Chemistry Lessons

by Jae

  Regan placed another kiss on her lips but kept it chaste. “Maybe you should.” She opened the driver’s side door without waiting for a reply. “Come on. Let’s go rescue Dad and Mac.”

  Ky followed her and looked around. Her disappointment at not getting to spend the evening alone with Regan had distracted her from any nervousness, but one glance at the new restaurant brought it back in full force.

  The floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a sleek, modern dining room with a long bar. One thing was the same as at La Casa Nostra: The pizza oven and the counter around it were clearly the focal points of the restaurant. Everyone’s attention would be on the pizza chefs while they worked. Each misstep would be on display.

  Sweat broke out along Ky’s back. Was she ready for this?

  As if sensing her thoughts, Regan paused a few steps from the front door and captured Ky’s hand. “Before we go in, I have to tell you something.”

  Ky swallowed. Maybe she was worrying about the wrong thing. “You haven’t told your sister about us yet, and you think she won’t like it?”

  “Are you kidding me? The entire family, including a few dozen distant cousins, knew within an hour of my parents finding out, and Mac was ecstatic.”

  “Phew. What is it, then?”

  “Remember how we all tell my dad his pizza is the best every time we have it?”

  Ky nodded. “Of course.” Where was Regan going with this?

  “Don’t tell him, but that’s actually a tiny bit of a lie. I mean, his pizza is great and all, but it’s not my favorite.”

  The lightbulb came on. Ky couldn’t help grinning. “You’re seriously telling me you like my pizza better than your dad’s?”

  Regan affected a look of confusion. “Yours? No, I was talking about that frozen pizza I had for dinner yesterday.” She trailed her thumb along Ky’s wrist, setting off pleasant shivers. “Of course I meant yours. If there’s one thing you don’t have to worry about tonight, it’s your pizza not measuring up.”

  “How do you know I’m worried?”

  Regan gave her a tender smile. “Because I know you annoyingly well. Honestly, Ky, you’ve got no reason to worry. Your pizza will blow their socks off.”

  Ky lifted their joined hands to her lips and kissed Regan’s knuckles. “Thank you.”

  They lowered their hands, but neither let go.

  “Ready?” Regan asked.

  Ky squared her shoulders and tightened her grasp on Regan’s fingers. “Ready.”

  * * *

  Cooking would probably never be Regan’s thing, but she had missed spending time with her family and in a restaurant setting.

  The hustle and bustle on a busy Saturday evening transported her back to her childhood—only now she had found a way to contribute.

  Making cocktails was so much like mixing together the chemicals in an experiment that not wearing goggles, gloves, and a lab coat felt strange. She carefully measured lemon juice into a jigger, then poured it into a cocktail shaker filled with ice before adding rhubarb syrup, gin, and sherry.

  The shaking was her favorite part—because it afforded her a full minute of staring over at Ky.

  From her place behind the long bar, Regan had a perfect view of the counter and the pizza oven, where Ky was stretching the pizza dough and flipping it over until it had the perfect shape.

  Most often, she and Ky timed it just right, and Regan started the shaking just as Ky slid the pizza into the oven.

  Then they grinned at each other, and the bustling restaurant faded into the background as they held an entire conversation with only one look.

  Other times, she watched Ky spoon tomato sauce onto the pizza, add fresh basil and mozzarella, and drizzle her creation with olive oil. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the oven, and she laughed at something Regan’s dad said as they worked side by side.

  Regan’s heart expanded with joy. This was where Ky belonged. Well, not necessarily here, in Vancouver, but in a kitchen with fewer rules and regulations that constrained her creativity—preferably one where she got to work with family.

  Mac cleared her throat next to Regan. “Hey, did you come here to help or to ogle your girlfriend?”

  Regan flashed her an unrepentant grin. “Ogle my girlfriend.” But she reluctantly looked away from Ky, poured the Rhubarb Fix through the strainer into a chilled cocktail glass, and slid it over to her sister.

  Mac garnished the drink with a mint sprig and placed it on a waitress’s tray. “I still can’t believe I finally get to call Kylie that without running the risk of you throwing that drink in my face.”

  “Okay, okay, I admit you were right about us. But that doesn’t make all that meddling any less annoying. It probably made me even more determined to keep Ky in that handy little friendship box.”

  “Yeah, you always were the stubborn one.”

  Regan rinsed the cocktail shaker and barely resisted the urge to flick some water at her. “Oh, while you are always perfectly reasonable.”

  “Of course,” Mac answered with an almost straight face. “But seriously, I’m really happy for you two…even though seeing my baby sister have eye sex with her childhood friend will take some getting used to.”

  Regan’s cheeks flamed. “We’re not having”—she lowered her voice—“eye sex. I just love watching her cook.”

  Mac glanced toward the pizza oven too. “She looks right at home there, doesn’t she? If Mom and Dad aren’t careful, I’ll steal her from under their noses and talk her into working for me and Vanessa. In fact, let me—”

  When Mac tried to step out from behind the bar, Regan held on to her sleeve. “No.”

  Mac stared at her. “No? You don’t want her to work for the family?”

  “I want her to work with the family, and frankly, I’d rather she work in Lake O with Dad, taking some of the load off his shoulders, instead of working here. But it doesn’t matter what I want. It needs to be Ky’s decision. She needs to feel ready for it, and I’m not going to poke and prod her—and neither are you.” Regan sent her sister a warning glare.

  Mac smiled. “My baby sister in defensive girlfriend mode. Never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Hey, I was plenty defensive with Melissa, Justin, and Alex.”

  “Don’t bother. You were never like this with any of them.” With a wave of her hand, Mac walked away and tossed over her shoulder. “I like it.”

  Regan stared after her, then whispered to herself, “I really like it too.”

  * * *

  It was long past midnight by the time the last guest left and they had cleaned the kitchen.

  Once everything was squared away, they sat on the heated outdoor patio, their backs to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the restaurant so they could take in the view of the lights reflecting off the Columbia River.

  Ky slid her chair closer to Regan’s, tucked a blanket over their laps, and raised the tall glass with the cocktail Regan had made for her. “Congratulations, you two,” she said to Joe and Mac. “I think the opening couldn’t have gone any better.”

  Joe nodded. “In large part because of you. Thanks again for stepping in for Vanessa and saving the day.”

  “My pleasure,” Ky said, meaning it. Her initial disappointment about not getting to spend the evening alone with Regan had quickly turned into the joy of being part of a team…part of a family.

  Regan squeezed her leg under the blanket. The pride she radiated warmed Ky just as much as the heaters behind them.

  They all clinked glasses.

  Ky took a sip of her cocktail. A refreshing mix of sweetness and spice hit her taste buds. “Yum. What’s this?”

  “A Dark ’n’ Stormy,” Regan answered. “Just ginger beer, dark rum, and a little lime juice to balance it out.”

  Ky sipped again. Of course Regan had put her chemistry skills to good use to create the perfect mix of flavors. “It’s amazing. You should hire on as a bartender.”

  Regan smiled and kissed her cheek.
“No, thanks. I had fun, but I already have a job I love.”

  Could she say the same about herself? Ky was proud of her contribution toward feeding so many kids every day, but if she was honest, she didn’t enjoy it the same way she had enjoyed helping out in the restaurant tonight.

  Joe handled every ingredient he added to his dishes with a loving care that Ky rarely had time for in the cafeteria. He treated all members of his team, from the busboy to the waitresses, more like family than employees. And not once had he double-checked her work tonight. At first, she had wished he would since the quantities were very different from what she was used to.

  But luckily, she had adapted much faster than she had expected, and now she could barely remember why she’d been so worried about not being able to keep up.

  Ky let her gaze trail over the beautiful patio, with twinkling lights strung above them, then looked at Joe. “Could you have ever imagined this”—she waved her free hand—“when you first opened the little family restaurant you had when we were kids?”

  Joe laughed. “Never. My father-in-law was sure I’d run it into the ground my first year.” He took a swig of beer. “And he was right. I probably would have.”

  Ky gave him a puzzled look. “Why would you say that? The Lake O restaurant is a big success, and if tonight is any indication, this one will be too.”

  “Not because of me. I just bake the pizza.”

  “Just?” Ky, Regan, and Mac echoed.

  Joe shrugged. “As much as it pains me to admit, pizza is a dime a dozen.”

  “Not good Neapolitan pizza baked to perfection in a wood oven,” Regan said. In the dim light, her dark eyes held a passionate glint that made Ky smile.

  Chuckling, Joe raised his beer bottle and toasted her. “Looks like I raised you well. Of course, great pizza is a must, but Tammy is the real secret to our success. I was a busboy when we met. She’s the one who brought the money into our marriage—and the one with the business sense. She suggested moving us to Lake View Village just as it opened and switched us to using only regionally sourced produce long before it became a trend.”

  Regan’s parents had always seemed like a team to Ky, and she had never stopped to ponder who contributed what. Maybe that was the true secret of the Romanos’ success: they all contributed something, so no one had to be good at everything.

  Could that work for her too? Maybe she could consider Joe’s job offer and “just bake the pizza” too, while Tammy or Mac took care of the business side.

  In the past, she would have shoved that thought away, afraid of letting herself dream, but now she allowed those images to take root. For the first time in her life, she was starting to allow herself to want more, not only in her private life but in her professional one too.

  She wouldn’t move to Lake Oswego without Regan, and it was much too soon in their relationship for a conversation like that, yet now that they were together as a couple, everything seemed possible for the future.

  Joe’s phone buzzed. He quickly picked up, as if he had been waiting for it. “Hi, love. Yeah, of course. Without a hitch. Give me a second, and I’ll call you back from the car.” He put his only half-empty beer down but kept his phone in his hand as he got up. “I’d better get myself home now. I want to hear how Tammy and the team managed without me.”

  He hugged first Mac, then Regan and Ky, and Ky’s embrace lasted as long and was just as tight as the ones he gave his daughters. “Thanks again,” he said quietly. “I’d love to have you join our team for good—or even just as a summer job for now. Think about it, okay?”

  She swallowed down the lump in her throat and nodded.

  Mac walked him out while Regan and Ky stayed back to finish their drinks.

  Regan cuddled closer, warming her against the cool breeze from the river. They leaned their heads together and looked toward the illuminated triangle of Grant Street Pier, which jutted out over the water.

  Without turning her head, Ky pointed behind them. “My dad now lives somewhere around here. Well, I don’t actually know where he lives, but he works for a small nonprofit nearby.”

  Regan straightened and stared at her. “A nonprofit? Your dad?”

  “Yeah. That was my reaction too. But apparently, he does.”

  “How do you know?”

  Ky looked away. “I googled him last night. Sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to but then forgot when your dad called and—”

  “It’s okay. I know you like to process stuff first before talking about it.”

  It was wonderful to be in a relationship where she didn’t have to explain, because Regan already knew all her quirks and habits. Ky exhaled and rested her head against Regan’s shoulder.

  Regan smoothed her fingers over Ky’s forehead as if trying to calm her turbulent thoughts. “Are you thinking about meeting with him?”

  “I don’t know.” As Regan continued her soothing caresses, Ky’s stomach stopped churning. “Maybe I should. I think I was a bit too hard on him the last time we talked on the phone.” She looked out over the dark waters of the Columbia. “I basically accused him of making my mom kill herself. Not that he didn’t contribute to it. He made a mistake. Lots of mistakes. But I don’t think he wanted that to happen.”

  “No, of course he didn’t.” Regan slid her hand down to Ky’s cheek and cupped it. “You know my offer still stands, right? To go with you should you decide to meet with him.”

  Ky leaned into her touch and closed her eyes for a moment. Regan wasn’t just good at balancing the different flavors in a drink; she also provided the perfect balance for Ky’s life. Never before had she felt so grounded or so loved. Maybe with Regan by her side, she was ready to take the risk and give him a second chance. “I think I will. But not right now. Maybe during summer break. For now, I’d like to focus on us.”

  “I’d like that too.”

  They shared a soft kiss that only ended when Mac cleared her throat from the open glass door. “Um, can I come back now?”

  Ky laughed. “Get out here, you goof.”

  Epilogue

  One year later

  “Hey, hon?” Regan called from their bedroom. “Could you come here for a second?”

  Ky dropped her phone onto their brand-new couch and strode over to see what she could help her with. Tomorrow would be Regan’s first day of teaching at her new school, and she was just as nervous as she was excited. The fact that she would be teaching at their old high school added to both the nervousness and the excitement.

  “That was fast,” Regan said as Ky walked through the doorway. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight filtering in through the window. “Is it just me, or do you always react way faster when I’m calling you from the bedroom, compared to any other room?”

  “Hmm, I really didn’t notice. Maybe it’s the kind of motivation that makes the difference. Some talented scientist should do a study on that.”

  “I think I know a scientist who’d be interested in that field of research, but first, she has to figure out another problem. Which one looks better? This?” Regan held up a wrap skirt and a white blouse. “Or that?” She pointed at a pair of linen pants and a light sweater on the bed.

  Ky didn’t even have to think about it. “Skirt and blouse.”

  Regan laughed—which still made Ky flush with pleasure. “How did I know you’d say that?”

  “Because you know me annoyingly well.” Ky walked over and kissed her, careful not to wrinkle the skirt and blouse in the process. “But seriously, you look incredibly sexy in either.”

  Regan eyed both outfits. “I wasn’t going for sexy. I was going for professional yet fun teacher.”

  “I know. And you’ve achieved that too. The sexiness isn’t about the clothes. It’s about the woman wearing them.”

  This time, it was Regan who kissed her.

  “But if you want to tone down the sexiness, I’ve got just the thing.” Ky pulled open the drawer of her nightstand, where she had hid her first-day-of-school pr
esent. “I didn’t have time to wrap it, but…” She spread the T-shirt out on her own chest so Regan could see it.

  At the bottom of the shirt, a heart encircled two squares representing the elements uranium and iodine. The text above it said, If I could rearrange the periodic table, I’d put U and I together.

  “Aww. That’s really cute. You’re really cute. Thank you.” Regan kissed her again. “I actually got you a new T-shirt for your first day too.” She put her outfit down on the bed and dug through her own nightstand.

  When she returned, she held out a T-shirt that said, Not all superheroes wear a cape. Some wear an apron and are hot pizza chefs.

  Ky trailed her fingers over the shirt. “I love it…but I’m not sure I should wear it tomorrow. After all, I’ll be working for your parents, and I’m not sure they’ll want to be reminded of how hot their daughter thinks I am every time they look at me.”

  Regan firmly shook her head. “You’re not working for them. You’re working with them. If they get their wish, they’ll retire in a couple of years, and you’ll take over.”

  “They keep saying that, but…”

  “What?” Regan put her hand on Ky’s chest as if trying to feel her heartbeat. “You’re not still convinced you aren’t good enough or shouldn’t strive for more, are you?”

  “No, that’s not it.” It had been months since she had last thought about herself that way. “It’s not like I’d take over anytime soon, so I could learn whatever I don’t already know, as long as your sister deals with the paperwork for both restaurants.”

  “But?” Regan prompted.

  “I’m not sure I want to be the boss just because I…um…”

  “Have mind-blowing sex with the bosses’ daughter on a regular basis?”

  “Uh, not exactly how I would have phrased it, but…yeah.”

  Regan took the T-shirt from her and tossed both of them on the growing pile of clothes on the bed. Then she took Ky’s hands. “That’s not the reason they want you to run the restaurant. My parents have wanted you to take over ever since you made your first pizza.”