Twice Shy

by Aurora Rey

  “Mel’s on her way out. I would have made it so you didn’t have to overlap, but I assumed she’d be gone by now.” She’d assumed Mel wouldn’t bother coming to the house after the hospital, then she’d assumed Mel would help Cal get settled and not linger. Her typical assumptions of Mel were backfiring a lot these days.

  Not her business. Not her business. Not her business. It was becoming a bit of a mantra.

  Quinn’s eyes narrowed slightly. Subtle, but Amanda had learned it was one of her few tells when it came to being irritated. “It’s totally fine. I’m sure Cal is happy to have both his moms doting on him.”

  “He is.” She put her hand on Quinn’s arm. “This isn’t probably the best time and I know Cal is anxious to see you, but I’m hoping we could maybe talk later.”

  Quinn frowned. “Is everything okay?”

  She took a deep breath. “I’m hoping so. I mostly want to apologize for being a jerk yesterday.”

  The frown gave way to relief. “You weren’t a jerk.”

  She lifted a hand. “I’m sure we could debate this. Just know the purpose of the conversation is making nice, not anything bad.”

  “I’m not sure I’m on board with the idea of needing to make nice, but I won’t argue.” She made a bowing gesture with her hand. “Per your request.”

  The comment made her realize how ridiculous she sounded. She could apologize for that later, too. “Deal.”

  “Mom, is that Quinn? Stop hogging her.” Cal’s holler carried from the living room.

  She angled her head. “Shall we?”

  In the living room, Cal sat sideways on the sofa with his feet up and a mound of pillows around him. Mel, who’d been perched on the opposite arm, stood. She offered Quinn a friendly nod. “Quinn. Good to meet you.”

  “You, too.”

  She knew Mel well enough to recognize a certain amount of condescension in the friendly tone. Hopefully, Quinn didn’t pick up on it. Cal certainly didn’t. He just looked happy to see Quinn. “Can you believe I had an appendicitis while you were gone?” he asked.

  “Pretty crazy timing. I’m sorry we weren’t reachable.” Quinn still seemed distressed by the whole thing.

  Cal shrugged, still laid-back about the whole thing. “It’s all good.”

  “Can I get you some coffee?” she asked Quinn.

  “I’d love some,” Mel said before Quinn even had a chance to reply.

  She was annoyed with Mel for inviting herself to stay, but didn’t want to say so in front of Cal. Or Quinn, for that matter. Mostly, she wanted a few minutes alone with Quinn and that wasn’t Mel’s fault. “Quinn?”

  “Sure.” She didn’t seem crazy about chumming it up with Mel, but she didn’t look terribly offended, either. That was a relief.

  She fixed coffee, poured Cal a fresh glass of water, and returned to the living room. Mel was in the middle of telling a story about Cal’s childhood exploits. It could have been perfectly innocent, but it felt a bit like an animal marking its territory. She tried shifting the subject to Quinn’s nephew being at Cornell and Cal, God bless him, ran with it.

  After what felt like an eternity of small talk, Mel noted she should probably head to her office for a few hours. Amanda walked her to the door to make sure she didn’t change her mind. She didn’t, but she did drop a hint about coming over for breakfast again before the semester started, complete with a line about having a sleepover. Like old times. Amanda kept her answer noncommittal and shooed Mel out the door.

  She returned to the living room and found Quinn and Cal engrossed in conversation. It would have made her smile under any circumstances. Today, with Cal a day out of surgery and Quinn with every right to be upset with her, it felt like a much needed balm to her frazzled nerves.

  Cal looked up and caught her eye. “Mom, I asked Quinn to stay for lunch. Is that cool?”

  It would be cool if there was anything other than teenage boy food in the house. “Of course. I’m not sure there is anything for lunch, but of course.”

  “I’m happy to run out and get something,” Quinn said.

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” The refusal was more instinct than anything else, but having Quinn running errands for her was simply too much.

  Quinn, who’d taken a seat in the wing chair next to the couch, leaned forward. “You may not know this about me because I’m not one to brag, but I’m really good at takeout.”

  Cal laughed and even Amanda couldn’t suppress a snicker. “You know, I think I might have known that about you. Still.”

  Cal rolled his eyes. “Since I’m starving and this sounds like the kind of thing adults could argue about for forever, how about Quinn keeps me company and you go get lunch?”

  Amanda bit her lip, wanting to call Cal out for being imperious, but knowing he was right. And she’d be lying if she denied liking the idea of her son wanting to spend time with Quinn one-on-one. “Quinn?”

  Quinn shrugged. “I really don’t mind, but it works for me.”

  “All right. Requests?”

  “I defer to the patient.” Quinn made a bowing gesture that was kind of adorable.

  “Meatball subs?” Cal looked at her with optimism.

  She cringed. “Maybe something easier on the stomach?”

  He frowned. “The doctor said I could eat whatever.”

  “But your stomach is still worn out from puking. How about something a little more bland?”

  His shoulders slumped but he didn’t argue. “Turkey sub?”

  “Better. Quinn, are you cool with subs?”

  “Love ’em.” She seemed to mean it and not just say it.

  “Let me grab a Post-it.” She took down their orders, asked one more time if everyone was okay with her running out, and laughed when they gave almost identical exasperated faces. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  After Amanda left, Quinn returned her attention to Cal. She might not be able to say the same about his sister, but she was perfectly at ease spending time with him without Amanda around. She expected conversation to return to the relative ranking of the Star Wars movies, but she found him looking at her with a far more serious expression than the admittedly opinionated discussion warranted.

  “I hope I didn’t ruin the end of your weekend.”

  She really did like this kid. “Not at all.”

  “So, you had a good time?” Cal’s tone and the angle of his head made it sound like a loaded question.

  “We did. I’ve had the cabin for close to fifteen years. It’s peaceful.”

  “I’m glad.” He seemed like he wanted to say more but wasn’t sure what, or maybe how.

  “I can take you up there sometime if you’re into that sort of thing.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m not sure there’s time before school starts, but I don’t close it until the end of October. And there’s always spring.” Only after saying it did the implication—that she and Amanda would still be together come spring—hit her. Too late to take it back now. She picked up her coffee to stop herself from making it worse with caveats.

  “Are you in love with her?”

  Of course, he chose the exact moment she took a sip to drop that question. She didn’t spit all over him, but she choked and coughed. And coughed and coughed.

  He waited patiently, drinking his own water, while she struggled to catch her breath. Finally, when she’d cleared her airways and collected her thoughts, she asked, “Did you orchestrate that whole lunch thing just to ask me that question?”

  “Maybe.”

  She appreciated his honesty. “Can I ask first what makes you ask?”

  His gaze didn’t waver. “Do you think it’s an unreasonable question?”

  “Uh.” How did he go from goofy teenager one minute to making her feel like the teenager talking to an overbearing father the next? “We haven’t talked about it.”

  He blinked. “I didn’t ask if you’d talked about it.”

  From everything she’d gathered,
Cal was a pretty laid-back guy. She wondered if the pain medication he’d been given affected his filters. Or maybe if his sister had put him up to an inquisition. “Yes, but you can see how it’s a conversation I’d feel better having with her first.”

  Cal nodded slowly. “I’ll concede the point.”

  Quinn hoped he was speaking figuratively. She didn’t want it to feel like a battle. “It’s sweet that you’re protective of her.”

  Cal sighed. “She likes you, you know. Like, a lot.”

  It was clear he didn’t make the statement lightly. “I like her a lot, too.”

  “I know it’s cheesy or cliché or whatever, but don’t hurt her, okay?”

  With that one comment, he went from brooding dad type to little boy trying to look out for his mom. She appreciated it. More, she got it. She’d never had that sort of experience with her own mother, but she’d made a point of sitting down with both Gary and Xinxin before their respective weddings. She reached over and patted Cal’s knee. “I’m going to do my absolute best not to.”

  The answer seemed to satisfy him. He nodded again. “Good.”

  She didn’t want to come across as trying to change the subject, but she was so ready to change the subject. “So, how are you feeling?”

  He gave her a bland look. “Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”

  She shrugged, not really minding that he called her out. It made it seem like they were friends. Even if she and Amanda weren’t using words like love yet, she hoped they would. And having a good relationship with her kids was an important part of that. “Okay, then. How about this? Does your sister dislike me or does she dislike anyone who dates your mother?”

  Cal laughed. “What makes you think she doesn’t like you?”

  She merely raised a brow.

  “Okay, okay. Fine. She doesn’t dislike you in particular.”

  It was good to have an answer, although she wasn’t sure if it made her feel better or not. “So, she doesn’t like anyone your mother dates?”

  He sighed, like he was trying to decide how to answer. “Here’s the thing. Mom doesn’t date.”

  Amanda had said as much, but she’d taken it to mean not extensively. “Like, at all?”

  “She did a couple of years after the divorce. Nothing stuck. Honestly, I don’t think she found it all that fun. And then she just stopped.”

  Maybe she shouldn’t be asking him such things, but since they were already on the subject, it didn’t feel like fishing. “How long has it been?”

  “Before you? At least five or six years.”

  Amanda had alluded to something brief shortly before they got together. Perhaps it didn’t last long enough to mention to her kids. “Huh.”

  “The thing with Daniella is that she hates our other mom’s new wife. And so I think she secretly hopes that will explode and they’ll end up back together.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t see that coming, but it made sense.

  “Which is seriously bananas. They’ve been divorced for like longer than they were married. If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now.”

  She didn’t know why, but his delivery came across like a vote of confidence. It made her worries about being in Mel’s shadow seem almost silly. Still, she didn’t want to give the impression she had any role in the matter one way or the other. “I’m sure stranger things have happened.”

  “Truth.”

  She couldn’t put her finger on the exact dynamic she and Cal had going, but she liked it. Not equals, exactly, but a mutual respect. And he genuinely seemed to enjoy her company as much as she enjoyed his. Maybe one day she and Daniella could get to something remotely in the same vicinity. “Any more burning questions before your mom comes back?”

  She’d been kidding, but he seemed to take the question to heart. “I don’t think so, but I will make another request.”

  Given the serious nature of his last one, she braced herself. “What’s that?”

  “Try to get her to go away again. It’s good for her.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think I’m the one you have to convince.”

  “Oh, man. That’s so one hundred.”

  She spent enough time with Jacob and Adam to know that was a good thing. “I mean, I’m not saying you should try to convince her. I’d never ask you to do that.”

  “But if it’s my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with me saying so, right?”

  She wasn’t about to shut him down. “Totally your prerogative.”

  Cal stuck out his hand and they exchanged a fist bump. Which made her feel like a dork, but she was okay with that.

  “What’s all the laughing about?” Amanda’s voice came from the kitchen even though Quinn hadn’t heard her come in.

  “Just guy stuff.” Cal’s reply came with a shrug and a knowing smile.

  Well, he wasn’t wrong. She got up and headed for the kitchen. “Anything I can do to help?”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Within a few days, Cal was back to his old self. A relief since his orientation at Cornell started in less than two weeks. Not that he seemed to feel any sense of urgency on that front. Getting him to pack felt like pulling teeth, so much so that Amanda started to worry he didn’t want to go.

  When she finally asked him as gently and with as little judgment as possible, he rolled his eyes. “Come on, Mom. You know I want to go.”

  She tried to read his face, whatever it was he wasn’t saying. “It’s not like you to drag your feet on something so important.”

  He shrugged. “I mean, the college part is. But I’m not going far. Not even as far as Rochester. You can bring me whatever I forget.”

  If she weren’t so relieved, she’d lay into him for assuming she’d be at his disposal. “Forty-five minutes or not, once the bakery opens, you know better than to think I’m going to play chauffeur for you.”

  He grinned. “But you’re going to be coming to Ithaca to see Quinn, so you’ll already be close by.”

  He had a point. And more importantly, he wasn’t getting cold feet about college. “I’m still not doing an emergency run to campus because you run out of clean underwear.”

  “Mom.”

  “What?” She was mostly teasing him at this point, but still.

  “I have to wear my underwear between now and then.”

  She laughed, not only because he was right, but because his delivery was so matter-of-fact, it made her feel silly for worrying in the first place. “Fine.”

  “Besides, I need to get in all the Fortnight I can because I obviously won’t have time for games when classes start.”

  “Well played, Cal. Well played. Carry on.”

  She’d just left him to his own devices when her phone rang. Quinn’s face appeared on the screen, making her smile. “Hi.”

  “Hello, beautiful.”

  It shouldn’t make her heart flip every time Quinn called her that, but it did. “What are you up to today?”

  “Calling you with good news.”

  “Good news? Bakery good news? Is it done?” Amanda chuckled at the disbelief in her own voice.

  “It will be. Two more days. But that’s not an estimate. I’m saying it with confidence.”

  She wiggled her shoulders and hips to a nonexistent beat. “It’s a good thing we’re on the phone because I’m doing a happy dance and it isn’t pretty.”

  “I think I’d prefer to be the judge of that myself. I have a feeling it’s a pretty sexy thing to behold.”

  “You’re sweet. Completely wrong, but sweet.”

  “I could argue with you, but I’d rather celebrate. I also wanted to give you as much notice as possible since I know you’re itching to reopen.”

  She had been. She’d also been going back and forth on whether to do a party or grand reopening or anything like that. This timing was better than she’d hoped for, especially after the flooring debacle. She didn’t have major wedding or other event cakes for another two weeks.


  “What? Are you really that self-conscious about your dancing?”

  She laughed. “Maybe I should be, but no. My mind was racing ahead. Sorry.”

  “You? Thinking twenty steps ahead? No way.”

  “Okay, okay. There’s no need to poke fun.” Although, really, she didn’t mind the way Quinn teased.

  “You’d rather I make fun of your dancing?”

  “At least I don’t have any illusions on that front.”

  “Ah. Well, in that case, I’m totally going to give you a couple of glasses of wine and try to get you to dance with me. But first, we have a bakery to reveal.”

  She closed her eyes for a second and let herself be nothing but excited. “When can I see it?”

  “Well, technically it’s your building. You have the keys and can go anytime.”

  True. Unexpectedly deflating, but true.

  “But I’d love to be there with you. How do you feel about staying away for the next couple of days and letting me pick you up for an official reveal?”

  Deflation gave way to a bubble of joy. “I’d love that.”

  “Oh, good. I know I didn’t do the work myself, but I feel almost as attached as you do.”

  The flutter her heart did had nothing to do with the prospect of seeing the bakery, all done and put back together. “I’m really excited.”

  “I hope I get an invite if there’s a party.”

  Quinn couldn’t see her face, but she grinned nonetheless. “You’re at the top of the list.”

  “Fantastic. I won’t keep you, but I’ll look forward to it.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  After ending the call, she grabbed a notebook. She didn’t start with potential party guests, but she did have about a dozen other lists to get started. At the very top of all of them? Bringing Tanya up to speed and getting her back on the clock as quickly as possible.

  Not only did Tanya answer on the first ring, she was at Amanda’s doorstep in under an hour. She offered a shrug and a laugh. “What can I say? I’ve missed the place.”

  Amanda pulled her into a hug. “Same.”

  “I’ve missed you more, for the record, but I’ve really missed being there.”

  Over the years, Tanya had become as much a fixture of Bake My Day as Amanda. Maybe more so to the average customer, since Amanda spent so much of her time in the kitchen. “Again, same.”