Stirring Up Trouble (15 page)

“No problem.”

Maddie rounded the counter and slipped outside. Pepper was doing something with her phone, but she turned it off and slipped it in her purse when she saw Maddie approach. She tensed, snuggling further into her leather jacket as a poorly disguised frown drew down Pepper's brow. She was probably trying to figure out what Maddie wanted from her. All they had in common was Grant, and until recently, a mutual dislike for each other.

“Pepper,” Maddie said with a pleasant smile. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Pepper sighed and shuffled her feet anxiously as though she was trying to come up with an excuse not to chat, but couldn't find one. “Sure,” she admitted at last. “I'm waiting for Grant to pick me up, so I have a few minutes. What do you need?”

“I don't
need
anything,” Maddie corrected, suddenly feeling very nervous about what she was about to do. Pepper's resistance was a result of years of being mistreated by Maddie. How could she possibly undo that with a few kind words? She always tried to promote an air of confidence, but she could feel it crumbling as she sought out the right way to do this.

Admitting she was wrong and apologizing to all the people she'd hurt over the years might be one of the hardest things she'd done in her life, but it needed to happen. She told Gertie she'd do it and she'd meant it. Maddie was starting a new chapter in her life and she didn't want her past sins hanging over her head a moment longer.

“I was talking to Grant the other day, and that conversation helped me realize that I've been very . . . unpleasant to you over the years. I've been unpleasant to a lot of people, but I know you got the brunt end of a lot of it.”

Pepper held her hand up to stop her. “Did Grant put you up to this? I know he's got this fantasy image of one big happy family at our wedding, but I'm not as idealistic. You don't have to throw an empty apology at me just to make him happy.”

“No, he didn't. Actually, he did ask me to apologize to you months ago, but true to form, I never did it. Now I'm coming to you on my own, because I've realized that it's the right thing to do. We work next door to each other and you're going to be a part of my family. We're going to spend more time together and I'd like it if those moments weren't awkward or strained for either of us because I've been so mean to you in the past.”

Pepper crossed her arms in a defensive sort of way. Maddie wasn't surprised. She was waiting for Maddie to either chicken out or finally say the apology she'd been waiting years to hear.

“I'm sorry for the way I've treated you. You never deserved any of the horrible things I've said or done to you over the years. I was a spoiled kid, getting everything that I could possibly want. I thought that for some reason that made me a better person than other people who weren't as fortunate, when what I should've been doing was using my resources to help others. I know I haven't been the nicest person to you, or anyone, really. You may not believe me, but I'm trying to make a change in my life. I've accepted the fact that I can be really judgmental, and I'm working toward being a more open-minded and friendly person. To everyone.”

Pepper watched her suspiciously as she spoke. She seemed almost stunned but was too jaded to accept her apology at face value.

“Anyway,” Maddie continued, “I probably owe you a lot more than this, but the next time you want a sweet treat, come by the bakery and it's on me.”

Pepper looked as though she never thought she'd see the day that Madelyn Chamberlain would apologize for being the awful brat she'd always been. Finally, she said, “Thanks, Maddie. I appreciate that.”

“Okay, good.” Maddie took a few steps back. She wasn't certain that Pepper fully believed her, but it was a step in the right direction that she would have to follow up with action. That was what would convince people she'd really turned over a new leaf. “I, uh, also wanted to tell you that unless you've made other plans, I'd like to make your wedding cake. It'll be my gift to you and Grant if that's what you want.”

“Wow, really?” Pepper smiled at her authentically for the first time since elementary school. “We'd love that. Grant and I haven't gotten very far on wedding plans with the reconstruction of the house, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled. He really loves your cakes, Maddie.”

Maddie beamed, and for once, it wasn't just because of the compliment. “Great. I'll make you anything you want, just call me and I'll set up a tasting.”

A roar in the distance grew louder, and Maddie turned in time to see her brother's Harley round the square. He rolled to a stop and flipped up his visor. “Howdy, Sis.”

Maddie waved as Pepper climbed onto the back of the motorcycle and slipped on her helmet.

“See you around, Maddie,” Pepper said before closing her visor.

Maddie felt a pang of jealousy as Pepper wrapped her arms around Grant's waist and they roared down the street together. She wished she could wrap her arms around Emmett right now, but she knew she couldn't. He was at work and in a few hours she needed to get to bed. Four a.m. may be an hour later, but it was still damn early. How exactly had a baker and a bartender gotten together in the first place? It was an exercise in futility just making their schedules align.

She turned to head back into the shop, pausing when she saw her grandmother's Cadillac drive down First Avenue. That was odd. Her grandmother rarely came into town unless she had some kind of pressing business. Perhaps loaning her car to Maddie for the past week had caused her errands to stack up. The Mercedes had come back from the shop as good as new, so Maddie had recently returned the Cadillac.

Keeping close to the edge of the shop, she peeked around the corner and watched the red Cadillac turn onto Daisy Drive and slow near her house. She had to know that Maddie was at work, right? Maddie walked down the block toward the Pizza Palace to see if her grandmother had parked in her driveway. To her surprise, the Cadillac was stopped on the other side of the street by Woody's. She watched as her grandmother got out of the car and then slipped into the side door that led to Emmett's apartment like she'd been there a dozen times.

She felt her stomach start to ache. Why on earth would her grandmother—who rarely went into town to begin with—come into town just to visit Emmett? How did she even know who Emmett was, much less how to get to his apartment without even pausing to look around? Her grandmother prided herself on knowing nearly everyone in town, but she wasn't exactly known for frequenting the local bars.

Confused, Maddie turned and headed back toward the shop. There weren't many options to explain what she'd just seen. She'd tried to forget about seeing her grandmother's number come up on Emmett's phone, but she knew now it was no coincidence.

Emmett had never even mentioned her grandmother before. He hadn't made any noises about meeting her family or wanting anything to do with them. Lydia had insisted that he was using her to make business contacts, but if that were true, he wasn't trying very hard.

And yet, he seemed to have succeeded. Was it possible that Maddie was getting played and she didn't even know it?

Chapter Fifteen

Logan stepped out
of the house, walking to the street to check his mailbox. He grabbed a handful of bills and junk advertisements and was heading back up to his porch when he heard someone call his name.

Turning, he saw Grant coming toward him with his hound dog on a leash. Busted.

“Pepper says you haven't returned any of her texts,” Grant said, just leaping right in and skipping the pleasantries.

He hadn't. When put on the spot, he'd agreed to get together with them for dinner, but he'd done everything he could to avoid it, including just not responding to her. “I've been busy with clients,” he said. “You heard about Clark Newton, I presume.”

Grant nodded. Of course he'd heard. His sister had apprehended him, and his brother had arrested him. “She's hurt, Logan. I know you're not happy about any of this, and you're resistant to accepting how things are, but don't hurt her in the process. She's never done anything but be a good sister to you.”

“I know that,” Logan said with a touch of irritation. “I'm not avoiding my sister.”

“Yeah you are, by proxy,” Grant said, coming closer. “You're avoiding me. But she's my fiancée, and I'm not going anywhere. You can't just cut her out of your life because you don't want to accept that you're my brother.”

“Half brother,” Logan clarified. That “half” made all the difference in his book.

“The shitty half,” Grant pointed out.

He was right. He didn't know a thing about Helen Chamberlain, but none of his beef had ever been with her. He actually felt bad for her, knowing that she had to put up with such a philandering husband. “I'm glad we're finally able to agree on something.”

“I'm sure that's not the only thing we agree on. I don't know if Pepper has told you, but I'm well aware that my father isn't a saint,” Grant began. “Long before I found out about you, I knew what kind of stuff my dad was up to when he worked those late hours and took those out-of-town business trips. I don't know that he's drawn a monogamous breath during his entire marriage to my mother. It pisses me off, but I can't change him and I won't be the one to tell my mother and hurt her. So I know what it's like to live a life where you're stuck with a burden you don't want. But here's the thing . . . Blake, Mitchell, Maddie, Simon, Hazel, and I . . . we've got nothing to do with it, and neither do you. For whatever reason, you don't like us, but I wish you'd reconsider and give us a chance.”

“Well, I'll just invite myself over to the next Sunday supper and sit down right next to Pops,” Logan said with mocking enthusiasm. He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice as he tried to imagine the Chamberlains welcoming him with open arms. Wouldn't happen. At best, he'd be tolerated.

“We're good people. I like my siblings, and I think if you got to know us, you'd like us, too. You don't have to set yourself aside. When the truth comes out, there might be a rough patch as people come to terms with what my father did, but in the end, they're going to accept you as part of the family. Because you
are
a part of the family. The only thing that will keep you an outsider is your attitude.”

“My attitude?” Logan scoffed.

“Yeah, it sucks,” Grant noted. “You've got your vendetta against Dad, fine. I don't blame you. But avoiding me at your sister's expense, representing Emmett in court against Maddie . . . it seems like you're going out of your way to be rude to people who haven't done anything to you. I wish you'd drop this wall you've put up and let us try. Let me try to be a brother to you. It might not be as terrible as you imagine.”

“Why do you care?” Logan asked. “I'm your father's bastard. Why would you want anything to do with me, or want me involved with your family at all? Is this all just to make Pepper happy?”

“In part,” Grant admitted. “I know these last few months have been hard on both of you. When you moved back to Rosewood, she'd hoped to spend more time with you, but you'll hardly have anything to do with her. You might as well still be living in Huntsville. I hate watching it take its toll on her, yes. So for her sake, I'm trying, and I wish you would, too. But that's not all of it.”

Grant took another step forward, getting close enough to put a hand on Logan's shoulder. “Circumstances be damned, you're my brother. I want to have a relationship with you. We're family, and family is important to me. I'm not going to make you sit through dinners you don't want to come to or put you in situations that'll make you and everyone else there miserable. But I want you to keep an open mind.”

Logan took a deep breath and nodded. He knew he was letting his emotions get the best of him and he shouldn't. Rationally, he knew that by staying angry and focusing so much on getting back at Norman Chamberlain, he was giving his father power over him. He knew it, and yet it was hard for him to stop.

“Okay,” Logan agreed. “You're right. I know you're right. It's just hard for me. I'm sorry that my drama has spilled into your life.”

“Don't be sorry, just make a change,” Grant said, taking a step back and reaching down to pat his dog on the head. “When you're ready to take the next step, let us know. We're moving into the house this weekend. We're hoping to have a housewarming sometime soon, so maybe you can plan for that. If that's too much, maybe just dinner one night.”

“What about tonight?” Logan asked. He wanted to fix this, and the longer he put it off, the more reasons he'd find not to do it. “I'm happy to come to the party, too, but I don't think I should wait. Maybe I can help you guys move, too.”

Grant smiled. “Sure. That'd be great. I'll let Pepper know and make sure tonight works for her.” He glanced over his shoulder casually, and froze. “Shit.”

“What?” Logan turned and looked in the direction that had grabbed Grant's attention. There, standing across the narrow street outside the sporting goods store, was Lydia Whittaker. She was holding a new yoga mat in one hand and a cell phone in the other, not even bothering to act like she wasn't listening in, and possibly even recording, their entire conversation.

A wide, wicked smile spread across her deceptively beautiful face. She turned off her phone and slipped it into her purse. Raising one hand, she delicately wiggled her fingers in smug greeting. Then, she flicked her blond hair over her shoulder and got into her car.

“Do you think she got all that on video?” Grant asked as she drove away.

Logan swallowed hard. “I don't know.” He felt like an idiot letting his emotions put his plans at risk. If Lydia heard it all, he had no doubt she would tell people. His secret was officially in self-destruct mode, except he didn't know how long the countdown would be.

Hours, days, weeks . . . how long would it take for everyone in Rosewood to know the truth? He supposed that would depend on how Lydia could best use the information to suit her. She could keep quiet and try to blackmail one of them. She could take out an ad in the paper and announce it to everyone. He hadn't had much experience with her personally, but he knew about the incident last year that landed her in court. He'd heard from Pepper that she blamed the Chamberlains for that because the photographic evidence that convicted her had been slipped into the slideshow at Ivy's concert. Ivy was Blake's fiancée, and only someone close to the family could've slipped that photo into the deck.

It was ironic, really, considering how hard she'd worked to actually marry into the Chamberlain family. Logan had always thought she would succeed on that front. She had that cutthroat quality and high opinion of herself that seemed to fit right in with the rest of them. She just didn't like it when those qualities were turned against her.

When she did share his secret, he had no doubt she would do it in a spectacular fashion to create the most impact and embarrass the family. In the end, it wouldn't be about him, it'd be about the Chamberlains, and that's what worried him the most.

Emmett had told Maddie
that Wednesday nights were slow at the bar. Most people were at church or hiding out at home, so people wouldn't see them out and about and ask them why they weren't in church. Maddie had to be in bed so early, she'd dropped out of Bible Study when she bought the bakery. There was no way to do both. In the end, it was just as well, since she would've missed a month of classes while she served her sentence with Emmett.

With Clark Newton's art experiment over, they'd been able to return to more mundane community service activities this week. This afternoon, they'd been sent to the library to assist in decorating for the upcoming Halloween festival on Saturday. Every year, the children of Rosewood would gather in the square for a Trunk or Treat. Since most of the homes were so scattered in the country, it was easier for folks to come to town for Halloween. They parked all along the square, handing out candy from their hatchbacks and truck beds.

Before the trick or treating, the library would host an annual party for the children. The librarians would read scary children's books, let kids bob for apples, and provide them with messy crafts that involved gluing faces on pumpkins and fangs on vampires.

When that was over, it'd finally be dark enough for the tiny ghouls, goblins, and princesses of Rosewood to pour out of the library and descend on the people waiting patiently to hand out treats. Emmett and Maddie had spent most of the afternoon at the library hanging fake glow-in-the-dark spiderwebs, arranging pumpkins on the patio, and setting up a spooky scarecrow out front.

This year, after the Trunk or Treat, there would be a special community event for the grown-ups, too. After much planning, Maddie and Alice Jordan had decided that doing a movie night on the lawn on Halloween might be fun. They chose the 1930s black-and-white version of
Frankenstein
. Flyers were up all over town advertising the event, sponsored by Madelyn's Bakery & Tea House. She'd even put one up in her shop's front window. She was planning to give out pumpkin sugar cookies to attendees with coupons for a dollar off a future purchase.

When their shift was over, Emmett headed back to Woody's to open for the night and Maddie went by the bakery to check on things with Gertie. Her assistant was just finishing up the last batch of chocolate chip scone dough and all was well, so Maddie continued on to her house.

She hadn't spent much time over the last few months sitting still. Gertie's help had provided her some extra free time in her life and now, she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Looking around her kitchen, she got an idea.

The other day, Emmett had asked her if she would come by the bar and hang out with him. She couldn't do it then, but there was no reason she couldn't go by tonight.

She pulled a wicker basket from her pantry and started pulling together a picnic dinner. It wasn't a romantic meal out by the lake, but with their schedule, she had to get whatever time she could with Emmett. If that meant hanging out at the bar every now and then, so be it.

Loaded up with goodies, she slipped on her red peacoat and walked across the street to the bar.

It was quiet tonight. There was only one car in the parking lot as she approached. Opening the heavy oak door, she went inside. Two men were sitting in one of the booths, talking over tall, frosty mugs of beer. They would occasionally stop talking to look up at the television and comment on the poker tournament playing overhead.

Emmett wasn't behind the bar as she expected. She looked around and didn't see him anywhere, actually. With the basket growing heavier by the minute, she hauled it over to the bar and hefted it onto the countertop. A moment later, Emmett came out of a door marked
EMPLOYEES ONLY
, his arms overflowing with bottles.

His eyes widened with surprise when he saw her, but it was followed by a warm grin. He gingerly settled the bottles on the back of the bar and then leaned across the wooden barrier to give her a kiss. “Little Red Riding Hood has shown up with a basket of goodies. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” he asked.

Maddie shrugged coyly. “I just felt lonely at home, so I thought I'd bring dinner over and spend it with you.”

“Nice. I'm starving. I was thinking about calling in an order at Pizza Palace, so your timing is perfect.” Emmett lifted the lid of the picnic basket to examine what was inside. “Yum. Why don't you unpack on that table over there while I restock a few things and I'll join you in a minute?”

“Okay.” Maddie had brought her own plates, silverware, and cloth napkins, which she laid out before grabbing the food containers. It wasn't anything fancy, but it'd be tasty.

She'd made two turkey-and-Swiss sandwiches using a homemade loaf of sourdough bread. Each sandwich was layered with ripe tomato, green-leaf lettuce, and a spicy German mustard. She also had a container of pasta salad, some chips, and a couple of leftover MoonPies from today's special.