No Place Like Home - Love in Seattle

by Christina Butrum

  Colin came back in with an arm full of candles and a long-nosed lighter with him. He was so damned good to her. She watched as he placed the candles strategically around the tub, lighting each, one by one. She smiled and told him thanks once again for everything he had done for her.

  “Anything for you,” he said, stripping down to his boxers before he slid onto the ledge behind her and began massaging her shoulders with his strong but gentle hands. “Am I forgetting anything?”

  Leaning her head back into his lap, she closed her eyes as she smiled up at him. “I can’t think of anything,” she said, allowing the rest of her body to relax. “This feels so good. Don’t stop.”

  “Didn’t plan on it,” he said, peppering kisses along the side of her face and neck.

  All thoughts from the day escaped her as she lay there in the tub, relaxing to whatever music Colin had playing on his phone, and the deep massage he was giving her. The only thought she allowed herself to think was how she would pay him back for this, and how thankful she was that he had changed into a better man.

  “I was thinking a movie and some drinks tonight,” he said, leaning her forward in order to massage her lower back. She could feel the knots in her back untwist as he kneaded against them. “What do you say to that?”

  “I have so much baking to do in order to get ahead,” Janelle mumbled, regretting her new commitment to this baking thing. “We ran out of pie today. There were so many customers who went without again.”

  “Not the same ones who went without cookies yesterday, I hope,” he said, chuckling as he kneaded his fingers against each and every tense muscle in her back.

  “Hard to say, but I’m going to need to make it up to them,” she said, in between heavy sighs as he made his way down the front of her. She was finding it harder now to concentrate with his hands adventuring over the curves of her body.

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” he whispered, breathing hot air against her ear. “Just relax.”

  Standing momentarily, he slid his boxers off and tossed them to the side. He scooted her forward and slid in behind her. Whispering against her neck for her to turn around, she followed his instruction. Baking, writing, customers, her boss, nothing else mattered at this moment. It was just him and her in this tub, alone.

  Straddling his lap, she allowed him to guide himself into her as she arched against him, causing her hips to press against him and allow him access to everything he could possibly want. He was definitely her undoing.

  Making love in a bath full of bubbles was a first for her. He had proven to be a first of many things for her.

  He took her breasts carefully in his hands, caressing the nipples with each thumb before deciding to take one between his teeth. Catching a breath in a gasp, she arched her back and ground against his thickness.

  Upon release, she brought her head down to meet his, resting her forehead on his as she relaxed into him. Bringing her hands out of the water, she touched his face while running another through his hair. Settling her lips on his, she interrupted the kiss with a lasting smile that she was getting used to these days.

  “You make me so happy,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers.

  Smiling and speechless, she kept her eyes on his. “Do I make you happy?” he asked, a smile playing at his lips.

  “Of course,” she said, running a hand along the side of his face. “More than happy.”

  “Good, because...”

  The ringing of the doorbell interrupted the magic that was taking place between them. Janelle scurried out of the tub and attempted to dry herself off with a towel before grabbing her clothes. Colin smiled and said, “Interruptions have got to stop.”

  Laughing, she watched as he struggled with putting his shirt on over his damp skin. The dampness traced an outline of his muscles. He looked damned good in the shirt he had on.

  Following him downstairs, she headed for the kitchen while he answered the door and paid for their dinner. She set the table with two plates, silverware, and a couple of wine glasses from the night before, which she had washed before going to bed. She would have lit two candles if they hadn’t left them upstairs.

  Catered to her approval, he entered the kitchen with the smell of Italian pasta and breadsticks—the same smell she had to smell every day as she walked by the small Italian restaurant that sat kitty-corner from the café.

  “I hope you like Italian,” he announced, setting the containers of food around the table. “It has been on my mind all day, along with a million other things, including you.”

  His wink was well mastered. The wink, along with that certain look he gave, could have her giving him anything he wanted. But right now, she was starving. Not eating all day was for the birds. Although it saved her money, it made for a long day.

  “Do you like Italian?” he asked, needing to know that she was happy with his choice for supper.

  “It’s my favorite,” she answered, not knowing what was better than this—having Italian for supper or sharing it with someone who liked it just as much as she did.

  “Mine, too,” he said, handing her a plate full of fettucine Alfredo and a couple of breadsticks.

  Accepting the plate full of food, she slid into a chair across from him after setting her plate down in front of her. She had a lot of things to be thankful for, and Colin Davis was one of those things.

  Finishing up supper, Janelle decided to leave the little bit of dishes that had accumulated in the sink for another time as she made her way into the living room. Colin was waiting by the front door when she made her way out of the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

  He had his car keys in his hand and shoes on. “I want to show you something,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him outside. “Remember how I said not to worry about baking?”

  “Yeah, of course,” she said, following him to his car. “What’s going on?”

  He opened his trunk and showed her what was inside. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Not only his trunk, but his whole backseat, too, was covered in baked chocolate chip cookies and M&M cookies.

  “See, no worries,” he said, the widest smile spread across his face. He was proud of what he had done for her.

  “Colin,” she said, almost speechless for the umpteenth time since coming back to Seattle. “You didn’t have to...”

  “No, I didn’t,” he agreed. “But I wanted to. I know how much this means to you and also know how much work it’s going to take for you to get ahead, so I thought, why not help out?”

  Tears stung against her eyes as she looked over each box of cookies—dozens and dozens of cookies. “How?”

  Ignoring her question, he said, “If you still want to bake tonight, I’ll help. You’ll be a few days ahead with these, but that’s a good thing, right?”

  “Yes,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned to him and choked back the emotion that threatened to keep her silent. “Colin, you really didn’t have to do this.”

  He shrugged, as though it was no big deal that he had spent however many hours baking all of these cookies for the coffee shop. “It’s what happens when I care about someone. I do whatever it takes to make them happy.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Calling her parents was the last thing she wanted to do. The last thing she wanted to do was have her mother say something off the wall that would crash the current mood she was in. Deciding against allowing her mother the option of destroying her mood, she called them anyway. One of two things would happen—her mother would be happy to hear the news... or she wouldn’t be. Janelle would never know until she told them, and the best time was now, with the end of summer creeping up on them.

  “Elle, how are things going?” her mother asked, an echo told Janelle they were on speakerphone. “We were going to call you tomorrow.”

  “Things are going great,” Janelle answered.

  “That’s great,” her father said.

  “How’d Kelsie take
the news of demotion?” her mother asked, seeming to be more curious about that than the reason Janelle had actually called for.

  “She’s fine, Mom,” she said, taking a quick glance at Colin, who encouraged her from afar to say what she needed to say. Getting right to the point, she said, “The reason I called, Mom, was to tell you guys that I decided to start baking again...”

  “That’s great, dear,” her father said, sounding authentically excited as he interrupted her.

  “I have an idea of selling what I bake at the café,” Janelle spit the words out quickly to avoid being interrupted again.

  “You’ve been thinking of what?” her mother asked, sounding in shock. “Selling your baked goods at the café?”

  “Yes, that’s what I said...”

  “People won’t buy that, Janelle,” her mother said, her tone a bit harsh. “People aren’t going to spend that kind of money on baked goods at a small coffee shop café like ours.”

  “But they will, Mom,” Janelle said, basically pleading for her parents to listen. “They have.”

  “What do you mean they have?”

  “They have bought cookies and pies,” Janelle said, proud of her courage to tell her mother, all while keeping her focus on Colin for support. “Actually, they’ve bought every last item I have and have caused me to run out before every customer could get any.”

  “I think that’s great,” her father said, when her mother didn’t say anything. Janelle would have paid money to see the look on her mother’s face. “We have some shocking news ourselves.”

  This is what Janelle had waited the last month to hear. Her mother had dropped the hint of news to come, but had refused to share any details about anything. The time had officially come. She was going to find out.

  “We’re not coming back home,” her father said, leaving Janelle’s mother out of the conversation.

  “What?” Janelle asked, eyes widened in Colin’s direction. Colin stood from his seat and hurried over to her—expecting the worst. “You guys can’t stay down there. What about the house? The café?”

  She hadn’t thought about this—not ever. Her parents needed to be in Seattle—to live in their house and run their business. She thought she had shocked them, but they had just shocked her beyond complete comprehension. There was no way her parents were serious.

  “We’ve decided to retire early,” her father explained. “Your mother and I have had many conversations about what to do with the house and the business. As much as your mother loves both, we have agreed that it’s time to do something we both enjoy as much as the other, and we’ve found it here in Florida.”

  Shocked was no longer the right word to describe how she felt. Colin’s facial expression matched how she felt. Confused, excited, nervous—to each and every extreme. “We’ve both decided that you’ve been doing quite well with the business,” her mother said, finally adding to the conversation. Janelle was surprised her mother agreed that she was doing well. “We’ve been watching the bank statements and have noticed an increase in profit since you stepped in.”

  There weren’t too many explanations for that increase other than advertising and the news of her baking. But she wasn’t going to argue, because the proof of whatever she had been doing was right and it was working well.

  “We’re going to pay the house off,” her father said. “It’ll be on the market by the start of fall unless you decide you want to stay in Seattle. Then it’s yours.”

  “Dad,” Janelle said, the amount of shock adding every minute. “You guys don’t need to do that.”

  “Elle,” her mother said. “We won’t argue with you. Like your dad said, we’ve both decided what’s best for us, for you, and our business. Our minds are made up. The choice is yours. It’s up to you.”

  “As much as I love the offer, I need to think about it,” she said. The look of disappointment on Colin’s face was heart wrenching. “I have a life in Cincinnati that I’ve made for myself. I don’t know if I can leave that behind forever.”

  “It’s whatever you decide on, Janelle,” her father said. “We’ll co-own Harper’s Café with you if you want, but if not, we’ll be selling everything in Seattle.”

  Wow, they were actually serious about this. In a way, she was shocked because it was the last thing she had thought would come from her parents, but at the same time, she had no reason not to believe them. They were getting older and needed to start enjoying their life. Hell, if Florida’s that great, she didn’t blame them for wanting to stay down there.

  “The only thing I ask,” her mother said, “Is that you replace that vase you broke. The house won’t be the same without it.”

  Her mother’s mood and attitude toward Janelle had dramatically changed since the last time they had talked on the phone.

  Laughing, Janelle said, “I need time to think this through. I can’t make a decision like this without thinking about it.”

  “We understand,” her mother said.

  “You have a few weeks to let us know,” her father said. “If you decide not to take our offer, we’ll be back in Seattle just long enough to get the house and café ready for market.”

  The thought of them selling the café caused a lot of emotion to stir around. Along with the house. Her mother had loved this house since the day they moved in. They had a lot of memories in this house and she found it hard to believe that her mother was willing to sever the ties to those memories.

  “Maybe it’s time for you to stay in Seattle,” her father said. “There’s no place like home, Janelle, to start a business and a future for yourself. Not including a family and more memories for that old house of ours.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Janelle said before ending the conversation with her parents.

  She now had a lot to think about. A plate full of things to figure out. And her father was somewhat right, there really was no place like home.

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” Janelle said, finding her way back to her chair.

  Clasping his hands in front of him, Colin leaned forward on the couch as he prepared to engage in full discussion over what just happened. “What were you expecting them to say?”

  She wasn’t sure what exactly she had expected her parents to say. Had they not been so persistent to share their news, and yet again insist that she now stay in Seattle to live out her dreams, she would’ve had time to process all of this. “I wasn’t expecting them to say what they did, that’s for sure.”

  Colin was on the edge of his seat, ready and willing to talk her into staying in Seattle. She knew it by the look on his face—he didn’t even have to say anything—the pleading in his eyes spoke for him.

  “I just need to think it all through,” she said, seeing once again the disappointment cross Colin’s face. “It’s not a no, yet. There’re a lot of things to think about.”

  To avoid further discussion about her staying in Seattle, Janelle pointed to the kitchen. “I’m going to get some baking done. You want to join me?”

  The look of defeat and disappointment on his face turned to uncertainty. “Janelle,” he said, standing from his spot on the couch. He hesitated, choosing the right words to say, before he said, “I know you don’t want to think about it tonight, but just do me a favor.”

  Favors—a thing she had been doing for others her whole life. She imagined it wouldn’t stop now just because she was in Seattle. Hell, the whole Seattle trip, running the business, had been a favor for her parents. Why stop there? Just keep the favors rolling.

  Avoiding his eyes as she rummaged through the cupboards, pulling ingredients out as she stacked them neatly on the counter, she said, “Colin, I said I’ll think about it. Right now, all I want to do is bake.”

  Accepting her wishes, Colin climbed onto the step stool and handed her the ingredients she couldn’t reach from the top shelf. Smiling and telling him thank you, she said, “What would I do without you?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Co
lin as he kept silent. At that moment, she realized that if she moved back to Cincinnati, she would be without him.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The thought of moving back to Cincinnati bothered her throughout most of the night. Colin had left shortly after midnight, which left her to fend for herself. Another sleepless night in the books, she made her way to the kitchen for the coffee pot.

  The amount of coffee she drank daily was unimaginable. Early mornings had nothing to do with it. It was the continuous sleepless nights that were the explanation for her frequent cups of coffee. She had never drunk as much coffee in her entire life, but thanks to Seattle and the situation she was in...

  Colin’s voice resounded on the other side of the door as he made his way up the front steps. She was thankful she had showered prior to making her way downstairs. She was too tired to even think, let alone allow Colin to have his way with her.

  Dismissing the thoughts, she unlocked the door and greeted him with a halfhearted—half awake smile. She was happy to see him, of course, but she wanted to do nothing other than crawl back into bed.

  “You look a little rough,” he announced, as he made his way in with breakfast—the smell of bacon grease and scrambled eggs, possibly some toast, wafted under her nose as he walked by.

  “Gee, thanks,” she mumbled, as she shut the door and followed him to the kitchen.

  He set the platter full of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast on the table and smiled. “I brought breakfast from home. I figured it’d save time if I just brought it.”

  “Thanks,” she said, pouring another cup of coffee.

  He placed a plate heaping full of everything in front of her and pulled her chair out. “Did you have a rough night?”

  Accepting his offer, she sat and slid the chair closer to the table. Taking a bite of her bacon, she said, “I just didn’t sleep. Too many thoughts were running rampant in my mind. I couldn’t shut them off.”

  “Thoughts about us?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he took a bite of his toast, which he had crammed eggs into.