Beefcakes

by Katana Collins

  I flipped the steaks on the grill and opened the foil to check the asparagus. Mom sat on the deck overlooking the lake and sipped her iced tea with Liam sitting beside her, drinking a beer.

  “A little birdie told me the bakery was packed today,” she said, glancing between us.

  I lifted the cold bottle to my mouth and took a swig of beer, looking quickly over at Liam before nodding. “It was,” I said. “It was actually… unnaturally packed,” I added. “And we booked fourteen events.”

  Mom’s green eyes flashed wider. “Fourteen?” she said, her mouth dropping open briefly before quickly snapping it shut. “Well… that’s… unexpected.”

  “You have no idea,” Liam said.

  I closed the lid on the grill and moved to sit across from Mom. “They’re all bachelorette parties, though.”

  “Good job easing into that,” Liam muttered under his breath.

  I rolled my eyes at my brother. There was no good way to ease into this conversation.

  Mom made a thoughtful face and nodded with a shrug. “That’s odd. But money’s money. Besides, I’m not all that surprised. Lex tends to have a hold on the wedding market here in town. But it makes sense that people might want something different for the bachelorette party.”

  Huh. Liam and I exchanged glances. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult? She seemed more or less okay with the clientele.

  “We think they’re coming to us for more than just our cupcakes,” Liam blurted out.

  “Well, now look who’s not easing into this,” I whispered, covering my mouth with my bottle.

  Mom’s eyes narrowed, her mouth twitching. “What else would they be coming for?”

  “Uh… our other assets.”

  “Such as?”

  Liam cleared his throat. “Mom. Our assets.”

  “Ah,” she smiled. “My kids were always heartbreakers.” She winked at Liam, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the horrified look on his face.

  Mom started laughing right along with me, the sound joyful and beautiful. I closed my eyes, committing that sound to memory. “Okay,” she said, her laugh fading away. “So, the ladies want a couple of cute men to deliver the cupcakes to them on their bachelorette weekends.” She shrugged. “If they’re paying customers, and you’re both comfortable with that, then so be it.”

  I opened the Tupperware of sugar-free protein cupcakes I had made earlier and slid it to her. “What do you say we eat dessert first?”

  “When you’re my age and you have cancer? You always eat the good stuff first.” She popped the Tupperware open and inhaled the dark chocolate cake with mint frosting. “Thin mint cupcakes?” she asked. I nodded as her eyes lit up, and she lifted one out of the container. “You are getting really good at making these, you know?” She held up the cupcake and tapped it to mine and Liam’s, and we all took a bite. She wasn’t wrong. They were damn good… and not just damn good for low-carb/zero sugar. Just plain delicious.

  “That’s the other thing, Mom. At the bachelorette party this weekend, I messed up the cupcakes we were supposed to deliver, and I had to use the protein cupcakes I had made for you. The bachelorettes went crazy for them. We have eight orders that are being picked up tomorrow.”

  Her eyes widened, her smile dropping. “Seriously?”

  I nodded as Liam added, “I know it’s not exactly the vision you had created for The Maple Grove Cupcakery, but—”

  “Stop right there.” She set the cupcake down on the table and brushed the crumbs from her palms before holding up her hand. “If these last few months of chemo have taught me anything, it’s that you two can handle this business however you see fit.” She took a deep breath. “I would leave the whole place to you if I thought it would do any good. Unfortunately, I made such a mess of things, I don’t want to saddle you with my debt. If it stays in my name, the debt dies with me.” She tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth trembled.

  “Mom,” Liam whispered, and I leaned over, placing my hand on hers.

  “Don’t talk like that,” I said.

  “It’s true, though.”

  I shook my head. “We’re going to get through this. If business continues like today…” I swallowed down the rising despair that lodged in my throat. I would take my shirt off for bachelorettes every day for the rest of my life if it meant I’d never have to see Mom so upset again. “We’ll be just fine.”

  I caught Liam’s gaze, and he gave me a single nod. It was a lie. But a lie for good reason. Mom needed to focus on healing, not worry about her loans or her medical bills.

  She squeezed my hand and rested her cheek on Liam’s shoulder. “You’re good boys. I might be in debt financially, but I won the lottery with my kids.”

  In the center of my chest, my heart wrenched. At least three of her four kids had stuck around. I squeezed my eyes shut, bending to place a kiss on her hand. I’m making up for that, though. In the only way I know possible, I’m making up for that lost time.

  With a final sniffle, mom looked up to the sky and wiped the stray tears beneath her eyes. “I’m going to go freshen up,” she said, standing.

  Liam stood with her. “I’ll help you.”

  She rolled her eyes but smiled, and in that moment, the resemblance between her and Liam was uncanny. He got his signature eye roll directly from Mom. “Oh, for goodness sakes, I can go to the bathroom by myself.”

  Liam grinned. “Okay, okay. Then I’m going to come inside to check on the cornbread.”

  Mom clearly saw right through that excuse but didn’t argue as he followed her into my small one-bedroom cabin.

  “Hello?” A voice called from around the other side of my house. I was only renting the small lake cottage from the artists’ residency but was lucky enough that my mom had an in with the director of the program—everyone in this town knew and loved her. The residency also hadn’t been filled to capacity in years. The number of artists who wanted to visit the sleepy Lakes Region was waning… most decided on larger cities with thriving art scenes and galleries. It worked out well for me, since I was able to rent the cottage for cheap. But I knew this fact was bad for the town. And ultimately, also bad for the bakery if it meant the town had less people visiting than in past years.

  I leaned over the side of the railing. “Hello?” I called back. “We’re around the back.”

  I saw a flash of blonde before anything else. “Lainey?” She was stomping across the stone path, smacking the overgrown branches and foliage out of her face.

  “For the last time, it’s Elaina now,” she yelled. Her cheeks weren’t just pink… they were a flaming red that seemed to match her fiery mood.

  During this time sitting with my mom, I’d forgotten that she’d been involved in that meme war. That she’d taken the brunt of the cyberbullying. I gulped. This was not going to be pretty. “Elaina, are you okay? If this is about the picture—”

  “I can’t believe you would stoop so low.” She hopped the three steps onto my deck and stood in my face, pointing her bony finger into my chest.

  “Stoop so low? What are you talking about?” I said, still reeling from the emotionally draining moment earlier with my mom.

  “Don’t play dumb. Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this.” She held up her phone, the picture from Facebook prominently displayed.

  “I didn’t have anything to do with that. Elaina, I swear…”

  She shook her head, moisture brimming her blue eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort her. Two crying women in one day… it was a lot for me.

  Despite these unfortunate circumstances, I couldn’t ignore the way my stomach tightened when I was around Lainey. Or the rush of blood that left my brain for other more desirable parts of my body and left me with half of my IQ points. Or the racing beat of my heart—

  “What the hell is this? Some sort of convoluted marketing scheme? Did you think I wouldn’t see it? That I didn’t have friends watching out for me?”

  I
knew Lainey was mad at me. Hell, I even understood why she probably never wanted to see my face again. I broke both our hearts that day I left without saying goodbye. But I had no idea she thought so little of me that she truly believed I would intentionally cyberbully her. “I promise you, I had nothing to do with that.”

  She lowered the phone, her foot tapping rapidly against the wood planks of my deck with either suppressed nerves or rage, probably both. “I was told that your bakery was packed with customers today. Seems awfully convenient that this picture that could quite possibly ruin my career has suddenly made yours.”

  God, I forgot how dramatic she could be. It could be adorable… when it wasn’t aimed at me. “Okay, first of all, that picture hasn’t made my anything. Yes, we had a good day at the bakery, but neither Liam nor I would ever start a caption war like that. We were actually brainstorming earlier about how we can get that picture off the internet. Secondly, if I really wanted to capitalize on my Mr. Universe win, wouldn’t I still be in LA trying to get stunt work or even my own movie role, not here using a silly meme to peddle cupcakes?”

  Her gaze flicked to my shoulder before darting back up to my eyes. She’d heard about my injury. At least, it seemed that way. I took a step back, opened the grill and checked on dinner. “How did you know where to find me, anyway?”

  She crossed her arms, one finger picking at her cuticle. “I knew months ago that you would be renting one of these cabins. I work for the city in the nonprofit sector, Neil.” Her voice held the implications of a big, fat duh.

  “I thought you said at the bachelorette party that you had no idea I was back in town?” I arched a brow at her as her jaw dropped. Ha, caught in her own lie. Score one point for me.

  “I… uh…” Lainey stuttered as I turned to poke at the steaks on the grill. Still not done enough for mom’s liking, I thought as I closed the grill cover. Turning back to Lainey, I sincerely asked, “What can I do to help? What can I do to make this right?”

  Her expression softened as the lines of her face relaxed. Even angry, she was beautiful. But the softer side of Lainey was downright stunning.

  She seemed to think that over for a few minutes. “You really didn’t post this?”

  I shook my head. “Your friend Tanja posted the image originally. I don’t think she meant for it to take off like it has.”

  “She’s Chloe’s friend… not my friend.”

  “All right, then. You can still see that it wasn’t us who posted it.”

  “I know that.” She gave a resolved sigh and slumped into one of the empty chairs at my table. “But I thought you took her post and maybe started the caption war.”

  “We didn’t. We don’t even have a Facebook page.”

  Elaina’s brows puckered in the center of her face. “Yes, you do.”

  She punched something into her phone, then turned it once more to show me. Sure enough, there on Facebook was a profile called Beefcakes: Sexy, Healthy, & Tasty Baked Goods.

  I grabbed her phone… well, actually, I grabbed her hand that was still wrapped around her phone and dragged it closer to my face. “What the hell?”

  The logo was a cartoon sketch of a bicep with a cupcake balanced on it. “How did…” my voice faded, my eyes drifting closed. “Wow. Liam works fast.” I released her hand and sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m not going to stand here and pretend that our business isn’t doing well because of that image. It is.”

  She snorted and shook her head. “Great. You get to swim in cash like Scrooge McDuck while I’m living at home with my parents.”

  My mouth twitched into a smile. She did always like her DuckTails references. But the living with her parents thing? That was new information. “You’re living with your parents?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Bad breakup,” was the only explanation she gave me, and I chose not to pry any more. I wanted to reconnect with Lainey. I wanted to prove to her I was no longer that guy from high school who was going to run off without a goodbye. I was reliable. Honest.

  I sat down across from her, drumming my fingers across the wooden outdoor dining table. “Can I share a secret with you?” She looked up at me, tilting her head with a little nod. “We needed this win. The bakery did, I mean. Mom’s…” I glanced back to the sliding door where I saw Liam and Mom standing in the kitchen, sampling the cornbread. Liam had insisted on this small, sugary indulgence for her – it was her favorite. She shouldn’t be eating corn… cancer feeds on grains and sugars. But if I was bad cop, then Liam was always my good cop counterpart. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Mom’s been in debt for a while and this money, this added revenue could really help us.”

  Lainey’s brows furrowed. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Meanwhile, I have a city council meeting tomorrow where I’m going to be the laughing stock of the town. Do you really think anyone will take me seriously now? They barely took me seriously before.”

  I snorted and shook my head at her. “What are you talking about? You’re the most serious person I know. Hell, you might be the most serious person in this damn town.”

  She leveled me with a look. “My dad is the mayor. And I only got nominated as town manager after his election. Everyone in this town thinks I’m just some daddy’s girl princess who didn’t earn her way in.”

  “But you did earn your way in, right?” If there was ever someone who worked harder than Lainey Dyker, I had yet to meet them.

  “Of course, I did. I was interning in town hall for years before my dad even considered running for mayor. In high school, I was volunteering with the local elections. It wasn’t until I finished undergrad that Dad even ran for city council.”

  Ah yes, the Dykers… a family of politicians. Even her mom was a lawyer. Back in her day, she used to be a litigator down in Boston, but for the last couple of decades, she specialized in family law.

  The sliding door behind us opened, and Mom and Liam stepped out. “Elaina Dyker?” Mom asked. “What are you doing here?”

  Elaina seemed to go rigid in her deck chair and shot me a look. She cleared her throat, glancing quickly at me before turning to my mom and Liam. “Yes, Mrs. Evans. I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Neil had company tonight.”

  Mom waved her off. “Call me Linda, sweetheart.”

  Liam handed me a bottle of Corona and I took a swig. “You thought I was grilling four steaks just for myself?”

  She glared at me. “I didn’t really think about it at all.”

  “Well, you should join us for dinner,” Mom said. “Four steaks… and only three of us.”

  Lainey shook her head and stood as Liam handed her a beer. “Oh, I shouldn’t.”

  “Elaina,” Mom scolded. Even though it was playful there was an undertone of sit your butt back down. Which was exactly what Elaina did. “I insist.”

  “Well… okay.” She gave my mom an unsteady smile, and as she lowered her eyes to the beer bottle, my mom sent me a wink. Great. Just what we needed… Mom as matchmaker. Not that I minded Lainey joining us. Hell, maybe it would force her to chat with me more.

  Mom smiled at Lainey and tapped the edge of her glass of wine to her beer bottle. “I heard you had a rough day.”

  Lainey swallowed the gulp of beer. Hard. I could see the line of her throat tighten and constrict as she swallowed. “You did?”

  “You did?” I repeated.

  Mom lifted her brows at me. “You might not be on Facebook, Neil… but I am.”

  That meant, all this time, Mom already knew about our plans for her bakery. Before we even asked. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “For what, hon?”

  “That we didn’t tell you sooner about that…” My gaze flicked to Lainey.

  “I don’t think it’s me that deserves an apology.” Her eyes shifted between me and Elaina.

  I sighed. “I already explained that Liam and I had nothing to do with that picture. Tell them, Liam.” I gestured at my brother, my hand falling heavily into my lap.r />
  “It’s true,” Liam said. “We were just two guys who screwed up a cupcake delivery at a bachelorette party and were trying to fix the mistake.”

  Lainey’s eyes widened. “Is that what happened at Chloe’s party?”

  I shrugged. “Unfortunately. I hit a few potholes on the way there, and the beautiful peony decorated cupcakes were ruined.”

  “Um, a few potholes?” Liam chimed in. “Try every pothole. You were driving like a maniac.”

  Lainey snorted, covering her mouth and nearly spitting beer on the table. “You were always a crazy driver.”

  “I’m not! You have to drive aggressively in LA.”

  Mom just shook her head, taking another sip of wine. “I definitely don’t want to hear that,” she said.

  The timer of my phone buzzed, and I hopped up to check on the steaks. One poke with my tongs and I could tell they were perfectly cooked. I grabbed the stack of plates beside me and fitted each one with a filet and a portion of asparagus while Liam cut the cornbread and passed out the plates to Mom and Lainey.

  “How are your parents, Elaina?” Mom asked as she cut into her steak and took a bite.

  “They’re good,” she answered and glanced briefly up at me before sliding the tongs of her fork between her lips. “Mom is keeping just busy enough that she still has time to hang out at the club, and Dad… well, you know my father. He’s drowning in work all the time.”

  Mom arched her brow. “Sounds like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Lainey sighed, pushing her asparagus around her plate. I reached over, handing her the garlic salt. She used to love this stuff—she put it on everything. Scrambled eggs, vegetables, fries… you name it.

  Her eyes widened as she took the shaker in her hands, a grin spreading slowly across her face. “You remembered?”

  I snorted playfully. “Of course, I remembered.”

  A flush of pink rose from her neck up to her face, and she dipped her gaze, sprinkling the garlic salt on her asparagus and her steak. It would have been sacrilegious if she wasn’t so damn adorable.