The Icing on the Cake

by Rosemarie Naramore

  She opened the gate to the dog run and hurried to him. “Devon, come out of there,” she said firmly. She was desperate to put distance between her and Joe. He was definitely in town. The proof was standing a mere few feet away.

  Why had he lied to her? Her heart broke anew, as she experienced the betrayal a second time. She glanced back at him. He had an arm over Lori’s back and was speaking softly to her. She was nodding. No doubt he was comforting her.

  She refused to dwell on it and made a grab for Devon, who had crawled toward the opening of the dog house. “Out of there, young man,” she said. “You have no idea how scared we’ve been.”

  “But…”

  She hauled him out and escorted him to his mother. “Lori, we should get Devon home,” she said, continuing to avert her face from Joe’s.

  She felt his hand on her arm and glanced his way. “Are you all right?” He smiled. “Stupid question. You had to have been terrified. Devon…”

  She nodded, but didn’t try to speak. She didn’t want him to hear that her composure was tenuous at best, and largely because she was reeling from his betrayal. Her heart was breaking. He loved Lori and was sneaking around with her behind her back.

  “Krissy…,” he prompted.

  She shook her head, but spotted Maeve watching her with concern. Her friend took a step closer, her hand extended toward her. Kristine smiled her way, but she had to get away from Joe and his home, and all that it represented to her. Somehow, some way, his home had begun to feel like her home.

  But it had all been a fantasy—a fairy tale—a ruse. Joe had used her. He’d used Lori, as well. She couldn’t help herself. She gave him a dirty look.

  His face registered his confusion. He glanced around at the faces around him, uncertain what was happening and what he’d done wrong.

  “We need to go,” Kristine repeated, and reached for Lori’s hand.

  Joe surprised her when he intercepted her hand. “We need to talk,” he said firmly.

  She shook her head and attempted to tug her hand out of his grasp. He wouldn’t release her and to her horror, practically carried her into the house.

  “Krissy,” he repeated, “we need to talk.” His eyes lit on the sofa. “I thought you said Gracie…” His words trailed off. He had bigger fish to fry.

  “I’m leaving, Joe,” she said, lifting her chin haughtily. “I know you’ve been seeing Lori behind my back. I know you’ve been playing me for a fool.”

  “I’ve been … what?” He watched her, his mouth agape. “I’m really confused. Tell me how I’ve been playing you for a fool.”

  “You said you were coming to town today, but then you canceled. But then you came anyway, so you could spend time with Lori. You’ve been seeing her all along.”

  He laughed without humor. “Krissy, I didn’t come home to spend time with Lori, but I did come home to talk to Lori.”

  She shook her head, confused. “What’s the difference?”

  Suddenly, Lori stepped into the house. Apparently she could hear them talking through the partially opened door.

  “The difference is, Joe came to me because he wanted to straighten some things out between us. He’s in love with you, Kristine, but he’s very perceptive and discerned that, despite how awful I’ve been to you, you couldn’t be in a healthy, happy relationship with him if you believed it would cause me pain.”

  She sighed and began wringing her hands. “Kristine, I’ve been horrible to you and Joe. I’ve known from the day Joe stopped by the bakery when he arrived back in town that it was you he was interested in. It’s always been you.”

  “I … don’t understand.”

  Lori pressed her eyelids together. “Kristine, I’m selfish and self-centered—an awful person, really,” she said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I think about myself first and foremost and always have. I even put my own needs above that of my child.”

  She paused and bit back tears. “When I received the call that Devon was missing, I had to wonder, was this my punishment for my evil ways? Was I about to lose the person most precious to me, because I had no appreciation for him until I received that call?”

  She shuddered at the prospect of harm coming to her child. “God knows, I’ve been so stupid!” She covered her mouth with a shaky hand, but said finally, “Kristine, I need you to know something.”

  Kristine nodded.

  “I didn’t start the fire at the bakery—at least not on purpose. I’m reprehensible, but I wouldn’t have done that. Heck, that would have been messing with my own livelihood—a steady income I receive and for which I do nothing. Why would I do something to jeopardize my paycheck? But I wouldn’t have done it anyway. The bakery is our legacy.”

  She crossed the room and sat down. She glanced up at her sister. “I’m asking you to believe me. I fear I’ve cried wolf so often, you won’t be able to believe me.”

  Kristine considered her words. “Lori, why did you tell me you hadn’t met with Joe this morning?”

  “Because, I didn’t want to hurt you. I knew you’d think I was up to no good and that I was attempting to manipulate him. I knew he was going to talk to you about our conversation later today. For once, I tried to do the right thing.”

  Kristine turned toward him.

  “I needed to clear things up with Lori,” he said simply.

  Lori laughed sadly. “He took me to task,” she said. “He told me I wasn’t to mess with you ever again. He pointed out how wonderful and selfless you are, and that he wasn’t going to stand by and let anyone hurt you ever again.” She began to cry. “It’s a shame he was talking to your older sister, the person who should have assumed the role of your protector years ago.”

  “But, why did the two of you meet at the café before? I saw you walking together…” she prompted.

  Joe was first to answer. “Lori had asked me my opinion as to how long it might take to rebuild the bakery. She said she was worried about you and hoped to gain a better understanding of the building process, and figured I could help her, being as I do commercial construction.”

  Lori gave a brittle laugh. “I wasn’t being particularly forthright with Joe, since my real intentions were entirely duplicitous, but what else is new?” she said. “I figured if he spent time in my presence, he was sure to fall for me. I mean, why wouldn’t he? Why wouldn’t he?” she murmured sadly, and began to cry again. “God, I have so many people to make amends to…”

  Kristine turned to Joe. She breathed deeply to still her pounding heart. She felt awful for falsely accusing him, but then, Lori had been playing her for a fool and she was adept at it.

  Maeve stepped into the room. “Joe, Kristine, may I drive Lori and Devon home? I think mother and son have some talking to do too.”

  “Do you mind?” Lori asked.

  “Not at all,” Maeve said.

  She left with Lori and Devon, and Kristine found herself standing in front of Joe. She attempted a smile. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I thought…”

  “I know what you thought,” he said sternly.

  “Can you forgive me?”

  To her utter relief, he rose slightly from his seat on the couch and reached for her. He pulled her toward him and into his lap. “Do you promise to always trust me?” he asked, rubbing his stubbled cheek against her softer one. “Do you promise never to jump to conclusions and to come to me if you’re worried about something or have concerns about anything?”

  She nodded. “I promise.”

  “Do you promise you’ll never, ever worry that I have feelings for Lori, because I don’t. Will you be able to put aside the fact that she and I dated, because we were kids at the time?”

  “Okay.”

  “You know, I’ve always loved you, Krissy. From the time we were kids, I’ve loved you. That love changed over the years, from juvenile affection to the deep, abiding love I feel for you today, but it’s always been there.”

  “You loved me, even when you and I used to snipe a
t each other when we were kids?” she clarified, disbelieving.

  “Even then,” he said, meeting her gaze.

  She smiled when she saw his eyes were twinkling with humor. Lord, she loved those twinkling eyes. Overcome with that love, she gently grasped both sides of his face and kissed him on the lips. She pressed with a gentle insistence.

  With a groan, he gathered her against him and wrapped his arms around her. He drew her close and when he deepened the kiss, Kristine promptly decided it was the icing on the cake. The kiss, and his arms around her, were more delicious than anything she could ever create at the bakery.

  “I love you, Krissy,” he whispered. “Will you marry me?”

  She pulled back and smiled into his eyes. “Now, that’s the icing on the cake.”

  “I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’” he murmured, and kissed her again.

  Epilogue

  “It’s beautiful,” Kristine declared, as she stood back and stared at the newly rebuilt Branton’s Bakery. Beside her were her mother, sister, Minnie, Maeve, and of course, Joe.

  Joe draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head. “It looks great,” he agreed. “Remember, you promised you’d delegate and that you won’t spend every waking moment here.”

  She laughed. “I have no desire to spend every waking moment here,” she said, turning to snare his gaze. “Need I remind you, we’re newlyweds.”

  “No reminding needed,” he said with a lift of his brows.

  “Oh, young love,” Lori said, smiling.

  “Indeed,” Minnie said.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to pick up a shift here now and then?” Ruth asked Lori.

  “No way,” she answered. “We all know what happens when I try my hand at frying fritters. Thankfully, the insurance company settled with us, but I doubt they’d cut a check a second time.”

  “She’s makes a good point,” Joe observed.

  “I love my job anyway,” Lori said.

  She had taken a job as a veterinary assistant and enjoyed it so much, she was considering going back to school to become a veterinarian. Her choice of occupations had taken all by surprise, but then, Lori was a changed woman.

  “Mom, can we get ice cream?” Devon asked her. “I’m really hungry for ice cream.”

  “Sure, sweetie,” she said, reaching for his hand. “We’ll see you all later.” She turned to Kristine. “Call me when you fill the case,” she said, eyes dancing. “I’m craving a cupcake.”

  “Kristine promised me her first baked item will be her strawberry cream cake,” Maeve said.

  “Hey, you make it as well as I do now,” Kristine pointed out.

  Maeve smiled. “I do make a mean cake, don’t I?”

  “Which is why you’re going to work an occasional shift at the bakery too,” Kristine said with a smile. “You, my friend, are a talented baker.”

  “Well, thanks to your tutelage.” She smiled. “I’m happy to help out, but I can’t be away from home too often. Gracie will miss me.”

  “Doggone dog. I take her in and she falls in love with my neighbor,” Joe groused.

  Maeve laughed. “We’re two girls living the life,” she said with a shrug.

  “Oh, Maeve,” Ruth said suddenly, “I loved your Christmas card. I had to laugh when I saw you and Gracie wearing Santa’s hats and both smiling so big at the camera.” She shook her head. “Gracie really does smile almost like a human, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes, she does,” Maeve agreed, chuckling. “You should have heard the phone calls I got from my friends back home when they saw me in a picture with my pit mix. They thought I’d lost my mind.”

  “So tell me the truth, Maeve,” Joe said, eyeing his neighbor with mock suspicion, “did you lure Gracie over the fence with treats? Were you standing on the other side, calling her name and dangling strips of bacon? Is that why she routinely jumped the fence, but only the shared fence between our two yards? Hmmm?”

  Maeve laughed and raised her right hand. “I did nothing of the sort. Gracie loves me,” she said succinctly.

  “Yes, she really does,” Joe agreed. “And it’s all good. With my work, and Kristine’s bakery opening, we’re going to be awfully busy.”

  “But not too busy,” Kristine said, catching his gaze. Her eyes were alight with the promise that she would never put work before her family.

  He read that promise in her eyes and pulled her close. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too.”