Year of Living Blonde (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 1)

by Simonne, Andrea

  Too handsome, too charming, too much of everything. In other words, Espresso Breve is exactly the kind of man Natalie dislikes. In fact, she does her best to avoid him. Unfortunately, she got a good look at him that first time and, as much as she hates to admit it—he’s something.

  Espresso Breve is breathtaking. The most beautiful man she’s ever seen.

  “He’s wearing that navy-blue sweater today,” Zoe says, coming into the back area with an empty bussing tray. “That’s my favorite on him. It really goes with his dark hair and eyes.” Bakers don’t typically buss tables, but everyone makes excuses to go out front when he’s here. “He’s eating one of your chocolate chunk cookies again, Natalie. This is the third time in a row. He really likes those!”

  Still on break, Natalie tries to smile as she takes another sip from her latte.

  She started putting those chocolate cookies out a month ago and they’ve been selling well. They already had a few special orders. The trick is to bake the cookies at a low temperature so they stay soft, and use the finest chocolate she can get her hands on. The real secret is using espresso powder in the dough. It doesn’t make them taste like coffee, but brings out the flavor of the chocolate. She ate more than she should have while she was perfecting the recipe, but it was worth it.

  “He’s gorgeous.” Blair stares out the swinging door’s round window, admiring the view. “I’d let that man eat my cookies anytime he wants. He’s welcome to the whole menu, if you know what I mean.”

  All three of the women in back laugh.

  Carlos gets a look of mock horror on his face. “Ladies, that is TMI and HMJ all rolled into one!”

  “I know TMI, but what’s HMJ?” Natalie asks him.

  “Help Me, Jesus!”

  There’s more laughter and then Blair comes over to Natalie. “How are you doing? You should go home. You don’t have to stay and work if you’re not up to it. We’ll cover for you.”

  Natalie considers it as she takes a deep breath. “I’ll be okay. All I’d do is sit at home and go crazy, so I might as well keep busy here.”

  “Have you heard anything?”

  “No, nothing.” Natalie has been trying to call Peter all day. “I don’t know where he is. He’s not at work. When I call his phone, all I get is voicemail.”

  Natalie went by Peter’s dental office during her lunch hour, but that turned out to be a mistake. Not only was he not there, but the pitying looks from all the young women who fronted his reception area were more than she could take. Clearly she was the last one to find out there was monkey business going on. It was humiliating.

  “You’re going to have to talk to a lawyer.”

  Natalie is taken aback. “So soon? No, I don’t think it’s time for that yet.”

  “Maybe not, but eventually you will. At least to protect yourself.”

  “I don’t know.” Though Natalie is embarrassed to admit it, she’s hoping Peter will just come home. We’ve been married fourteen years, so how serious can this thing really be? This woman is a decade older than he is.

  “When you’re ready, I can give you the number of the divorce lawyer I’ve spoken to. She has a small practice, but she’s really good. Don’t wait too long. It sounds like Peter’s been planning this, and probably already has one lined up.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Blair shakes her head knowingly. “Just don’t underestimate him. You might be surprised at what he’s capable of.”

  “I HAVE AN axe and I’m not afraid to use it!”

  Natalie puts her plate down and hits mute on the television where she’s watching Fellowship of the Ring—one of her favorite comfort movies. Is there someone yelling outside? Just as she decides to ignore it, there’s more yelling and then—

  THWACK!

  Natalie jumps, crumbs falling beneath her feet as she rushes over to the window. Outside, she sees her younger sister, Lindsay, tugging on what appears to be a large metal axe now hanging from her front door.

  “I don’t believe this.” She runs over and yanks it open to Lindsay’s furious face on the other side.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Lindsay yells. “I’ve been calling you for two days with no answer. I finally went by the bakery, and Blair tells me you and Peter are splitting up! Why didn’t you call me?”

  Natalie stares at Lindsay and then turns her gaze to the red axe firmly embedded in the thick maple of her door.

  “Where did this axe come from?” she asks, ignoring her sister’s tirade.

  “The trunk of my car.” Lindsay walks inside, waving her hand dismissively as if everyone carries a fireman’s axe in their trunk. “I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

  Natalie closes the door and follows her into the living room, figuring she’ll deal with the axe later. She cringes at the mess everywhere, relieved it’s only her sister witnessing the empty ice cream container and half-eaten apple pie.

  Lindsay shoves a bag of cookies aside as she plops down on the couch. Her gaze goes to the television and then back to the bag of cookies. “Wow, Oreos and Lord of the Rings. Things must be desperate.” She reaches in and takes one out. “Talk to me.”

  Natalie sits on the couch near Lindsay and tucks her feet beneath herself. She’s silent for a moment as she watches her sister take apart her Oreo and bite into the creamy side. “Peter left me for another woman. She’s forty-eight.”

  Lindsay starts coughing and nearly chokes on her cookie. “My God!”

  Natalie almost smiles. Lindsay isn’t an easy person to shock.

  “When did all this happen?”

  Natalie tells her about Peter’s announcement a few days ago and how she hasn’t heard a word from him since. “He seems serious.”

  “Christ, what a doofus.” Lindsay shakes her head in disbelief. “Leave it to Peter to get something as simple as adultery wrong. Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to have an affair with someone younger?”

  Natalie leans her head back. “I guess no one told him.”

  “So, who is she?”

  “I don’t know. He said it’s just someone he met. Apparently they’re ‘in love.’”

  “Oh, please.” Lindsay takes another bite from her Oreo. “You should find out who she is and kick her ass. Kick both of their asses. I’ll be glad to help.”

  Natalie laughs. “What is this, high school? I appreciate the support, but I don’t think that would do any good. It never worked for Mom, after all.”

  “You should have called me.” Lindsay grabs Natalie’s hand.

  “I know. I just couldn’t deal with talking about it.” Natalie doesn’t want to admit to Lindsay how she was hoping Peter would have come home by now.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll help you through it. Having been divorced twice now, you’ll have to agree I’m an expert.”

  Natalie doesn’t say anything. While it’s true Lindsay has been divorced twice, it was hard to take her marriages seriously, since neither of them lasted longer than a minute. The guys she married were both artists. Both covered in tattoos. Natalie thought all the men Lindsay dated looked like ex-convicts.

  “Hopefully it won’t come to that. Can I make you something to eat?” Natalie gets up from the couch and heads into the kitchen. Lindsay grabs the bag of cookies and follows.

  The kitchen is by far Natalie’s favorite room in the house. She took great care picking out the dark-wood cabinets and the sage-green counters. The island has a marble counter top perfect for rolling out any type of dough. The appliances are all restaurant-quality stainless steel and since she’s currently using her large double ovens every morning, she’s glad they didn’t skimp on any of it.

  “What’s that yummy smell?” Lindsay asks, wandering over to the stove and peering into the large cast-iron skillet. “Bologna hash!”

  Natalie cringes. “I don’t know what possessed me to make it. Actually, it’s been years since I’ve made that stuff.”

  “Me, too, but it’s perfect comfort food.” />
  The sisters look at each other and a world of understanding passes between them. Bologna hash was a dish Natalie invented when they were kids and there wasn’t much money for groceries.

  “So, how about you warm some up for me? I sure love your bologna hash. Remember? I even used to request it on my birthday.”

  “I’d forgotten about that.” Natalie opens a cabinet to get out a plate. Bologna hash was nothing but chopped potatoes and bologna fried together with butter. Cheap and simple. “I used to make it for Chloe when she was smaller.”

  “Where is Chloe, anyway?” Lindsay sits down on one of the tall chairs next to the island. “Is she still up in Bellingham at horse camp?”

  Natalie nods, turning the heat up on the iron skillet. “Yes, though today is the last day and then she’s going to stay with Peter’s parents for a few days. She’ll be back before school starts next week.”

  “She doesn’t know, does she?”

  “No, of course not. I spoke to her this morning, but I haven’t told her anything.”

  “What about his parents?”

  “It doesn’t seem like they know anything, though it’s hard to tell with them.” Natalie’s in-laws aren’t exactly the warmest people. Peter grew up without much, just like she did, and his parents have always been standoffish about him doing so well. Not that they’re unkind. Chloe seems to like them and enjoys visiting every summer after her time at camp.

  When the food is ready, Natalie brings two plates over to the island and sits in the chair next to her sister.

  Lindsay takes a bite. “You know what this bologna hash needs? A nice bottle of vino. I think we need to pop open one of those precious bottles Peter collects.”

  Natalie considers this. “Sure, go pick one out.”

  Lindsay gets up and walks over to their large temperature and humidity controlled wine cabinet. “I’m going to find the most expensive bottle Peter owns and drink that one first.” After looking though the cabinet, she finally pulls out a bottle of Romanée-Conti.

  Natalie’s heart stutters. The bottle was a gift, and they’d been saving it for their fifteenth wedding anniversary. “No . . . I . . . not that one.”

  Lindsay opens her mouth to make a joke, but when she sees the look on Natalie’s face, stops. “Okay.” She puts the bottle back and pulls out a different one, a Pinot Noir from California. “How about this one?”

  Natalie studies the bottle. She remembers Peter buying it on a trip they took to Napa a few years ago for his birthday. He spent most of the time complaining because their room didn’t have a view of the vineyards, and acted like it was her fault. She could still hear the petulant tone he used. That bottle of Pinot Noir cost fifty bucks.

  “Looks perfect.”

  Lindsay opens the wine. After pouring two glasses, she comes back over to Natalie and places one in front of her.

  “Ah.” Lindsay takes a sip and smacks her lips ceremoniously. “I believe this wine is the perfect accompaniment to bologna hash.”

  Natalie finds herself grinning. Lindsay has always been able to make her laugh at the weirdest times. She tastes the wine. It’s a great Pinot Noir with a nice, earthy flavor and silky texture. Peter would have loved it. “I believe you’re right. It really sets off the saltiness of the bologna.”

  “Is this Oscar Mayer bologna?”

  “Of course.”

  “I thought so. Nothing but the best for us and these spuds are fried to perfection, I might add.”

  “Why, thank you,” Natalie says graciously. She takes another sip of wine. Who knew a fifty-dollar bottle of wine would go so well with bologna hash? Then again, a fifty-dollar bottle of wine usually goes well with everything.

  By the time they’re done eating and have started on their second bottle—a nice Cabernet Peter bought at a wine auction—Natalie finally relaxes. She’s glad to have her sister here and realizes she should have called her sooner.

  “You know what this party needs?” Lindsay stands up. “Music. Let’s rock out.”

  “Oh, I don’t think I’m in the mood for that.” They used to put on loud music and dance around together when they were teenagers. Natalie feels a mild sense of horror as she imagines what she’d look like doing it now. “It’s not really my thing anymore.”

  Lindsay ignores her, goes over to their CD cabinet and starts skimming her fingers along the titles. Her dark hair falls in soft waves, framing her pretty face. Lindsay has always been the pretty one. In fact, she looks just like the actress, Natalie Wood. They used to laugh at the irony of it. Lindsay’s always been tall, slender, and stylish.

  While I’ve always been an overweight Plain Jane.

  Even though Lindsay is younger, she’s three inches taller. And while Lindsay’s legs go on forever, Natalie’s most certainly don’t.

  When they were kids it sometimes bothered her that she wasn’t as pretty as Lindsay, but since there wasn’t much she could do about it, she figured she’d just be happy for her little sister. Even now, Lindsay looks gorgeous in her casual low-rise jeans and white T-shirt, a thin beaded necklace adding to her air of bohemian chic.

  Natalie glances down at her own baggy black pants and butter-stained dark shirt. It’s her baking uniform, or that’s what she considers it, though she seldom wears anything else. She spots the bright purple clogs she wears every day in the corner by the back door. They’re encrusted with flour. All her clothes are butter-stained and encrusted with flour.

  Natalie picks up her glass of wine and takes another sip. She closes her eyes, slightly dizzy. When she hears the opening guitar riff for Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” she opens them in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

  Lindsay just laughs and starts dancing, throwing her hips into it. “Come on.” She wiggles over to Natalie and puts her hand out.

  At first, Natalie resists, but then she lets Lindsay pull her up. Standing there awkwardly she tries swaying her hips a little.

  Lindsay is already in full rock-out mode, hair flying. Natalie tries to imitate her, but it feels strange. She hasn’t heard this song in years. She can feel the music pulling her in, though, and somehow her body begins to move and she finds herself dancing.

  Apparently, she’s drunk enough not to care what she looks like because pretty soon she’s singing with Lindsay, both of them laughing and pointing at each other, trying to imitate Axl’s swagger.

  “Do you remember this concert?” Lindsay shouts over the music. “God, that was so much fun!”

  Natalie remembers it. Lindsay was only twelve, but had begged to go and even back then, when Lindsay wanted something, she was so relentless she usually got it. Natalie took her because if she didn’t, Lindsay would have found some other way to go and who knows what kind of trouble she’d have gotten into.

  “We should go out dancing together sometime. What do you think?” Lindsay asks. “It could be fun. I know some great places downtown.”

  Lindsay is one of those ultra-cool people—a sculptress—who’s into the Seattle arts scene. She also fills in as cashier at the bakery occasionally. Though Natalie has helped her sister out financially over the years, she’s never minded. She’s used to being the responsible one. Natalie got her first job in a bread bakery when she was only fifteen and when she got pregnant at twenty-four, she was married and apprenticing as a pastry chef. Peter had been in dental school, and she’d loved him because he seemed so reliable, so different from her father—a man who’d been too handsome and charming for his own good—that she was convinced they’d be happy together. She was right, too. For a long time they were happy.

  “Hey, Nat, are you okay?” Lindsay turns the music down and comes over to where Natalie is now sitting on the floor.

  “I can’t believe he left me. I thought we’d grow old together. I really did.”

  “I know.”

  Natalie stares down at her hands. They’re covered with various burn scars from years of working around hot ovens. Her forearms have them, too. �
��I guess he’ll grow old with her now, though it sounds like she already is old!” She looks up at Lindsay. “What did I do wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “But why did he leave?”

  “Because Peter’s an ass clown.”

  Natalie laughs despite herself. “What the heck is that? Where do you even get this stuff?”

  “It’s someone whose idiocy goes beyond being merely an ass or a clown. He’s both.”

  “You just don’t like Peter. You never have.”

  “True, but why do you think that is? You’re too good for him. He treats you like you’re his mother. He’s not enough man for you.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? And besides, if it wasn’t for Peter, I wouldn’t have Chloe.”

  Lindsay’s face softens. She loves Chloe as much as Natalie, if that’s possible. “Yeah, I sure miss that girl. I understand why she’s at camp, since she loves horses so much, but why does she have to visit those people?”

  “Those people are her grandparents and I think it’s great how she has a relationship with them.”

  Lindsay leans back against the sofa and closes her eyes, already bored with this conversation. “Whatever.”

  “It’s good for her.”

  “I’m sure it is.” She suddenly opens her brown eyes and studies Natalie with interest.

  Natalie looks at her. “What?”

  “You know what. Have you?”

  Lindsay knows her so well. She shakes her head. “No.”

  “Nothing? Not even a single drop?”

  “Not one tear.”

  Lindsay raises an eyebrow.

  “You know it doesn’t mean anything. I haven’t cried since I was a kid, so it’s no great shock that I’m not crying now.”

  “Yeah, right.” Lindsay gets up and saunters toward the kitchen. “Hmm, now where’s that wine? This second bottle isn’t half-bad and I believe it’s time for a refill. What do you say?”

  Natalie thinks of Peter’s face and feels a dark satisfaction at how angry he’ll be when he finds out she and Lindsay have been drinking his precious wine. “I’d love another glass.”