You Belong With Me (Book 1 in The Love and Dessert Trilogy) Page 4

  Layla glanced over her shoulder at the man making the rounds of the tables and smiled appreciatively. He was medium height, but powerfully built. He wore a dress shirt open at the neck, with the arms rolled up and dress slacks. He had to be the owner. He walked around the room as if he owned it. There was an air of charming confidence, but it was the overt masculinity that had Layla passing immediately. This guy was one of those men, so confident, so aware of their attractiveness and power that he probably had at least three girlfriends on the side if not more.

  “I’m passing. What about you Kit?” she asked grinning as she saw the interested look on her sister’s face.

  Kit groaned and smiled ruefully. “I’d snag him in a heartbeat, but Jane just told me that I can’t have hot, exciting men like that. Jane? You want to call dibs?” she asked, as she grinned at Jane’s wide eyed appreciation.

  “Wow, he is way too hot for me. I could never handle a man like that,” she whispered, sounding unsure and young. “He looks like Mr. Darcy, Rhett Butler and a sexy vampire all rolled up into one gorgeous package,” she said, looking away quickly as the man in question turned to walk toward their table.

  Layla grinned at Jane’s reaction and noticed that Kit had run her hands through her hair to make it look fluffier. This should be interesting.

  “Good afternoon ladies. I’m Rob Downing, owner of the Iron Skillet. Is everything to your liking?” he asked, smiling at each woman individually before coming back to rest on Kit.

  Kit might have passed, but that didn’t stop her from smiling flirtatiously up at the man, letting her large hazel eyes work their magic. “The food is amazing. Please give our compliments to the chef,” she said, taking another bit of her scallop.

  The man stared for a moment before blinking as if he were dazed. He smiled at Kit then turned to Layla. “And you, how is your meal?”

  Layla knew men were powerless against Kit’s arsenal of beauty. She was like a siren. Knowing he couldn’t possibly be interested in her, she relaxed and smiled up at the man. “I’m really impressed Rob. The food has so much flavor. How long have you had this restaurant?” she asked, noting Rob had to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

  Rob grinned and put his hands in his pockets. “Just over a year and I love it. I retired from the Mariners and didn’t have much to do, so I decided to follow in my dad’s footsteps and open up a restaurant.”

  Jane grinned at Rob. “What position did you play? We love watching Mariner’s games,” she said, not even trying to hide how impressed she was.

  Rob grinned at her. “Third base. I tore my shoulder though and I was out. But it was a fun ride while it lasted,” he said with a rueful smile.

  Kit studied Rob, tilting her head. “The ride always comes to an end, doesn’t it?”

  Rob looked back at Kit. “There are always new adventures to find. New rides. That’s what makes life so great. You ladies enjoy yourselves and I hope to see you back soon,” he said, smiling politely at all of them before walking over to the next table.

  “Wow. He. Is. Amazing,” Jane said shaking her head as she turned her head to watch him. “I might re-think my stance on Alpha males,” she murmured.

  Kit sighed and stretched out her arms high over her head. “Stick to the Betas Jane. They don’t cheat and they don’t leave you for the next better thing. Or next adventure in Rob’s case,” she said carelessly.

  Layla frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know Kit. I didn’t get a player vibe from him. Maybe he’s a reformed player? He might be harmless,” she said, glancing at the owner as he picked up a customer’s baby and held him loosely on his hip, totally at ease.

  Kit glanced over and stared pensively for a moment before swirling her fork through her pasta. “Then he’s married or taken. Forget it girls. I’m actually thinking of finding the closest tattoo parlor and getting Rosie the Riveter on my arm.”

  Jane shook her head as she glanced at Rob one more time. “No ring Kit. I looked. And I bet you that he asks you out,” she said sagely.

  Kit frowned and looked away. “You kind of just told me that I’m psychologically hardwired to pick men that will break my heart and leave. Why would this guy be any different?”

  Jane looked over her shoulder and Rob right before he disappeared into the kitchens. “I liked him. And I’ve never liked any of your boyfriends before. I say why not?”

  Layla grinned and nodded. “Go for it Kit.”

  Kit laughed and shook her head. “I’ve always been the one to leap before I look. I’ll start dating when I see you two dating. Besides, I might do something wild and crazy and play hard to get.”

  Layla groaned silently and went back to her salmon. Kit would be forty before she dated then because she wasn’t in the mood to have her heart broken. She just wanted to focus on the bakery and have fun with her sisters. She wanted to take Bubba for walks and stare at the ocean. Men? Not a priority.

  Jane sighed and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “You’re going to have to wait a long time then Kit. We’ve seen two good looking men today and the realtor couldn’t take his eyes off Layla and Rob the Restaurateur just about swallowed his tongue when he looked at you. Sometimes it sucks having gorgeous sisters,” she said sadly.

  Layla’s mouth fell open in shock. “Jane! You are incredible. You have this fresh, innocent beauty that’s sweet and good and wonderful. You’re way more attractive than me,” she said looking upset.

  Kit snorted and shook her head. “You guys are both being ridiculous. And Layla, you’re being silly. Beauty isn’t something you can compare and add up. Jane isn’t more beautiful than you and you’re not more attractive than her. Men who love gorgeous, fresh faced blonds will swear you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Men who find red-heads fascinating will like me,” she said with a serious lack of humility, “and men who find innocence and goodness and big brown eyes and dimples the epitome of beauty will fall at Jane’s feet. Beauty isn’t a one size fits all. No one is more or less. We’re all just different, which is good, because so are men.”

  Jane’s eyes went wide as she nodded. “You are so right. Okay, I’m going to stop being jealous of you two if it kills me. But where are all the men who think I’m so amazing?” she asked looking around the restaurant curiously.

  Kit laughed. “You just watch. We open the bakery and I bet all the men in Fircrest will be lining up to see you. Because you have something special that me and Layla don’t. You have the ability to actually like men. Layla can’t stand them and I don’t trust them. Men tend to have issues with our issues,” she said as Layla grinned in acknowledgement.

  Jane smiled and relaxed her shoulders. “You do have a point there. Okay. I’m not going to rush it then. When it happens, it happens. Now, if you two are finished, let’s head back and bake something.”

  * * *

  Rob watched from the kitchen as the three women thanked their server and stood up. The brunette was adorable, a total ringer for Jennifer Garner and the blond was a stunner. But something about the red head made him want to know more. He grinned at himself and turned back to the kitchen. He’d sworn off dangerous beautiful women years ago. And that woman had danger written all over her.

  Chapter 5 – Treats

  After one failed attempt at brownies, the girls stood and stared at the fragrant pan of rich, chewy chocolate.

  “Oh my bread and butter, we are so good at this. It must be in our genes or something,” Jane breathed out as she reached for the knife to cut them each a piece.

  Kit nodded in agreement. “Make mine bigger. I could use a hunk of chocolate today,” she instructed.

  Layla just stood back and grinned happily at her sisters. They were happy, they were together and they’d just made something so delicious and decadent that even she was impressed.

  “Make mine smaller. I’m still full from lunch,” she instructed. Jane obeyed and handed her a small square on a beautiful white china plate.

  Layla waite
d until Jane was holding her own piece. “Okay, on three,” she said watching the anticipation on her sister’s faces. “One, two . . . three,” she said and closed her eyes as she took a large bite. She couldn’t help it. She groaned. Kit and Jane made similar sounds.

  “Am I interrupting here?” said an amused voice from behind them.

  Layla immediately choked and turned around to see a tall, imposing police officer staring at them with a grin on his face. He was muscular and had that tall dark and handsome thing down. She tried to place his nationality but her best guess was that he had some Samoan heritage in his gene pool with a whole lot of other beautiful genes.

  “Hi,” she wheezed out, putting her brownie down and stepping forward.

  The officer stepped forward and held out his hand to shake hers. “I’m Officer Tate Matafeo. It looks like you all have been busy,” he said smiling over her head at Kit and Jane.

  “Not at all Officer, but um, is there a problem?” Layla asked curiously, wondering why anyone would just walk into a bakery.

  “Well, the sign said open and the door was unlocked. When Belinda was alive I came here every day for her cupcakes. She’d make a new flavor every week. Are you three the new owners?” he asked, his cinnamon brown eyes, warm and interested.

  Layla relaxed and smiled at the young policeman. She liked cops. They’d always had her back and she could depend on them when the chips were down.

  “We are the new owners, but we’re not exactly open for business yet. Max walked us through everything this morning and we’re training for the next week or so before we open. Right now, we’re just having fun though,” she said turning to her sisters. “I’m Layla and this is my sister Kit and my sister Jane,” she said pointing to each of her sisters.

  Tate shook Kit’s hand and then Jane’s last. “You have chocolate eyes,” he said with a friendly smile after letting go of Jane’s hand.

  Jane blushed, turning her cheeks rosy and her eyes wide. “Thanks. And, it’s nice meeting you too,” she said, stumbling over her words.

  Tate grinned and turned back to the brownies. “You know, I haven’t had anything decent to eat since this bakery shut down. It makes life just a little harder knowing I have nothing to look forward to,” he said soulfully.

  Kit laughed and dished him up a large brownie. “Okay, Officer, that was pathetic. Here, try this and tell us if we have any hope of becoming bakers,” she said, looking at him with a faint worry in her eyes.

  Tate stepped forward eagerly taking the brownie. “I get it. I’m your guinea pig. I have no problem with that,” he said and took a large bite.

  All three women stared at him nervously, watching as he closed his eyes and chewed thoughtfully. “Hmmm,” he finally said frowning in concentration.

  Layla frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Was that a good hmm, or a bad hmmm?” she asked dryly, tapping her foot on the ground.

  Tate opened his eyes and took another bite. After he finished his bite he licked his lips and put his hands on his waist. “The texture was perfect, so you got your dry ingredients right. The chocolate was great too. Not too much, not too little. It was missing something though,” he said thoughtfully, closing his eyes as he concentrated.

  Jane stepped forward and grabbed the recipe off the counter, looking at it closely. “We did everything she said to,” she said softly.

  Tate opened his eyes with a smile. “Vanilla. Vanilla is what makes the chocolate shine. It was still really good though,” he said, shrugging.

  Layla and Kit glared at him and then went to stand next to Jane. Jane shook her head and looked over her shoulder at the bottle of vanilla on the counter.

  “Kit? Did you remember to put in two teaspoons?” she asked.

  Kit grimaced and walked over to the vanilla. It was a brand new bottle and still had the plastic covering over the top. “Oops,” she said with a guilty smile.

  Tate laughed and popped the rest of the brownie in his mouth. “Almost perfect. Anytime you need a taste tester, you let me know. I’ll be around the neighborhood,” he said with a wink and sauntered out the door.

  Jane waited a minute and then hurried out the door and into the shop area. Layla and Kit followed more slowly. She looked at the sign with a confused shake of her head. “I could have sworn we locked this door and the sign said closed,” she said, turning the sign over and locking the door.

  Layla frowned. “You’re right Jane. We did and it was. Kit, did you switch it?” she asked looking at her sister.

  Kit held up her hands in defense. “I might have forgotten the vanilla but don’t blame this on me,” she said.

  Layla and Jane looked at each other pensively before Jane grinned and pumped her fist in the air. “It was a ghost,” she said happily. “I knew this old house had to have one. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Layla rolled her eyes and turned to head back to the kitchen. The hard knock on the door had her turning around and glancing at her sisters. “We’re kind of busy for not being open for business,” she said in irritation.

  She opened the door to see Michael Bender standing there with his daughter. “Hi Michael.”

  He smiled crookedly. “I was going to come over later, but I forgot Stella is spending the evening with my parents tonight. They’re taking her to the movies. She insisted on coming and getting a treat though, so here we are. Is now a good time?” he asked.

  Stella smiled and stepped forward. “You smell like chocolate,” she said, her eyes wide and excited. “I love chocolate. Is that my treat?” she whispered as if it were a secret.

  Layla felt her heart melt as she crouched down in front of Stella and grinned. “I’m so glad you like chocolate Stella. We just finished making brownies. Would you like one?”

  Stella nodded her head fiercely up and down. “I love brownies. Sometimes my grandma makes me brownies. I don’t like Daddy’s very much though. He makes them from a box,” she whispered, already licking her lips.

  Layla grinned and glanced up at Michael. He looked slightly embarrassed which for some reason appealed to her.

  Michael cleared his throat as he smiled back at her. “I’m not a very good cook,” he admitted. “Stella’s had to make do with my poor attempts at baking.”

  Layla laughed and looked back at Stella. “Well sweetheart, you came to the right place then.”

  Layla stood back up, still smiling and caught Michael looking at her, his eye intense and curious. Her eyes shuttered and her smile slipped as she stepped back to let the man and his daughter in.

  “Follow me to the kitchen,” she said and turned away, grateful to break the contact with Michael.

  “Hi Michael,” Jane said in greeting, still staring at the corners of the room suspiciously, looking for ghosts.

  Kit smiled and nodded her head. “We’ve just been told by Officer Matafeo that we forgot the vanilla, so I hope you don’t mind subpar brownies,” she said ruefully.

  Michael shrugged. “I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Stella inherited a double portion though and I can promise she’s not that discriminating,” he said with a soft smile as she scampered after Layla, through the door and into the kitchen.

  Everyone wandered back to the kitchen just as Layla picked up Stella and placed her gently on a stool so she could eat her brownie at the counter. Michael felt his heart squeeze as he studied his daughter surrounded by beautiful women. The fact that he was raising his daughter without a mother would never stop bothering him. He’d even considered marrying again so his daughter wouldn’t be deprived of a female influence. He’d even asked out Kim Hanks from the bank for tomorrow night, but he couldn’t say he was excited about it.

  He glanced at Layla against his will and knew that if he had a date planned with her, he would be doing back flips.

  “Would you like me to walk you through the offer here in the kitchen?” he asked holding the folder in his hand up to show them.

  Layla glanced around the kitchen and
shrugged. “Why not? Kit, Jane? Let’s just get it over with,” she said walking over to a clear spot on the counter.

  Michael walked over and took the papers out, spreading them on the counter. He pointed to the number at the bottom of the page, not wanting to bore them with all the details if the answer was a flat no. But he’d promised Alex he would try.

  “As you can see, it’s a very generous offer. With this money, you can pay off your grandmother’s back taxes and debts and still have a very nice inheritance. Divided three ways, you could each live comfortably for a couple years,” he said looking up to gauge their expressions. Each woman was frowning at him.

  Layla picked up the papers on the counter and scanned them quickly before handing them to Kit. Kit did the same and then handed them to Jane who went over and sat by Stella at the counter to take a closer look.

  “I have an appointment with the bank and the lawyer tomorrow. There are no back taxes to pay and the accountant told me there are only a few outstanding bills. It’s not going to take us long to get back in the black. The only reason to sell the bakery is if we don’t want it. But we do, so please tell your client that we appreciate his offer but that we’re not interested,” she said firmly and with that ever present chill in her eyes.

  Michael’s eyes narrowed as he studied Layla, staring back at him as if he were her enemy. They didn’t even know each other, so it must be men in general. What would it be like to change that chill to something warmer? Michael smiled, knowing that he didn’t have the time or patience to try.

  “Is that the unanimous consensus?” he asked, glancing at Kit and Jane.

  Kit’s eyes were warmer than Layla’s but she moved to stand closer to her sister. “We’re not going anywhere Michael. We’re here to stay,” she said, nodding her head.

  Michael turned and looked at Jane, waiting for her opinion. She put the papers down a few moments later and pushed her hair out of her eyes before looking at him.