by Traci Hall
“It’s a weather thing,” he summarized with a nod.
“Mostly. Also, my mom really thinks I need to be a German lady, settle down, marry, pop out a thousand kids. And I know my dad wishes I would take over the business. I’ve never been what they wanted.”
Riley sprayed and floured the next pan, getting flour on the end of his nose. “You aren’t interested?”
“No. No way. It’s outdated. They need to retire. Ditch this albatross. Enjoy life.”
“What if this is how they enjoy it? I mean, working with you this morning has been nice.”
She knew it. He was the forever kind of guy that just waited for a family. So not boyfriend material. Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that was her motto.
“Well, it’s not for me.”
“So what do you want to do? What’s your degree in?”
“Advertising.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“It seems like you have the perfect skillset to help your parents move forward. Expand.”
“Weren’t you listening?” Teagan washed her hands in the sink, ready for a second cup of coffee to boost her energy. “I don’t want to expand.”
“Well, you pointed out that everything needs updating.”
“Including them,” Teagan said.
Riley laughed. “It’s really none of my business.”
“You want it? I can see if they’ll give you a good deal. The oven is on the fritz. They either need to renovate or shut down, and I don’t want my mom worrying over the damn shop. She’s got to be healthy.”
They might argue like cats and dogs, but she wanted her mom around for another fifty years.
The phone rang, cutting off the discussion. “Becker’s Bakery,” she said as she answered the phone on the wall. Her heart sank. “Three candy cane cookie bouquets? Sure.” She took down the information and hung up the phone. “Riley, we are going to need a lot more coffee.”
*****
She couldn’t look any cuter if she tried. Chocolate on her cheek, flour flecked her apron. “You got a coffee pot? I can make us some.”
“I ran out of schnapps.”
Alcohol? “For your coffee?” Riley walked toward her.
“Hot chocolate.” Her tone was wistful. “Just thinking out loud for later, when this long-ass day is over.”
“It’s Kahlua or baileys for coffee, anyway,” he said. He’d stay until the end and then offer her a foot massage. “We need energy. No time for naps. Drinking during the day puts me to sleep.” He took off his thin plastic gloves and touched her shoulder.
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“My house was always quiet around Christmas. This is fun.” He washed up. The bakery was chaos, but he was the man to put it in order. “Anyway, yes to a pot of coffee, or should I run out for more lattes?”
“You’re an angel. A pot of coffee sounds great.” Teagan opened a large commercial refrigerator and walked in, returning with something about two feet tall, wrapped in cellophane.
“What’s that?” He hadn’t seen anything beyond the oven for the past few hours.
She set it on top of the display case and took off the clear wrap. “This is going to be what kills us today. The official Candy Cane Cookie Bouquet.”
It seemed innocent enough. Riley counted twelve red and white striped candy cane shaped cookies on long green sticks arranged in a green ceramic planter. Green leaves in foil. Chocolate? “It’s cool. I would have ordered one.”
Teagan held up her hand and rolled her eyes. “It is a cute idea. Popular. But we’ve already sold a hundred that need to be delivered between now and Christmas. I can only take twenty more orders and then we’re sold out.” She looked at her notes. “Seventeen.”
“Can’t you make more cookies?”
“I could,” she said, her nose lifting. “But I was hoping to get some sleep between now and Christmas.”
“Listen, you have me to help you. I’m in it for the duration.”
“You’ve got to have something better to do!” She flipped her hair so hard the net flew off. Her tone held a hint of desperation, her green eyes glazed.
“Nope,” Riley admitted with a sad expression geared toward tugging at her heartstrings. He’d deliberately kept his first South Florida holiday simple.
“I don’t know. I’d have to find the recipe…” She left the lobby and ducked into the office, then came out shaking her head. She lifted a stack of bowls, then with a sigh of relief, retrieved a cookbook buried under the sack of sugar.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if your parents came back from Germany to find that not only did you do everything that they asked, but hey, you earned enough money to pay for their vacation?” She acted like she didn’t care, but he could see for himself that she did or she wouldn’t work so hard. He hesitated. “Or maybe that new stove?”
Teagan shifted from one foot to the next, her mouth tightening to a pink rosebud. “They need to sell this place. No way am I sinking time or money into it.”
“Easier to sell if it’s got new appliances.” He eyed the bakery. It was clean, but worn. Well-used.
Teagan stormed toward him and stopped nose to his chest, her expression as wild as his classroom had been the night of the pageant. “The whole kitchen now? How many cookies do you think I can bake? Christmas is in four days!”
“I’ll help.” He couldn’t keep his hands from the curve of her shoulders. “Just think what we could do with a little bit of paint.”
“Did my parents hire you? Am I being set up?” She gave an exaggerated look around the bakery kitchen, as if searching for hidden cameras. “They want to see how close I can get to the breaking point before losing my mind?”
“It’s a good idea,” he insisted, glad to think of things they could do after the holiday to see one another. She didn’t have to go to Europe right away. He might convince her to stay for a while.
“I don’t think so.”
“It’s just paint.”
“And how much will that cost?” Teagan balanced on one leg like a stork, her arms folded at her waist. The candy cane bouquet plastic shimmered in the sun shining though the bakery lobby window. Clove and butter lingered in the air.
“I don’t want money.”
“What do you want?” She crossed her arms over her fabulous and awe-inspiring breasts. Her t-shirt was plain gray. Comfortable.
Did he feel the tiniest bit of guilt at coercing her into a date? “To spend time with you.” Nope.
“I can guarantee you that after this holiday, you will be sick and tired of me.” She put her other foot down.
His mind didn’t stop there, moving forward to things she might like to do with him in the future. “I want to show you a different side of the beach.”
She eyed him with suspicion. “Riley, you don’t listen. No beach.”
“At night. Under the moonlight. Not a single UV ray to be found.” It was a brilliant plan, if he said so himself. Too bad sea turtle season was over.
“You’re insane.” Teagan reached for the bouquet. “There’s sand and sea weed and...”
“You never said anything about those things before.”
“I didn’t think I had to bring them up for discussion!” Teagan walked by him toward the refrigerator.
“Just let me show you,” he called to her back. “When this is all said and done, I want to take to you the beach for a moonlight dinner under the stars.”
“You think it will be romantic, crabs biting your toes? Sea lice?” She paused at the door and shook her head over the cellophane wrap. “That shit itches. Not sexy.”
When she came back out of the fridge, Riley took her hands and kissed her fingertips. “Tell you what—I will personally bathe you in calamine lotion if you get even one bite.” He held her gaze and her eyes dilated with interest. She wasn’t immune to him, which gave him the courage to press forward.
She pulled her hands free. “Go make coffee, Riley. I’m
going to work you so hard that you won’t be able to stay up past eight.”
Chapter Five
Teagan woke up the day before Christmas Eve alone, sore, and in lust with Riley McSorely. He worked hard with as much energy as she had, maybe more. He sang to whatever was on the radio and had a quiet sense of humor that played nicely off of hers. Their flirting varied, depending on the depth of their exhaustion.
“Morning,” she said, letting him in. He wore khaki shorts and sneakers with a bright green Santa shirt. “I haven’t vlogged yet. Come sit. Act natural in front of the camera.”
“Nah, I’m good.” He settled his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his hands in his pockets. His hair curled over the tops of his ears.
Was he shy? He’d been so hands-on, she hadn’t noticed. “You could show off that amazing voice of yours. Hey, do you have original material, or were you just kidding about wanting to be a rock star?”
He shrugged and Teagan could see it would take some wiggling to get the truth out. Well, as soon as they had a free minute she’d get under his skin. Until then? They’d delivered hundreds of cookies and this was the final sprint toward the finish line.
She pressed the record button and sat on the ten-year-old couch. Upholstered in brown plaid with a wooden frame, the durable sofa was something her mom had picked out for the ages. Her white t-shirt had a red poinsettia on the front, and she wore red jeans that were the color of her lip tint.
“Hello my friends!” Teagan lifted a mug of coffee she’d brewed with cinnamon. Ever since realizing Riley’s eyes were that color, she couldn’t get enough of it. “Thanks for tuning in to the Observationalist. Here’s a shocker: Christmas is in two days. Two days. I have, with the help of an elf named Riley, been baking my fingers to the bone.” She waved one hand to show off a few blisters. “Thanks to all of you who have ordered cookies for the holiday, and especially those who don’t mind a nice New Year’s gift instead. For those who have followed my vlog since its inception, you know and understand that I have been fighting for my independence from the time I moved away to college. Yet, I am back here for the holiday while my folks visit the homeland.” Teagan rolled her tongue in a decent imitation of a German accent.
She fluffed a pillow at her back. “It has been pointed out by the afore-mentioned elf that the bakery could use some sprucing up. A nice Christmas surprise for my parents when they come home. Some of you have commented, concerned that I might be getting sucked into the Becker family trap.” She crossed her legs at the ankle, having wrestled with the same issues for the past two weeks. “This is different. It’s my choice to be here. To help. But I’m not giving up my dream of backpacking Europe.” She reached to the side of the couch and placed her special traveler’s backpack on the coffee table. She’d ordered it a month ago and it had all of the bells and whistles while being light-weight. “A reminder that by the middle of January, I’ll be in cooler weather.”
Teagan pulled up the comments for the previous vlogs and read some of the questions out loud. “Will I treat myself to something wonderful over the holiday?” She gave an exaggerated mew and pursed her lips. Strange, feeling Riley’s gaze on her since she was usually alone. “Like a massage? A decadent dinner out? Hmm.” She tapped her chin. “I love lobster and champagne.” Teagan leaned forward as if talking face to face with a friend. “Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I won’t have a nice night. Promise me that you will do something nice for yourselves too.”
She skipped the question about the pageant and the music teacher, sensing Riley might not appreciate her open style of communication. He hovered in the background, watching with an interested smile but safe out of the way.
“How long will I be in South Florida?” She perched on the edge of the couch. “I don’t know exactly, but through the middle of January-ish. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for listening, thanks for caring.”
She blew a kiss and signed off.
Riley brought his coffee to the couch and sat down. “Wow. You really sparkle.”
Teagan laughed and pushed at his leg. His tan knee smattered with dark hair. Sparkle? “You are so strange.”
He sipped his coffee and shrugged without apology. “People tune in?”
“Enough that You Tube started advertising on my channel, which brings in a little money.” Very little after taxes, but she got by. And she was happier than working for Corporate America.
“This is what you do for a job?” He took his glasses off to study her, putting them on the coffee table.
“Yeah.” Teagan smiled under his scrutiny, nervously licking her glossed lips. “What?”
“It’s creepy. They know you. A couple hundred people follow your every move?”
She bristled. What, he thought she was boring? “Try 250,000.”
His eyes widened and he settled his coffee cup on his knee. “You aren’t worried about some perv stalking you?”
Not until now. Sheesh. “Listen, I don’t know why people follow me. I keep my clothes on. Sure I sometimes cuss, but mostly I’m just me. Figuring out what that means.”
“The Observationalist. You seem like you had a pretty normal childhood. Kind of magical.”
“My parents had certain ideas of who they would mold me to be.” She tried to make him understand without tapping into all that old angst. It was in the past, where it belonged. “Old world ideas in a new world that just don’t fit.”
“I can see that.” Riley put his mug next to his glasses.
“Be a lady. Work hard. Don’t shout. Don’t give your opinion. Hold your tongue. Don’t argue. Get along.” She shivered. “I couldn’t conform to that. I tried, but it wasn’t me. I had to get as far away from their expectations as I could before exploding. Maybe that’s what people responded to in my vlog. I love who my parents are. Why can’t they do the same for me?”
Riley scooted forward and took her mug, setting it down on the table too. “If I’d known you had a You Tube channel I would have dialed in just to see you.” He curled a piece of her hair around his finger. “Hear your laugh.”
“You don’t think I’m obnoxious?” She narrowed her eyes, searching his face for the truth. He had no reason to pursue her. She wasn’t used to guys liking her and being into her at the same time. It was usually one or the other.
“Nope.” He drew her toward him for a kiss, giving her the chance to pull back if she wasn’t interested.
She tilted her head, keeping her eyes open as their mouths met for the first time. A jolt fired through her. Cinnamon and coffee combined with Riley’s unique taste. It was her new favorite flavor.
Firm lips, but like velvet. His mouth seduced hers, his eyes molten honey. His touch against her arm was tentative and light, his fingers tracing upward to her shoulder, her collarbone, until he cupped the back of her head and brought her as close as possible.
Teagan’s nerves sizzled to life, her stomach turning as if she was balanced at the top of a zip line about to free fall over the trees. She’d done it once on Christmas break in Tennessee with a friend. Exhilarating. Riley, the nerdy music teacher, made her feel like this? She had no freaking clue.
She pressed closer, her hands around his neck, his fingers caressing her scalp, his other hand at her hip. Curious, she leaned into him, wanting more. His tongue tasted hers, his teeth nipped the pad of her lower lip. She closed her eyes as he brought her senses alive with his mouth on hers, curling her fingers around his neck, putting her hands into the short curls at his nape. His skin was hot, flushed and he stole her breath as he deepened their kiss, only to gently pull back.
Don’t go, she thought, her chest rising with passion. I want more.
*****
Riley opened his eyes, narrowing them to focus on hers. Bright green, slightly dazed, filled with desire. A thump clamored around his chest, aching. He wasn’t the kind of guy that fell in love at the drop of a hat. He had girlfriends, but nothing serious. It was as if his heart had been waiting to recognize his
soul mate.
It had.
He’d suspected it that day in the auditorium when the candy cane burst to reveal white curves in cherry lace. After this kiss, he knew for sure. He had a thing for Teagan Becker.
Dizzy, he grasped her upper arm so that she wouldn’t disappear like a dream, the dreams he’d been having about her for the past few days. Hot, sexy, and gone once he woke up.
“Holy shit,” his angel said, touching her swollen lower lip with her fingertip. “I never dreamed you’d kiss like that. Hell, I didn’t know anybody could kiss like that.”
“You felt it too?” His fingers slid down the smooth skin of her forearm.
She got up from the couch with a nervous laugh, wiping her hands on her red jeans. “Well, it was a good kiss,” she hedged. “Nothing more than that.”
“What’s the matter?” Riley asked, riding the wave of euphoria.
“You heard me just now. In the vlog? I’m leaving.” She picked her backpack up with two fingers. “Heading to Europe with a Eurorail pass and my specially designed gear.” Her eyes widened with encroaching panic. “I’m not staying here.”
He held his hands up, getting to his feet. Okay, so maybe his adoration was one-sided. That couldn’t be! He’d make Teagan come around. Keep kissing her until her eyes stayed crossed.
The tension was broken by the sound of the house phone ringing, as garbled as a yowling cat. Teagan dropped the pack and pushed by him to answer it before the next ring.
“Helllo?”
Teagan’s shoulders, which had been up around her ears, lowered. “Hey Ma.”
Riley watched the conversation, putting together what she’d told him about her childhood and the family dynamic with how she acted now.
The young woman he’d been attracted to since he got a look at her backside in green and white tights seemed to shrink into herself as she listened to whatever her mother was saying.