She turned and saw Matt had sat up. He was a little apart from them, looking slightly tense and out of place. There was something in his eyes, an emotion she couldn’t read. Guilt? Concern? Then he blinked and it was gone.
Without warning, Gabe lunged for Matt’s foot. He grabbed it and tickled. Matt pulled back so fast, he nearly tumbled over. Gabe’s mouth fell open.
“Mommy, he’s ticklish!”
Apparently, the news was nearly as exciting as the inside rain had been. A grown man who was ticklish? Was it possible?
Gabe lunged for him. Matt held out his arm, even as he continued to move back. “Wait a second. This isn’t a good idea, Gabe. Tickling someone can be dangerous business.”
Gabe wasn’t listening and Jesse couldn’t decide if she should intervene or not. She kind of liked the idea of Matt less than in charge and maybe on the run. When her son grabbed at Matt’s toes, Matt scrambled to his feet.
“Who wants brownies?” he asked. “I stopped by the bakery and picked up some.”
Jesse stood and pulled Gabe into her arms. They all went into the kitchen.
“I got both kinds,” Matt was saying as he opened a familiar Keyes Bakery box. “Gabe, would you like milk with yours?”
“Yes, please.”
“Jesse?”
He was acting so casual, she thought, feeling a little wicked. As if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t scrambled away like a little girl. She made a clucking sound.
He looked at her. “Are you all right?”
She clucked again. “Chick, chick, chicken.”
His gaze narrowed. “I’m not a chicken. I have strong reflexes. I didn’t want to risk hurting Gabe by accidentally kicking him.”
“Uh-huh. You’re ticklish and you didn’t want him touching your feet.”
“It’s about reflexes.”
She clucked again.
Without warning, he grabbed her arm, hauled her against him and stared into her face. His mouth was inches from hers. Heat burned everywhere they touched and wanting exploded.
“Say that again,” he instructed, his voice low and very much in control.
“Are you daring me?” she asked, a little breathless.
“Absolutely.”
“Can I have my brownie now?” Gabe asked, tugging on her shirt.
Reality crashed into her. She pulled back from Matt, who seemed to let her go just as quickly.
“Sure, honey,” she said, picking him up and putting him on one of the tall seats by the high counter. “Without walnuts, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You want milk with that, right?”
They worked in the kitchen, getting Gabe settled. Jesse asked Matt where the napkins were. He moved Gabe’s chair closer to the counter. They acted as if nothing had happened, although she was desperately aware of every move he made.
Her body ached with need. She wanted-
Her cell phone rang.
She grabbed her purse and pulled it out. The number was local, but unfamiliar.
“Hello?”
“Jesse? It’s Claire. You have to get down here right away.” Claire sounded frantic.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“It’s the bakery. Oh, God, I can’t believe it.”
There were noises in the background. Loud noises and screams.
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“There’s a fire. It’s all on fire.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
JESSE STOOD WITH HER sisters in front of the still-smoldering ruins of what had once been the Keyes Bakery. Most of the flames had been put out but the smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Over the past few hours, the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Nothing had been saved. When Jesse had arrived, flames had climbed toward the sky, like some frightening form of entertainment. The heat had kept them back. Now there was nothing but embers and ashes.
“I can’t believe it’s gone,” Nicole whispered, sounding as stunned as Jesse felt. “Just like that.”
Claire stood between them, her arms linked with theirs. “No one was hurt. That’s the most important thing. The rest is just stuff and can be replaced.”
Jesse didn’t bother fighting the tears that flowed down her face. “Good Morning America isn’t going to be coming out now,” she said. “There’s not much of a story.”
Small business destroyed by fire. Who cared about that?
“It’s not the end of the world,” Nicole said. “We can fix this. We have insurance. We’ll rebuild. It will just take some time.”
Jesse didn’t say anything. What was the point? She’d come back to Seattle to prove something. She’d given herself six months to make her point-that she could be a viable part of the business, that she could make a difference. But with the bakery shut down, that was impossible.
“What are you going to do until then?” Claire asked.
“I don’t know,” Nicole admitted. “Oversee the building.”
It was the death of her dream, Jesse thought sadly. She would have to go back to Spokane and pick up her quiet life working in a bar. She would never get the chance to show that she had good ideas and could make a difference. She was-
“We can rent a kitchen,” she said without thinking. “We’d have to cut down on some of the items, but not all of them. We can get the word out about the location. And we can use this time to go live on the Internet. The CDs with all the programming and information is at Paula’s house. I could find a server in the morning. It wouldn’t take long. Then we would still have most of the business during the reconstruction.”
Nicole shook her head. “It would never work. Jesse, I know you keep pushing this, but it’s not possible. This isn’t the right time. You can’t ship baked goods across the country. They won’t pack well and even if you’ve solved that problem, they’ll be stale when they arrive.”
“Not if we use overnight shipping.”
“No one’s going to pay for that.”
“How do you know?”
Nicole pulled free of Claire and turned on Jesse. “Maybe in your pretend world at community college they will. But not out here. No one is going to spend all that money to get brownies or a cake to Cleveland.”
“You don’t know that,” Jesse said, frustrated by Nicole’s constant refusal to admit her plan could work. “I did a lot of research and it wasn’t in the pretend world. I checked out how other companies with delicate products did it. Yes, having to pay overnight will cut into sales, but it won’t eliminate all of them. The start-up costs are so minimal, it’s crazy not to try.”
“I have spent years in this business,” Nicole snapped. “I know my customers.”
“You know the people who come into your store. You don’t know the rest of the country and I don’t know why you won’t consider the possibility. There is more to life than just what you see.”
“I’m aware of that,” Nicole said through obviously clenched teeth. “But what you want is impossible.”
“Because you say it is. You won’t even try.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Claire said as she released both of them. She stepped in front, then turned to face them. “No more fighting. Not tonight. We’ve been through enough as it is.” She looked at Nicole. “It’s going to take a while to get everything figured out. The cause of the fire, designs for a new place, construction. We’re talking months, maybe a couple of years. I don’t know. In the meantime, you have employees. Are you going to let them go?”
Nicole shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s all too much right now.”
“I agree,” Claire said. “But Jesse’s right. A rented kitchen is a fast way to get going and there isn’t much in the way of start-up costs. The same with the Internet sales. If she has a Web site ready to go, we only have to deal with hosting. That won’t cost much. So what if the sales aren’t spectacular? There will be some and at the very least, you can keep a few employees on.”
&nbs
p; Nicole sighed. “You’re right.”
“I know. As to the rest of the business, what about selling to restaurants locally? Have you ever looked at that market? Between the cake and the brownies, you should be able to generate some interest.”
Jesse glanced at Claire. “Restaurants? I never thought of that.”
“Me, either,” Nicole admitted.
“I am so much more than a pretty face,” Claire told them. “You need to remember that.”
That made Jesse smile.
Nicole laughed. “Fair enough. We’ll start by finding a kitchen to rent and get the Internet site up and running. I need to call everyone and let them know what’s happened. What time is it?”
Jesse glanced at her watch. “Nearly three.”
“Sid will be getting here soon.” Nicole sighed. “This is going to be hard for all of us.”
Jesse didn’t say anything. While she was pleased that Nicole had finally come around, she resented that her sister would consider the idea of a rented kitchen when Claire mentioned it, but not when she, Jesse, did.
There was a loud crack as another beam fell. Jesse blinked against the smoke and wondered what the fire department would say was the cause. Old wiring maybe. A faulty piece of equipment. The place had been around forever.
“Nicole? Jesse?”
Jesse turned and saw Sid walking toward them. He was dressed all in white, with a clean apron in his hands.
“What the hell?” he asked.
Jesse and Nicole moved toward him.
“No one was inside,” Nicole said. “We’re still not sure how it started. I was going to call, but I don’t have anyone’s number with me.”
Sid stared at the smoldering flames. “I can’t believe it. The whole thing is gone.”
“We’re going to rent a kitchen,” Jesse told him. “It will take a couple of days to get up and running.”
“What?” Sid shook his head. “Right. Yeah, rent a kitchen. That makes sense. Jesus. How does something like this happen?”
They didn’t have any answer. Instead they talked quietly until more employees arrived, then went through everything with them. Jesse huddled in the darkness, cold and exhausted, but not ready to leave. Around four, Matt showed up, carrying containers of coffee.
Jesse hurried toward him, pleased he’d come. “What are you doing here?” she asked, wishing she could throw herself at him. Right now she could use a good holding. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“I guessed you were still here,” he said as he handed out coffee. “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I came to see if I could help.”
She took the coffee he offered. “Thanks.”
He looked around at the smoldering ruin. “They couldn’t save any of it? That must have been some fire.”
“It was incredible.” Jesse didn’t want to think about all they’d been through. She was exhausted and not feeling up to coping, even though there was so much to do. She sipped the coffee and felt the warmth spread through her.
“Nicole’s insured, isn’t she?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll be able to rebuild, but it’s going to take a while.”
“I know. We’re coming up with a plan now.” She suddenly had to struggle to keep her eyes open. “Sorry. I’m not feeling too perky.”
“A delayed reaction to stress and shock,” he said and took her by the arm. “Come on back to my place. You can shower and get some sleep. I’ll bring you back here later to pick up your car.”
“I should just go back to Paula’s.”
“It’s four in the morning. You’ll wake everyone.”
Oh, right. Good point. “Let me tell Nicole and Claire.”
She spoke with her sisters, then allowed Matt to lead her to his car. It was a sleek Mercedes two-seater that probably cost more than she’d made in the past five years.
“You’ll need a different car,” she mumbled as she put her coffee in the cup holder, then fumbled with the seat belt. “Kids need to be in the back. It’s the front-seat air bag.”
Matt smiled at her. “Interesting subject change. I’ll keep that in mind. You going to be okay for the trip back?”
“Uh-huh. I just need a shower and a chance to rest.”
Normally she would have skipped the shower, but she smelled like smoke. She didn’t need the visceral reminder that her dreams had gone up in flames.
“Maybe not,” she murmured. “If we do the rental kitchen and the Internet sales, I still have a chance.”
“At proving yourself?” he asked as he pulled into the quiet street and headed for his place.
“Uh-huh.” She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. “I gave myself six months to get it right. Did the fire have to be now? Couldn’t it have been a year from now?”
“It’s not personal, Jess. It’s just one of those things.”
“It feels personal. The fire hates me.” She was starting to drift. “Nicole still hates me, but Claire’s making her try out some of my ideas.”
“Your sister doesn’t hate you.”
“Ha! A lot you know. You still hate me, too.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You’re mad. I can tell you’re mad. But you’re doing better with Gabe and he matters a lot more than me.”
“Because you love him?”
“He’s my son. I would die for him.”
The car stopped. Jesse opened her eyes to see if they were already at Matt’s place, but they were just stopped at a light. She glanced at him and found him staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re not what I expected.”
“You didn’t expect me at all. I’m a surprise.”
“In more ways than you know.”
JESSE MUST HAVE FALLEN asleep because the next thing she knew, Matt was helping her out of the car. She managed to get through the house and upstairs. He helped her into a huge bedroom she would guess was the master. There was a massive bed and beautiful, custom furniture. At least she guessed it was custom based on how perfectly it fit into the space.
He tugged her hand and led her into what was supposed to be a bathroom, but needed a different word to describe it. There was a fireplace and a flat-screen TV over a jetted tub that could probably fit five. The shower was frameless with plenty of heads and jets and who knew what else.
“You awake enough to manage?” he asked as he set several very fluffy towels onto the marble counter. “I don’t want you drowning in my shower.”
“Me, either.” She eyed the controls. “How do I turn it on?”
He went to a control panel on the wall. “Twenty minutes enough?” he asked.
Shock made her feel more awake. “You have a remote control shower?”
“There’s a control panel inside as well. This sets the temperature, the water pressure, how many of the jets are to be used. I’m giving you the works. You’ll like it.”
He disappeared into a stadium-size closet and returned with a terry-cloth robe. “Leave your clothes here. I’ll toss them in the wash while you’re sleeping.”
“Such service,” she said lightly, trying not to think about being naked in Matt’s house or who else had worn this robe. Did he have it laundered after each use or were there Electra cooties still on it? She decided it would be better not to ask.
He pushed a button and the water in the shower came on. “Just leave your clothes next to the towels,” he told her and left.
She stared after him. There was a time he wouldn’t have left. When him joining her in the shower wouldn’t have been a question. Of course, that had been a long time ago, when they’d both still been in love and all that mattered had been being together.
She missed that. She missed a lot of things.
Jesse stripped quickly, left her clothes where he’d said and stepped into the shower. The water was hot and steamy and seemed to come from every direction. Sore muscles were soothed, smoke washed away. It was
a little piece of heaven.
Fifteen minutes later she was clean and smelled like his shampoo and soap. She managed to turn off the water before stepping out and grabbing one of the towels. Her clothes were gone, which meant Matt had been in the bathroom while she’d been in the shower. Had he looked? Or maybe he hadn’t even been tempted. She hated that she even wondered.
It had been a long time for her…five years to be exact, but that wasn’t the reason she kept thinking about them being together. It was more because Matt had been the only one to touch her soul. She’d loved him and that had made all the difference.
She finished drying off and picked up the robe. It smelled of fabric softener rather than someone else, which was good. She didn’t want to think about the other women in his life.
She put on the robe and used the blow-dryer to get most of the wetness out of her hair, then walked into the bedroom from the bathroom. Matt did the same from the hallway, carrying a mug of coffee. He handed it to her.
“I put your clothes in the wash,” he told her.
“I saw that. Thanks.” She sipped the coffee, feeling awkward and exhausted. The night was a blur of fire and smoke and shattered dreams. Except maybe she still had a shot at her dreams. Maybe it was all going to work out.
There was so much to do, so much to think about. She set down the coffee and rubbed her temples. “I think my head is going to explode.”
“You don’t want that,” Matt said. He guided her to the bed. “Come on. Try to sleep. At least for a couple of hours.”
He pulled back the covers. The sheets were beige and striped and looked expensive. Had he bought them himself? Did he have a designer or did one of his women take care of that sort of thing. Maybe the nice secretary she’d met at his office helped out. And how many women had there been in the past five years? A few? Many? Herds?
How could he have done that? Slept with them? Hadn’t he missed her at all? Hadn’t he loved her like he said, or had they just been the age-old words men had uttered since the beginning of time to get what they wanted?
“Don’t cry,” Matt said, touching her cheek and wiping away tears she hadn’t felt fall. “You have a plan with the bakery. That’s what matters.”
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