Kayli laughed and slid the pie into the oven. Then she emerged to the front counter. “Hi, Robert. How are you?”
“I’m good. Listen—a few of us are doing dinner tonight. A barbecue at my house—you interested?” Robert pressed his glasses to his face with an index finger. He crinkled his always-sniffling nose and smiled.
Kayli checked her watch. “I’m waiting for a customer pick-up. What time?”
“Not until six, but that isn’t all I came to tell you.” Robert pulled her around the counter by her elbow and sat her down at one of the two tables in the bakery. “You know that big restaurant going up down the street.” He looked around the store, ensuring no one was around. “I could lose my job for this, so you didn’t hear it from me.”
“Well, tell me, Robert. I didn’t know you had this mysterious side.”
Robert grimaced, in his annoyed bureaucratic way. “I did the paperwork for it downtown. It’s not just a restaurant. It’s a European bakery during the day. They plan to sell out of a shop up front.”
Kayli hunched over. She felt the blood drain from her face. Shaking her head, she finally looked up. “It’s a restaurant, open for dinner—right? It has nothing to do with me.”
“Right, a restaurant. But during the day they bake bread and desserts for the restaurant. They’re going to open a bakery café.”
Kayli shook her head. “No, Robert. The builder was here. He would have said something.” Her hands trembled. “I can’t go back to the hotels again. I’ve worked too hard for this. But if my business is split in half, what will I do?”
“I don’t know, Kayli, but I thought you should know. I heard the Royal Court is looking for a pastry chef.”
Kayli’s head swayed violently. “No, never again! I’d rather be a dishwasher than work in a fancy hotel again. The hours are stifling, and the rewards are null. Half my desserts ended up in the hotel cafeteria, stale and unappreciated. No, I can’t do that.”
“Mike Williams is building this restaurant. He plays to win. I’m not trying to scare you, but I want you to be realistic. We in the city have seen him take out a lot of mom-and-pop shops.”
Kayli’s heart sank. Robert supported her in nearly every endeavor. He’d even loaned her a small bit of money to get started. If he thought her chances were slim, they were probably impossible. “I don’t mean to shoot the messenger, Robert, but I need time to assimilate this information.”
“Join us for the barbecue—you’ll feel better.” His brown eyes widened, and she smiled at his sweetest grin. Robert, as fine and decent a man as there ever was, and yet Kayli felt nothing when she stared into his eyes. Why was that? “Kayli?”
“I’m sorry, Robert. I’m still digesting what you’ve told me. I don’t think so on dinner. I wouldn’t be good company anyway. But wait a minute—let me get you a tiramisu to serve.” Kayli went behind the counter and retrieved her signature dessert. She boxed it in an elegant gold box and placed a sticker on it. “Here, Robert—enjoy it with my compliments.”
He reached for the box, grasping her hand as he did so. “I’d rather have you there,” he whispered. “The dessert isn’t nearly as sweet.”
Kayli pulled her hand away. “Thank you, Robert, but I’ve got to be proactive. If I plan to beat Mike Williams at his own game, I’d better think of a plan. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on small talk.”
“Maybe Mr. Williams is looking for a pastry chef.”
“I like having my own business. Besides, if I can’t handle a little competition, I’m not really that good—right?”
Robert brushed her face with the back of his hand. “You are awesome. Don’t you forget it. I’ll see you at church this weekend.”
Kayli forced a smile. “Sure. Have fun tonight.”
“Not nearly as much without you.” He winked and turned.
Kayli sat for a long time with her chin in her hands. Wasn’t this always the way? She rejoiced in having her own business, just finished bragging about it, and it might be snatched out of her very hands. Sometimes she didn’t understand God. Hadn’t she paid her dues? Wasn’t this justification for all she’d missed in life? Kayli laughed out loud. This time she’d wrestle with God. She was sick of having to grin and bear it, and her business wouldn’t go without a fight.
“You look heavy into thought. Is this a bad time?” The tall cowboy made his way into the shop. The bell announcing him didn’t do him justice. She thought he should have his own special sound, maybe a bullhorn calling attention to his entrance. Though she doubted he had any trouble getting attention. Her eyes narrowed, thinking of all the information this man had kept to himself. That he had the nerve to walk into her shop.
“I’ve only just heard what you’re building. Won’t Mike Williams have your head for consorting with the enemy?” Kayli tried to sit tall, but her shoulders slumped again, and she felt the beginning of tears. She wiped away an escaped tear and looked away. “I’ll get your pie, and then I’d appreciate it if you’d just let Mike’s bakery serve your penchant for pie.”
“No, wait.” He grabbed her hand, and she turned to look up into his tropical green eyes. Her troubles seemed momentarily forgotten. What was it about this man? Why did she feel she’d known him for years? “I didn’t know there was competition in town. Not until you handed me the cappuccino the other day. I wouldn’t have done this knowingly.”
“I should make you pay for the coffee now.” Kayli sniffled. “So you think I’m about to go out of business, too?”
“I didn’t say that,” he whispered in a hoarse voice, and she felt herself swallow. Her hand was still in his. Such familiarity with a stranger was unknown to her, but she didn’t pull away. Anger mingled with interest.
“How could you do this? Build something for that monster and harm a small business. My small business.”
“I didn’t know. Honestly I didn’t. I’m not what you’d call an observant man. I passed by here every day and never bothered to notice.”
She blinked away fresh tears. His guilt only confirmed her worst suspicions. Mike Williams would put her business under; it was only a matter of time. “When will the bakery open?”
“Three months.”
“I’ll get your pie.” She turned to the back, but his hand squeezed hers. Suddenly she smelled something burning. “The pie!” She ran toward the back and opened the oven to see smoke. She fanned the fumes away, donning her oven mitts and coughing in the midst of gray clouds. She pulled out a blackened pie. It looked worse than it smelled.
The builder walked up behind her. “Is that a little cow on the pie?”
She nearly kissed him, so beautiful was his gesture to ignore the blackened pastry and focus on her handmade cow. She nodded.
“It’s a lovely cow. Reminds me of home. Thank you.” He took twenty dollars from his wallet. “You sure know how to impress a guy.”
“You don’t think I’m actually going to make you pay for this, do you?”
“I appreciate the effort. I imagine this hasn’t been your best day, and I wouldn’t do anything to make it worse. You take the money and buy essentials for another pie. I’m still dying to know if it beats my mom’s.”
Her tears started to roll again. Since when had she been so emotional? She shook her head, sniffing every few seconds. “I really can make an apple pie.”
He laughed. “I know you can. In fact, I’m certain there’s no end to all the things you can do. Have dinner with me. I want to let you know how sorry I am.”
“Tonight?”
“Now. We’ll go somewhere that Mike Williams doesn’t own. You’ll get to know me. I’ll get to know you, and we’ll share our contempt for everything Williams. Please. I could use a friend here.”
“Shouldn’t I know your name?” Kayli realized she didn’t even know this stranger. She only felt as though she did. His regular jaunts past the storefront provided a familiarity with him that didn’t extend into reality.
“Adam. Adam Harper.”
/>
“I’m Kayli Johnson.”
“We’ll leave my business card here on the counter, Kayli. That way, if you have any fears of walking up the street with me, someone will know how to find us. My cell phone number is on there. I don’t think your assistant would think too much of your taking off with a stranger. She doesn’t look like the type of woman I want to mess with.”
She smiled. “Believe me—she’s not. Let me turn off this oven and clean up a bit.” Kayli left the door unlocked. No sense in turning away business today. She’d need customers more than ever if competition loomed.
She brushed away the remaining flour from her work table and tried to forget that the man she’d admired from afar stood in her shop, waiting to take her to dinner. She checked her reflection in a tiny compact and sighed. She looked worn and pale, covered by a light dusting of flour. Kayli shook out her long, dark tresses and applied a bright red lipstick and a little blush. She puckered up, matting the lipstick, and drew in a deep breath.
The bell at the door jingled, and Kayli emerged to Robert’s questioning glance. He looked toward Adam and back at Kayli, and Kayli felt her eyes drift shut. She opened them to Robert’s sad brown eyes. “I thought you might be hungry for something. I got you a little soup up the street. I’ll just leave it here.” He placed a white bag on the counter and immediately left.
Kayli felt Adam’s glare and avoided looking in his direction. “A friend from church,” she finally said.
“A good one obviously.” Adam searched the room.
“It’s not what you think. He’s having a group over for dinner and asked me to join them. I didn’t feel like being in a group tonight, and I still don’t. But I’d like to get to know you, Adam Harper, if you’re still willing.”
Adam brushed his chambray shirt. “Something tells me by the look in that man’s eye, you’re trouble, Kayli Johnson.”
“You’re probably right.”
“You’ll break my heart, won’t you?” His gentle green eyes narrowed. He had mirth in his gaze, but also a sobering severity.
“Not over dinner, I won’t.”
“Fair enough.”
Adam took her arm, and they entered the busy sidewalk together. She feared looking into those clear eyes again, but she felt his large presence even without gazing toward him. Adam Harper would not be easily forgotten, and she had little doubt that it would be her heart broken in two. Still, his invitation proved as powerful as any web. She was drawn to him and hoped an evening in reality would put aside this ridiculous crush on a myth.
Chapter 3
U niversity Avenue bustled with the wealthy of Palo Alto’s elite, next to the backdrop of sweatshirted Stanford students on bicycles. Kayli’s stomach churned from being on the arm of this man she had idolized for so long. He was real and, for the moment, unaware that Kayli Johnson was not his type. Neither glamorous nor into cows, Kayli tried to forget this man would bring about her ruin in business. Indirectly anyway.
“Do you know how long I worked to get my own business?” Kayli heard her voice speak. It wasn’t like her to accept the invitation of a stranger, much less one with whom she obviously shared so little in common.
Adam turned and focused on her. His crystal green eyes narrowed, and she felt their weight. “I didn’t know, Kayli. You had to realize that if you were doing something well in Palo Alto, someone might come in and try to do it better. All you have to do is look at the countless expensive retailers here to realize that. The shopping compares with New York. You’re not that naive.”
Kayli frowned. “I think I was.”
“Did you come out with me to bust my chops all night?” He stopped suddenly on the street, and Kayli gulped.
“Well, no.”
“Come on—we’re going in here.” Adam opened the door to a quiet, Italian restaurant. The setting felt romantic, and Kayli felt a bit of her anger dissipate under the soft lighting and gentle music. They were seated at a quiet table in the corner by the window. The waiter handed them menus and set a wine list on the table. “Do you drink?”
Kayli shook her head.
“You can take this away.” Adam handed the waiter the leather-bound drink menu.
The waiter sniffed and removed the wine list and the glasses with an angry clink.
Kayli opened the menu, and her eyes widened. She didn’t partake of restaurants very often, and this one was certainly above her price range. “So what does a cowboy think about paying twenty-seven dollars for a steak?”
Adam grimaced. “Don’t get me started. The same thing I think about paying three dollars for a cup of coffee—that’s what I think. Is there anything that justifies these California prices?”
“The weather tax. That’s what we call it. You get sunshine about three hundred and fifty days a year. No snow to shovel, and the ocean a rock skip away. So we call the prices the weather tax.”
“Well, it’s disgusting.”
“Have you tried to pay the rent here? There’s a reason we charge those prices, Adam. Someone charges us. Though I must admit the price of a steak makes me wonder if the cows live in a fancy hotel suite until their demise. Still, the rent is quite overbearing for most.”
“Yes, my two thousand a month is buying me a lovely little one bedroom up the street, built in the forties. I’m praying we don’t have an earthquake before I get out.”
Kayli laughed. “Welcome to California, huh?”
“It’s not exactly the most welcoming state. But judging by all the people here, there must be something people want.”
“Have you walked Stanford’s serene campus? Or taken a hike in the mighty redwoods? Have you felt the ocean waves lap at your bare feet? Have you stood on the floor of Yosemite Valley? God’s creation is so apparent in California.” Kayli laughed. “I sound like a praise song, but some things are worth their price.”
He looked away from her and focused on his menu before lifting his gaze back to hers. “You’re a Christian.” It sounded more like an accusation than a question.
“I am,” Kayli answered. “How did you know?”
“I saw the fish sign on your window. That’s what pulled me in your shop that day. Almost like it was a sign.”
Kayli looked away. Yes, she was a Christian, but little good that seemed to do her. While heathens like Mike Williams built bigger tributes to themselves, little Christians like Kayli struggled to make ends meet. Where was God in all this? And why was she facing her old life and those vicious questions again?
“I haven’t been a Christian very long, and this is not the first time I’ve questioned my faith.” Kayli shot a hand toward her mouth. Had she really uttered her fears?
Adam laughed, and Kayli bristled. “Life ain’t fair—that’s for sure. God never promised us it would be. When I get back to Montana, my faith will be restored. Clean air, blue skies, and honest people. It’s easy to get lost in all the hustle-bustle here. You hold on. It won’t always be this way.”
“Easy for you to say. I’m glad it’s perfectly acceptable for you to come here, take our money, build a monster restaurant, and go home with no guilt whatsoever. Is that His plan for your life? You can take people down as long as they aren’t from your home state?” Kayli hated the sound of her voice. It sounded edgy and bitter.
Adam dropped his head, blinking quickly. His expression sent a pang of guilt through Kayli, and she instantly regretted her words and her tone. “Montana is no picnic, Kayli. There are no free rides. We all have our own crosses to bear. I’m sure you wouldn’t want mine, and I wouldn’t want yours.”
Kayli opened her mouth to speak but closed it upon seeing the severity in Adam’s eye. She breathed deeply before speaking.
“I envy your escaping your troubles—that’s all.”
“Montana is no escape. Responsibilities can be painful no matter where you’re placed.”
Kayli swallowed hard. Something about the grievousness of his expression told her something more went on in Montana, but she
feared the answer. “I’m sorry. I plan to win this war with Mr. Mike Williams, Adam. You tell your boss that.”
“No, I don’t think I will. I’ll let you prove it to him. He doesn’t need the added challenge. It’s better he looks at you as a fly to be swatted away.”
“You don’t think I can take him, do you? You think his bakery will do me in within a month?”
“Kayli, I’ve built enough for Mike Williams to know he is not a man I’d mess with. Do I respect him as a person? Not on your life. Do I respect his mind for business? Absolutely, and I wouldn’t toy with him like a kitten’s ball of yarn. You’ll only hang yourself.”
“Speak of the devil.” Kayli nodded toward the door where Mike Williams had just come in. She noticed Adam shift uncomfortably. “Do you want to leave?”
Adam shook his head and crossed his arms, as though bracing for Mike’s approach.
“Well, if it isn’t my builder with Miss Johnson.” He whistled, and the waiters looked angrily their way before noticing it was Mr. Williams and consequently ignored the breech in peace.
“Do I know you?” Kayli asked.
“Mike Williams.” He held out a hand, which Kayli ignored. “I’m building the new restaurant and bakery up the street. Hasn’t my trusty contractor spilled the beans yet?”
“No, actually, he hadn’t, but your reputation precedes you regardless.” Kayli narrowed her eyes, staring into Mike’s cold gray ones. “I hope you’re prepared with that bakery, Mr. Williams. I was trained at all the finest hotels in Switzerland. You’ll have a hard time competing with me.”
“I don’t plan to compete. I plan to hire you, Miss Johnson. I can pay you twice what you must be earning in that little sweatshop of yours.” He opened a palm pilot, studying the calendar before placing it in front of her and pointing to the date. “One year from today, Miss Johnson, and you’ll be begging me for a job.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” Kayli forced her gaze from the PDA.
Adam cleared his throat. “This is a date, Mr. Williams. You know—a guy-girl thing. Do you mind? I’m not on the clock.”
Sweet Surprise: Romance Collection Page 2
