He followed her into the kitchen, then leaned against the counter next to the sink, where she was washing the dishes. “Okay, listen. That kid today—Ty, right? He’s lucky because now he has Joe and Claire and a slew of other kids who’ve worked through the same stuff before him. They’re proof he can survive all that’s happened to him. But it’s gonna take time for him to trust it—trust them.”
Jules swiped more slowly at a plate, even though he was sure it must be clean by now. “Claire says the kids sometimes try to sabotage a placement, even if having a family is what they really want.”
“Exactly. It’s kind of a self-protection mechanism. ‘This thing I want so much is within my grasp but it’ll never happen for me, so I’m going to blow it up myself.’” And wasn’t that ironic? Because the longing to have a family was a wish Cam had buried so deep he didn’t even want to admit it was there.
He’d been running from it his whole adult life. And he still didn’t think he deserved it.
Jules turned off the water and dried her hands with a dish towel before folding it carefully and hanging it over the edge of the sink. “I noticed when Ty started screaming today, the first thing Claire did was direct all the other kids back to a normal routine. So what you’re saying makes sense.”
She paused. “Do you think Eleanor and Emma are going to go through that? That they’re going to feel like they can’t trust us?”
“I don’t know. They’re young, but the loss of their parents... I don’t know, Jules. I’m flying blind here, too.”
“But knowing what’ll happen every day can help them feel safe with us, like they can trust us.” She leaned against the counter in silence for a long minute. “If you think it’s better for us to have the same schedule every day, I can work with that.”
“You’re sure?”
“I trust you. And if it’s not working after a couple of weeks, we can renegotiate.”
He laughed, but still he felt the weight of what they were doing in a way that hadn’t sunk in before now. Today at the farm, realizing how much he was like the kids there, had been eye-opening. “I always wanted a family like yours, Jules. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a safety net like that.”
“Now you have one.”
Her words took him aback. Was it really that easy?
It didn’t feel easy. True, now he had a wife and two kids. But that empty place where his family should’ve been was still empty.
* * *
The morning rush over, Jules cleaned the tabletops of doughnut sugar and croissant crumbs. Before long, there would be a solid stream of ladies coming through for one of her signature lunch plates—chicken salad and a fruit cup with a slice of lemon–poppy seed bread.
She’d missed the girls this morning, but Cam sent a selfie with them all dressed and ready for school. Eleanor’s bow was a little wonky, but Cam and the girls looked happy and that was what mattered.
Cam had a perspective on the pain Emma and Eleanor were going through that she didn’t have. And he was right. Both girls needed the stability of routine, at least for a while. They’d been through so many changes in the past couple months.
The soft chime on the door sounded as her mom stuck her head around the corner. “Hey, Jules. You got a minute?”
“For you, I’ve always got a minute. Want something to eat or drink?”
“I’m fine.” Her mom paced the small bakery, perusing what was in the case, studying the photos on the wall.
“Mom, you’re making me nervous. Sit down.”
“Can you join me?”
“Of course.” Jules grabbed bottles of water for herself and her mom from the cooler behind the counter and sat down at one of the café tables by the window. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I guess you could say you’ve inspired me.”
Jules laughed. “That’s a shock. I can’t imagine how.”
“Getting married to Cam. You saw a way to get what you wanted and you didn’t stop until you got it. Oh, Jules. You looked so happy yesterday.”
“Um, I think you’re exaggerating a little bit. Marriage to Cam isn’t exactly what I was after, which you know. So how did that inspire you?”
Bertie paused. Then she said in a rush, “I’m getting married.”
“You’re what? To who?”
“Mickey.” Jules’s mom folded her hands on the table, and on her left ring finger was a small diamond ring. The band that Juliet’s father had given her was on her right hand.
Jules couldn’t take her eyes off that ring. A tiny diamond winked in the plain silver band. “Mickey, your cook. Uncle Mickey. You’re marrying Mickey.” She shot to her feet, paced across the room, then back again. “Just to be clear, you’re marrying Uncle Mickey.”
When her mom nodded, Jules grabbed her water off the table and took a swig. Was this even actually happening?
Mom examined her ring with an indulgent look. “He’s been after me for years now.”
Jules choked on her water as her mother continued. And in that instant, images flashed through her mind, like cards shuffling into a bridge. Her mom smiling at Mickey through the pass-through, patting his shoulder, sharing a whispered conversation in the pantry. Had she really been missing this for years?
“I put him off until you kids were settled. Well, you’re settled now and we’re eloping.”
Jules couldn’t imagine being less settled than she was at this moment, but from the outside, she guessed that—maybe—it seemed like her life was now settled.
Wait. Eloping? “When?”
“We’re leaving tonight. Mickey’s daughter’s having a C-section in Nashville tomorrow and he wants to see the baby before we go to Hawaii for a few weeks...or months.”
Jules blinked. Tonight.
So now meant...now. “Wow, Mom. I’m— Congratulations?”
“Thank you, Jules. But I actually came by for something else.” Bertie reached into her purse and pulled out a thick envelope. “I’m leaving the café in your hands. In fact, I’m leaving you the café, period. Everything is here—the deed, the ownership papers, everything you’ll need to be the owner and proprietor. I know the timing could be better, honey, but it was going to go to you someday, anyway. And I’m hoping that will help make up for it.”
“Mom... I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You’ve done such a beautiful job with the bakery. I know you’re the best one to take over the café. You can do this, Jules.”
No. She really couldn’t.
Seriously, no.
She’d just been left two children she barely knew what to do with. She couldn’t possibly—and even if she did— “You’re marrying the cook, Mom. How am I gonna run a café without a cook?”
“You’ll have Albert until you can hire a new cook.” She put a hand up. “Now, I know Albert can be a little unreliable, but he’s been doing really well the past few weeks.”
Albert was Mickey’s assistant and he was a decent cook when he wasn’t coming off a bender, but she couldn’t run the café depending solely on Albert.
She couldn’t say no, either. How could she?
Her mother thought the café was a huge gift.
On top of that, Mom had no idea how hard things had been for Jules the past couple months, because naturally Jules wouldn’t dare let anyone see her struggle. They might find out she was human. She shook her head.
It was too late to share that with her mother now. Mom was sitting here, telling Jules she’d been waiting years for a second chance at love because she wanted her kids to be settled first.
Who was Jules to stand in the way of her finding love? “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Mom.”
“Jules, thank you!” Her mom’s eyes shone with happiness, and Jules knew she couldn’t go back on her word now.
Her stomach knotted. She had so much resp
onsibility as it was. How could she possibly make this work? She forced a smile. “I hope you’ll be really happy, Mom.”
Bertie bounded to her feet and snatched up her bag. “I can’t wait to tell Mickey we’re on!”
Jules stared blankly at the door as it swung slowly shut. She was a perfectionist. A doer. A handler. She knew it. Everyone knew it.
In high school, if the teacher assigned a group project, everyone wanted to be in her group. Give her a job and she’d handle it. She always did. But as she felt the pressure building inside her like a pressure cooker ready to explode, she realized she did have a breaking point.
And she’d quite possibly just reached it.
* * *
Leaving the small kennel by the door, Cam whispered to the puppy, “Shh. Don’t forget you’re a surprise. No whining.”
He followed the sound of giggles to the kitchen and found Eleanor and Jules at the table. Eleanor had a smear of purple frosting from one ear to her nose. Emma sat nearby in her high chair, happily kicking her feet and eating Cheerios.
“Well, what do we have here, ladies?”
“Uncle Cam!” Eleanor launched herself toward him. He snagged her in midair, making her squeal when he spun her around.
As he slowed down and plunked her back in her seat, she pointed to a mound of frosting and sprinkles on her plate. “I’m making you a cookie.”
“Is there a cookie under there?” He cut his eyes to Jules.
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Maybe? Everyone knows the frosting is the best part, anyway. Right, Eleanor?”
“Wight.” His niece stuck a sticky finger in the bowl of sprinkles.
Cam held his hands out to the baby, gratified when she held her arms up for him to pick her up. He gave her a smooch on her soft round cheeks. In return, she grabbed his nose and chortled. He laughed and nuzzled her again. “I brought you guys a surprise. Hang on just a second.”
He handed Emma to Jules, ran back to the front door, where he’d left the small kennel, and brought it into the kitchen. He had no idea why, but when he’d passed the sign on the side of the highway about Lab puppies for sale, he’d turned around immediately, compelled to stop. He opened the door and a pudgy black puppy tumbled out onto the travertine floor.
Jules gasped. And it was right then that he realized he probably should’ve talked to her before he showed up with a dog. Before he could say anything, Eleanor squealed and threw herself onto the floor. “A puppy, a puppy, a puppy!”
He sent Jules a sheepish grin and dropped to the floor beside Eleanor, laughing when the puppy tried to climb into his lap and rolled back down. “Her name is Pippi. She’s a black Lab and she’s ten weeks old.”
Pippi licked Eleanor’s face until it was completely clean of frosting and the little girl was laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. And that reaction alone was totally worth buying a puppy that he knew good and well was going to be a pain in the neck.
“Maybe we should take her outside.” Jules opened the back door. “Come on, Pippi. Outside.”
A few minutes later, Eleanor and her new puppy were tumbling in the wide stretch of grass in the backyard. Cam carried Emma, Jules walking slowly beside him. “I can’t believe you just bought a puppy. Who does that?”
He’d always been an act-first-apologize-later kind of guy, but he’d never been married before. He scratched his head. “About that, I really should’ve talked to you about it first. Probably broke at least a handful of marriage rules.”
She heaved a tired sigh. “I’d say so.”
“You might have to make a list of those. I’ve been a little undisciplined for the past, um, fifteen years.”
“I’d say you have pretty good instincts. Look how happy Eleanor is. Besides, he who buys the dog has to potty train the dog, so I guess it all works out.”
“Eleanor was happy making cookies with you when I came in.”
Jules glanced over at him. “Yeah, something you said last night made me realize that when Eleanor lost her mom and dad, she lost everything. Even her favorite aunt.”
“I’m confused.”
She shrugged. “I’ve always been the fun aunt to Eleanor. I came into town with cupcakes and pinkie promises and presents. But when I became the mom figure, she lost me, too. I figured she needed a little reminder of how it used to be.”
“And you needed a reminder, too?”
She looked at him in surprise. “Very perceptive. Yeah, it was a monster of a day.”
“What happened?”
“It started out with my mom telling me she’s eloping with her cook.”
He snorted a laugh and then caught sight of her face. “Oh, you’re really not joking.”
“No. She left the keys to the café—and the deed—in my care.” She stopped walking and he turned back to face her. She had her face buried in her hands.
“Is there anything I can do? Jules?”
She bent over at the waist, words gasping out with giggles, which seemed to him to be awfully close to sobs. “I can’t even—my mom is eloping. With Uncle Mickey.”
Cam had a feeling Jules had pretty much reached the end of her ability to cope with change. She’d admitted when they first met that she hated surprises, and her life had been one surprise after another for the past six weeks.
As she came up gasping for air, he said, “Sorry about the puppy. Probably wasn’t the best day to surprise you with a dog.”
She waved him off. “I really don’t care about the dog. She’s adorable and Eleanor needs her. There’s just so much going on. So much to do, and I don’t have any idea how I’m going to handle it.”
“If I can help you with the other stuff, I will.” He had a book to write, but he kept getting distracted. He’d never really had that problem before, but then he’d never had this kind of responsibility before. “I mean it, Jules. Marriage rules.”
She shot him a genuine smile. “Which one?”
“The one that says you’re not in this alone.”
“Oh, Cam.” She stepped closer to him, and because she seemed to need it, he put his arm around her shoulders as they resumed their walk.
Emma lunged for Jules, who obliged with a shaky laugh and settled the baby on her hip. She glanced up at Cam. “It’s a lot to handle, but it’s going to be fine. Truly.”
Chapter Seven
It wasn’t fine.
It was so far from fine that fine was not even in sight. Jules was a planner, but plans had gone out the window along with her sanity about two hours into this gig. She’d been going from one crisis to another in the restaurant and bakery all week, until she wanted to pull her hair out.
And that schedule she and Cam had so thoughtfully crafted? Obliterated the first day. She hadn’t seen the girls in four days. She looked at her watch. Well, make that five days. They’d be in bed before she got home and Cam had had them on his own, all day, again.
She’d say she didn’t know how her mom did it all while she and her brothers and sister were growing up, but she did know. Her mom had Uncle Mickey.
There was a knock on the frame of her open office door. The part-time—now full-time—cook stood in the doorway. Albert didn’t meet her eyes. “Lanna told me you wanted to see me?”
“You were supposed to be here four hours ago, Albert.”
His gaze was glued to the floor. “I know. I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”
Lost track of time, had a doctor’s appointment, couldn’t find his keys, his tire was flat... The excuses were endless and she’d given him “one last chance” three times. “You’ve either completely missed your shift or been late every single day this week. Albert, you know you’re the cook now. This place doesn’t run without you.”
“That’s a lot of pressure, Jules.”
Yeah, no kidding. “Tomorrow’s
Sunday and we’re closed. You’ll have one day to think about this. If you want a job, be here Monday morning at 5:00 a.m. If you don’t...just don’t come.”
His eyes bugged out, meeting hers for the first time. They were red and bloodshot. He was using and she’d known it. She even knew why. There were no secrets in a small town. Her heart broke for the kid who’d lost his girlfriend in a tragic accident two years ago. Her mom had a track record of bringing in the lost and the lonely and giving them small jobs to help them get back on their feet.
Albert could do small jobs. What he couldn’t manage was being the full-time cook. And she really, really needed a full-time cook.
She took a deep breath and put her frustrations aside, because even though he was a pain, he was also in pain. “Albert, I want you to stay and be a part of our team, but I have two small children and a bakery to run. I don’t have time to pick up your slack. You either have to get it together or you have to go.”
He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I want to help you, Jules, but it’s too much. I...I have to quit.”
Albert handed her his apron and ran out of the back room, nearly mowing down Lanna, her best, most consistent server, in the process. Jules rubbed her aching forehead with her fingers. So now what did she do?
Was a cook who showed up only 30 percent of the time better than no cook at all?
Lanna stopped in the open doorway. “He quit?”
Jules slowly nodded. “I’m not sure what I expected. I guess I’d just hoped for a different outcome.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” Jules scrubbed her hands over her face, got a whiff of her shirt and grimaced. She smelled like the fryer. All she wanted to do was get home and soak in a hot tub, but she had to stay and close up.
“There’s only one couple out there now having pie and coffee. They’ll probably be the last ones for the night. Why don’t you go home and let me finish things up here?”
It was like Lanna had heard her thoughts, but... “There’s still another hour on the clock, Lanna. I can’t leave you.”
The Marriage Bargain Page 6
