by Maya Hughes
“Because my face feels like it’s going to explode when I cut them, so better you than me.” She stuck out her tongue. The long scar along the side of her face was barely visible after all these years, nowhere near as angry and puckered as it used to be. She was beautiful and strong. The scar was a testament that.
My love for plants was a weird quirk to most people, but they’d helped us weather a lot of storms. When we’d first moved to the East Coast, the garden my mom and I had worked on kept us in fresh food until we got on our feet. All her money had gone toward a place to stay and fixing our old broken-down car so she could get to work. That didn’t leave much for things like food.
We’d been side by side out back planting, and so excited when our first plants sprouted up. Roasted vegetables, stews, and grabbing them straight out of the ground with a rinse had been our preferred ways to eat them. The safety and comfort of working the soil with my hands had never gone away, and that’s why botany.
“You’re a cruel, cruel woman! How many shelters are you feeding this week?”
“Only the one. This is only about a quarter of what they need most of the time, but I don’t have much more space to be able to safely store the food before we take it to them. People always forget about the crowds that are still there after Christmas. I have to make sure people have some treats even after the holiday is over.” She turned the giant dough ball out onto the floured counter and got to work kneading it. A timer dinged, and she checked over her shoulder.
“Can you grab those pies out of there and then put in another tray of the stuffing?”
I saluted her, my kitchen captain, and grabbed a couple of oven mitts. The heat blast from the oven cleared away the stinging in my eyes and replaced it with a dry, scratchy-eye feeling. Wonderful.
The brown sugar and cinnamon smell made my stomach grumble and reminded me of Kara. I’d been on sous-chef mode since the crack of dawn. I was delirious. People thought I could skate forever on the ice, well, my mom could cook forever in the kitchen.
An accountant by profession, cooking and baking for others was where her heart was. She’d sacrificed a whole row of cabinets to fit in another oven and the ability to bake six catering trays of food instead of only three.
The hot meals we’d had when we made it to Philly in the shelters had kept us going while she’d waited for her first paycheck.
We had a break when the ovens were full, every surface was covered in some kind of food that needed to be cooled or stuck in the ovens. There was literally no other place to put anything. I collapsed into the nearest chair.
“You want to go out to eat?” I called down the hallway. The mail from before Christmas was sitting at the front door. I flipped through it and my blood ran cold as I plucked one out of the stack.
“There’s about nine thousand pounds of food sitting in the kitchen.” Her voice got closer and I shoved the envelope into my pocket.
She walked into the living room, undoing her apron.
“Like you’re going to let me eat any of it. I know how this song and dance goes. Not until you’ve filled the car to the brim and there is barely enough room for you to slide into the driver’s seat will you let me take the food.”
She paused with her finger raised like she was going to say something and then nodded. “Okay, where do you want to go?”
Yes! “How about some crab fries?” I was already at the front door with my coat on. The letter would have to wait.
Laughing, she grabbed her purse. “You really are an East Coaster, aren’t you?” she teased, and I opened the door, zipping my coat against the blistering cold outside. A small flake landed on my nose, and I glanced up at the overcast sky.
“My heart will always belong to California, but it doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy the food.”
We drove to a place not too far from our old high school, Rittenhouse Prep. Cavanaugh’s crispy fries smothered in old bay with a legendary cheese sauce had been a staple back in high school. We’d piled in there after practice sometimes to refuel and relax.
I waved to the guy behind the counter, and we grabbed a spot in a booth. The menu hadn’t changed in years, and that made it the best. So many things in life changed, but coming back to this place, sliding into a booth and eating some of the most delicious fries ever created meant all was right with the world.
Mom picked up the menu, and I slapped it down on the table. “Why do you even look? You know you’re going to pick the same thing I always get.”
“Maybe I want to try something different.” She thrived on consistency and predictability. Some of that had rubbed off on me too, but in a different way.
It was probably a side effect of living in a house where you never knew what might happen. Walking on eggshells all the time and never knowing if it would be a good day or a bad day. Would it be a day where we watched TV and ate dinner and fell soundly asleep, or would it be a day where she ended up in the hospital and I slept on the beach?
The waiter came over, and I placed my order. Mom spent a solid minute looking over the menu with him standing there before ordering the exact same thing I had. I shot her a look and chuckled.
She rolled her eyes and handed over the menu to the waiter. The blustery, wintery mix swirled outside the window of the restaurant. There had been a few flurries, but it was coming down harder.
A large figure wrenched open the door to the place and blasted everyone with freezing air. He held the door open for another smaller figure and dragged the hat off his head as the door slammed behind him. I smiled wide as Ford stepped into the place with Olivia at his side.
She rubbed her hands together and blew into them. I waved my arm as they scanned the restaurant looking for a place to sit. Ford smiled with relief washing over his face and motioned for Liv to follow him. She didn’t look nearly as happy to see us as he did.
Mom craned her neck to see who I waved to.
“Look at you, Ford! I can’t believe how much you’ve grown up.” Mom slid out of the booth and squeezed his cheeks. I stifled my laughter behind my fist. “And Olivia.” Mom rested her hand along the side of Olivia’s face. She stared down into her eyes.
“How are you, sweetheart? How was your Christmas?”
Olivia throat worked up and down, and there was a slight sheen on her eyes before she smiled and nodded. “I’m good, and it was good. Colm got me this bracelet.”
“Wow, that’s beautiful.” My mom oohed and aahed over it. “Come join us.” Mom did her flustered-mother-hen thing and ushered them into her side of the booth and scooted in beside me.
Ford unbuttoned his coat and scooted to the far wall while Liv followed him, sliding in a bit closer. I raised my eyebrow at him, and he shook his head.
Mom reached across the table and covered Liv’s hands with her own. “How are you holding up? I hear you’re graduating from school soon. A boarding school up in Boston?”
“Yes. I’ll graduate in June, and then I’ll be going to college at UPenn in the fall.”
“That’s wonderful.” She squeezed Liv’s hands. “Your parents would be so proud of you.”
Olivia ducked her head and nodded again. “I hope so.”
Colm and Olivia’s parents had died in a car accident our senior year of high school. Since Colm was eighteen, he’d become her guardian. He’d put her in a boarding school up there while he went to college and was drafted.
“Where’s Colm?” I leaned against the table, talking to Ford while Mom and Liv had a little gab session.
“He is finishing up the paperwork to sell their parent’s house. They found a buyer. Need to get it done before the end of the year.” Ford pushed through the words like he was shoving a boulder up a mountain.
The server came back with our drinks and a couple menus for Ford and Olivia, but they waved him off, already knowing their orders.
“Like the good old days.” I leaned back in the booth.
“I was so pissed when we moved to Boston and I never got to c
ome here in high school!” Olivia laughed and looked to Ford.
“I’m sure you can make up for it in college.” Ford silently drummed his fingers along the table.
“When you’re ready to move down for college, let us know if you need anything. Heath and Declan are here too. And I’m always around. I can take you shopping. I don’t know what you plan on bringing down from school.” Mom’s eyes lit up talking about it.
I could already see the vision of a tricked-out girl’s room dancing through my mom’s brain. She’d never gotten to do that stuff with me.
“I really appreciate it, and I’ll let you know. It will be weird coming back for more than a visit. Will you come visit me, Ford?” She brushed her shoulder against his.
He raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Of course. Colm and I will be down all the time to check in on you. And Grant’s going to UPenn too.”
Her smile drooped. He’d better hope he never got traded to Philly.
Our food arrived and everyone dug in. Salty-seasoned flavor exploded in my mouth, and it was exactly like I remembered. Somehow, trying to make these at home wasn’t the same. We sat talking for a bit longer.
Glancing out the window of the restaurant, Mom checked her watch and turned to me. “I think I need more catering trays for everything we cooked. Can we run to the store and then the mall for a few things?”
I cringed as even more snow came down. At least the Christmas rush was over. “Sure, but we should go now.” I put down a couple twenties as Mom reached for her purse. “Move it, Mom.”
“But Heath—”
“Mom, I’ve got it.” I dropped my money and looked around for the server.
“It’s cool, man. I’ll close out the bill.” Ford slid the folio away from me.
“It was so wonderful to see you, Olivia.” Mom bent to wrap her arms around Olivia and squeezed her tight.
I slapped my hand into Ford’s and slid out of the booth. “Bye, Liv.” Waving to her, I shrugged my coat on, and Mom and I headed out into the whipping wind.
Only a few days until I saw Kara again. I was going to make it a night she couldn’t get out of her head.
10
Heath
I hadn’t thought I’d be returning to the hotel where I’d had my night with Kara so soon. Walking through the door held open by the doorman under the expansive awning sent a sharp spark of electricity right down my spine.
It was like I could still smell her and feel her by being in the same space we’d been together. Shoving my hands deeper into my pockets and wrapping my fingers around my phone, I resisted the urge to call her. She’d said she had a family thing today and wouldn’t be able to talk much. Calm the hell down.
Felix had already asked what my deal was the second time I broke a pot in the greenhouse. Turns out lunging across the work bench for a message that may or may not have come through was a quick and easy way to crack a few pots and spill soil all over everything. He’d shaken his head and laughed. I couldn’t even blame him.
Walking into the hotel bar, I checked for any sign of Emmett. This dude lived like a fifty-year-old bachelor. I expected him to be sitting in a booth in a smoking jacket with a pipe in his mouth.
“Dude, it’s about time,” he groused when I spotted him in a booth toward the back, sans smoking jacket. Emmett wasn’t as smooth and refined as Colm even though they ran in the same circles. He’d had a little bit of a lumberjack vibe before he shaved the beard right after high school. We hung out and had a few beers. I knew most of the other guys were busy and Emmett’s parents were absent as usual. He was probably rattling around his penthouse all by himself.
Emmett’s default was to cover the bill. For as long as I could remember, his first instinct had always been to put his hand in his pocket first. Whether it was for pizza, kegs for a party, you name it, and he would try to pay for it. Even if we tried to preempt him.
“I’m serious, Em. You don’t have to pay for my drinks.”
His gaze locked with mine. “I know, but if I don’t spend it on you, I’ll end up spending it on something else. Might as well be another King.”
I let it slide. Once I got my first pro check, he was getting the biggest and most ridiculous bottle of bourbon delivered to him.
We stepped out of the bar, and I dropped my bag to zip up my coat. A large group of people were filing out of one of the ballrooms. I stepped back to let them pass when a glint of purple caught my eye. For a second, I thought I imagined it. That had to be bound to happen when someone occupied about ninety-five percent of your waking thoughts. But it wasn’t my imagination. I flapped my arm in the air waving like an idiot.
“Kara!” I called out. Emmett craned his neck to see who I’d shouted for.
She brushed her curls back from her face as her eyes searched the crowd. Stopping mid-button on her coat, she spotted me. With a quick word to the people beside her, she zigzagged through the crowd straight for me.
“Hi.” She stepped in closer, letting the crowd pass.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” The warm twinkle in her eyes had me fisting my hands at my sides. We’d had one night and planned for another date. Was this caress-your-face-in-public-and-kiss-you-breathless territory?
“I had a family event. A dinner my parents were attending.”
Oh shit, parents in the vicinity. Normally I’d be racing off into the sunset, but I stayed put.
“Don’t worry, they had to leave early. What about you?” She licked her bottom lip. Had there ever been a more perfect one?
“Meeting Emmett for drinks.” I nodded in the general area Emmett had been, no idea if he was still there or had been replaced with a fire-breathing dragon. Everything centered on her. The dress she had on showed off her collarbones and shoulders. The purple reminded me of walking into the greenhouse, so vibrant in a place filled with muted, safe colors.
We both stood there staring at each other. I was ninety percent sure I had the dopiest of grins on my face.
Someone called her name behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder.
“One sec, okay?” She hurried away before I could say anything. I tried to keep my eye on her as the sea of people milling around in the lobby grew.
Emmett found his way back to me. “She’s the one from the bar that night, right?”
“Yeah.” I craned my neck to find her.
“Then you’ll probably need this.” He slipped a hotel key card into my hand.
I threw my hands up. “What the hell is it with you and needing to spend money on people? I don’t need your charity, Em.” He was pissing me off with this shit.
“Did I say you did?” He met my glare with one of his own.
“Do you think you need to buy my friendship or something? It’s starting to make me feel cheap. Don’t think you’re climbing into bed with us. Is this some secret sex room? Are there cameras installed in there?” I eyed him suspiciously.
“Dude, you’re insane.” He laughed. “Think of this as an early graduation present.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, still not one hundred percent sure he wasn’t up to something.
“Are you running an escort agency on the side?”
“You found me out, man. That’s where all this money comes from.” He spread his arms wide. “You’d be shocked what this body gets on the open market. I get free rooms from the hotel because I own the penthouse. Better they not go to waste. Don’t make me feel like shit for trying to do something nice.”
And now I felt like shit. “I want you to know you don’t have to spend money like it’s water to get me to show up, or any of us for that matter.”
A shadow passed over his eyes for a split second. A haunted look and then it was gone. “I know. Have fun.” He winked and walked through the lobby.
Kara was over talking to a group of people. One of the guys had his hand on her shoulder. She took a step back, but his hand followed. My hackles were up as I wa
tched her take another step away only to have the guy refuse to break contact.
And in a flash his thumb traced along the bare skin on her shoulder. I don’t even remember moving, but I do remember grabbing the guy by the lapels of his black suit and pushing him away from her. He stumbled back with his eyes wide and glassy.
“Back off,” I bit out. My hands fisted at my sides.
The heads of everyone around us whipped around.
“Heath, it’s okay.” She ran her hands down my arms to my fists and only then did I relax.
“It was a wonderful event, I’ll definitely think about that biochemistry fellowship for next summer.” She turned, smiling over her shoulder. Using her body to corral me away, she managed to push me back a few steps.
“It’s okay. He was a bit drunk.”
“It’s not okay.” My jaw was so tight, I thought I might crack a tooth.
She sighed. “You’re right, it’s not. But I don’t want to make waves for my dad at the hospital.”
“That’s not even something you should have to think about. That asshole shouldn’t have put his hands on you.”
“I know, but thank you for swooping in.” She pressed a gentle kiss against my lips, and her other hand slid down to mine.
“What’s that?”
I glanced down at the partially bent key card.
“I have a room.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“We can watch a movie or something. We don’t have to go up there. Or we can go eat in the restaurant.” I rushed out. She’d just eaten. I resisted the urge to smack myself in the head. “Or we could grab a drink.”
She peered up at me with a wicked smile. It was the same one I’d seen that night. Tugging out her phone, she sent a message to someone.
“Who was that to?”
“I needed to make sure no one is worried about me. And to answer your question, how about all of the above?”
I let out a sigh of relief. My outburst hadn’t freaked her out. I hated that feeling that had bubbled up. The one where I wanted to destroy that guy for touching her, but I shook it off. Relax.
