Читать книгу Cappuccino Kisses - Yahrah St. John - Страница 12
ОглавлениеMariah was the first to arrive at the bakery the next morning. Unlike Chase, who had a set morning routine of cardio and weight training, followed by a healthy breakfast, or Jackson, who was no doubt rolling out of bed late because he’d spent the night having too much fun with some unsuspecting female, Mariah didn’t have any of those options. She was alone.
It wasn’t that she liked it that way. She’d loved being married and all that it had meant. She’d loved being Mrs. Richard Hems and being part of a couple, a unit and a partnership. She’d always thought her marriage would last. How wrong she’d been, Mariah thought as she opened the back door of the bakery.
She couldn’t focus on that now. She knew it wasn’t healthy to keep looking back; she had to focus on other things. Namely, on baking all the breakfast goods that she hoped would be necessary for the morning rush. Aunt Lillian believed in providing the freshest baked products each day, so any unpurchased item was given away to a local shelter at the end of the night.
Mariah quickly turned on the lights, grabbed her apron hanging on a hook nearby, and headed toward the kitchen to get down to business.
Two hours later, she was wrist deep in flour when her brother Jack finally deigned to gift her with his presence. She’d already prepared the first batch of pastries, from cinnamon and pecan rolls to Danishes and croissants, for the breakfast rush. She was now starting on the triple berry, blueberry, lemon and orange scones that were a big part of their menu selection.
“Look who finally decided to join me,” Mariah said, as he slowly made his way to the sink to wash his hands.
“Don’t start, Ri,” he replied, using his nickname for her. When he was finished, he grabbed a paper towel and dried his hands.
Mariah quirked her brow. “You were supposed to be here—” she glanced at her watch “—hours ago. I needed help. I haven’t even started on the muffins yet.”
“I’m sorry, okay?” Jackson responded as he quickly grabbed several mixing bowls and ingredients for the muffins from the cabinets and refrigerator.
She was surprised that for once he offered an apology instead of an excuse. “I presume you were with one of your admirers from the grand opening?” Mariah selected a handful of dough and set it on the already floured counter. She rolled the dough and used a scone cutter to cut out the pieces before placing them on a greased cookie sheet.
Jackson gave her a sly smile. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”
“Well, a certain gentleman needs to set his alarm so he’s not late again. I can’t do this without you,” Mariah replied.
“Duly noted. What’s got your panties in a twist?”
“Nothing.”
Jackson stopped mixing the dry ingredients and looked at his sister.
Could he see that she hadn’t really slept that well? The strain of the previous day had caught up to Mariah. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had made her uneasy. Was it their parents’ less than enthusiastic response to the bakery opening? Or perhaps it was meeting that sexy stranger who’d caught her eye from the second she’d seen him strolling down the sidewalk, and turning down his offer of a date? Or maybe it was Shari revealing that she was pregnant yet again, when Mariah’s hopes of motherhood had been repeatedly dashed year after year during her five-year marriage? Maybe it was a combination of all three causing her lack of sleep. In any event, she’d been up with the roosters.
“You’re frowning,” Jackson said. “Did something happen last night? Did you go out with Everett Myers?”
Mariah spun around to face him. “Why would you ask such a thing?”
Her brother shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe ’cause the guy was really feeling you and cock-blocked anyone from getting close to you during the party.”
Mariah chuckled. She hadn’t realized that was what he was doing, but he had made his intentions clear, especially when he’d grasped her arm and damn near demanded she give him a tour of the bakery.
“C’mon,” Jackson said, “I know it’s been a long time since you’ve been on that horse—the dating horse, that is—but even you can recognize a man’s interest in you.” When she didn’t respond right away, he asked, “Can’t you?”
Mariah let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Of course I can. I’m not blind.”
“Then why didn’t you give the brother a chance?” Jackson inquired.
“I’m just not ready yet.”
“Will you ever be?”
Luckily, Mariah didn’t have to answer that question because the buzzer on the oven sounded, signaling that her second batch of pastries was ready. She scooted over to remove the delicious treats from the stove, effectively ending their conversation.
They didn’t have a chance to pick up where they left off because their third baker arrived. Nancy Alvarez was a middle-aged woman with a background in the bakery business, and she knew her stuff. It had taken some convincing to talk Nancy into working for them, but once Mariah had sweetened the deal by making it part-time, with Mariah taking the early morning shift, she’d acquiesced.
Among the three of them, they were able to get a lot accomplished, and were ready to open their doors at 7:00 a.m. for the breakfast rush.
Since she’d been the first to arrive, Mariah left Jackson and Nancy in the kitchen while she attended to the front of the house. Customers slowly trickled in, wanting delicious baked goods, but eventually business took off and the morning sped by.
Mariah was surprised when Jackson came to relieve her for a short break, so she could get off her feet and have a cup of much-needed coffee.
Mariah went into the office and took a seat. She pulled off her comfortable flats and rubbed her aching arches. She hadn’t truly realized just how exhausting running a bakery could be, affecting not just her sleeping routine, but her feet.
Owning and operating a bakery was hard work. The hours were long and the work tiring, but Mariah believed without risk there would be no reward.
Chase hadn’t arrived yet. He typically didn’t show up until 9:00 a.m., and Mariah envied his banker’s hours from nine to five. He’d soon be scouring the pile of bills she’d seen sitting on his desk—invoices for the inventory of ingredients and equipment that it took to run Lillian’s. Money was constantly going out and they would need to start pouring some back in to ensure the firm’s viability.
She was leaning back in the chair, strategizing on an advertising campaign that would help boost business, when Jackson poked his head into the room. “You have a visitor.”
“Who is it?” she asked, looking up, but he was already gone.
Mariah sighed. She didn’t have time for visitors. She needed to come up with a plan to get Lillian’s name out there. The reporter yesterday had been right when he’d indicated that Sweetness Bakery had a solid and long-standing reputation in Seattle and it would be hard to compete against them. But Mariah knew Lillian’s recipes were superior and that eventually they would succeed.
Slipping her flats back on, she rose from her desk. After checking herself in the mirror that she’d installed in the office to ensure she would always be respectable before greeting the public, she headed out of the room.
When she made it to the storefront area, only a handful of customers were munching on their baked goods at the small countertop and bank of tables. Most were probably enjoying the free Wi-Fi Lillian’s offered.
Jackson gave her a wink as he dealt with a customer at the register. “He’s over there.” Her brother inclined his head toward the far side of the store.
Mariah noticed a man kneeling in front of the display there, but she couldn’t tell who it was. But as she approached and he rose to his feet, there was no mistaking the visitor’s identity. It was none other than Everett Myers.
Fortifying herself and letting a rush of air out her lungs, Mariah walked toward the counter. “Good morning,” she said with a smile. “May I help you?”
He returned the smile. “Good morning, Mariah.”
“Mr. Myers, what can I get for you this morning?” she asked, purposely using his last name as she turned around. She grasped two plastic gloves and opened the display case.
He looked down at the pastries and then back up at her, penetrating her with his dark gaze. “Everything looks good.”
The way he was gazing at her with such undisguised lust, Mariah doubted he was taking about the pastries. “Might I suggest the cheese Danish? We just baked them fresh.”
“That would be lovely, but only if you join me?”
“Join you?” Mariah squeaked. Her voice sounded small even to her. “I couldn’t possibly. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m working.”
“Looks like your brother has everything under control. What could it hurt to take a break and keep me company?”
He made it sound so simple that she should join him, and since resisting seemed only to incite his interest, as she’d learned yesterday, she said, “All right, but I can only spare a few minutes.”
Everett glanced down at his watch. “A few minutes is all I have. And I will take your suggestion of a Danish along with a bottled water.”
“Coming right up.” She took a deep breath and reminded herself that Everett was just a man. But why did he have to look so darn handsome in his charcoal-gray suit and crisp white dress shirt that perfectly fit his athletic physique? Mariah could only wonder what lay beneath the clothes as she reached for the pastry and placed it on a glass plate, which was Lillian’s signature. Aunt Lillian believed in serving people as if they were at her home, and not have them eat off paper or plastic. When she’d grasped a bottled water from the refrigerated case behind her, Mariah took the plate and mug to the table he’d secured.
She couldn’t help but notice the smug smile Everett gave her as she left the display area, or the way his eyes roamed over her entire frame, taking her in from root to tip. “Here you are.” She placed the items in front of him.
He rose to his feet. “Please have a seat.” He pulled out a chair for her before resuming his own.
“Thank you,” Mariah said, “So what brings you by, Mr. Myers?”
“Please call me Everett. All my friends do.”
Mariah’s brow rose a fraction. “And are we friends?”
“I certainly hope so,” he answered, “If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been trying to remedy that.”
Mariah couldn’t resist a smile. “Yes, I have, and I appreciate the grand gesture of your stopping by, Mr.— Everett,” she finally said. “But you needn’t bother or try so hard. As I told you yesterday, I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”
“Does that mean you might be later?”
Mariah inwardly chuckled. Of course he would pick up on her word choice. “Later might be a long time coming.”
“I can wait.”
She placed both elbows on the table and steepled her fingers together as she watched him. “Am I a challenge to you, Everett?”
He didn’t answer, because he’d chosen that moment to take a forkful of the Danish, and groaned aloud, causing a place deep inside Mariah to answer, just as it had yesterday. Her breasts tightened in response. She, or rather her body, was not immune to the virility of this man. “This is divine. Did you make it?”
Mariah flushed. “Yes, how did you know?”
He looked deep into her eyes. “I don’t know. I guess that, because it was made with such love, I knew it had to be you.”
Mariah swallowed hard and licked her lips. Everett’s eyes followed her every movement and it made her uneasy that he was watching her so intently. “Um, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that.”
Everett took another forkful of pastry. “You don’t have to say anything, since it’s I who should be thanking you for the delicious start to my day. If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get into baking?”
“I started baking in my tween years when I went to visit my aunt Lillian.”
“Lillian Reynolds Drayson?”
“Yes, how did you—” Mariah stopped herself. Everett struck her as the type of man who never left anything to chance. If he wanted to know more about Aunt Lillian, he’d probably done his research. “Anyway, I used to visit her in Chicago during the summers and I would join her at the bakery. I learned the basics of how to bake at a young age. Once I grew older and was married, I had a lot of extra time on my hands and I began dabbling and trying new recipes.”
“Your husband left you alone?” Everett sat back in his chair.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“No?” He quirked a brow as if he didn’t quite believe her, but then shrugged. “If you were mine, you would only know one position and that’s lying on your back.”
Mariah flushed immediately at Everett’s provocative statement. She’d never been so attracted to and aroused by another man before.
He gave her a mischievous grin. “Did I say something to offend your delicate sensibilities?”
“No, I’m just not used to men speaking to me like...” Mariah was at a loss for words.
“So openly about what they want?” he inquired. “I know what I want, and when I want something in life, I go for it with gusto, no holds barred. You get my drift?”
His eyes never left her face and Mariah was under no false illusion about what he meant. When Everett desired something or someone, he was fully committed. He was in. Mariah wondered what it would have been like if Richard had been like that in their marriage. Maybe if he’d been all in, their relationship wouldn’t have ended and she wouldn’t be divorced at twenty-six.
“Mariah?” Everett cocked his head to one side to peer at her questioningly. “Did I lose you?”
She blinked several times, bringing him and their conversation back into focus. “No, you didn’t, but I really do have to get back to work.”
“You’re doing it again,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Running away,” he responded. “But lucky you, I like to chase.” He rose from his seat, pulled several bills from his wallet and laid them on the table. He stepped toward her and Mariah was frozen, unsure of what to do. Was he going to make a move? Was he going to kiss her?
Instead, he just softly caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand, which was warm and tender, and said, “I’ll see you soon.”
And he was gone. Leaving Mariah to wonder and secretly hope when that might be.
* * *
Outside the bakery, Everett stared into the window at Mariah as she walked back toward the kitchen. What on earth had possessed him to come here just a day after she’d turned down a date with him? Although he’d dreamed of a certain beautiful honey blonde in his dreams, he certainly hadn’t woken up this morning with the intention of acting on any of his desires. But somehow, as he’d exited the penthouse garage on his way to Myers Hotel, his car had taken him in a different direction, directly to Lillian’s Bakery.
When he arrived, he’d thought about getting something to go, but on the other hand, he couldn’t resist the pull he’d felt yesterday with Mariah. He’d wanted more. So he’d asked her brother to find her. And when she’d come out to the storefront, she’d looked just as sexy and scrumptious as he remembered. Sure, she was wearing a less than flattering apron that covered all her God-given assets. That was why he’d asked her to come around from the display—so he could take another real good look at her. Perhaps he’d hyped her up in his dreams to be more than she was, and reality would be like a cold splash of water in his face. But he hadn’t been wrong.
Instead, when she’d come from behind the counter wearing low-rise jeans that sat seductively over her hips and a crop top that gave him just a hint of stomach and skin, Everett had been eager to know what secrets lay hidden beneath them. It hadn’t helped that her full, round breasts were pressing against the thin top she wore, showing him that she might be a bit chilled.
Jeez. He glanced down at his watch and realized he’d better get to the hotel so he could make the morning’s meeting, rather than stew over a baker who, if she had her way, could take him or leave him. Everett quickly drove the short distance to the hotel.
As he did, he realized he hadn’t expected the full force of Mariah’s sexiness to hit him with such magnitude as it had that morning, but he’d felt it deep in his groin. He’d had a hard-on happening when she hadn’t so much as touched him. Matter-of-fact, she’d tried her best to keep him at bay throughout their interlude. That is, until he’d stuck his foot in his mouth and revealed exactly where she’d be if she were his woman. She’d be on her back in his bed and he’d ravish her all night long until she begged him to come inside her.
When had he gotten so horny? It hadn’t been that long since he’d been with a woman, had it? Everett pondered the thought as he rode the elevator up to the administrative offices of Myers Hotels. Walking through the lobby had been a blur. As the doors opened, he blinked to get himself back in the game and on his morning routine.
The meeting was already under way when he arrived, and Everett merely stood back against the door, listening as the hotel’s general manager went over the day’s events.
When he was done, he glanced up and saw Everett. “Mr. Myers, is there anything you’d like to add?”
Everett shook his head. “Not at all, you go ahead. I’ll just listen in.”
Thankfully, the hotel pretty much ran itself, with Everett stepping in only periodically, when a major decision needed to be made. Hiring the best and brightest in the hospitality industry and paying them a fair wage had ensured that Myers Hotels were respected in the industry and one of the more sought after places of employment in the Seattle hotel market.
He slipped out before the meeting concluded and headed to his office. His executive assistant, Mildred, was waiting for him with his messages. There were the usual suspects, along with a message from EJ’s school.
Everett immediately thanked Mildred for the update and closed the door to his office. Being a father came first, before business. It had been that way with his own dad and Everett was ensuring he did the same. Although Stephen Myers was a serious and austere man to some, he had always made sure that Everett and his mother were his top priority. Even when his father had been building the Myers Hotels into a well-respected luxury chain, he’d made certain he had time for his family. If ever Everett had a problem, his father had always been there to help him solve it. It was because of him that Everett was the man he was today. And it’s why he’d wanted to emulate him by marrying his first love. He’d thought he and Sara would be together forever, until fate struck.
Everett picked up the receiver and dialed the principal of EJ’s school, who’d left the message for him.
“Mr. Myers, thank you so much for the quick response,” the woman said.
“When it comes my son, nothing is more important,” Everett replied. “What’s going on?”
“Well, EJ was having a hard time today, so I brought him to my office.”
“Why?” Everett sat upright in his chair. “Is something wrong? Is my son okay?” Ever since Sara’s death, he had become somewhat paranoid and hypervigilant about EJ’s safety, but how could he not? EJ was all he had left.
“He’s fine, he’s fine. Physically, that is.”
Everett understood her meaning. “And emotionally?”
“I learned there were some students picking on him...” She paused. “Because his mother is gone.”
“I see.” Everett’s voice was clipped.
“I’ve disciplined them accordingly,” the principal continued, “but EJ was clearly upset, as he has every right to be, and I just thought that—”
“I’ll be there in twenty,” Everett said, and hung up the phone. He grabbed his keys and sunglasses as he headed for the doorway.
“Is everything okay, Mr. Myers?” Mildred asked in obvious concern, since he’d only just arrived.
“It’s EJ.” And with those words, he was out the door.
He made it to the school in fifteen minutes, parking his car in the tow-away zone. No one would dare tow his vehicle, given the thousands he’d donated to this private school.
The look on his face must have said it all, because the receptionist rose as he walked straight past the front counter and toward the principal’s office. He knocked twice and didn’t wait for a response before entering.
“Mr. Myers!” The principal jumped up from her desk.
“I’m here to pick up my son.”
He glanced across the room and saw EJ sitting at a table, while the principal looked up, startled, from her computer.
“Of course, of course.” She rushed toward him. “And I’m sorry to have to bother you,” she said, closing the door behind him so they could speak in private. “Just given the time of year, with Mother’s Day coming in May, I thought it prudent you come.”
“Thank you for calling me.”
“You’re most certainly welcome.” She touched his arm. “And I can assure you that we don’t tolerate bullying of any kind. The children have been reprimanded and their parents were contacted.”
“I appreciate that,” Everett said. “EJ, grab your things,” he told his son over her shoulder, since he was several inches taller. He bent down to whisper in the principal’s ear in a lethal tone, “Let’s ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
The woman nodded.
Once they were outside the school, Everett stopped and turned to his son. “How you doing, buddy?”
EJ just he kept walking toward the car. Everett understood the cue that he didn’t want to talk here, so he unlocked the Cadillac Escalade and EJ jumped into the passenger seat.
Everett came around to the driver’s side. He turned on the engine, but thought better of it and said, “Do you want to talk about it now?”
“Can’t we just go?”
“Not when something’s on your mind,” Everett responded. “You know you can talk to me about anything and I will always sympathize and be here to listen.”
EJ turned to face the window and said nothing.
Everett sighed as he put the Escalade in gear. “All right. Well, when you want to talk about it, I’m here for you, okay?”
EJ didn’t answer; he just nodded his head.
