Kissing Kendall

by Jennifer Shirk

  Brad hesitated, then his lips slid into an easy grin. “Well, since you put it that way, I might be able to have a small piece with you.”

  Air rushed out of Kendall’s lungs. Deuce’s paw scratched at the screen, so she opened the door so he could greet Brad. “Thank goodness you agreed. I think Deuce would have been heartbroken if you’d said no.”

  “Would you have been heartbroken?”

  The question made her blink, and she looked at him more closely. The huskiness in his voice held an underlying message, but when she studied his face, his expression showed nothing more than friendly teasing. She let out a relieved breath. It was silly to think Brad was flirting with her. He never had in the past.

  She shrugged to hide her confusion. “Naturally, I would have been heartbroken,” she teased back. “And I’d be stuck with all this pie.”

  “Using me for my stomach, huh?”

  “It always was a black hole.”

  He winced, pretending to be offended. “Lucky for you when it comes to food, I’m not too proud or averse to begging.”

  She laughed. “Well, try to keep the begging to a minimum. The neighbors might complain.”

  Brad’s eyes lit with amusement before he scooped up Deuce and carried him into the house. Her puppy squirmed in Brad’s arms, his tail wagging with excitement.

  Kendall had to shake her head at the way her puppy had grown so attached to Brad in such a short time. “I see I’ve got a little traitor on my hands,” she said, wagging a finger at her dog.

  Brad scratched Deuce’s chin and grinned. “Dogs are excellent judges of character. And, well, you know the old saying—man’s best friend and all.”

  “That saying wouldn’t have applied to Jake. He hated dogs and dogs hated him.”

  “Really? Is that why you guys never got a dog before…” Brad seemed to realize his slip and let his question trail off. He was going to ask if that was the reason they hadn’t gotten a dog before he died. She turned away quickly to hide the hurt.

  “Would you like whipped cream on your pie?” she asked, her voice cracking.

  “Not a chance,” he said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “I’m a total purist when it comes to your baking. I want to savor every bite unmasked.”

  After slicing the pie, she went over and set a plate and a glass of milk before him. Even though she had no appetite, she placed a piece of pie on the table for herself and sat down with him. Brad immediately picked up his fork and dug in like a man who hadn’t eaten in a month, while Deuce sat on his lap eyeing every forkful.

  “Best pie I’ve had all day.”

  The wink he sent her threw Kendall off-balance for a second, but she managed to cover it with a wry smile. “Thanks.”

  Brad went back to eating, and she picked up her fork and nonchalantly pushed her own pie around on the plate while he made appreciative sounds. For several minutes nothing else was said, but she didn’t mind. His mere presence in her kitchen was comforting enough. It was nice having his company again, the way they could joke with each other. She’d missed this, the easy camaraderie they used to share.

  He inhaled the last bite of his pie and finally looked up. “So what does your grandmother think of the whole bakery idea?”

  Kendall gave up the pretense of eating and set down her fork. “Oh, she’s completely behind it. Everyone is, actually. Why?” she asked, biting her lip. “You think it’s a mistake, don’t you?”

  A flash of humor crossed Brad’s face. “Kendall, relax. You didn’t make a mistake. What you’re doing is admirable—it takes a lot of guts to open up your own business. I’m proud of you. Jake would be proud of you too.”

  Kendall’s gaze dropped to her lap as she thought about that. She’d often discussed her bakery dreams with Jake before they were engaged, but he had always talked her out of it. Jake hadn’t wanted her opening up a business because of the risk and money involved. He’d convinced her that it would have been too early to put such a time strain on their marriage. Plus, there was the hope that they would immediately start a family and he didn’t want her devoting so much time to her work.

  Brad reached out and covered her hand with his own. “Hey, where did you go just then?” he asked gently. “You’re not worried about the start-up costs, are you? Because if you’d rather pay me in pies, I’m totally okay with that.”

  She laughed. “I assure you I will pay you in money. The loan from the bank went through without a hitch.”

  “Whew.” Brad ran his free hand over his forehead, pretending to wipe sweat off his brow. “That’s a relief. I’d hate to put a warrant out on someone so pretty.”

  Her face flushed. Had he ever called her pretty before? She couldn’t remember. Funny how such a little compliment could fluster her. She realized Brad was still holding her hand, and a warm tingling began to grow in the pit of her stomach—flustering her even more. She looked away.

  Don’t go there, she warned herself. Brad wasn’t holding her hand for any other reason than to be comforting and supportive. Only trouble could come from reading anything more into it than that. She slowly withdrew her hands and placed them on her lap—away from his reach—pretending not to be affected by his touch.

  She became aware of his strength and the warmth of his flesh, and a little shiver of wanting ran through her. She had to admit it felt so good to have that male contact again, even in such a simple way. It had been so long. But she shouldn’t encourage these thoughts. Deep down inside she knew she wasn’t ready to open her heart again. And even though she’d always liked Brad, she couldn’t jeopardize their relationship because of her physical needs, especially now when she needed his friendship and support more than ever.

  “Well, enough about me,” she said, brushing imaginary crumbs from her lap. “Tell me about what’s going on in your life. Are you seeing anyone?” She winced as soon as the words left her mouth.

  For goodness’ sake, why in the world would she ask him about his love life? Georgie had just mentioned to her that Brad wasn’t seeing anyone and was up to his neck in work. Besides, friend or not, it wasn’t any of her business if he was dating anyone. But for some strange reason, she held her breath, waiting for him to answer anyway.

  Brad ran a hand over the top of his silky brown hair. She found it extremely charming that he seemed embarrassed by her question.

  “No, I’m not seeing anyone,” he answered. “Yet. Not that this is any big news flash, I’m sure. Georgie has been loudly lamenting the state of my confirmed bachelorhood to everyone and anyone within the tristate area for the past year and a half.”

  Kendall tried but failed to hide her laugh. “Uh, yeah. I might have heard her mention something about that in passing.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Exactly. But I actually do have plans tomorrow night—nothing serious, only a first date. Maybe this will satisfy my sister and she’ll finally pipe down and quit trying to broadcast my availability to every single woman who comes through her pharmacy.”

  It took a few seconds, but then what Brad had said finally registered in her brain.

  Brad had a date.

  Tomorrow night.

  She cleared her throat and tried to sound nonchalant. “A first date? That’s…that’s…” What is it exactly? “Good,” she finished lamely.

  Isn’t it?

  Brad was smart and kind and…hot. He should be dating. Still, that little tidbit of information didn’t sit well with her.

  Brad shrugged, then finished off the last bit of pie remaining on her plate. “You didn’t want that, did you?” he asked with a grin, pointing to her now-empty plate.

  She shook her head. The one bite of blueberry pie she had eaten began to churn anyway. In fact, she had a feeling her already nonexistent appetite was pretty much shot for the rest of the evening.

  “Do you want to go out?” he asked.

  Her chin snapped up. “What?”

  “You know,” he said, waving around his fork in a circle. “Do you th
ink you’re ready to move on and go out on a date again with someone? I mean, it’s been nearly two years since Jake…”

  She blinked and her pulse began to slow down. Brad wasn’t asking her out on a date. Why in the world would she think that? He already had a date. And they were just friends.

  She reached up and rubbed her forehead. Why was she so hung up on the topic of dating and Brad’s good looks, anyway? She didn’t want to go out with Brad. She didn’t want to go out with anyone. So why was this discussion bothering her so much?

  Frustrated with herself, she abruptly stood and started gathering the dishes. “I haven’t really thought about dating,” she lied.

  Maybe she should think about it. A little bit. Her sudden reaction to Brad would indicate she was a grown woman with needs. But she wasn’t the type of person who could have a casual fling, so in her mind it was better to lasso those thoughts and shove them away until she was ready to commit to someone. If she could find someone…safe.

  “The timing is all wrong for me,” she went on, unable to stop herself from babbling. “I just got Deuce and I should probably wait until I have the bakery on some kind of stable footing first. It wouldn’t be fair to whomever I was seeing. And I—”

  Brad placed a hand on her arm and smiled. “It’s okay; I’m not Georgie or Dee. You don’t have to justify how you feel to me,” he said in a soothing voice. His words were supportive and understanding; however, his smile held a trace of sadness.

  “Thanks.” She chewed on her lower lip as she glanced down at her arm. The mere touch of his hand sent a shiver through her body. Okay, so that tingly feeling wasn’t a fluke. It seemed that whenever he touched her, he upset her balance. In her mind, Kendall was convinced she wasn’t ready to move on with her love life, but her body seemed to voice a different opinion every time Brad touched her. Maybe she was ready. But she could only risk her heart with someone she deemed safe. And Brad was obviously not someone who was “safe”—for more reasons than just his career choice.

  Brad regarded her quizzically for a moment before standing. “I guess I should get going. Otherwise, I might eat all of your pie.”

  They shared a smile and once again her insides went all fluttery. “I did promise some pie to your sister. Considering Georgie’s appetite lately, she’d probably steal your gun and use it on you if that happened.”

  “Better to have her on my case about that than my love life.”

  “She and Walt are very happy, and just like you wanted the best for her, she obviously wants the very best for you too.”

  “Yeah, you don’t have to convince me about what Georgie wants for me,” he said, taking the plates from her hands and walking them to the sink. “I could use a lot of words to describe my sister, but subtle is not one of them.”

  After he placed the dishes in the dishwasher, he turned to look at her. But the amusement died from his eyes as his gaze fastened on her face. She was almost afraid to move or say anything because he just stood there with grim lips, as if debating something in his mind.

  When he finally spoke, his words were hoarse. “The thing is…Georgie may want the best for me, but she has to get it through her head that the best isn’t within my reach right now.”

  Then, with no other words or good-bye, he grabbed his jacket and left.

  Chapter Four

  Kendall had problems sleeping, so she managed to get an early start the next morning on the work that still needed to be done on her new business. The bakery had to be her main focus right now—not Brad or his love life. She couldn’t believe how upset she’d gotten the night before after he told her he was going on a date.

  What kind of person did that make her if she begrudged a friend his happiness?

  A confused, pathetic friend, that’s what.

  She wasn’t going to be that kind of friend. After Brad had left last night, she’d given herself a mental lecture. What he did and whom he dated was absolutely none of her business. The only two things she would concentrate on were her new bakery and Georgie’s upcoming baby shower. That was it. In fact, just reminding herself of that made her breath come a little easier. Her world would remain in its safe little cocoon—just the way she preferred it—and all would be well.

  See? Mind over matter.

  Sort of.

  And with that last questionable thought, she dropped the paintbrush in her hand and stepped back. She was about to admire the fresh coat of Blue Bauble paint she used for the side wall of the bakery when Dee walked through the door.

  “Ooh la la!” Dee exclaimed as soon as she noticed the brightly colored wall. “It’s amazing what a little paint can do for a room. It’s fantastic.”

  Kendall grinned, then gazed back at her own handiwork. “You know, you’re right. I love how bright and cheery it makes the place look. I read somewhere that the color blue makes you hungry, so I’m hoping it’ll be good for business.”

  “Believe me, your customers won’t care if you have black walls once they taste your stuff.”

  Kendall chuckled. “I’m not taking any chances. Oh, and wait until you see the white floor tiling I picked out. I’m even going to keep a few of the tables here to encourage people to sit down and have coffee. I’ll throw some linen tablecloths over them and they’ll look good as new.”

  Dee cocked her head and smiled. “Kendall, you should see your face—it’s positively glowing. I haven’t seen you this excited since… Well, it’s been a long time.”

  Kendall had to agree with Dee. The distraction of work was good for her, and she was enjoying every second she spent in creating a business that she could call her own. Just being here made her feel safe and protected. The bakery would soon be all hers, and no one would take it away from her.

  “Hey, did you put any thought into what kind of cake we should have for Georgie’s shower?” Dee asked.

  Kendall clasped her hands together in anticipation of showing off her latest creations. “Not only did I put thought into it, I did some experimentation this morning and actually made a few samples for you.” She whirled around and beckoned Dee to follow her into the kitchen.

  “I hope that means I get to sample the samples,” Dee said, already at Kendall’s heels.

  “Absolutely.” She opened the walk-in refrigerator and pulled out a tray of cupcakes. “But first I want you to look at them and tell me which one you like best.”

  Dee gasped as soon as she saw the assorted tray of pastel-colored cupcakes. Kendall smiled at Dee’s reaction. She had taken extra care in making and shaping the fondant into little tiny sleeping babies—no easy feat since it was so stiff to work with and her first time making it.

  “I love them all!” Dee exclaimed. “Georgie is going to flip when she sees them.” Dee didn’t waste any time and immediately dove in for a cupcake.

  Kendall grabbed her friend’s wrist before she could take a bite. “Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head. “You can’t eat yet. Seriously, which one do you like best, the babies in the pink and blue strollers or the babies in the pink and blue blankets?”

  Dee gave her an exasperated look. “Kendall, they’re both gorgeous and you know it. Now let me taste one or we’re going to have ourselves a situation.”

  Kendall rolled her eyes. “Oh, fine. I guess I can make both.”

  “Wise decision,” Dee mumbled. “Glad I could help.”

  Brad poked his head in the kitchen just then, startling them both. “What’s a wise decision?” he asked, grinning.

  “Brad!” Kendall exclaimed. “Wh-what are you doing here?” She quickly combed her hair with her fingers, fussing with her appearance. “You said you wouldn’t be able to start work until Tuesday.”

  She looked down at herself and frowned at the blue dots splattered on the backs of her hands. She’d been painting all morning and had thought she would only see Dee today—she probably resembled something that needed to be taken out with the trash.

  “I know,” he said with a sheepish shrug. “But I
wanted to bring over the wood I ordered for your workbench. It was taking up too much space in my truck and— Ooh, cupcakes.” His long-legged stride brought him across the kitchen in mere seconds. Without a pause, he reached for a cake. Closely inspecting it, his brows rose in appreciation. “Hey, these are pretty cute. Are they for Georgie’s shower?”

  “Yeah,” Dee said with frosting all over her lips. “And trust me, they taste even better than they look.”

  Brad stared at Kendall steadily as he spoke to Dee. “I’m sure anything of Kendall’s tastes good.”

  Kendall’s body flushed all over as she thought about the double meaning in his words. It felt like she had just eaten a spoonful of peanut butter, having to swallow repeatedly against the thickness in her throat. “Th-thank you.”

  “So have you got the plan down for Georgie’s shower?” Dee asked Brad. “She doesn’t suspect anything, does she?”

  “If she does, she hasn’t mentioned it to me.”

  Dee nodded, then shoved the last bite of cupcake in her mouth. But as soon as she swallowed, she pinned a rock-hard gaze on him. “Okay, that’s good. But just so we’re all on the same page, let’s hear the plan.”

  Brad squinted at her. “There’s a plan?”

  “Yes, of course there’s a plan. There’s always a plan for any surprise party,” she said with a huff. “I want to make sure you know how to get Georgie to the party without giving away the surprise.”

  “What’s there to know? I invite her and Walt over to see the new sofa I bought, she and Walt arrive, everyone is at my apartment, they all yell surprise, then I’m nominated for Brother of the Year. Voilà.” He glanced at Kendall, his blue eyes glowing with humor. “Let’s just hope the shock doesn’t send her into labor, because I guarantee she’ll never suspect the shower is at my place. I barely believe it’s being held there myself.”