Somebody Like You: A Sugar Shack Novel

by Candis Terry

  “Don’t kid yourself. Even I’m just starting to figure things out. I might be dead, but I guess I’m not done learning.”

  Kelly folded her arms across the back of the seat and rested her chin. She couldn’t see a thing except the pastry books, scraps of quilting material, and the other mom paraphernalia no one had bothered to clear out. “What have you learned so far?”

  Her mother let out a whoop of a laugh. “That you have to live your life right, so people don’t have to lie about you at your funeral.”

  “You think the community lied about you? Mom! You were a saint to this town. They loved you.”

  “Not the community, dear. My children.”

  “We didn’t lie.” And there went one more.

  “Yeah. You did. But I think I understand now. And I’ve been trying to do something about it.”

  Kelly felt a squeeze in her heart. Was this what the afterlife was about? That you had to go around making up for the mistakes you’d made in your past? If so, she was exhausted already. Where would she even start?

  “Mom, are you sure you’re not just supposed to go into the light or something?” Kelly sat in total silence. Suddenly the chill lifted and the heat rolled back in through the window. “Mom?”

  The car started on its own, and Kelly about jumped out of her skin. She guessed the conversation was over. For now. But if she wasn’t certifiably wacko and her mother really had risen from the grave, she appeared to have plenty to say.

  Lucky her.

  Minutes later Kelly pushed through the back door of the Sugar Shack. She couldn’t shake the experience she’d just had. And since she examined facts for a living, she knew she needed to find out more.

  Kate stood over the mixer, adding chocolate to the batter swirling inside the big stainless bowl, and singing along with Miranda Lambert on the radio. After Kelly dropped her purse inside the office and grabbed an apron off the hook near the door, she joined her sister in the kitchen.

  “Hey.” Kate stopped scraping the chocolate from the bowl and looked up. “What are you doing here?”

  “Guilt.” Kelly tied the apron strings around her waist and went to the sink to wash her hands. “The idea of you and dad making all those Founder’s Day cupcakes wouldn’t get out of my head.”

  “Nothing we can’t handle. You should have seen us over Valentine’s Day. I swore I never wanted to see another red heart. Until Marta Bingham decided she wanted red hearts on her wedding cake. And she wanted that cake to look like a creation right out of a Tim Burton movie. Which turned out totally awesome if I must say so myself.”

  Kelly shook the water from her hands and wiped them dry. “Yeah, well, I’m used to getting up early anyway. And I didn’t have anything planned.”

  “And?” Kate dumped the empty bowl into the stainless sink and gave her the stink eye.

  “And what?”

  “She’s already shown up hasn’t she?”

  “If by she you mean our mother, then yes. And I’m going to consider the fact that you know about her and you seem relatively sane, I don’t need to rent myself a room at the funny farm.”

  Kate laughed. “No, you’re not crazy. Or maybe you are. But then so are Dean and I.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “What? And ruin the surprise? No way, José.”

  “A little warning wouldn’t have hurt. I almost took out a light pole.”

  “Would you have believed me?”

  Kelly shook her head. “I would have arranged for a very nice suite at a local hospital.”

  “Well there you go. In any case, what did the meddling mischief-maker have to say this time?”

  “She’s being vague.”

  “Ha! Status quo.”

  “What does she want?” Kelly asked, as though this was an ordinary conversation about an ordinary mom.

  “Well, that’s different for each of us. And it’s not my place to tell you what she has planned.”

  “Holy crap.” Kelly stuffed her hands into a pair of latex gloves. “That sounds ominous.”

  “Eh. Depends what kind of mood she’s in.”

  “I don’t like this,” Kelly said, pulling cupcake pans from a rolling rack. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe that’s the point, Kel. Maybe you try to make sense of everything. And maybe you’re supposed to just go with the flow for once.”

  Kelly turned and faced her sister, who looked to be highly entertained. “You do realize that I’ve been trained to compile facts and make a solid case? All of the sudden I’m expected to just accept something I can’t see? Something that no longer exists?”

  “You’ve seen her, though. Right?”

  “Ummmm.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t think you’ve lost your marbles.” Kate disappeared into the office and came out carrying a large pack of red, white, and blue paper baking cups. “In fact, I’m rather looking forward to the show.”

  “Gee, thanks. I can hardly wait.”

  Kate laughed and grabbed Kelly into a hug. “Welcome home, sis.”

  “I’m only here for a short visit,” Kelly protested.

  “Right.” Kate patted her on the back. “Been there. Done that.”

  “I’m serious. There are some things coming down the line, and after Dean’s wedding I have to get back to Chicago.”

  “I understand.” Kate’s eyes sparked with mischief. “Your real life calls. But just an FYI, sister dear, mine came in through a bullhorn. And look what happened to me. Besides, if you don’t mind my saying so, you don’t look all that happy.”

  “I’m happy.”

  “Yep. That would explain you hiding out in the office when you first came home. Shoveling cheesecake into your mouth like there was no tomorrow.”

  “The long flight and drive from the airport made me hungry.”

  “So, I’m guessing you’ve forgotten the conversation we had in which you expressed your feelings of total incompetence and regret at having lost a really impossible case to win?”

  “No.” Kelly blew out a puff of air. “I didn’t forget. But I was hoping you had.”

  “Me? Ha!” Kate handed over the cupcake baking cups. “Mind’s like a rubber band. Snaps back every time.”

  “Lucky me.” Kelly moved her attention away from Kate’s intense gaze.

  “Time to move forward, sis. Expand your horizons. You never know what will come your way.”

  “Looks like that includes our dead mother in the backseat of her Buick. No disrespect intended.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Kate laughed. “She isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. You can count on that.”

  Four hours and two sore feet later, Kelly refilled the pitcher of homemade sun tea and wondered why she wasn’t out basking in the sunshine. The bakery door swung open, and the bell above gave a happy jingle as Matt and James strolled in looking hot and hungry.

  For all intents and purposes, Kelly meant weather-related hot. But there was something about a man in a uniform that just called to a woman’s basic senses. Especially when that woman knew beneath that oh-so-proper outer layer of khaki the man was made of pure, defined muscle, and he used that body to weave a spell like a master seducer.

  “Hi, Matt.”

  He gave her a smile. “Where’s my wife?”

  “In the back conjuring up some really naughty cake designs for Millie Johnson’s retirement party.” Kelly wanted to laugh at the eager look on his face. Maybe she needed to run interference to keep their dad from going in the back for a few minutes. Give the newlyweds a little alone time.

  A twinge of envy tightened her stomach. Matt and Kate had been destined to be together from the start. Even when for a decade they had lived in different parts of the country with entirely different ways of life, there had been some crazy sprinkle of destiny that tied them together.

  Kelly had never even had a high school boyfriend. Since then she’d been too busy to get involved. She guessed she should be amazed that she’d ever l
ost her virginity. Not that men didn’t seem interested. Just that she’d been so immersed in creating a career for herself that she’d kind of missed all the opportunities. Or most of them, anyway. Few of her relationships had been memorable. Some had been prompted with liquid courage. And then there was . . .

  James stepped up to the lunch counter. His smile came quickly, sincerely, and full of promise.

  Opportunities.

  Hmmm.

  She was looking for something to take her mind off her colossal failure in the courtroom. Something that tasted yummy without the liquid courage. Maybe her entire problem was that she’d been way too uptight. Maybe that had been her reason for making so many errors on the Colson case. Maybe all she really needed was to rediscover life’s simple pleasures. Would it be so wrong to take what James openly offered? Even if there was fifty bucks at stake? Kelly had never regarded herself as the wham-bam type. Then again, on deeper consideration, she wasn’t altogether sure she even had a type. Maybe she’d been looking at everything all wrong. Maybe instead of needing something to take her mind off things she needed someone.

  She picked up a pencil and slid the notepad beneath the lead. “What can I get for you today, Deputy?”

  His wide shoulders leaned in as he studied her. “Two tuna subs. No tomato. Two iced teas.”

  “Isn’t that the same thing you ordered the other day?”

  He nodded slowly as his eyes assessed her from her head to where her pink apron disappeared beneath the counter. “When I like something, I tend to want to enjoy it over and over again.”

  A memory of his hot mouth and exploring hands flashed through her mind, and she swallowed. When he enjoyed something, he took his time and savored every moment. That little slice of information she’d experienced first-hand. Several times. Happily.

  Before she made a complete and utter fool of herself by drooling or something equally as heinous. Or before she took him up on his not-so-subtle offer, she took his money then slipped on a pair of gloves and grabbed two lunch rolls from the bin. She sliced both right down the middle and slathered on equal amounts of mayo.

  “You make up your mind yet?” he asked.

  “About?”

  “Me showing you things.”

  “Jury’s still out.”

  “Well deliver those closing arguments, Counselor. Because I’ve got something I want to show you Friday night.”

  “Like?”

  “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  She looked up, waving the knife in her hand. “Have I mentioned that I don’t like surprises?”

  “Then you’re cheating yourself.”

  “Are you still talking about that bet?” Kelly packed the sandwiches in the bag.

  “Nope. Something better.”

  Better than sex? He definitely had stirred her interest.

  At that moment Matt and Kate came out of the back—a little rumpled and smiling.

  James grabbed the lunch bags from the counter. “I’ll pick you up Friday at eight,” he told her. “Be ready.”

  “For?”

  He grinned. “Anything.”

  On Founder’s Day the entire town turned out for the celebration parade. Warm afternoon sunshine glinted down on an array of observers and the various hats worn to keep the heat at bay. There were bands, and dance groups, and the Deer Lick Destroyers’ cheerleaders on top of a flatbed truck decorated with streamers in red, white, and blue. A rodeo queen in a sparkling blouse rode by and waved while the Crafty Critters 4-H group led their cranky sheep down the route on red halters. The sheriff’s patrol had blocked off all the paths that led to Main Street. Somehow James, in full uniform, had pulled duty across the street from the Sugar Shack. Which is exactly where Kelly stood beside her family and Edna Price serving up the Founder’s Day cupcakes as the parade marched by.

  Edna had been her mother’s dearest and oldest friend. And when Kate had been going through her should I stay or should I go crisis—before she admitted she was in love with Matt—Edna had been the one to point out to Kate that one shouldn’t just take love for granted. Edna—much like their mother—called them like she saw them.

  Across the street James stood in a wide stance. Arms folded across his khaki uniform. A pair of Ray-Ban aviators covering his eyes. Even behind the shades, Kelly could feel his gaze on her with every move she made. Or maybe she was just imagining things. She decided to test the theory and accidentally dropped a paper napkin. When she bent to pick it up, his head tilted just slightly, and a slow smile curved his sensuous lips.

  In reality he could have just been watching the kids on scooters passing by. She chose to believe that that head tilt had come in appreciation of the dip in the bodice of the white sundress she’d chosen that morning.

  In the spirit of the celebration she’d also put her hair up in a ponytail and wrapped it with a sparkly red scarf. Not so much because it was a hot day and it felt good to get the heavy hair off her neck, but to tease the man across the street. On their hike he’d commented that he liked her hair up so that he could picture himself taking it down. While nothing outrageous had happened between them that day, she found flirting fun. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure she welcomed his attention. He had heartache written all over him. Then again, when had she let that stop her?

  She handed a cupcake with white icing and blue sprinkles to a little girl with red hair and freckles, as a hay wagon decorated with balloons and pulled by two huge black horses rolled by. “Here you go, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you.” The little redhead slurped her tongue across the top of the icing.

  Kelly laughed. “Hope you enjoy that cupcake.”

  “That’s Sarah Littleton,” Emma whispered as she handed over a cupcake to an elderly gentleman in a straw hat. “I’ll have her in my class this fall.”

  “She looks sweet.”

  “She is.” Emma’s shocking blue eyes darkened. “Her family is really struggling right now.”

  “Finances?” Kelly asked.

  “Sarah’s little brother.” Emma pressed her lips together and shook her head. “A beautiful two-year-old with copper curls and a smile that could stop your heart.”

  As they chatted an old Volkswagen painted like a mouse, with rubber tubing whiskers and a spring tail, sputtered past the cupcake display table. Several clowns took their turn dancing toward the kids in the crowd and handing out candy and balloons. The sorrow on Emma’s face stopped her from laughing.

  “What happened?” Kelly asked.

  “Leukemia.” Edna Price leaned across the tale and handed cupcakes to a teenage couple in matching flip-flops.

  Kelly swallowed a harsh gasp of air. “He died?”

  Both Edna and Emma nodded.

  “A two-year-old?” Everything Kelly had eaten for lunch threatened to make a sudden reappearance. “Oh, my god.”

  While Emma restocked the cupcakes, Edna curved her arm around Kelly’s waist. “See that group of folks in the silly outfits?”

  Kelly looked up at the clowns through misty eyes and nodded.

  “His mother said they brought a lot of joy to her little boy near the end when it got really tough. He left this earth with a smile because of them. Just breaks my old heart every time I think about it.”

  Over the heads of those observing the parade, Kelly watched the clowns continue their funny wiggle-walk toward the end of the street. To know they’d given a dying little boy his last smile certainly put things in perspective. Kelly had been so focused on her solitary failure. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe she wasn’t seeing the big picture. Because one thing was certain, her own inadequacies could never compare to the loss the Littleton family had suffered.

  “Do not do anything stupid tonight.” James held his ground against the obstinate teen slumped on the couch playing Call of Duty and giving him a look that made him feel very uncool. “I have plans and I don’t want you to ruin them. Again.” James was only thirty-two with a lot of cool left in hi
m. But there he was, being a straight-laced caretaker to the kid brother who seemed to try every trick in the book to make him crazy.

  Since he’d become the legal guardian for Alex two years ago there had been friction. Fifteen-year-old boys weren’t usually the most rational. They thought they knew it all. As a whole they were self-conscious, argumentative, easily offended, and disrespectful. With Alex you could add lazy, sneaky, and rebellious. James understood these things. He’d been there, done that. Hell, he’d made some of the poorest decisions of his life when he’d been that age. Deadly decisions. But being a fifteen-year-old boy and knowing what to do with one were entirely different matters.

  In two years things hadn’t improved. Thanks to Alex’s choice of friends, they’d gotten worse. Not that James could put all the blame on the group of rebels his brother hung out with, but they didn’t help.

  James continually reached inside himself to find the right path on which to lead Alex, but growing up he’d had little guidance himself and absolutely no role models. His mother had worked hard cleaning houses, and in her spare time she searched for husband number three. Luckily she’d never found him. James and Alex did not share the same father. James didn’t even know who his father was, although his mother swore they’d been married. A lack of wedding photos or documentation left James with the truth that he’d been a bastard in more ways than one.

  Lately, the situation with Alex had deteriorated. The more stressed James became, the more Alex rebelled.

  Alex ran a hand through his long blond hair and gave him a half-cocked grin. “Just plan on playing a little Xbox tonight, bro.”

  “That’s what you said last weekend, and I ended up having to rescue your ass from the drunk tank.”

  “Nobody asked you to rescue me.”

  “That’s what I mean, Alex. You’re too damn stubborn to realize when you’re in too deep.”

  “Don’t you mean I’m too stupid?”

  James barked a laugh. “You are far from stupid. You’re too clever by most counts.” He shoved a frozen pre-made lasagna into the oven, slammed the door shut, and cranked on the heat. “I figure you’ll be a damned genius by the time you’re thirty. If you live that long.”