Take the Cake (37 page)

Kate picked up the fork and took her first mouthful. The potatoes were creamy and delicious. “Wonderful,” she said at last. “Just what I needed.”

Michael smoothed her hair with one hand. “It’s the best I could do on short notice. What you really need is some of Mom’s soup.”

“Gwen used to make great chicken soup,” Kate said in between mouthfuls. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had mom-cooking.”

“Speaking of which, the folks want to see us again for lunch sometime.” Michael kept stroking her hair as he spoke.

“Yeah?” Kate gave him a glance and kept eating. The mash was warm and smooth, which felt soothing against her sore throat. Even more soothing was the feel of Michael’s hands as he stroked and combed her hair with his fingers.

“Yup.” Michael nodded and kept talking. “It was a part of the deal I made with her this morning.”

“Deal?” Kate glanced at him, careful not to disturb his hand; she wasn’t ready for him to stop just yet. In fact, he could keep doing it forever as far as she was concerned.

“Uh …” Michael looked a little embarrassed. “I called her this morning to ask her where I could get you a good coat,” he explained.

Kate laughed, which turned into a cough. “You know, that’s kinda cute.”

“Kinda lame,” Michael admitted. “A grown man asking his mom where to go shopping for his girlfriend.”

“I bet she was happy to help out, though,” Kate said with a smile.

“You have no idea.” Michael smiled at the memory of Susan’s happy voice as she rattled off her instructions. “It’s the first time I’ve asked her about that kind of thing, and she and Dad love you.”

“Do they?” Kate flushed a little at this.

“You know they do.” Michael gave her a smile.

Since meeting Kate, Susan and Charles welcomed her with open arms into their home at every possible opportunity. Aside from the fact that they had a love of literature in common, Kate’s natural warmth and her obvious affection for Michael had endeared her to them all the more.

Michael’s previous girlfriends had been charming in their own way although they were more career-hungry than Kate, who seemed more content with her bakery and friendships than she was in scaling the profit ladder. They had also derived a certain satisfaction from dating a known author, and delighted in taking him to various corporate functions where they could introduce him. By contrast, Kate had known nothing about his success and seemed quite content to keep it that way. Even the discovery that Michael was writing about her had done little to upset her equilibrium; at least it seemed that way on the surface.

Kate’s reluctance to read his published works was a matter that Michael dwelled on from time to time. He didn’t care if she read them or not, but her refusal to read the incomplete manuscript despite his offers—a rarity to anyone that knew how protective Michael was of his writing—and despite knowing she was featured, had him puzzled. Other women would have pestered him senseless had they known they were going to be immortalized in the printed word. He didn’t need Kate to read his work for his own satisfaction or her approval, but it bothered him that his words seemed to be building some sort of invisible barrier between them.

“Well, they’re kinda cool too,” Kate admitted. She finished her meal and set the fork down in the bowl with a clink and a sigh.

Michael reached over to take the bowl from her and set it on the bedside table before taking her in his arms and resting back against the pillows. The pair of them lay there together in silence until Kate spoke.

“You know, I think Jack and Gwen would have really loved you too.”

Michael said nothing but kissed her temple by way of reply. He recognized her hesitant words for the accolade they were. Kate rested her head against his shoulder and gave a soft sigh as Michael kept stroking her hair. After a time, her breathing evened out as she slid into sleep. Michael checked his position and decided he would be comfortable enough for the time being; he didn’t want to move and risk Kate waking up. He glanced at his watch and saw that the evening was creeping toward ten o’clock.

Words bubbled in his head, and a slight inclination of his head gave him a partial view of his desk in the living room where he could see the glow of his laptop screen. He glanced down at Kate sleeping against him. Her hair was beginning to dry, and he smiled to see the soft curls springing out from her temple. Kate mumbled something under her breath and settled against him with a soft chuffing sigh. She felt warmer to the touch now; he was sure that she had a fever. The words were still there, and he rolled them around until he had shaped them into a pleasing construct. He repeated the phrasing to himself a few more times until he knew he would remember in the morning and then let them subside.

He drifted off to sleep, feeling content.

~~~

“G’morning,” Michael whispered. “I love you.”

“Iloveyoutoo,” Kate mumbled as she reached out and fumbled to pull his face toward hers for a kiss.

“How are you feeling?”

Kate cracked an eye open to see Michael hovering over her with a look of concern, and then blinked and rubbed her eyes, which felt as if they were full of sand. Her body ached and her skin felt hot and parched in a way that had her longing for another bath. Inventory over, she grimaced at Michael.

“Bad?” he asked as he put a hand on her forehead. “You were running a fever all night.”

“I was?” She frowned at that. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been sick.

“Yeah.” Michael smiled. “You kept me warm all night.”

Kate pushed her lank hair off her face and plucked at her shirt. As grimy as she felt, Michael didn’t seem to care. He kept his arm around her as he lay on his side with his head propped in one hand, his legs entangled with hers. Glancing over Michael’s shoulder, she saw the curtains shift a little in the breeze.

“You opened the window? In this weather?” She looked at Michael in surprise.

“You told me to.”

“I did?” Kate shook her head against the pillow. “I don’t remember that.” She had the dim memory of waking up a few times but that was all. “Did I say anything else?”

“What kinda guy would I be if I repeated what you say when you’re out of it?” Michael protested.

“A
live
one.” Kate tried to growl and ended up coughing instead.

“Still not saying.” Michael grinned.

Kate shook her head in exasperation but closed her eyes and curled her body against his like a sleepy kitten.

“I guess you telling me I had to open the window because you were on fire tipped me off,” Michael mused out loud.

Kate gave a sleepy chuckle. “Really?”

“Uh-huh. You got a bit cranky.” His shoulders shook with silent amusement. “You kept trying to get out of bed to open the window, so I did it for you.”

“I’m ignoring you now,” Kate told him, her eyes stayed closed but her lips curled in a smile.

“Really?” Michael nuzzled her clavicle.

Kate sighed as she felt Michael’s lips ghost across her skin. Seconds later her eyes flew open and she sat up so abruptly Michael’s nose bumped on her chest.

“What’s the time?” She looked at the bedside clock and groaned. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“I don’t think so.” Michael winced and rubbed his nose as Kate kicked away the sheet and tried to stand up. She had just gotten to her feet when her head thumped with pain, making her sit down just as quickly as she had gotten up.

Kate put her head in her hands. “This isn’t happening,” Kate muttered. “I haven’t been sick in years.”

“You are now.” Michael observed that Kate’s attempt to start the day had left her ashen-faced and shaking. “Give me your phone. I’ll call Wren.”

“I’ll have to call Emily.” Kate shook her head. “Wren doesn’t have any keys.”

“She hasn’t?” Michael glanced at her. “How long have you guys been working together?”

“I know.” Kate nodded her agreement. “I’ve offered, but she kept saying no.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Michael commented as he retrieved Kate’s phone from the living room.

“Her argument was that she kept losing her
own
keys, so she didn’t want the stress of losing the store keys as well.”

Michael snorted. “For someone called Pocket Rocket, she’s awful scared sometimes.”

“I know,” Kate sighed and scratched her head. “I’ll take a shower and get going. I just need to let Emily know I’ll be late.”

“Like hell.” Michael shook his head. “You’re staying right where you are.”

“Oh, really?” Kate glared and rubbed her eyes again. Her head was feeling stuffy and her nose was tingling. “And what’s going to stop me?”

Michael was about to speak when Kate broke into a sneezing fit. Kate sneezed five times, annoyed at the interruption and aware that she was indeed sounding like a cat, but seemed unable to do anything about it. She accepted a tissue from Michael with what she hoped was a dignified silence and blew her nose.

“You were saying?” Michael asked in a mild tone as he proffered her cell phone.

“How about I start late?” she bargained.

“How about you talk to Emily and see what she thinks?” Michael asked.

“And then what?” Kate eyed the phone with a wary expression.

“And then if she tells you to stay at home, you stay in bed, I call Mom, and knowing her, she’ll come over with some soup.”

“I can’t.” Kate shook her head. “This sort of thing doesn’t happen.”

Michael took her hand. “Kate, it’s happening now, and maybe it’s because it can.”

“Huh?” Kate gave him a blank look.

“Think about it; you’ve got Emily
and
Wren. You’ve got support for moments like these.”

“But it’s only the day after Emily and I talked about it,” Kate’s wail came out sounding like a croak.

“Just call Emily and see what she—” Michael began.

“What if she freaks out when—” Kate started.

“Sweetheart,
call
her.” Michael gave her the phone. “Enough with the what-ifs.”

~~~

Emily hurried toward the store, her breath misting in the cool air. She saw the red canopy in the distance and could make out a pacing figure beneath it—it had to be Wren.

“Hey, B2,” Wren greeted her as Emily reached her.

“B2?” Emily shot her a curious look as she sorted through the store keys to find the right one for the security grill. Wren reached over and pointed at the correct key and then helped her open the doors.

“Boss Two?” Wren suggested.

“At least you didn’t call me Number Two.” Emily grinned. “But it still feels weird.”

“Not to me.” Wren shrugged.

“You sure?” Emily looked at the smaller woman. That Kate had asked Emily to take more responsibility rather than Wren had been a point of worry all night.

“Yup,” Wren answered with a clear expression, and Emily’s confidence lifted a little.

“So where’s Kate?” Emily asked as they both walked toward the kitchen to put away their bags and get ready for the day. “I’m usually the last one here.”

“Don’t know,” Wren said, pausing in the act of switching on the coffee machine to look at the clock. “She should be here by now.”

The two women exchanged a glance as the phone rang. Emily reached for the receiver.

“Good morning, Take the Cake,” she greeted, and then, “Kate!” Her face broke into a relieved smile that faltered as she listened to Kate. “You sound
terrible.
”

Wren took in Emily’s look of concern, before turning without a word and walking into the kitchen. By the time she returned carrying a small notebook, Emily was replacing the receiver and looking worried.

“What’s the verdict?” Wren asked, although she already knew.

“She’s sick,” Emily said in a flat tone as she gave Wren a look of trepidation. “So I told her to stay home.” Emily gulped. “I guess it’s just us today.”

“Looks like,” Wren replied as she held up the notebook.

“What’s that?”

“The recipe bible,” Wren said as she handed it over. “I’ll help get you started.”

Emily flicked through the pages. Some of the recipes were written in Kate’s handwriting and others she didn’t recognize. She looked up at Wren, feeling scared now.

“Where should I start?” she asked with a dry mouth.

“Jack’s Favorite,” Wren advised. “It’s a simple butter cake recipe.”

“Really?” Emily sounded hopeful now.

“It’s how Kate got started.” Wren smiled and put her arm around the taller woman’s shoulders to steer her into the kitchen. Emily stood in the kitchen, looking around with wide eyes.

“You’ve helped Kate out before,” Wren said soothingly as she switched on the oven. “And you know where everything is and how she does it. You’ve made muffins; this isn’t any different.”

“Wren, I’m making the
cupcakes
,” Emily said as she walked toward the counter and pulled the mixer toward her.

“It’s just another product,” Wren replied. “We’ll be fine.” She slapped Emily’s rump on her way out of the kitchen. “I’ll get us some coffee and get to work on the bagels. We’ve got an hour and a half before we open, and we can get it done.”

“Can we?” Emily raised an eyebrow.

“We have to.” Wren grinned. “And you know how I like a challenge.”

“True.” Emily couldn’t help but smile back.

Emily read the recipe again, looking at Kate’s notations as the quantities had grown over the years. It looked easy enough. Emily glanced at the oven and nodded as she saw the thermostat increasing. She knew she’d better get started.

Wren paused from frothing the milk and smiled when she heard the mixer start up. They were going to be fine. An hour later, Wren had powered her way through the bagel preparation and was setting out some savory muffins that Kate had made the previous afternoon. She stopped and surveyed the display cabinet. Levels of stock were looking good; there was just one thing more that she needed.

Emily appeared beside Wren, looking pleased and nervous. “Want to come see?”

Wren gave her a flat look.

“Okay.” Emily laughed and threw up her hands. “Stupid question. Come look.”

Wren followed her into the kitchen and checked out the finished product.