by CJ Warrant
Beth wondered if he showed tonight, what would happen. Probably nothing.
Bryce hadn’t showed. It was a relief and a let down. Deep down, she was actually looking forward to seeing him. Yet, she knew nothing good would come from getting her hopes up or the possibility of something more. What she might have felt back in college was just as strong now, but there would never be anything between them.
Still, with so much to do for Saturday, Beth needed to stay on task. If Bryce came, by the time she finished baking with the last batch of cookies, he would have eaten most of it.
***
Saturday came in a flurry, with the dusting of snow on the ground. The powder made driving dangerous, and those idiots that never took weather warnings to heart, skidded on the side of the road or against someone’s bumper.
Driving from Hyde Park to the South Loop should have only taken fifteen minutes. Nonetheless, with the snow and the idiots, it added another twenty.
Once Beth arrived at the shop, Freddy and Gina were at her side, ready to start the morning off right. The shop itself was busy. With two additional helpers working the front, Beth and her assistants divvied up the baking and packaging duties. They were able to complete four orders with a few hours to spare.
While Freddy and Gina delivered the two big wedding orders in Naperville and Englewood, Beth sent one of the helpers with a hired driver to deliver the two large office party orders in the city. It was worth the hundred and fifty bucks. And if he returned before her assistants, she’d throw in another hundred to deliver Bryce’s order. She hoped Freddy and Gina came back first. It would save her that hundred, and she trusted them to set up the table without her.
Envisioning Bryce all decked out was the last thing she wanted. If he got close to her, Beth wasn’t sure if she had enough courage to walk away from him. He was simply irresistible, dressed in a three-piece suit.
Damn! Beth still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to Bryce’s one dinner proposal. She wondered when he was going to ask her out. It was kind of driving her crazy.
Nevertheless, if going to dinner with him was the most painful event of the year, then she’d pull herself together with a smile on her face and go. No matter, she was still dreading it.
Suck it up, buttercup!
Hannah’s words echoed off Beth’s brain. Why, out of the all people she knew, would Hannah’s chortled voice ring in her head? What had she done in this life for this crap to happen to her? Maybe just being Beth Monroe, third child—a misfit, and a loner.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and do what you do best!
Beth shook off her pessimistic musing and concentrated on wrapping the rest of the desserts for the Bryce’s party.
After filling up the last box, Beth got a call from the delivery driver. Unfortunately, he’d gotten into a car accident on the way back to the shop and wouldn’t be able to make back in time take the last order.
Holy Crap. She had to do it.
Dreading the fact that she might bump into Bryce, she sucked back the discord in her mind and loaded up her minivan to drive to Wells, where DiNucci’s restaurant was located. After she left a voice message on both assistants’ phones to hurry, she locked up the shop and headed out.
With the shitty evening traffic, it took nearly forty-five minutes to get there. Thank God, the snow had melted or she’d be late.
At least one thing went Beth’s way. She found a close parking spot and immediately took it. She had about an hour to set up the dessert table. Beth hoped Freddy and Gina would arrive soon, or it was going to be nearly impossible to finish on time.
So why was she dawdling in the car? Fear of Bryce Landry? Most definitely.
Beth was beginning to hate herself for feeling all those boxed up emotions she had stowed away for so long. Why hadn’t she told him how he had hurt her for sleeping with slutty Andrea on his last night of school? He was supposed to be with her.
She took a couple deep breaths to calm rush of anxiety pushing back into her head.
This was only a job. She had to look at it that way to keep her sanity.
Furthermore, the thought of seeing Bryce in his element made a shiver raced up her spine. Damn. More unwanted emotions flooded her as she tried to push down the longing that had wrapped around her as tightly as a constricting boa.
A knock on the car window scared the crap out of her. Beth looked up and saw Gina and Freddy standing there. Thunderous relief rushed through her as she hopped out of the car and hugged the two in a hard arm lock. “I love you guys. Thanks for getting here quickly,” she said in a teary voice.
“We got here as fast as we could,” Gina said while she pulled away. “Freddy tried to call you, but you didn’t answer your phone.”
“Crap.” Beth released her hold and began to laugh. A level of calm seeped into her; she was able to think clearly. “I rushed out and left the phone on the back bar.”
“Again.” Freddy shook his head. Long strands of black hair fell forward into his face; he quickly pushed them back with both hands.
“Let’s not ponder on that now. We have less than an hour to set up.”
“No problem, boss,” Gina said jokingly. She walked around the back of the vehicle, with Freddy close behind her, and opened the trunk. They each picked up several boxes of baked goods. Beth grabbed the last four boxes and made her way inside, with her assistants following right behind. After the hostess led them into the main dining room, they started setting up the dessert tables.
With only the last few boxes left to open, Freddy called to Beth. “Beth’s cookies?” He lifted a large, thick chocolate chip cookie between his fingers.
Beth could feel the heat rush up to her cheeks. “Yes.”
“They’re only chocolate chip, right?” Gina asked speculatively. She took the cookie out of Freddy’s hand and split in half. She gave him one half while she took a bite out of the other.
Freddy bit into his and said with adoration, “Oh, Dios mio. Chocolate chips. Yum. You need to add this to our menu, chica.”
Gina narrowed her eyes at Beth. “I want the story, Beth. The real one.” she called out loudly.
Beth looked around and waved her hands to quiet down Gina. “I’ll explain later. Right now, let us finish this and get the hell out of here before the guests arrive. All right?”
Gina and Freddy looked at each other, then to her, and nodded in agreement.
With five minutes to spare, they finished. The tables now bore a smorgasbord of delectable treats.
While Beth’s assistants cleaned up and put their equipment back into the minivan, she made sure everything was in the right place. The holiday colors of the decorative desserts coordinated with the party’s theme. Bright greens, ruby reds, and glistening silvery white adorned every corner of the hall. The desserts would be just as memorable as the room itself.
Taking a few steps back to admire her display, Beth heard a deep raspy voice call her name. She didn’t have to be told it was Bryce entering the room from behind her. She straightened her shoulders, gathered up her courage, and turned. Much to her dismay, he looked more delicious than any dessert at her display.
Bryce walked up to her in a stylish black suit and blood red tie, took her hand, and kissed it.
“You smell delectable,” he whispered. He wiggled his brows at her and smiled. She tried to pull away but instead, he pulled at her gently and led her to a couple standing a few feet behind him. “Mom. Dad. This is my dear friend from college, Beth Monroe. She made all the desserts for the party.”
Dear friend? Beth guessed at one time they were, but not now. Not really. Seven years apart, and a sleeping with a slut had ended their friendship.
Every second she stood there, more people were entering the spacious, decorated room. Women dressed in elegant gowns and men in suits, and what was she wearing? Her baking wear. White baggy pants with matching lapelled top, partially buttoned of course. And her brown hair scrunched up into a messy bun on the top of he
r head. Beth stuck out like a well ripened banana amongst the pristine fruit.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Landry.” She wiped her hand on her shirt before she shook their hands. She caught the adverse looks on their faces and continued. “Have a wonderful evening and I hope you enjoy the desserts.” Beth tried to slip away before Bryce tried talking her into staying. Yes, she was way out of her element.
“Don’t leave,” Bryce urged, grabbing her hand.
“I don’t belong here.” She pulled her hand out of his, stepping away from him.
“Yes, you do.”
The sincerity in his voice made Beth shiver. “I wish I could, but I can’t. I’m not dressed for the occasion.” Good excuse, Monroe. She turned away, her feet closing the gap to the door.
“Wait, I have to pay you,” Bryce called out. He followed her outside.
“Beth? Beth Monroe?” A man called out from a royal blue Lexus GS F.
Beth looked up and saw Markus Landry coming out of the luxury car. He was still as handsome as ever, but not nearly as gorgeous as Bryce.
“Markus,” Beth said with a smile. She stepped out into the cold and met him half way.
Markus walked up, wrapped his arm around Beth, and gave her a fierce hug. He loosened grip but kept his left arm around her waist.
“Beth Monroe. How the hell are you? Still as beautiful as ever.” He flirted with his eyes, perusing her body from head to toe. Beth caught onto his game in college and made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to play.
“Good. How about you, Markus?” she asked, craning her neck up at him. He was at least a head and neck taller than her, but only few inches taller than Bryce.
Bryce and Markus weren’t identical twins. Where Bryce had dark blonde hair with blue eyes, Markus had rich brown hair with green eyes. They were almost polar opposites in attitude, too. Markus was the serious one in college, where Bryce had a carefree demeanor… until his father pressured him to go to Harvard. They both had one thing in common. Terrible tempers.
“So far so—”
“Let her go, Markus,” Bryce growled. He carried his hands in fists at his sides and his complexion reddened with anger—no, absolute fury.
Whoa. Beth hadn’t seen Bryce’s fiery anger in such a long time that it made her immediately nervous. “What’s wrong, Bryce?” she asked, trying to step back from his brother. But Markus held her tight.
“Hey, bro,” Markus responded smoothly, albeit with a hint of trepidation in his tone. “Let’s keep it cool. At least for tonight.”
“I said, let her go.” Bryce took a step forward. His eyes became blue steel.
Markus released Beth, urging her to the side, and stood directly in front of his brother. His smile faltered. “I don’t want to do this here, Bryce.”
“Bryce, what is going on?” Beth demanded. She took another step back and waited for either one of the brothers to answer. But neither did. The anger from Bryce rolled off him with palpable intensity; his disposition scared the crap out of her.
“Go, Beth,” Bryce hissed out. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He looked at her for a split second and returned his attention back to Markus. “We need to talk,” he said lethally.
“If talking is what you want, then yes, I’ll talk,” Markus countered. “But if you want to fight, here and now isn’t the time for it.”
Beth wanted to stop whatever was going on between the brothers, looking at Bryce and Markus’s hardened faces, she decided against it. Against her better judgment, she listened to Bryce. She turned around and rushed to the minivan.
Freddy and Gina were hiding behind the vehicle. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ll talk to you two later.” She ushered them to go, clicked the lock, and hopped in and left without looking back.
The whole time, worry filled her. The brothers were not all right. Not knowing the root of Bryce’s anger aimed toward Markus, Beth hoped they didn’t end up fighting and ruining the party their parents had set up for the company. Back in college, they had each other’s backs. But now, Bryce was ready to rip Markus’s head off. Oh God, she hoped it wouldn’t come down to that.
Beth took in a deep breath as she slid into traffic on the Kennedy. It wasn’t her business why the brothers were fighting. She had enough garbage going on her life. But as she tried to push aside the needless worry, she also hoped Bryce would be all right. She wanted to pick up her cell phone and call him, but remembered she’d left the phone back at the shop.
Idiot.
Why was she worrying about Bryce so much anyway? He was a grown man and could take care of himself. While trying to put the image of him getting thrashed out of her mind, she pulled up behind the shop and saw the back door wide open.
Chapter Five
Beth wanted to dial nine-one-one, but her scattered brain finally cleared enough to remind her that the cell phone was in the shop. Next time, she was going to buy a cell phone with Velcro attachments.
Looking around the minivan, she eyed the long black flashlight on the floorboard on the passenger side. Hannah had made her buy it a few years back for protection. It wasn’t much use as a flashlight since the batteries went out on it a year ago, but… it was heavy enough to crack any intruder’s skull.
Holding it with a firm grip in her right hand, Beth quietly got out of the van and slowly made her way inside. All the lights were off, except for her office. The sound of papers rustling made Beth question what kind of robber would look through paperwork. There was enough equipment around her to pawn off for some decent cash. There was nothing valuable in the office—not even the four-year old computer with a cracked keyboard sitting on her desk.
Eyeing her cell phone at the other end of the counter, Beth slowly glided by the office, then stopped suddenly when she saw a mop of red hair bobbing over the computer screen.
Hannah.
Crap. All the anger that had built up in the past two weeks surged forward and channeled itself onto the redhead. Tightening her grip on the flashlight, Beth charged into the office and screamed, “What the hell are you doing here!”
Hannah stumbled back, knocking her head against the wall. “Ouch,” she sputtered as she rubbed her left temple. “You scared the shit out of me, Beth!”
“How did you get in here?” Beth shouted while pointing the flashlight at her ex-friend.
“With my key,” Hannah yelled back. “Now stop screaming at me, Beth. I have a headache. And will you lower that flashlight before you decide to bash my face in.”
A great idea. Yet, Beth would never do something so horrid and pushed that thought out of her head.
“Your key?” she said incredulously. Oh crap! With all the things she had to deal with, changing the locks were the last thing she thought about. “Why are you here, Hannah? There’s no money left for you to steal,” Beth barked out but with little less bite.
“I’m not here for money.” Hannah dropped down into the chair and stared at Beth. “I am looking for my mother’s bracelet and ring. I left them here a month ago on this desk.” Beth heard condescension in her voice as she pointed at her. Hannah had no right to be bitchy to her. “Where did you put them?”
Was she accusing Beth of stealing the jewelry?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know for a fact there is no jewelry here. Why don’t you tell me the truth, Hannah?”
Hannah slumped back in the chair, pulled out one of the side drawer, and gasped. “What the fuck is this?” In her grasp was a sandwich bag with a gold bracelet and a ruby ring inside it.
The second Hannah had the clear plastic bag in her hand, Beth remembered Gina was in the office having lunch about a month ago and found them lying on the floor.
“You should thank Gina for that. She was the one who put them there for safekeeping,” Beth bit out. She settled against the door and exhaled. “Why are you here? You could have called. Instead, you come here—sneaking around—I could have called the cops.”
“No you wouldn�
��t. You left your cell phone on the counter,” Hannah answered with a self-righteous smirk on her face. “Well, since you’re here, we should talk.”
“What about? Oh, how you stole all of our hard earned cash and then took off without a word?” Beth straightened, took a step toward Hannah, and pointed the flashlight at her. “I trusted you, with everything. What made you do this?”
“You.” It came out sharp, like a honed knife. “I wanted out of this business two years ago, but I was afraid to hurt your feelings.”
“Poor fucking excuse. My feelings had nothing to do this. Try again,” Beth snapped back.
She wasn’t about to back down. Hannah had always been selfish, but now she knew just how much.
Knowing full well Hannah wasn’t a threat, Beth put the flashlight down on the desk but kept it close, just in case she was wrong.
Hannah straightened and cleared her throat. “Seriously, Beth. This is your livelihood, not mine. I only went along with it hoping to be a silent partner, and recoup my cash fast until you could buy me out. God, three fucking years, Beth, and the shop is still going strong and more demanding.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “I knew I had to help, but you expect so much more out of me than I was willing to give. But I’m your friend, so I went along with it until I couldn’t stand it any longer.”
“Why didn’t you come talk to me. I would have bought you out. Of course, I couldn’t give you all of the money right away, but in a year or so, we would have been even.”
“I tried many times to talk to you, but you’re so busy that the few times I did, you brushed me off. ‘We’ll talk later.’ Well, it’s later Beth, and I’m done.”
From the moment they had opened up the shop, Sweet Cupids began growing fast, building a great reputation for servicing parties and events with their delectable desserts. Had she known her friend wanted out, Beth would have found away to do it. She was her friend after all. Or at least she thought she was.
“Hell yeah, I was super busy—still am. Baking early morning—all times of the day. I also sort and package up the desserts. But I can’t believe that you couldn’t grab my full attention?” Beth would never intentionally ignore Hannah. “If it was that important to you, I would have listened.”