Loving Kate

by Lara Van Hulzen

  “I noticed you’ve been closed though.”

  Baylee nodded and placed a cookie on the napkin in front of her. “Please, take one.”

  Kate did. She chose a bright pink tulip.

  “I have been doing a few renovations in the back. I wanted a bigger oven, the wrong one was delivered originally, and I was making a few changes to the kitchen. I only intended to be closed about a week. But then...”

  Kate shook her head. “Yeah. Then.”

  They both took a bite of cookie, soaking their sorrow over the fire in sugar and creamy icing goodness.

  The cookie all but melted in her mouth, a combination of butter and sugar and heaven so perfect her taste buds were dancing the mambo. “Holy cow. These cookies are fantastic! No. That doesn’t cover it. I could almost give up chocolate for these things.”

  Baylee smiled at her. “Almost.”

  Both women laughed then sipped their coffee.

  “Seriously. You have got to be raking in the dough here, no pun intended, with these things.”

  “I’m hanging in there.”

  That wasn’t a raging agreement that Baylee was doing well in her business, but Kate understood. She kept personal information about her business close to the vest, too.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten together with you before now. We’ve been business neighbors long enough. I should have.”

  “It’s okay. We are both running our own shops. It’s busy.”

  Kate nodded her agreement. When she first spotted the plate of cookies she thought five was a bit too many for just the two of them. Now her eyes wandered towards the doorway leading to the back where Baylee had come from with them. Were there more, because Kate wasn’t above fighting for the ones on the plate if not? Those things were downright sinful they were so good.

  “How are you holding up?” Baylee took another sip of coffee but left her cookie alone.

  “I’m fine. I can stay open for now. The fire damaged mainly my stockroom, which sucks, but I’m building it back up. For now, I’ll sell what’s on the floor, see how that goes. What about you?”

  “I should be fine. I was closed for renovations anyway, but staying closed a bit longer wasn’t in the plan and I’ll take a hit for it. Your friend, Jack, talked to me though. Said he’d be willing to help rebuild if I needed it.”

  The wave of jealousy that rolled through Kate made the cookie turn sour in her stomach. Of course Jack hadn’t offered to help just her. He offered to help the pretty blonde woman next door as well. She took a sip of coffee.

  “He’s sure into you, though.”

  Kate choked on her coffee.

  Baylee’s smile turned into a laugh. “Come on, Kate. Anyone can see it. Yes, he offered to help me but because he’s a nice guy. That’s it. He is hands down, one hundred percent interested in you.” She raised her mug in a mock toast and drank.

  Kate wiped her mouth with a napkin, still not sure how to respond.

  “You’re telling me you don’t see that?” Baylee continued. “The man all but has stars in his eyes when he talks about you. It’s cute.” She tilted her chin down and lifted her eyebrows. “And don’t even try and tell me you don’t have some sort of warm, fuzzy feelings for him as well. You’re blushing and you choked on your coffee.”

  “I swallowed wrong.”

  “Swallowed wrong, my backside.” A subtle southern twang rang in Baylee’s tone.

  Kate laughed. “Where are you from?”

  “And you just changed the subject. Glaring proof you have the hots for the man.”

  “No. I simply heard a southern accent peek out when you spoke. I was curious.”

  Baylee waved a casual hand at her. “Fine. We won’t talk about Jack. Can’t guarantee it won’t come up again though.”

  A knock at the door echoed through the empty shop.

  “But speak of the devil. You may need to face those feelings sooner than you thought.” Baylee stood and patted Kate’s hand. “And I’m originally from Texas.”

  She breezed past Kate and opened the door for Jack. Was the man following her now?

  He came in and greeted Baylee with a hug. A friendly one, but it still surged jealousy through Kate’s system so fierce she feared her skin might turn green. What was her problem? She and Jack weren’t an item. She had zero claim to the man. So why all the feels?

  “You think any harder, you’re gonna give yourself a headache.” Jack’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and brought her to the realization she was sitting there like an idiot, staring at him and Baylee, who was behind Jack, fighting to stifle a giggle and losing.

  She blinked. Getting a grip had to be higher on her to-do list.

  “What are you doing here?” The question came out snottier than she intended. Not being so snippy needed to be higher on her to-do list as well. It wasn’t Jack’s fault she was a hot mess. Or that he was hot. And interested in her. And...

  “There you go with that thinking again.” He gave her his best grin and melted chocolaty brown-eyed look. Darn the man. He was too yummy for his own good.

  “Please come in and join us.” Baylee jumped in. God bless her. She pulled another chair up to the table. Jack took a seat. “I’ll get some more cookies and coffee.” She took the plate and disappeared into the back of the bakery again.

  Kate’s entire body was aware of her knee settling against Jack’s. The table was small, too small for three chairs, really, but who was she to complain? His long legs sat right up against the bottom of the table, the rest of him relaxed against the back of the chair. He turned his head left and then right, taking in the bakery.

  “I saw mainly the back when I was here the other day. It looks awesome up here. She’s done a really great job.”

  Kate took a bite of cookie, chewing with a tight-lipped smile on her face. Not talking was probably her best bet right now.

  “What’s got your panties all in a bunch today?” he asked.

  She choked again.

  He leaned forward and patted her on the back, which made things worse rather than better. She fought the urge to shoot cookie crumbs out her mouth. This man turned her upside down and sideways. One minute making her hot and bothered, the next getting in her dish about her panties being ruffled, which could go either way, really, but still...

  Kate shook her head and grabbed her coffee. Taking a sip, the now cool liquid helped get the crumbs down her throat as opposed to spewed on the table.

  “You okay?” His look of genuine concern helped tamp down her irritation with him.

  A few more coughs, another swig of coffee, and she was back in control. “My panties are not ruffled, thank you very much.” Her attempt to sound confident came out snottier – again.

  Her entire body heated when his eyes wandered down to her lap then back up again. “Are you sure about that?”

  Baylee returned with a fresh mug of coffee for Jack and set down the cookie plate, now piled high with about ten cookies.

  Kate sniffed. Sure, bring the cute guy all the cookies. She took one and shoved it in her mouth. Good Lord, what was her problem? She needed therapy, but the cookies were cheaper.

  Baylee sat down and started chatting with Jack. Kate listened as he complimented Baylee on the bakery and how he came by because he wanted to talk to them both about helping rebuild.

  Kate suppressed a sigh. When had she become such a curmudgeon? Damn it, the man just frustrated her to no end. She watched as Jack laughed at something Baylee said. In all honesty, he didn’t look at Baylee the way he looked at Kate. A thought that thrilled and terrified her at the same time. Was the surly demeanor that reared its ugly head with him her way of keeping him arm’s length away? Silly question.

  Things had ended so well with them yesterday. Sure, she’d told him a little bit about Barry, but he didn’t even flinch. Well, he flinched a little but only because she could see he wanted to throttle Barry. He’d have to take a number and get in line for that. No, he’d listened to her sto
ry, kissed her hands, and gotten her to focus on her store, what made her happy. She’d even found herself laughing and joking with the others as they cleaned. Of course, everyone was charmed by Jack as they worked, but who wasn’t? Even in her attempts to keep him at bay, she was pulled into his atmosphere by his appeal. His laid back attitude towards life mixed with a charisma that demanded her attention when he was in the room.

  “Well, I say we get going as soon as possible on getting both stores up and running one hundred percent again, yes?” Jack’s words brought Kate back to the conversation.

  “I’m game, for sure,” Baylee agreed.

  Jack rubbed his hands together. “Great. I can start tomorrow.”

  “Sure. Sounds good.” Kate swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

  Jack working on her store meant two things. One, she would owe him something, a fact she would talk to him about as soon as they were alone. She would insist on paying him in some way and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Two, him working on her stockroom meant he would be at her store every day. Near her. Driving her crazy. In good ways and bad. She took more therapy...um, a cookie.

  “Oh, no, wait!” Baylee slapped her forehead. “I cannot believe I forgot to tell you this. My gracious. With all that’s been happening, I keep forgetting my brain.”

  “What is it?” Kate asked.

  “Chet called. The firefighter guy? He said I can’t touch the section of the bakery where the fire started. They think it might not have been an accident.”

  “What?” Jack leaned forward in his chair, all signs of his teasing demeanor gone.

  “I know. Pretty big and important to forget. I’m so sorry.” Baylee wiped her eyes. “I’m so tired.”

  Something in Kate’s gut said Baylee’s exhaustion was from more than what happened at their stores the past few days. But now wasn’t the time. She filed the question away under things to ask her about later.

  “Yeah. They aren’t for sure so they want to come back and take a look at things again. You might as well start at Kate’s place, Jack.”

  “Wait. Who would want to start a fire here?”

  Baylee shook head. “I have no clue whatsoever. It’s not like I have enemies or anything. I’m a small town girl who owns a bakery.” She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Besides, Chet said it’s just a hunch they want to follow up on, so it could be nothing.”

  “Will you be okay?” Kate asked. “That’s more time you aren’t open, making income.”

  “I know. But with it being Easter season and all, people are ordering lots of gift baskets and such. That can help me break even until the shop gets fixed. I’m praying it’s nothing and I can get going on fixing up within the next few days.”

  Kate’s gut and the look in Jack’s eye said Baylee was being optimistic, considering. Kate was grateful when Jack said, “I’ll call Chet and see if we can get some more answers. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it won’t be a big deal.”

  Baylee’s shoulders relaxed a bit at his words. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” She stood. “Let me freshen up your coffee, Kate.” Her mug was whisked away before she could protest.

  The second she was gone, Jack turned to her. “Arson? Is there anyone you can think of that would want to hurt Baylee?”

  Kate shook her head. “No. But to be honest, I don’t know Baylee all that well, yet. Today was the longest conversation we’ve ever had.”

  “Is there anyone who would want to hurt you?”

  Kate sat back in her chair. Someone hurt her? Why... she’d never... Her mind shot in all different directions.

  No was the best answer she could come up with.

  Jack shook his head but didn’t look like he believed her. Arson... Her store half burned and now this?

  Baylee returned with fresh coffee and started chatting about a new cookie recipe she was trying. Kate smiled but her thoughts were far away from the conversation. Maybe Baylee was right. Maybe it was a fluke and nothing more than an accident. Maybe. Maybe not.

  Chapter Nine

  Jack showed up at Atmosphere the next morning as promised. However, a certain feisty brunette wasn’t there yet. He made a mental note to ask her for a key. If he was going to be working on her store for the next week or two, he’d need it to get in when she wasn’t there.

  He made his way around to the back and plopped his tools down by the door. After sending a quick text to Kate telling her he was there, he tucked his phone back in his pocket. Josh was supposed to meet Jack as well, go over the design he’d come up with for the new stockroom, but he was nowhere to be seen either.

  Jack looked around. The back door to Baylee’s Bakery was closed and locked tight, but the brick near it was black. His thoughts wandered to his conversation with Chet yesterday. After the enlightening dialogue with Kate and Baylee over coffee and cookies, Jack had gone to the firehouse himself to see if he could get some answers. He didn’t get the ones he wanted though. Chet didn’t say much more than Baylee had. Just that they wanted to investigate, take a look at her store more closely, see if anything looked fishy.

  To Jack, if anything smelled the slightest bit like fish, it was a safe bet something was fishy.

  The thought of anyone trying to hurt Kate made Jack’s blood heat. But who would want to do such a thing? Barry? Sure, she’d told him who Barry was. An ex-husband. Big deal. But his gut said there was more to Barry than Kate was saying.

  She may not want a man in her life right now, but Jack was damn sure no harm would come to her. Not if he had anything to say or do about it.

  He scratched the back of his head and looked at Kate’s door. Her entire stockroom and half a kitchen needed work. He rubbed his fingers together in anticipation. By no means was he glad this happened to Kate, but the itch to build—create—moved through him.

  “Quite the eager beaver this morning, aren’t we?”

  Jack jumped and turned.

  His brother stepped back, hands up in surrender. “Hey, hey. What’s got you so jumpy?”

  Jack let out a breath in a whoosh. “Sorry. Was just lost in thought. Ready to get going on this.”

  “Okay.” Josh adjusted the strap of his workbag over his shoulder then crossed his arms over his chest. “But something tells me your mind is on something more.”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  Jack filled his brother in on the potential arson situation. Josh listened with rapt attention, saying nothing until Jack was done. Josh’s eyes moved from looking at Baylee’s door to Kate’s, not unlike Jack had done moments before. He whistled. “Man. Arson? In Silver Bay? That’s kind of out there.”

  “I hear ya. This town’s biggest crime is when Mr. Henderson’s dog steals his neighbor’s apple pie cooling in the window every Thanksgiving.”

  Both laughed.

  “You’d think the woman would learn to cool her pies elsewhere.”

  “Yeah, you’d think.” Josh’s smile faded and his tone turned somber again. “When are they going to investigate the fire?”

  “Chet said they’re coming by today. And I’m glad. Baylee needs to get her doors open again. It’s her livelihood.”

  Josh tilted his head. “Hmmmm, I thought you had the hots for a certain brunette, not a baking blonde.”

  “I never said I had the hots for anyone, thank you very much. Baylee’s a nice person. Single mom running her own business. Which at the moment, isn’t running. Just trying to be helpful.”

  “Fair enough.” Josh relented. “You don’t have the googly-eyed look when you talk about her the way you do about Kate, so I’ll believe you.”

  “Why, may I ask, are you talking about me? And who has googly eyes?”

  Both men jumped at the sound of Kate’s voice. How the hell had she snuck up on them like that? In the early morning light, the alley was dim, but still. The woman moved like a cat. And wasn’t above eavesdropping as well.

  “Nothing. I mean, no one.” Jack tried to recover.

  “We were
discussing the ‘this could be arson’ news when you moved in on us in stealth mode,” Josh said.

  Kate laughed. She moved past the two of them to unlock the back door. “Stealth mode is not in my wheelhouse, I’m afraid. Besides, you two girls were so intent on your conversation a Mack truck could have driven down the alley and you’d have missed it.”

  The key turned in the lock and she pushed the door open. The three of them went inside, Josh going straight for the cashier counter to lay out plans and Kate to put her purse behind the counter. Jack dumped his tools in the kitchen and joined them.

  “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  A few hours later, Kate’s door was open and she had sold a surprising amount of inventory. Her mother had come by, informing her she’d told all her friends about the fire, as if they didn’t know already – it was a small town after all – and that they wanted to be helpful. Adding Kate’s beautiful décor to their homes to do so, they deemed a win/win situation. Kate had to agree.

  A smile even found its way to her lips while she tied a silver ribbon with glitter onto a tall candlestick. She was going to place it in the window display, accenting the Easter decorations already there.

  A growl from her belly informed her she hadn’t eaten in a while and a glance at the clock on the wall indeed verified it was lunchtime. She looked towards the stockroom. After she, Jack, and Josh looked at the plans Josh had drawn up, Jack went to the hardware store and bought supplies. Supplies she purchased, of course. She was determined Jack pay for nothing and doubly determined to figure out a way to pay him. Maybe buying him lunch would be a good start.

  He’d been hammering and sawing and Lord only knew what else since he’d come back from the hardware store. She was certain he would be hungry. Some sandwiches from the deli down the street should do the trick.

  Water was running in the kitchen. He must be in there. She poked her head in the doorway to ask him what he liked on his sandwiches but stopped cold, her mouth open to speak, but now still from the sight of him at her sink, shirtless and looking ever the Adonis she imagined he’d be with less clothing. The tattoo sleeve along his left arm was a work of art. And the tool belt that hung low on his hips, drawing the waistband of his jeans along with it just far enough for a line of his plaid boxers to show was adding quite nicely to the whole picture as well.