Alistair blinked; he had expected more fallout than this. Perhaps Michael breaking through his writer’s block had been beneficial in more ways than one.
“So,” he began with caution, “how’s the writing going these days?”
Michael gave a dry chuckle. “Alistair, you’re as tenacious as a pit-bull. I really haven’t missed these conversations at all.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Alistair replied in an equally dry tone, “but no avoiding the question, Forrester—how’s the writing?”
“Good,” Michael allowed. “Better than good,” he added after a moment’s pause. “I’m averaging about a thousand words a day.”
“How much more time do you think you need?” Alistair asked as he moved forward in his seat and propped his elbows on the desk.
Michael told him.
“So soon? I’ll let them know,” Alistair said, his eyebrows raised in surprise. When the call ended, he hung up his phone and leaned back in his chair, staring at the notes and doodles he’d scribbled in his diary. After his conversation with Kate the day before, he had been sure the situation had been heading for disaster. Now he found himself in the position of reviewing his Gantt chart and wondering what sort of marketing push they were going to come up with for Michael’s latest creation.
~~~
Kate set the last cupcake creation on the tray and twisted it slightly so that it was in line with all the others before giving a slight nod of satisfaction.
“Wren,” she called, “brace yourself.”
“Hang on,” Wren answered. “Be there in a minute.”
“That’s what she said,” Emily replied, earning a few laughs of appreciation from their morning customers.
Carefully scooping up the tray, Kate carried it out of the kitchen and toward the display cabinet. Wren appeared to slide the door open, so that Kate could set the tray down with all the reverence the cupcakes deserved.
“All right,” Wren said in a weary tone. “Let’s be having it.” She had picked up the small chalkboard and stood waiting.
“Time Flies When You’re Having Fun,” Kate dictated. “Chocolate cherry butterfly cakes with white chocolate wings.”
Wren wrote quickly, and then set the chalkboard onto its easel with a dejected sigh.
“One day,” she vowed as she shook Kate’s hand to concede defeat, “one day.”
“It’s good to have a goal,” Kate assured her.
~~~
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Wren blinked. It was late in the afternoon now and she had paused in the act of resupplying the sugar packets, thinking about David.
“Want to talk about it?” Kate gave her a gentle smile.
“I don’t know.” Wren pushed her hair away from her face and then shifted her weight from one foot to the other, aware that she was fidgeting and unable to stop it.
“I told you mine,” Kate prodded. She gave the store a quick glance. The day was drawing to a close now and the pace of customers was beginning to slow down. “Come on, we’re getting ready to close so we’ve got time. Spill.” Taking Wren by the elbow, she steered her into the kitchen. “Emily, can you hold the fort?”
“No problem,” Emily assured them. She had come a long way from the days when she had been nervous about making coffees.
Kate urged Wren to sit on the solitary high stool in the kitchen. “So, what’s up? Is it David? Is something wrong?”
“No … I don’t know,” she said as she wiped her sweaty palms on the thighs of her jeans. “It’s just all harder than I thought.”
“What is?” Kate asked.
“Being with someone,” Wren said, picking at a thread on the beaded patch that adorned one knee of her jeans. “What’s it like with you and Michael?”
Kate was nonplussed with the question. It wasn’t something she often stopped to think about. “It’s … well, I guess it’s …” she searched for the right word, “… easy isn’t quite right, but it’s comfortable.”
“Right,” Wren sighed. “So it’s just me then.”
“Oh, Wren, no.” Kate rushed in to reassure her. “You know I wasn’t sure about Michael for a long time, but we just took things slow and …” She smiled just thinking of him. “He was always there for me.”
“Uh-huh.” Wren nodded. “Go on.”
“Like David seems to be there for you.”
“Tell me about it,” Wren said with an air of gloom. “Every time I turn around lately, there he is.”
“Maybe it’s a sign,” Kate said with a gentle smile. “How do you feel when you see him?”
Wren considered the question for a moment, thinking of the way David’s smile had lit up his face when he saw her. “Good,” she answered at last, not noticing that her entire demeanor had softened when she thought of him.
“Well, then, that’s a start,” Kate offered with a gentle smile. “Wren, you don’t have to label what the two of you are straight away. Just take it as it comes and see how comfortable you feel.”
“I guess.” Wren nodded. “I’m so used to doing my own thing that it freaks me out a little.”
“If you’re happy when you’re with him, then focus on that,” Kate advised. “And whatever follows will be worked out in time by the pair of you.”
“Door’s closed, boss.” Emily appeared, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. “So that’s us done for the day. Got any plans tonight?”
“Not that I know of,” Kate answered. She and Michael hadn’t made any plans for the week now that she thought of it. Feeling a buzzing in her pocket, she dug out her cell phone. It was Paul.
Dinner? xP
She grinned and typed out a response.
Sure. Where? xK
The response came so quickly she knew he had to be waiting for her reply.
Pizza + beer = happy bear. Meet u at shop. xP
“Looks like I’m catching up with Paul.” She smiled. “He’s probably wanting to check up on me after the weekend to make sure everything’s okay.”
“As far as protectors go, you can’t get much better than him,” Emily commented. “He’s pretty good value.”
“Yeah, he does good,” Kate acknowledged with a proud smile. “Jack told him to look after me, and I guess he takes that pretty seriously at times.”
“Well, you’re all each other has, don’t forget,” Emily said.
Wren paused on her way past and gave a slight cough for dramatic effect. “Hello, I’m standing right here.”
Kate laughed and threw her arms around her. “And, of course, I’ve got you,” she said. Emily caught her eye and made her lower lip tremble. “And you,” she added, reaching out to haul her in for a hug as well.
“Just so we’re clear on that,” Wren said, squeezing Kate for emphasis. “Bear’s all well and good, but the sisterhood will always be here too.”
“Damn straight,” Emily seconded.
“And that’s always good to know,” Kate said, her voice muffled as she hugged her two friends.
~~~
Michael glanced at the time display in the upper corner of his laptop screen and then looked back at his work; he had made good progress today. Alistair would be more than pleased when he saw the volume that he had managed to produce over the last few months. When it rains, it pours, he thought with a smile. Months with nothing to show for it, and then the floodgates had opened. As long as his editor could make sense of it all, then he’d feel confident about his work. He sat and rubbed his top lip while he re-read what he had written, wondering when Kate would want to read it. She had said little after their discussion. Perhaps the very fact that she was the source of his inspiration was still sinking in. He was sure that her curiosity about it would only be a matter of time. Words stirred in his mind as he sat thinking about her, and he looked at the keyboard for a moment before he smiled and began to type again.
Standing up from his desk, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders to give himself a squeeze be
fore stretching his arms up and over his head, feeling his muscles pop. The action pulled his T-shirt up, and he stood absently scratching his abs while staring out the window. It was late afternoon; Kate would be closing up shop soon and they hadn’t talked about they might be doing that evening. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.
“Hey,” he greeted her in a soft voice. “Doing anything this evening?”
“Hi,” Kate replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “Paul just messaged me wanting pizza and beer tonight. I think he’s doing his Brother Bear after Tom unleashed the bitch on the weekend.”
“Sounds fair.” Michael laughed. He wondered if Kate noticed she tended to adopt Paul’s syntax when she spoke. “Should I leave you to it?”
Kate paused. “No, I’d like you to get to know him better. How about I run a couple of things past him and let you know where we’ll be?”
“Sure, but no pressure okay? If you need family time, I’m cool with that.”
“Thanks, babe,” Kate replied. “I’ll be in touch soon, ’kay?”
“Okay. Have you had a nice day?”
“It’s getting better all the time,” she assured him.
Michael put his phone down and strolled toward the bathroom. If he didn’t see Kate tonight, he was sure he could keep working. Still, it would be good to see his girl. He got into the bathroom and shucked off his jeans, pausing when he saw Kate’s toothbrush and a tube of mascara sitting on the bathroom counter. He had a toothbrush and deodorant at Kate’s place now, and these small domestic touches made him smile.
~~~
“I don’t have to ask who that was,” Wren commented. “Just hearing his voice makes you go all goofy.”
“Takes one to know one,” Kate retorted, swatting Wren on the rump as the smaller woman passed her to empty the water jugs in the industrial sink behind the counter.
Kate started tapping out a message to Paul on her phone.
Can I bring Michael or do you need Bear time? xK
Her phone beeped a few minutes later with his reply.
No prob. How about Bear time gets 30 min head start? xP
Kate smiled at her brother’s response.
Sounds good. C u soon xK
As expected, Paul got in the last word.
Not if I c u first! xP
Kate groaned at the old joke and put her phone back in her pocket.
“Is that good or bad?” Emily asked as she untied her apron and folded it carefully.
“Definitely good, and a bit mysterious,” Kate answered. “Michael’s coming out with Bear and me tonight.”
“Sounds good. Hey, can I play show and tell?” Wren chimed in, and at Kate’s nod, she unbuttoned her little black waistcoat and pulled it open to reveal a smiling fox print on her T-shirt. “What do you think?”
“I think it was made for you.” Emily grinned. It was true; the fox even had dark brown—almost black—grinning eyes that reminded both women of Wren.
“Funny you should say that,” Wren replied, buttoning up the waistcoat again.
“You made it?” Emily gaped.
“Yep, the shirt and the print. You like?”
“I love,” Emily enthused. “I’ve got to put an order in.”
“Me too,” Kate agreed. Wren smiled beneath their praise, soaking it up like a drug.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Kate said, “you’ve got to start selling your fashion somewhere. Hell, you can even sell it here if you like, but you’ve got to get your work out there.”
“We’ll see,” Wren conceded. The idea excited and terrified her all at once.
“So will you, once it starts flying off the racks,” Kate said. “You’ll have fans everywhere. Speaking of which …” She raised an eyebrow toward the doorway.
David had reached the bakery and had stopped to read the quote of the day. He was still laughing as he stepped inside.
“There’s my girl,” he said with a chuckle as he walked toward her to pull her in for a kiss.
Wren ducked her head under his chin and looked oddly shy at his obvious pleasure at seeing her. Kate and Emily exchanged a glance and went about their final duties for the day.
“You ready to go?” David murmured, running his hands on her back.
“Soon,” Wren said, “I’ve just got to—”
“No, you don’t,” Kate broke in. “I’ve got it from here. I’m waiting for Bear so you two can take off. That goes for you as well,” she added, turning to include Emily.
“Are you sure?” Emily began. “I was just about to—” She broke off as Kate pulled the dishtowel she had slung over her shoulder and began to twirl it meaningfully. “We’re going,” she squeaked. She had learned from experience that Kate could snap a dishcloth with deadly accuracy.
“What?” Kate said as David laughed. “It’s good to be the boss.”
“No argument from me.” David held his hands up in surrender.
He leaned against the counter and made idle chitchat with Kate while Wren hung up her apron and gathered her things. When she appeared, he helped her on with her coat and then put his arm around her shoulder as they made their way out of the store and called out their farewells.
“Had a good day?” David leaned down as he spoke, his breath chuffing against her hair.
“Yep.” Wren nodded. “You?”
“Can’t complain, not when I’ve got you at the end of it.” He grinned.
Wren smiled back. She wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to having someone to talk to, to wake up with. For all her conquests, Wren was used to being alone; she had never shared her life with anyone, and yet with David there was a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had known him for years.
“Got any plans for tonight?” he asked.
“Uh …” Wren stalled. She had wanted to sketch some designs. “A few, but I guess we can—”
“Babe.” David gave her a gentle squeeze. “I just want to eat and watch television, so if that’s something I can do in the background of whatever you’re doing, it’s all good.”
Wren squinted up at him. “Really?”
“Really,” he said with a solemn nod before he grinned at her confusion. “Why, you think I need to be entertained?”
“Maybe,” she replied. They had stopped at the light now. “I don’t know how this works,” she went on with a shrug.
“It’s pretty straightforward. You just wait for the light to change to green and cross when everyone else does.”
“Not that.” She gave an exasperated snort. “This whole girlfriend gig.”
“Mmm?” David was kissing her temple and appeared to be half-listening.
“I’m serious.” She dug her elbow into his ribs and he gave a grunt of surprise.
“So I gather,” he said. “All right, so let’s talk. What’s the problem?”
Wren kept her head down. She hadn’t wanted to have this conversation and now she was going to look foolish. David gave her a gentle nudge, signaling he was waiting for her to reply.
“Idon’tknowhowtobeagirlfriend,” she said in a rush.
“You want to run that by me at half speed?” David gave her a curious look.
Wren huffed in annoyance.
“I said,” she repeated, “I don’t know how to be a girlfriend.”
David’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned in confusion. “Yeah, and?”
“And that’s it,” Wren muttered. “I don’t know how all this shit works.”
They walked on a few paces in silence before David sighed and slowed down. He looked over his shoulder before steering Wren over to lean her against a building, bracing his hands on either side of her face.
“Wren, this isn’t some sort of job description you have to aspire to,” he began, and then cupped her chin in his hands to turn her gaze back to him when she tried to look away. “No, listen. I want you, Wren. Just the way you are.”
“But you don’t really k
now me,” she replied.
“So the joy will be in finding out.” David shrugged.
Wren mulled this over, and David watched the different emotions flicker across her face.
“Wren, I like you, and I want to be with you. That’s all that matters, and the rest we’ll make up as we go along.”
Wren could feel a tightness in her chest, that had perhaps always been there, soften and release at his words. She sighed and felt her shoulders loosen as she relaxed under David’s steady words and gaze. David was still cupping her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks.
“Okay,” she said at last. “I’m game if you are.”
David’s hands slid down to the nape of her neck as he leaned in closer and kissed her, his mouth warm and open against hers. Wren wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer still.
Chapter 19
Brother Bear and That Word
Kate was tidying up loose ends around the store when she heard a quick tattoo on the store window. She looked up and saw Paul letting himself in, closing the door after himself and flipping the sign on the door to CLOSED.
“Hey,” Paul greeted her as he crossed toward her with a grin. “How’s my favorite sister?”
“Good,” Kate said as she stepped into his hug before returning to the counter to collect her bag where it sat waiting. “You?”
“Yeah.” Paul stretched and gave a quiet groan. “I’ve been better.” He rolled his shoulders and then his neck with a slight wince as his muscles protested.
“I’m sorry.” Kate returned to his side with a guilty look. “All that extra work yesterday wouldn’t have helped.”
“If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have offered,” Paul said in a mild tone as he propelled her toward the door with a light touch on her back. “Plus I had Tom there to help.”
“Hmmm.” Kate sounded dubious at that, making him laugh.
“Granted he made a fuss over getting dirty, but he was pleased with the way it was going when you and Michael showed up.” Paul paused outside as Kate reached for the security grill.
“Right,” Kate commented over her shoulder as she locked the door. “And look how that worked out.” She finished locking up and stashed her keys inside her bag. “Tom’s evil bitch twin came to the party, Michael went home and you got left with all the work.”
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