by Kate Asher
“Babe, you’ve always struggled seeing past yourself. He’s not the man you’ve believe him to be, no matter what you heard from Nat or your parents years ago. I only want your happiness.” Grams sighed. “If I could prove it to you, I would. I think you’re one of the smartest people I know, so I hope when you ruminate over the past, like I know you’re going to do”—she could feel her grandmother wagging a finger at her—“that you’ll at least try to step back enough to see the truth. Not how it affected you or what you did in response to their words, but see the truth.” Grams cleared her throat. “Granddaughter, I need your commitment to be at our holiday party this Saturday evening at our event center. There’s an award ceremony, and my family’s invited. You’re all I’ve got, so I shouldn’t have to beg for you to come, right?”
Her grandmother was a whirlwind of activity, but that change in topics was more difficult to follow than her usual flights of ideas. Andi held her tongue, wanting to decline. The idea of a party seemed torturous, but her Grams had hit the nail on the head: they were all each other had. She’d never make her beg for anything.
“Send me the details. Of course I’ll come for your awards ceremony, but I can’t stay long.” Why did everything she did right now make her feel worse? She should be there all night to support her grandmother’s hard work.
“That’s all I want.” There was a pause in the conversation, something Grams rarely did. “Andi, remember… The best of life happens in the unexpected moments. Be open to them, dear. Don’t let other people, especially those no longer in your life, dictate your actions. You deserve happiness.”
“All right, Grams.” Her heart just couldn’t take anymore advice from well-meaning friends and family. “I love you. I’ll see you Saturday.” She hung up and reached to tuck her clothes back in place. She’d think about Grams’s advice later, like she’d promised. But right now, she had to get ahold of herself. No more wallowing. It was unprofessional, and work had to be completed.
~~~
When Andi hadn’t arrived on Saturday to finish packaging the cookies or returned his calls or texts, he’d started to worry. Bree had even tried calling her, to no avail. Blake had tried her cell phone a number of times that evening as well, and again on Sunday, to the point that Ryan had confiscated the device to stop Blake’s insanity—Ryan’s words, not Blake’s. When Blake had almost tackled Ryan to the ground to get the phone back, he’d stopped himself, admitting Ryan might not be wrong. He’d give Andi space. But what the hell had happened? They’d shared a magical night. They’d cleared the air about the past. They’d made plans for the future.
Who knew where it would lead, but that was any budding relationship. You let it play out, followed the flow, had fun, got to know each other. But Andi had freaked out at some point. He should have just insisted she stay the night, but he figured she needed to get home and rest, change her clothes, so she wasn’t in the same outfit when Ryan did eventually show up on Saturday. There was no way Bree wouldn’t have noticed her in the same clothes either. He didn’t want Andi embarrassed, even though he’d have been perfectly fine with it.
He slumped into his chair in his office and threw his head back against the rest, letting out a long sigh. He’d sent her numerous texts, called her office, and chatted with Bree. That woman may have been fun-loving outside a business environment, but she exuded hard-nosed administrative assistant in the workplace. She wouldn’t give a single inch on getting him in touch with Andi. And Blake’s intel gathering skills weren’t that rusty.
Blake tapped his lower lip, considering his next move. His cell phone rang where he’d tossed it on his desk after his last conversation with Bree. He jackknifed the chair forward and answered without looking at the screen.
“Hi, Blake. It’s Babs.” The woman sighed but continued without waiting for him to respond. “I’m confirming you’ll be there Saturday night for the awards presentation.”
It took him a second to realize she wasn’t calling with news about Andi and how he could get through to her…or at least in touch with her. “I don’t know. I don’t need an award. Like I said, I was happy to help. And I’m glad it was such a success.” He ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he should just let Andi go.
His chest constricted at the thought. They’d had a connection. Andi had to have felt that too. Blake had never had an experience like that in his life. There was no way she’d been unaffected. Blake snorted to himself. That was probably what had made her run. God, they’d been good together. And not just the sex, but the intimacy, the conversation. For fuck’s sake, he sounded like a sap, but he’d never been one to willingly lie to himself and he wouldn’t start now. He doubted there was another woman on the planet that would send the cells of his body zinging around the stratosphere merely by slamming him with a sarcastic comeback. And then…when all the sarcasm faded into passion… He had no compass to navigate the sensations and emotions that rolled through him.
“Blake!” Bab’s sounded exasperated. At his non-committal “hmm,” she growled. “I said your name four times. Are you too busy to talk to me?” She didn’t sound upset. Was that amusement in her voice? Did the woman have ESP and know where his mind had gone?
“No, sorry. I was just thinking.” He paused another moment. “Have you heard from Andi?”
“She’s fine. Give her a few more days to sort things out.” Babs stopped talking, and Blake feared that was all she’d give him, but she made a frustrated noise on the other end of the line and continued, “I love that girl, but she was raised in a bad environment. Well, that’s not true. But she’s sensitive to other people’s emotions. And her parents and Nat screwed with her head without them even realizing it. They all three lived their lives blaming other people for everything. Andi worked so hard in life because she wanted to be the good girl…for them. I’m not going to talk out of school about this, but you knew Nat and her personality. I thought if I told you Nat came by her manipulative personality naturally, that you might see where Andi’s demons come from.”
Blake started to speak, to explain he’d already had this conversation with Andi—that they’d talked about the past—but Babs shushed him again.
“Andi’s demons are haunting her now more than ever, but she’s the one who has to deal with them. They can direct her life or she can break free. So I need you to leave her alone for a few days. I know you want to talk to her, but it won’t do you any good right now. You’ll have to trust me on that.”
“Babs, if I don’t talk to her, I can’t fix this.” He’d never spilled his guts to a near stranger, but the last few days had left him desperate. “We connected on Friday. I need to find out what happened—from her—and fix it.”
“Aww, you’re so sweet. I knew you’d be perfect for my Andi. Now stop bothering her and come to the award ceremony on Saturday. I’ll text you the invitation with the details.” Then she hung up.
What the hell? Hadn’t they been in the middle of a conversation? That was the most detailed and least helpful conversation he’d ever had with anyone. He tossed the phone back on his desk and slumped in his chair. When his phone dinged, he shot to his feet again, hoping it was from the woman avoiding him for whatever reason. But no, the promised invitation to an awards ceremony he didn’t have any desire to attend popped up on his screen.
“Ooh, who pissed you off?”
He jerked his attention to the doorway of his office. Chelsea stood there with the door partially opened and her eyebrows raised high.
“What?”
“You look like you want to hurl that phone across the room.” She chuckled and came over to his desk.
Blake set the phone on the desktop gently and smiled at Chelsea. He had no reason to take out his frustrations on her. “What did you need?”
“Your three o’clock wedding cake consultation is here. I’ve got the samples ready to go whenever you are.” Chelsea pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.
“Can’t Wyatt take this one? Is he
still here?”
“No, he finished up an hour ago.” She looked at him nervously. “I can reschedule if you need me to.”
Blake took a deep breath and stretched his shoulders to relax his body, focusing on the techniques he’d learned in service to let go of tension and focus on missions.
“No, no, of course not. Let’s go make some wedding dreams come true.” He gave her the best smile he could come up with while pushing away the faint smothering sensation that came when he thought about Andi being MIA. He came around the desk to pull his apron off the back of his door.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve seemed off since the Christmas Bazaar ended.”
Obviously he hadn’t been able to pull off the smile. He’d have to work on that so he didn’t upset his customers. He took another deep breath. “I’m fine. I promise.” He patted her on the shoulder and steered her out the office door. He followed behind her and tried to put Andi on the back burner…for now. Until he could gather more intel and possibly do a little recon, he wouldn’t be able to move the needle on that situation. He wasn’t giving up, but maybe Bab’s was right… A strategic retreat might work in his favor.
Chapter 12
Luckily for Andi, the darkness of night came faster this time of year. She sat in her Prius, heater turned on high, parked just to the side of the front doors of the community event center, watching as different people left their vehicles and headed inside. She smoothed a hand down the front of the form-fitted red lace dress she had chosen to wear tonight. She’d been afraid it might be too dressy or perhaps too cliché to the season, but based on how elegantly festive everyone looked, she’d chosen correctly.
The other thing she noticed was everyone entered the building in couples. Some had children, others had aging parents on their arm, but everyone had someone, which was the exact reason she sat in this car, trying to time her entry. Andi didn’t want to deal with all the small talk happening while waiting for the ceremony to begin. She gave a deep sigh, moved her long, curly hair out the way and rested her head on the head rest. Here she was again, all alone in a sea of happily committed people.
If she hadn’t freaked like she had, maybe Blake would have been her plus one… “Get over yourself.” A phrase she’d muttered several times over the last two days. “No boyfriend is better than a bad one.”
Technically true. Besides, Blake had never mentioned dating or them going anywhere together. She’d had sex with him, in a bakery, while volunteering… Her cheeks flushed as she thought about her brazen actions. What had she been thinking? Her lip slipped between her teeth as she thought about how quickly she had orgasmed. The window of having Ryan or Bree showing back up to catch them in the act was super small; she’d been so turned on. Andi opened her eyes and lifted her head, instantly reprimanding herself. “What’re you doing? You’re about to have dinner with a bunch of senior citizens and you’re thinking about sex. Stop.”
One solid week of pining for a man she didn’t even like in the first place seemed more than enough time. She needed to steel her spine, put on a brave face, and get inside the event center so her grandmother didn’t worry. Andi lowered the visor, looked in the mirror, and took in the serious expression on her face. She forced a bright smile. Okay, that wasn’t a good look either. She needed a middle ground, somewhere between the downer she’d become and this weird, overly bright smiling person who looked crazy and might scare any small children in the room.
At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humor. Andi gave a soft snort and turned off the ignition, grabbed her evening bag, and pushed open the car door. A rush of chilled winter air filled the warm car. She reached for her shawl, quickly wrapping it around her shoulders while kicking the car door closed. Her high heels turned into joggers as she dashed for the front doors and wondered when it had turned so nippy outside.
She was barely through the front doors before she heard the beginning of the ceremony. She had stalled too long. Her grandmother had to think she wasn’t coming. “Damn.”
Ushers began closing the massive doors to the main evening room as the interior lights dimmed. Andi rushed forward, sliding inside before the doors completely shut. Just like she’d come to know with this group, the giant room was decked out in the holiday’s finest decorations with what had to be twenty-five large round tables filling the room. Luckily, in a sea of moving waiters placing dinner plates in front out each seated person, one stopped and asked, “Can I help you find your table?”
“I’m Babs Wilson’s granddaughter. I think I would be at her table,” she said quietly, not wanting to disrupt the speaker. The waiter nodded and motioned her toward the front of the room. She followed, edging her way through the tables as the man at the podium introduced her grandmother who took the stage just feet away. Andi moved past the waiter, who pulled her chair out, and took her seat while clapping along with everyone else in the room.
Thankfully, she hadn’t missed her grandmother’s award.
“This year’s Above and Beyond, Volunteer of the Year Award goes to a new-timer here in Sacramento.”
Andi wrinkled her brow, confused. A plate of food was placed in front of her, and she nodded to the server, trying to remember what her grandmother had said about the ceremony.
“Well, it’s someone who has long roots in our community but left us to travel the world. He came back home when he needed a little tender loving care himself. A decorated war hero…”
Oh no, her grandmother hadn’t… Andi jerked her head one direction, searching the room, ignoring everything else her grandmother said. When she didn’t see Blake that direction, she searched the other way. The air left Andi’s lungs in a whoosh. Blake sat with her at the table, three chairs away. Their gazes locked, and Andi forgot to breathe. Everything faded, nothing more than this beautiful man, dressed in a crisp black suit and tie, staring intently at her. Her heart melted at the concern she saw on his face.
“Blake Mangold of Manly Cakes, please come accept your award.” The audience clapped, and Blake only shook his head. Instead of rising, heading toward the stage, he left his seat, rounding the table toward her.
“What’re you doing?” Andi asked, breathy and unsure, lifting her face to maintain eye contact as he came forward.
“I’ve called you all week. I came to your office.”
Andi was acutely aware of everyone in their vicinity staring at them. She also heard her grandmother’s snickering from the stage, but all she saw was Blake bending at the knee directly in front of her, lowering to her eye level.
“What happened, Andi? We were so good together.” His words were muttered so sweetly. The gesture of kneeling before her had Andi reaching forward, encouraging Blake to his feet. He misunderstood her request, taking both her hands in his. When they touched, her world shifted. Their chemistry had always been off the charts. A warmth spread, her anxiety instantly slipping away. His touch made everything right in her world for the first time this week.
“Give me a chance to fix things.”
With as fast as her mind raced, words failed her. She could only stare as she clasped his hand, never wanting to let go again. So conflicted. How could she think this man was duping her, but how could she trust that he wasn’t?
“Blake, they’re waiting on you to accept the award,” someone said from beside them.
“If you promise to stay, I’ll believe you,” he said, making no move to rise. Andi nodded, not letting go of his hand, afraid her self-doubt would return and ruin everything again. Her grandmother’s words rang in her head, “The best of life happens in the unexpected moments. Be open to them, dear. Don’t let other people, especially those no longer in your life, dictate your actions. You deserve happiness.” Was that what she was doing? Letting other people dictate her own actions?
“Blake, come get your award, hon,” Gram’s said into the microphone, humor in her voice. “She’ll wait for you. I promise.” Blake looked unsure of her grandmother’s declaration, his questioni
ng gaze turned relieved when Andi nodded.
“I’ll be here.” He was slow to rise, his gaze staying focused on her.
When he finally did go, she saw a squaring of his broad shoulders before he turned away, only looking back over his shoulder toward her a dozen times before he stood at the podium, taking the well-deserved plaque. Blake nodded at Grams, but his gaze stayed fixed on Andi, who hadn’t looked away from him since she’d spotted him at their table.
~~~
Good heaven above, Blake didn’t think the ceremony and banquet would ever end. It had been two hours since he’d walked onto that stage. He’d shaken so many hands, performed interviews with the local newspapers, of all things, and small-talked until his throat hurt. His grin no doubt looked fake at this point, because his facial muscles had cramped into a perma-smile an hour ago. He’d never been gladder for wolfing down the two dinner rolls before Babs had started the presentation. He’d not had a second to himself.
Andi hadn’t gotten involved in conversations or mingling, but she’d stayed true to her word. She hadn’t disappeared. He’d kept his eye on her all night to make sure she didn’t try to escape before he had chance to talk to her. On the one hand, he’d known this woman for what amounted to three days. It was stupid to care so much about someone within that time frame. On the other hand, he’d known her his whole life. And their connection, whether through their antagonistic banter as teenagers or the passion they’d had when kissing last week, couldn’t be denied. He wouldn’t ignore that and walk away.
He’d been forced to leave everything he’d known when he was eighteen, and he’d had short-term relationships and passionate temporary flings, but nothing compared to the soul-deep connection he felt just in her presence. It was like time and space didn’t matter, their connection crossed planes of existence and drew them together on some inexorable trajectory.
He scoffed to himself at his ridiculously poetic thoughts. Babs made her way through the crowd. When she stepped up to him, she handed him a water bottle and held his arm, pulling him down so she could speak in his ear. “Why don’t you call this a wrap and head on over to your girl?”