Trapped in Tourist Town (11 page)

“How are you doing it? Cash incentives? Offering up dates? Kisses? What?” Cady took some small satisfaction from the startled jolt that nearly had Burke tumbling over his own feet.

“What does it matter? You need the customers and I'm bringing them in. Most people would use this moment to say thank you.”

“It matters because I didn't ask for this. And I do not need the customers. These people—well, most of them—were customers to begin with. This situation with Mr. Logan is my problem, not yours.”

“You should probably get back in there. The lovely Allen sisters seemed quite excited to try out a hazelnut latte. Just one. They said they were going to share it.”

“Fine. But you're coming with me. I need to keep my eye on you. You're stirring up trouble!”

“That's just your way of saying you like me and you can't keep your eyes off me. It's okay, you can admit it.” Burke winked.

“Oh, you're insufferable!” Cady grabbed the man by the hand and dragged him toward the entrance to the bakery.

“You're the one we're supposed to be focusing on. We need to figure out how to keep your parents off your back, get you a job so you can afford to live here, and then finally get you started on your dream career.”

As the bell jangled over their heads, Cady caught Sophie madly waving her arms to get her attention. The Allen sisters were waiting for their drink.

“We, huh? Why are you so hell-bent on helping me?” Burke stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Because I like you and I can't keep my eyes off you.” Cady tossed him a saucy grin and hurried to slip behind the counter.

“Hey, City Guy! You're always good for a laugh. Come sit with us.” Old Man Feeney slapped the empty stool between him and one of his cronies.

Behind the espresso machine, Cady watched Burke bristle. His back went ramrod straight and he shot Feeney a look that made the old man squirm.
Way to stand up to him, Burke!
She wanted to cheer out loud but settled for a huge smile. He just stood there, waiting.

“Fine. Burke. Okay? Would you like to sit with us, Burke?” Old Man Feeney capitulated.

“I'd love to. Thanks.” He slid onto the proffered stool and slapped his new friend on the back.

The Allen sisters took their drink to a table by the window to wait for their warmed up croissant. Cady watched them, bemused. This was, indeed, an odd day. The Allen sisters' purchase plus Feeney making nice with—anyone, really, was headline-worthy.

Handing the pastry to Sophie to bring to the women, Cady made her way to the end of the counter, where Burke sat with his new buddies.

“What's your pleasure? The usual?” She stuck her tongue out at the lascivious wink he favored her with.

“You know what? I'm celebrating today. The BBQ with your family helped me make up my mind. I've decided to stay in Scallop Shores. So I'd like to buy my new friend here a drink.” He turned and fixed the old man with a challenging stare.

“How about it, Feeney? You got the nerve to try one of Cady's fancy citified drinks?” Burke arched a brow.

“You callin' me out, boy? You think I'm chicken? Just because you're moving here now doesn't mean the rest of us have to get all fancy.”

“I don't think you're chicken. I think you're cheap. This one's on me, pal. Celebrate with me. I'll buy you whatever espresso drink you want.”

“Kid's got balls! Fine. Gimme the plainest dang fancy coffee you can make with that contraption.” He answered gruffly. “But I ain't tippin'.”

“You've got it!” Cady leaned across the scarred Formica counter, stole the ball cap off the old man's head, and kissed him right on his bald pate.

“Aw, geez. You see what you made her do? She's gonna think I'm some kind of freakin' teddy bear now.”

“Don't worry, Mr. Feeney. I'll always think of you as a grizzly bear.”

“See that you do.” He harrumphed.

Cady quickly made two more drinks, silently debating whether or not she ought to train Sophie to use her precious espresso maker. It was probably just a one-time aberration. The locals would be back to their plain old coffee tomorrow. She looked at the empty tip jar perched near the register and couldn't help but chuckle. Her sleepy little town was anything but predictable today. And now Burke was making his stay in Scallop Shores a permanent one. He looked so excited to share his news with anyone who'd listen. She couldn't be happier for him. Really. However, her own dream of a new life in the city didn't look quite so bright and shiny.

“So tell us about the Big Apple. Cady's got it stuck in her head that it's the best place in the world to be. The streets lined with gold, or something?” Old Man Feeney eyed the drink she put in front of him with suspicion.

“Nah, nothing like that. The streets are wall-to-wall cars, the sidewalks so crowded with people you can't walk without knocking into someone. The horns honking, jackhammers from road construction, I'm talking major noise pollution.”

“It can't be that bad. It's just a busy city. People have to work. They have to get from place to place.” She set Burke's latte in front of him with a frown.

“But they could be friendly about it. People here are so friendly.” Burke winked at Feeney while purposely avoiding her glare. “Folks in the city can't be bothered with so much as a ‘good morning.' Everyone is staring at their phones or hooked up to their iPads. They avoid each other.”

“What's the real estate like out there? Would Cady be able to find an apartment right away?” Cady looked over to see that Talia was still in the bakery and had wandered over to join the conversation.

“The affordable places aren't in the safest neighborhoods. No doormen, no locks on the front of the building. Anyone can walk in, which means she'd be sharing the building with vagrants.” Burke frowned sadly at Talia, his expression surely meant to convey concern.

“Don't worry, most of them are friendly.”

“Oh, for the love of Pete!” The man was a storyteller—that was for darned sure!

“And I don't even want to tell you about the biggest problem with New York City apartments,” Burke told his ever-increasing audience.

“What problem is that?” Sophie asked him, pretending to wipe down the counter near his elbow.

“The cockroaches. They're everywhere.” He shuddered.

The women in the group squealed, just as Cady knew Burke had hoped. This was no longer amusing.

“So the first thing I'll buy is an industrial-sized can of Raid. Big deal. I doubt I'll be spending much time in my apartment, anyway, what with all the exciting things I'll be doing.”

“It's just that these are your friends, and they want to know that you're safe and happy out there. I feel honor bound to make sure you're aware of the panhandlers and shysters. Oh, and of course, the pickpockets.”

“I suppose the big, bad city has gangs of homeless children running around like the Artful Dodger?” Cady rolled her eyes. “I guess I'll just have to keep rolls of cash in my bra, then.”

“Those pickpockets are so skilled, you'll be lucky if they don't steal your bra too.”

The entire room erupted in laughter. Cady turned her scowl from Burke to see that he held every single patron in his thrall. Well, she didn't have to stand here and listen to this. She waited for the noise to subside.

“Thank you, folks. He'll be here all week.” She clapped her hands and gestured toward Burke, like she was suggesting he take a bow.

“I, however, am leaving. If you need anything else, Sophie's in charge. Thank you for all the orders of espresso drinks, but it's really not necessary. No one touches my machine.” She shot a warning glare at the young woman.

“Cady ...” Burke started to slide off his stool but she held out a hand to stop him.

“No. You've already said quite enough.”

Mustering as much dignity as she could, with an entire store full of patrons watching her retreat, Cady flounced through the swinging door to the storage room. A set of stairs led to her apartment above the bakery.

She waited until she'd slammed her apartment door before giving in to tears. How dare he? Burke had made light of her plans, her dreams of a better life. He'd used her to get in good with the locals. Well, she hoped it had been worth it because she was done with him. If he wanted help finding a new job or support against his overbearing parents, he could ask one of his new friends. Cady curled up on the couch, clutched a pillow tight to her chest, and sobbed.

• • •

“I messed up. I messed up bad.” Burke lowered his head into his hands. His body was squished into one of the tiny chairs in the children's section of the public library.

“You weren't trying to belittle her dreams. You were trying to convince her to stay.”

He peered out of bleary eyes at the librarian whose observation skills were far keener than he'd realized.

“Your motives were pure—selfish—but not malicious. She can forgive you. But I think it's going to take more than just an apology.” Bree rested a hand on his shoulder before settling into one of the pint-sized chairs across the equally short table from Burke.

“Yes! Grand gestures. I can do that.” Burke drummed his fingers on his knee as his mind raced to conjure the perfect apology scenario.

“I'll buy her another espresso machine! She loves the one she has. Why wouldn't she love to have a second one?” Eagerly, he awaited Bree's opinion.

“Because she only has one set of hands? Because she had a hard enough time convincing Mr. Logan to let her bring in the first one? Because her espresso machine is her baby and if you give her a second one, that's making the first one less significant, less special. Because—”

“Okay, I get it. No fancy coffee maker.” He blew out a sigh, his lips flapping with the motion.

They sat quietly for a moment. Burke was happy with whom he'd chosen to approach for help apologizing to Cady. Amanda, being Cady's best friend—and a hormonal mess due to pregnancy—was likely to rip him another one. Chase would happily blacken his eye on a normal day, just for kicks, but given how Burke had hurt his sister, well, he was steering clear of that particular officer of the Scallop Shores police department. Bree was a calming influence. He could see how she'd be a good children's librarian. He could also see how she'd be a good friend.

They'd had the children's section to themselves for a while but now a little dark-haired girl with bouncing curls dashed in. She made a beeline for Bree, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck and giving her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. A blond woman wasn't too far behind, holding a chubby-cheeked baby on each hip.

“No picture books this time, Lily. Your teacher said you're ready to try easy chapter books.” The woman knelt and set the babies on the floor. The little boy crawled off toward the floor pillows. The little girl plopped down on her bottom, content to stay with her mama.

“Hey, Lily, I think it's time to introduce you to the Rainbow Magic series. You still get to read about fairies, but these are chapter books.” Bree stood up from the table, then paused.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Burke, this is Quinn. Quinn, Burke. Quinn lived in New York for a while, so maybe she could help you with your dilemma.” And with that, she was off to help Lily choose a new book to read.

“You're the one doing the series of articles on our town.” Quinn's brow drew together in confusion. “But what's the dilemma? You need some help coming up with ideas? I thought Cady was helping with that.”

“She was.” He frowned, hating the pathetically defeated tone of his voice.

“Uh oh.”

“My dilemma doesn't have to do with my work. I upset Cady—in a big way. Now I need to come up with an equally big way to tell her how sorry I am.” He chewed at his bottom lip, concentrating. “She's fascinated with New York City. If I could recreate some of that here.”

“The crowds? The noise? Really?”

“Well, no. I was thinking of the culture, the food.”

“Is that what she likes about it? Are you sure?” Quinn asked, gently.

Burke paused. He couldn't answer that. If he were honest, he'd admit that he was projecting his own ideas about what he missed in the city. He really had no clue what Cady was hoping to discover there.

Bree rejoined them at the little table, holding a wriggling little boy in her lap and bouncing him on her knees.

“Little Mason decided to climb Mount Magazine Rack. You and Jonah sure have your hands full. Is Cora a little explorer too?”

“Thankfully, no. She's a shy one.” Quinn smiled down at the baby who sat quietly beside her knee, playing with Quinn's car keys.

“So how are we going to get Burke back into Cady's good graces?” Bree looked from one adult to the other.

“He needs to get her alone and give her the time she needs to explain to him just what makes her dream about moving to New York so special.”

“Without judgment or preconceived notions about the city. And no using family or anything about the town to make her feel guilty about not staying.”
Or the fact that he wouldn't be returning to the city in September as he'd planned.

“So no special dinner at the lighthouse?” His words were hopeful.

“She's most comfortable in her bakery, among her things,” Quinn added.

“But Old Man Feeney and all the rest of them—”

“Won't be there at night, when the bakery is closed.” Bree slowed her words down so Burke couldn't miss her meaning.

“I get in and, what, ask her to make me a latte because I know she loves using her espresso maker?”

The two women looked at each other, their expressions flashing between exasperation and amusement. Burke pressed his lips together and hunched his shoulders. He couldn't help it if he was going into this blind. He was used to dealing with shallow women. When he had to apologize to one of the women he usually dated, all he had to do was buy her jewelry and a fancy dinner. Then they'd go back to his place and have make-up sex.