by Bella Andre
Cassie couldn’t help but laugh as she locked up her studio behind them. “You have been watching way too many episodes of The Great British Bake Off.”
“Bite your tongue,” Lola scolded. “There could never be too many episodes of British people baking in tents on big estates.”
Laughing at the paradox of her sister, who had never sifted flour or used a mixer, being far more passionate about TV baking shows than anyone she knew, Cassie gave her a hug, then headed over to her cabin to return Flynn’s over-the-top gift.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mid-morning, when the doorbell rang, Flynn immediately tensed up at the thought that the paparazzi had already tracked him down. He’d been careful not to leave any clues as to where he was going, and he knew Smith wouldn’t have told anyone. Maybe someone Flynn had encountered during his cross-country travels with Ruby yesterday had seen through his glasses-and-hat disguise?
All of which made it a distinct pleasure to find Cassie standing on the porch.
Ruby had just woken up from a short nap, but as soon as she saw Cassie, she held out her arms.
“Hello, gorgeous.” Cassie pressed a kiss to Ruby’s forehead as she took the baby from him and cuddled her. They walked inside. “You look like you’re feeling a million times better.”
As if to agree, Ruby pulled the chilled stuffed elephant out of her mouth and thrust it in Cassie’s face.
Laughing, Cassie took it, made it walk through the air, then put on a silly voice to say, “My name is Ellie the elephant, and I love polka dots and little girls named Ruby.”
Ruby clapped her hands, her gummy smile even wider now.
Flynn had been struck by Cassie’s looks from the first—her sexy curves, luminous skin, and open, friendly smile already set her apart. But when she was making Ruby laugh, she truly was the most beautiful woman he’d ever set eyes on. Kindness radiated from her like a beacon of hope.
It was exactly the kind of sweet, caring hope that Flynn and his sister had never known when they were growing up. And exactly what he hoped Ruby would know from this moment forward. Somehow, some way, he needed to figure out how he could give that to her.
“You’re good with her,” he said. “Really good.” He wished he had even a tenth of her natural know-how and comfort with babies. But until Ruby had come into his life, he hadn’t been around a baby since his sister was born. And he’d been only a toddler himself at that point.
“So are you,” Cassie said, obviously just being kind. She rubbed her cheek against the top of Ruby’s head. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see that she’s feeling so much better.”
“You and me both.” Flynn winced as he thought back to the hours of crying the night before. He’d felt so hopeless, terrified that he was doing absolutely everything wrong for Ruby. “I can’t thank you enough for racing over here in the middle of the night to help.”
“That’s actually why I’m here—to give back your thank-you gift.”
“Why?”
Before replying, she made Ellie the elephant dance in the air some more, humming a little tune in the funny voice. Ruby was giggling at her antics when Cassie said, “I already told you that I was happy to help out last night. You didn’t need to give me anything. Especially not a diamond bracelet.”
In his experience, women loved diamonds, no matter the occasion. But the look on Cassie’s face as she took the Tiffany box from her bag and placed it on the kitchen counter made it perfectly clear that he had overstepped his bounds. Big-time.
Wanting to make it up to her, he said, “What can I do for you, then?”
“If you’re really this adamant about showing your gratitude, I suppose you could take me to lunch.”
“Great. How does lunch right now sound?” As if to second the motion, Ruby made a happy sound—a loud happy sound. “As long as you know somewhere baby-friendly, that is. Our restaurant outings on the road to get here didn’t go all that well.”
Cassie grinned. “I know exactly the place.”
* * *
“This is my family’s restaurant.” Cassie pointed to the Sullivan Café awning above the front door and the outdoor seating area. “It’s the best Irish country food on the East Coast. On any coast, if you ask me.”
Cassie and her siblings had grown up underfoot in the downtown Bar Harbor café. As far back as she could remember, her mother had brought each of them into the kitchen. First, to play. And then, when they were older, to help.
Of the seven of them, Cassie was the only one who fell in love with being in a kitchen. By the time she’d graduated from high school, Cassie knew how to make all of the Irish specialties, from beef and Guinness stew to Dublin coddle. But it was making desserts that most captured her interest. She’d graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, then came straight back to Bar Harbor to open Cassie’s Confections. But Cassie wasn’t the only of her siblings whose future had been shaped in some way by the family café and Irish gift boutique. All of them had, in one way or another.
Lola had loved to decorate the café and source pretty items for the store, so it was no wonder she went on to design textiles.
Rory had helped build the tables, chairs, and shelving for the café. He was a highly sought-after bespoke furniture designer now, but he still made pieces for the family business in his spare time.
Turner had drawn the most remarkable pictures of Ireland to hang on the walls. No one had been at all surprised when his illustration skills took him into the animated-film business.
Brandon had been instrumental in convincing their parents to expand the business beyond Bar Harbor and into other parts of Maine. Though he was frequently on a plane to exotic locales to open new hotels, he kept a close eye on the health of the family business.
Long before Hudson had earned his degree as an architect, he had drawn up plans for their new locations in Camden, Portland, and Kennebunkport.
And even as a teenager, Ashley had enjoyed wading through receipts and making—and taking care of—to-do lists. She was the perfect person to head up the day-to-day management of the Sullivan Café “empire.” Plus, her hours were flexible enough that she didn’t need to put Kevin in after-school care.
Cassie, Flynn, and Ruby had barely set foot inside the café when Cassie’s mother, Beth, came out to greet them. She always seemed to know when a baby was on the premises.
Cassie quickly made the introductions, impressed that her mother waited until she was done to ask, “Could I hold Ruby, Flynn?”
Though he hesitated, just as he had with Cassie the first time she asked, he ended up agreeing. Of course, Beth had Ruby giggling within seconds. Flynn seemed both surprised and impressed with how well Ruby had taken to a complete stranger.
“Your little girl is absolutely beautiful,” Cassie’s mother said. “And obviously extremely smart too. Her eyes are so bright—she’s interested in everything around her.”
“Yes,” he agreed, “she’s pretty darn special.” He reached out to stroke Ruby’s cheek before turning back to Beth. “Cassie says you own this café. There are few things I enjoy more than good Irish country cooking.”
“Then you’re in for a treat,” Beth said with a twinkle in her eye, her Irish accent strong even after more than three decades in America. “Would you like me to puree some fruit or vegetables for Ruby’s lunch?”
“She hasn’t taken much interest in solids yet,” Flynn replied. “I’d hate for you to go to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all. How about I make up a couple of things to see if we can tempt her? In fact, if you don’t mind me taking her into the back, my kitchen staff are all just as crazy about babies as I am.”
Flynn didn’t answer right away, clearly torn over whether he could stand to let Ruby out of his sight. However, when Beth made her giggle again, this time by tickling her tummy, he nodded. “As long as she’s happy, I’m okay with it.”
“Don’t worry. If she starts to fuss, I’ll b
ring her right back to you. Why don’t you let me warm up a bottle for her too, just in case?” Flynn handed over Ruby’s baby bag, which he’d loaded up with diapers and formula and extra clothes before they left the cabin.
“We’re going to take that table in the corner, Mom.” Though Flynn hadn’t said anything about remaining anonymous, when he’d slipped on his hat and glasses after getting out of the car, it had been a clear cue that he didn’t want anyone to recognize him.
“Great,” Beth said. “Here is the list of specials. Amy will come take your order in just a minute.”
Flynn looked a little dazed as they sat down, and not from lack of sleep this time. “Your mom is very nice. And a bit of a whirlwind.”
Cassie smiled. Whirlwind was the perfect description of her mother. No wonder he was an award-winning screenwriter—he obviously had a way with words. “She’s pretty darn special.”
When he realized she’d echoed his comment about Ruby, he smiled back. And wow…did it ever do crazy things to her insides. It felt like a dozen butterflies were now flying around inside her stomach.
Hoping to cover her reaction to him, she said, “My mom is a baby whisperer. I swear even babies on the street see her and stop crying.”
“You’re a baby whisperer too, you know.” He smiled again, making even more butterflies go wild. “We wouldn’t have made it through last night without you.”
Suddenly, it occurred to her that this was the first time the two of them had been alone. Okay, so there were other people eating in the café, and Amy had come over to gape at Flynn with the menus still clutched in her hands. But as soon as Cassie took the menus so that Amy could drool over him from across the room instead, they were effectively alone again.
And she was fighting a losing battle against getting lost in his deep-blue eyes.
“You would have been just fine without me last night,” she insisted. “It was blind luck that I happened to see the tooth poking through her gum. It probably also helped that I wasn’t jet-lagged.”
“It’s not jet lag that’s the problem.” He ran his hand over his chin. “You’re probably wondering what the heck is going on. Why I’ve been taking care of Ruby for only three weeks and where her mother is. I don’t know what Smith told you, or what you’ve read—”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me, Flynn.”
He scanned her face, as though he was trying to see all the way into her heart. Finally, he gave a little nod, like she’d just passed some invisible test. “You’ve been so generous. You shouldn’t have to be completely in the dark. Plus, I don’t want you to believe whatever you might see in the press.” He paused briefly before telling her, “My sister passed away recently.”
Her heart broke for Ruby and Flynn all over again. “I’m so sorry.”
“I am too.” Sorrow was etched into the lines of his face. “It was never public knowledge that I had a sister—still isn’t.” The words were clearly a warning, one she wanted to tell him he didn’t need to give her. She would never gossip about him to anyone, not even her family. “I wasn’t able to see much of her over the years. Not nearly as much as I would have liked. But as soon as I found out she died, I had legal custody of Ruby within forty-eight hours.”
“What about your parents? Are they able to help at all?”
“They’re also dead.” It wasn’t sorrow that passed over his face this time, but an emotion that looked a whole lot closer to anger. His gaze flickered away from hers. “Car crash.”
“Oh, Flynn.” She reached out to put a hand over his for a brief moment—long enough to register how warm, and strong, he was. “You’ve both been through so many changes in such a short time. I wish there was something more I could do to help, other than just offering my cabin and a few teething tips.”
“You’ve helped more than you know. Life in Hollywood…” He shook his head. “It isn’t where Ruby needs to be.”
“What about you? I’m assuming most of your business meetings take place in Los Angeles.”
“They do, but when I’m deep in a new script, I deliberately avoid them. Nothing ruins creativity faster than listening to some guy in a suit drone on about audience segments and profit margins.”
“I deliberately avoid meetings too,” she agreed. “Unfortunately, my lack of business acumen is currently reflected in my profit margins.”
As she was speaking, he shot another glance toward the kitchen. He’d been doing that since they’d sat down.
“I’m sure Ruby is doing great in the back with everyone,” Cassie said softly, “but if you’d feel more comfortable having her out here with us, Mom would be happy to bring her back to you.”
She could see how much he wanted to have Ruby close by. Badly enough that he seemed to be fighting a silent battle with himself before saying, “Ruby looked like she was having fun with your mom. It’s good to see her laugh.” He turned his focus back to Cassie. “You made her laugh too. Thank you for that.”
Cassie felt her cheeks go hot under the intensity of his gaze. “Anytime.”
Beside the table, Amy cleared her throat. How long had she been standing there? Long enough to see Cassie turn beet red just because Flynn was looking at her?
“Do you two know what you’d like to order?” Amy asked.
“I’d like the colcannon fish pie,” Cassie said, “and a coconut latte.”
“I’ll have the Irish stew,” Flynn said, “with an espresso.”
“So,” Cassie said once Amy walked away. She had to have at least one conversation with Flynn where she didn’t get so flustered. “You were saying you’re deep into a new screenplay.”
“Smith and Valentina are waiting on a new thriller. Only, I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to work on it now that I have more than just myself to think about.”
“I’m sure you want to spend as much time as you can with Ruby—who wouldn’t? But have you thought about bringing in a nanny for a few hours every day?”
His expression darkened. “I tried that back in LA. Suffice it to say that it didn’t go well.”
“Did the nanny hurt Ruby?” Fury rose inside Cassie.
“No, thank God. But she did try to sell our story to the media.”
“That’s horrible.” Cassie couldn’t understand how people could be so mercenary. “Some of my well-known cousins, like Smith, have had issues like that in the past. I always feel so bad that they have to go through it.”
“It’s the price an adult who has chosen a career in the spotlight pays for notoriety. But kids should never be put in a position like that.”
“I totally agree.” As soon as her mom brought Ruby out, Cassie wanted to give the sweet little girl a hug.
“Smith is the one who intercepted the story,” Flynn told her. “I owe him big-time.”
“You didn’t buy him a diamond bracelet, did you?”
She wasn’t sure if she’d been right to tease Flynn, especially during such a heavy conversation. But she hated seeing him look so upset.
Thankfully, the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Nope. He looks better in emeralds.”
As Amy dropped off their drinks, Cassie laughed, glad that he no longer seemed quite as tense.
“You’ve been so much help so far,” he said. “You don’t happen to do a sideline in thrillers, do you?”
“Not only can I not write worth a darn, I’m also too much of a scaredy-cat to watch anything dark or twisty.”
“Surely you’ve seen a thriller before.”
She shook her head. “My cousin Lori loves to say that I’m all butterflies and rainbows. Which is actually right on point when it comes to the kinds of movies I like to watch.”
“What’s one of your favorite movies?” he asked.
She nearly laughed out loud at the movie that immediately popped into her head. One she had a feeling Flynn would never have watched in a million years. “Trolls.”
“Trolls?” He leaned forward as if to interrogate her. �
�Are you talking about the animated film where they sang all those songs from the eighties?”
“It was very heartfelt.”
He blinked at her as if he couldn’t believe what she’d just said. “Heartfelt.” He seemed to roll the word around inside his mouth.
“I even have the soundtrack on my phone.” Instead of being embarrassed, she was having fun throwing him for a loop. “Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ has never sounded better.”
Finally, he laughed. And if his smile had made a few butterflies go wild in her stomach, his laughter was like having dozens of them shooting around inside of her.
“After all the years I’ve spent in the movie business,” he said, “I should know by now that we’ve all got different tastes.”
“What got you into thrillers? Were they always your favorite?”
“Actually, the original version of The Adventures of Robin Hood is at the top of my list.”
“My dad is a big fan of that Errol Flynn movie too.” She was happy not to sound like a complete greenhorn. “How perfect that you share the same name as the star of your favorite movie.”
Something passed across his face, an expression she couldn’t quite read. It was gone by the time Amy had finished delivering their food.
“What about you?” he asked. “What do you do?”
“I make candy.”
“Like Willy Wonka?”
She laughed. “Kind of. Only, I don’t shrink any kids or blow them up into giant blueberries.”
“That’s a relief.” He took a bite of his Irish stew, and the look on his face said it all. “This meal is one of the best I’ve had anywhere.”
Cassie beamed. “Say that again when Mom comes out of the kitchen, would you?”
As if she’d conjured them up, Beth walked back into the dining room just then, carrying Ruby. The baby was wearing a green and white baby bib embroidered with four-leaf clovers and the words I’m so cute, I must be Irish.
Amy brought over a high chair, and after giving it good wipe down, Beth slid Ruby into it. “Sean will bring over some apple puree for Ruby to try in a moment. She looked very interested in it when he was preparing it.”
