Puffy & Precious Read online

  Chapter 7

  The next morning I opened up to someone leaning against the wall outside SkinnyCakes. I smiled as he turned, only to have my grin slip when I realized who was there.

  “What do you want, Brett?”

  He pushed away from the wall and gestured to the door. Knowing I had no choice, I led him inside, hoping to get his visit over with quickly.

  “I need help, Abby.”

  “You can say that again,” I muttered.

  He shot me a glare but didn’t respond to my comment. “I need an assistant, Abby. I already told you that.”

  “And I already told you I can’t do anything about that. I have a job, Brett. One that I need to continue working at. Hell, just a few days ago you were telling me how great I was doing. I’m not giving this up.”

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth I knew exactly what he was doing there. The catch.

  “You know I could make one phone call and your chances at getting the contract with the mayor would be gone.”

  Son. Of. A. Bitch! What was I thinking trusting him? I knew there would be a catch. I knew it! And I didn’t trust it.

  Biggest mistake of my life. After marrying him.

  “Do you hate me that much, Brett?”

  He shook his head with a smirk that told me I wasn’t going to like whatever he said. “I’ve never hated you, Abby. You’ve always been there to help me. Why does that need to change?”

  “Maybe because we’re divorced?”

  He shrugged. “That’s not a big deal. We can still get along, can’t we?”

  “We barely got along when we were married, Brett.”

  “That’s not true, Abby. We got along very well.”

  “I think you’re remembering your latest assistant, not me.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s gone, so I need help. Are you going to help me?”

  “Why can’t your family help you?”

  “Because they all have work of their own, you know that.”

  “So do I!”

  He shook his head as though I were a child throwing a temper tantrum. Sadly, I was starting to feel like it, too. No one was listening to me and I wanted to yell and scream until he did.

  “Abby, you don’t need to be here. This little shop is empty right now.” He waved his arms wide, indicating the vacant space around us. “It’s not like you’re going to lose money if you’re not here for a day or two. If you don’t help me though…”

  He let the implication hang in the air around us. I wanted to punch him in the throat. Let him feel what he was doing to me. Cutting off my life, my breath. Removing me from the one thing I had. The only thing I’d ever had.

  But I had no choice. And we both knew it.

  “When do you need help?” I asked, wishing I had any other solution.

  “Help me get things back on track this weekend and maybe one day next week. Does that work for you?”

  I sighed. I didn’t like it, but it was better than it could be. “Fine.”

  “See,” he gestured to his smile, “I can be a reasonable guy. And you’re always so helpful, Abby. I’ll make sure the mayor knows that.”

  I resisted the urge to growl at him as he left.

  By Tuesday afternoon I was almost ready to call Olivia and tell her I was out. Dealing with Brett wasn’t worth the trouble.

  But I really wanted to get the contract.

  I spent my entire Saturday at his office fixing all the things his incompetent previous assistant had tried to do. If she’d done her job instead of my husband, it wouldn’t have been such a mess. Unfortunately, she screwed both of us when she messed up his files.

  It took me all day to verify that the paperwork was where it needed to be. I found one document that needed to be filed immediately and two more that would have been late if not filed within a couple weeks. There was no way any of it would have been done if I hadn’t helped.

  But I hated myself for it. I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but SkinnyCakes needed the visibility and notoriety of the picnic. I had to put up with him until it was done, until I had the job. Then he could kiss my ass.

  The phone rang as I was wiping down a table from customers who’d just left. I rushed to grab it before the voicemail picked up. “It’s a great day for SkinnyCakes! This is Abby. How may I help you?”

  “Hi Abby. This is Mayor Ramsey’s assistant, Olivia. How are you?”

  My heart pounded against my ribs. My palms started sweating so badly I almost dropped the phone. I wasn’t sure if I needed to scream or cry, but I was ready for both. “Hi Olivia! It’s great to hear from you. How are you?” I was practically shouting at the woman. I couldn’t handle the nerves.

  She chuckled softly. “Well, I’m calling all the applicants today, but wanted to call you first. Wyatt has narrowed down his choices to three. He’d like to try out what everyone has to offer, if you’re still interested?”

  Olivia said it like it was a question. Like I might not take the job. I’d have to be crazy not to want it. But I couldn’t make myself say it. Everything was jammed behind the lump in my throat.

  “Abby? Are you still there?”

  I couldn’t believe it! I was in the top three. I just needed to say, “Yes! I’m here. Sorry, a little overwhelmed. But yes, I’m definitely interested.”

  “Okay, great. Could we set up a meeting for Friday? I know it’s fast, but we’re less than four weeks out.”

  My head spun as the enormity of what I’d agreed to hit me. I had less than a month to develop an entire line of desserts that would appeal to the masses. And only three days to have a sample of it.

  “Sure,” I heard myself say. “That won’t be a problem.”

  “Excellent. Thanks, Abby. We’ll see you then.”

  I hung up and screamed. I was close. It was down to me and two others for the job. I danced behind the counter, congratulating myself on a job well done.

  Which meant I didn’t notice when Graham came in.

  “Everything okay?” he asked with a grin. No doubt he caught my booty-shaking dance.

  “Yep. I’m good. How are you?”

  He still smirked but didn’t comment. “I’m great. I was going to work on more of those frames we talked about the other night.”

  The other night. As in the night he almost kissed me then ran away like I’d attacked him. I shook my head. He was back. That was all that really mattered. “That’s fine, but I’m going out tonight. My friends get together every Tuesday night.”

  “Oh,” Graham said, sounding more disappointed than I expected him to be.

  “I could give you a key. I mean, you used to have one before. It’s not a big deal. As long as you’ll lock up when you leave, I don’t mind.”

  “Yeah, of course, but I can do it another time if you’d rather.”

  I shrugged. “It’s up to you. Tonight’s fine with me.” I couldn’t tell him I didn’t want to be around him. If we were alone, I might combust. If he was alone in the cafe it was much safer for me.

  “Tonight works for me. I’ve got a later day tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” I grabbed one of the extra keys I kept in the register and handed it over. “Thanks for your help. And help yourself to whatever you want in the case while you’re here. Feel free to grab water or make coffee, too.”

  “Thanks, Abby.”

  I smiled and left Graham in charge of my baby, my cafe.

  Tara met me at Max’s apartment and rode with me to Bite Me! for girls’ night. I caught her up on the phone call from Olivia and she helped me brainstorm a few idea. I warned her I’d rehash the story again with everyone else and she assured me she didn’t mind.

  “It’s going to be confusing,” I said as I parked and we got out of the car. “There’s eight of them and they’re all married.”

  “Kids?”

  I nodded. “One. Mandy and Xander have a daughter, Elise.”

  “You know I’m good with names.”

  “I know, but it
’s a big group.”

  She shrugged. “It’ll be fine. If they’re as nice as you say it won’t be a big deal.”

  “If you say so.”

  We walked in and my stomach growled. Even though I knew I would regret it, I planned to eat one of Charlie’s cupcakes. Afterward I needed some real food.

  Charlie was behind the counter when we approached. She leaned across and hugged me. “Hey, Ab. Who’s this?”

  “This is Tara Fisher. We went to college together. She just moved back to the area to help her mom with her flower shop.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tara. I’m Charlie, Abby’s sister-in-law and owner of this place.”

  “It smells amazing in here. I’d be twice your size if I had to smell that all day.”

  Charlie laughed, a light sound, like wind chimes dancing in the breeze. “I hear that a lot.”

  “I’m going to try a blackberry cupcake today,” I told Charlie. “And a coffee please.”

  “Eating here? How adventurous of you.”

  I shrugged and turned to Tara. “What do you want? My treat.”

  Tara shook her head, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. “No, I’ll buy.”

  “I’ll settle this and tell you I’m paying for both of you,” Charlie said when she got back from the kitchen with my coffee. “It’s on me tonight.”

  “I can’t let you do that,” Tara said the same time I said, “No, Charles, you do too much.”

  She waved her hand as though swatting a fly and rolled her eyes. “No one is paying tonight so stop arguing. What can I get you, Tara?”

  “The chocolate chip cookie dough sounds amazing. And a water, please.”

  Charlie got our cupcakes and told Tara it was nice to meet her before helping the next customer.

  “She’s really nice,” Tara whispered as we walked away. “One down, seven to go.”

  I smiled at her, but knew it was about to get worse.

  “Hey everyone, this is my friend, Tara. She just moved back to town. We went to college together. Tara, this is Sam, Addi, Mandy, Riley, Carrie, Claire, and Lexi.”

  “Nice to meet everyone,” Tara said as she took the seat next to Lexi.

  “We’re going to test you later,” Lexi teased.

  Tara grinned at her. “Bring it.”

  “Ooh, she tough,” Sam said. “We need a little of that around here. What do you do, Tara?”

  Tara shrugged. “I was trying to act, but my acting career and relationship ended in true Hollywood fashion with a cheating ex and no jobs. My dad got sick so I came home to help my mom. She owns Coming Up Daisies, the floral boutique on Frozen Avenue.”

  “Your mom is Daisy?” Lexi asked, her eyebrows dipping toward each other between her blue eyes. Lexi was easy to be surprised by with her platinum blonde hair and petite frame, but she was not someone I’d challenge.

  “Yeah,” Tara answered. “Do you know her?”

  Lexi nodded. “I’ve known her for years. I’ve been going in there forever. I love flowers almost as much as she does. I need to go see her sometime. The first time she met Mike, my husband, she thought we were getting married.” Lexi laughed and I wondered why it was funny. They were married. “I was helping my mom plan her wedding and Mike went with me. Daisy immediately assumed it was for our wedding. She asked if I was pregnant because the wedding was only a few weeks from when we were in there.”

  Tara laughed. “Sounds like my mom. I’ll let her know I met you. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you though.”

  Lexi scrolled through her phone and keyed something in. “I’ve got it in my calendar to go see her this weekend. Mike will want to go, too.”

  Tara nodded. “She’ll like that. What do you do?”

  “I’m a building manager at EAAC Pigments. Basically I’m an overpaid babysitter for adults. But I can’t complain much. For the most part, I work with some great people. And my boss is pretty sexy.”

  We all snickered at Tara’s shocked face. She glanced down at Lexi’s wedding rings, but I had to give her credit for not saying anything. Finally, I took pity on her and stage-whispered, “Lexi’s boss is also her husband.”

  Tara shot Lexi a look. Lexi shrugged and smirked at her. Tara nodded. “Nice. You had me with that one.” Tara looked over at me. “I can see why you like them.”

  Everyone laughed and I knew Tara was going to fit in well with the rest of the group.

  After a few minutes, Carrie cleared her throat and said, “If you’re looking for something new in about six and a half months my husband is going to need a new assistant.”

  “Need what?” we all asked. “Why?”

  Carrie rolled her eyes. “Because I’m pregnant!”

  Chapter 8

  “What?” we all screamed, jumping up to hug her. Carrie smiled and laughed and cried as we all attacked her. I noticed Addi hugged Carrie, but she was a little quieter than the rest of us. Charlie mentioned to me that Addi was trying to get pregnant. I felt bad for her. I wanted to go over and say something, but I didn’t know Addi that well. I didn’t know any of them well. But I knew enough to realize Addi would feel uncomfortable if I said something, especially in front of everyone. Maybe I’d have a chance to talk to her after.

  “How far along are you?” Mandy asked when we all sat down again. “Wait, does Xander know?”

  Carrie grinned. “We told him today before I came here. I knew he wouldn’t see you. We didn’t want him to lie to you so we waited to tell him until today when I was going to tell everyone anyway.”

  “Okay, I’ll let him slide on that one. When are you due?”

  “Thanksgiving. Drew is hoping the baby will be born on the holiday. I hope it’s a little early.”

  “How are you feeling?” Claire asked.

  “Good. I haven’t had any morning sickness, which is why Xander never figured it out. We wanted to wait a little while after last time…”

  Everyone nodded but didn’t say anything. I had no idea what happened last time, but judging by their faces, it wasn’t good.

  “Anyway,” Carrie continued, “I went to the doctor yesterday and we heard the heartbeat again. Things are going well and I’m almost out of the first trimester. I’ve been really tired, but that’s it.”

  “Any cravings yet?” Sam asked.

  Carrie shook her head. “Thankfully no. Drew’s been great and asks me every night if there’s anything I want him to get. It’s been pretty ordinary though.”

  “That’s nice,” Mandy said. “I felt like shit almost my whole pregnancy.”

  I wrinkled my nose. None of it sounded that great, but I couldn’t help the desire to have kids of my own one day. Of course, if I had someone I loved taking care of me instead of having to take care of him, myself, and the kid, it might not be so bad.

  “Are you really going to quit once you have the baby?” Lexi asked.

  Carrie nodded. “Definitely. I always planned to stay home once I had kids. Drew wants me to. Xander always knew it was my plan too. He said he’ll be sorry to see me go, but I’ll make sure we find someone awesome. Maybe a guy. Definitely not a gorgeous woman.”

  Mandy nodded. “I agree!”

  “You both know your husbands would never even look at another woman.”

  “I know,” they both said. Mandy continued, “But that doesn’t mean we need to test them.”

  “Agreed,” Carrie said. “I know Drew is mine. He’s not going to stray, but a big-breasted beauty with a low-cut shirt isn’t going to give me a whole lot of confidence sending him to work every day.”

  “Tell me about it,” I murmured.

  All eyes swung to me. “Oh, Abby, I didn’t mean anything by that,” Carrie said.

  I shrugged. “I know. And you’re right. If you give him enough temptation there’s no telling what he’ll do. You guys are smarter than I was.”

  It stung, but not as much as it used to. Brett was an asshole, and he made the mistake, not me. I couldn’t blame myself for his shortcomi
ngs.

  “Anyway,” I said, “you’re leaving XD?”

  Carrie took the subject change and ran with it. “I am. Drew and Xander will need someone new to run things over there. Organized, friendly, and smart, if I do say so myself.”

  “It’s all true though,” Mandy interjected as we all laughed with Carrie. “I can’t tell you how many times Xander has come home and told me you saved his ass with one thing or another. I think organized is going to be at the top of his list. I still can’t believe you’re leaving though.”

  “Not for a while,” Carrie said. “I’ll help them find someone and train them before I go on leave. Or quit, I guess technically. It’s strange to think about it, but I’m excited.”

  “It’ll be great,” Riley said, squeezing Carrie’s hand. “You’ve always wanted to be a mom and you finally will be.”

  Carrie nodded. “I’m just lucky I found Drew. I was really starting to think I was never going to get married and settle down. Being married is pretty great, isn’t it?”

  Tara and I looked uncomfortably at each other while the others nodded. They were happy, which was great, but we were, too. I didn’t want to get married again. Probably ever. And that was fine with me.

  When I walked into SkinnyCakes the next morning I turned around and walked right back out again. After confirming SkinnyCakes was still on the huge sign above the door I went inside again and nearly cried.

  “Graham,” I whispered, knowing he was the only answer.

  I crossed to the dark purple chairs near the front glass and sunk into one, turning to admire the bookcase nestled behind it.

  It was perfect. The rich wood color perfectly matched the base of my large counter and the new shelves he’d installed two weeks ago. On top of the bookshelf was a collection of frames that matched the new white washed ones on the wall, but painted in the same purple color as the chairs. He’d even added a sign that read, ‘Please help yourself. If you take a book, bring one back.’

  Tears filled my eyes as I sunk into the chair. He was incredibly talented. If I didn’t know any better, I’d wonder if he really was interested in me. He sure as hell understood the way to get to me was through books. Especially when I scanned the titles he’d stocked the shelves with. Romance, mystery, science fiction, and even a few popular young adult books were mixed with a few trinkets that added to the feel I was going for.