Sugar And Spice (Holidays: Valentine)

by Charlotte French

  “Quinn,” she breathed. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to, I swear. Just thought you’d want to know I was out here in case you wanted to be alone.”

  “No, no, I don’t mind.” Then she paused as a thought popped into her mind. “Do you want to be alone?”

  He shook his head and slid off the truck’s hood. “I don’t mind. I needed a break from the party. Not you.”

  “Oh,” was all Crissy could think to say to that. She rubbed her arms at the icy cold night. She hadn’t thought to bring a coat, thinking she was only going to be outside for a minute or two and she wouldn’t need it. The cold had cleared her head from the fuzzy champagne though.

  “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?” Quinn asked.

  “I left it inside. Too much champagne was making me tipsy.”

  “You’ll catch your death out here if you’re not careful,” he replied. He peeled off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

  “But what about you?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

  Crissy wanted to protest and insist that he keep his coat but it was still warm from his body heat and it smelled like apples and cinnamon. She tucked her nose deep into the collar and took in a deep breath.

  Quinn chuckled. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “It’s warm,” she said, a little bashful.

  She leaned against the bumper of the truck next to Quinn. They both looked up at the stars together, silent.

  “Thank you for tonight,” she said. “I had a really good time.”

  Quinn looked down at her. “I had a good time too.”

  “Your family was so nice. Megan is incredible and…”

  As she was talking, Quinn’s hand came up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. Crissy’s breath caught in her throat and her words died away. His hand lingered at the edge of his coat collar, his thumb trailing over her cheek bone. Crissy was vibrating now, and not from the cold.

  “Can I kiss you?” he asked, so quiet she almost missed it.

  She nodded. His other hand came to settle on her waist and pulled her gently closer as he kissed her, his mouth soft and warm and very, very lightly touching hers. Tentative yet pleading for more. She opened her mouth to him and he slipped his tongue inside. Crissy’s heart hammered against her ribs at the same time that every nerve in her body sang with joy. She clutched at his t-shirt, insistent, pressing him for more, but his tongue, his lips, his kisses, stayed gentle as butterfly wings.

  A whoop from behind them made Crissy jerk away, her lips now cold where Quinn had been a moment before.

  “I knew it!” Pete called. “I found them!”

  “I’m going to kill him,” Quinn growled.

  Crissy placed a hand on his arm, more out of the need to touch him again, to make sure he was really there and not just a dream rather than the need to restrain him.

  “It’s okay, he doesn’t mean any harm,” she said.

  “Still gonna kill him,” Quinn said, though his voice was softer now as he looked down at her again.

  “Quinn!” Pete called. “Megan’s about to leave. She needs help rounding up the mini-me’s.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” Quinn called back.

  “I should probably go too,” Crissy said. She didn’t know if she could face Quinn’s sister right now, not after what they’d been doing two seconds ago.

  Quinn caught her hand and placed a kiss to her knuckles. “Are you sure? Megan will be disappointed she didn’t see you off.”

  She shook her head. “I think it’s best this way. It’s…been a long night. Would you give her my apologies?”

  He nodded. “Of course.” He brushed his thumb over her lips then slid his hand against her cheek and kissed her forehead.

  “Can I come by to see you tomorrow?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Absolutely.”

  She didn’t want to leave him, not with the way he was touching her and making every square inch of her body shiver with an excitement she hadn’t felt in a long time. She wanted to kiss him again, over and over, until they were both too cold to stay outside.

  Instead, she forced herself to pull away. She pulled off his coat, pressed it into his hands, and backed away, leaving him standing in front of the truck, watching her leave. She pressed her hand to her lips and smiled to herself all the way back to the coffee shop.

  She couldn’t wait to tell Amy everything.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Reality came rushing in when Crissy was halfway back to the shop as a bitter cold wind picked up. She’d left her coat and scarf back at the station in her hurry to escape and now her teeth were chattering. She paused and considered heading back, then just as quickly changed her mind. She was almost home anyway…besides, she thought to herself, that smile creeping back again, it gave her an excuse to go back to the station in the morning to fetch her coat and scarf and maybe see Quinn again. If that meant she’d have to be a little chilly now, well, she would gladly pay that price.

  By the time Crissy slipped into the shop, it was well after midnight and the lights were out, save for one light at the booth in the corner. Amy and Manu were snuggled into the booth, wrapped up in a blanket as they slept. She knew Amy wouldn’t have gone home until Crissy came back from the party, but at least Amy hadn’t spent the night alone.

  Crissy switched off the light and headed towards the stairs to her apartment. Halfway up the stairs, her cell phone blared to life and she rushed to answer it.

  “Cristina?”

  Shit.

  Crissy froze on the stairs and squeezed her eyes shut at her sister’s voice. That was the second time in one week she had answered her phone without checking the ID first. Amy was going to be furious. In all the excitement over the party, she’d completely forgotten her mother’s warning about Andrea’s impending engagement.

  “Hey, Andrea,” Crissy replied, forcing herself to sound innocently curious. “You never call this late. What’s going on?”

  “Oh, I know, but I just had to call and tell you my good news. I’m engaged!”

  Crissy did her best surprised impression but she didn’t need to say much apart from a cursory, “Congratulations!” Andrea continued talking a mile a minute, detailing every second of her evening and up to the engagement. Crissy unpinned her hair and changed into her pajamas as she half-listened.

  She really did want to be happy for her sister. Andrea and Kenneth had been seeing each other and working together for eight years, it was bound to happen at some point. Andrea had spent much of her teen years pouring over wedding catalogues, dress designs, floral arrangements…. she had been dying for her wedding for many, many years. And now she was finally getting exactly what she wanted.

  “Mother has been so thoughtful through all this, too, Cristina,” Andrea said. “You wouldn’t believe how much she’s already been planning with me.”

  “Oh, I can imagine,” Crissy said, memories of diet plans floating to the surface unbidden. She shoved them away and crawled into bed. “I suppose you already have a date set?”

  “Well, of course I do. I’ve always wanted a June wedding, just like what Mother had. I’ve told you that.”

  Crissy nodded and let her sister keep talking as she stared at the ceiling. She couldn’t bring herself to be mad, not after the night she’d had, not with the memory of Quinn’s kisses, warm and soft, still lingering on her lips. She smiled to herself and slid a little further under the covers. Andrea could talk for hours, Crissy wouldn’t mind, not with such perfect memories replaying over and over and over…

  ***

  Crissy barely remembered when the conversation ended hours later as she slipped off to sleep. It seemed like mere seconds before Amy bounded into her room at seven in the morning and bounced on Crissy’s bed.

  Crissy groaned and yanked the covers over her head but Amy only jumped more.

  “You didn’t tell me you ca
me home last night, you little skunk!” Amy said.

  “You were asleep!” Crissy shouted back, her voice muffled from beneath the covers.

  Amy dropped to the bed and wriggled in next to Crissy. “So how’d it go? Spill every dirty detail, girlfriend.”

  Crissy grunted. “Too early.”

  Amy managed to tug a corner of the blanket up and waved a warmed up blueberry scone around, letting the smells work their magic. Without opening her eyes, almost unbidden, Crissy slowly wormed her way out from under the covers, following that tempting scent.

  But Amy held it out of arm’s reach which earned a scowl from Crissy.

  “Grumpy bedhead,” Amy said with a grin. “You don’t scare me sweetie. You’re too adorable for that. Now tell me what happened last night? You were out for hours.”

  Crissy dropped back on the pillows and she couldn’t stop the smile that returned to her lips unbidden. Amy noticed it and squeaked with excitement, shaking Crissy’s leg.

  “I knew it! I knew it! Success!”

  “Stoooop,” Crissy groaned as she burrowed under her pillows.

  Amy yanked the pillows off and flopped down beside Crissy, their faces inches apart. She held up the scone between them and this time she didn’t pull it away when Crissy accepted it.

  “I met his best friend from when they were little,” Crissy said, determined to draw it out just a little, tiny bit because it made her happy to see Amy so excited for all this.

  “And?” Amy asked.

  “And I met his sister. She has four kids and doesn’t look a day over twenty-five. She was very nice and accepted me like she’d known me forever.”

  “And?” Amy repeated, her voice rising higher with every word she spoke.

  Crissy’s grin grew even wider, if that was possible. “He kissed me.”

  Amy grabbed a pillow, squished it over her face, and screamed into it. Crissy laughed and wrapped her arms around Amy in a tight hug.

  “Everything okay up here?”

  Manu stood half in the doorway, tentatively peering in. He was wrapped up in several layers of sweaters and a scarf tucked up around his chin. He’d lived in Colorado for seven years and he still wasn’t used to the cold and Amy never missed an opportunity to tease him about it.

  Amy shot out of bed and kissed his cheek. “Everything is perfect,” she said. “Time for a little celebration I think. Cheesecake pancakes?”

  Without waiting for a response – not that she needed one with an offer like that – she darted down the stairs and into the kitchen. Manu met Crissy’s gaze with a small smile.

  “I should stop her from burning down your kitchen,” he said.

  Crissy nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Manu started down the stairs then turned back and poked his head in the door again. “Judging by Amy’s excitement, I take it last night was good? Amy was pretty worried after you left.”

  Crissy bit her lip but Manu noticed the faint blush in her cheeks.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “And if Amy hasn’t offered enough physical harm, I picked up some tricks in Venezuela you Americans would never see coming.”

  Crissy laughed and shook her head. She started to respond but a clatter of pots and pans cut her off. Manu winced.

  “That’s my cue,” he said.

  Once Crissy was alone, she flopped back onto her bed, her arms spread wide, and finally let herself smile like crazy at the ceiling.

  But only for a moment. More pots and pans rattled downstairs and she pushed herself out of bed, concerned for the well-fair of her kitchen. She changed into jeans and a t-shirt, tied her hair back, and shuffled down the stairs. Amy was dusted up to the elbow in flour but she wasn’t actually working on anything. Manu was the one at the stove, fiddling with the dials while simultaneously pouring a perfect pancake into the skillet with Amy hovering over his shoulder.

  “The dials are finicky, babe,” Amy insisted. “Just wiggle them around a bit. The heat will even out.”

  Crissy stepped closer to adjust the knobs and Manu readily moved aside to let her take over.

  “I don’t know how you get anything done with that thing,” he said.

  “It’s needed to be replaced ever since we started working here,” Crissy replied. “But it’s not in the boss’s budget so we make do.”

  “Will an electrical fire be in the boss’s budget?” he asked.

  Amy jabbed him in the ribs. “Manny, watch it,” she chastised, though there was no heat to her words.

  “What?” he asked, spreading his hands. “Faulty wiring can be an issue…”

  “Yeah, but that’s our boss you’re talking about. He pays us to put up with his faulty wiring.”

  Manu sighed and shook his head. “I just don’t want you girls getting hurt.”

  Amy tipped her head onto his shoulder. “That’s sweet of you.”

  The pancakes were finished off quickly and Manu headed out to meet his band before the first customers started to arrive. Crissy was arranging the day’s bakery selection on trays when Amy returned to the kitchen after seeing Manu off.

  “Manu wants kids,” Amy said.

  Crissy fumbled the tray of caramel eclairs and nearly dropped it. Her head snapped up and she met Amy’s gaze.

  “He what?” she squeaked.

  Amy nodded. “I know. I mean, it’s not like we’re in a space for that, right? A teeny tiny apartment. He’s got the recording business. I’ve got my job here with you…”

  Crissy set down the pastries, wiped her hands on her jeans and took Amy’s hands. “Do you want kids?” she asked quietly.

  Amy met her gaze and for a split second, Crissy saw a flash of fear in Amy’s usually fearless eyes.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I think so? I haven’t really thought about it.”

  “Have you talked to him?”

  “A little. Last night. He won’t push me, he was very clear on that. And he won’t be upset if I say no but…”

  When Amy faltered, Crissy squeezed her hands. “What? But what?” she asked.

  “I’d hate to disappoint him,” she said in a small voice. “He’s been so good to me. No matter how batshit crazy I get, he’s steady as a rock. Always.”

  “You could never disappoint him, Amy,” Crissy said. “Manu adores you.”

  Amy’s eyes misted up and she fluttered her hands up and down. “No, no, no, don’t make me cry, Cris, I swear to God.”

  “Why don’t you take the day off?” Crissy offered. “You held down the fort for me last night, I’ll manage today.”

  Amy glanced around the kitchen and shifted from foot to foot. “I should work though, it might take my mind off things…”

  “What you should do is take home some chocolate covered strawberries and give yourself a hot bath with bubbles a mile high,” Crissy said.

  Amy managed a small watery smile and laughed. “Bubbles. Oh, sugar, you always know how to calm me right down.”

  Crissy nodded and turned Amy around gently. “Go home,” she said. “Get some sleep and spoil yourself. Call me in an hour.”

  After Amy left, Crissy propped her hands on her hips and surveyed the kitchen. Her mother’s phone call. Her sister’s engagement. Quinn. Amy with a passel of kids running around her feet. She closed her eyes and took a breath. This was turning out to be one hell of a weekend.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Crissy tried really hard to not regret sending Amy home and giving her a break but…a small part of her still did anyway. Especially when the coffee shop picked up between breakfast and lunch. She was used to working the kitchen and only the kitchen. She liked it that way. People were confusing. Food was not.

  But now that Amy wasn’t there to work the register and handle the customers, it was up to Crissy to manage the kitchen as well as the register and she was feeling more than a little frazzled. She’d already burned two trays of buttermilk scones, and crushed an entire platter o
f fresh cinnamon rolls, putting her well behind the demand of the customers.

  Crissy wasn’t going to say one word to Amy about any of this. It was just one day. Amy would be back on track in no time. She never stayed down for long. She deserved the rest anyway. But she might put the bug in her boss’ ear to hire somebody else to ease up on their work load. That was the problem with being so devoted to her job – the boss didn’t see the need to hire anyone else to help out.

  The bell by the register went into a rapid fire assault of high-pitched ringing. Crissy fumbled the tray of blueberry muffins and slid it onto the counter right before she lost control and saved it just in time.

  “Be there in a minute!” she called.

  She wiped her hands on a dish towel, checked the new batch of buttermilk warming on the stove and fiddled with the heat to keep it from burning. The bell continued to ping wildly.

  “Coming, coming,” Crissy chanted, hurrying out of the kitchen and doing her best to not look as harried as she felt.

  A woman stood at the counter with two boys zipping around her. She held out her to-go bag with a frown.

  “You got my order wrong,” she said.

  Crissy blinked, surprised. She was always so careful with orders, double, even triple checking to make sure she got it right.

  “I’m…sorry? What did you…?”

  “I ordered two white chocolate raspberry muffins, a strawberry twist doughnut, and a cappuccino,” she said, ripping the bag open. “Instead, I got three peanut butter cookies and sweet almond bread and no coffee at all.” She unloaded each item with so much venom that crumbs scattered across the countertop like sand.

  “Oh, well then if you could just show me your receipt…”

  “I don’t have the receipt because you didn’t give me one,” the woman snapped.

  The two boys were now trampling behind the counter, chasing each other around Crissy’s feet and trying to pry the glass display case open to get at the food inside. Crissy unpeeled their sticky, pudgy little fingers from the handle and shut the door.

  “Excuse me,” the woman growled. “You have no right to manhandle my children like that. They’re trying to get the food they wanted in the first place.”