by Beth Ehemann
“I’ll be there, I’ll be there.”
“How many should I RSVP for? One or two?” he asked cautiously.
I didn’t hesitate with my answer. “Two.”
A few more minutes of mindless chit chat and Andy and I were right back to normal, like nothing ever happened. We hung up, I tucked my phone in my back pocket and picked up really cool glow-in-the-dark sidewalk chalk I thought the girls would love. I tossed it in my cart and heard someone snicker from behind me.
“Don’t you think you’re a little old for sidewalk chalk?” A familiar voice cooed at me.
I spun around and locked eyes with Kendall.
“Hey,” I said nervously.
“Hey? All I get is hey?” She strolled up to me, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“How … how have you been?” I stammered, praying like hell no one around us had a camera. The last thing I needed this weekend while I was up at Kacie’s were pictures of Kendall and me in some damn gossip magazine.
“I’m great, I miss you.” She pouted, her hands ran softly down my forearm. “I’ve texted a few times, never heard back.”
“Yeah, I saw those.” A thin layer of sweat formed above my top lip and my heart was about to pound out of my chest. “Listen, Kendall … I should have called to tell you—this certainly wasn’t how I planned on talking to you—but I started seeing someone. The casual whatever-this-is thing we were doing … that’s done.”
She cocked her eyebrow and ran her tongue along her teeth, thinking about what I’d just blurted out in the least tactful way possible.
“Wow. Blaire told me you brought some single mom to her house, but I thought it was just a charity case or something. I didn’t think you’d actually date her.”
Anger coursed through my veins. I was so sick of people that didn’t know Kacie making assumptions about her. I had no problem defending her—I would do that every day for the rest of my life—but it was the small-minded, materialistic assholes that knew nothing about her yet felt the need to judge her that pissed me off.
“Yep, I’m dating her. Crazy about her, actually.” I sounded off. “I’m supposed to be at her house in an hour, so I’m gonna get going. I’ll see you around, okay?” I patted her on the shoulder on my way to the checkout.
“Yeah, probably.” She winked at me.
So far I’d only been able to come up to the inn on the weekends, but I was starting to crave the peacefulness and calm that surrounded this place during the week too. Life was better up here with Kacie and the girls. I didn’t give a shit about the city, or my condo, or my contracts, or my endorsement offers … I barely thought about hockey, for that matter. Relaxing on that wicker couch, under the big covered porch, slyly holding Kacie’s hand while the girls rode bikes and drew pictures with their new chalk was all I needed. This and Diesel, who was sound asleep in the sun at the far end of the porch.
“So … do you like cake?” Kacie asked out of the blue.
“Cake?” I laughed. “I’m a guy, I love all food.”
“Good.” Her smile was up to no good as she turned to face me on the couch. “Next week on Thursday, do you have plans?”
“Do I ever have plans? I do the same thing every day. Eat, workout, shower, eat again, play with Diesel, eat again and talk to you until late.”
“Okay, let me rephrase.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “Any chance you could come up here Thursday and go to a cake tasting with me?”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “A cake tasting? What the hell is that?”
“Where you taste cake,” she said sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at me. “Long story short, Lauren is going to be out of town for a little bit, so Alexa and I are stepping up and doing all her wedding planning while she’s away. One of the things I’m in charge of is picking out the cake, but I don’t want to go alone because … that’s a lot of pressure. Plus, then if the cake sucks, I can blame it on you.”
“Oh really? You’re using me as a shield, huh?” I grinned at her.
“Is that a yes?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
“I’ll do it, but … it’s gonna cost you.” I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye.
“Uh-oh,” she said skeptically as she relaxed back into the couch, crossing her arms over her chest, staring at me. “Go ahead, tell me.”
“I need you to go to another dinner with me.”
Her mouth dropped open and she shot up straight, ready to chew me out, but I didn’t give her a chance.
“Before you say anything, it’s not at Blaire’s. It’s for the Wild. We have a charity called Wild Kids that helps underprivileged children pay for summer camps, band instruments, and art programs … stuff like that. Anyway, I need a date and I was hoping the most beautiful woman in Minnesota would accompany me.” I made sure the girls weren’t looking before I reached over and gave Kacie’s leg a quick squeeze. I started to pull back when she put her hand on mine, holding it there.
“Leave it a minute,” she said, squeezing my hand. Her eyes sparkled as she looked out at Lucy and Piper jumping rope in the yard. She took a deep cleansing breath, and a small smile danced on her lips. “Yes, I’ll go. Of course I have to run it by my mom, but I doubt it’ll be a problem.”
“Wow. That was easier than I thought.” I followed her gaze out to the girls. “I have to warn you, and you’re not allowed to change your mind since you already said yes, but Andy represents a bunch of guys on the team, not just me, so most likely he’ll be there … with her. I meant what I said though, I won’t let her near you.”
She shrugged and smiled at me calmly. “You know what? If she is, she is. If it’s a charity event I’m assuming there will be lots of people there. Who knows if I’ll even see her? And if she acts like a bitch again, I’ll hold my head high like a lady and walk away. Then once I get to the parking lot, I’ll ask you to point out her car so I can slash her tires.”
This woman blew me away at every turn. Last weekend, Blaire pounced on her like a predator attacking a wounded animal, and instead of hiding in the bushes forever, she was willing to confront her again. All the blows life had dealt Kacie had only made her stronger and I was in complete admiration of her for that.
Summer was in full swing and the last few days had been hot and I mean … hot. The poor birds were desperately seeking relief by splashing in the various birdbaths Mom had scattered around the yard, and the lake was as full as I’d ever seen it with people boating and swimming.
After the girls covered the driveway with chalk drawings of rainbows and flowers, they were ready for a popsicle break.
“Red, please,” Piper called out, hopping onto the stool at the island.
“Pink, please,” Lucy followed.
“Coming right up,” I said, opening the freezer.
Brody followed us to the kitchen and filled up Diesel’s bowl with fresh, cold water before sitting down at the island next to the girls. “Blue for me, please.” He grinned at me.
The girls giggled and started shooting questions at Brody, one right after another.
“How fast can you skate?”
“Faster than lightning.”
“Why are your hands so big?”
“To match my big feet.”
“Does Diesel like popsicles too?”
“Only the blue ones.”
He handled his mini-interview like a pro, entertaining them with his animated answers.
“Okay, twinkies, after popsicles, wanna go swimming?” Brody asked eagerly.
“Yay!” They cheered in unison with juice dripping off their chins.
“While you guys swim, I’m gonna bring my books down and study.” I sighed. “I’m so behind.”
On a scorching day like today, the cool, shaded grass felt good in between my toes as I walked down to the lake. The girls were ankle deep in the water, squealing as they ran away from Diesel who was jumping and splashing next to them like a kid on a trampoline. Brody stood a few feet past them.
His golden arms were crossed over his broad chest, while he watched them like a hawk making sure they didn’t run past him into the deep water. He looked like their own personal security guard. I liked it; he made me feel safe. Navy blue board shorts hung off his hips, his toned oblique muscles sliding down into a sexy V as they disappeared into the top of his waistband. My face flushed when I thought about what awaited below that waistband. Knowing that it was inside me just last weekend was enough to make me want to drag him back to my room for a few minutes.
“Excuse me, what are you looking at?” His tone pulled me out of my daydream, with his accusing eyes dialed right into mine.
I looked away, flustered, and tried to find somewhere else to stare, anywhere other than back at him.
He walked up next to me on the shore, his eyes still on the kids as he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Were you just staring at my body?”
“No,” I lied as best I could, but couldn’t stop myself from grinning.
“Mm-hmm,” he teased. “That’s okay, I was staring too. It should be illegal for you to wear a bikini out in public.”
My face heated for the third time in ten minutes as I grinned at him and turned toward the tree, seeking relief from the hot sun. I spread the blanket out and lay on my stomach, flipped my book open and started reading.
The breeze was coming in strong off the lake, blowing my hair in my face and flipping the pages of my book, making it hard to concentrate. I’m sure it also had to do with the fact that I couldn’t take my eyes off of Brody in the water, playing with my girls. Their giggles of pure joy melted me more than the hot sun ever could have.
“How’s it going?” I followed the feet standing next to me up to my mom’s smiling face.
“It’s not,” I sighed, closing my book, “I can’t focus and I need to get moving. My externship at the hospital starts in a few weeks.”
“And the externship is what again?”
“Basically, it’s job shadowing. The school placed me at Lake County Hospital in the ER. It’ll be a little bit of a hike but not too far.”
“Was the ER what you wanted?”
“Yeah, we had to put down our first three choices. My first was ER, second was Labor and Delivery, and third was anywhere but Psych.” I laughed. “I’m nervous because I’ll be working under a woman named Maureen, and from what I hear, she’s tough. I just want to do well.”
“You’ll be ready.” She sat down and patted my rear. “You’ve always been very responsible about your school work, I have no doubt that you’ll excel with this too.”
“I hope so. I graduate in less than a year and it’d be nice if I could land a job right away and get a little place for me and the girls.” I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye, nervous about her reaction to that last part of the sentence.
She nodded slowly as a tight smile crossed her lips. “I know. You need your own place. I’d love for you and Lucy and Piper to live with me forever, but that’s not healthy for you guys. You need to start your own traditions with them, grow your own family.”
“Okay, let’s stop talking about this before I cry. Maybe I’ll just build a house next door.” I laughed.
The thought of leaving my mom’s nest did make me sad. She was my security blanket, my protector, my hero. She’d taken care of us for so many years, I just hoped that one day I would be half the woman she was.
“What about him?” she asked, nodding toward the lake.
I looked out at Brody who had both Lucy and Piper on his shoulders and was marching around in the water.
“What about him?”
“Well, you’re talking about school and moving out one day. Does he fit in your future?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I hope so, but who knows.” I took a deep breath. “If you would’ve asked me years ago if I thought Zach and I had a future, I would have said yes. What do I know?”
“Zach was an immature jerk, Kacie. You deserved way better than him.” She looked at me knowingly. “The only good thing he ever did in his whole life was act as a sperm donor for my two precious grandbabies.”
“I know, but my point was that clearly I don’t always make the best decisions.” I watched as the girls innocently tossed handfuls of water up in the air and jumped unexpectedly when it landed on their heads. “But I look at them and think I’ve already screwed up so bad. There is so much that they are missing out on, I just don’t want to make any more mistakes.”
“Kacie, snap out of it!”
My head whipped toward my mom, who was looking at me like I was crazy.
“What?” I said defensively.
“Look out at that water again, and tell me what you see.”
“I see my daughters, innocently playing and laughing, not realizing how much their mom has already messed up their lives in their five short years.”
“Wow … pity party, table for one,” she scolded. “You need to look at the big picture, my dear. Do you notice that handsome man next to them? He’s looking down, smiling at them with all the love he would give his own children. And the best part is … he’s absolutely crazy about their mama. You need to let your past stay in the past and live in the now—Brody and the girls are your now. Please think about that.” She reached over and kissed the top of my head before she stood and walked back up to the house.
Damn mothers and their wisdom.
“How is this wrong? What does one wear to a … cake tasting?” I mocked in my snootiest voice while I stared down at what I was wearing.
Kacie cocked her head to the side, staring at me like I was clueless. “Brody, you’re adorable, but you’re dressed like you’re going to work out at the gym.”
“I know, I’m a genius.” I grabbed the elastic waistband of my black Nike pants and stretched them out. “Elastic pants, cake tasting. Get it?”
She threw her hands up in the air as she walked her cute little ass down the hall to finish getting ready.
“What’s a cake tasting?” Lucy called over from the living room where she and Piper were playing Mario Kart on the Wii.
“I have no idea, Lucy.” I sighed and walked over to the living room, sitting on the couch next to Piper. “Apparently we’re gonna try a bunch of different kinds of cake and pick one for Lauren’s wedding since she can’t do it herself.”
“Because she’s in Italy?” Lucy asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.
“Exactly,” I responded, watching their faces as they continued playing. Their eyes were wide, completely enthralled with their game, Lucy’s little tongue darted in and out every time she pressed a button, and Piper leaned her whole body left and right with each turn. “Can I jump in with you guys?” I asked, sitting in the big chair.
“Sure!” Lucy jumped up and ran over to the TV to reset the game, while Piper shoved a remote in my lap. They both came and squeezed in on either side of me.
“Your mouth is hanging open.” Kacie laughed.
I hadn’t even heard her walk up behind me, I was too busy getting my ass kicked in the go-kart game by two pint-sized juice box addicts.
“I was concentrating, these two are really good.” Standing up, I dropped the remote on the table and held my hand out to high-five each girl. “Rematch later?”
They slapped my hands and peeked around me, still playing their game.
“You ready?” I smiled at Kacie, my eyes raking up and down her outfit. She had on a pale pink button down shirt and a black, fitted, knee-length skirt. “Wow, I am underdressed, huh!”
She raised her eyebrows and grinned. “Just a little.”
“That’s okay, I’m going for comfort. You might regret that tight skirt by the end of the afternoon.” I made sure the girls’ eyes were still glued to the TV before I reached over and pulled Kacie in for a quick, tight hug behind their backs. I growled in her ear. “I won’t mind watching you walk around in it though.”
She giggled and called down the hall, “Mom, we’re gonna go, okay?”
Sophia walked into the kitchen with Fred. “Have fun … pick something yummy.” She walked up and kissed Kacie’s cheek, giving my arm a squeeze as she went by.
Fred came over and shook my hand, then scooped the girls up off the couch and carried them into the kitchen, plopping them on the island.
Kacie walked over and wrapped her arms around both of the girls’ shoulders, pulling them in for one big hug. “Love you two, so so much. See you later, okay?”
She turned and smiled at me and I stepped in behind her on the way out of the kitchen.
“Wait, Brody!” Lucy called when we were almost to the doorway. I turned to face her and she opened her arms wide; Piper copied her.
I glanced at Kacie, whose wide eyes made me nervous to push her boundaries, but I also couldn’t tell those two no. Walking over, I enveloped their tiny bodies in my arms and squeezed hard, making them giggle and squeal that they couldn’t breathe.
“See you later, twinkies.” I waved on our way out the door.
After a quick car ride to the next town over, we pulled up to a tiny, yellow house with a white picket fence. ‘The Great Cakery’ was stenciled on the large picture window in front.
“This is it?” I asked, surprised.
“Yep, this is the place to go for wedding cakes.” She smiled at me as she hopped out of the truck before I could get around to open the door for her.
A bell rang above our heads as we walked through the large, stained-glass blue door as a woman in her mid-fifties came over to greet us. She was a short, chubby woman who radiated as much pleasant energy as anyone I’d ever met. I didn’t even know her name yet, and I already liked her. Frosting smudges of every color were smeared across her white apron.
“Hi there. You must be Kacie?” she said as she reached out and took Kacie’s hand in both of hers. “I’m Pearl, so nice to meet you.”
“Hi Pearl, nice to meet you too. This is my boyfriend, Brody. I brought him to help me make a decision.”