The Icing on the Cake (3 page)

Gracie suddenly let out a cry, as if
asking for her treat.  Her patience was apparently wearing thin.

“Hold up, girl,” Joe said.  “Krissy’ll
get you a treat.”

“Well, I do have a treat for Gracie, but
you’re
going to have to wait an hour or so.  I have yet to fill the case
this morning.”

She retrieved a couple dog biscuits and
rounded the display case, joining them at the front of the store.  “Here you
go, Gracie,” she said.

The dog gently took the treats from her
fingers.  “Good girl,” Joe praised.  “What a sweet girl.  You did that just
perfectly.”

Kristine looked on, wondering why he was
so enthralled by the dog receiving a treat.  He read her confusion.  “It’s
actually rare for a dog to take a treat so gingerly.  Often, they’ll
practically take your hand off.  Gracie is a good girl,” he repeated, for the
dog’s benefit.

“Oh, okay.  Good Gracie,” she said, and
then dusted the imaginary crumbs from her hands.  “Well, Joe.  If you come back
in an hour or so…”

He seemed disappointed.  “But Mr.
Clark…”

“Mr. Clark and I have a sort of
routine,” she explained.  “He arrives early every morning, pretending he
doesn’t know that we don’t open for over an hour.  For his trouble, I reward
him with a couple apple fritters left over from the day before.”

“Okay.  I’ll take a fritter.”

She laughed.  “I don’t have any
fritters.  I gave them to Mr. Clark.  I do intend, however, to join my friend,
Minnie, and begin baking shortly.”  She forced a smile.  “Or in the case of
fritters—frying.  Anyway, it’s been great seeing you, Joe.  Really.  But I need
to scoot…”

“Oh, okay,” he said congenially.  “I’ll
see you in awhile.”  He turned to leave, but hesitated.    He watched her for a
moment, seeming to assess her from head to toe.  “Actually, I’ll be back around
noon.  You are in dire need of a cheeseburger,” he said finally.

She watched him, perplexed.  “I don’t
know what you…”

“I’m taking you to lunch,” he
clarified. 

She struggled to maintain her cool. 
“That’s really nice of you, but I don’t actually take a lunch hour.  You see…”

His mouth dropped open.  “Hence, you’re
so skinny,” he said.  “Kristine, has no one ever told you, you must take care
of yourself first, in order that you can continue to care for others?”

“Uh, huh.  Well, I’ll keep that in
mind.”

“You do that,” he said with a cheeky
grin.  “We’ll continue this discussion at lunch.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he
hurried out of the store before she could manage another word.

Minnie suddenly appeared beside her,
hands and arms covered with flour.  “Did that gorgeous hunk of man just invite
you to lunch?”

Kristine spread her hands in confusion. 
“No, I think he actually
ordered
me to lunch.”

“Semantics,” Minnie said, arching her brows
suggestively.  “If you don’t go with him, I will.”

True to his word, Joe arrived at the
bakery promptly at noon.  Kristine was in the back work area, carefully icing a
wedding cake, when Minnie informed her he’d arrived.

“Tell him I’m busy,” she said, swiping
at a streak of flour on her cheek that had suddenly begun itching terribly.

“Okay,” Minnie said, though she gave her
a look that suggested she thought Kristine was a few cups of flour short of a
cake.

Kristine finished icing the smallest
layer and gingerly placed it on the top of the other tiers.  She began
carefully decorating it with pink roses.  The work took a steady hand and a
strict attention to detail.  Her customer wanted a particular shake of pink,
and had demanded she add additional shading by hand—in order that the roses
appeared true to life.  Although Kristine didn’t consider herself much of an
artist, she had perfected her decorating skills over what seemed like a
lifetime.

She had begun helping out at the bakery
as a small child and had been employed there since she was fifteen.  She’d
learned to work the front counter, as well as had spent a good deal of the time
in the back, preparing every manner of baked good. 

At twenty-eight, she often wondered how
different her life might have been had her family not owned a bakery.  Though
she had gone off to college, she had returned home after graduation, only to
pick up where she’d left off in the family business.  In reality, she had no
complaints.  She loved her town of Cooper Glenn and the people in it.  All in
all, she was content, but sometimes…

Sometimes she wondered if she should
have exerted her independence more—if she should have moved away after college
and pursued an entirely different career.  Her business degree had proven
beneficial at the bakery, but she could have applied it to any number of other
occupations. 

One regret she did have was that she had
never traveled.  She had yearned to see the world and had intended to take an
extended trip to Europe upon her graduation from college, but unfortunately,
her sister had been going through a difficult divorce at the time and she was
needed back home, both at the bakery and in order to help her sister pick up
the pieces of her shattered life.

Kristine sighed as she continued working
on the cake.  Working on the cake… 
If only she could have her cake and eat
it too.

She laughed at the thought, having no
idea why it came to mind.  She wasn’t certain what ‘having her cake’ meant to
her.  Was it perhaps moving into a home of her own?  Finding someone with whom
to share her life?  Leaving the bakery for another line of work?

Heck, at this moment in time, she’d
settle for a long nap.  She hadn’t slept well the evening before and since she
rose at four each morning, she was feeling entirely sleep-deprived.  She
unsuccessfully bit back a yawn.

“He won’t leave,” Minnie suddenly
announced, drawing Kristine from her reverie.  “He said he’s going to stand out
front until you do him the courtesy of speaking with him.”

Kristine shook her head in stunned
surprise.  What was going on with Joe Lancaster?  Why was he so determined that
she join him for lunch?  Surely he wasn’t really concerned about her well
being.  He hardly knew her.

Finally, in frustration, she tugged off
her apron and hurried to the front of the store.  She found Joe standing in
front of the glass case, admiring the varied selection of baked goods.

“I’m tempted to skip lunch all
together,” he said with a grin.  “This stuff looks delicious.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kristine said too
brightly.  “I’ll send Minnie out to take your order.”  She turned to leave.

“Not so fast,” he said, chuckling.  “I’m
taking you to lunch.”

“Joe, while I appreciate the offer, I
just don’t have time.  I have a cake to finish up.”

“How long will you be?”

“A couple more hours at least.”

He abruptly shook his head.  “My guess
is, you didn’t eat breakfast.”

She glanced heavenward.  She really
didn’t have time for the intrusion.

“Listen,” he said in a cajoling tone,
“you do have to eat sometime.  Won’t you join an old friend for lunch?  I’ve
been away from Cooper Glenn for so long, I feel like a stranger…”

Kristine emitted a beleaguered sigh. 
She wasn’t being particularly neighborly and Joe was an old friend—sort of. 
“Okay, fine.  But we can’t be long.” 

“Great.  Let’s go.  My truck’s out
front.”

“Minnie…”

“Go!” she called out.  “I’ll finish the
cake!”

Some help she is
,
Kristine muttered under her breath.

“Did you say something?” Joe asked.

She shook her head.  “No.”  She checked
her watch.  “I can’t be gone more than thirty minutes.  If you don’t mind,
could we go somewhere close…?”

“Take all the time you need!” Minnie
called from the back room.  “I have everything under control here.”

Kristine bit back a growl of
frustration.  When she returned to the bakery, Minnie was going to get an
earful.  She understood her friend believed she was doing her a favor, but the
truth was, she didn’t like to leave anyone alone in the bakery.  She preferred
having someone out front and out back at all times.  If they suddenly had a
large influx of customers, Minnie was going to have to leave several items in
the work area, in varying stages of readiness. 

Kristine thrived on orderliness and
control.  It’s probably why she had managed to keep the bakery open while many
other small businesses in Cooper Glenn had closed their doors in close
succession over the past few years.

Joe escorted her out of the bakery, his
hand on her low back.  “Truck’s right there,” he said, as he opened the
passenger door for her.  He offered her his hand as she stepped onto the
running board in order to climb inside.

She settled into the seat and
immediately realized she wasn’t alone in the truck.  Gracie suddenly popped her
head over the seat.  Kristine turned in surprise and Gracie gave her a sloppy
kiss on the cheek.

“Sorry about the truck,” Joe said.  “If
I’d known I was going to have a lunch date, I would have driven one of my other
cars.”

One of his other cars…  How many did he
have?

“The truck is fine,” she assured him
with a grin.  “Gracie seems to like it.”

He grinned in return.  “Yeah, she loves
it.  I’ve been driving around all morning and she rides in a vehicle like a
champ.  Even Jake didn’t do as well as Gracie.”  He turned to pat Gracie on the
head.  She strained to get closer to him and he rewarded her with a kiss on the
side of the face.  “Fortunately, it’s still cool outside, so she can stay in
the truck when we get lunch.”

Kristine winced and he noticed.

“She’ll be fine.  I’ll leave a couple
windows down so she’ll have fresh air.  And there’s a doggie bowl with water on
the floor behind you.”

“It’s not that.  I was just thinking
it’s kind of a leap of faith leaving a dog—one you really don’t know—alone in
your pristine red truck with the leather interior.”

He laughed.  “You make a good point.” 
He directed his next words to Gracie.  “Girl, I’d appreciate it if you leave my
leather seats intact.  Kristine and I are going inside a restaurant soon, in
order to get lunch, and I’d like you to behave yourself.”  He glanced at Kristine. 
“There.  She’ll be fine.”

Kristine couldn’t help but chuckle.  “So
you’re a sort of dog whisperer, eh?”

He nodded as he started the ignition and
pulled away from the curb.  He arched his brows.  “I do have an affinity for
animals and them me.”

“I applaud your confidence, even if it
is misplaced,” she said, and then pointed out a small upholstery shop just up
ahead on the right side of the road.  “I imagine they could repair your seats
if Gracie eats them for lunch.”

Joe scoffed in mock offense.  “Gracie is
a lady,” he said with certainty.

“A lady who is currently gnawing on your
headrest,” she pointed out.

“Gracie!” Joe cried.  “You’re making me
look bad.  Stop that!”

The dog immediately dropped onto her
stomach and stretched out comfortably in the back seat.  Kristine glanced at
her and smiled.  “Good girl,” she said.

Kristine soon registered that Joe had
left the downtown area of Cooper Glenn and was heading toward the interstate
that ran parallel to the tiny town.  “Where are you going?” she asked, alarmed.

“I thought we’d drive over to Ridgeway. 
One of my employees mentioned they have a new Italian restaurant there.  I
thought we could give it a try.”

Kristine shook her head.  “Ridgeway is a
twenty minute drive.  By the time we get there and to a table, and then our
meals actually arrive, and then…”  Her eyes were wide with alarm, her face
suddenly flushed.

Joe turned toward her briefly and noted
her state of agitation.  “Hey, Krissy, it’s okay.  We won’t be long.”

“Joe, we will!  And I don’t have time
for a leisurely lunch twenty miles away from home.  I have a business to run.”

He watched her speculatively and then
focused on his driving.  She sighed with relief when he did a u-turn and headed
back to town.  To her dismay, however, he pulled over to the side of the road.

“What are you doing?” she shrieked. 
Suddenly, every manner of frightful scenario as to why he’d stopped the truck
came to mind.  For all she knew, Joe was an axe murderer who had returned to
Cooper Glenn because the authorities in his former town were on the cusp of
solving his crimes.  She didn’t know him!  Yet, she’d gotten in a vehicle with
him and driven off with him.  What was
wrong
with her?

She hadn’t realized that Joe was
watching her intently, as if trying to discern what made her tick.  She made a
quick decision to jump out of the truck.  They were about a mile out of town
and she would have to walk, or run, if Joe happened to give pursuit…  Surely
one of her fellow Cooper Glennians would be driving by and see her distress and
come to her aid.

She reached for the door handle, but Joe
anticipated her action.  He promptly locked the door and secured it by pressing
the childproof mechanism.  Her eyes widened in terror.

“Krissy,” Joe said, “what’s going on in
your head?  You’re looking at me as if I’m some sort of serial killer.  And
what possible reason would you have for getting out of this truck when we’re
still a mile or so away from Cooper Glenn.”  He shook his head in frustration. 
“Some weirdo might see you on the side of the road and grab you and no one
would be the wiser.”

She refrained from mentioning she feared
he was that very weirdo. 

He gave a sigh.  “I suppose I can take
you through a drive-through.”  He gave a sad shake of his head as he reentered
traffic.  “I’d hope to take you to a nice restaurant for a real meal, but…”

Relief washed over her as she realized
Joe was heading back to town.  She suddenly felt guilty for her behavior.  She
knew she had behaved ridiculously, when he was only trying to be kind.  She turned
slightly in the seat.  “Joe, I’m sorry.  It’s just…”

“What?” he said, turning toward her
briefly and then refocusing on the road ahead.

“I’m not accustomed to leaving the
bakery during business hours.  I usually take my lunch there, if I eat…”

He turned and pinned her with a knowing
glance.

“Anyway, I hate to leave Minnie all
alone because if we happen to have several customers come in at once, she has
to leave the back in order to tend to them, which means our baked items—many of
which are in the process of baking in the ovens—run the risk of overcooking.” 
She emitted a long sigh.  “Which means, we have to start over, creating even
more work and additional costs…”

He nodded his head crisply.  “I
understand.  And I apologize for being too pushy.”

She eased into the seat.  The comfort of
those leather sets beckoned to her.  She suddenly felt warm and oh-so-cozy. 
Her back felt so warm.  Why did her back feel so warm?  She sighed and felt her
eyelids growing heavy.

“Do you like the heated seats?” Joe
asked, biting back a smile. 

“Mmmm hmmm,” she answered, struggling to
keep her eyes open. 

When Joe pulled into a fast food
restaurant drive-through a couple minutes later, he turned toward her.  “What
looks good?”

He smiled when he realized she’d fallen
asleep.  Lord, it was a good thing he wasn’t an axe murderer, since she was
making it awfully easy to abscond with her.  He smiled at the thought of
driving off with her.  Heck, he might be doing her a favor, taking her away
from the day-to-day drudgery of running a bakery without the help of her
sister.  He’d been told by a friend of his father that Kristine had assumed the
bulk of responsibility for running the family business and that Lori’s role was
to allow her to work herself to death while she took the credit for any
business success.