Sisters by Choice

by Susan Mallery

  She was tempted. Leasing the old bakery would mean having real ovens and mixers and counter space. She would work during the day and not have to worry about where to put the equipment when she was done. She could give up her frantic night of baking right before the weekend. She could start shipping her cookies and brownies. The wineries were asking for more cookies with each order, but she was limited by time and space. She didn’t think she could physically work two nights in a row, and baking in her kitchen during the day was a problem. Just getting everything set up took an hour and then she had to clean up and get ready for dinner. A designated location made the most sense.

  She wanted to get out her business plan and run the numbers. She knew how much she needed to get things going, she knew what equipment she wanted. She even went online regularly to check out used equipment for sale in the greater Seattle area. But first she had to talk to Jaxsen about start-up money and for that she would need to know what the lease would cost. Assuming he let her do it.

  Not let, she amended. She didn’t need his permission. She was an adult who could do what she wanted. It was just, well, she wanted him to be excited for her. To understand that sometimes she needed to be more than his wife and the boys’ mom. Sometimes she just wanted to be Kristine Fielding, business owner.

  She heard the sound of an approaching jet and got out of her SUV. From the backseat she collected a bag filled with wrapped cookies and a tote brimming with all the ingredients for a very fancy charcuterie and cheese plate along with an assortment of crackers and a to-go container filled with the chicken salad from the Blackberry Island Inn’s dining room. Bruno never said it was his favorite, but she knew it was.

  She closed the hatch of her SUV and watched the private jet land. The sleek aircraft was much smaller than a commercial jet. Inside there was seating for eight and a surprisingly nice bathroom. Every touch was luxurious, especially the butter-soft leather on the seats.

  The door of the aircraft opened and Bruno stepped out. He searched until he saw her, then smiled, waved and started in her direction.

  “Kristine. So nice to see you,” he said, reaching for her hand, then drawing her close and lightly kissing both her cheeks. “You’re always on time. I appreciate that.”

  She started to say it was no big deal—everywhere on the island was close and she only had to pop over the bridge to get to the airfield—but she nodded instead. Sometimes less was more.

  “I brought you the cookies,” she said, holding out the first bag. “Six dozen, as per your request.”

  “Thank you so much.” He looked inside the bag. “My youngest sister is getting married and she begged for the cookies to be part of the gift bag she’s putting together as she and her eleven closest friends head off for her bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas.” He winced. “I can only hope they get home in one piece.” He motioned to the airplane. “Shall we? I’m sure you’re only stopping here for a few minutes before heading off to take care of your... What is it you call them?”

  “My fifty-thousand errands?” she asked with a laugh. “I’m actually not scrambling today. It’s unusual.”

  They walked to the plane and went up the stairs.

  The interior was done in cream and a rich caramel color. She could stand up with a couple of inches to spare. While Bruno tucked away the cookies in a closet, she cleaned up the dishes and food from the breakfast service, then plated the meat and cheese, before wrapping the serving tray in plastic and tucking it in the surprisingly large refrigerator. She arranged sliced fruit on a second, smaller tray and put it away, as well, then showed him the container of chicken salad.

  “Don’t forget this,” she told him. “I know you love it.”

  “I do. Very much.”

  They were in relatively close quarters. His hair was nearly black, his eyes only slightly darker than the leather seats. He smelled good—some kind of expensive soap and a hint of cologne. Bruno often mentioned one of his three sisters or his brother or his parents, but there wasn’t ever talk of a wife or girlfriend. She wasn’t sure what that meant. Was he chronically single or did he not like women? Or, and this was the most likely answer, was it none of her business?

  He reached around her, his forearm brushing her side. He picked up a coffee mug and wiggled it.

  “My morning appointment isn’t for an hour,” he said lightly. “Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”

  “That would be nice,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

  Although she didn’t really want coffee, she was very interested in sitting in one of the plush seats. Just for a few minutes. She could close her eyes and pretend her lifestyle meant jetting wherever in amazing luxury. Oh, and it was just no big deal at all.

  She held in a laugh as she reached for the coffeepot and poured them each a mug.

  “Cream or sugar?” she asked.

  “No, thank you.”

  She added cream to hers, then sat across from him.

  The seat was even more comfortable than she’d imagined. There were plenty of buttons and knobs to the side. She was careful not to touch them as she ran her fingers along the burled walnut trim.

  “How many wineries are you visiting today?” she asked.

  “Just one. I have a special account that is insisting on first chance at a new release, so here I am. I will taste the wine and if it’s all it’s supposed to be, I will make an exclusive deal with the winery.” He paused. “Next month I’m heading to Italy and France for a buying trip.”

  “In your private plane?” she asked before she could stop herself.

  “Yes,” he said with a chuckle. His warm gaze settled on her. “Have you been to Europe?”

  “Me? I wish, but no. Jaxsen and I talk about it but with the three boys, there’s really no way.” Which was mostly true. They couldn’t afford it, although she suspected even if there was enough money, Jaxsen would much rather go river rafting somewhere exotic or surfing in Costa Rica. He wasn’t really a Europe kind of person.

  “Maybe when they get older,” Bruno told her.

  “Yes, maybe then.”

  “How is Tommy doing with his new laundry duties?”

  She stared at him over her mug. “How can you remember we talked about that?” She laughed. “He’s actually doing really well. JJ was a nightmare, but Tommy’s more of a go-along-to-get-along kind of guy. I’m not sure how Grant is going to react. I suppose I will be saved by the fact that if his older brothers do it, he wants to do it, too.”

  “They sound like extraordinary boys.”

  “They are to me and that’s what matters, right?”

  Bruno’s gaze locked with hers. The intense stare was unexpected and a little confusing. Kristine found herself feeling flustered and awkward, which was not a happy combination.

  “I, ah, should let you get to work,” she said as she rose and carried her mug back to the small galley. She washed it and set it in the dish rack. When she finished, she went down the stairs and into the cool, cloudy morning. Bruno followed.

  She faced him. “Have your people let me know the next time you’re in town,” she said. “I’ll bake more cookies.”

  He laughed. “That would be nice.”

  “Enjoy Europe.”

  “I will.” He paused. “You should come with me sometime.”

  While she knew he was just being nice to say that, she couldn’t help laughing at the idea. “We both know that will never happen. My family would cease to function if I wasn’t around.” Her running off to France and Italy in a private jet. Sure. Why not?

  She was still chuckling as she told him goodbye and returned to her SUV. As if. Not that the jet wasn’t nice, but honestly if she was going to throw caution to the wind and do something totally out of character, she would much rather open her own store and sell her cookies and brownies. She would leave the jet-setting to the Kardashians and dayd
ream about rolling cooling racks and industrial-size ovens.

  Chapter Six

  “Get up.”

  Sophie lay on her back, trying desperately to keep that relaxed “I could so go back to sleep” feeling.

  “I work hard all week,” she said, pulling up the covers and burrowing into the warmth of her bed. She shifted the phone to her other hand. “Sunday is the only day I sleep in. You love me. Don’t you think I deserve to stay in bed?”

  “I think you need to do something other than sleep and work.” Kristine sounded more amused than annoyed. “You blew me off last week. You’re not doing it again. Get your butt out of bed, put on a pair of yoga pants and be ready in thirty minutes. Either I show up and take you to Tai Chi or I show up with three boys who just had way too much syrup on their pancakes. You can breathe and relax or you can listen to their shrill energy. It’s your call.”

  “When did you get so bossy?”

  “Around the time I had three kids under the age of five.”

  “What was I doing?”

  “Building an empire.”

  “Oh, right.” Sophie sat up. “Can you at least bring me coffee?”

  “Let me guess. You haven’t unpacked your coffee maker yet and there’s no food in the house.”

  Sophie thought about all the boxes still stacked in her garage. “I was going to do that today only now I have to go to dumb Tai Chi. What is that anyway? Is it like yoga?”

  “You asked that before. No, it’s not like yoga. It’s about finding balance and being centered. And breathing.”

  Sophie laughed. “So nothing I’m good at.”

  “Exactly. And that would be the point. Tick, tick, tick.”

  With that, Kristine hung up.

  Sophie tossed the phone on the bed and stretched. If she was going to exercise, there was no point in showering. She got up and rummaged through her dresser. At least she’d managed to unpack most of her clothes. Kitchen items had seemed less important. She usually grabbed some kind of to-go breakfast on the way to the warehouse. But she really did have to think about getting more food in the house at some point. And unpacking her coffee maker, if nothing else.

  Fifteen minutes later she had on leggings, a long-sleeved T-shirt and an oversize sweatshirt with the CK logo on the front. She was debating looking for her coffee maker when the doorbell rang.

  “You’re early,” she told her cousin as Kristine entered the house.

  “You need time to drink this.”

  Sophie took the offered insulated drink container and smiled. “You saved me. Why are you so nice?” She took a sip, ready for the warmth and smoothness of a perfect cup of coffee only to feel some cold, thick, nasty ooze on her tongue. She managed to swallow before glaring at her cousin.

  “What is it? My God, that’s horrible. What is the flavor? Nettles and brine? Jeez.”

  Kristine rolled her eyes. “Seriously? It’s a vanilla protein powder flavored with blackberries. When did you get so dramatic?”

  Protein powder? Sophie did her best not to gag. “When you started trying to kill me. It’s not enough that you’re the perfect mother? Now you have to be healthy, too? You’re no longer my favorite cousin.”

  Kristine raised her eyebrows. “Really? You like Amber better than me?”

  Sophie sipped more of the gross drink. “Okay, no, but if I had a third cousin I would for sure like her better.”

  “You’re lying. Now finish your drink.”

  “I’d rather have coffee.”

  “I’m sure that’s true. You can get coffee after class.”

  “And a cinnamon roll.”

  Sophie chugged the rest of her protein drink then went to brush her teeth. Again. But there was no way she was going to spend the morning with that disgusting taste in her mouth. She grabbed her purse and followed Kristine outside.

  “Where’s the class?” she asked.

  “Down by the water.”

  “It’s outside? Why?”

  “Because it’s beautiful.”

  “We live in the Pacific Northwest where it’s cold and rainy eighty percent of the time. Are you telling me you do Tai Chi outside in the cold and rain?”

  “It centers the mind.”

  “It also gives you pneumonia.” Sophie was liking this whole thing less and less. “I’m taking my own car.”

  “So you can leave in the middle?”

  “Did I say that?”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “You think you know everything.”

  Kristine smiled. “That’s because I do.”

  They drove to the park by the beach. Despite the early hour and the lingering taste of the protein drink, Sophie found herself enjoying the view along the coast. She could see the peninsula across the Sound and a ferry making its way from Bainbridge to Seattle. By the time they reached the park, she was almost perky.

  Sophie pulled her car in next to Kristine’s and was surprised by the number of other vehicles there. Apparently, the crazy was contagious. She got out and looked around, realizing it was one of those rare clear spring mornings. The Sound was calm, the air still. It was probably only forty-five degrees, but still beautiful.

  She took a second to look around at the lapping water, the rise of the island to the east, the lazy circling seagulls and the Puget Sound cranes in the distance.

  “This is nice,” she said. “Very calming.”

  “See.” Kristine nodded toward an approaching pickup truck. “And it’s about to get better.”

  At first Sophie had no idea what she meant until the truck parked and the driver’s door opened. The guy who emerged was gorgeous. Seriously. Dark blond curly hair, piercing blue eyes and a body that was better than perfect. Sophie felt her mouth drop open and couldn’t find it in her to care.

  “Told you so,” Kristine said as she walked past her. “And you’re welcome.”

  Sophie hurried to catch up to her. “So it’s not about exercise at all. It’s about a show. Why didn’t you say that?”

  “You wouldn’t have believed me.”

  “I’m a believer now, sister. I believe. What’s his name?”

  Kristine sighed. “You really don’t listen to me when I talk, do you? He’s Dugan and from what we can tell, he’s single. Just in case that sort of thing interests you.”

  “It really might.”

  But as everyone lined up in rows for class to begin, she saw she wasn’t the only one who noticed the fineness of their instructor. In fact, everyone there was a woman and most of them were ogling Dugan with undisguised hunger. Well, damn. She hated being part of a crowd.

  “Good morning,” Dugan said, his voice low and sexy.

  “Good morning,” the women said.

  He led them through several breathing exercises then moved into what Sophie assumed was Tai Chi but honestly was just a bunch of arm waving and awkward shifts of weight with controlled breathing.

  “We draw in the ocean,” he said, pulling his arms toward him. “We push the ocean away.”

  “Does he know the ocean does that all by itself?” Sophie asked her cousin. “It’s called the tide.”

  “Shh. Focus.”

  Sophie did her best. She breathed when told, moved her arms and tried to follow the steps. It was all just so slow and meaningful. She could have unloaded a couple dozen boxes by now. And used her new forklift. And checked orders and who knew what. Slow, slow, slow.

  When she felt herself getting restless, she turned her attention back to Dugan. He sure was pretty, she thought absently. He must work out a lot to get shoulders and arms like that. Given the fact that the Lord gaveth and tooketh away in equal measure, she could only assume he had the IQ of a tree stump but that was okay. Sometimes pretty was plenty.

  There was more ocean pushing and some pulling and waving. So
phie got totally lost in the sequence and simply stood in place. Dugan looked at her, his blue eyes locking with hers.

  She’d looked at men before. She’d been married and everything, but there was something different about Dugan’s gaze. Something...intense. Or compelling. Or maybe he was nearsighted and she was blurry. Whatever the cause, she felt the attention clear down to her toes. Heat burned through her and she had the sudden urge to walk up to him and kiss him—right there in Tai Chi class.

  But she didn’t and he turned away and then she was standing on the edge of the beach on a Sunday morning when she could have been sleeping.

  When the class ended, some of the women left right away but a fair number gathered around him. He spoke to each of them, smiling and laughing, but keeping his distance, physically and emotionally. From what Sophie could tell, he didn’t have anything going on with any of the ladies of Blackberry Island. At least not with the ones who came to his class.

  Kristine waited until everyone else was gone before walking up to Dugan.

  “Good session,” she said.

  “Thank you. Your form is excellent. You’ve come a long way.”

  “It’s all about focus, balance and breathing.”

  “That’s right.”

  Kristine motioned to Sophie. “This is my cousin.”

  Dugan looked at her. “The mysterious Sophie Lane. At last.” He held out his hand. “Kristine talks about you a lot. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to be met.” Sophie put her hand in his and was pleased to feel plenty of sparks. Oh, yeah, they had chemistry. Or at least she did.

  Right now her life was a mess. She was trying to get CK Industries up and running. She was missing her cat and, while she didn’t want to move back to LA, she didn’t feel as if Blackberry Island was her home, either. She was tired and overwhelmed and out of sorts, so feeling wild attraction to a man she’d barely met was a very nice distraction.

  He smiled at her. It was a good smile—no, a great one that made her feel special.

  “How’d you like the class?”

  “It made absolutely no sense to me. What’s with all the ocean pulling and pushing? Who thought up the movements and why are they in that order? I’m not sure I need balance in my life so much as ten employees I can trust and a better cup of coffee in the morning. Plus, why is it so slow? I think I could get into it if we could just move things along.”