MacKenzie looked over to him. Butterflies fluttered around her stomach, her heart skipped a beat, and a sigh left her upturned lips at the sight of him.
“Dude, my Jeep is so much better than hers. Barbie wishes she had a Jeep as wicked as mine.” Ella walked over to the box Sebastian had just set down. She reached inside and pulled out a manila folder. “Ma, I have some proofs from Autumn for you. She said to look them over and let her know if you approve. I really like the coffee sleeves—just the right amount of sarcasm.”
“That was quick. I only talked to her the other day at church.” MacKenzie took the folder from Ella. “These are perfect!”
“Hey, what are you doing here, anyway? Don’t you have classes today?” MacKenzie asked her daughter as they continued unpacking the cupcakes and placing them on the three-tier serving dish.
“They canceled afternoon and evening classes ahead of the predicted snowfall.” Ella answered as she placed the last cupcake on the dish.
MacKenzie gave an indignant snort. “The snow hasn’t even started yet. Back in my day, we walked to school in the snow—”
“Yeah, I know. You walked barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways with the wind in your face, and you were grateful for the chance to learn.” Ella finished for her mother. “Times have changed, Mother. Call it crazy, but no one wants us to risk our lives on the snow-covered roads.”
MacKenzie snorted. “It hasn’t even started snowing. We live in New England, it might not even snow. How many times have they promised us a foot or more and we’ve ended up with nothing? Too many.”
“Typical men—promise you a foot and all you get is a few inches.” Ella countered with a smirk. “Is there still bread pudding left?” Picking up the serving dish, she left the kitchen and made her way into the café.
MacKenzie laughed. “Cute and yet true.” She picked up the folder and turned toward Sebastian. “Follow me. I need to do some things in my office.”
“Right behind you, Beautiful.”
“Ella, can you hold down the fort? Candy couldn’t come in today, she’s sick. Again.” MacKenzie had a feeling she knew what the cause of her illness was and figured she’d be getting some big news in the near future. She smiled at the thought of a new baby in the family.
“Yeah, I can hang for a while, I guess.” Ella shoved a spoonful of bread pudding into her mouth. “Oh, we’re out of bread pudding.”
“There’s another crockpot in the kitchen. Just switch them out.” MacKenzie walked down the hall toward her office.
As the couple entered MacKenzie’s office she spoke up, “So, this is the office have a seat over there if you’d like. I’m sorry, I need to place my dairy order before a certain time, and I have a few phone calls to make.” She didn’t mean to be rude, but she had work to do.
Sebastian nodded, “I’ll just be over here. Take your time.”
~*~
Sebastian looked around the office. The large corner desk MacKenzie was sitting at took up most of the space on the left side of the room while the right side had a cozy seating area. A bay window looking out to the quiet side street the center focal point of the exterior wall. He slowly walked around the room, looking at the pictures hanging on the wall, stopping to look at one grouping on the fireplace mantel. A ribbon cutting ceremony. Kenz stood in front of The Corner Nook, a pair of scissors slicing through a red ribbon. A tall blond gentleman—Jason—stood beside her. In the background, he spotted Ella and her brothers.
A picture of a young MacKenzie in a wedding gown looking lovingly into the eyes of her groom sparked a jolt of jealousy. She looked so happy, so much in love. He wanted that with her. He needed that with her. Turning away from the pictures, he noticed that Kenz was looking at him with an amused expression on her face.
“Our picture is here on the desk.” She tilted her head toward a framed photo next to a stack of books.
“Our picture?” Confused, Sebastian walked over to the desk and picked up the framed picture—he and Kenz silhouetted in the garden of the Ritz. Fireworks were coloring the skyline, matching the sparks flashing in his heart. Looking up, he said, “This is from the auction. How did you get a picture of us?” Dropping his gaze back down to the photo, he let his mind wander to that night. They’d only known each other a few hours, tops, but he would have sworn it was actually a lifetime. He wouldn’t let his mind dwell on it then, but his heart knew she was everything he didn’t know he needed.
“Ella took the picture on her way out of the garden. She said I looked happy.”
“Were you? Happy?” Sebastian met her eyes, willing her to say yes, that he made her happy, that they could be happy together. He held his breath and waited.
A shy smile played across her lips. “Yeah, you make me happy.” She took a deep breath and looked as if she was going to speak again but bit her lip instead.
“You make me happy too.” Her smile told him he had just answered her unspoken question.
“Are you hungry? Would like a coffee, or something to drink?”
“Those cupcakes looked tasty, I think I’ll go get red velvet one. Should I get you a chocolate one?” Sebastian turned to walk away her voice stopped him.
“I’ll get it for ya! What do you want to drink?” She started to rise from her chair.
“No, you stay here and get your work done. I want to take a look at the bookshelves, I finished my book on the plane.”
“Oh, okay. Well, if you get me a chocolate cupcake on your way back I’ll give you a kiss when you return!”
“Oh, I like that kisses for cupcakes.” He walked over leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
~*~
MacKenzie heard a light snore and looked up to see Sebastian sprawled out along the small sofa. An open book lay flat on his chest. She let out a small chuckle before getting up and walking over to him. She sat down on the coffee table, nudging him. “Bas, wake up.” She laughed as he yawned and stretched.
“I was just resting my eyes.”
Laughing again, MacKenzie replied. “And snoring.”
“I don’t snore. You snore. A cute little purring snore, but a snore nonetheless.” He retorted as he sat up and faced her.
“Well, why don’t you grab your bags? I’ll take you up to my apartment so you can rest your eyes and not snore more comfortably in bed.” She giggled and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“I left my bag by the counter. I’ll need it when I check into my hotel later.” He yawned again.
“Why do you have a hotel room? Aren’t you staying here with me?”
Sebastian smiled. “I didn’t know how this would go. I wasn’t sure if it would all go tits up, so I booked a hotel. Are you inviting me to stay? I’ll call and cancel the room right now, just say the word.”
Was he serious? Why would this go ‘tits up’? Why wouldn’t he just assume he’d stay with her? The irony that she was now the one asking him to stay was not lost on her. MacKenzie placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Stay with me.”
“I’ll stay,” Sebastian whispered against her lips, returning her kiss with a much deeper one.
And then there was that voice again. “Hey, guys. Oh.”
“She has the worst timing.”
“I know. Which is why she’s the youngest. Seriously, every time.” MacKenzie laughed a little. Standing, she turned to face Ella. “What’s up?”
“Governor called a State of Emergency starting at six PM. I gotta go. I already put the ‘snow emergency closed’ sign up on the door.” Ella stood just inside the office, her coat on and keys in her hand.
MacKenzie looked out the window, the snow falling in big fat flakes. At least six inches covered the ground. “You can’t drive all the way back to Silverton in this weather. Just stay here.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll just take one-forty. We’re all meeting up at Autumn’s house for a Snow Party. Wanna come?” Ella jiggled her keys, dancing from one foot to the other, clearl
y in a hurry to leave.
MacKenzie let out a frustrated sigh. Ella had driven in the snow a thousand times, but MacKenzie would always worry. “Just be careful, go slow. Just because you have four-wheel drive doesn’t mean you can speed like hell. Call me as soon as you get there.”
“I’ll be fine!” Ella repeated before waving and blowing a kiss goodbye.
MacKenzie walked over to the window and watched Ella get into the Jeep and take off. She stood there well after the Jeep had turned the corner and was out of sight. Her heart raced, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her gut. Be safe, baby girl. MacKenzie swallowed against the lump in her throat, her eyes filled with tears. “She’ll be okay,” she spoke out loud if only to reassure herself.
Sebastian’s arms wrapped around her, hugging her from behind. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. MacKenzie let out a content sigh and leaned back into his comforting embrace. She suddenly felt so much better; all the tension left her body with just that simple hug. How the hell does he do that? How did he always just make her feel better? He’d been doing it since that first hand-hold at the auction and every time since then. She had lost count of the times he called her to ask about her day or just to say hi. There had to be something here; it couldn’t be just a fling. How many times had she found herself comparing her dates to him in the past six weeks? They needed to figure this out because this time, she wasn’t letting him go either.
Turning in his embrace, MacKenzie buried her face in his chest, releasing a shuddering breath. She just stood there, letting him hold her, his hushed words an added comfort. “She’ll be fine. It’s just a bit of snow.”
MacKenzie nodded her agreement against his chest. She knew she shouldn’t be so worried, but she couldn’t help it.
Forcing herself to break the comfort of Sebastian’s embrace, she stepped back and looked up at him through the blur of tears filling her eyes. “I know she’ll be okay, but I worry. It’s kind of my thing. I’m a worrier.” She shrugged. “I’ve gotta shut down the café, then we can head up to my apartment, okay?”
“Sure thing, Beautiful. Do you want some help?” Sebastian answered even as she began walking away.
With a look over her shoulder and a playful grin, she said, “I wasn’t giving you an option. You know how to do dishes, right?”
Chapter 9
MacKenzie pulled down the shade covering the large picture window, wincing at the foot of new snow covering the ground. She turned to face Sebastian, her stomach twisted with nerves. She took a calming breath.
Why was she so nervous? This was ridiculous—it was Bas, for Christ’s sake! He’d come all this way to visit just because he missed her. There was nothing to worry about. So why did she want to bolt out of her own café?
She knew why. They needed to have the talk. The what-the-hell-are-we-gonna-do-now talk. A shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with the drafty window and everything to with the man standing in front of her.
“What now, Beautiful? Is the café all sorted?”
MacKenzie was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of his voice. As her eyes met his, she felt a bit of her nervousness melt away. “Sorry, I was just running down the list in my head,” she lied. “Follow me. We’ll head up to my place.”
“I’ll follow you anywhere you want to take me, love.” He caught up with her.
Once inside the office, MacKenzie went to the side door. “This staircase leads up to my place. There’s another staircase in the back, off the kitchen.” She began climbing the stairs.
“Well, this has to be the world’s shortest commute to work.” Sebastian chuckled from behind her.
“Nah, that’s Autumn’s commute. Her office is on the same floor as her living area. And she doesn’t even have to get dressed. The lucky lil bitch, she can work in her pajamas.”
“That’s Ella’s friend. The shy one, right? She’s a designer or something?” Sebastian questioned.
“Yeah, Autumn is Ella’s bestie and a graphic designer. It’s not exactly shyness, though. Autumn has . . .” MacKenzie paused a moment, looking for the right words. She stopped and turned to face him. “Autumn has an anxiety disorder. She’s very wary of new people and experiences. She tends to get overwhelmed in large crowds. She had a lot of trouble in school because of this. It takes a while before she warms up to you, but once she does, it’s like she’s a totally different person. You’ll see.” She cringed a bit as she turned to continue her climbing the stairs. She’d slipped up a bit there; it wasn’t a sure thing that he’d “see” anything. What if that talk went in an entirely different direction than what she was hoping? What if he just wanted to keep her as a side piece? This was insane; she needed to stop thinking about it and just talk to him. Yeah right, sure. It’s that easy. Not.
At the top of the stairs, she crossed the small landing and opened the apartment door, stepping through and aside to allow Sebastian to follow her in. “Welcome to my place. This is the sitting area. As you can see, the kitchen is straight ahead. Now if you’d just read the house rules, pay close attention to number nine, please.” She pointed to a picture on the wall next to him.
Sebastian laughed. “Aye, I promise to lower the lid on the loo.”
“Good. Make yourself at home and enjoy your stay.”
“Why don’t you lock your door? Are you crazy? You cannot leave your door unlocked like that.”
“Did you miss the part where we came through the café and my office to get here? I don’t need to lock this door. I do lock my back door, if that makes you feel better.” She laughed at the unimpressed face he shot her.
“Very funny. I worry about you, and—” Sebastian stopped speaking, furiously blinking as his jaw dropped. “Is that a fucking snake? Why didn’t I know this? A snake, Kenz? Really?”
MacKenzie smiled sweetly. “Yes, that’s Earl. Duke is over there in the other corner.” She pointed to a spot behind him.
“You have snakes! Two! Or are there more? Why am I just finding this out now?”
With a slight shrug, she replied, “You never asked. Come on, I’ll show you around the rest of my place.” She laughed at his mumbled curses coming from behind her.
“This is the guest bedroom on the right. Bathroom and laundry rooms on the left.” MacKenzie pointed to each as they walked by. She paused at the bottom of a spiral staircase. “And these stairs lead up to the master suite.”
They stepped into the large bedroom, its seating area framed with large wooden bookshelves, each with scenes of Alice in Wonderland carved into the sides. It also had a king-size four-poster bed and end tables, all with carvings matching the bookshelves. MacKenzie led Sebastian to her walk-in closet and pointed to a small empty section with a built-in dresser. “You can unpack your things there if you want. I’ll just leave you to it. You can meet me back downstairs when you're done. Just make yourself at home. The bathroom is through that door if you wanna freshen up.”
As MacKenzie turned to leave, Sebastian intercepted her, wrapping her in a loose embrace. “The unpacking can wait.” He spoke against her lips, teasing her with a series of light kisses. “I noticed a very big, very comfortable-looking bed in the other room.” He trailed kisses along her jaw, reaching that spot behind her ear that always turned her to putty.
“Oh! Did you want to rest? You must be exhausted with jetlag.” MacKenzie began to squirm her way out of the loose embrace only to be pulled in closer.
“I was hoping you’d join me and not for a rest.” Sebastian pinned her with a heated stare and lowered one hand to grab her ass.
“Oh no, I couldn’t . . . I have, um . . . I need to . . . um, switch a load of laundry.” This time she did break their embrace and took a step around him. Making her way to the door, she called back to him, “I’ll just meet you downstairs when you’re done.”
Halfway to the stairs, she slowed her pace and glanced quickly over her shoulder to see Bas standing where she’d left him, a look of confusion marking his face.
She was being ridiculous, she knew that. It was just that this was all happening too fast. But it felt so right. She needed a little more time to work through all the thoughts she was having.
This had to be a good thing, right? He wouldn’t come all the way here just to get laid, right? It had to mean something.
MacKenzie turned into the laundry room. She really did have laundry waiting for the dryer. At least that wasn’t a total lie.
~*~
“I’ve got a load for you.” Sebastian muttered to her retreating back. He turned to the spot she had indicated and began his unpacking. Opening the carry on first, he picked up the small light blue ring box and turned it in his hand. “I’ve got this for you too.” He placed the box in his pocket. He’d ask her tonight.
Something Different Page 9
