Chapter 13
13
DORIE
I t was Sunday, and I was at the bakery, enjoying the quiet as I finalized a sketch of Eliza’s massive wedding cake. Happily, I sipped my coffee and focused on my drawing. I could already see the cake in my mind. It was going to be a masterpiece. My best one yet. I was going to get some good pictures to make it the crown jewel of my portfolio. I didn’t get the chance to do a lot of these grand cakes. Usually, it was just one or two tiers. I was making a cake fit for royalty.
If only the royalty would give me some direction about what they wanted. Tell me anything. When we first talked about the cake, she tossed around a few ideas but that was it. I’d sent her a million questions. I’d sent her pictures of other cakes and asked if she liked them. It was so loosey-goosey. I had no idea if I was wasting my time with this design or not.
I’d been working on it for weeks, tweaking and refining things, but Eliza still hadn’t given me the final approval. I was starting to feel the pressure. Wedding season was in full swing, and I had a mountain of orders to fill. I couldn’t keep putting this off.
I sighed and cocked my head to the side to study the design. The peace and quiet of the shop was a nice change. I knew people thought I was crazy. I worked my ass off all week, and the day the bakery was closed, I was hanging out. But it was easier. It helped me focus. I didn’t get distracted by my cat or worry about doing the laundry or doing the dishes.
My phone buzzed on the counter, interrupting the peace. I glanced at the screen. Eliza . Finally. “Hey.”
“Dorie!” Her voice was bright and cheerful, as always. “We just got into town! I wanted to let you know we’re bringing dinner over to Kaisen’s place tonight. It’s our way of thanking you guys for holding down the fort while we took a week for ourselves. And we need to go over all the details you guys have been working on. I expect you to be there. Don’t you dare tell me you’re too busy.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but she was already talking again. “Oh, and Cullen says hi! We had the best time on our trip. I’ll tell you all about it later. Gotta go!”
The line went dead before I could get a word in. I stared at my phone, frustration bubbling up inside me. I was happy for her, really. She and Cullen had been together for years, and they deserved this trip. But I needed her to finalize the cake design.
What was she doing? She just flitted from one thing to the next. I knew she was under a lot of pressure with her career and the wedding planning. I got it. That was why I was trying to do as much as I could for her.
But come on. I didn’t want to spend a week making a cake and have her see it at the reception and hate it. That would kill me. I just needed her to give me a hint.
Tonight, I would sit on her until she gave me some answers.
I packed up my sketchbook, turned off the lights, and headed out. I needed to stop by a confectionary store a few miles away to pick up some odds and ends for my orders this week. My car grumbled and moaned the entire way there and back, but I managed to get everything I needed. I dropped off the groceries at the bakery and headed home, my mind still spinning with cake designs and wedding plans.
When I got to my condo, I found a package on my doorstep. I frowned, picking it up. I hadn’t ordered anything. I carried it upstairs, setting it on the kitchen counter. Inside was a luxury espresso machine. My eyes widened as I pulled it out of the box, my heart skipping. This thing was beautiful—sleek, shiny, and way out of my price range. It looked professional grade, more fitting in a coffee shop than my place. It had all the bells and whistles.
“What the hell?”
Rick hopped on the counter and curled his body around the box. He was just as excited as I was.
“Look at this, buddy. This is awesome.”
I read the bulleted list of things the machine could do, which was pretty much everything except wash the dishes.
“Wait,” I frowned.
Did I buy this in my sleep?
After a glass of wine?
“Oh no,” I groaned.
There was only one person that would do this. One person arrogant enough to think I needed him to buy me some fancy coffee machine.
Kaisen.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered.
For a few seconds, I had been so excited.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed. Kaisen’s name lit up the screen. I answered, ready to lay into him for being so forward. So presumptuous. So nice. “Did you buy me an espresso machine?”
There was a pause on the other end. “Do you like it?” he asked. The smugness in his voice made me want to pull my hair out. Not my hair—his hair.
I groaned. “Kaisen, you can’t just buy me things. That cost a fortune. I just needed coffee. I don’t need foam and espresso and all the other stuff. Coffee. I don’t need you to pity me and buy me a stupid coffeemaker.”
“Why not?” he asked, his tone teasing. “You needed a new coffee machine, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but—” I stopped, my frustration warring with gratitude. “Thank you. It’s… amazing. But I have no idea how to install it, hook it up to the water line, or even use it.”
Kaisen chuckled. “I can come over soon and help you with that.”
I hesitated, glancing at the clock. “I’m supposed to come to your house later for dinner with Cullen and Eliza.”
He sighed. “Shit. Yeah. Forgot.”
I got the feeling he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the thank-you dinner. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see my sister, but it was going to be them asking questions about the venue and all the other work Kaisen and I had been doing on their behalf. If they would have just shown up when they were supposed to, they would know it all already. Sundays were my evenings to have a glass of wine and watch TV. Monday mornings were a chance to sleep in. I could stay up past nine.
“Well, thanks for the espresso machine. I’ll figure it out. I’ll see you later. Do you know what they’re bringing for dinner?”
“No,” he said. “I imagine pizza. Not a lot of options.”
“Great,” I murmured.
“Uh, by the way, I’m sorry for running out on you the other day. That phone call?—”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted, not wanting to dwell on it. “I get it. Work stuff. You didn’t need to be there anyway. Thanks for making the boxes that you did. I’ll see you later.”
I hung up and stared at the espresso machine. I couldn’t resist taking it out of the box. I told myself I would pay him back for it. But since it was here, I may as well check it out.
My fingers traced the smooth surface of the machine, still in disbelief that it was sitting in my kitchen. Rick batted at a stray piece of packing foam, his tail swishing with excitement. I pulled out the manual, which could easily be mistaken for an actual book. I wasn’t someone who liked to read instructions. It was why I had an ancient coffeemaker. I added water, grounds, and turned it on. This thing looked like it was developed by NASA.
I opened the manual, trying to read it. It was complicated. Just as I was about to give up, there was a knock at the door. I expected to see Kaisen. I couldn’t help but smile thinking he was going to show up. Annie was standing there instead. I tamped down the disappointment.
“Hey,” she said, stepping inside.
I was holding the manual in my hand.
“What’s that?” she asked.
I walked into the kitchen where the machine was sitting and waiting and absolutely intimidating me. “That,” I said and gestured to the machine.
“Holy shit! The bakery must be doing a lot better than I thought.”
“No, it isn’t. I didn’t buy it. Are you kidding? I buy my clothes secondhand.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Kaisen bought it for me.”
Annie’s eyebrows shot up. “Kaisen? The guy you introduced me to last week? The one who looks like he stepped out of a magazine?”
“Yeah,” I said, my tone dry. “That Kaisen. The obnoxious pain in my ass my sister has thrust on me while she gallivants around the eastern seaboard.”
Annie walked over to the machine, running her fingers over the sleek surface. “This thing looks expensive. Like, really expensive.”
I frowned, pulling out my phone. “How expensive do you think?”
We looked it up, and my jaw dropped. The machine cost more than my rent. Annie whistled, shaking her head. “Dorie, this guy must be loaded.”
“Or he likes to pretend he is with flashy things,” I said.
“What’s his name?”
“Kaisen Seely, I think.”
Annie grabbed my phone, typing furiously. “Holy shit!”
“What?”
“This guy is rich,” she said. “Like, billionaire loaded.”
I blinked, staring at her. “What?”
She turned the screen to me. “Seely Enterprises. Kaisen Seely. Owner and CEO. Massive real estate company with its fingers in just about every industry. Dorie, he’s a billionaire.”
I stared at the screen, my mind reeling. I knew Kaisen was successful, but a billionaire? That was just plain bonkers. “Wow,” I said with total shock. “I had no idea. I just assumed he was regular rich. Or maybe the kind of guy that had a fat credit line. Not that kind of rich.”
Annie sat down at the table. “So let me get this straight. A billionaire just bought you an espresso machine. For what? Because your Mr. Coffee broke?”
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” Annie laughed, shaking her head. “Dorie, you’re delusional. This guy is dropping in on you, buying you expensive gifts, and making cake boxes for you. Don’t you think there’s more to this?”
I caught my reflection in the mirror on the wall. My cheeks were flushed, and my hair was a mess—as usual. Kaisen was the most eligible bachelor in New York. He was stupid rich. What would he possibly want with a broke baker like me?
“Annie, he’s Kaisen. And I’m just me. There’s no way he’s interested in anything more than, I don’t know, being friends or whatever. He’s probably just being nice because he’s best friends with my sister’s future husband. And he’s a billionaire. Spending a few hundred dollars is nothing to him. He’s bored. He doesn’t have anything to spend his money on here, so he took pity on me. That’s it. Trust me, I’m not his type.”
Annie gave me a look of disbelief and pity. “Dorie, you’re amazing. You’re talented, kind, and beautiful. If Kaisen can’t see that, then he’s an idiot.”
I forced a smile. “Thanks, Annie. But I think you’re reading too much into this.”
She sighed, standing up and giving me a hug. “Just keep an open mind, okay?”
“He’s not my type,” I said. “I’m not his type and vice versa. We were forced into each other’s worlds because of this wedding. Once the wedding is over, he goes back to his world, and I’ll be here. It’s a nice gift and I’ll make sure to thank him, but I’m not going to pretend it’s some grand romantic gesture.”
She laughed. “If my husband bought me something like that, he would absolutely be getting laid. He’d get the pre-marriage treatment. All the little things he loves that he says I don’t do anymore.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I will not be bobbing for anything with Kaisen. A thank you will have to suffice.”