by Lila Kane
“Oh, yes she is,” Poppy said. “She told me. She’s over Tom. She just—”
When she didn’t continue, Beckett lifted his eyebrows. “What?”
“Nothing. She is ready to move on. But, come on, Beckett, she was engaged for two years. She’s just not sure how to get back into the whole dating thing. That’s why you have to make the first move.”
Great. Not that he didn’t date. He just didn’t date friends. And that’s what he and Anna had been for so long, it was hard to see it from a new perspective.
“Cooking lessons,” Poppy said suddenly.
Beckett frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“That’s it,” Poppy said, releasing him to pace. “That will be perfect. Tell her you want cooking lessons.”
“Why would I do that?”
“So you can spend more time with her. Kiss her. Fall in looove—”
“I mean,” Beckett said, trying to keep his patience, “why would I want cooking lessons?”
Jillian glanced over from her tablet. “So you can cook.”
“That was brilliant, Jillian,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Poppy grinned at him. “So you can bake. Tell her you want to make something for the Fourth of July thing and ask her if she’ll help you. Start there, and then if it works, tell her you had such a good time want to do it again and again—until death do you part.”
Beckett dropped his chin to his chest with a long sigh. “You have it all figured out, don’t you?”
“Yep.”
But he had to admit, it wasn’t a terrible idea.
“Come on,” Poppy said, stepping closer and appealing to him. “Anna deserves someone who cares about her, and who will treat her right. So do you. You’re perfect for each other. Anna just needs time to see that.”
Beckett blew out another breath and forced a nod. He tried to adopt Poppy’s optimism, but it was hard. He’d known Anna his whole life and she’d never once looked at him like she looked at Tom. Or any of the others. If she needed time, he wondered how long it would really take for Anna to see how much he loved her.
Chapter Five
Anna avoided her family for the rest of the weekend and tried to get over her embarrassment. She’d actually felt something for Beckett. The distinct flutter, no spark that told her there was more. That was how she felt when she first met Tom. And all the other guys she’d fallen for in the past.
But this was Beckett, and it was completely insane.
When she walked into the bakery on Monday morning the next week, she hung her purse and jacket on the hook by the back door and closed her eyes briefly. Beckett. She couldn’t even tell Poppy, it was that bad. They were all family, and when she pictured Beckett in his casual flannels, his shirt underneath tight against his chest, she definitely wasn’t thinking of him as a brother.
After pulling on her apron, she worked a solid two hours before Leah came in. Once she was finally able to take a break, she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and forced herself to get back to real life and deal with her family.
She let Leah take over and left through the back door. She opted for the cute brick path around the back of the building, where there was additional parking and buckets of flowers Poppy had planted. Above the stores were three connected apartments, one of which Jillian lived in and the other Eli stayed in when he was here. The other was currently in need of a renter.
When she spotted Poppy’s car, she walked the rest of the way to the flower shop and let herself in the back door. Poppy wasn’t in the store room, so Anna made her way to the front of the building and found her sister organizing a vase of flowers at the counter.
“Morning,” Poppy said without looking up.
“Almost afternoon.” Anna took a swig of water.
The store smelled fresh and floral, mostly like the roses Poppy arranged. Light music played in the background as Poppy worked, continuing to organize the flowers.
“Isn’t that interesting,” Poppy said.
Anna held back a smile, already knowing where this conversation was heading. “I’m sorry.”
Poppy flicked a glance up at Anna but didn’t say anything.
Anna decided to go straight for the apology first. “I’m sorry for leaving so early this morning and—”
“Ignoring me the whole weekend? Ignoring everyone the whole weekend, actually. I wanted to go to the greenhouse and you said you’d come with me, but—”
“The greenhouse,” Anna repeated, remembering. “Poppy, I’m sorry. I forgot.”
“I know. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Anna leaned against the counter, squeezing her water bottle tight enough it crinkled on the sides. “It’s not…I was just in a funk.”
About Beckett. About her life. About France. But mostly about Beckett.
“Why?”
“Because…” Anna sighed. No, she still couldn’t tell Poppy. “I feel like I’m in a rut.”
Poppy slid the vase aside and leaned her elbows on the counter. “I get it.”
“You do?”
“Sure. We all get in ruts. But hey—I know something that’ll bring you out of your funk. And it’s a good way to make it up to me. You know, for ignoring me the whole weekend.”
Anna checked her watch. “I can leave early today. We can go to the greenhouse. Or tomorrow—”
“Not that. We can go next weekend, or whenever. I just wanted to check out the new Calla Lilies. You can make it up to me in a different way.”
Anna narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to tell me?”
“Okay, you know Beckett’s friend, Jake?”
Anna straightened at Beckett’s name. She tried to keep her face even. Poppy had no idea what was going on. She just needed to act natural. “Jake. The teacher?”
“Right. Him. Beckett said he wanted to get together, like maybe a casual date or…” Poppy shrugged. “Whatever. So I thought maybe me, you, him and Beckett could all go out this weekend.”
Anna’s throat dried. “No. No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why? I thought you were ready to move on. Get out. Live a little.”
Anna shook her head. “I’m am. I mean—that’s not the problem.”
“There’s a problem? What? You don’t like Jake?” Poppy flashed a smile. “Because he’ll be my date, not yours.”
She said date. Which meant if Jake was her date, Beckett would be Anna’s. “I don’t think…”
Poppy angled her head, her green eyes curious. “What?”
Anna blew out a breath. “I don’t really think Beckett is into that double dating thing. Besides, we’ve known each other forever. It’s like hanging out with friends.”
“Perfect. Because then you don’t have to be there with someone you end up not knowing how to talk to.”
Not perfect. Horrifying. That’s exactly what would happen. She wouldn’t know how to talk to him because it was too awkward between them now. Especially when she couldn’t stop imagining his hands on her waist, sliding up her arms, into her hair. His mouth…
“Maybe Summer wants to go,” Anna blurted. She pointed across the street. “I could go ask her right now.”
Poppy frowned. “Summer on a double date? I don’t think so. Besides, it’ll be fun. We can get ready together. You owe me.”
Anna gritted her teeth. She did owe Poppy. But not a date. Not a whole evening with Beckett. She swallowed, preparing another protest.
“This weekend,” Poppy persisted. “I’ll call Beckett and see if we can set it up.”
“Poppy…”
Her sister knew she’d won. She grinned. “We’ll have fun, you’ll see. Let’s check with Summer later this week and see if she has something new for us to wear.”
Anna’s shoulders slumped. “Okay. Sure.”
“Great.”
Once Poppy set her mind to something, it was hard to change it. After a few more minutes of talking, Anna left through th
e front door and went to the main office, walking inside with a new plan in mind. She’d just see if Jillian had any extra events coming up. Then she could volunteer to help and use the excuse that she had to work.
Beckett could find someone else to go with. It’s not like he didn’t have his choice of any woman out there. It was for both their sakes, really. Better all around.
Inside, her mother sat on one of the four chairs in the lobby. They centered around a low table that held a tray with a coffee pot and dishes for cream and sugar.
“A meeting?” Anna asked.
Gail nodded. “In a few minutes. Jillian’s coming back from next door with some of those croissants you baked this morning.” She flashed a smile. “I’ve already had two.”
“You always were my biggest fan,” Anna said.
Gail’s eyes softened. “You always were my best chef. Even when you were little. Wouldn’t even eat macaroni and cheese unless it was homemade.”
She’d heard the story before. More than once. But her mom liked to brag about her kids.
“What was that?” Gail asked, standing.
Anna focused on her before her thoughts could wander back to Beckett. “What was what?”
“That look.” She walked to Anna and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “Poppy said you’ve been kind of down lately.”
“Poppy has a big mouth.”
Gail gave a gentle smile. “And a big heart. She wants you to be happy. Do you need a vacation?”
Anna laughed. “No, I need Jillian to give me a job.”
“A job?” Gail asked, looking confused.
Jillian returned with a box and went straight for the tray. She unloaded the croissants into a basket and smiled at Anna.
“What made you decide on croissants this morning?” she asked.
Anna shrugged, but it had been a conscious decision. The bakery was specifically geared toward weddings, so she baked wedding-themed cookies and cakes and desserts most often. Sometimes she just wanted to branch out—especially when lately, wedding-themed anything was giving her a headache.
“You’re welcome to sit in on the meeting if you want,” Gail said, concern still in her eyes. “Or Jillian can handle this, and we can go to lunch.”
Anna forced a laugh and stepped back. “No. I’m fine. I’ll come back after the meeting.”
Jillian glanced to the glass door. “There she is now.”
When Anna saw the long blonde hair, she froze. It couldn’t be. But then she saw the face and her heart thudded. “Catrina Whitmore,” she whispered. “Shit.”
Jillian jerked a glance at her. “How did you know?”
“Mother fu—”
“Anna!” Gail said, eyes wide.
“I have to go. I need—” She needed to hide. It felt like the whole room was closing in around her. And Catrina was already coming through the door. She stumbled over her feet in her haste to get away. “Sorry, I’ll come by later.”
She didn’t wait for a response, but raced down the long hallway, deciding whether to lock herself in one of the bathrooms or one of the meeting rooms. She rounded a corner and slammed into someone.
“Whoa. Anna?” Beckett’s eyes narrowed as she yanked in a sharp breath. “What’s going on?”
She didn’t answer, just grabbed his shirt, hauling him into the closest meeting room and shutting the door.
“Anna—”
“Shh.” She slapped a hand over his mouth before thinking. “Be quiet.”
He pried her hand loose, but before he could say anything, she ducked to peer through one of the small windows on the side of the door. She couldn’t see anything but the hallway.
When she glanced up, Beckett’s brows were drawn together. She slumped against the door. “I can’t believe this.”
“Breathe, Anna,” Beckett said. “Do you want me to go get your mom? Or Jillian—”
“No.” She grabbed his hand before he could reach for the handle. “Please don’t.”
He peered into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s out there. Catrina Whitmore.”
His fingers curled around hers and he guided her to a chair in the dim room. “Who’s Catrina Whitmore?”
Anna pressed her hands over her face and blew out a breath. “She’s the woman Tom cheated on me with.”
{}{}{}
That asshole. Beckett clenched his hands into fists. “She’s actually out there?”
Anna nodded, her hands still covering her face.
How dare she come in here. Who cared if she was the mayor’s daughter? She had to know who owned this place. She couldn’t be completely clueless. And it was probably Tom who’d put her up to it.
Another thought occurred to him, and he gritted his teeth, speaking in a measured tone. “Is Tom out there?”
Her hands fell away and the blood drained from her face. “You think he is? Beckett, no—”
“Wait. Hold on.” His heart squeezed at her look, ached at what she was going through. “We don’t know if he’s out there.”
Anna stood, and he was surprised to see her hands shaking. He clasped them between his own and found them cold. He rubbed them to infuse some warmth back into them.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s out there,” Beckett said. Although he couldn’t imagine Tom would have the guts to walk right into a business his ex-fiancée’s family owned.
“It doesn’t matter?” Anna asked, incredulous. “How can you say that? Beckett—if he’s out there…you don’t think…” Her eyes lifted to his. “You think they’re getting married?”
Beckett’s gut clenched. He wouldn’t put it past Tom. And sending his fiancée in here was a low move—but also just like Tom.
“If he comes in here, your family will tell him to leave,” Beckett assured her.
“They’ll realize who Catrina is soon enough. I’m surprised Jillian didn’t already put it together.”
He wasn’t. They would have realized sooner if Anna had told them anything more when it was all happening, but she’d only said Tom had been cheating and then been secretive about the rest.
“He’s such an asshole,” Anna murmured.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his embrace, resting her cheek on his chest.
“It’s fine.” Beckett said, his voice soothing. “They’ll realize it’s her and she’ll leave.”
“Better if they kick her ass out of here.”
He chuckled, and after a moment, heard her laughter as well. The scent of her shampoo wafted up, and before he could help it, he breathed in deep. It was a punch to the gut. To be this close to her and not be able to do anything but support her. He couldn’t ask her out now, couldn’t kiss her, couldn’t do anything. Not with the situation she was facing.
“First the mouse and now this,” Anna said, easing back. He reluctantly let go. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “Because it’s not—I mean, you don’t have to be here dealing with this. I just…panicked. You can go if you need to.”
“No.”
Her eyes flashed to his. “What?”
He folded his arms. “I’m staying in here with you until you feel comfortable enough to go back out there. Or until she leaves.”
She studied his expression, eyes wandering his face like she thought he was lying. Finally, she said, “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He took a step closer to her, completely ignoring his previous thoughts. Who cared if it wasn’t the time? He needed to say something. “Anna, you’re…”
Before he could get the words out, words he’d been dying to tell her for years, the door opened. Jillian walked in, with Gail close behind her.
“It’s her, right?” Jillian asked.
Anna nodded.
Jillian grimaced. “I had no idea.”
“Well, now you do.” Anna sank into a chair again.
Gail sat next to Anna. “I’m sorry. We fi
gured it was her, and I wanted to kick her out, but Jillian wouldn’t let me.”
Anna gave her a ghost of a smile.
“It’s not that,” Jillian said. “She’s the mayor’s daughter. We don’t want bad publicity.”
“But you don’t want her business either,” Beckett said, staring at her. “Right?”
Jillian folded her arms. “It’s going to be a huge wedding.”
Beckett winced at her words and watched Anna for her response. She was right. Catrina and Tom were getting married.
Anna stood slowly, taking a few deep breaths. “I need to go.”
“No, you’re right. This is ridiculous.” Jillian took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Of course we’re not going to help with the wedding. There are other wedding planners out there.”
Gail smiled and put her arm around Anna. “Yeah, not our fault we’re the best. They’ll just have to go with second best.”
“No.” Anna shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense, does it? If you turn her away, we will get bad publicity. I wouldn’t put it past her and her family, or even Tom, to make a big deal about how Keller Wedding Consultants discriminated against them. Get it in the paper, and maybe even—” She broke off, her breath hitching. “I can’t do this right now.”
Beckett reached for her. Her cheeks were tinged in red, and her lips pressed into a tight line. “Anna—”
“I have to get to work,” she said, shaking her head.
She brushed past him, mumbling an apology when her arm hit his, and left the room. Silence followed.
Finally, Gail stood with a frown. “I can’t believe she had the audacity to come in here.”
“She’s the mayor’s daughter,” Jillian said. “I’m willing to bet her family wants the best, and that’s why she came here. Maybe she doesn’t even know who Anna is. Besides, she was just checking us out. Maybe she’ll go with someone else.”
Beckett folded his arms. “And if not?”
“We’ll tell her it’s a conflict of interest,” Gail said simply. “We can’t do this to Anna.”
Jillian nodded. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.”
But Beckett could tell she didn’t want to agree. Getting the Whitmore wedding would be a huge deal for Keller Wedding Consultants, and losing it might hurt the business. Still, this was Anna. They couldn’t very well have her make a cake for her ex-fiancé.
