AFTER BAKING THE next morning, Natalie loads everything into the back of her van. She woke up with a hangover and feeling as if she’d been hit in the head with a bottle of wine instead of drinking one. The axe was still hanging from her front door. Lindsay wanted to call 911 last night and get some “hot firefighter guys” to come help, but luckily, Natalie managed to wrestle the phone out of her hands.
As the day drags on, Natalie alternates between water and coffee until three thirty. Thankfully, the bakery closes to customers at four. She pulls the last of the rosemary loaves out of the oven and finally sits down. Her headache from that morning is back. The aroma of fresh bread smells delicious, though—hot and yeasty, and after slathering a piece with butter, tastes divine.
Between the wine hangover and the emotional hangover, she’s never been this tired in her life. As she closes her eyes and chews, she suddenly hears Carlos come into the kitchen.
“Thank God, you’re still here! Espresso Breve just came in and wants to order a cake. He asked to speak with a baker.”
Natalie swallows and looks at him. “Espresso Breve?”
Carlos nods.
“Can you just ask Blair to help him?”
“Blair isn’t here. You’re the only one left.”
Natalie frowns and looks around. She’d been so deep in thought she hadn’t even noticed everyone had left for the day. It’s Monday, though, and she typically closed on Mondays.
She puts the piece of bread she’s eating back down and wipes her hands on her white apron. “I’ll go out there. Just give me a second.”
“Sure,” Carlos says. And just as he’s about to turn away, he surprises her by putting his hand on her shoulder. “Listen, I don’t mean to intrude in your business, but I couldn’t help overhearing you talk. If you need my help for anything, all you have to do is ask, okay?”
Natalie is touched. “Thank you, Carlos. I really appreciate that.”
He smiles. “I’m going to go buss the tables in front and then start shutting down the espresso machine.”
“Sounds good. Also, the guy from Santosa’s Bistro should be here soon to pick up the bread.”
After he leaves, Natalie takes a deep breath and tries to gather herself. She really doesn’t want to deal with this, but there’s nothing else to do. There’s a small mirror by the back door and Natalie walks over to it.
Yikes. She looks frightening. Those dark circles haven’t gotten any better and her eyes are still bloodshot. I look like the Queen of the Undead. Maybe I should have worn concealer. She never wears makeup though, especially at work, since it melts right off.
Reaching up, Natalie straightens the red bandanna she’s tied on her head to keep stray hairs back. Unfortunately, she only makes things worse as some of the gray ones start popping out in front like wiry antennae. She sighs and drops her hands. I’m an exhausted, sweaty mess and there isn’t much I can do about it.
When she gets to the door leading into the front area of the bakery, she stops and peeks through the window.
Espresso Breve is out there, all right. She can see his dark head bent down as he studies their pastry case. He’s wearing a black motorcycle jacket with a white stripe running down each arm and across the zipper. It looks fantastic on him. He’s carrying a black helmet at his side. Natalie can also see the strap for his leather satchel running crossways over his muscular chest where the jacket is open. They’ve all theorized about the type of work Espresso Breve does, but none of them can figure it out. He’s too handsome. The only jobs, which seem to fit are model and movie star.
Natalie braces herself, pushes through the door, and marches to the counter, preparing to do her duty.
“Can I help you?” she asks as she plasters a fake smile on her face.
But then Espresso Breve looks up and Natalie’s smile falters. Her road map flies out the window. She’s lost.
Very lost.
First of all, his eyes aren’t at all what she expects. They’re a sensual brown and remind her of dark chocolate—her favorite kind. Callebaut? No, more like Valrhona. Rich, but with a complexity that doesn’t reveal itself right away.
And when he speaks his voice is low and smooth, like caramel made with the heaviest cream.
As she tries to think of a good food description for his mouth, she suddenly realizes his mouth is moving.
“Uh . . . what was that?” Natalie asks.
“I asked if you had a book I could look through.”
“A book?” With unease, she realizes that she’s been tuned out of this conversation way too long.
“Yes, a book of your cake designs.” He’s eyeing her strangely.
“Oh, sure, you want . . . the book.”
Espresso Breve peers behind her toward the swinging door leading to the back. “Listen, is there someone else I could talk to? A baker, or one of the owners, maybe?”
“Sure. No! I mean—”
“It’s okay. You’re new here, aren’t you?” Espresso Breve speaks in a patient voice. And she sees that his eyes aren’t just sensual, they’re kind. It’s something she wouldn’t have guessed about him. “Go ahead and find your manager. I’ll wait.”
Natalie’s face burns with embarrassment. She can’t remember the last time a man got her this flustered. In fact, she’s sure it’s never happened.
In desperation, her eyes search for Carlos as if he were a life raft. Natalie knows she needs to take control of this situation and explain to Espresso Breve that she is, in fact, one of the owners.
“On second thought, why don’t I just come back tomorrow?” He’s studying his phone. “I think I’ll have time in the afternoon.” Then before she knows it, he’s gone. The front door jingles as it closes behind him.
Natalie stands very still, staring at the spot he inhabited. Her body feels strange, as if she isn’t inside it anymore.
Her embarrassment has taken her to a Zen place.
Groaning, she rips the bandanna off her head and pushes her way back into the kitchen. How could I let some hot guy get to me like that?
She tries to put it out of her mind as she begins closing. He’s probably used to it, women making fools of themselves. Though the thought makes her feel even worse.
Checking the ovens are off, she can’t shake her embarrassment. Get a grip. She opens the fridge and sees the croissant dough is ready for tomorrow. She runs down the list of things they’re getting low on and adds a few more items.
When Carlos tells her he’s headed out, she manages a weak smile. “Take a loaf of rosemary bread with you.”
Finally, she leaves and gets into her van. The incident with Espresso Breve replays itself on the ride home, along with a fresh wave of embarrassment.
Pulling up to the house, she sees Lindsay’s red MINI Cooper is still parked in her driveway. Then just as she wonders if this day could get any worse, she realizes it’s about to get a whole lot worse. The MINI isn’t the only car parked there.
Peter’s black Lexus is sitting right behind it.
It’s a shock to see Peter standing in the entryway. Then she notices that standing beside him and still carrying a backpack is Chloe.
“Hi, sweetheart!” Natalie hugs her daughter. Immediately, she’s surrounded by Chloe’s familiar citrus shampoo smell.
“Hi, Mom.” Chloe grins when they pull apart.
“I didn’t know you were coming back today. I thought you were staying with Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Daddy picked me up early. I guess it’s not a good time right now.”
“Oh? Is everything okay?” She looks up at Peter.
“It’s fine,” he says in a tight voice.
Natalie’s eyes stay on Peter. Part of her is glad he’s here, but the other part is overwhelmed by a sense of betrayal. It’s only been a week, but it feels longer. In fact, he even looks different to her.
Peter meets Natalie’s gaze, but quickly looks away.
Is he still with her? Glancing at Chloe, she wonders wha
t he’s told her. Chloe doesn’t seem upset, so he probably hasn’t said anything.
Does that mean there’s still hope?
Lindsay makes an appearance, walking into the living room wearing the same jeans from last night. She’s borrowed one of Natalie’s shirts and, even though it’s too large, Lindsay makes it look stylish. Her hair is wet and it’s obvious she’s just taken a shower.
Natalie quickly scans the house and unfortunately, the place is still a mess. There are half-eaten plates of food and empty bottles of wine. It doesn’t look like her sister had a chance to clean up anything. In fact, she probably just woke up, not that Natalie can blame her, if she’d been able to sleep in today, she certainly would have.
“Aunt Lindsay!” Chloe squeals and drops her backpack, as she runs over.
“Hey, Girlie-Whirly!” Lindsay says as the two of them hug and jump up and down with excitement at seeing each other.
They head over to the couch, where Chloe searches for something inside her backpack to show Lindsay.
“I found some more horses I wanted to show you,” Chloe tells her. “I think they’re in my bedroom. I’ll be right back!” Chloe desperately wanted a horse of her own, but it was such a big responsibility that Natalie and Peter both agreed to wait until she was a teenager before getting her one. In the meantime, she was learning everything she could.
As Chloe leaves the room, Natalie feels awkward standing next to Peter. She wishes she’d had some warning so she could have at least pulled herself together. The two of them have a lot to talk about. She’s about to ask him if he’ll stay while she goes and takes a shower, but then sees him surveying the living room with distaste.
“What the hell happened here? Did you have some kind of party?”
“What do you mean?”
“And maybe you can explain this.” Peter pulls out his cell phone. A few seconds later, he puts it on speaker and holds the phone up.
At first, all Natalie can hear is a bunch of loud rock music. But then she recognizes Guns N’ Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle.”
Oh, no.
Dread rises as she hears a slurred voice talking over the music. It takes her a second to realize that it’s her own drunk self who’s come on the line.
“And if you think you’re going to take away my HOME or my DAUGHTER, then I will fight you to the DEATH. Do you hear me? Do you?” There’s more music and she can hear Axl singing, though it’s garbled, and then “To the DEATH!”
The message ends abruptly and Peter puts the phone down.
“Damn, how many times did we play that song?” Lindsay asks with amusement.
“Apparently more than once.” Natalie tries to hide her own smile.
“I don’t think this is funny at all.” Peter scowls at the two of them. “Do you know how disturbing it was to receive a message like that?”
“Disturbing?” Natalie looks at him with amazement. “You’re going to talk to me about disturbing? You completely disappeared. Where have you been?”
Peter shifts uncomfortably. “I told you I was leaving. Don’t act like you didn’t know.” He walks over to a chair in the living room and then stops abruptly. Leaning over, he picks up an empty wine bottle. His mouth drops when he sees the label, and when he sees the second one on the coffee table, he reaches down to grab it, as well.
“I can’t believe you’d do this to me!” He shoves the second bottle up accusingly. “Do you know how expensive this wine is that you and your sister so carelessly drank? I bought this Cabernet at an auction!”
He tips it upside down and not a single drop comes out.
Natalie watches. “I have to admit, it was pretty good.”
There’s a moment of silence and she can hear Peter’s angry breathing. His nostrils flare. “Pretty good? That’s a hundred dollar bottle of wine!”
“Wow, is that right?” Natalie turns her head toward Lindsay. “Did you hear that? I guess that wine cost a lot of money.”
Lindsay, who is thumbing through a magazine, doesn’t even bother to look up. “Well, it was, you know . . . pretty good.”
A strangled noise comes from Peter’s throat while his face turns a shade of red seldom seen outside Cartoon Network. “I can’t believe this! What is wrong with you, Natalie? They serve this same vintage at the White House, and you and your crazy sister are knocking it back like its Boone’s Farm!”
Natalie rolls her eyes. “So what?”
“’So what?’ That’s all you have to say for yourself? And just look at this place.” Peter waves his arms around. “I’m gone for a week and when I come back, I find that you’ve completely trashed our house!”
“Don’t exaggerate. It’s just a little messy.”
“There’s an axe hanging from our front door, for God’s sake!”
“Oh . . . well, that’s true. But I can explain that.”
“I think the axe is cool!” Chloe pipes up as she comes back into the living room.
Lindsay chuckles. “Thanks.”
Peter glares at Lindsay. “I knew you were behind that. I hope you have enough money to pay for a new door.”
“No problem.” She meets his glare with cool detachment. “Though, why do you even care? From what I understand, you don’t live here anymore. In fact, where exactly are you living? Why don’t you enlighten—”
“Stop it, you two,” Natalie cuts her off. “Lindsay, why don’t you and Chloe go get some ice cream?”
“Ice cream?” Chloe asks. “But if I leave, I might miss something. You and Daddy never fight. I want to know what’s happening.”
Natalie looks at Lindsay for help.
“Actually, a new gelato place opened near my apartment,” Lindsay tells Chloe. “Do you want to go check it out?”
Natalie can see Chloe wavering. She knows if Lindsay suggests it, it must be cool. In her eyes, everything Lindsay does is cool.
“All right,” she agrees.
After Chloe and Lindsay leave, Peter takes a seat in a living room chair and shakes his head. “How could you, Natalie? How could you drink that Cabernet? Or even the Pinot Noir we bought in Napa?”
Natalie sits on the couch. Peter has such a hurt expression she almost regrets drinking the wine. But as she studies him, she realizes he looks different. And it’s not just because she hasn’t seen him for a while.
“Why do you have a tan?” His hair is lighter as well, as if it’s been bleached by the sun. Natalie gets a sick feeling in her stomach. “Where have you been?”
Peter has the decency to at least look embarrassed when he answers her. “Mexico.” He clears his throat. “We went to Cabo San Lucas for a few days.”
Natalie is stunned. While she’s been trying to cope with his abandonment, Peter has been on vacation. He traveled somewhere warm and sunny with her. She pictures him sitting on the beach with a drink in his hand, the blurry image of another woman by his side. She’s so furious it nearly eclipses the pain.
“You know what? I’m glad Lindsay and I drank that wine! I wish I’d poured every single bottle you own down the drain!” Natalie pushes herself up from the couch and goes into the kitchen to get away from him.
She stands next to the sink, trying to calm herself. Why would he do this to me? Why? After everything we’ve shared over the years. She squeezes her eyes shut as hard as she can and wishes she could cry.
“Natalie?”
She turns and Peter is peering around the corner. His face sorrowful. His tan face.
“What did I ever do to you that would make you treat me like this? Tell me,” she demands.
He walks slowly into the kitchen and stands near the island. “That’s not an easy question to answer.”
“Yes, it is. You must have some reason!”
Peter seems to be searching for the words. “I don’t know. It’s just everything. I don’t feel a real connection with you anymore.”
“Have you even tried? Don’t you think I’d like to go to Mexico and sit in the warm sun? Why
not ask me?”
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Last year, I tried to get you to fly down there for vacation with me, but you refused.”
Natalie tries to remember what he’s talking about and it does sound familiar. Then suddenly it comes to her. It was just after she and Blair had signed the lease on La Dolce Vita. He wanted to fly down to Cabo San Lucas, but she couldn’t leave because they were opening their bakery.
“That’s not fair. You knew I couldn’t go anywhere then. I was starting a new business!”
Peter shakes his head. “It’s always something, Natalie. Face it—you have no sense of adventure. All you want to do is work. Day after day, without end. But I don’t want to spend my whole life working. I want to live, too.”
“I enjoy my work, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want a break sometimes. We could take a vacation together, if that’s what you really want.” She walks toward him and tries to take his hand, but he pulls away from her.
“It’s too late for that. It’s just no good between us anymore, and it hasn’t been for a long time.”
Natalie swallows. She knows he’s talking about their sex life, or the lack of it. To be honest, she’s not even sure when they did it last. A quickie in the dark before she had to get up and go to work? “We can fix that, too,” she says quietly.
“Lena told me you’d say that.”
“What?” A shock runs through her body as she hears that woman’s name. “You’ve talked about this with Lena?”
“I talk about everything with Lena. We love each other. She actually listens and cares about what I have to say.”
Natalie grits her teeth. That bitch! Who does this woman think she is, discussing our marriage? “She’s stealing you! Don’t you see that? What kind of terrible person breaks up a family? And you’re so deluded you think you’re in love with her!”
“Lena isn’t like that. And she didn’t have to steal me, Natalie. The fact is, I was already gone when I met her.”
“Because I didn’t want to go to Mexico? After all these years, that’s enough for you to leave?”
Year of Living Blonde (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 1) Page 3
