Chapter 17
17
DORIE
H e was terrible. Absolutely terrible. But there was something endearing about it, the way he frowned in concentration, his brow furrowing as he tried to mimic my steps. Kaisen wasn’t the kind of man who was used to being bad at things. I didn’t know him well, but I knew his type. He was a billionaire playboy that was used to things just falling into place. I bet he woke up winning and went to bed winning.
But not today. Not in this class. I was never going to claim I was an expert, but I was doing a lot better than he was. And for some inexplicable reason, that made me want to laugh. Not at him. With him.
“You’re thinking too hard,” I said softly, tightening my grip on his shoulder slightly to guide him. “It’s just one-two-three, one-two-three. You don’t need to overcomplicate it.”
He let out a frustrated sigh, his hand on my waist tightening. “I don’t know how you make this look so easy.”
“The question is how you make it look so difficult,” I said.
We spent another twenty minutes twirling around the dance floor. I honestly didn’t think it was worth the time, but it made Eliza happy. She was the bride-to-be. Whatever she wanted from now until she went on her honeymoon was what she got. I, as her sister and maid of honor, was determined to make it happen.
“Let’s go get a drink,” Cullen said.
I was going to decline, telling them I had to get up early, but Eliza gave me that look.
“Fuck it, I’ll sleep tomorrow,” I said.
Eliza’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Dorie!”
“Sorry.” I laughed. “I was up late last night. I’m sleep deprived.”
Kaisen smirked. “I think we could all use a drink after that lesson.”
We left the studio and headed to a nearby bar, where the lighting was dim enough to hide your flaws but bright enough to see the menu. Eliza would call this good lighting.
We found a high-top table near the back. Eliza ordered a round of drinks.
The waiter brought our cocktails a few minutes later. I took a long sip. The tension from the dance studio was still there, humming faintly between Kaisen and me, but the alcohol helped dull the edges. Eliza was already chatting animatedly about the wedding, her hands waving as she described the flower arrangements she’d chosen.
“I told the florist I want peonies,” she said. “But not just any peonies—they have to be blush pink. And they need to be fresh. Like, picked-that-morning fresh.”
Kaisen raised an eyebrow. “Sounds expensive.”
“Anything my wife wants,” Cullen said.
I bit back a retort. I didn’t want to sound like a jealous sister. But Eliza often got what she wanted. It had always been like that.
“Do you remember when Mom got that bouquet of peonies?” Eliza asked me. “I insisted she plant them.”
I sipped my drink and nodded.
“I was obsessed with those flowers,” Eliza said. “I always knew they would be my wedding flower.”
“Did you like the flowers?” Kaisen asked me.
“I didn’t pay a lot of attention to flowers,” I replied.
“She was too busy working,” Eliza said. “She worked from the day she turned fourteen. She was always juggling schoolwork and a part-time job to help out with the bills. I remember her buying groceries one time. I went to the store with her, and she was so frugal and had made a list and everything.”
I cringed as she gushed on and on. She made it sound like some kind of heroic tale, but all I could think about was how it made me sound like a lonely, antisocial recluse.
“Dorie was always so responsible,” Eliza said. She was being complimentary, but all the focus on me was making me uncomfortable. “She gave up playing sports, barely had any friends because of her workload. She was just so focused on helping our family.”
I stared down at my drink, my cheeks burning. I hated when Eliza did this. She meant well, but her compliments always felt like a spotlight I didn’t want to be under. I could feel Kaisen’s eyes on me. I wondered what he was thinking. Was he judging me? Comparing me to Eliza, who had gone to Harvard and was now a successful lawyer? I was just a broke baker without a college degree, surrounded by people who had more money and success than I’d ever see in a hundred lifetimes.
These three were wealthy and lived exciting lives in the city, with tickets to Broadway shows and eating at the finest restaurants.
I couldn’t even buy myself a stupid coffeemaker.
“Working at fourteen?” Kaisen said. “How was that legal?”
“It wasn’t,” Eliza answered. “But who’s going to ask questions when you can pay a teenager less than minimum wage?”
“Sounds like you’ve got more drive than all three of us combined,” Kaisen said.
“She’s definitely driven,” Eliza said.
When Eliza started talking about our college years, I wanted to crawl under the table and hide. While she had gotten into Harvard to study law, I’d gone to a community college for a year before switching gears and going to pastry school upstate. It wasn’t exactly the glamorous path Eliza had taken, and I couldn’t help but feel small in comparison.
But just as Eliza’s compliments started edging into uncomfortable territory, I felt Kaisen’s hand slide onto my thigh under the table. I froze, my breath catching in my throat, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Did you guys settle on a main dish for the reception?” Kaisen asked. “You said you were still deciding between fish or chicken.”
Eliza, easily distracted, took the bait, and the conversation shifted away from me.
I let out a quiet breath, grateful for the reprieve, but my heart was still racing. Kaisen’s hand stayed on my thigh. It was both disturbing and comforting. I didn’t know how he knew I was uncomfortable, but he did. But now that he easily shifted the subject, why was he keeping his hand on my leg? Was he just trying to comfort me? Or was there something more to it?
I finished my cocktail and was thinking of an excuse to bail. I did have a good one—work. I was the only one here that had to work in the morning. Another reminder of the difference between me and them.
“Guys, we’re going to call it a night,” Kaisen said. “I promised Dorie I would install the coffee machine for her tonight. She needs her caffeine in the morning.”
Eliza’s eyes widened. “You bought her a coffeemaker? Why does it need to be installed? You’re telling me she can’t figure out how to plug it in?”
I blinked, just as surprised as she was. “Uh…”
Kaisen cut in smoothly, his hand still on my thigh as he leaned back casually. “It’s not the kind you just plug in. It’s an espresso machine.”
“Oh,” Eliza said, her voice dripping with suspicion. “Well, that was nice of you.”
Cullen smirked into his drink, clearly amused but saying nothing.
I couldn’t tell if Kaisen was lying to help me escape or if he actually had some ulterior motive. Either way, I wasn’t about to argue. I stood up quickly, grabbing my purse. “Yeah, thanks again, Kaisen. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Alright, we’ll catch up tomorrow,” Eliza said.
“Yes. Just come by the bakery or we’ll talk after work.”
We headed out to his car. The rain had started up again, typical of spring. I was grateful for the shelter as we climbed inside.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem. I was ready to leave. It’s hard being around the happy couple all the time.”
I laughed softly, though it came out more nervous than I intended. “Yeah, they’re a lot. Especially when she starts talking about me like I’m some kind of tragic hero.”
Kaisen glanced at me as he started the car. “She means well. But I get it—it’s exhausting being put on a pedestal you never asked for.”
I nodded, staring out the window as the wipers swished against the rain. “It’s not just that. Sometimes it feels like Eliza’s life is this perfect storybook, and mine’s just a rough draft. We came out of the same womb at the same time but that’s where the similarities stop.”
Kaisen was quiet for a moment. “You don’t have to measure up to anyone, Dorie.”
Kaisen’s rental car was so luxurious compared to mine. I felt incredibly small sitting in the passenger seat. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong in this world—his world.
“Do you think I’m a nobody?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “A broke nobody?”
Kaisen glanced at me. “What?”
I shook my head, my cheeks burning. I couldn’t believe I actually asked the question. It just came out. And now I felt like an idiot. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”
But Kaisen didn’t let it go. He pulled the car over to the side of the road, putting it in park before turning to face me. “Dorie, what are you talking about?”
I hesitated, my heart pounding. Why did this man make me want to talk? I should not care what he thought about me. “I just feel like I don’t measure up. Eliza’s this successful lawyer, and Cullen’s this Wall Street guy, and you’re you . And I’m just a baker. I didn’t go to Harvard. I didn’t even finish community college. I’m not like you guys.”
Kaisen stared at me for a long moment. His expression gave nothing away. Then he reached out, his hand gripping the back of my neck as he pulled me in for a kiss. I gasped, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I found myself kissing him back as the rain pounded against the car.
When we finally pulled away, both of us were breathing hard. I stared at him, my mind racing. What had just happened? Was this a mistake? The look on Kaisen’s face was hard to read, and for a moment, I wondered if he regretted it. But then he ran his thumb along his lower lip, his eyes dark with heat.
“You taste like vanilla,” he said, his voice low. “I was wondering about that.”
I blinked, my cheeks burning. “What?”
He smirked, his hand still resting on the back of my neck. “You always smell like sugar and vanilla. I’ve been wondering what you taste like.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just stared at him, my heart pounding. Kaisen cleared his throat and put the car in drive. “Let’s get you home.”
He pulled back onto the street. I sat there in stunned silence, my mind racing. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Kaisen had just kissed me, and I’d kissed him back. But what did that mean? Was this just a fling or was it something more?
I couldn’t help but replay the kiss in my mind. The way his hand had felt on my neck, the way his lips had pressed against mine… it had been intense, overwhelming, and completely unexpected. And I wanted it again. I wished it had lasted longer. I wished I had been more present in the moment, but he had taken me by surprise. I was lucky I remembered to breathe.