Cooking Up Love

by Gemma Brocato

  Caro’s Taste was open for business.

  * * * *

  Three days later, Jem sat at a table in the rear of the café, allowing herself a rare coffee break. Resa had spent her last few hours in Granite Pointe training the counter help they’d hired yesterday.

  Irene Flaherty had ventured in during a late morning rush. The café was full of people waiting for food, or coffee refills. Jem, Avery and Elizabeth worked in the kitchen, putting out orders as fast they were delivered. Jem planned to hire additional counter help eventually, but the need arose faster than she’d imagined. They were busy from the moment the door opened at seven, until their midafternoon closing each day. Resa offered to stay in Granite Pointe longer, but it would just be a temporary fix, leaving them in no better shape than they were in today. Not to mention, it would be remarkably unfair to make her friend ask the charming, but demanding, Margo Tremont for more days off. They’d reached an intense phase of filming, and Resa needed to get back to work soon.

  Irene demonstrated a take-charge attitude and competency when she walked behind the counter to grab the coffeepot. She walked straight over to the group of men Jem had privately dubbed Retired Old Men Eating Out—ROMEOs for short—and filled their cups, stacking and removing their plates with one hand as she did so. Resa had stopped to stare as the woman made herself comfortable, waiting on tables as if she worked here. Waving Jem over as she walked out of the kitchen, she demanded that Jem interview the woman on the spot.

  “I worked here for Caroline during the tourist season,” Irene explained. “Have done for the past five years. After my husband died, I needed something to get me out of the house. Paul, my husband, and Caro knew each other from an ecology group they were in. She was kind enough to offer me a job.” She gestured around the dining area. “Though, she was never this busy.”

  “Holy cow! You’re the Irene on Caro’s books,” Jem replied, reaching out to grasp her arm. This would be the answer to her prayers to hire someone who already knew the workings of the café. “Why haven’t I met you before now?”

  Irene smiled. “I’ve been in Florida visiting my sister for the winter. I was so shocked when I got back to town yesterday and found out Caroline had died. I didn’t even know she was sick.”

  “Are you still interested in working here? We’ve changed things a bit, added a lunch menu. But as you can see, I do need help. Resa heads back to New York day after tomorrow and…”

  Irene nodded vigorously. “I’d like to be part of the family again.”

  “Grab an apron. You can start immediately.” Jem smiled, shaking Irene’s hand.

  Now, Jem pushed herself to her feet and walked behind the counter to grab the coffeepot for a refill. Taking the carafe with her, she went over to the ROMEOs and refilled their cups. She put her hand on the back of Dunk’s chair and leaned forward to pour when the silver bell over the door danced merrily to life. Turning to check on the newcomers, the sight of Tessa Kerrigan sashaying to the front counter froze Jem mid-motion. After placing her order, Tessa spoke loudly to her companion, making sure that anyone who cared to listen could hear.

  “It’s just a matter of time, you know. I’m positive he’s going to ask me to remarry him. BC and I are meant to be together. This thing with Jane is only a temporary blip.” Tessa tossed a smirk over her shoulder at Jem. “You know, he took me to Providence last Monday. We stayed at our favorite little bed and breakfast. The innkeeper asked if we were honeymooners.”

  “Was that because BC had trouble keeping his hands off you? Or because the bed springs squeaked all night long?” Her friend delivered the lines with theatric aplomb.

  Tessa grimaced, pausing for a moment, as if in thought. “Oh, I guess it’s probably both. BC is insatiable. Not that I’m complaining.” Tessa laughed delicately, glancing at the men sitting at the table where Jem stood.

  God, how did that woman call up a blush on demand?

  Tension jumped to life in Jem. Her fist tightened around the coffeepot, her knuckles turning white. Tessa had successfully built Jem’s doubt with her words. Jack had gone to Rhode Island recently, he’d said for a business trip. He told Jem he planned to stay at a B&B he’d found years ago. He’d even seemed sorry when she declined his invitation to join him. Was it possible the woman was telling the truth? And, short of point-blank asking Jack, how would she ever know?

  Jem’s hand clenched on the back of the chair she stood next to as she tried to recall Jack’s reassuring words after her last encounter with the crazy bitch now standing in her café. The woman had trashed his heart too many times. He was never, ever going there again. In her own head, Jem found herself holding fast to one thought: He isn’t Phil. He isn’t Phil. And Tessa is a bitch on wheels. Jem slowly released a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

  Dunk, at the ROMEO table with his back to the door, loudly cleared his throat and spoke directly to Tessa. “Now, Tessa. I know, and you know I know, you just told a whopper.” He twisted around in his seat, so Tessa could see him. “Wasn’t it last Monday night I saw you at your mama’s? I’m sure I didn’t imagine running into you in her kitchen in my skivvies after I was done, you know. What’s it you kids say these days? Oh yeah after I was done ‘doing’ your mama?”

  The other men at the table laughed. Dunk had actually gotten busy with Nancy Jensen, Tessa’s aging mother. Tessa, on the other hand, flushed an angry shade of red, and turned her glare on Dunk. Jem hid her relieved smile and finished refilling cups. Her hand rested lightly on Dunk’s shoulder for a moment, before she reached down to grab his meal ticket.

  She bent over and said quietly, “Thanks, Dunk. Breakfast is on me today.”

  “Not necessary, sweetie,” he responded, just as softly. “But I guess I won’t be welcome at Nancy’s house for breakfast ever again. Especially after announcing to the world that Tessa’s mom isn’t exactly pining away for her dead husband the way she wants everyone to believe. Too bad, because the woman knows what I like in bed.”

  The bell tinkled over the door again as Tessa launched into a tirade, hands fisted on her hips. “Dunk, you don’t talk about my mama that way. Show some respect. And tell Mrs. Butterworth there it’s only a matter of time before BC dumps her for me. She isn’t woman enough for a man like him. He hasn’t ever liked his women skinny. Ask anyone. He always comes back to me.”

  “Tessa!” The tone in Jack’s voice was ominous from where he stood, next to the front door of the café. Stalking over, he took her elbow and turned her toward the door. “Go back to Boston. Or Cleveland. Or wherever the hell you call home these days.”

  “Granite Pointe is my home.” Tessa insisted. “I told you, I’m moving back here. You know once I’m here full time, you won’t be able to stay away from me. You’re going to marry me again. It’s only a matter of time.”

  Jack released a sigh. “I told you that isn’t happening. I don’t want you in my life.” He gentled his voice, easing the harshness of his words.

  Tessa shook her head in denial. “You’re lying. It’s always been you and me. We’re good together.”

  “We were, until you decided you wanted to be an NFL wife and welcomed Randy smack in the middle of our bed. You’ve crushed my heart one too many times.”

  “We’re getting married again. You might not think so. But I know it,” Tessa shouted.

  “No, Tessa, we aren’t.” Jack shook his head and pointed toward Jem. “I love that woman. I love Jem. My future is with her. Not you. Never, ever you again.”

  Jem’s breath halted at Jack’s declaration of love. The world stopped moving and every patron in the café faded away. The ensuing silence was deafening. No one moved. No one breathed. No one even blinked.

  She grieved only a little that he’d told his ex-wife before he’d said the actual words to her. But, given the circumstances, she didn’t truly mind. Jack caught her eye, smiled and nodded at her, and she knew he hadn’t said it to shut up Tessa. Her heart swelled and she swallowed hard over th
e lump forming at the back of her throat.

  He’d meant it. He loved her.

  Her sigh released everyone from the spell he’d woven with his words. A collective exhalation from the ROMEOs at the table next to her reminded her of where she was.

  Tessa’s face contorted into a mask of agony and hatred as she turned to glare at Jem, who took a small step back as Tessa moved in her direction.

  Jack stopped Tessa’s forward progress and grasping her elbow to pull her up short. He picked up the bag of pastries Irene put on the counter and dug in his back pocket for his wallet.

  Irene waved him off. “This one is on me.”

  He nodded and steered a stunned Tessa toward the door. Her mouth worked, but no words came out. He pushed the bag into her hands and opened the door, making the little silver bell jump happily as the frame caught it.

  “Goodbye, Tessa. And I do mean goodbye.” He courteously held the door open for Tessa and her companion to exit, before closing it with a satisfying clunk behind them.

  On the sidewalk, Tessa glared alternately between Jack and Jem through the front windows. Her gaze finally rested on Jem, her mouth compressed into bitch lips, contorting her face in an ugly rage. She hurled the bag to the ground and stomped on it, acting more like a three-year-old than a woman in her thirties. The hate in her eyes, palpable even through the glass, made Jem’s chest tighten, restricting her breath as Tessa shot one last venomous look at her before stalking off down the street.

  Resa had moved out from behind the counter when the confrontation began, and now she grabbed the coffeepot out of Jem’s hand as Jack approached her. He took Jem’s arm, nodded a greeting to the men at the table, and pulled her toward the kitchen. Avery and Elizabeth, who’d watched from the kitchen entrance, stepped out of the way as Jack drew Jem toward the rear exit.

  Jem had barely stepped through the door when Jack’s powerful arms wrapped her in a firm embrace. It was only as she felt his strong arms close around her that she realized she was trembling.

  “It’s okay. Jem, shhh, sugar. It’s over. I don’t think Tessa will be back. Ever. I hope she finally got the message.” Jack stroked his hand through her hair and cradled her against him. “I didn’t say it to get rid of her, you know. I meant it. I love you.”

  Jem pulled back to gaze up at him, her heart pounding. “When did you know?”

  “What? That I love you? Remember when we went to the beach? The morning you were butt dialed by your coworker? I watched the sunrise with you and told you it was your new day, your promise of a new life. I barely knew you, but I knew that sun was my new opportunity, too. You were a woman I could love, did love. Will always love.”

  “Oh my God.” His simple statement amazed her. He would always love her. She was humbled at the thought. Humbled, and delighted. She pulled his mouth toward hers and put the love she felt into her lips as she slanted them across his. His arms tightened around her, pulling her in, deepening the tender kiss to something more. Something sweet.

  It tasted like love.

  She let the emotions racing through her shine in her eyes as she ended the kiss and leaned back against his strong arms. She would never again question the depth of his feeling for her, or hers for him. Any remaining doubts vanished. Unable to resist the smile on his face, she rose on her toes to touch his lips again. The sweet tender kiss lasted and lasted. And lasted.

  When he finally broke the kiss, he held her gently in his arms. Now her trembling had nothing to do with the confrontation with his ex-wife, and everything to do with their love. She hadn’t told him, hadn’t said the words that she loved him back, but she knew.

  A loud crash in the alley behind them broke the quietness surrounding them. Jem craned her neck over Jack’s shoulder to check out the source and laughed as a stray cat skittered away from the rubbish bins the café used for their trash. Expelling a brief laugh, she turned her attention back to Jack, who was concentrating on the source of the noise, a concerned look on his face. He dropped his arms from around her and started toward the bins to investigate. She raised her hands to his face to stop him. “It’s just a cat. It’s nothing.” She smiled as he returned his attention to her.

  Resting her head on Jack’s chest, feeling his solid heartbeat, Jem sighed raggedly. “I’m not sure when I fell in love with you, but I know when I realized I had been for such a long time. It was when I saw the pocket door on the pantry.” Jem glanced up and saw his confused look. She laughed and continued. “We agreed you’d put in a regular door. Instead, you put in a door that wouldn’t trap me. You were concerned because you couldn’t be with me every moment, so you removed something that would worry me. And you. After the great—really great—unveiling, I was in the pantry, lining shelves for over an hour, and it didn’t bother me. My claustrophobia never appeared. You did that. I knew then the true depth of my feelings for you. I love you, Jack.”

  Jack used the tip of his finger to pull her chin up for another kiss. She held him close to her heart as she kissed him back.

  Another clatter at the back of the alley made them jump apart and look toward the source of the noise, expecting to see the cat again. After a moment, Jack tightened his grip around Jem briefly before he grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward the café.

  Chapter 22

  “The woman has some major nerve,” Sam said. Jack had shared the story of Tessa’s tirade at Taste over dinner in their parents’ back yard. The entire Kerrigan clan gathered for their parents’ wedding anniversary. Noah, the oldest at thirty-seven, had arrived from New Hampshire a day earlier with his six-year-old son. He was the only sibling to move away, so it was always a big deal when he made it back to Granite Pointe for a visit. “I always thought she was crazy, but this borders on obsession. Do you think she’s crossed the line toward insanity?”

  Jack shook his head in response as he watched Jem playing basketball with Pippa, the twins and Noah’s son, Colby. Dad and Mom sat in lawn chairs on the edge of the driveway watching the game.

  Jack expelled a forceful breath. “Jesus, I hope not. I remember how angry she got when I told her my football-playing days were over. She kept after me for months, trying to change my mind. She refused to get a firm grip on the idea that I wasn’t changing my mind. She talks about how good we were together, but we weren’t. Not really. She wants to believe it. Shit, I wanted to believe it. Explains why I kept going back to her. I finally realized that, yeah, the sex was great, but she was never going to change. Sex isn’t the only thing in life.” He laughed derisively at the look on his brother’s face. “I’m right and you know it. She wanted what I couldn’t give her. The last time we broke up, I knew it was the last time.”

  “She showed signs of being unhinged then. How many times did she call you the first night after you broke it off?” Sam asked, even though he knew the answer. He’d been with Jack at Big Red’s the night in question.

  “Nearly twenty-five times in fifteen minutes.” Jack frowned and shrugged his shoulders, attempting to roll away tension. “Shit. I’m going to have to talk to her mom, aren’t I? See if she’s noticed Tessa’s odd behavior lately.”

  “Nancy has to be worried about Tessa’s state of mind. Maybe she can provide some insight.” Sam took a long drink of his beer. “At the very least, talking to her may make her aware, if she isn’t already. You want me to talk to her for you?”

  “No. It’s my responsibility,” Jack replied. He watched Jem guard Mason, who dribbled the ball erratically.

  “Offer stands. I’m here if you need.” Sam started to peel the label off his bottle.

  “I’m going to marry her,” Jack said absently. An unfamiliar pang bloomed in his chest as he watched Jem interact with his sister’s children. A slow smile curved his mouth northward as he uttered the words, testing them and finding no panic buried in them.

  “Fuck! You are not. That’s ridiculous,” Sam sputtered, setting his bottle down hard.

  “What?” Jack looked sharply at his you
nger brother. “No, Sam. Not Tessa. I’m going to ask Jem. If she’ll have me. And all my baggage. A crazy ex-wife, a job I spend entirely too much time at, an overzealous, overly large family.”

  “I’d agree with most of that, but not about us. We have a great family. Jem fits. Pipsqueak and the twins love her. And did you see the way Colby took to her?” Sam looked over to as Noah’s son inbounded the ball to Jem, who faked right and went left past Mason on the lighted driveway. Mia, bored with the game, now sat on Grandpa’s lap on the sidelines. “Not to mention Noah. I think he was a bit smitten himself.”

  “I might be smitten, but I know better than to make a play for a woman who is clearly over the moon about my brother.” Noah slipped his mobile phone into the holster on his hip as he joined them at the picnic table, thumping Sam’s head with a flick of his forefinger, a custom they might never outgrow. He straddled the bench next to his youngest brother as he joined the conversation. “What’re you talking about? I only heard the last bit about what a great family we are.”

  “Everything okay at the resort?” Jack asked. Noah was a bigger workaholic than Jack. He rarely took a vacation where he didn’t answer a call from his staff about some minor crisis at the inn.

  “Nothing the staff can’t handle.”

  “We were just talking about our soon-to-be expanding family. Jack’s in love, finally. And, even though she insists on wearing that damn Yankees ball cap, she’s a keeper.” Sam turned his grin on his older brothers, then glanced toward the game on the drive.

  Jem caught his look and waved at the three men sitting there.

  “Congrats, bro. She’s great.” Noah smiled, the Kerrigan dimples creasing brackets around his mouth. “She’ll be a great addition to the family.”

  “Yeah, she will be.” Jack accepted congratulations from his brothers.