by Riley Walker
He shakes his head, but takes the drink from me. “Tastes like a strawberry margarita. I can’t detect any spit.”
“You two are so gross.” Zoe sniffs her drink then shoves it at Oren. “Try my drink, Oren. See if it tastes like spit. She may have gotten our drinks mixed up.”
Oren just looks at her, but Ridge reaches over and takes it from her. He takes a big drink and swirls it in his mouth.
“I can detect no spit, Zoe.”
How did this night take such a crazy turn? I doubt anything could top this craziness.
“Mind if we join you?”
I stand corrected. I look up and my eyes meet North’s. We just stare at one another, neither of us able to stop. That is, until I notice a hand with long red nails wrapped around his arm.
“Hello everyone,” Vivian says.
“Let me go find another chair…,” Ridge says as he stands up.
“No need,” Vivian interrupts, “North can take the chair and I’ll sit in his lap.”
I close my eyes and look away. I don’t have a claim on him, but seeing North with her, it’s all I can do to sit here and not throw my drink at her. Why does it hurt to see them together?
“It’s okay, Ridge. I’ll get another chair. Vivian, you sit here.” North pulls the chair out then walks to another table to grab an extra chair. His eyes never leave mine as he carries it over and sits down.
Vivian clears her throat. “I understand we’re celebrating something, but no one told me what exactly.”
Zoe sits up straighter. “We’re celebrating the remodel and re-opening of Puff N’ Stuff.”
“Puff N’ Stuff?” Vivian asks, her face looking like she just ate a lemon. “What is that?”
“It’s Alice’s new storefront. It was called Du-Kane’s, but we renamed it. It needed a new name to go with its new look.”
I pat my best friend on her knee, thanking her for speaking up. I haven’t told her everything, but she knows enough about my feelings for the guys, including North.
“Alice,” Vivian glances at me, “I didn’t know you had a storefront. I keep telling North that he will have to cut all ties with that nonsense once he finishes law school. Of course, he’ll be in LA with me, so really it doesn’t matter.”
No one says anything, and the atmosphere goes from silly to tense with her one statement. North already said he wasn’t going. Has he changed his mind?
After a few moments we all start digging into the appetizers. Once everything is gone, I look at Zoe and she gives me a subtle nod.
We both stand and I say, “Well, this has been fun, but I promised Zoe I’d walk with her down Beale and show her a few of the landmarks.”
Oren, Ridge, and Cash all stand up, but I wave them off. “It’s okay, guys. Stay and enjoy your night. We had an Uber bring us, so I need to call and have one pick us up in a few anyways.” I open my purse and bring out my wallet.
“We’ve got it, Alice,” Cash says. “This was our treat.”
The guys sit back down, but I can tell they want to say something about us leaving, but they won’t. Ridge lets out a loud sigh as he says, “Call or text at least one of us when you get back home.”
I grab Zoe’s arm and we make our way back out onto the street. We stop by the outside window, order two more margaritas, and walk toward the river. Once we reach the end of Beale, we turn around and I do what I said I would, I show Zoe my city. From Alfred’s, to A. Schwab, a funky little store with everything. We go inside a few bars to listen to some local bands, then stop by Dyer’s for one of their famous fried burgers. Whoever said a burger fried in a hundred year old grease isn’t good, has obviously never had a Dyer’s.
We’re sitting in one of the red vinyl booths, waiting on our burgers when she finally caves. I was wondering how long she could hold it in.
“That Vivian is a bitch. I can’t believe North lets her talk to him like that. He said he wasn’t leaving and moving to LA. What is she trying to prove?”
I rub my temple before I answer her. “I don’t know, Zoe. Honestly, I just can’t think about it right now. I need to focus on the the new store and you need to focus on the new plants. I don’t have time to worry about North or his Ice Queen booty call.”
Zoe, thankfully, lets it go, and we enjoy our greasy food in peace. I call for our Uber before we go, and by the time we pay for our check, we see him waiting for us at the end of the street. Fifteen minutes later, we’re walking through the front door.
Dobey meets me, doing his pee-pee dance. After letting him out, I go upstairs, kick off my shoes, throw my jeans in a pile of dirty clothes and fall into bed. Dobey and I get comfy and I remember that Ridge had asked me to call or text when we got home. I fire up my phone and send a message to him, Oren, and Cash.
Me: We are home and in bed
Ridge: Pic please
Oren: Really bro
Cash: I second that pic
Me: Y'all are too much. I’m going to bed. Nite
Oren: Night Alley Cat
Ridge: Night Hot Lips
Cash: Don’t let her get to U, Laters Pretty Girl
I smile to myself and lay my phone down. I snuggle into my comforter, but before I can close my eyes, my phone goes off again. I grab it, thinking that one of the guys forgot to tell me something, but it’s not them. It’s North.
North: Can I see you tomorrow
Me: Why
North: Please Alice
North: Give me 10 mins
Me: Fine
North: I’ll be at your place around 2
I place my phone down and roll over facing Dobey. I wrap my arms around my dog, the only man I need in my life, and fall into a fitful sleep.
Nineteen
No He Didn’t
My bedroom door flies open, and a tornado named Zoe storms in. Dobey jumps up, but when he realizes it’s only her, he lays back down. I pull the covers over my head and pray that she goes away.
Zoe jumps on the bed squealing! “Get up woman. We have buds. Well, baby buds, but beautiful buds anyway.”
“What time is it?” I moan.
“It’s the butt crack of dawn girl, but I don’t care. Get your cute ass up and come to the greenhouse,” Zoe says as she pulls the covers off me.
“Ugh. Fine, let’s go see your babies.” I roll out of bed and follow her out of my bedroom. No need to get dressed since I went to bed in an oversized t-shirt and yoga pants. We go downstairs and out the back door with Dobey hot on our heels. He tears through the back door looking for a perfect tree to relieve himself on, which reminds me, I need to pee.
Zoe opens the greenhouse squealing, “Look! Aren’t they beautiful?”
I squint my eyes. “I don’t see anything. What am I looking for?”
She drags me over to the nearest FLAG plant. “See these right here?” She’s pointing to the tiniest little bud I’ve ever seen.
“OMG, Zoe! You did it. I’m so proud of you,” I say while giving her a bone crushing hug.
I leave Zoe cooing and talking to her plants while Dobey and I head back inside. I need to make the edibles for the new store, now that we know what we’re going to sell. I’m excited to get the new cafe up and running. Dobey and I head to the kitchen and I pour him a bowl of dog chow and a bowl of cheerios for me. Yes, I’m still a big kid when it comes to cereal.
We finish our breakfast and I’m ready to start my bake-a-thon. I’m pretty sure Zoe will be in that greenhouse all day. The thought of her in there talking to those plants like babies makes me giggle. The doorbell rings and Dobey goes nuts. I look around and realize I’ve completely covered the counters in baked goods. I have no idea what time it is now or who could be at the door.
North looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “What in the world have you been up to?”
“Baking. Why?”
“Well, you’re covered in flour. Even your bun is white.”
“I had a little problem opening the bag,” I say just as Dobey comes around
the corner also covered in flour. I turn around and walk back into the kitchen where every countertop is covered in various cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and cake pops.
I hop up on a stool. “So, what do you want to talk about?”
He gives me a nervous look. “Have you been sampling the product?”
“Nope, not yet anyway,” I say with a shrug.
North runs his hands through his hair. “Look, Alice, I wanted to apologize for the way Vivian treated you the other night.”
“It’s fine, North. Really, I couldn’t care less about what she says.” I am lying through my teeth right now.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about…”
I hold my hand up because I don’t want to hear it. “It’s fine, North.”
“It’s not. I should have been honest with you about her, about our relationship.”
“North, you don’t owe me anything. It’s not like you and I are together. Hell, most of the time I think you barely tolerate me.” I stop him before he can begin to speak again. “Your brothers have been helping me with the company, and they’ve become very special to me. I don’t want whatever dislike you feel for me to tarnish what I have with them.”
North storms over to me, “You think I don’t like you? Are you serious right now?”
Before I can reply to him, North slams his lips on mine. I gasp out in shock and he takes advantage of it, slipping his tongue into my mouth. My body betrays me and I let out a small whimper. When we finally break apart for air, North takes a tentative step back.
“Jesus. Alice, I-I’m so sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.”
I must still be in a daze from that kiss. Did he just apologize for kissing me? “What did you just say?”
“I’m sorry. I never should have kissed you. You and my brothers, me and Vivian, it just shouldn’t have happened.”
I know he did not just say that.
I point my finger towards the front door. “Leave, North.”
“Alice,” he pleads.
“Please, North. Just leave me with a small amount of dignity, okay?”
He looks like he wants to argue, but he gives in, nodding his head and walks to the door. I watch him put his hand on the door handle as he turns back to say, “I really am sorry, Alice.”
I pull myself back up, and remind myself what’s really important right now. Du-Kane, Inc. and Puff N’ Stuff. I head back into the kitchen to finish baking. I have display counters that need to be filled before our grand re-opening tomorrow.
About an hour later, Zoe comes in and finds me bent over, looking into the stove. “What in Joseph’s name happened in here?”
I jump up and glare at her. “You scared me half to death!” I spread my arms out. “I’m baking. What does it look like?”
She slowly approaches me. “What’s wrong? You look like someone kicked your dog.”
I blow a piece of hair out of my face and look at Zoe. “North stopped by.”
“What did that meanie want?”
“He wanted to apologize for Vivian’s behavior.”
“And?”
She knows me too well. I huff out, “He kissed me.”
“I knew it! I knew he liked you. So, did he dump the Ice Queen?”
I start boxing up the cupcakes for tomorrow. “No, he didn’t.”
Zoe grabs another box and begins to pack up the different cookies I baked. “What do you mean, no? He kissed you, but he’s still going to see her?”
I drop my head. “He kissed me, and then apologized. Said he shouldn’t have done it. Then he left, end of story.”
“He said he was sorry for kissing you?”
“Yep.”
Zoe slowly closes the box she was filling then turns to meet my stare head on. I watch her nose expand with each breath. This is not good. I’ve only seen her this mad one other time, and let’s just say she did a night in jail because of the damage she inflicted on a frat boy back in school, not to mention his poor car.
“Zoe, I need you to calm down. It’s okay. It’s not like I was expecting him to come over here and declare his undying love for me.” I pat her hand and try to give her a reassuring smile. “Zoe? I really am okay.”
She closes her eyes and I see her mouth moving. Without opening her eyes she tells me, “Alice, pass me a cake pop. Make it three, I need to chill before I go kill that jackass.”
I double over in laughter, and pass her four cake pops. Just in case.
Twenty
Sally From The Block
The next morning I load my car up and head to Puff N’ Stuff. With tomorrow being the grand re-opening, I need to fill the cases, check the coffee and tea machines, get all the pot buds out, and check the computers. It’s a good thing John, our new store manager, will be here to help unload and set up. I left Zoe at home playing with her new plants. I doubt I will see much of her for the next few weeks.
“Morning, John,” I greet him when I pull up to the shop. He meets me at my trunk and we start the tedious process of bringing in all the boxes.
We place the boxes on the counter and repeat the process three more times. I’ve discovered that I’m a stress baker. At least I won’t have a problem keeping the shop’s baked goods stocked.
“What can I do now, Alice?”
I show John the clear glass jars I bought to display the different types of buds. “If you could take these out and place them on the wall behind the counter, that would be great.”
While John works on that, I startup the computer. Oren set it up where I can check in and see the security cameras at anytime, run our inventory reports, payroll, and the cash register. He showed me how to use it, but I’m still not completely sure of it. An hour later and I want to bang my head through the wall. I can’t get this stupid machine to sync with the register. No register means no sales. I’m getting ready to call Oren and beg for help when I hear the bell over the door.
“Alley Cat!”
I jump up from my desk chair and speed walk to the front of the store. I throw my arms around Oren and squeeze. “I am so happy to see you right now. The computer isn't connecting online with the register, and for some reason the security cameras aren’t working.”
He hands me a box and sits down at my desk. “Open that and let me take a look at your computer. Alley Cat, have you called and had the internet connected yet?”
I facepalm myself. “I forgot that the original shop didn’t have Wi-Fi. I hope I can get it connected today.”
“Give me a second and I’ll have you fixed up,” Oren states and walks away to make a phone call.
Oren finishes the call and walks back over to the desk. “Infinity internet will be here within the hour and we’ll be good to go.”
I sit back down and open the box he handed me. This man is a lifesaver today. “You got me a label maker? How the heck did you know that I needed this? I was trying to figure out how to label my bud jars.”
He gives me a smile. “This ain’t my first rodeo, Alley Cat.”
I stand up and throw my arms around his neck again, intending to give him a quick kiss on the lips, but he has other ideas. Oren wraps his hand around the back of my neck and kisses me senseless. Just as my knees are about to give out on me he pulls back.
Oren gives me a wink. “Let’s go label some jars, shall we.”
I’m standing there with my mouth hanging open and my whole body tingling with desire. Damn, that man can kiss. I wonder if kissing Ridge would feel the same way. My mind starts running through all sorts of twin scenarios.
Oren clears his throat. “Are you coming or did that kiss just fry your brain?” he asks with a devilish smirk on his face.
I shake my head and follow him into the storeroom while giving his back an evil glare. Well, that and I’m totally checking out his ass. Oren helps me start labeling the jars while John wipes off the tables and display case. A few hours later and Puff N’ Stuff is officially ready to open tomorrow. The three of us stand by the front
door, looking over the shop. Everything is clean, organized, and perfect. Absolutely perfect.
“Thank you both so very much. I couldn’t have gotten all this done today without your help.”
John taps me on the shoulder, telling me he’ll see me in the morning and leaves Oren and me alone. “Well, Alley Cat, it looks good. Internet is up and the register and security cameras are working just fine. You should be proud of the way it turned out. PNS is going to do well.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Not you too. No PNS. It sounds too much like penis.”
Oren laughs and pulls me into his side. He leans over and kisses me on the top of my head. “What do you say we go grab some dinner? I’m in the mood for Mexican.”
I look up at Oren and then reach up and grab his face, pulling him down to me. I kiss him, just like he did to me earlier. When I let go, I see he has the same reaction I did. “Mexican sounds good. Feed me, Oren.” I wink at him and march out the door.
Today is my grand re-opening. I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept going over every detail, trying to remember if I remembered to fill the bathroom with toilet paper. I’ll be glad when this day is over. I bounce out of bed and take a quick shower. Dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, our official shop t-shirt, and a pair of chucks, I consider myself good to go. When I started planning the remodeling of the shop, Zoe brought up the idea of company shirts. I run my hands down the purple v-neck with our name in gold on the chest. It was a good idea, I just hope John didn’t freak out when he saw his. Something tells me purple may not be his favorite color.
I arrive at the shop an hour before we are set to open. Zoe is meeting me here later, she was up all night working on a new crossbreed. She said she was only leaving her happy nest for this and nothing else.
I walk through the shop, making sure everything is in its place when I hear a loud rumble outside. I look out and see Cynthia, Ridge’s truck, pulling into the lot. His doors open and out hops Ridge, Oren, and Cash. Every one of them in a Puff N’ Stuff purple shirt. I didn’t even know they had those. I know I didn’t get them one. I walk out the door to greet three of the Michaelson brothers.
