You Belong With Me (Book 1 in The Love and Dessert Trilogy) Read online

  Michael’s face relaxed into a large happy smile. “I’m fine with moving slow.”

  They spent the next hour talking about everything. They found out that they both loved the water, loved the Pacific Northwest and enjoyed traveling.

  As they walked out of the restaurant, Layla noticed Alex Foster sitting at the bar, turned around in his seat, staring at her. She frowned and turned away, but couldn’t help feeling a cold shiver run down her spine.

  Michael drove her straight home and must have taken the go slow clause seriously, because he kissed her very briefly before she walked into the house. She stood at the window and watched him drive away with a small smile on her mouth. She turned and walked toward her bedroom with a new and pleasant sensation rising through her chest. It almost felt like hope.

  Chapter 11 – Blindsided

  The next day Layla woke up to gray skies and misty cool rain. She stood at her window and leaned on the sill as she tried to see through the mist to the water. She sighed, knowing that gray skies were part of the joy of living in Washington. It didn’t stop her from yearning for sunny clear days though. She slipped on a light cream sweater and skipped down the stairs to the kitchen.

  She blinked in surprise to see that Kit and Jane were already hard at work with Max standing behind them. She glanced at her watch and frowned. She was only a few minutes late.

  “Well, there’s Sleeping beauty. Grab an apron and get busy. You want to be a baker, you show up on time. No excuses,” Max said with a frown as she turned to look her up and down.

  Layla grimaced and grabbed one of the simple, white aprons from the drawer and put it on. “I need you to show us how to make sour dough bread today because Rob, the owner of the Iron Skillet, is coming by today at 11 to try ours. If he likes it, then we’ll be making the bread for his restaurant,” she said breezily.

  Kit and Jane turned and stared at her in surprise. Max smiled and nodded her head. “Belinda always made Rob’s bread for him. He’s a stickler for taste and texture though. Let’s get a batch of sour dough going and we’ll do some focaccia too.”

  Layla moved to follow Max, but Kit grabbed her arm. Hard. “Hey!” Layla said, rubbing her arm.

  Kit frowned at her. “Look, I’m going to take off at around 10:30. I don’t want to be here when he shows up,” she said quietly so no one else could hear her.

  Layla ignored Max’s wave and looked in concern at her sister. Kit wasn’t a drama queen and she’d been born knowing how to handle men. Something wasn’t right.

  “Why Kit? What’s going on with Rob? You’ve only met the guy once.”

  Kit shrugged and ran a hand over her forehead. “I don’t know Layla, I just don’t want to be here when he shows up. That’s it. Nothing else,” she said with a nonchalant shrug.

  Layla frowned but nodded her head. “Okay then,” she said and followed Max.

  They spent the morning learning how to make bread, sour dough starter and how to deal with delivery men. By 10:30 Layla was tired and decided to grab a diet Coke. She threw one to Jane and got ready to toss Kit one when she saw her sister grab her purse off a chair and slip it over her shoulder.

  “Kit, come on. What is this all about?” Layla asked softly. Jane walked over and stared between her two sisters.

  “Oh, is this about your dream Kit?” Jane asked, her eyes wide.

  Kit glared at Jane and then shut her eyes with a shake. “Dang you’re a blabber mouth,” she muttered under her breath.

  Layla raised an eyebrow and smiled, but kept silent. Kit glanced at Max who was at the other end of the kitchen talking on her cell as she munched on a croissant.

  “Okay, yes. It’s so stupid I can’t even believe it. But yeah, I had a dream about Rob. And I just don’t want to be here is all,” she said, glaring at Jane and daring her to say one more word.

  Jane looked at her in confusion and tilted her head. “Just because you dreamed he was kissing you doesn’t mean he knows you had that dream. Heck if I had a dream like that, I’d want to be checking the guy out and letting him know I’m available to go dancing,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Kit growled low in her throat as she stepped closer to Jane. “You know I can still take you Jane. You’re still the baby of the family and I have no problem holding you down and shoving Crisco in your mouth,” she said, flexing her hands.

  Layla laughed and stepped out of the way as Jane stuck her tongue out before turning and leaping away. Kit jumped and landed on Jane’s back as the younger sister took off. Jane was fast, but Kit was faster. Layla winced as the two sisters fell to the ground, with Jane squealing and laughing as Kit grabbed her hands and forced them to the sides of her face.

  “Max! Hand me the Crisco!” Kit ordered, yelling over her shoulder.

  Max put her cell phone in her pocket and sauntered over to the two women on the ground. “Honey, I am not getting in the middle of a cat fight. Do I look stupid?”

  Kit flipped her head, trying to get her hair out of her face as Jane twisted her body and tried to unseat her. Layla covered her mouth, giggling at a sight she hadn’t seen in over ten years.

  “Layla, if you don’t grab me the Crisco can, you’ll be next,” Kit warned, sending a venomous look over her shoulder.

  Layla sneered at Kit. “I’ve faced down dead beat dads. You don’t scare me,” she said but glanced at the Crisco can and bit her lip. Should she?

  “Do you mind if I film this?”

  Layla, Max, Kit and Jane all turned around with horrified expressions on their faces. Kit jumped off Jane so fast if looked as if she was pulled up. Jane scrambled to her feet, blushing beet red while Layla and Max laughed with glee at the two sister’s embarrassment.

  Rob Downing stood in the doorway, leaning with his shoulder as he grinned at the women. “I am so glad I came down early. To think I might have missed this,” he said pushing away from the doorway and walking toward the women.

  Kit glared at Rob and put her hands on her waist. “Exactly how long have you been standing there?” she demanded.

  Rob glanced at all of the sisters before looking back at Kit. “Well, I heard something about a dream and kissing, but that’s all I heard before you tackled your sister. Who were you dreaming about?” he asked curiously.

  Kit looked so horrified that Layla took pity on her and came to stand between Rob and her sister.

  “Rob, why don’t we let Kit and Jane finish cleaning up the kitchen while you try a few samples of the bread we made this morning?”

  Rob looked like he wanted to argue but smiled and followed Layla to the other side of the kitchen.

  Layla glanced over her shoulder at Kit and Jane, but Jane was the only one there. Kit had disappeared. Jane shrugged her shoulders and winced. Kit had a huge temper and once ignited, it was hard to put out. That multiplied with mortification at being seen wrestling with her sister on the kitchen floor and there was no telling how long it would take Kit to calm down.

  Max sliced Rob some sour dough and focaccia, putting them on a plate and sliding it across the counter to him. Jane gave up pretending to clean and wandered over, as all three women stood and stared somberly as Rob closed his eyes and ate the entire slice of sour dough. He then did the same thing with the focaccia. When he finally opened his eyes, he wasn’t smiling as he looked at Max.

  “You made this bread Max,” he said, wiping his mouth. “It tastes the same.”

  Max frowned at Rob and crossed her arms over her ample chest. Today she was wearing a vintage Metallica t-shirt. “Well, of course I made it. I’m teaching the girls so they can do it on their own. You can’t expect them to just know how to make sour dough bread. It’s the same recipe Rob. When they make it on their own, you won’t be able to tell the difference.”

  Rob whisked some crumbs off his shirt and glanced at his watch. “Next time I come by, I want to taste bread they’ve made.”

  Layla, Jane and Max stared at Rob Downing’s back as he disappeared out the door. Al
l three women were left frowning darkly.

  “Crap,” Layla said closing her eyes.

  Jane sighed and untied her apron. “There’s always tomorrow. But he’s right. Max will be leaving soon. We need to start doing all of it on our own. Come over here Layla, I want to show you something I’ve been working on,” Jane said and walked over to a large white binder on the counter.

  Layla and Max followed her, watching as she flipped open the binder and pointed to a large graphic. “Three sisters, three areas. My specialty is going to be cupcakes and cookies. On the side I’ll be doing the books. Kit is going to be in charge of decorating the wedding cakes and bread. She’s so artistic I know she’ll love it. There’s a two week class up in Seattle starting on the 5th. It’s expensive, but I want her to go. It’ll get her comfortable with working with fondant and open her eyes to the artistic possibilities of her new field. She’ll do that and whatever else we need her to do. I don’t think she’ll be busy at first, but when people see what she can do, I bet you anything she’ll be so busy with cake orders she’ll need an assistant,” Jane said, her eyes bright with excitement.

  Max pursed her lips. “We always got requests for wedding cakes, but me and Belinda always turned them down. Most people go to Tacoma to get their cakes. It could be big,” she admitted.

  Jane smiled and nodded her head. Layla held up her hand, still frowning. “And me Jane? What have you planned for me?”

  Jane winced and looked at her feet. “You get to deal with all the delivery guys and ordering all of our supplies. No one will boss you around and you’re not intimidated by anyone.”

  Max grinned and leaned her hip against the counter. “That’s for dang sure. Those brass knuckles you keep handy in your mouth will get a lot of use. They won’t know what hit them,” she said with a slight cackle.

  Layla tried not to smile as she shook her head. “Aaaanndd?” she prompted.

  Jane bit her lip. “I think you should be over desserts and pastries including croissants,” she said and closed her eyes as if she were expecting an argument.

  Max made a humming sound as she looked Layla up and down. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Kit can be meticulous when she wants to be, but you have a patient soft touch. Your macaroons were delicious yesterday.”

  Layla tried not to let the praise affect her, but it did. And she had to admit, she enjoyed making the desserts and the pastries the most anyways. Why not?

  “Okay then. We’ll try it out your way. We might have to adjust and change some things along the way, but for now, I say yes. We’ll need to hunt down Kit and tell her she’s going on a trip though,” she said, shoving her hands in her pockets. “After the wrestling match Rob just witnessed, I don’t know if Kit will want to be over bread. He’s kind of intense and she’s embarrassed,” she said worriedly.

  Jane shut her white binder and leaned up against the counter. “He doesn’t intimidate me. I think he just wanted an excuse to come back tomorrow anyways,” she said with a grin. “He couldn’t keep his eyes off Kit.”

  Max laughed and took her apron off. “Better tell Kit to start baking then,” she said and walked out the door without a good bye.

  Jane sighed. “She’s right. We better get to work. If it turns out though, I’m taking the bread straight to the restaurant and forcing him to try it. I don’t think we should have to wait until tomorrow just because he has a thing for red-heads.”

  “I thought I smelled something amazing,” a deep, masculine voice said behind them.

  Layla smiled and raised an eyebrow at Jane before turning around to see Officer Matafeo standing behind them looking hopeful.

  Jane laughed and walked toward him. “Well, it’s a good think you’re a cop. You have the nose of a blood hound. We just made croissants and bread. Would you like a croissant?”

  Tate covered his heart with his hand. “I would adore a croissant.”

  Layla studied the tall, attractive man and tilted her head. This was the man her little sister was going to go after. She couldn’t say she blamed her. His strong masculine features combined with his light hearted and easy going personality made him practically perfect.

  “You know when we open up in a few days, you’re actually going to have to start paying for things like brownies, croissants and cookies.”

  Officer Tate swallowed his bite and shook his head sadly. “I knew the dream had to end sometime. You use me as a guinea pig and then you cast me aside. Really harsh Layla. I’m shocked,” he said trying to look sad.

  Layla laughed and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Jane to flirt all she wanted to. She walked out the front door and out on to the front porch. Kit was already sitting in one of the rocking chairs with her jean clad legs up on the railing. Layla said nothing as she joined her sister and kicked her legs up too.

  “Did you hear Jane’s ideas?” Layla asked as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

  Kit didn’t answer for a while. “You know, life just turns out so differently than how I expected it to. I was supposed to be famous by now. Have my own art studio. Have the life I always dreamed of having. But now I’ll be using my vast artistic abilities to form the perfect color of fondant. I don’t know Layla. Do you think this will kill my soul?” she asked in a soft voice.

  Layla opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her impossibly beautiful sister. “Oh honey, that’s up to you. It’ll either kill you or expand your soul in ways you haven’t imagined. You’re the one that makes that decision.”

  Kit sighed and stretched her arms over her head. “Either way, I think it’s dumb to leave just the two you alone while I take a class on cake decorating. You’re opening the bakery in just a few days. We all know we’re not ready and Max is leaving the second she feels her obligation to our grandmother is up. How are two novices like you and Jane going to handle everything on your own?”

  Layla frowned and sat up. “Crap. I didn’t think of that. Jane probably didn’t either. I ask Max to stay every day, but she won’t budge.”

  Kit snorted. “It would take a tank to budge that woman. We’ll have to sink or swim. I can do some basic cakes and do some online classes and just experiment on my own sort of thing. When the bakery starts doing really well, we can hire some part time help and if I still think I need a class, then I can take off.”

  Layla smiled. “When did you get to be so practical? Even last year you would have taken off without a single thought. What’s happening to you Kit?”

  Kit tried to smile, but it wobbled dangerously. “It’s called growing up Layla. You can’t be the only one who tries it,” she said and stood up. “I’m going to go experiment with some fondant and make a new batch of bread.”

  Layla smiled worriedly at her sister and then turned back to her view of the cool misty scene before her. She felt her heart speed up as Michael’s car pulled up in front of the bakery. She felt like jumping up and running down the steps, but controlled her first impulse and settled for lowering her legs. Michael grinned when he saw her and bounded up the steps. He leaned down and kissed her briefly on the cheek before standing up and leaning against the porch railing.

  Layla smiled up at him with her eyes as she tried to control her erratic breathing. “Hi there.”

  Michael stared at her with a small smile on his mouth as if he wanted to kiss her again. “Done for the day?”

  Layla crossed her legs. “Pretty much. I need to go over our suppliers and look at our past orders but other than that, I’ve got some time on my hands. What about you?”

  Michael moved to sit in Kit’s vacated rocking chair, turning to see her better. “Stella is with her maternal grandparents for the day. They drove her up to the zoo so I’m completely free. And I was wondering if you’d like to go boating with me? I know it’s a little cool and misty, but it’s supposed to clear up later this afternoon.”

  Layla couldn’t stop the grin on her face. “You own a boat?” she couldn’t help asking.

  Michael
nodded and reached for her hand. “I bought it last year and I haven’t been able to take it out much. I already have it hitched to my truck. Why don’t you grab a jacket and we can go fishing?”

  Layla bit her lip excitedly. “I would love to,” she said as Michael came to his feet, to stand in front of her. As if they were reading each other’s thoughts, Layla stood up and stepped into Michael’s arms as he held her tightly. “I love the water more than anything,” she whispered as she hugged him.

  Michael kissed her hair before letting her go. “Then you’re in for a great afternoon,” he said, pushing her gently toward the door.

  Just as she reached for the door though, Officer Tate walked through, his face looking tense and stormy. She blinked in surprise as he brushed past her without saying anything.

  “Tate?” she said just as Jane followed him, rushing through the door.

  Jane stood on the porch next to Michael, her face red and her brown eyes looking like golden fire. “You are the biggest jerk I’ve ever met!” Jane yelled at Tate as he reached the bottom stair.

  He turned back to look at her warily and just in time to get a croissant in the face. “Go get your free samples someplace else from now on,” Jane added, dusting her hands on her jeans before putting her nose in the air and going back through the door.

  Layla’s mouth had fallen open in shock as she turned to look at Tate who was wiping flaky pieces of the croissant off his face, looking just as furious as Jane.

  “Your little sister is the biggest spoiled brat I’ve ever met in my life. She’s just a child. She has no idea what’s good for her,” he spit out, looking as if he wanted to race back up the stairs and give Jane a piece of his mind.

  Layla shook her head in confusion. “Jane? She’s the furthest thing from a brat. What did you do?” she asked, stepping forward.

  Michael put his arm around Layla’s shoulders as if to restrain her. Tate shrugged and his eyes became shuttered. “Let’s just say she has a hard time taking no for an answer,” he said and then with one more sizzling look at the bakery, turned and walked down the street, his angry feet eating up the distance within minutes.