Todd turned to Cecily. “What do you think?”
I think this is a recipe for romantic disaster. “So, basically you’d be a silent partner?” Silent partners didn’t get that involved, right?
“Semi-silent,” Todd said, “since the place needs some renovation.”
How cozy. They’d be working together on the house. “Mmm,” Cecily murmured. “So, you’d be both Bailey’s partner and her landlord?”
“Of course, we’d want to see some sort of agreement that ensures Bailey’s going to profit from this arrangement,” Samantha said.
Bailey frowned at her older sister, and Cecily could imagine what she was thinking. Nothing like trying to make an adult decision and having your bossy big sister swoop in and take over. But Samantha did have a point.
“We Sterling women watch out for each other,” Cecily said to Todd.
“I can see that,” he said. “No worries. I have no intention of screwing your sister.”
Cecily cocked an eyebrow, and, realizing what he’d just said, Todd quickly reached for his coffee and took a drink.
Their food arrived, and talk continued. Cecily picked at her salad and argued back and forth with herself as the conversation swirled around her. This is a great opportunity for your sister…. Is she attracted to Todd?… Good relationships are built on trust…. Can I trust him?… Can I trust her?… Of course I can.
“I’m excited just thinking about this,” Bailey said with a smile. “And I haven’t felt that way in months.”
And only the rottenest of sisters would try to discourage her new dream.
* * *
Talk about great timing. Everything was lining up as if it was meant to be—him getting the Halversons’ place for a song and now finding someone who could pull together a tea shop/tearoom. The Man Upstairs was certainly watching over him. Or maybe it was his cosmic reward for contributing to Bailey Sterling’s defense fund. Not that she’d needed it. He’d heard her legal fees had been minimal, and, at her insistence, everyone was going to get their money back.
A much easier task than giving the poor kid her confidence back. What had happened to her would’ve shaken anyone’s confidence.
But he had a feeling about Bailey Sterling. There was something special about her. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous like Cecily, but she was cute in a girl-next-door kind of way, and she had a smile that was nothing short of infectious. Not that he was interested. He was with Cecily, after all, and he was no two-timing weasel. Anyway, only a fool tried to mix business and pleasure.
But a man couldn’t help noticing how a woman looked. In fact, he was sure half the men in town had noticed how Bailey Sterling looked. Probably his biggest worry would be whom she married. Maybe Cecily could steer her toward a local guy. The last thing Todd wanted was to start a business and then have his partner get married and go skipping off to some other town.
He doubted she would, though. She was too passionate about food and too fired up about this idea. Like her sisters, she was smart. She obviously had good people skills, since everyone in town appeared to like her. She sure had the connections. The Sterlings were small-town royalty. People would frequent the place simply because of who she was. Oh, yeah. This could be a very good thing.
Or a big pile of shit. He thought of Cecily’s lack of enthusiasm as they’d all talked at lunch. He was no dummy himself, and he knew a forced smile when he saw one. Was she jealous of her sister? Untrusting of him? Both? Man, oh, man, he’d better watch where he stepped.
* * *
Cecily got in touch with her rotten side later that evening as she and Bailey sat at the kitchen bar in Cecily’s condo and ate crab salads, their mother’s latest book propped open in front of them.
Previous failures can cast a long shadow. It’s important to step out of that shadow. If you don’t, you’ll never take advantage of new opportunities and you’ll never grow.
Bailey tapped on the book. “Mama’s right.”
“Have you told her about this idea?” Cecily asked.
“Yep, and she thinks it’s a good one. She thinks I can do it.”
“Of course you can, but maybe you shouldn’t rush into doing this with Todd Black. He’s got the house, plus a half interest in the business. What are you getting?”
“Half the profits. Duh.”
Cecily stabbed a piece of crab with her fork and shoved it in her mouth. She looked up to see Bailey eyeing her. “What?”
“I don’t understand why you don’t want me to do this. Is there something wrong with Todd? Something I don’t know about? I asked Sammy about him, and she said he’s a good businessman.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with him. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Well, we’ve been seeing each other. It could get awkward.”
“Seeing each other?” Bailey looked at her in surprise. “I thought you were seeing Luke.” She frowned. “Except I did wonder why you were sitting so close to Todd.”
“That’s why. Luke and I are friends—that’s all.”
Now Bailey studied her salad. “So, you don’t want me to have my tea shop because you don’t want me around your boyfriend.”
That sounded petty—probably because it was. “No.” Yes. “Like I said, it could be awkward.”
Bailey frowned earnestly. “Cec, this is strictly business. You don’t have to worry that I’ll steal Todd.”
“I know,” Cecily lied. She was being silly; they weren’t little girls fighting over Barbie dolls. They were grown women.
“You’re right,” Cecily said. “I’m sorry for being unsupportive. It really is a great plan, and I’m behind you one hundred percent.”
Later that night as she and Todd played darts at The Man Cave and she listened to him talking about the tea shop and how smart Bailey’s ideas were, she mentally amended her earlier statement to her sister. I’m behind you 50 percent. And that was being generous.
No matter how much she was or wasn’t behind her sister, the talks continued, and come June the decision had been made. Bailey and Todd were going into business together. Samantha and Blake were consulted, and a contract was drawn up and signed.
The family gathered at Schwangau to celebrate, and Blake raised his wineglass to Bailey. “Here’s to success.”
“To success,” everyone echoed, although Cecily’s was a faint one.
“Have you come up with a name yet?” their mother asked.
Cecily remembered the family gathering on Mother’s Day, when Samantha and Blake had announced that they were expecting. Another happy event, she thought wistfully. You’re jealous. You bitch!
“We’re going to call it Tea Time,” Bailey said.
“Cute.” Mom obviously approved. “You could decorate using some cute little clocks around the walls and maybe on the tables.”
“Oh, I like that,” Bailey said.
“I was just over at Timeless Treasures and saw that Stacy had an anniversary clock in there,” Mom said.
“What’s an anniversary clock?” Bailey asked.
“It sits under a glass dome, and the pendulum twirls. If you like, I’ll get it for you. You could set it by your cash register.”
Ideas continued to flow, and as they did even Cecily began to catch the excitement. The tea shop was going to be charming. And she was happy to see her sister excited about life again. Okay, sis, I’m behind you…60 percent.
* * *
Todd was taking care of the paperwork and necessary permits, which left all the fun to-dos for Bailey, such as planning the decor, the menu and supervising the kitchen remodel.
“We’re going to have to turn this into a commercial kitchen,” she said to him as they assessed the working space in what would be the future home of Tea Time. “That means w
e’ll need a combination standard and convection stove, a commercial sink and dishwasher, an ice maker, a cooler. I don’t think we’ll need a walk-in. A French-door reach-in should work, considering the size of the room.”
Todd nodded and typed notes in his iPad.
Bailey chewed her lip. “This is going to cost a lot of money.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it work. I’ve already been over to the bank and talked with Blake Preston. Anyway, you have to spend money to make money.”
“I don’t mind spending money,” Bailey said, smiling. “Well, your money—but I don’t want to go over our budget.”
“I appreciate that, partner,” he said, smiling back.
Partner. She loved the sound of that. It was so nice to have someone right there with her every step of the way. And there’d been quite a few steps—coming up with a business plan, applying for permits so they could remodel the kitchen, talking with contractors, checking out the items she wanted to sell in the shop and looking for china. She’d bought some things from Stacy at Timeless Treasures, and Janice Lind at The Kindness Cupboard had promised to alert her if any useful donations came in.
Bailey had continued to work for Olivia in the mornings, but every spare minute she was at the house, working with Todd and Pete, whom Todd had drafted to help paint the place. Except for the trim, which Bailey had yet to decide on, the outside was now done, and it was time to whip the inside into shape, which would involve painting an accent wall and refinishing the hardwood floors, all of which Todd was doing himself. The kitchen work they’d hire out.
So far he hadn’t so much as blinked as she listed the things they’d need. And he was so supportive, so positive. No wonder Cecily was crazy about him.
“Anyway, I have to leave some money in your wallet so you have something to spend on my sister,” Bailey teased.
“Good point,” he said.
“How long have you guys been going out?” she asked casually. What did it matter? They were an item. Although when she first got to town, Cecily and Luke had been an item.
“Not long,” Todd said. “It took a while to convince her she wanted to be with me.”
“That’s hard to believe.” Okay, that was probably not appropriate.
He grinned. “Yeah? Where were you when I needed somebody to put in a good word for me?”
“What makes you think I would have?” she retorted, matching his tone.
“Hey, I’m not so bad.”
You could say that again. For one disloyal moment, Bailey wished she’d met Todd first. But you didn’t, she told herself, and he’s into Cecily, not you.
He was sure into her cooking, though. One day she stopped by the house on her lunch break with a plate of chocolate cookies for him to sample while he painted the accent wall.
“Oh, man, these are incredible. You can bake for me anytime.”
Just what every baker wanted to hear. “I’m going to make them part of the chocolate tea. We can also serve those white chocolate–lavender scones I made for you last week, along with a chocolate fondue and chocolate mint tea. Oh, and a Sweet Dreams truffle.”
He nodded approvingly. “Cross-promotion, a smart idea.”
“If I hadn’t thought of it, Sammy would have.”
“Yeah, but you did think of it. You’ve got a lot of good ideas.”
“Only in the kitchen.”
He shook his head. “Give yourself some credit. You’ve come up with a clever name for this place, figured out a way to double your business by making it both a shop and a restaurant. You’ve even figured out how to capitalize on the lavender we’ve got out there along the front walk. All creative ideas. You can’t teach that kind of thing. Either a person has it or she doesn’t.”
She smiled at the accent wall, which would soon be lavender to mimic the lavender growing outside. “It’s all coming together nicely,” she said.
“Sure is.” He took another cookie. “These are addictive.”
“They were always a hit when I made them for luncheons or bridal showers.” Now that seemed like the ancient past. She groaned at her own foolishness. “I was going to be the caterer to the stars. Sounds pretty silly, doesn’t it?”
“It sounds like a pain in the butt,” Todd said.
“Actually, it was. People were forever changing their minds about the menu at the last minute or complaining about my prices, even though they were right in line with what other caterers were charging.”
“Well, that’s people for you. The good thing about having your own place is that you’re in charge. People come in, and they pay what you tell them.”
“I like that,” she said. She liked the whole idea of this new business. It was all she thought about. She’d talked over menu ideas with Olivia and spent every spare minute in the kitchen tweaking old standards into slightly new and different versions. She even dreamed about it. Oh, yes. She was ready for this new adventure. Except… “We need to have plenty of insurance in case…something happens.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll have it. But nothing’s going to happen,” he assured her. “It’s going to be great.”
Great. Suddenly shy, she picked at her cookie and confessed, “I always thought I was meant for great things. Does that sound conceited?”
“Nah. Just sounds like you want a lot out of life.”
“Sometimes I think it’s, I don’t know, sort of greedy.”
“There’s nothing greedy about wanting to experience all life has to offer,” Todd said. “Hell, I wanted to own a business empire, be the next Donald Trump.” He pointed to her and said, “You’re fired,” in his best Donald Trump imitation, making her giggle.
“I bet you’ll do it,” she said. “Start a business empire, I mean.”
He nodded and gave a snort. “Yeah.”
“No, I’m serious. I bet you will. I mean, look at you. You already have one successful business and now you’re investing in another.”
He looked out the window, his expression thoughtful. “Yeah, well, my old man’s still sure I’ll fall on my face. But then, no surprise. Nothing I’ve ever done has been good enough for him.”
What a sad thing to hear. Her own father had always been so supportive. This is the best cookie I’ve ever had, Pumpkin…. I’ll take another helping of your mac and cheese…. Catering? That’s a perfect career choice.
“Your father sounds like a jerk,” Bailey said. “Sorry,” she added. “That wasn’t very nice of me.”
Todd shrugged. “He can be. But then, so can I. Sometimes I think he’s just disappointed with his own life. He almost made the majors. If he hadn’t blown out his knee, he’d probably have been on a baseball trading card. I guess he hoped I’d do what he couldn’t. He’s pissed that I didn’t have what it took. And then he thought my brother would deliver. Poor Dad. Even Devon let him down.”
“We can’t always be what our parents want us to be,” Bailey said. “Sometimes we can’t even be what we want to be,” she added, remembering her earlier failure. “But that’s okay, because things have a way of working out.” Now she sounded just like her mother, and the realization made her smile. If she could ever become half as wise, she’d be happy.
“Anyway, everyone here in Icicle Falls thinks you’re great,” she said, determined to keep them both positive.
“Probably not everyone,” he said with a shrug and a cynical smile.
“The ones who count do. Like me. And Cecily,” she added hastily.
She thought she saw something in his eyes. Had her mention of Cecily made him uncomfortable? Didn’t he want people to know they were together? Or maybe she’d just imagined what she saw.
“I should get back to work,” he said. “I want to get this wall done today so I can start sanding the floors on Saturday.”
“I n
eed to get going anyway,” Bailey said. And the sooner, the better. Todd Black was more tempting than anything she could ever dream up in the kitchen.
* * *
Cecily knew Todd was working on the house on Lavender Lane. She decided she’d stop by with lunch. She picked up some chocolate seconds from the Sweet Dreams gift shop, then ducked into Safeway for some deli chicken, potato salad and wine coolers and went to see how the work was coming along.
She was pulling into the street when she saw Bailey and Todd walk out on the front porch. Bailey looked fresh off the rack in a green top that showed off her curves and complemented her chestnut curls. Todd wore a paint-spattered T-shirt and equally spattered jeans. His dark hair was disheveled. Who’d been disheveling it?
Bailey said something, and he laughed. No sarcastic smirk but an actual laugh. What had she said that was so funny? They talked for another minute, and then she left him and went down the front walk wearing a smile.
Cecily frowned. Oh, no, she told herself, Bailey and Todd are not a match. He was too cynical. She was too naive. He’d tire of her in the blink of an eye. She’d never really understand him. All of that was beside the point anyway. Todd was already taken, and the one who’d taken him wasn’t about to give him up. Even if her little sister had said something to make him laugh.
Cecily waited until Todd had gone back inside and Bailey had driven off down the street, and then she gathered her goodies and got out of her car.
He was busy with his paintbrush when she walked in. “Hi. You just missed your sister,” he greeted her.
The smile on his face erased her earlier insecurity. She held up her grocery bag. “I thought you might want some lunch.”
“Can I have you for dessert?” he teased.
Okay, she’d been imagining things. She caught sight of the plate with a couple of remaining cookies on it and couldn’t help frowning. “It looks like you already had dessert.”
“You know what they say. Life’s uncertain. Eat dessert first. What’s in the bag?”
“Just some stuff I picked up from the deli. Want to go sit on the porch and eat?”
The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane Page 16