Make Me, Take Me

by Amanda Usen

  He rolled into a sitting position, noticing she was wearing the same clothes she’d been wearing last night, plus an apron. “Did you stay up all night?”

  “Wasn’t worth going to sleep when I had to be up to get things going in the bakery.”

  He opened his mouth to tell her he was sorry for keeping her up so late, but her smile stopped him. She smoothed his hair. “I’d lose a million nights’ sleep to find you again.”

  He caught her hand and pressed it to his cheek. “Me, too.”

  He gathered his things and used her bathroom before he followed her up front to the shop. The first sip of the steaming cup of tea she placed in front of him was like a punch in the gut. He hadn’t drunk hot tea since he was a child. Memories flooded him. She said nothing, merely patting his shoulder, as if she couldn’t get enough of touching him, and put a plate of warm pastries on the table. He savored the tea and the treats while she bustled behind the counter.

  His nightmares of the past were gone, hopefully for good, but his future felt dark and uncertain. He missed Betsy already. The absence of her took up more space in his heart than he would have thought possible. His old shadows were gone, but apparently he’d traded them for a great big new one.

  He looked out the front window of the tea shop, surprised to see the front door of Last Call wide open even though it was barely seven in the morning. A dark-haired man paced at the entrance of the alley. A grin slashed his face when a produce truck pulled up to the curb. Quin watched them unload box after box.

  A van with ladders hanging off both sides pulled up behind the truck, and a blond guy strode out of the front door of the bar to greet the men who piled out of the vehicle. After a short discussion at the curb, the guy nodded, smiled, and went back into Last Call. The workmen strapped on utility belts and began carrying building supplies in the front door. Betsy was nowhere in sight. Neither was her mother or Kate. What the hell was going on?

  He sucked in a sharp breath. Had she decided to spruce up the place since he’d paid off the mortgage? Anger kindled inside him, getting hotter when a furniture delivery truck turned the corner onto the street. He had a feeling he knew just where it was headed. Sure enough, it pulled into the spot vacated by the produce truck. He clenched his teeth. When his phone buzzed, he snatched it out of his jacket pocket.

  Betsy. A few minutes ago, he would have been delighted, over the moon thrilled, to hear from her. Now, the sight of her name made him furious. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Quin.” Silence beat between them. “I wanted to say thank you. For paying off the mortgage.” Her voice was tentative, as if she were feeling him out on the subject.

  He wasn’t giving anything more away. “You’re welcome.”

  More silence.

  “Uh, I know it’s a lot to ask after what happened last night, but I’ve got some friends in town…” She trailed off, and he wondered what she wanted. Did she need somewhere for them to stay? The Keystone was full.

  She cleared her throat. “I’d like to introduce you.”

  Everything inside him went still. He closed his eyes, breathing through the crippling hope that shut down his brain. He had no reason to expect her to have changed her mind overnight, but she’d called to say thank you, and she hadn’t mentioned a lawyer, a bank, or a repayment schedule, as he had half expected. She wants to introduce me to her friends. Was she going to let him into her life? His heart leaped, but he forced himself to remain calm. “Why?”

  “Because they’re important to me…and so are you. I’m sorry about last night. I’m sorry about a lot of things, actually, and I’d like to explain and maybe make it up to you, if you’ll let me.”

  Quin felt as if his foundation was shaking. Last night in the cemetery, he’d decided to stay, to keep trying, to hope for another chance to become part of her life. Now that it seemed as if it might happen, he realized how easy it had been to hope—and how hard it was to trust. Was this how Betsy had felt every minute of the last two weeks? Like everything could fall apart in a heartbeat? If so, he had a whole new understanding of her struggle. His hand rattled the cup in his saucer.

  “Quin? Are you still there?”

  “Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I’d love to meet your friends.”

  “Great.” He heard a loud crash in the background, followed by a string of curses. Betsy gulped. “I’ve got to go. Can you meet me in your lobby at three tomorrow?”

  “What’s going on over there?”

  “You’ll see. At three?”

  “Sure. I’ll see you then.”

  “Oh, wait—can I borrow a few servers tomorrow? I have a feeling business is going to be booming, and Kate is MIA again.”

  “Uh…sure.” Now that was unexpected, especially after what she’d accused him of last night, but whatever. “Want me to send them over at ten?”

  “That’s perfect. Thank you. I really appreciate the help.” He ended the call and stared at his phone for a second, feeling his heart slam against his ribs. How the hell was he going to wait until tomorrow? And since when did Betsy ask him for help? Another text from Kyle popped up on the screen, so he tapped it.

  Trenton and Hart found your sister.

  Quin stood and walked over to the counter to snap a selfie with Melly.

  She found me first. Anything going on over there you can’t handle?

  Kyle’s reply was instant.

  Nope. I’m all over it. And so damn happy for you.

  As Quin heard a door open and saw his nephew enter the shop wearing pajamas, he knew exactly how he would spend the time—with his family.

  …

  Betsy was breathless as she looked around the bar. Everything was exactly the same, but better. The ceiling was repaired, the baseboards replaced, and the walls repainted. All of the wobbly tables had been swapped out with new steady ones, and the chairs had been upgraded. “It’s too much,” she whispered.

  “Are you kidding me?” Jenna asked. “Roman loves working at Cooper’s, but he’s been itching for a new project. He’s in heaven.”

  “The money. It’s too much money.”

  Roman popped up from behind the bar where he’d been examining the new taps. “You can pay me back whenever or never. This place is awesome. Don’t take this the wrong way, but a French Quarter dive-bar is pretty much the coolest thing ever. I’d give you three times what your very minor renovations cost if you let me hang out at the bar whenever I want.”

  “And before you start in about the food cost, I know Jack feels the same way.” Lila slung an arm around her shoulders. “He’s having the time of his life in your kitchen. He inhaled three Cajun cookbooks cover-to-cover on the way down here, and if you didn’t let him cook, he’d probably insist on opening a new restaurant when we get home. You’re doing me a favor, honestly. I still haven’t recovered from Inferno.”

  Betsy rolled her eyes. “Right—I’m doing you a favor.”

  “So how does it feel?” Jenna asked.

  “How does what feel?” Had she missed something?

  “Letting other people help you, especially when it’s what they want to do? Not so bad, huh?” Jenna’s smile was smug.

  “We certainly enjoyed it.” Lila patted her hand. “We’d do anything for you, just like we know you’d do anything for us.”

  Just like she’d do anything for Quin. When you loved people, you helped them—and you let them help you. She grinned at her friends. “I have to admit, it feels pretty darn good.” She threw her arms around them both and squeezed. “Thank you so much for coming to my rescue.”

  “What are friends for?” Lila said. “Now, scoot. You don’t want to be late to meet your prince.”

  …

  Quin watched Betsy walk across the lobby toward him. She looked tired. And beautiful. And determined as hell. She stopped in front of him. It was hard not to reach for her, but it was her move. He might love her, but he wasn’t going to make it easy on her. Despite the powerful attraction between them, they’d
have to work for this, and he wanted to make sure they were on the same page before he got his hopes up too far. He’d had a lot of time to think yesterday.

  She held out her hand, and he took it. When their fingers connected, she shuddered and sucked in a hard breath. Her gaze met his, banked coals, and his resolution crumbled. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. They stood, entwined. There was so much unsaid, but the pull between them was so strong, he hardened. After facing the possibility of never holding her again, getting as close to her as humanly possible felt imperative. Maybe they could talk later…in his room. They communicated better naked anyway. He walked her backward toward the elevator.

  She dug in her heels. “Not this time. You want more than my body, remember?”

  His heart raced. “I do.”

  She led him out of the Keystone and to the front door of Last Call. The room was half full of smiling customers lingering over dessert. His servers hurried around, clearing tables and taking care of checks. Betsy’s mother waved from the door to the kitchen, and two white-jacketed chefs sat at the bar.

  “Hey y’all, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Betsy led him toward the chefs. “Quin, this is Lila Grant.” He shook the hand of a tiny blue-eyed strawberry blonde. “And Jenna Cooper.” Even blonder hair and wider blue eyes. “Lila and Jenna are my best friends from culinary school.” The kitchen door opened, and the two men he’d seen on the street yesterday morning piled out of the kitchen and headed straight for the beer taps.

  “Man, that was brutal. What a rush.” The dark-haired man took a long drink of beer. “You guys ready to eat? I’m starving.”

  “Jackson, this is Quin. Quinton James, this is Lila’s fiancé, Jackson Calabrese.” They shook hands, and Quin tried not to stare. He’d heard about Calabrese’s new restaurant opening a few months ago and had considered visiting the Keystone New York just so he’d have an excuse to eat there.

  The other man, the surfer-looking blonde, held out his hand, too. “I’m Roman Gallagher, also known as Jenna’s better half. Nice to meet you.”

  Quin looked at Betsy. “Seriously?” The Gallagher family was famous for turning struggling California restaurants into gold mines. Betsy shrugged as if having two relatively famous chefs in her café was no big deal. No wonder she hadn’t needed his help. The cosmetic changes to Last Call hadn’t escaped him, and the fact that she had apparently let four other chefs run her kitchen today was even more obvious. His heart clenched. Had he misread her intentions? Had she brought him here to show him she didn’t need him after all?

  She slipped her hand into his, and he clutched her fingers. Longing flooded him. God, he hoped he wasn’t wrong.

  “We’ll be right back.” She waved at her friends and pulled him to a quiet spot at the bar.

  She met his gaze. “My friends came down here to hammer home the point you’ve been making for weeks. Apparently, I have trouble accepting help, even when I need it. When you asked me what I wanted from you, I couldn’t tell you because I was afraid. I wanted to make my own future, to create my destiny, and to never depend on a man for well, anything, but now I can’t even think of the future without thinking of you. I can’t think of the next hour without thinking of you. I can’t eat a meal, walk down the street, or go to bed without thinking of you. You’ve become a central point in my life.” The band around his heart eased, and he could breathe again.

  He pulled her against his chest, and she wrapped her arms around him. “I want you, Quin, but it’s more than that.” She sighed, looking up at him. “I need you. I didn’t believe in happily ever after until I met you, and I’m still afraid of giving someone else power in my life.” She bit her lip and then continued. “But I’m willing to take the risk, if you’ll still have me. I want the rest of the fairy tale.”

  He stared down at her, amazed, unable to believe what he’d just heard. “When I saw all the changes, I was afraid you’d brought me over here to show me you didn’t need me at all.”

  She shook her head. “I wanted you to see I could accept help when I needed it. Roman spruced up the dining room, and Jack took over the kitchen.” She pointed at Quin’s servers, now sitting at a table with a round of beer in front of them. “You helped me, too.”

  “So I did.” He buried his face in her hair. “But I’m sorry I left you in the alley the other night. I thought I couldn’t be with someone who might leave me. I thought it was a line I couldn’t cross, but I was wrong. I’ll do anything to be with you.”

  Her arms tightened around him. “You didn’t leave me. I pushed you away. I push everyone away. I thought wanting you made me weak. God knows every time I got near you I ended up begging.” Her breathless laugh shot straight to his groin. “I tried to pretend the way you made me feel was temporary, that I’d go back to my real life when you were gone. The only time I could even admit I had needs and desires was when you made me. I didn’t realize how much I was counting on that until you walked out of the alley last night. Mom and Kate don’t need me to interfere with their lives, but I needed them so I’d have an excuse not to take a risk on my own happiness—with you. I love you, Quin. I want to be with you. Not because you make me, but just because I do.”

  He kissed her, and the shadow in his heart disappeared. “For the record, I wasn’t going anywhere. I was going to keep trying, but this is so much better.” Their slow tangle of lips turned urgent. It was hard to pull back, but there was something he needed to say. He rested his forehead against hers. “I love you, Betsy. In my twisted, fucked up, constantly-terrified-you’re-going-to-leave-me way, I totally love you.”

  “I’m not going to leave you. In fact, after this week, I’ll have lots of time to spend with you. We’re closing the café. It’s exhausting, and I opened it for all of the wrong reasons.”

  He stared at her, stunned.

  She nestled closer. “I heard a rumor you’re opening hotels in Europe soon. You know all of those ideas you used to create your courtyard next door?” He nodded, liking the way this was headed. “I’ve got a million more. I don’t suppose you’re looking for a business partner?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. Are you looking for a job?” He leaned away, making space between them so he could see her expression.

  “I’d be willing to consider the right position.” She stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “If we can find one we haven’t tried.”

  He went hard, and his temperature kicked up a few notches. He wished they weren’t standing in a bar ten feet from her friends, so they could find one right now.

  “Get a room, you two.” Her friends were grinning. Behind the bar, her mother beamed.

  Quin cupped Betsy’s face between his hands and brushed a teasing kiss on her lips. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m going to make you an offer so good, you won’t be able to refuse. I guarantee you’ll be begging to take me up on it. Within minutes.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Her gaze heated, and her smile turned sly. “Make me.”

  Epilogue

  Betsy slipped into the tea shop. The others would be here soon, but she’d wanted a chance to talk to Linda, or Melly as Quin called her, alone. Since the shop was nearly empty, it looked like she’d get her chance. She smiled at a boy sitting alone at a table, playing with an electronic device. When he smiled back, looking exactly like Quin but younger, she gasped.

  “I know.” Melly came out from behind the counter. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

  “Amazing,” Betsy echoed.

  Linda led her to a table with a plate of cookies, two cups of coffee, one tea cup with a saucer, and a carafe of hot water. “Are you ready?” she asked.

  “How did you know?”

  The other woman laughed and sat down. “Occupational hazard.”

  Betsy stared at her. “You didn’t need a cup of sugar that day, did you?”

  “I keep a hundred pounds on hand. I just wanted to meet you.”

  “Why?” Betsy slid into the seat across from her.

  �
��Because he was different when he was with you. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted to help him. I had so much to make up to him. I thought if I could influence you, nudge you in some small way, it might put him on the path to happiness.”

  “So my reading was a fake? Princes and storms…opportunities.” Betsy shook her head. “It seems accurate, after the fact.”

  “Not fake. I didn’t have to lie. It was all there in your leaves…everything except the ending. Want to give it another whirl?” Gold gleamed in her eyes, and Betsy’s breath caught in her throat. She was so glad Quin had found his sister, even though it made her acutely aware of Kate’s absence.

  “I’m ready.”

  Linda poured steaming water over the leaves. The scent of strong black tea rose from the cup. Betsy clasped it, swallowing hard, feeling as if she held her heart between her hands. She asked her question. Once, twice, three times, she swirled the leaves, and then she placed the saucer over the cup and flipped it. Her hands shook, making it clatter.

  “Three more times,” Linda reminded her, but Betsy hadn’t forgotten. She was thinking of Quin, wanting her, pushing her, loving her. And it was enough.

  She left the cup where it was and smiled. “I don’t need you to tell me.”

  Linda didn’t look surprised. “You made it through the storm, safe and sound.”

  “And not alone.” Betsy made a face and snorted as Linda’s other predictions came back to her. So much had been on target, but she couldn’t stifle a giggle. “Lions and birds?”

  Linda turned to look out the window. “It’s good to have brave friends fly to your side during a storm.” Lila and Jenna stood across the street in front of the Keystone calling taunts to Jack and Roman. Goose bumps rolled across Betsy’s arms.

  The bell on the door tinkled, and her mother walked in with Kate. Betsy leapt to her feet, pulse pounding. She didn’t want to screw this up; she needed to make peace with her sister, too.

  She walked over to the door and stopped in front of Kate. “I was afraid you were on the run again.”