Fluffy & Fabulous

by Mary E Thompson

  “I thought you said your sister was living with you.” I avoided the discussion of Max and a girlfriend. I didn’t really want to hear about any exes. I knew it was crazy because Max and I wouldn’t be any more than a great memory, but I still didn’t want to imagine him with another woman.

  “Yeah, she is, but with our schedules we rarely see each other. Plus, her muffins aren’t anywhere near as good as yours, but don’t tell her that.”

  I smiled at his compliment and was thankful he didn’t drag our conversation back to whatever woman he was thinking of sharing breakfast with. I’d gotten to know a bit about Max in the last week, but he’d never said anything about a girlfriend. I guess before we fell into bed together I should have asked.

  “It’ll be our secret,” I whispered conspiratorially.

  He grinned at me and leaned in. “I want to kiss you again. So bad.”

  My breath rushed out in one fluid movement. The muffin that was halfway to my lips froze in midair. My body, that I’d finally gotten under control, raged back to inferno status. My lips tingled in anticipation, hoping for the kiss he was desperate to take.

  Max crooked his finger at me and I moved closer, the distance between us slowly disappearing. When we were less than an inch apart Max smiled and whispered, “So sweet.”

  His lips came down on mine in a flash, gentle despite the crash of our mouths together. He teased me with small kisses over the surface of my lips before tracing the seam with his tongue. My body lit up, ready and willing to repeat the previous night’s performance.

  The counter bit into my belly as I tried to get closer to Max, but I didn’t care. His hand tangled in my hair and pulled me toward him. I was cursing the counter separating us until Max growled, breaking our kiss. He sat on the edge and swung his feet over to my side, then pulled me back to him. One hand cupped my ass and directed me between his legs where his erection rubbed against my stomach.

  A moan slipped from his throat and travelled straight through me and settled between my legs. Heat and need pooled as we kissed. Hands roamed, tongues danced, and my brain slid somewhere far away. I didn’t care where we were or what time it was. I was desperate for Max.

  The tinkling sound of the bell above the front door sounded in the back of my mind but didn’t register. It wasn’t until I heard a throat clear that I started to drag myself away from the Max-induced-fog I was happily engulfed in.

  Max seemed as reluctant to get back to reality as I was, but when I finally looked up and saw Sam standing on the other side of the counter grinning at me I jumped away from Max like I was caught with my hand in the candy jar.

  A few more minutes and I’m pretty sure my hands would have been going for his candy jar.

  “Sam!” I practically screamed. “What are you doing here?”

  Max kept his back to her and a glance down confirmed the erection he was sporting. I nodded toward the back and said, “Max, why don’t you grab a fresh cup of coffee?”

  Max took the hint and vanished without a word to Sam.

  “Well, I see things are going well. It’s about time you had a bit of fun.”

  “It’s not like that. It’s just…” I trailed off. Hell, I didn’t know what it was like. All I knew was I was having a lot of fun with Max and would likely have been howling his name if Sam hadn’t shown up. I should be thanking her for interrupting. If anyone else had walked in it could have been disastrous for my business. As a professional, I couldn’t behave that way during operating hours in the middle of my store.

  After hours was free game though.

  “I know exactly what it’s like. Brady and I were like that, too. Of course we usually went into his office for a ‘meeting’ before we started fooling around, but hey, it’s cool if you’re an exhibitionist.”

  “I am not!” I protested adamantly.

  “Really?” Sam asked with her eyebrows raised. “Then why is your apron twisted and your shirt falling off?”

  My face flamed red and I fixed my clothes, completely unaware Max had mangled my outfit so badly. With my apron straight and my shirt buttoned and tucked back in I faced Sam as Max emerged from the back with a cup of coffee. Sans erection.

  “What can I do for you Sam?” I asked sweetly, wondering why she was dropping in during the day. Sam always came for girls’ night, but rarely stopped by unless something was going on.

  “I just wanted to talk to you about Mandy and Xander. I was, um, thinking about doing something for them and I wanted to get your opinion,” Sam said, glancing toward Max.

  Max picked up on Sam’s hesitation and excused himself. He leaned in to kiss my cheek before heading out the door and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. His counter mauling left me aching for more, but Max didn’t say he would see me soon or call me or anything.

  Yep, that’s why I hated dating.

  Pushing Max from my mind I nodded toward the end of the counter and grabbed a raspberry lemonade cupcake for Sam. Max’s uneaten cupcake and muffin were still at the end so I swept them into the trash and tossed his coffee before setting the ‘Feeling Frisky?’ cat mug into the sink to wash later.

  “What’s going on with Max?” Sam asked.

  “Uh, uh, you’re not going to avoid what you’re in here for by calling me on my shit. What’s going on with you?”

  Sam took a deep breath and I saw fear in her eyes. Tears welled up and I wondered what in the hell could have happened to make strong, tough, independent Sam cry.

  “I really fucked up and I just need someone to talk to,” she whimpered.

  Eleven

  “Come on, Sam, it can’t be that bad. What happened?” I said as she dropped her head in her hands.

  “It’s that bad and worse. Oh, Charlie, I think my marriage is going to be over. Brady’s never going to forgive me.”

  Panic gripped me as my mind circled all the things that could have happened. Brady adored Sam and I knew she loved him just as much. I couldn’t imagine she would have done something so bad, but she clearly thought she did.

  My first thought was she cheated on him. I wanted to slap her for it. If I had a guy like Brady I’d never even look at another man, let alone sleep with one. How could she?

  I pushed aside my anger with her, digging my nails into my palms to remind me to keep my mouth shut, and forced myself to calm down. “Just tell me what happened,” I prompted.

  “I’m pregnant,” Sam whispered, not even willing to say it out loud.

  Oh, shit. Why did people think a bakery was like a bar? I didn’t want to know these secrets. Sam not only cheated on Brady but she got pregnant by another guy? I couldn’t see straight thinking about how hurt Brady would be.

  “Oh, Sam. Why would you do that?”

  “I didn’t mean to!” she exclaimed. “It wasn’t on purpose. It just happened.”

  “Who’s the father?” I asked, wondering if it was someone we knew and fearing what she was going to say.

  Sam’s head snapped up and her rich brown eyes glared at me. “Are you seriously fucking asking me that? It’s Brady’s!”

  I shook my head, confused and completely thrown off. “Wait, you didn’t cheat on him?”

  “Why the fuck would I cheat on him? I love Brady. Why would you think I cheated on him?”

  “Okay, wait a minute… Why are you freaking out if you didn’t cheat on him? Why do you think he’d be upset about being a dad?”

  Sam dropped her head back into her hands and looked up at me from under her lashes. “Brady had a really tough childhood, you know that. He’s always been worried he would be like his father and said he wasn’t ready for kids and might not ever be.”

  “You’ve always wanted kids though.”

  Sam nodded. “I know. It’s the only thing we argue about. I’ve been trying to convince him he’ll be a good father because he’s nothing like his dad, but he just won’t listen to me.”

  My heart broke for Sam and Brady. I’d never seen, or heard of, Brady being anythi
ng but kind and compassionate to everyone. Owning a gym gave him lots of opportunities for being an asshole, but he wasn’t. He was quick to toss out clients who weren’t respectful of each other, and he was always building up every person he came across.

  How such a wonderful man could think he wouldn’t be a good dad shocked the hell out of me. Then again, the demons in our minds were usually more powerful than the angels in our face.

  “Do you think he’ll assume you did this on purpose?”

  Sam nodded. “I know he will.”

  “Do you have any idea how you got pregnant? I’m guessing if he’s so crazy about not having kids that you’re using birth control.”

  “Of course. I’m on the pill and we sometimes use condoms too. He hates using them so I’ve assured him I’m taking my pill and that he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to. Now I guess I should have told him to keep using them.”

  Sam broke down. She tossed her red-rimmed glasses on the counter and cried with her head on her folded arms. I crossed around the counter and rubbed her endless chestnut hair, trying to soothe her. Until she talked to Brady I knew she wouldn’t be okay, but I also knew it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared. Brady would know she didn’t do it on purpose and he would love their child as much as he loved Sam.

  The bell above the door chimed and in walked an older couple who’d been coming in occasionally. The wife passed a look of sympathy to Sam before I stepped over and took their orders.

  Sam composed herself in front of strangers and was able to offer them a wet grin when they walked past her to take their seats. Their low conversation provided background noise for us, but Sam was still reluctant to say much.

  “Can I ask you a question, Sam?” She nodded. “Why are you here talking to me and not Addi?”

  Addi and Sam had been best friends for over a decade. I loved Sam, but since I’d known her it was obvious Addi was always the person she went to first with anything. I couldn’t help but wonder why she would come to me with something so huge.

  Sorrow swept over Sam’s face and she winced slightly. “You know Addi and Joey are trying to have a baby. They’ve been trying for a few months and haven’t had any luck. I don’t think I could tell her this and let her know how hard it is for me to be pregnant when she’s got a supportive husband and no luck.”

  My heart dropped. Sam’s news had the potential to screw up the two most important relationships in her life. Not only would Brady question how she got pregnant but Addi would be jealous of her. I didn’t envy Sam’s position even a little bit.

  “What do you think I should do?” Sam whimpered.

  “Talk to him. Sit him down and tell him you got pregnant and you don’t know how. He’s just as responsible for this baby as you are. If he makes you feel bad for getting pregnant then tell him exactly what you think of that. I’ve never known you to mince words.”

  Sam’s spine straightened and she almost smiled at me. Before my eyes she went from a sniveling puddle to the strong, proud woman I knew and loved. “You’re right. People get pregnant on accident all the time. I didn’t do this on my own and he can’t make me feel guilty for it. I’m going to go over there right now and tell him exactly that. And if he doesn’t like it… well, he can kiss my ass.”

  I grinned at my friend. Sam was back. I hugged her across the counter and wished her luck before she marched out the door looking like the woman I knew and loved.

  That baby was a lucky kid.

  With Sam gone I turned my attention back to the rest of my day. I wondered when I would see Max again and hoped I wouldn’t have to wait too long. Just thinking of him made me smile, even as I told myself not to get too attached.

  ~*~

  The next day Elizabeth called about a new listing she wanted to show me right away. It was at the high end of my budget, but the pictures she sent me were wonderful. I could make it work, but only if I could get my kitchen transferred and start working quickly. The longer I was out of business the less I could afford, even with my savings.

  When Kendall showed up I told her I was running out and ducked out the back before I got wrapped into a conversation with anyone else. One of Kendall’s friends walked in as I was leaving and I knew everything would be okay. Jessica had helped out a few times when we were swamped. If I managed to get a good site, I was considering hiring Jessica also. But first I had to find a place.

  I pulled up in front of the storefront and felt my heart swell with hope. The location was perfect. To the right was a real estate office and a popular lunch restaurant. To the left was a good dinner spot, a Verizon store, a salon, and a local sporting goods store on the end. It would be a great location for Bite Me! with lots of foot traffic and plenty of visibility.

  I climbed out of my car when I saw Elizabeth pull up, brushing a smear of frosting from my jeans and smoothing my hands over my hair to tame it in the wind. I shook gloved hands with Elizabeth, wondering how she wore heels and pinstriped blue pants in such cold weather, and smiled when she ushered us inside. The store was large and open and absolutely perfect.

  I half listened as Elizabeth told me all about the space. She rattled off details about square footage, room size, amenities of the property, and a potential apartment upstairs. As Elizabeth talked I envisioned the way I would lay out the store. My display case would run along the right side of the space with the cash register in the back corner. Another counter would trail along the back almost to the opposite wall with seating.

  Tables would fill the center area, a few different sizes and shapes, nothing matching, but all cohesive. I would keep the same pink, white, and brown colors and overall design that I already had but I would have fun picking out more tables and chairs. Maybe I could talk Lexi into helping me again.

  “What do you think?” Elizabeth asked, breaking my dream of working there.

  “I love it. Honestly, it’s perfect. Can we see the apartment?”

  “Of course,” Elizabeth said with a knowing smile. Any realtor worth her weight would understand that I was already sold, and that looking at the apartment was just another step toward signing on the dotted line.

  “The apartment is a two bedroom and can be rolled into the rent for the space. There is a separate outside entrance so it can be rented out to another person if you’re not interested but you get a huge discount if you rent both spaces together.”

  “Yeah, I would need an apartment. It’s vacant now I’m assuming?”

  Elizabeth nodded as she unlocked the apartment door. “The previous tenant moved out last weekend. He was renting the downstairs space also but his business didn’t do as well as he expected and he’s moving to a smaller location. For an apartment above the business it’s actually a good size.”

  I stepped into the apartment and was amazed. If Elizabeth could see where I was living she would tell me the place was a mansion since by comparison it basically was. The kitchen was nearly double the size of my current one and the living room was similar in size, but the bedroom put my little corner to shame. And there was a second bedroom! The bathroom was nice with a shower / tub combo and a full vanity instead of the pedestal sink I had.

  It was amazing.

  “I’m definitely interested, but I need to look into a few things before I make a final decision. When will it be available?”

  “I need to check,” Elizabeth said. “It just came on the market and I knew it would be something you’d want to see. Let’s head back down and we can talk through all the details and set up an appointment to meet again. Once I’ve talked to the owner.”

  I followed Elizabeth back down through the massive kitchen (big enough for two or maybe three work stations) and out into the front. “What was this place before?”

  “It was a coffee shop. They offered a few desserts to go with it from what I understand but specialized in gourmet coffees.”

  I wanted to ask more about the previous business and why they weren’t successful, but I knew it was my fear of success,
or was it failure, that made me want to analyze the other business and convince myself it wouldn’t work.

  Elizabeth and I talked for a few more minutes and I walked out with some paperwork about the lease and more details about the site. I drove home with a huge grin on my face and lots of hope. I wanted that space. Bad. It was easy for me to see myself living in the apartment upstairs and working in the kitchen downstairs. The place had more than enough room for me to expand. It was a little closer to the center of town and with the restaurants in the complex I could easily count on my sales to increase.

  Maybe I could work out an arrangement with one, or both, of the restaurants to provide them cupcakes.

  Ideas trickled through my head and danced around as I drove home. With each mile I got more and more excited. I knew I needed to call my accountant and look at my budget before I made any moves but it was possible I could be moving into the new store within a few weeks.

  If I could pull it off.

  Oh, God, I really hoped it would work out.

  My phone dinged with a message from Sam as I got out of my car. I’d been worried about her since our talk the day before but didn’t want to call her and make her crazy. I knew she would call me or stop by if she needed me.

  Inside the kitchen I headed straight upstairs to my apartment to drop off my stuff. I leaned against the counter to check Sam’s text. A grin broke out when I saw, ‘Brady is thrilled. He’s anxious but so excited to be having a baby. Thanks for the pep talk yesterday. Now I need to figure out how to tell Addi. :(‘

  I felt bad for Sam that she worried about sharing her good news with her best friend, but I understood it would be tough. My heart went out to Addi too, worrying about her and how she would take it.

  And if it would throw off our group.

  It was selfish of me to worry about how their relationship would affect me but I couldn’t help it. I’d never been closer to anyone in my life, except Grams, than I was to my seven friends. Even their men had become friends of mine, people I counted on. Mandy had a baby girl, Sam was right behind her, and hopefully Addi and Carrie would be headed there soon. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the rest of my friends were moms.