The Marriage Recipe

by Michele Dunaway

  That was safe and reasonable.

  “You saw Colin?” Her mother had moved to the doorway and she paused.

  “Yes, he was walking into the law office as I was walking out. He asked me what I was doing there, so I told him. Bruce is in Houston with Christina.”

  “And…” her mother prompted.

  “He’ll let me know tomorrow if Lancaster and Morris will take on my case. He’s meeting me at the diner around noon.”

  “Then I’ll keep my fingers crossed for good news. I hope it all works out, especially since you won’t let us help you.”

  Rachel shook her head. “You and Grandma are already doing enough, although there is one thing I want to talk about with both of you. I’d like to maybe use the kitchen.”

  Adrienne’s brow creased, as if she was confused about why her daughter would ask a question with such an obvious answer. “Of course you can. This house is too big for the three of us, but it’s been in the family forever. Who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll move in with you the way Kim did with me.”

  “I guess you’re lucky that you get along so well with Dad’s mother.” Marco’s mother had accepted Rachel, but she hadn’t been overly friendly.

  “We’re best friends,” Adrienne said, and Rachel knew her mother meant it. “I’m closer to her than I was to my mom, God rest her soul.”

  Rachel smiled. One of her mother’s foibles was to add God rest her soul when speaking of the dead, as if not doing so might bring someone back to haunt her. “Amen,” Rachel quipped. “But back to the kitchen. I wasn’t talking about here. I’d like to use the one at the diner after it closes. I’d like to begin baking. Maybe fill up the display case in the front. My dream is to get a small Internet bakery business going, although I haven’t pursued that yet. This could help me begin. I’ll pay you both for the usage.”

  Her mom leaned her hip against the doorjamb. “If you’re a little strapped for cash, we could do an exchange. You give us some desserts to sell during our business hours and I’ll give you use of the kitchen. That’s probably a fair trade. I doubt Kim will mind.”

  “Mind what? I’m hearing my name. Is this a meeting?” Kim slid by Adrienne and entered Rachel’s bedroom. It always amazed Rachel how thin and spry her grandmother was. Turning seventy hadn’t slowed her down at all. Her grandmother still did yoga and tai chi to keep her five-foot-four body flexible.

  “Rachel wants to use the diner’s kitchen in exchange for giving us some goodies to sell in the front display case,” Adrienne said.

  “Can you make my bear claws?” Kim said, peering at her granddaughter.

  “Actually, yes,” Rachel confirmed. “And cakes, pies and other pastries. I thought I’d test some new recipes, and look into what it would take to open a cyber bakery.”

  “Don’t know what the world’s coming to.” Kim shook her head in disbelief. “Still don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just go to their local store for something fresh baked. Heck, you can get cakes decorated in Wal-Mart and they’re quite tasty. The girls at the diner bought me one for my last birthday. Not as good as mine, but not half-bad, either.”

  “So can she use the kitchen or not?” Adrienne asked, bringing Kim back to the real subject.

  Kim nodded. “Of course. It’s a great idea. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of orders. Closest Wal-Mart is in Greensburg and closest supermarket is in Batesville. The way the price of gas is, if your desserts are any good, you’ll be swarmed with buyers.”

  “I hope so,” Rachel said. “I could use the money. This will also give me a chance to develop some new recipes if Marco does end up winning.”

  “He won’t,” her mother reassured her. “Rachel saw Colin Morris about Marco’s demand letter,” she explained to Kim. “He’s going to let her know tomorrow whether he can take the case. He probably has to discuss it with the partners.”

  “If Reginald says no, I’ll go next door and give him a piece of my mind. Loretta will let me, too. Either that or I’ll add hot-pepper sauce to his prime rib tomorrow.”

  Rachel laughed. She loved her feisty grandmother. “There won’t be any need to poison Mr. Morris. Colin just wanted to discuss fees with him. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

  “Of course it will. Colin’s turning into quite a good lawyer,” her mother said.

  “Not that anyone but him doubted he would,” Kim interjected. “The boy has to believe in himself more. He’s always had to play second fiddle to Bruce. Now, that boy was smart. Highest bar score in the state.”

  “I asked for Bruce, but he’s on vacation with his wife,” Rachel said.

  “Oh, she’s a pretty thing, too,” Kim said. “I told you that story already, right?”

  “Yes,” Rachel said. Kim knew everything that went down in Morrisville.

  “I’m sure Colin will do a good job on your case,” Adrienne said.

  Kim blinked rapidly—she was still all fired up. “Why wouldn’t he? Heck, you’ll probably get more personal attention having Colin as your lawyer. That boy had a crush on you for years. And you certainly didn’t turn into an ugly duckling in New York.”

  “What?” Rachel asked, not sure she’d heard her grandmother correctly.

  “I said you didn’t get ugly when you moved to New York,” Kim replied, shifting her weight.

  “No, before that. That Colin had a crush on me,” Rachel said.

  “He did,” Kim replied with a nod. “We all thought you had to be crazy to pass him by.”

  We? Who was we? Unsettled, Rachel probed on a different front. “He didn’t have a crush on me. Remember? Prom? I told you, he didn’t ask me. I just heard him wrong. He went with someone else.”

  “I thought you turned him down. You know, you two really should discuss that,” Adrienne said. “Get it out in the open and put it behind you.”

  “It is behind me,” Rachel argued, realizing that the moment she’d stepped foot in Morrisville her past had roared to life. In New York, Colin Morris had been her previous life. All women had some man who broke their hearts, intentionally or not. It was simply a rite of passage, a part of growing up. Now she was face-to-face with him, and the truth was, he hadn’t ever liked her as more than a friend, no matter how deep her feelings for him.

  That he might have fallen in love with her had been a wild fantasy of hers, and a terribly misguided one at that. She’d learned of her mistake the hard way. “Besides, whatever he might have felt, that was high school. Years ago. Way too long to worry about now. And remember Marco? I believed I was getting married. It’s not even been three weeks.”

  “Colin’s never been serious about anyone,” Kim announced, ignoring the proclamation about Marco, whom she’d never liked in the first place, especially when he’d tried to talk to her about the Old Country the one time they’d met.

  “I was committed and I don’t want to get involved on the rebound. I have no intention of just finding some other man to keep my bed warm.”

  Her mother crossed herself and Rachel rolled her eyes. Her mother had been a virgin until she’d married. She also still went to church every Sunday and didn’t miss a holy day. Compared with her, Rachel was quite the heathen. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “Oh, lighten up, Adrienne. You know how kids these days are,” Kim said. “Rachel’s a grown woman. You married at twenty. I’d be worried about her if she hadn’t, well…”

  “I just don’t want to hear the details,” Adrienne said. “Feel free to use the kitchen. We usually finish the next day’s prep work around five. It’s yours after that.”

  “Thanks,” Rachel said. “The arrangement is only temporary, though. My goal has always been to open a place in New York and sell on the Internet from it. I love the vibes of the city. But I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your support. I’m very lucky.”

  “Sweetie, you’re family. This is what family does. We only wish you’d let us do more to help you,” Adrienne said.

  “What you’ve done
is plenty,” Rachel insisted. She stood and hugged them. “I love you both dearly.”

  “Us, too,” Kim said.

  Another round of hugs followed, and then Rachel found herself alone again. She glanced at the clock. Kim and Adrienne opened the diner by 6:00 a.m. so they were usually in bed by eight. Since tomorrow Rachel’s shift didn’t start until eleven, she could sleep in a little if she wanted. Not that she was tired. She was still on edge from finding Colin Morris in his darkened bedroom, flashing code back at her.

  What had made her grab the flashlight and contact him when she’d seen the light go on in his bedroom? She’d instinctively known it was him, and no one else. She sprawled out on her back and stared up at the double bed’s lace canopy. She had to be the world’s biggest idiot. Not only had she not suspected Marco’s indiscretions, but she’d just acted like a middle-school girl with a crush—on a man who only wanted to help her with her legal issues.

  Which he was doing because she was a friend, or like his sister. Nothing more. She’d clear up any misconceptions tomorrow. If not, the people in this small town would get the wrong idea and start pairing her with Colin. That would be bad, especially since her stay was temporary.

  Besides, she didn’t like him in a romantic sense. Maybe she had long ago. But now, not one bit. Although she had just flashed him messages across the night. Chalk that up to being one of the many mistakes she’d made with Colin Morris. Well, no more. She’d make it perfectly plain they were going to keep everything professional. She’d straighten out this crush nonsense. Tomorrow, they’d clear the air.

  Chapter Four

  By ten minutes to noon, Rachel was a basket case. She’d never been so nervous. She wiped her palms on her chef’s jacket, smearing the white icing that had attached itself to her fingers.

  It probably didn’t help her psyche, either, that she hadn’t slept well. She’d read a book until almost midnight because she’d had insomnia. Then, when she’d finally fallen asleep, just about every dream had been of Colin Morris. They’d been children in one, playing down at the creek. They’d been high schoolers in another, dancing cheek to cheek at the prom they’d never attended. The last dream had been the most erotic, and Rachel blushed, thinking of what she’d done in that one.

  She grabbed a tray of pastries, used her hip to push open the kitchen door and carried the tray out to the display case by the cash register. She was putting out the various pastries her grandmother had baked. Within two days, Rachel planned to have everything in the display case be her own wares.

  She busied herself with setting everything inside, bending over to rearrange the pumpkin bread she’d placed there at eleven. Already, half of it had been sold.

  Her mind drifted back to the last dream, the one that still haunted her. In it, Colin had looked exactly as he had in his office—minus all his clothes. And she and Colin hadn’t been in his office but in a bedroom, on a bed. Naked and intertwined.

  She’d woken up in a hot sweat, breathing heavily. So much for not liking the man. If her very realistic dream was any indication, she wanted to jump him. She was interested in him, at least sexually. Not good. She had to get those lustful urges behind her.

  Rachel completed reorganizing the same moment legs clad in expensive suit pants suddenly appeared in front of the display case. She pulled back slowly, careful not to whack her head on the top of the case.

  The object of last night’s lust stood there, a grin covering his face and immediately sending shivers throughout her body. Last night she’d kissed him. Sure, only in her subconscious, but having the flesh-and-blood Colin standing a mere countertop away was throwing her equilibrium off in a manner she had never experienced.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hey,” Rachel said, ignoring her grandmother’s pointed interest even though she was ringing up a customer. “Kim’s busy, so I can seat you. Will anyone be joining you?” Rachel reached for the menus.

  He shook his head. “Actually, I know I said we’d talk, but the judge has made his decision on one of my cases, and I have to run over to the courthouse.” Colin glanced around the diner, which was packed with the noontime prime-rib-craving lunch crowd. Rachel followed his gaze, recognizing most of the diners as locals who came and ate here a couple of times a week. “I phoned in and have a takeout order. Do you have a minute?”

  “I guess.” Not that there was anywhere private at Kim’s to talk.

  Colin seemed to sense this, as well. He hesitated. “I won’t be finished with the paperwork until about four today. Could we meet for dinner? I’d like to discuss your matter further. The partners met and we’re taking you on as a client.”

  Relief swept over Rachel, vanquishing the apprehension she’d felt when Colin had mentioned dinner. This wasn’t a date. Just a lawyer-client thing.

  Although, did lawyers invite their clients to dinner?

  “Rachel, you’re needed in the kitchen. Your timer went off,” Adrienne called. The swinging door closed behind her.

  “I’ve got to go,” Rachel said.

  “How about I pick you up at five?” Colin proposed.

  “I can meet you,” she replied as Kim put a white carryout sack in front of Colin.

  “I’ll pick you up. It’s not a problem. I know where you live,” Colin said. “Kim, put this on my tab, will you?”

  “Already done,” Kim said.

  “Thanks.” Colin lifted the bag and left, the jingling bell on the door signaling his departure.

  Rachel exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, something her grandmother immediately noticed.

  “He looks good in a suit, doesn’t he?” Kim mused as she reached for a customer’s ticket.

  “He’s just a friend.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kim smiled at the elderly gentleman. “Was everything okay?”

  “Perfect,” the man said. “Never tried it here before.”

  “Well, I hope you come back,” Kim said, taking the money he offered and getting his change.

  “I’m sure I will,” the man promised, and Rachel used the moment to escape into the kitchen. Colin Morris had looked superb. Regal, in a sense. Naked or suited, he should be outlawed. Locked away out of her sight and forbidden from being in her fantasies. She reached for a cooling loaf pan and turned out the banana bread onto a wire rack.

  She’d planned on baking tonight and now she was going to dinner, instead. She calmed her heart, told herself she was being silly. Her goal was to get back to New York, so Colin’s legal advice took precedence. She was not going to let him get under her skin.

  COLIN WAS PROMPT. She’d watched him drive up at exactly 5:00 p.m. and met him on the porch steps. “What,” he said, grinning at her as he exited the car. “Don’t even tell me you thought I was going to be late.”

  She arched an eyebrow at him. The Colin of yesterday hadn’t been known for his promptness. He also hadn’t been known for driving anything four-door, and probably would have died before owning the sensible gray Saturn Aura in front of her.

  “Yes, it’s mine,” he said, reading her mind. “It’s practical—but still sporty.”

  “Of course it is” she said. The car screamed, I am now in my thirties and willing to grow up.

  “But not willing to sacrifice,” Colin said, holding the door open. He laughed. “I know that’s exactly what you were thinking. You had me pegged for some low-slung, two-seater sports car. Well, everything I drive has to have four seats and must be able to fit at least two bags of golf clubs.”

  “Still playing?”

  “As often as I can, although not as much as I’d like,” Colin said. “Pretty busy with work lately. I figure this is my year to make full partner, especially at the rate I’m going. The latter part of last year wasn’t too shabby.”

  “So you aren’t a full partner yet?” Colin was family; Rachel had expected him to be a shoo-in.

  He shut the door and she leaned back against the leather upholstery. The car wasn’t new, but it
still smelled that way.

  Colin climbed in and fired up the engine. “Nope, not yet. Christina was hired as a full partner and that was before Bruce even got his promotion.”

  They drove down the long, tree-lined street, which seemed so much smaller now that they were no longer children racing Big Wheels or bicycles. Now that spring was right around the corner, it was finally starting to make its presence known. They had a couple more weeks before the leaves popped, but winter was definitely on the way out. Daylight savings time would also begin soon. Rachel smiled. Living in New York, she’d gotten used to “springing forward.” Her mother hadn’t quite adjusted; the state of Indiana had only started setting clocks forward one hour in the spring a few years ago.

  “So where are we going?” Rachel asked, lowering the visor. With the days growing longer, the sun was still above the horizon and wouldn’t dip below for about another hour, give or take a minute or two.

  “To the River Club,” Colin said. He turned down a narrow two-lane road and headed toward the outskirts of town.

  “Never heard of it,” Rachel said. Morrisville wasn’t known for its culinary delights. In fact, since Kim’s closed at three, many people ate dinner at the public golf-course restaurant or at the hospital cafeteria in Batesville. Both were considered fine dining. Rachel gave an involuntary shudder. She’d once agreed, until she’d moved to Manhattan and learned how provincial her life had been.

  “Cold?” Colin asked, seeing her second shiver.

  “No, I’m fine.” Her outfit wasn’t the problem. She’d worn black slacks, boots and a red V-neck sweater. The day had been warm, but the air would cool down around seven so she’d brought a field coat. She’d just have to trust Colin’s judgment in choosing dining establishments.

  They were about ten miles outside of town now, and Rachel frowned. “Why are we at the airport? Did they reopen the café?”