Taking her time, she readied the staff coffeepot in the kitchen and set it to brew. All the while she kept her eye on Lucas. He continued to pour ingredients into a bowl, stopping to stir or measure occasionally. The scrape of the spoon on the side of the metal mixing bowl and the water dripping from the coffeemaker were the only sounds. Katie said nothing as she waited for the coffee to brew and filled two mugs when it was ready.
Carrying both mugs, she plunked one down in front of Lucas. “You seem like you could use this.” She climbed onto the stool next to him and waited.
“Yeah, thanks.” Reaching forward, he snagged the mug and took a large swallow before he finally looked at her. His eyes were bloodshot and the lines around his eyes seemed more pronounced.
“What’s wrong?” Unable to restrain herself any longer, she went to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and just held him. At first he held himself stiff, but when she showed no signs of letting go, he finally sighed and his arms drew her closer.
His heart thumped steadily beneath her ear. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly, relaxing as he did. Lucas just stood there for a moment, breathing deeply and holding her securely in his arms. Finally, he gave her one final squeeze and pulled away. Reluctantly, she released him.
He rubbed a hand across his tired eyes before reaching into his apron pocket and pulling out a folded sheet of white paper. “Read it.” He tossed it on the counter in front of her and crossed to the oven to check on pans of cookies he had baking inside.
She lifted the seemingly innocent piece of paper, unfolded it and began to read. Paying no attention to the sender, she went right to the heart of the letter and read the entire thing. Then she read it again. And again. Finally, her eyes went to the top of the letter to the corporate logo, but the company, E. S. Investors, meant nothing to her.
Lucas removed four steaming pans of cookies from the oven and placed them on a rack to cool. The smell of chocolate chips, oatmeal, and coconut seemed to mock her instead of offering their usual comfort.
“This…” she trailed off and began again. “This can’t be right. They can’t kick you out of this building. You don’t rent from them.”
Lucas tensed for a moment and then turned back to the cookie trays. Using a large metal spatula, he scooped the cookies from the pan. Methodically and carefully, he moved them a few at a time. “Apparently, they can. This E. S. Investors has bought the building and not only ours. There’s quite a few businesses in the next two buildings as well who are going to have to relocate.”
“But you have a lease.” Katie was in shock. Coffee Breaks had been in this spot since it opened almost fifteen years ago.
“And it’s set to expire in a few months. I’ve always signed a five-year lease.” Lucas piled some cookies on a plate and carried them to the counter. The early morning sun was starting to peek in through the small kitchen window, making the kitchen a warm and cozy spot. The two of them had spent many such mornings together, sipping coffee and sampling cookies.
Pulling up another stool, he sat next to her and took another sip of his coffee. “I was expecting a lease renewal, not this.”
“Can’t we fight it?” Katie could feel anger begin to override her sorrow and fear. That some nameless, faceless corporation could turn her life upside down was just too much for her to take.
“It’s all perfectly legal.” Lucas reached out and plucked a warm cookie from the plate. Taking a bite, he chewed thoughtfully as steam rose from the uneaten half still clutched in his hand. “Actually, it’s good of them to let the leases expire rather than evicting everyone. I did some research over the weekend, and this company is rich enough to buy out the leases if they wanted to and close everyone down tomorrow. At least I’ve got some time to find a new space.”
Katie stared at Lucas in amazement. “How can you be so calm about this? This is your life.”
His fist slammed down hard on the counter, making her jump. “What do you expect me to do, Katie?” He didn’t yell, and the very softness of his voice was more frightening.
Taking a deep breath, he gained control before facing her again. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Oh, Lucas.” She held her hand out to him and waited until he took it. “You don’t scare me. This does.” She poked the offending letter with her index finger. “It will change everything.”
“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.” Lucas moved away from her and pulled out another clean bowl from the cupboard. Placing it on the counter, he then began assembling ingredients. It was all done automatically. Lucas had a phenomenal memory and rarely used a recipe anymore.
“How can you even think that, let alone say it?”
“It’s not the first time my life has changed unexpectedly.” Lucas poured sugar into the bowl, continuing to work as he talked.
Katie watched him as he calmly measured flour and dumped it into a sifter. “I guess not.”
“Besides, it’s not like I’m going to close the place. I’m just going to relocate it and, in fact, this time I want to try and find a building I can afford to buy so this doesn’t happen again.” He carefully sifted the flour into the bowl and then thoroughly mixed it with the sugar.
Katie was amazed at his resiliency. “You’ve been thinking about this?”
“For a while now.” Stopping for a moment, he wiped his hands on a towel and came back over to sit beside her. “When I first opened, I could barely afford to rent the place.” He laughed. “Buying a building was nothing but a dream. But now I’ve got some money saved and a good business record. I’m thinking about something not too big but with other spaces or apartments I could rent out.”
He reached out and tapped her on the nose. “Maybe I’ll find a place with a couple of apartments and I’ll live in one and rent you the other. Or maybe you’ll become a famous painter and this will get you moving on in your career.” Bending down, he brushed a kiss on her forehead. “This could be a good thing for both of us.”
Katie couldn’t stop the tear from rolling down her cheek any more than she could stop her next breath. “But I don’t want things to change.”
“Things always change. It’s how you handle it that counts.” He glanced up at the clock. “Enough of this for now.” Using the corner of his apron, he wiped the tear from her face. “We open in fifteen minutes and we’ve both got work to do.”
Katie slipped off the stool and left Lucas to his baking. Like a sleepwalker, she walked behind the counter and efficiently moved the full pots of coffee to the warmers and set more coffee to brewing. She hurried back and forth to the kitchen, carrying trays filled with fresh baked treats back out front and setting them in the glass case. Quickly, she counted out the store money and readied the cash register for the day. It was a routine that she’d had for many years and she didn’t think about it, she just did it.
At exactly seven, she unlocked the door, removed the closed sign, and greeted her first customers of the day. The smile on her face might have been forced, but her customers never noticed. Fate was kind in giving her little time to brood as the day got busy quickly and didn’t let up until closing.
That evening, when the apartment door closed behind her, Katie was more than ready to lock the world out. She leaned against the door and tilted her head back. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the headache forming ominously behind her eyes. It had been an impossibly long day.
Lucas had taken her out for pizza after they’d closed the shop for the night. She’d managed to consume one slice of pizza and munch the pepperoni and peppers off another slice. But she’d been too upset to really eat. Usually, she easily held her own with Lucas when they pigged out on pizza. Lucas, on the other hand, seemed to experience no such problem. He’d quickly polished off the rest of the fully loaded supreme pizza all by himself.
Ironically, he had spent all his time reassuring her that everything would work out for the best when it should have been the other way around. She hadn
’t realized how much she depended on the stability of the coffee shop until it was threatened. What if the new location was far away from her apartment? Or worse, what if Lucas couldn’t find another location before the lease was up? Would she be unemployed? She shuddered at the thought. She’d never been unemployed a day in her life.
Pushing away from the door, she dropped her bag on the floor and removed her coat and boots. “I need a hot bath and chocolate,” she muttered to herself. A tub filled with bubbles and hot water while she sipped real cocoa from her favorite mug. That was the best medicine for her burgeoning headache.
In the kitchen, she filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. While she waited, she pulled down a big pottery mug done in a cheerful yellow and placed it on the counter next to the milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Rummaging around in the cupboard, she found a round tin with a few chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies in it. She pulled one out and munched while she waited for the water to boil.
Two cookies later, her mug was filled with hot chocolate and she was ambling down the hall towards the bathroom with the tin of cookies stuffed under her arm. The shrill ring of the phone broke the silence. She really didn’t want to talk to anyone. When the phone rang for the fourth time, she gave up and went back to the living room to answer it. If it was Lucas and she didn’t answer, he’d be pounding on her front door within fifteen minutes.
Juggling her mug and the tin of cookies, she grabbed the phone on the fifth ring. “Hello.” There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Hello,” she said again, her voice sharp.
“I missed walking you home tonight.”
Katie sucked in a breath, her heart pounding at the low seductive voice on the other end of the line. Then her common sense reasserted itself. “I wasn’t expecting you. We didn’t have plans.” Her reply was cutting as she’d spent all weekend waiting for him to call her.
“No, we didn’t have plans, but I still missed you.” He paused and when he spoke again his voice was rough. “I didn’t like seeing you leave with Squires.”
“You were watching me and Lucas?” Outrage filled her. “Lucas is more than just my boss and my friend. He’s all the family I have, and I’ll spend as much time with him as I want. I have a life and what I do is my business.” There, that ought to put him in his place. She got nervous as the silence on the other end grew. While she wanted to assert her independence, she didn’t want him to walk away from their budding relationship. With all the changes in her life, she didn’t know if she was coming or going, but she knew she wanted to spend more time with Cain.
A deep sigh filled the line. “I know, but I still didn’t like it. I want your life to be my business. I want to be part of your life.”
It was said so reluctantly that Katie took pity on him. “We just went out to supper to discuss some business matters.” She perched on the back of the sofa and took a quick sip of hot chocolate. The pounding in her head was getting worse.
“So, it was business, nothing personal.” He sounded relieved by her admission.
“It sure feels personal,” she muttered.
“Business is never personal.” Having made that pronouncement, he deftly changed the subject. “I’m sorry I didn’t call yesterday but I got tied up with some business. I’d like to make it up to you if you’re willing.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night. I have to go out of town for a few days after that, but I want to see you before I go.”
Katie was itching to ask where he was going and what he did for a living, but she hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to do so. Something about him was so closed and reserved. Chewing on her bottom lip, she considered his invitation. It might give them a chance to really talk to one another. This could be her chance to learn more about him.
“It’s just dinner, honey,” his voice, laced with humor, filled her ears. She hadn’t realized she’d been quiet for so long.
Drawing on all the courage she possessed, she made her decision. Deep down, she knew her acceptance would suggest agreement to more than a simple dinner. She was making a commitment to at least explore this connection between them. “All right, I’ll have dinner tomorrow night.”
“I’ll send a car for you after work.”
“No, I want to come home and change first.” There was no way she was going out to dinner in jeans and a shirt she’d worked in all day. “How about half past seven?”
“Your wish is my command.” She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was humoring her, but she didn’t mind.
“I like the sound of that,” she teased.
“Tomorrow, Katie. Sleep well.” The other end of the line went dead, but Katie wasn’t concerned. In many ways, his abrupt manner reminded her of Lucas.
Hanging up the phone, she gathered her warm chocolate and cookies, and strolled down the hallway to the bathroom. She would need to figure out what to wear tomorrow night. Something casual, yet pretty.
Taking a sip of her drink, she then laid it on the side of the tub for easy access. After a moment’s hesitation, she placed the open tin of cookies next to her mug. Turning on the taps to the tub, she pondered her choices while she ran hot water and added bubbles. When the tub was full, she stripped off her clothes, and dumped them in the hamper.
Slowly, she eased into the tub, sliding beneath the mound of fragrant lavender bubbles. She took a face cloth and dumped it in the water before slapping it over her forehead. The heat felt good against her throbbing forehead. Reaching out her hand, she patted the side of the tub until she reached her mug. Carefully, she lifted it and took a sip before returning it to its original position. Taking a deep breath, Katie slid down further in the tub and contemplated her unexpected dinner date.
Chapter Seven
Squeezing a glob of shampoo into her hand, Katie quickly lathered her hair and stuck her head under the showerhead. Sputtering a little as soap ran into her eyes, she valiantly ignored it and squirted some body wash into her sponge and began to scrub her body. When soapsuds covered her from head to toe, she ducked back under the showerhead and allowed the hot water to wash away the dirt and grime of the day.
Why did she have to be late getting off work today of all days? It was if the fates had conspired to keep her rushing around all day. For the first time ever, her alarm clock hadn’t gone off and she was late for work. And she hated being late. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried she never quite caught up.
Then a regular customer had called late in the afternoon, pleading with Lucas for several dessert trays for an emergency meeting at work. What could she do? She could not desert Lucas. Laughing at her own choice of words, she jumped from the shower, grabbed a towel and started drying herself.
Katie couldn’t remember the last time she’d had anything resembling a real date. She was more excited than she’d thought she’d be. Wiping the steam from the mirror, she peered at her reflection. There wasn’t much to be done with her hair so she just ran her brush through it. Her cheeks were flushed from the shower, but she looked pale.
She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before coming to a decision. Rummaging under the bathroom sink produced the little yellow zippered pouch she was looking for. Taking a deep breath, she pulled back the zipper and peered inside. Makeup. She loathed the stuff, but had worn quite a bit of it while dating Kent. He’d encouraged her to wear it, to play up her assets.
Poking around inside the bag, she produced a tube of mascara and a tube of pale lipstick. While opening the mascara she prayed that it wasn’t completely dried up and was rewarded when the wand came up with stuff on it. Squinting, she applied mascara to her lashes. When she was finished, she grabbed the tube of lipstick and slicked some over her lips. Surveying her reflection in the mirror was not an encouraging sight. She looked like she was wearing bad false eyelashes they were so clumped together and come to think of it, the lipstick wasn’t quite the same shade it used to be.
Giving up in disgust, she grabbed a face cloth, ran it under some warm water and scrubbed at her face until the mess was gone. It took longer than she’d hoped as, rather than coming straight off, the mascara made nice little gray rings around her eyes. She wasted another five minutes just getting herself back to the state she’d been in when she’d gotten out of the shower. Sighing, she wrapped herself in a towel and hurried into the bedroom.
Grabbing a bottle of unscented lotion from her dresser, she slathered some on her body. As she rubbed her legs, she thanked the dating gods that she had shaved them last night. There was no way she would have had time to do it tonight. She tugged on a pair of stretchy lace underwear and a matching bra. She really didn’t need a bra, but it was the principle of the thing. It was a set, so she would wear both pieces.
“Oh, no.” A quick glance at the clock showed her that it was exactly half past seven. A knock came on her front door. She stood frozen for a moment, staring at the clothes that she had picked out last night. Nothing looked right for tonight. Another knock echoed up the hallway. This one more insistent.
Grabbing her robe from the hook behind the door, she tugged it on as she hurried down the hall. Making sure it was belted tight, she pulled open the door and then promptly slammed it again. Putting the chain on the door, she opened it a crack.
“Can I help you?” Katie knew that her actions were erratic, but that was exactly how she felt right now. Who the heck was this guy? She didn’t have time to deal with whoever this was. Cain would be here any minute.
The stranger covered his shock at her strange behavior, drew himself upright and replied in a dignified manner. “The car is here for Ms. Wallace.”
Katie looked at him suspiciously. “What car?”
The uniformed man, who looked to be in his late fifties, took off his hat and tucked it under his arm. He raised his head for a moment and Katie couldn’t be sure if he was asking for divine intervention or was studying the cracks in the ceiling. She thought it was the former. She took the moment to check him out. He was few inches taller than her and built like a bulldog with short graying hair and a nose like a beak. The artist in her noticed that his eyes were almost the exact same shade as his gray hair.
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