Friends With Benefits (8 page)

He shrugged. “I didn’t say that I didn’t want to be here. I’m only saying that I leaned more toward a sit-down restaurant and you were the one who wanted the bakery.”

Cassie wrapped her arms around her stomach, needing the protection for her raw emotions. “I remember that you used to talk about opening a grill, but I didn’t think you were serious. I thought it was a fantasy.”

“And you’re the only one who can hold onto a fantasy?” His gaze fell to the paper in her hand again.

“Is that what this is about?” She shook the paper. “The secret admirer? Don’t allow jealousy and anger to distort your decision making.”

He laughed, but his eyes remained cool. “Do you honestly believe I’d leave the business because of jealousy? Do you really even know me?”

“I know you, Seb. Better than anyone. Unless you think Lila has now taken that spot.”

“Now who’s jealous?” One dark brow lifted in accusation.

“You turned down making love with me because of her,” she snapped.

He slid off the chair and strode toward her with heavy steps. The spark in his gaze warned her of his inner turmoil. “That’s bullshit. You know as well as I do that Lila didn’t have anything to do with the ending result.”

She swallowed. She couldn’t argue. “My emotions were out of whack–”

“Exactly. The last thing I’d ever want is for you to touch me because no one else was there to offer you comfort.”

The harshness of his words drove into her. “Seb, you can’t possibly think that.”

“I can and I do. You said it yourself.”

She stared into his glare. “I was sad, yes, but that had nothing to do with what happened that night. I didn’t want you to merely feed my loneliness.”

He moved closer. His breath warmed her cheek. “Then you tell me why. Tell me, Cass.”

She moistened her lips in nervousness. What could she say? Emotions fired off inside her head and she couldn’t focus on one. Did she love Sebastian? Yes, she did. Did she love her secret admirer? In all fairness, she had to answer yes. A part of her had fallen for him.

If only Seb could be that man…

“Your silence is my answer. I’m sure you’ll want to buy my share of the bakery. Have your attorney write up an offer. You’ll find that I’ll be very generous.”

Before his name could part her lips, he disappeared. Her chest turned heavy and her heart sank. Tears fell onto her cheeks.

She grabbed a towel off the counter to wipe her eyes.

Clanging came from the kitchen.

She wasn’t alone.

Grabbing the first thing she could find, which happened to be a wooden rolling pin, she waited for another noise. Nothing? She had a feeling it was something.

She slowly made her way around the counter and to the swinging doors, stuck her ear against the door. Still quiet.

Seconds turned into minutes. She began to think she’d heard her own imagination.

Sucking up her anxiety, she pushed open the doors and stepped into the kitchen, scanning the room. She was alone. Until…the door to the bottom cabinet opened slightly. She knew she’d closed it earlier. Her heart beat faster and she raised the pin above her head, ready to attack.

Not sure whether it was bravery or stupidity that pushed her on, she stepped toward the cabinet as quietly as the tiled floor would allow.

Before she could reach the cupboard, the door flew open. She jumped backward, the pin held higher in the air, ready to clock someone or something if needed. Movement made her swing, but she caught herself halfway. Coming out from among the bags of flour and sugar was a boy of about ten or eleven. He stared up at her with scared green eyes. His bottom lip trembled. She knew this boy. She’d seen him around the neighborhood a time or two. She’d even given him odd jobs, like carrying out the trash or cleaning the windows.

“Andrew? What are you doing in my kitchen?” She stepped all the way back to allow him to move away from the cabinet.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Brooks. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice shuddered as his gaze stayed on the rolling pin.

Cassie lowered the pin and placed it on the table. “By the looks of things, I’d say we scared each other.” Her heart finally slowed. “You have some explaining to do, young man.”

He nodded in a jerky motion. “I forgot the letter. I ran all the way here to make it before you closed.”

Cassie narrowed her eyes as she absorbed his words. “The letter? What do you know about the letter?”

“That one.” He pointed to the crumpled piece of paper she’d forgotten that she still held in her clutch. “I was in a hurry and didn’t see the man sitting at the table. I ducked behind the counter before he could see me.”

She glanced down at the paper, then back at him. “You brought this?”

Once again, he shook his head vigorously. “I brought all of them, Ms. Brooks.”

This couldn’t be true. How could a boy of his age write such words of romance? And the night he came to visit…oh no. Oh, hell no. “You wrote these?”

His eyes squinted. “No. I just delivered them.”

She was lost. Very lost. “You deliver them? For who?”

He blinked and one corner of his mouth dropped. Apparently he wasn’t supposed to tell her.

She went to the locked cabinet across the room, got her purse and dug out all of her cash. She counted the bills. “Is fifty bucks enough to get you talking?”

His gaze devoured the money like he’d found a bucket of gold. He raced across the room and started to grab the prize.

She pulled back before he could take it. “Not so fast there, Andrew. For fifty I expect all of my questions to be answered. Got it?”

“I will.”

She handed over the money, which he wasted no time in grabbing and pushing into the front pocket of his dirty jeans. “I’ll make this very simple, so relax. Have a cookie.” She reached into the jar of peanut butter cookies, handed him one, and allowed him to take a bite before she continued her interrogation. “Was this the first letter you delivered?”

Mouth full, he only shook his head.

“Okay then. You delivered all of them?”

“Yes.” Cookie crumbs blew off his lips.

“And did someone hire you to deliver them?”

He chewed and swallowed. “Yes. A hundred dollars. Easy money.”

She sighed. “Here’s the most important question. Who asked you to deliver them?”

He crammed the last bite into his mouth and chewed slowly. The boy was fishing for more time.

Maybe she should threaten to take back the fifty.

He blurted, “Mr. Matthews.”

“What?”

Andrew didn’t answer because he took off lightning-fast across the kitchen, through the swinging doors and out the front door.

It was just as well. She’d heard enough.

Chapter 6

Sebastian heard the doorbell ring, but he didn’t move a muscle. All evening he’d been vegetating in front of the TV watching old western movies, and he wasn’t about to move for something as little as someone at his door. He didn’t want to see anybody anyway.

The knocks grew louder. “Shit.” Who the hell didn’t get the silence as an answer that he wanted to be left the hell alone?

His cell beeped. He didn’t want to talk either.

Another knock came, followed by another beep.

He grabbed his phone and hit the message button. It was a text from Cassie.

I’m on your doorstep. I know you’re in there watching black and white movies. Open up.

He hit delete, then turned the cell off, tossing it back onto the table. “That should do it.”

He lay his head back and closed his eyes.

“How did I know it?”

He jerked at the sound of Cassie’s voice, and opened one eye. “How did you get in here?”

“Just as I know that you hole yourself in here watching old movies when you’re upset, I also know where you keep your spare key.” She dangled the key from her forefinger.

“I expect you to put it back underneath the flowerpot on your way out.” He closed his eye, hoping she’d disappear.

“We need to talk,” she said.

He opened both eyes. Maybe they should just get the conversation over with. “Look, Cass, I’m not changing my mind about the bakery.”

She sat down beside him and turned so her knee touched his. He’d have pulled away if it didn’t feel so damn good. “You’ll need an investor for a new restaurant. I have an idea.”

He rubbed his forehead. “Yeah?”

“Me.”

“You?” He knew she had no interest in opening a sit down place. “Why you?”

“Because as I see it, you and I have always been a team. That’s the way it should remain.”

“It won’t work, sweetheart. In time maybe we can be friends again, but for now I think it’s best we separate.” Couldn’t she see as long as they worked side by side, and were best friends, neither of them could move on?

“Are you still with Lila?” Cassie asked.

He sighed. “No, I’m not. It’s not fair for her to be with me, not when I couldn’t offer her what she deserved.”

Cassie pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. “Explain to me why a man hires a boy to deliver his letters of admiration?”

His breath stilled. She knew. Denying the truth would be futile. He didn’t want to any longer. “I hired him months ago. I’d give him two letters at a time with a set schedule of delivery. The last time, I gave him three. I realized I had to stop them, but when I went to get the letters back, well, the kid didn’t tell me he’d moved. The last few times I’ve showed up to deter delivery, he’s beaten me to the punch. Damn, that kid has a talent for sneaking. I guess that’s the reason I hired him. However, he wasn’t so good at keeping the letters in order of how they were to be delivered.”

“You were always asking me what the letters said. You needed to know to verify whether the right one, or the wrong one had been delivered.”

He blew out a breath through tight lips. “Yes.”

“And that’s why you came into the shop this evening? To attempt to get to the letter before me.”

“Yes. That was my intention.”

“You didn’t want to meet me? For me to know the truth?”

He needed her to know everything. “No. You gotta understand, I started the letters because I hoped you would realize it was me. I know the whole secret admirer thing is stupid–”

“Yes, you should have just told me.”

“You’re right. I should have. At the time, though, I wasn’t sure how you felt about me. I didn’t want to say something that would ruin our friendship.”

She laughed. “You’re an idiot.”

He winced. “That’s harsh.”

She held his gaze. “I’ve wanted more than friendship between us since I met you. I just always thought you weren’t interested. A big part of me believed you were my admirer, but I wasn’t totally sure. How could I be? You never made a move to take things to another level.”

He scooted to the edge of the couch. “You seemed to always refer to us as ‘friends only.’” He lifted his hand and slid his fingers through her hair. He loved the silken texture against his palm. “I love you. I am in love with you. I can be stupid at times, but if you can forgive me, I’m now going to kiss the hell out of you.”

“Please do.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, tasting her sweetness. He’d craved her for so many nights, and now here she was. With him. But she hadn’t confessed her love. He pulled back. “Cass, tell me how you feel?”

She blinked. “I’m in love with you, Sebastian. I’ve always been in love with you. I’ll never love another.”

“Then be my wife.” He hadn’t planned the question, but it felt so right.

With no hesitation, she answered, “I’m glad you asked, because otherwise I was going to ask you.”

He kissed her again.