The Icing on the Cake

by Rosemarie Naramore

  Kristine shook her head in stunned surprise. What was going on with Joe Lancaster? Why was he so determined that she join him for lunch? Surely he wasn’t really concerned about her well being. He hardly knew her.

  Finally, in frustration, she tugged off her apron and hurried to the front of the store. She found Joe standing in front of the glass case, admiring the varied selection of baked goods.

  “I’m tempted to skip lunch all together,” he said with a grin. “This stuff looks delicious.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Kristine said too brightly. “I’ll send Minnie out to take your order.” She turned to leave.

  “Not so fast,” he said, chuckling. “I’m taking you to lunch.”

  “Joe, while I appreciate the offer, I just don’t have time. I have a cake to finish up.”

  “How long will you be?”

  “A couple more hours at least.”

  He abruptly shook his head. “My guess is, you didn’t eat breakfast.”

  She glanced heavenward. She really didn’t have time for the intrusion.

  “Listen,” he said in a cajoling tone, “you do have to eat sometime. Won’t you join an old friend for lunch? I’ve been away from Cooper Glenn for so long, I feel like a stranger…”

  Kristine emitted a beleaguered sigh. She wasn’t being particularly neighborly and Joe was an old friend—sort of. “Okay, fine. But we can’t be long.”

  “Great. Let’s go. My truck’s out front.”

  “Minnie…”

  “Go!” she called out. “I’ll finish the cake!”

  Some help she is, Kristine muttered under her breath.

  “Did you say something?” Joe asked.

  She shook her head. “No.” She checked her watch. “I can’t be gone more than thirty minutes. If you don’t mind, could we go somewhere close…?”

  “Take all the time you need!” Minnie called from the back room. “I have everything under control here.”

  Kristine bit back a growl of frustration. When she returned to the bakery, Minnie was going to get an earful. She understood her friend believed she was doing her a favor, but the truth was, she didn’t like to leave anyone alone in the bakery. She preferred having someone out front and out back at all times. If they suddenly had a large influx of customers, Minnie was going to have to leave several items in the work area, in varying stages of readiness.

  Kristine thrived on orderliness and control. It’s probably why she had managed to keep the bakery open while many other small businesses in Cooper Glenn had closed their doors in close succession over the past few years.

  Joe escorted her out of the bakery, his hand on her low back. “Truck’s right there,” he said, as he opened the passenger door for her. He offered her his hand as she stepped onto the running board in order to climb inside.

  She settled into the seat and immediately realized she wasn’t alone in the truck. Gracie suddenly popped her head over the seat. Kristine turned in surprise and Gracie gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  “Sorry about the truck,” Joe said. “If I’d known I was going to have a lunch date, I would have driven one of my other cars.”

  One of his other cars… How many did he have?

  “The truck is fine,” she assured him with a grin. “Gracie seems to like it.”

  He grinned in return. “Yeah, she loves it. I’ve been driving around all morning and she rides in a vehicle like a champ. Even Jake didn’t do as well as Gracie.” He turned to pat Gracie on the head. She strained to get closer to him and he rewarded her with a kiss on the side of the face. “Fortunately, it’s still cool outside, so she can stay in the truck when we get lunch.”

  Kristine winced and he noticed.

  “She’ll be fine. I’ll leave a couple windows down so she’ll have fresh air. And there’s a doggie bowl with water on the floor behind you.”

  “It’s not that. I was just thinking it’s kind of a leap of faith leaving a dog—one you really don’t know—alone in your pristine red truck with the leather interior.”

  He laughed. “You make a good point.” He directed his next words to Gracie. “Girl, I’d appreciate it if you leave my leather seats intact. Kristine and I are going inside a restaurant soon, in order to get lunch, and I’d like you to behave yourself.” He glanced at Kristine. “There. She’ll be fine.”

  Kristine couldn’t help but chuckle. “So you’re a sort of dog whisperer, eh?”

  He nodded as he started the ignition and pulled away from the curb. He arched his brows. “I do have an affinity for animals and them me.”

  “I applaud your confidence, even if it is misplaced,” she said, and then pointed out a small upholstery shop just up ahead on the right side of the road. “I imagine they could repair your seats if Gracie eats them for lunch.”

  Joe scoffed in mock offense. “Gracie is a lady,” he said with certainty.

  “A lady who is currently gnawing on your headrest,” she pointed out.

  “Gracie!” Joe cried. “You’re making me look bad. Stop that!”

  The dog immediately dropped onto her stomach and stretched out comfortably in the back seat. Kristine glanced at her and smiled. “Good girl,” she said.

  Kristine soon registered that Joe had left the downtown area of Cooper Glenn and was heading toward the interstate that ran parallel to the tiny town. “Where are you going?” she asked, alarmed.

  “I thought we’d drive over to Ridgeway. One of my employees mentioned they have a new Italian restaurant there. I thought we could give it a try.”

  Kristine shook her head. “Ridgeway is a twenty minute drive. By the time we get there and to a table, and then our meals actually arrive, and then…” Her eyes were wide with alarm, her face suddenly flushed.

  Joe turned toward her briefly and noted her state of agitation. “Hey, Krissy, it’s okay. We won’t be long.”

  “Joe, we will! And I don’t have time for a leisurely lunch twenty miles away from home. I have a business to run.”

  He watched her speculatively and then focused on his driving. She sighed with relief when he did a u-turn and headed back to town. To her dismay, however, he pulled over to the side of the road.

  “What are you doing?” she shrieked. Suddenly, every manner of frightful scenario as to why he’d stopped the truck came to mind. For all she knew, Joe was an axe murderer who had returned to Cooper Glenn because the authorities in his former town were on the cusp of solving his crimes. She didn’t know him! Yet, she’d gotten in a vehicle with him and driven off with him. What was wrong with her?

  She hadn’t realized that Joe was watching her intently, as if trying to discern what made her tick. She made a quick decision to jump out of the truck. They were about a mile out of town and she would have to walk, or run, if Joe happened to give pursuit… Surely one of her fellow Cooper Glennians would be driving by and see her distress and come to her aid.

  She reached for the door handle, but Joe anticipated her action. He promptly locked the door and secured it by pressing the childproof mechanism. Her eyes widened in terror.

  “Krissy,” Joe said, “what’s going on in your head? You’re looking at me as if I’m some sort of serial killer. And what possible reason would you have for getting out of this truck when we’re still a mile or so away from Cooper Glenn.” He shook his head in frustration. “Some weirdo might see you on the side of the road and grab you and no one would be the wiser.”

  She refrained from mentioning she feared he was that very weirdo.

  He gave a sigh. “I suppose I can take you through a drive-through.” He gave a sad shake of his head as he reentered traffic. “I’d hope to take you to a nice restaurant for a real meal, but…”

  Relief washed over her as she realized Joe was heading back to town. She suddenly felt guilty for her behavior. She knew she had behaved ridiculously, when he was only trying to be kind. She turned slightly in the seat. “Joe, I’m sorry. It’s just…”

  “What?” he said
, turning toward her briefly and then refocusing on the road ahead.

  “I’m not accustomed to leaving the bakery during business hours. I usually take my lunch there, if I eat…”

  He turned and pinned her with a knowing glance.

  “Anyway, I hate to leave Minnie all alone because if we happen to have several customers come in at once, she has to leave the back in order to tend to them, which means our baked items—many of which are in the process of baking in the ovens—run the risk of overcooking.” She emitted a long sigh. “Which means, we have to start over, creating even more work and additional costs…”

  He nodded his head crisply. “I understand. And I apologize for being too pushy.”

  She eased into the seat. The comfort of those leather sets beckoned to her. She suddenly felt warm and oh-so-cozy. Her back felt so warm. Why did her back feel so warm? She sighed and felt her eyelids growing heavy.

  “Do you like the heated seats?” Joe asked, biting back a smile.

  “Mmmm hmmm,” she answered, struggling to keep her eyes open.

  When Joe pulled into a fast food restaurant drive-through a couple minutes later, he turned toward her. “What looks good?”

  He smiled when he realized she’d fallen asleep. Lord, it was a good thing he wasn’t an axe murderer, since she was making it awfully easy to abscond with her. He smiled at the thought of driving off with her. Heck, he might be doing her a favor, taking her away from the day-to-day drudgery of running a bakery without the help of her sister. He’d been told by a friend of his father that Kristine had assumed the bulk of responsibility for running the family business and that Lori’s role was to allow her to work herself to death while she took the credit for any business success.

  Same ol’ Lori, he thought, but then realized, he wasn’t being fair. Who knew if it was really true? He’d been away for so long. Maybe Lori had finally grown up. He hadn’t been within a mile of Lori since he’d visited home when he was around twenty-five. She was married at the time, but it hadn’t stopped her from giving him her ‘come hither’ routine.

  He shook off thoughts of the older Branton sister, in favor of the younger woman who was presently in his truck. She still had the power to make his protective instincts flair. He’d always admired her, but now, being in her presence once again, he realized—he still had feelings for her. And maybe now that he was home, and if Krissy was willing and one day felt similarly—they could explore those feelings.

  He didn’t feel particularly hopeful, however. It was obvious she didn’t like him very much. He wasn’t sure why. When they were younger, they had often bantered back and forth. He’d been impressed by her quick wit and flair for the come-back. Of course, he was over four years older than her, and he had viewed her as a child—back when he was a senior and the big man on campus. But later… When he’d returned home from college, she was eighteen and it was then he’d realized how attracted he was to the younger Branton sister.

  The timing had been all wrong, since she had gone off to college for four years. Upon his return to Cooper Glenn, he’d taken a position in his father’s commercial construction business and had worked hard, learning every facet of the business. Upon Kristine’s return home, he had already made the decision to leave his hometown and start his own construction business in another state.

  He’d experienced astounding success and had recently sold the business for an amount of money that could allow him to live comfortably for many lifetimes, but he wasn’t ready to retire. His dad having called him and informing him of his newly-diagnosed health problems had been the impetus for the sale and he’d come home to take over his father’s business. He looked forward to the challenge of growing it beyond his father’s expectations.

  When a car horn honked behind them, Joe realized his thoughts had taken on a life of their own. He shook his head to clear it and turned toward Kristine. She hadn’t answered his earlier question. He decided to order for her and soon left the drive-through behind. Kristine was still asleep when they arrived back at the bakery.

  Joe found a parking place out front and carefully parallel parked. Gracie, behind him, rose and rested her head on the back of the seat. “Hold on, girl,” he said. “I didn’t forget you.” He rummaged through the bag and found a plain burger he’d ordered for her. He passed it to her. “Now don’t get used to this,” he said. “This is a special occasion, since I haven’t bought your dog food yet. So enjoy it.”

  She appeared to smile at him as she gingerly accepted the burger from him and settled in the back seat to eat it.

  “Krissy,” he said softly. “Wake up.”

  She remained asleep, and only snuggled deeper into the comfort of the heated seat. He felt awful waking her, but knew she’d be furious with him if he allowed her to nap the day away. He nudged her again and this time, she roused and her eyes fluttered open. She appeared alarmed, as if uncertain where she was. Her eyes finally focused on him and she sat up taller in the seat and looked around.

  “Did I fall asleep?” she asked, still seeming disoriented.

  “Yes.” He passed her her burger and fries and put her soda in the cup holder between the seats.

  “What time is it?” she cried, checking the watch that wasn’t currently on her wrist. “How long was I asleep?”

  “Only a few minutes,” he answered. “I figured we could eat our food while parked here. That way, you’ll know if you suddenly have a crowd show up at the bakery.”

  She turned toward him and registered his words. His thoughtfulness warmed her and a smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said with an answering smile. “I hope you like burgers, because it was about the only option available, considering your time constraints.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, meaning it. It was apparent Joe wasn’t an axe murderer, or serial killer, but was a nice guy who had simply wanted to take her to lunch. Her imagination had gotten the better of her, likely because of her ongoing sleep deprivation.

  It was as if he read her thoughts when he spoke. “Do you ever sleep?”

  She considered the question. “I’m off on Sundays…”

  “But do you sleep in?”

  “No. I go to church.”

  He nodded. “Have you thought about hiring additional help at the bakery?”

  She bit into her burger and savored the taste of the artery-clogging food. “Mmmm,” she said, realizing she was starving. She reached for a fry. “I have Minnie and Mitch, who are both bakers. Mitch is off today. And then there’s me, of course.”

  “What about Lori? And your mom?”

  She sighed. “Well, Mom isn’t herself these days. Losing Dad was…”

  He nodded in understanding. “But Lori…”

  “She’s…” She hated to speak ill of her sister, and refrained from doing so now. “She has a lot going on right now.”

  “Things are only going to get busier for you, as spring arrives and then summer. If I remember right, your dad told me that business really picks up, since you get a lot of tourist activity.”

  “That’s true. With so many people coming to enjoy the lake, our business does increase substantially.” She raised a clarifying finger. “And that’s a good thing. I generally hire a couple teenagers each season, to pick up the slack.”

  He nodded, glad to hear it.

  “What about you, Joe? What brings you back to town?”

  Chapter Four

  Kristine glanced at the clock on the wall. She was in the work area of the bakery and eager for the workday to end. Minnie was scrubbing down tabletops while she was sweeping up the floor. They’d already done much of the prep work for the following day—Friday—and fortunately, Mitch was scheduled to work tomorrow, as well.

  Fridays were always their busiest day, since people often picked up fritters or cupcakes to take into work to share with coworkers. Additionally, Kristine had several customers who had an ongoing order of assorted items, which she d
elivered like clockwork Friday mornings.

  As she finished up with her work, she recalled her lunch with Joe. She had to admit that once she got over her fear of being taken into the woods and hacked into bits, she had enjoyed herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent any time with anyone of the opposite sex, other than Mitch at work. And he was fifty-five and happily married.

  Lori, on the other hand, had an active dating life and it never seemed to occur to her that Kristine might actually enjoy some downtime so she might have the opportunity to meet someone. But by the time evenings rolled around, she was physically exhausted and mentally weary, but still had chores awaiting her at home.

  Thanks to Lori moving home with her young son, Devon, Kristine’s chore load had increased two-fold. Lori seemed oblivious to this reality and somehow had gotten the impression that if she or Devon made a mess, Kristine would always follow behind and clean it up. She felt as if she had little choice but to act as Lori’s maid, since the house would be in a constant state of disarray if she didn’t stay on top of the mess.

  Kristine sighed as she remembered the long list of chores needing doing at home. She knew her mother felt awful that she was little help, but she just seemed unable to muster the strength to do much more than an occasional load of laundry. Thankfully, she had finally acknowledged her depression and was scheduled to see a behavioral specialist the following week. Kristine hoped desperately that the doctor would prescribe something for her mother that would help restore her to her old self.

  Kristine shot another glance at the wall clock, just as her cell phone rang from a nearby table. She hurried to answer it.

  “Kristine, I’m so glad I caught you,” Lori said in a rush. “I need you to pick up Devon from daycare…”

  Kristine sighed. “Lori, I’m afraid…”

  “Don’t say ‘no,’ please,” she implored. “Chad surprised me with dinner reservations at that new Italian restaurant in Ridgeway.” She let out a delighted cry. “I’m so excited. I understand the food is excellent and the ambience…” She gave a dreamy sigh.