The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane (Life in Icicle Falls) (23 page)

Maria came over to see if she wanted anything else.

“Yeah,” she said, shoving away her salad. “Another Chocolate Kiss.” It looked as if that was the only kind she was going to get for a very long time.

* * *

Damn it all, Luke was done trying with Cecily. Life was too short to waste on a woman who wasn’t interested. So what if she liked his kid—and he felt the earth shift under his feet when he kissed her? So what if they were the best match she’d ever make? She couldn’t see it. Or refused to. And if she wanted to be stubborn and stupid, then he was done.

His mother’s hopeful smile fell away at the sight of his angry face. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she said gently as he slid into his seat.

“Yeah, and ‘He who hesitates...’” Luke quoted back to her. “Anyway, nothing’s getting built—not now.”

“What were you building, Daddy?” Serena asked.

A new life.
At least he’d been hoping to. He didn’t want to stay single forever, and his daughter needed a mother. Cecily was his dream woman—kindhearted, funny, great with kids. She’d been giving Serena a birthday present every year ever since her first birthday. Even when she’d lived in L.A. she never forgot, always sent something.

Well, there were other women out there who could remember a birthday, other women with blond hair. None as beautiful as Cecily Sterling, but, hey, he didn’t need drop-dead gorgeous. He didn’t have to have the prettiest girl in town.

But he wanted her like a fish wanted water. What was he going to do?

“Daddy, what were you building?” Serena persisted.

“Nothing, princess.”

“Timing,” his mother said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said irritably.

“Maybe the timing isn’t right.”

He picked up his menu and glared at his options. The timing never seemed to be right for them. It probably never would be.

* * *

Devon stopped by The Man Cave on his way home from work.

“How was the first day on the job?” Todd asked.

“It was okay,” Devon said with a shrug. “It’s money.”

“Not the same as pitching a no-hitter,” Todd said and handed him a beer.

“Not the same as having your own business, being in charge of your own life.”

“Not as much responsibility, either,” Todd pointed out. “You collect your paycheck, you go home and you forget about work.”

“Until you get laid off.”

“A lot less hassle than losing your shirt.”

His brother was right about that. Still, someday he wanted some kind of business of his own. He wanted to be successful. And he didn’t want to have to worry about getting fired over being late for work. Masters had been decent about it when Devon explained, but Devon knew he wouldn’t like him making a habit of it.

“Everything went okay, right?”

“Oh, yeah. Once I got there. My alarm didn’t go off.”

“I heard it.”

“You did? Why didn’t you come wake me up?” Devon demanded.

“What, do I look like Mom? Anyway, I figured you heard it, and I rolled over and went back to sleep.”

“Guess I’ll have to turn the volume up higher,” Devon said. “The lady cop stopped me on Icicle Creek Road.”

Todd shook his head over his brother’s bad luck. “She give you a ticket?”

“Let me off with a warning.”

“Tilda? You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“She never lets anyone off with a warning.”

Devon took a slug of beer and digested that information. “She got a boyfriend?”

Todd shook his head again. “She was going out with one of our local firefighters for a while, but they broke up.” He looked suspiciously at Devon. “Why are you asking?”

“I’m thinking maybe I’ll take her to that street dance that’s coming up.”

“You and the cop?” Todd scoffed. “Does she know how many DUIs you’ve had?”

“That’s ancient history.”

“Not
that
ancient.”

“But it’s in the past.” He’d treated his trashed shoulder with alcohol. Driven buzzed more than once. Got caught more than once. That was the old Devon, though. He was done with that stuff. New town, new start, new Devon.

Todd raised a hand. “Just sayin’. And it wasn’t too long ago that you hit me over the head with a beer bottle.”

“But I didn’t drive.”

“Thanks to the Icicle Falls Police giving you a ride to the station.”

Devon frowned. “You gonna bring up every mistake I ever made?”

“No, just the ones that prove my point. Tilda’s not your type. Anyway, the cops will all be working the street dance.”

“Maybe I’ll work on her while she’s working the dance,” Devon said with a grin.

“And maybe you’re nuts,” Todd said. “But go ahead. Be my guest.”

“You think I can’t get her.”

“I’m thinking, why would you want her? They don’t come any tougher than Tilda.”

“Tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Anyway, if I stick around, I’m not planning on staying celibate.”

His brother chuckled. “On second thought, go ahead. It’s about time you met your match. Try and mess with Tilda, and she’ll cut your heart out and eat it for breakfast.”

Okay, maybe not. Devon wanted some female attention, but he didn’t want to get pistol-whipped.

Still, Tilda the cop was pretty hot, and different from any other woman he’d ever met.

“I think she likes me,” he said. Yeah, he decided, he’d show up at the street dance and see what happened.

* * *

The night of the street dance arrived, and with her sister out of town, Bailey felt free to actually show up in the light of day. Strolling along the edge of the crowd, holding hands with Todd, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Well, until she’d see one or other of her sister’s friends. Then she felt as if she should have a big, red
R,
for rat, on her chest.

“Hey, what’s with the frown?” Todd asked.

“Nothing,” Bailey said, trying to sound cheery.

“You’re feeling guilty,” he said. “Cut it out.”

“I can’t help it.”

He pulled her to him. “Yeah, you can. Think about how good we are together, think about how great your tea shop is going to be.”

She managed a smile.

“That’s better,” he said. “Now stop worrying about your sister.”

That was the wrong thing to say. It started her brooding about her sister all over again. “She didn’t even say goodbye.”

“She’s pissed. Give her time.”

How much time? At the rate they were going, it would be years before they spoke again. If she and Todd ever got married, would Cec even come to the wedding?

Oh, no, there was Cecily’s best bud, Charley, with her husband, Dan Masters.

Bailey gave Todd’s arm a tug. “Let’s go get some shaved ice.”

But it was too late. Dan was already calling hello to Todd. Trapped.

“Hey, your brother’s working out great,” Dan greeted him.

“Glad to hear it,” Todd said. “Hi, Charley.”

“Hi,” Bailey said, too.

“Hi,” Charley said in return. Her voice was as full of warmth as a freezer.

Oh, this was uncomfortable. Beyond uncomfortable. This was awful. Under different circumstances, Charley would have asked how the tea shop was coming along, but now she just stood next to her husband, tight-lipped and unfriendly.
Get me out of here,
thought Bailey.

At that moment Todd’s brother, Devon, sauntered up. “This is some show,” he said, looking around.

“It’s a town tradition,” Dan told him. “You can’t live in Icicle Falls and not come to the street dance.”

“Oh, there’s Chita,” Charley said. “I need to talk to her about book club.” And with that she moved away, leaving her husband to say a quick goodbye and follow her.

“She hates me,” Bailey said miserably.

“Who could hate you?” Devon asked.

“Lots of people,” Bailey responded with a sigh.

“I don’t believe it,” Devon said.

“This’ll blow over,” Todd assured her with a hug.

Just then Tilda the cop strolled by. She was in uniform and looking stern as usual.

Devon stopped her with a wave. “Hey, lady cop, I’ve got a problem.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“I don’t have anybody to dance with.”

“I’m not surprised,” she said and started to walk on.

He took a step backward. “I’d love to know what you look like out of that uniform.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, don’t get your hopes up,” she said, then strode off.

Devon gave a cocky nod. “She’s into me.”

“I can tell,” Todd said.

Devon’s attempt to flirt with Tilda had been a great diversion, and for a moment Bailey forgot that she was a rotten sister and actually smiled. Until she glanced across the crowd and saw Charley and Chita, Cecily’s posse, staring daggers at her.

“I want to go home,” she said to Todd.

He followed her gaze and frowned. “Never mind them.”

The band was an eighties revival group, and now they were playing “What a Feeling.”

“Come on,” Todd said. “Let’s dance.”

They did, and they kept right on dancing through “Kiss on My List,” and by the time the band started playing “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” Bailey was enjoying herself.

There was nobody else she wanted to dance with. Todd knew how to move a girl. He twirled her like a puppet master, and when he drew her close so she could feel the hard, muscled planes of his body and smiled at her as if she were the only woman in the world, it got her endorphins dancing, too. Every move felt choreographed, as if they’d been dance partners for years instead of a few short minutes.

“That was fantastic,” she said as they finally went in search of shaved ice to cool off.

“I try,” he said, not really sounding humble.

“Bailey!” called a male voice.

She turned to see Brandon moving her way through the crowd. No girlfriend, though. Where was Arielle the Amazing?

He’d caught up to them now. “Thought I’d find you here somewhere,” he said.

Todd put an arm around her shoulders as if to remind her of his presence.

“Hi, Brandon,” she said. “Have you met Todd Black?”

Brandon’s gaze slipped from the hand holding her possessively to Todd’s face. “You own the tavern, right?”

“That’s right,” Todd said, and his hand caressed Bailey’s upper arm. “Where’s Arielle?” Bailey asked. “Didn’t she come with you?”

Brandon frowned. “She had some stuff going on. We’re... I’m not sure things are working out between us.”

Only a couple of months ago, Bailey would have heard that and felt she’d won the love lotto. After years of on-again, off-again idiocy, all she felt now was sorry for him.

“Gosh, I’m sorry,” she said.

He shrugged. “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” He looked at her wistfully. “I guess I should have...”

“Yeah, you should have,” Todd said, taking up the slack. “You snooze, you lose, pal.” And with that he started moving toward the shaved-ice booth, drawing Bailey along with him.

“’Bye,” she called over her shoulder. Then to Todd, “That was kind of rude. I mean, we weren’t done talking.”

“Oh, yeah, we were. I know that trick. Play on a woman’s sympathy. It’s a sure way to get laid.”

Bailey scowled at him. “We’ve known each other for years.”

“And you never got together.”

Define “got together.”
Bailey nibbled her lower lip.

Todd’s shrewd look made her blush. “So, you were his booty-call babe.”

That sounded terrible. “No,” she protested.

He shook his head. “What a jerk.”

“You’ve never made a booty call?”

“Okay, I’ve been a jerk, too. But it’s not right. It’s never right to use someone. And if he’d really appreciated you, he’d have done something about it long before this.” Todd leaned down and kissed her. “Anyway, you were meant to be with me.”

He said it as though it were an irrefutable fact. That was fine with her.

Until they ran into Cass Wilkes. “I don’t see your sister anywhere,” Cass said.

“She went to L.A. to visit friends,” Bailey explained.
And to get away from me.

Bailey could tell the moment Cass put two and two together and realized that three must have been a crowd. “Oh, well, um, have fun,” she said and hurried off.

How could she have fun now? What was her sister doing tonight? Was she wishing she was back in Icicle Falls? Was she wishing her sister, the man-stealer, had never come to town?

Bailey lost her appetite for shaved ice and, after a few bites, tossed the rest in the garbage.

“Let’s go dance again,” Todd said.

Now the band began to play “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and suddenly Bailey didn’t want to dance anymore. Stealing her sister’s boyfriend. Did it get any badder than that?

“This was so not a good idea,” she said as Todd followed her down the street, away from the revelers. “I’m a terrible sister,” she added and burst into tears.

He caught her by the arm and pulled her to him. “You’re a bad sister for falling in love? You
are
falling in love, aren’t you?” he asked softly and put a finger under her chin, lifting her face so she could look at him.

She nodded. There was no sense denying it. He could see it in her eyes. He’d probably seen it in her eyes right from the start.

“I can promise you that things will work out for your sister.”

“How do you know?” she demanded miserably.

“I’m observant. Trust me. She’s going to be okay, and so are we.” And to prove it, he kissed her.

It was better than anything she’d imagined. He turned her into a human flambé. She was going to melt right here in his arms.

“Want to see some fireworks?” he whispered.

“Where?”

“Back at my place,” he said with a grin.

Fireworks with Todd. She should feel guilty. She should feel bad for Cecily.

Cecily who?

Chapter Nineteen

“S
pend tomorrow with me,” Todd urged when he dropped Bailey off at Samantha’s house.

She’d happily spend not only the next day but also the rest of her life with him. “We always have a family barbecue on the Fourth, and then we go watch the fireworks together.”

“Oh, that’s right,” he said, pulling away a little. “The perfect family.”

“We are,” Bailey insisted. At least they had been until she and Cecily started fighting. If Cec had been in town, it would have been impossible for her to bring Todd.

“Babe, there’s no such thing.”

“Why don’t you come over for the barbecue and see for yourself?” she suggested.

“Okay, I will. I want to see a so-called perfect family close up.”

“You can bring your brother, too.”

“What, so you guys can see an
im
perfect family close up?”

“You’re not all that imperfect, are you?” she teased.

“Yeah, we are. And my brother’s a royal pain in the ass. But I love the guy,” he said with a shrug. “So, what time and how much beer do you want me to bring?”

She told him, then indulged herself with one last kiss. But once she left him, she couldn’t help remembering his cynical comment. Maybe there
was
no such thing as a perfect family.

Hers came close, though. They’d always enjoyed each other and been there for each other.

Except now they weren’t. Well, two of them weren’t, anyway. She was getting together with a great guy, but this current situation with her sister sure took the shine off of her newfound joy.

Samantha was already in bed when Bailey slipped in the front door. These days Sammy never stayed awake past ten. Blake was in the family room, watching TV. Bailey could have joined him, but she opted for going up to her room.

She was now sharing space with a crib and a baby dresser. She’d have to move out in a few months. Once the tea shop was open, she could fix up the top story of the house to live in. She smiled, envisioning herself living there with Todd someday. Or maybe in his house... The corners of her mouth turned down. If only her sister would forgive her.

She should. After all, a girl couldn’t help whom she fell in love with. And it wasn’t like Cec to hold a grudge. Yes, they’d had their moments growing up, but in spite of that, they’d always been close.

It was Cecily who’d listened to her teenage woes when Brandon Wallace had broken her heart, Cecily who’d told her he wasn’t right for her when he raised her hopes again once they were grown-ups. And, as kids, whenever Samantha had gone on a big-sister rampage over Bailey getting into her things, Cecily had stepped in as mediator. Samantha had told Bailey there was no Santa Claus. Cecily had told her that of course there was, allowing her to believe for another couple of years.

But Bailey had done her part for her sister, too. In high school she’d baked cookies for Cecily when her boyfriends came over, and when they lived in L.A. she’d catered different events for Cecily’s business, charging her only the cost of food. She’d been happy to help her sister. And Cec had been happy to help
her,
sending business her way whenever possible.

How could they erase that history? They couldn’t. Her sister was angry now, but eventually she’d forgive her.

“She will, won’t she?” Bailey asked her mother the next day as she and her mother and sister sat on Samantha’s deck drinking lemonade. Blake and Todd and his brother were setting up the croquet course in the backyard with Blake’s father supervising.

“Of course she will,” Muriel said. “It’s going to take some time, but she’ll come around.”

“I wanted her to be at the grand opening,” Bailey said. They were always there for each other in big, momentous things. Heck, they’d all pulled together to plan the town’s first chocolate festival. Her sisters had brought her home when her catering business failed. Surely Cecily would come to give moral support when she launched this new business.

That was an unrealistic expectation, she thought sadly. She’d ruined her sister’s love life. Why should she come?

“She’ll be there,” Samantha said in a tone of voice that implied much sisterly bullying.

“I don’t know if she’s ever going to forgive me,” Bailey said. What if she didn’t? What would happen to their family then?

“You’re not the one who dumped her,” Samantha said.

That made Todd sound like a jerk. “It wasn’t working between them,” Bailey said in his defense. Or was it hers?

Her mother patted her arm. “Let’s give the dust a chance to settle.”

When Todd kissed her, she could convince herself that what they had was all that mattered in the world, but here with her family, seeing one of them missing and knowing why—well, it put a whole different color on the situation, sucking out the sunshine and turning her new relationship a dingy gray.

Blake’s mother, who’d been in the house, joined them now, and that ended the conversation. Not that there was anything left to say.

“We’re ready,” Blake called. “Come on down here and take your beating.”

As far as Bailey was concerned, she’d already taken a beating.

But later that evening as she and Todd sat on a blanket on the banks of the Wenatchee River, watching the fireworks explode overhead, his arm draped over her shoulder, she decided any beating she had to take from her sister was worth it. Anyway, Cecily had been in the business of love. Deep down, she understood. She had to.

* * *

“If you don’t need me, I think I’m going to stay down here a little longer,” Cecily said to Samantha on the phone.

“We can manage. How long?”

“A couple of weeks or so,” Cecily said vaguely as she poured herself a glass of orange juice and went out onto her friend Margo’s apartment balcony to soak up some rays.

Silence reigned on the other end of the call. Then her sister asked cautiously, “You’re not thinking of moving back there, are you?”

It had crossed her mind. But, “No,” she said. She’d fallen in love with Icicle Falls all over again, and, really, there was no place else she wanted to live. She just had to figure out how she was going to live there and watch her sister and Todd build a life together.

“Well, that’s a relief. We need you.”

“You could find anyone to run the chocolate festival and do your advertising,” Cecily said.

“I wasn’t talking about Sweet Dreams. I was talking about our family. You’re coming back for Bailey’s grand opening next month, aren’t you?”

“I’ll try,” Cecily said diplomatically.

“You’d better do more than try,” said Samantha, now in bossy big-sister mode. “I don’t want to have to deal with the fallout if you don’t. This kind of stuff isn’t good for expectant mothers.”

“Playing that card again?” Cecily teased.

“It’s the only one I’ve got. Seriously, I know you want to bitch-slap Bailey right now.”

“Oh, that’s too kind,” Cecily said lightly. “I was thinking more in terms of murder.”

“Bad idea. Mom would get mad.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true.”

“It’s on the tenth.”

“I know,” Cecily assured her. Bailey had talked about the date often enough.

“Okay,” Samantha said, and her tone of voice added, “Don’t let me down.” They chatted a few more minutes, then Samantha said, “I’ve got to go. I need to talk with Luke about boosting production on our chocolate garden set.”

Luke. If she’d picked him instead of Todd, both she and Bailey would be happy now. And why was it she hadn’t chosen Luke? Oh, yeah, that pesky chemistry thing.
This is what you get for being picky,
she told herself as she looked out at a sea of buildings baking under sun-drenched smog.
Oh, yeah, I’m having fun. Wish I wasn’t here.

* * *

It was tea party time at Muriel Sterling-Wittman’s house with Olivia Wallace, Dot Morrison, Pat Wilder, Janice Lind and Bailey in attendance. All the goodies being served were in the running for the Tea Time menu, and Bailey had called in the town experts for advice.

“You have to serve this lavender cake,” Olivia said. “It’s heavenly.”

Dot shook her head. “I’m partial to the carrot cake, myself.”

“Maybe I should serve both,” Bailey said.

“Don’t make your menu too extensive,” Olivia cautioned.

“And remember, you can always change your menu, make substitutions, if you feel like you’re getting tired of the same thing,” Janice said.

“Except people will develop favorites and expect to see them when they come in,” Dot pointed out. “Do the two cakes, the scones and those chocolate cookies. You need the chocolate cookies for the chocolate tea.”

“I agree,” Muriel said.

“But what about the lavender sugar cookies?” Bailey asked.

“I think you’ve got enough lavender items without them,” Dot replied.

“No, but she needs those cookies for her afternoon-tea plate,” Olivia said, and Dot capitulated with a shrug.

“I think you could eliminate the ham sandwiches,” Pat suggested.

“I wondered if I should have them because they’re sort of English,” Bailey said.

“Go with the salmon instead. More of a fit for this area,” Dot advised.

Olivia took another bite of cake. “Really, I could eat an entire lavender cake in one sitting.” She smiled at Bailey. “You’re going to have a success on your hands.”

Bailey certainly hoped so. She thought of all the time and energy and money that had gone into this business. If it failed...

“That sister of yours better come back for the grand opening,” Dot said sternly, looking at Muriel as if she could still control her grown daughter.

The other women seemed as uncomfortable as Bailey felt, but her mother smiled serenely and said, “I’m sure she’ll be here. The Sterlings always stick together.”

Correction: the Sterlings always
had
stuck together. Bailey had called her sister several times, but Cecily never picked up. What if Cecily never talked to her again? Sudden tears stung her eyes.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Olivia scolded Dot. She patted Bailey’s hand. “Everything will be fine, honey. You’ll see.”

“And your tea shop is going to be a smashing success, kiddo,” Dot added. “Sorry I even mentioned your sister, even if she is being a brat.”

“These situations have a way of working out,” Pat said in a comforting voice.

She smiled at Mama, and Bailey remembered the story about how Pat and her mother had fallen out over a man. They’d patched things up. Could she and Cecily do that, too?

* * *

Bailey and Todd sat at a table in Pancake Haus, going over their to-do lists. “The Facebook page is great,” he said. “I got hungry looking at all those pictures of food.”

“And you saw how many likes we’ve got. I think everyone in Icicle Falls has liked us.” All except for one sister, who was still in California...

“Yeah, not a bad start. So, you’re done hiring?” he asked, pulling back her thoughts before they could wander any further into the bog of misery.

She swallowed a mouthful of pancake and nodded. “Yep. I actually lured Ginny away from the deli. She was looking for a change and wants to maybe have a shop of her own someday, so she figured this would be a good learning experience. She’ll help me in the kitchen before we open and then ring up sales. I’ve also hired a full-time server, and Amber Wilkes will come in to help on Saturdays.”

“How about a dishwasher? Oh, yeah. That’s going to be me.”

Bailey laughed. “You did say we needed to stay on budget.”

“Me and my big mouth,” he joked as Dot Morrison came over to greet them.

“Are you two all ready for your grand opening?”

“We’re getting there,” Bailey said.

“Well, put me down as a yes. I’m coming with Olivia.”

Bailey brought up her guest list on her iPad and checked off Dot’s name.

“I’ve got to hand it to you Sterling girls. You’re a clever bunch.” Dot pointed a finger at Todd. “And you, Mr. Hot Stuff, are lucky to get one of them.”

Todd shrugged. “I had to settle, Dot, since you wouldn’t go out with me.”

“Didn’t want to wear you out, kid,” Dot cracked. “You’d never have been able to keep up.”

“Hey, she’s right,” Todd said as Dot sauntered off in the direction of the kitchen. “I hope I have half as much energy at her age.”

“She’s inspiring,” Bailey agreed. “And she’s sure had a lot of good advice. Everyone at the chamber has been helpful.”

“They know the importance of sticking together.”

That made Bailey think of Cecily all over again. Samantha had promised her that Cec was coming back in time for their gala opening. She hoped Sammy knew what she was talking about.

* * *

It hadn’t been all smog and misery for Cecily. She’d had a good time. Yes, indeed. Days at the beach lying on a towel reading romance novels and flirting with surfers, dancing at trendy clubs, seeing friends, paying for dinners out with friends (which had about broken the bank).

Oh, who was she kidding? Reading about fictional happy endings was getting old, and none of the surfers held her interest. She sweltered in the heat and missed the fresh mountain air. She’d go out to a restaurant and speculate about who was at Zelda’s. Or go dancing and wish she was two-stepping at The Red Barn or, even worse, remember what a good dancer Todd was. Every man she met was only interested in hooking up, and the only topic of conversation at parties was who was seeing whom and which men had the most money. Oh, and what movie project had been green-lighted. She was living at the shallow end of the pool. Still, L.A. was an exciting place, full of energy. Not everyone here was shallow. What was wrong with her? Why was she just seeing the negatives?

Any place can be great if you’re with people you care about.
Where had she heard that before? Oh, yeah, Luke. It looked as though he was right. No wonder she was feeling restless. The people she cared about most weren’t here. They were in Icicle Falls. No matter what, heartbreak or happiness, that was where she belonged.

* * *

“The chocolates are boxed up for the tea shop,” Luke reported to Samantha. “I’m sending Jimmy over there with them this morning.”