Chocolate Kisses and Love Filled Wishes: Kissing Bridge Mountain - Book 3 (6 page)

Brody was frowning.

          Kacey could see he wasn’t happy at all.

Why would he be?

He had heard what Tanner had said about her snowboarding. Her untruths to him had come flying out—for all of America to know.

            She looked into his eyes across the screen and hoped he could see she was sorry; hoped he could see that she loved him and only wanted to get better the way she knew how—by
training
.

He looked away from her on screen and Brody’s eyes glazed and the practiced professional took over. He fixed his face into a smile and waved.

The crowd all cheered for him again. All the girls screamed, as if he were Elvis. Kacey wanted to remind them all he wasn’t Elvis. He was soft-hearted, kind and super funny.

He was her loveable sweet ‘98’—if he was hers at all, anymore.

              Brody moved away from the camera, and the rest of the celebrity screen appearances passed her by in a haze of worry. Soon she was caught up in a blaze of activities and helping the children learn. Still, the look in Brody’s eyes shook her.

        She wondered if she might have lost much more than her chance for the Olympics with that fateful fall.

        Didn’t he realize that without her being able to snowboard with him, they would drift apart? She was young, but even
she
knew that people had to be together to make a relationship work. His traveling the world without her would be a death knell to their union.

Tanner came over, grinning from ear to ear. “Did I do okay?” He sounded like he really cared.

“You were wonderful.” Kacey assured him.

              “Thank you.” He gave a small bow, delightfully self-mocking, she thought. Then he slipped his strong hand into hers, and she felt her heart flutter out of control. “Come teach these kids how to snowboard and I’ll get it all on camera.” He nodded at his camera crew, who were standing by, waiting for his signal.

So she did.

          Spending the afternoon watching the kids master the basics of getting on the slopes, filled her heart with gladness. There was nothing she liked more than being out in the cold mountain air with those who loved it just as much as she did.

The whole event was a massive success, with the residents of Kissing Bridge and surrounding areas enjoying themselves to the fullest. The celebrities were more than happy with their VIP flights, champagne and top-notch gourmet food served up by Earl. Of course, they were showered with an abundance of Tiffany-blue cookies, courtesy of Ethel Landers, Kissing Bridge’s very own cookie queen.

              “Mmm, delicious,” Kacey had said when she’d first tried one. It was easy to believe Summer’s mom had taken the crown.

Tanner had gotten plenty of footage and had retired back to his room and his Mac to work on it for the evening. The dismantling of the screens and the clean up would wait until tomorrow, when it was light again.

**********************************

        Kacey flopped back onto her bed with a huge smile. Earl had lit the fire for her when she was out finishing up with the kids and the room was warmed with its golden glow. Every part of her body ached and there was a niggling twinge in her back, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so carefree

As she got up and unzipped her snow gear, she felt a new confidence burst around her body. She
would
make it to the Olympics. She was going to win. She was absolutely convinced of it.

She poured herself a hot bubble bath, ready to soak her aching body and breathe in the fragrance of the cinnamon candles that wafted their comforting scent around the bathroom.

Just as she padded back to the bedroom in the Eagle’s Peak Lodge slippers, she caught sight of her cell. She’d left it there all day and had forgotten all about it.

             
12 missed calls,
the screen read.

           Uh oh!

              They were all from Brody.

           Her heart flipped. All those times she had looked at the phone willing it to ring, hoping to see his name and now here it was.

           She rang him back right away.

              “Yes?” Brody’s voice was tight and cold as the mountain air.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t even think to take my phone downstairs and the event has just been manic.”

              A pause. “So, I hear you’re boarding?”

So he
had
heard Tanner.

“Just a little.”

Kacey’s heart but beating so loud she could barely hear her own voice.

A long silence hung in the air before Brody continued.

“Didn’t sound like it. Sounds like you were putting on quite a show.”
             

“Babe, it’s nothing like that,” Kacey assured him. “I just—it’s just… I can’t
not
board, babe. What am I supposed to do—sit around and not do anything?  I’d go crazy! You know that already.”

           A long silence hung between them. Brody finally spoke.

              “You said you wouldn’t.”

              She flopped down on the bed, her heart in knots.

          “I know. I know I said that.”

              She desperately wanted to fill the awkward space with reasons he could stop being mad at her, but she couldn’t think of what to say.

              In the end, it was Brody who spoke first.

          “I want a break, Kacey.”

              Her heart beat faster. “What’s a break?”

          She dreaded the answer that was to come.

          “It’s a break… I don’t know. Away time.”

Kacy held back the tears. “You mean a break up. You want to break up with me, Brody?”

He let out a long, deep sigh but said nothing.

“I… I love you,” she said.

Oh gosh darn it.  Now she’d gone and blown it. The death knell. Saying, “I love you,” before
he
says “I love you.”

“I mean a break,” he repeated. “I don’t know how long. I’m sorry, Kacey.”

Tears blurred her vision as she stared up at the rustic ceiling boards. “98.” It hurt her heart to even call him by his nickname. Instead she cried, unable to hold back her feelings. Her hopes crumbling around her.

“It’s not about me not caring about you, Kacey. It’s about trust. You lied to me.”

What could she say? She had kept the truth from him, which was the same as lying. This was all her fault.

“Goodbye, Kacey.”

With that, he hung up and Brody was gone.

Chapter 12

             
D
odie and Kacey walked through the streets of Kissing Bridge, on the way to
Landers Home Baking
where Dodie worked.

“Come with me,” Dodie had said, as she met Kacey in the hall of Eagle’s Peak Lodge.

              Even though all Kacey had wanted to do was dive back under the covers and hide from the world, she doubted it would help anything. The wonderful people of Kissing Bridge always lifted her spirits. Besides, she craved some comfort food and knew the bakery would be stocked full of sweet temptations.

**************************************

              “Wow, it’s beautiful,” she said when they got there, though her voice was flat and uninspired. She really
did
like the store though, with its baby blue coat, and modern black awning and lettering. It was the perfect mix between sweet and chic.

              “Good morning, ladies,” Ethel said when they stepped in. She stood behind the counter, kneading dough. “Welcome, welcome. Excuse my mess.” She dusted off her hands with a little towel.

Kacey looked at the beautiful delicacies in the window display. Ethel smiled at her.

“Nice to have you back, Kacey! You’ll be my son-in-law’s sister when Brad and Summer get married. What does that make us?”

Kacey managed a smile. “I’m not sure.”

Ethel smiled back. “We’ll just stick with ‘family’ then. So which one strikes your fancy?”  

         Kacey breathed in the sweet, comforting smell of the baking, she could understand why Dodie liked working here.

Aunt Carol came in then, carrying a big Easter basket. “Morning, Dodie.  Morning, Kacey.”

              “Good morning,” Dodie said. “I take it I don’t need to make any introductions then, huh?”

              “Oh no introductions needed.  We know Kacey,” said Aunt Carol. “Since she was in diapers, actually.”

Kacey smiled. “Nice to see you, Miss Landers.”

           Kissing Bridge was small enough for everyone to know everyone else.  Aunt Carol cast her eyes over Kacey as she placed the basket on the counter. “But you’re not looking your regular happy self.”

              Kacey sighed. “Relationship stuff.”

Aunt Carol unpacked the basket and frowned.

          “Some man break your heart?”

“Something like that.”

                Aunt Carol leant into the glass container, where doughnuts and cakes and cookies were presented in mouthwatering patterns. “First, have this,” she said, picking up a ring doughnut with icing and sprinkles on the top. “I know we shouldn’t comfort eat, but just once in a while a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Besides, you’ll be up on those slopes burning it all off in no time.”

              Kacey took the doughnut. “Thanks.”

              “Secondly, listen to everything that Miss Dodie’s got to tell you,” Carol said. “Because she came here at Christmas looking a darn sight sorrier than you are and now look at her… beaming and happy and in love with your brother. Baked goods and small towns can do wonders for a woman’s soul!”

              Dodie chuckled as she put on her apron. “I think God just might have something to do with it, too.”

              Aunt Carol nodded. “Him, too.”

              “I think God has big plans for you too, Kacey,” Dodie said. “Sometimes God has to break apart our old things so that we have space for the new things.”

              “That’s so true,” Ethel said. “You know my Summer was involved with that movie star, Drake Mason. I knew he was all wrong for her, but she wouldn’t listen. Anyway, as soon as she broke up with him and came back home, she got back together with your brother. Now, most people would consider breaking off an engagement with Drake Mason as something like a tragedy—am I right?”

              Kacey had a mouthful of doughnut so could only nod.

She had caught sight of a whole lot of Drake Mason on screen today and he was a stunning piece of work.

“But now they’re both happier than they’ve ever been,” Ethel continued. “Just hang on in there, Kacey, it’s all happening for a reason.”

The combination of the sweet baked goods and the sweet words of the ladies made Kacey feel a little better.

          She’d planned to spend only a couple minutes there, then head back to the Lodge to hide from the world, but she decided to stay. “So, is there anything I can help with?”

“Sure,” Aunt Carol said. “We’re practicing with chocolate molds for Easter eggs.”
             

“Does that mean melted chocolate?” Kacey asked, her mouth watering.

Dodie grinned and held out an apron toward her. “It sure does.”

Kacey took the apron and grinned back. “I’m in.”

           Between the chocolate and restoration of faith, Kacey was feeling a little better.