brought samples of fabric, a portfolio of sketches I’ve done, among other things. But I left them in the car.” She made a vague gesture towards the coffee shop. “Is there somewhere…clean…we could discuss this?”
“The shop is clean…”
“Well I can’t work with this many people around. I need space.”
Crissy nodded. “My room is upstairs. It’s small but you won’t have to deal with any crowds.”
Andrea made a non-committal hum and swept out the door. Amy groaned and slumped over the counter.
“Why did you offer up your own room, sugar?” she asked.
“Because she’s my sister,” Crissy replied. “And this is her wedding. She’s wanted this for as long as I can remember.”
“But…”
Crissy cast a pleading look at her and Amy’s protests deflated.
“I don’t like her being here,” Amy said.
“I can see that. It’s written all over your face.”
“She’s not my sister. I don’t have to be nice to her.”
“Amy, please. The nicer we are to her, the faster she’ll be out of our hair.”
“The bitchier we are, she’ll throw a bigger tantrum on the way out the door. That would be so much more fun.”
“No.”
Amy huffed and turned to the coffee pot, jabbing buttons. “Can’t stop me from thinking whatever I want.”
“No I can’t. But I’m sure I’ll hear all about it later when I pay you back with a massive amount of chocolate covered strawberries.”
Amy pointed at her. “Don’t think bribery will make this situation any better.”
Before Crissy could protest, Andrea shoved the door open with her shoulder, carting two suitcases behind her and a massive cardboard box under one arm. Amy watched Andrea struggle for a moment and pointedly turned away. Crissy elbowed her on the way past to take the box from Andrea and show her upstairs.
Andrea grimaced at Crissy’s tiny bedroom. “Well. It will have to do.”
“While you get settled,” Crissy said, “I’ll just check on a few things and I’ll be right back.”
She hurried down the stairs and as soon as she reached the kitchen, she braced her hands against the counter with a deep breath. Amy poked her head in the kitchen door.
“Think nasty thoughts,” she said. “It’ll help.”
Then she disappeared. Crissy sighed and shook the pound cake from their pans onto the cooling rack and slid a fresh batch in the oven.
A light knock drew her attention. Quinn stood in the doorway, his hands tucked in his pockets and he was smiling from ear to ear.
“Hey,” he said. “I thought we’d head out for…”
“No, no, no,” she said, attempting to herd him out of the kitchen. “You have to go.”
“What?” he asked. “Why? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, Quinn, it’s not you. Just trust me on this.”
“Crissy, what’s going on?” He faced her, concern growing in his eyes now.
“My sister is here,” she said through gritted teeth. “You need to leave.”
“Because you don’t want your sister to see me?”
“Yes. But not the way you’re thinking of.”
Quinn frowned. He started to protest when the sharp click of heels on tile floor cut in.
“Cristina,” Andrea said, her voice smooth and silky. “Who’s this? You seem awfully familiar.”
Crissy hesitated, panicking. She glanced up at Quinn and terror made her stomach flip as she saw the hurt growing in his eyes at her hesitation. There was no point in hiding Quinn from Andrea now. She knew. And she wouldn’t rest until she got every last drop of information on him.
“My boyfriend,” Crissy said, never taking her eyes away from Quinn.
She hated the way her voice trembled and she wished she had sounded stronger than she really felt. But the hurt in Quinn’s eyes was gone. There was a hint of a smile teasing at his lips, secret and soft and quiet, just for her. And that was worth the risk of letting Andrea know something good was happening in her life, something that made her light-headed with happiness.
“He works at the fire station just down the block,” Crissy continued. “Quinn, this is my sister, Andrea.”
Andrea shook his hand, slowly, lightly, and smiled like a cat with a trapped mouse.
“The pleasure is mine, Quinn,” she said, sidling to the other side of Quinn and trailing her hand up his arm to rest against his elbow.
A flash of uncertainty clouded Quinn’s eyes and he squared his shoulders to face her while sliding his arm around Crissy’s waist. But Andrea wasn’t getting the hint and took a step closer.
“I hope you don’t mind my saying so,” she said. “But you don’t look like the type to be happy in this little backwater. Denver would suit you perfectly. I could pull a few strings for you, get you a job, an apartment…”
As she talked, she circled one finger over his forearm. Quinn took her wrist and moved her hand away.
“Denver never suited me much actually,” he replied. “Crissy’s told me about you. A lawyer, right?”
Andrea fumbled, looking adrift without an anchor as she tried to come to grips with the fact that her advances had been brushed off so quickly. But once the attention was on her, she perked up again.
“Followed in my mother’s footsteps,” she said. “Mother always said I took to the business world like a natural.”
“She must be proud of both of you I imagine,” Quinn said.
Andrea’s smile grew and she smoothed a hand down her suit. “I wouldn’t want to brag…”
“With one daugh
ter a lawyer, and the other daughter practically running her own bakery business here, that’s impressive.”
Andrea’s smile faltered and she flicked a glare in Crissy’s direction. Crissy coughed to hide her laughter and Quinn tightened his fingers against her waist the slightest bit.
“Excuse me,” Andrea said. “I have wedding plans to look over. Busy, busy. The usual.”
After Andrea had retreated up the stairs, Crissy took Quinn’s face in her hands and kissed him.
“You are amazing,” she said. “She hates the idea that I could ever possibly be compared to her in any way other than to make her shine brighter.”
“She seemed pretty tarnished to me with all that preening. And here I thought Amy was scary.”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea she was coming here. I swear. I would have warned you if I’d known.”
Quinn shrugged. “It’s okay. But I think you’re right. I should probably run for my life.”
“I doubt she’ll stay long,” Crissy said. “See you tomorrow?”
He tipped his head to the side, considering. “I don’t know. Depends.”
“On what?”
“Did you mean what you said? To Andrea. Because you looked pretty panicked and I won’t hold you to it if…”
Understanding finally dawned in Crissy’s mind and she took Quinn’s hand, cutting him off.
“Yes,” she said. “I meant every word.”
Quinn stole another kiss, smiling against her mouth, and when he pulled away, he brushed his thumb over her chin.
“Then I’d better plan something special for my girlfriend on the weekend,” he said.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Andrea was not happy. After Quinn left, she was waiting on the stairs until Crissy turned around. She crossed her arms, one sharp hip jutted out, shoulders tilted back. Crissy knew that look. She grew up watching Andrea perfect it. That look meant murder.
“You never said you were seeing anyone,” Andrea said. The smoothness of her tone from only a few minutes ago was gone now, replaced with acidic accusation.
“I didn’t think it was really that important,” Crissy replied. “You have enough to juggle with the wedding. Mom has her clients.”
“That won’t fly with Mother. You know that. She’s going to be furious when she finds out.”
Crissy spread her hands. “She’s going to be furious with me no matter what.”
Andrea closed the space between them in two long strides, heels click-clacking on the tile floor like bullets sliding into the chamber of a gun.
“Mother won’t approve. At all. I can tell you that right now.”
“She approved of my ex-fiance and look how that turned out. Complete disaster.”
“Oh, don’t start with that. You threw that down the tubes because you’re too sensitive.”
Crissy clamped her mouth shut as anger burned in her stomach. Hot words flooded to the tip of her tongue but she didn’t trust herself to say what she meant and not cause more harm than good.
“You belong at the firm, with Mother and me,” Andrea hissed. “If you ally yourself with someone like that, you’ll be stuck in this backwater for the rest of your life. You’ll always be poor and you simply can’t do that to Mother. You’ve already been a burden enough. You can do so much better than him, Cristina.”
At the attack on Quinn, Crissy’s self-control vanished.
“No,” she said.
Andrea blinked and jerked back, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”
“His name is Quinn. And he is one of the best damn things to ever happen in my life. He makes me happy. And don’t you dare say one more word about him being anything less than the incredible, thoughtful, kind person that he is.”
Andrea sputtered, shocked. “Did you see the way he spoke to me?”
“I saw you insulting him and…”
“I most certainly was not insulting him,” Andrea cut in. “And that just goes to show how bad of an influence this place has been on you. I am nothing but politeness. You just never appreciate it.”
“You sound exactly like Mom when you talk like that,” Crissy fired back before she could stop herself. “Like a little clone. Because you can’t think for yourself.”
The slap came so fast and so sharp, Crissy didn’t even see it coming. She should have known, the way she was standing up to Andrea and fighting back, that Andrea would never simply sit there and take it. That had never been her way.
“You have only a few months to clean up your attitude,” Andrea hissed, jabbing her finger in Crissy’s face. “Because I will have no problem cutting you out of my wedding if you keep acting like this. Ungrateful and selfish. And if you force my hand, if you make me take my own sister out of my wedding, you might as well just stab Mother in the back now. Her heart will be broken because you were the one to take away a memory every mother should have at her daughter’s wedding.”
She spun, stalked up the stairs and slammed the door to Crissy’s room. Crissy stood there, feeling more than a little dazed and dizzy from arguing with her sister’s twisted logic. And her cheek felt like it was on fire from where Andrea had slapped her.
“That’s it.”
Amy stormed out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs. Crissy moved in front of her, physically blocking the stairway.
“Crissy,” Amy growled. “Move.”
“No.”
“She has no right to treat you like that!”
Crissy nodded. “And that exact same argument could be made for how I treated her which I’m not proud of by the way.”
“You were well within your rights and…”
“I could have handled it much better. So it’s best to let things cool down for a little while, Amy. Please.”
Amy started past her but Crissy shifted her weight, cutting off any access to the stairs. Amy pulled back with a sigh of annoyance.
“She flirted with Quinn,” Amy ground out. “Right in front of you.”
“That’s nothing new.”
Amy pressed a hand to her forehead, the other hand propped on her hip.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I can’t believe you’re so calm when I want to rip that bitch’s face off right now. She breezes in here, turns everything upside down at the snap of her fingers. You have a life, Crissy. You have a job and a boyfriend. She can’t do this to you.”
Crissy reached out, took Amy’s elbow. “For once in my life, Amy, I want to be happy with my family, especially for my sister’s wedding. It’s only for a day tops, and then she’s gone. After the wedding, what are the chances I’ll ever see Andrea again? She’ll be married. She’ll start having kids. This might be my last chance to make it right with my sister.”
Amy sighed again and let her hands drop to her sides. “I hate how you never get angry at anything.”
Crissy hooked her arm through Amy’s elbow and squeezed her arm. “Oh, I get angry plenty of times. But I feel so guilty for it.” She shrugged. “It just causes more hurt in the end and that’s the last thing I want for anyone.”
Amy glared up the stairwell at Crissy’s closed door. She placed her hand over Crissy’s at her elbow.
“I want you to be happy with your family too, sugar,” she said. “I really do. I’ve wanted that for you ever since you were little. But I’m afraid you’re holding out hope for the impossible at this point.”
She kissed Crissy’s cheek and returned to the kitchen leaving Crissy to wrestle with the silent realization that deep down, she knew Amy was right.
***
Andrea didn’t come out of Crissy’s room until the next morning, forcing Crissy to sleep on Amy’s couch. Andrea swept into the kitchen in cream colored slacks and a navy blue blouse, and started nosing through Crissy’s cabinets as Crissy wrestled with a pan of blueberry cake doughnuts.
Crissy glanced up, startled at Andrea’s sudden entrance.
“Can I…help you?” she asked. “What are you looking for?”
Andre
a turned to look at her, eyebrows raised, and placed a hand to her chest.
“Oh, are you talking to me this morning?” she said, tone dry and tight with condescension.
Crissy closed her eyes and sighed. “Andrea, about yesterday…”
Andrea crossed her arms. “Yes, you were quite rude.”
Crissy gripped the pan of doughnuts so tight, she could feel the heat emanating from the metal through her oven mitt. She slid it onto the cooling rack, using the task of food to keep her grounded and calm. How Amy ever thought she didn’t get angry at anything was a mystery. The anger was boiling now, dangerously close to the surface, and she didn’t want a repeat of yesterday’s performance. It was up to Crissy to keep things calm this morning.
“Let’s just…forget about yesterday,” she offered. “Let’s leave it behind us and…”
Andrea snorted and shook her head.
“You were always terrible at apologies.”
Crissy gritted her teeth. “Andrea, planning a wedding is stressful. We don’t need to add to that stress.”
“You don’t need to tell me that. I’ve been planning this for years. You haven’t.”
Amy appeared in the kitchen doorway. Her gaze darkened when she spotted Andrea but Crissy shook her head. Amy hesitated and almost appeared to take a step forward but Crissy kept staring at her, hard, and Amy stuck out her tongue at Andrea’s back before she walked away.
Crissy slid her oven mitts off and turned to focus all of her attention on Andrea.
“Then tell me what else you need to decide on for the bridesmaids’ dresses,” she said. “Let’s start there.”
Andrea looked away, jaw clenched, shoulders rigid, then she rolled her eyes.
“Fine,” she said. “I got nothing done yesterday anyway. Complete waste of time.”
Slowly, Crissy let out a small breath of relief. That was nowhere near an apology and nothing had been fixed, not really, but at least they weren’t at each other’s throats. For however long that lasted.
“Then let’s get something done today,” Crissy said. “I’ll bring something up to eat while we work if you like.”
Andrea held up a hand. “I’m on a very strict diet regime, that one Mother sent you details about.” She paused, looked Crissy up and down. “You did get that diet, didn’t you?”
Sugar And Spice (Holidays: Valentine) Page 12