Kissing Kendall (6 page)

Brad regarded her quizzically for a moment before standing. “I guess I should get going. Otherwise, I might eat all of your pie.”

They shared a smile and once again her insides went all fluttery. “I did promise some pie to your sister. Considering Georgie’s appetite lately, she’d probably steal your gun and use it on you if that happened.”

“Better to have her on my case about that than my love life.”

“She and Walt are very happy, and just like you wanted the best for her, she obviously wants the very best for you too.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to convince me about what Georgie wants for me,” he said, taking the plates from her hands and walking them to the sink. “I could use a lot of words to describe my sister, but subtle is not one of them.”

After he placed the dishes in the dishwasher, he turned to look at her. But the amusement died from his eyes as his gaze fastened on her face. She was almost afraid to move or say anything because he just stood there with grim lips, as if debating something in his mind.

When he finally spoke, his words were hoarse. “The thing is…Georgie may want the best for me, but she has to get it through her head that the best isn’t within my reach right now.”

Then, with no other words or good-bye, he grabbed his jacket and left.

Chapter Four

Kendall had problems sleeping, so she managed to get an early start the next morning on the work that still needed to be done on her new business. The bakery had to be her main focus right now—not Brad or his love life. She couldn’t believe how upset she’d gotten the night before after he told her he was going on a date.

What kind of person did that make her if she begrudged a friend his happiness?

A confused, pathetic friend, that’s what.

She wasn’t going to be that kind of friend. After Brad had left last night, she’d given herself a mental lecture. What he did and whom he dated was absolutely none of her business. The only two things she would concentrate on were her new bakery and Georgie’s upcoming baby shower. That was it. In fact, just reminding herself of that made her breath come a little easier. Her world would remain in its safe little cocoon—just the way she preferred it—and all would be well.

See? Mind over matter.

Sort of.

And with that last questionable thought, she dropped the paintbrush in her hand and stepped back. She was about to admire the fresh coat of Blue Bauble paint she used for the side wall of the bakery when Dee walked through the door.

“Ooh la la!” Dee exclaimed as soon as she noticed the brightly colored wall. “It’s amazing what a little paint can do for a room. It’s fantastic.”

Kendall grinned, then gazed back at her own handiwork. “You know, you’re right. I love how bright and cheery it makes the place look. I read somewhere that the color blue makes you hungry, so I’m hoping it’ll be good for business.”

“Believe me, your customers won’t care if you have black walls once they taste your stuff.”

Kendall chuckled. “I’m not taking any chances. Oh, and wait until you see the white floor tiling I picked out. I’m even going to keep a few of the tables here to encourage people to sit down and have coffee. I’ll throw some linen tablecloths over them and they’ll look good as new.”

Dee cocked her head and smiled. “Kendall, you should see your face—it’s positively glowing. I haven’t seen you this excited since… Well, it’s been a long time.”

Kendall had to agree with Dee. The distraction of work was good for her, and she was enjoying every second she spent in creating a business that she could call her own. Just being here made her feel safe and protected. The bakery would soon be all hers, and no one would take it away from her.

“Hey, did you put any thought into what kind of cake we should have for Georgie’s shower?” Dee asked.

Kendall clasped her hands together in anticipation of showing off her latest creations. “Not only did I put thought into it, I did some experimentation this morning and actually made a few samples for you.” She whirled around and beckoned Dee to follow her into the kitchen.

“I hope that means I get to sample the samples,” Dee said, already at Kendall’s heels.

“Absolutely.” She opened the walk-in refrigerator and pulled out a tray of cupcakes. “But first I want you to look at them and tell me which one you like best.”

Dee gasped as soon as she saw the assorted tray of pastel-colored cupcakes. Kendall smiled at Dee’s reaction. She had taken extra care in making and shaping the fondant into little tiny sleeping babies—no easy feat since it was so stiff to work with and her first time making it.

“I love them all!” Dee exclaimed. “Georgie is going to flip when she sees them.” Dee didn’t waste any time and immediately dove in for a cupcake.

Kendall grabbed her friend’s wrist before she could take a bite. “Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head. “You can’t eat yet. Seriously, which one do you like best, the babies in the pink and blue strollers or the babies in the pink and blue blankets?”

Dee gave her an exasperated look. “Kendall, they’re both gorgeous and you know it. Now let me taste one or we’re going to have ourselves a situation.”

Kendall rolled her eyes. “Oh, fine. I guess I can make both.”

“Wise decision,” Dee mumbled. “Glad I could help.”

Brad poked his head in the kitchen just then, startling them both. “What’s a wise decision?” he asked, grinning.

“Brad!” Kendall exclaimed. “Wh-what are you doing here?” She quickly combed her hair with her fingers, fussing with her appearance. “You said you wouldn’t be able to start work until Tuesday.”

She looked down at herself and frowned at the blue dots splattered on the backs of her hands. She’d been painting all morning and had thought she would only see Dee today—she probably resembled something that needed to be taken out with the trash.

“I know,” he said with a sheepish shrug. “But I wanted to bring over the wood I ordered for your workbench. It was taking up too much space in my truck and— Ooh, cupcakes.” His long-legged stride brought him across the kitchen in mere seconds. Without a pause, he reached for a cake. Closely inspecting it, his brows rose in appreciation. “Hey, these are pretty cute. Are they for Georgie’s shower?”

“Yeah,” Dee said with frosting all over her lips. “And trust me, they taste even better than they look.”

Brad stared at Kendall steadily as he spoke to Dee. “I’m sure anything of Kendall’s tastes good.”

Kendall’s body flushed all over as she thought about the double meaning in his words. It felt like she had just eaten a spoonful of peanut butter, having to swallow repeatedly against the thickness in her throat. “Th-thank you.”

“So have you got the plan down for Georgie’s shower?” Dee asked Brad. “She doesn’t suspect anything, does she?”

“If she does, she hasn’t mentioned it to me.”

Dee nodded, then shoved the last bite of cupcake in her mouth. But as soon as she swallowed, she pinned a rock-hard gaze on him. “Okay, that’s good. But just so we’re all on the same page, let’s hear the plan.”

Brad squinted at her. “There’s a plan?”

“Yes, of course there’s a plan. There’s always a plan for any surprise party,” she said with a huff. “I want to make sure you know how to get Georgie to the party without giving away the surprise.”

“What’s there to know? I invite her and Walt over to see the new sofa I bought, she and Walt arrive, everyone is at my apartment, they all yell surprise, then I’m nominated for Brother of the Year. Voilà.” He glanced at Kendall, his blue eyes glowing with humor. “Let’s just hope the shock doesn’t send her into labor, because I guarantee she’ll never suspect the shower is at my place. I barely believe it’s being held there myself.”

Kendall chewed the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. Brad looked so cute disgruntled. Although he acted blasé over the idea of a bunch of women having a baby shower at his home, she knew deep down inside he would do anything for his sister and was probably happy Dee had asked him to do it. His devotion to his sister—the only family he had left—was one of the things Kendall admired most about him. Family was as important to him as it was to her. “You’re being such a good sport, Brad. You know you can even stay and enjoy the party if you want.”

His face dropped. “Uh, thanks but no thanks. I’m good with the hosting part. Besides, somebody has to entertain Walt while his wife is getting showered with all those gifts.”

Kendall turned to Dee. “Hey, that reminds me, did you bring the invitations?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, snapping her fingers. “I left them in the car. Let me go get them.” Dee turned to Brad with a mock scowl and pointed a finger at his chest. “Look, you, I’ve counted how many cupcakes there are, so don’t even think about sneaking any extra.” Adding one last poke in the chest to emphasize that she meant business, Dee marched out of the kitchen.

Brad rubbed his chest where Dee had just poked. “That woman needs serious help with her sugar addiction,” he muttered. “But, honestly, Kendall, not only are these cupcakes delicious, they’re beautiful, too. You did a great job on them.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really.”
Just a few hours of experimenting with recipes and modeling, and making a few extra pounds of fondant to try to get the coloring and shape of the babies to look just right…

He frowned, obviously not buying how she had downplayed her work. “I don’t think it’s nothing. You’re a true artist, Kendall. Don’t ever discount your talent. There are a lot of people out there who can’t boil water, let alone make these delicious cakes. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Brad, you’re good for my ego.” And he truly was. It was the second time this week that he’d mentioned how proud he was of her. Jake had enjoyed her baking but never looked at it as art, more just something he could grab when he needed a snack. No big fanfare. But maybe her baking
was
more like Brad said. Maybe she really did have true talent.

Her grandmother seemed to think so, too. It would mean so much if she would take more than a passing interest, though. Her grandmother already had her traveling schedule booked for the next four months, and the way it was shaping out, Grammy might not make it back in time for when the bakery opened.

An acute sense of loneliness spread over Kendall and she had to close her eyes when her breathing became labored. It would be so nice to have some family support for a change and not be left to fend for herself.

Brad startled her by reaching out and stroking the side of her face with his finger. “Hey, why the frown? I pay you a compliment and you look unhappy. Next time, I’m going to tell you your cupcakes suck if that’s what it takes to get a smile out of you.”

“Oh, stop,” she said with a halfhearted laugh, lightly batting away his hand. “It’s nothing you said. And I am happy.” Mostly. At least she was happier than she’d been a few months ago.

Brad narrowed his eyes. “No, I know you. What’s really going on?”

She should have known better than to think she could hide anything from him, so she gave up the pretense. “I don’t know. I…I guess I feel a little alone sometimes. Grammy never seems to be around when I need her—and she’s all I have now. Even though it’s just you and Georgie, you two are close and share so much. And I…” She flushed, realizing she was babbling and embarrassing herself further. “Never mind. I’m sorry. I’m just being silly.”

“Hey, you’re not being silly.” Brad stepped even closer. His aftershave tickled her nose, but the fresh scent was a welcome change to her senses. All she wanted to do was lean in farther and just inhale. She hoped he didn’t notice her swaying into him, but he smelled a thousand times better than cupcakes and wet paint.

“You can’t help the way you feel,” he said, placing his warm, broad hands on her shoulders. “But I want you to know that I’ll always be around, so you never have to feel alone.”

She wanted to argue that point, but his kind words were overwhelming. Brad pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her. She stiffened at first, but the way he positioned himself made it clear that he had no intention of letting her go any time soon.

Her shoulders relaxed and she dropped her chin to his chest with a sigh of pleasure. Somehow Brad instinctively knew she needed this—a good old-fashioned hug—more than she knew she needed it herself. She wound her arms around his waist and sank deeper into his chest. An aching need to be held by him and have all her worries disappear squeezed through her. She felt safe, almost believing his words that he would always be around and she’d never be alone.

It was nice to pretend for a few minutes, anyway.

Brad shifted, gathering her even closer. He brushed a gentle kiss on the side of her forehead and a shudder passed through her. He felt so nice.
This
felt so nice. Brad inclined his head a few more inches and his breath softly fanned her face. Without warning, her senses began to spin from the heat of his body and the scent of his skin. That’s when she knew she was in trouble.

Her eyes sprang open. Suddenly their embrace didn’t feel like a friendly hug, but something much more intimate. What were they doing? What was
she
doing?

Brad is only trying to comfort you
, she kept telling herself. Until she looked up into his eyes and saw that he felt what was passing between them as well. His blue eyes were filled with heat. Desire. She swallowed hard.

A throat clearing brought her back to reality. Her gaze snapped to Dee, who was staring at them both with her eyebrows raised inquiringly. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Dee commented.

“Of course not,” Brad answered smoothly, easing away from Kendall.

Maybe Kendall had gotten the signals all wrong, because his voice didn’t waver a bit and his expression was a mask of stone. Her lips parted to speak. She wanted to add to what Brad had said, but her emotions were still swirling so much from Brad’s touch that she wasn’t sure it would have been the truth.

“Still interested in seeing Georgie’s shower invitations before they go out?” Dee asked, fanning her face with one of them.

A corner of Brad’s mouth pulled into a slight smile. “I’m sure Kendall’s still interested. But as long as you’ve got them in your hand, I might as well take a peek too.”

Kendall tried to speak again, but her voice wavered. “R-right. I can’t wait to see those invitations.”

Gah. There was absolutely no enthusiasm in that statement. How could Dee or Brad believe those words? She was a horrible actress. Thank goodness she at least had some cooking skills.

Dee pulled an invitation from its envelope and held it out to them. Kendall took it, trying to give it all the attention she could muster without physically inserting the paper into her eyes. But it was no use; she couldn’t concentrate. Instead, she caught herself glancing over her shoulder every few seconds at Brad to see if he was as distracted as she was.

Nope. She was the only jittery one; Brad was a picture of calmness as he studied the invitation. Figures.

After a moment, he nodded. “I like it. What do you think, Kendall?”

Think? She couldn’t even talk! Her tongue felt as if it were mummified, and she still had yet to really look at the invitation. She handed it back to Dee. “Good,” she murmured.

Dee gave her a blank stare before tucking the invitation back in its envelope. “Good? That’s it? Really?” She rolled her eyes. “Gee, after all the time I put into picking out these invitations, you can’t even give me a complete-sentence answer?”