Chapter 17
Chocolate cake – as good an excuse as any other to skip work
Aurora
“D ing dong, ding dong,” Indigo hollers as she enters the house.
I quickly finish typing my email and hit send before facing her. “Making the sound of a doorbell isn’t the same as knocking.”
“Why would I knock?”
“Because this isn’t your house.”
Her nose wrinkles. “I’m confused.”
“You don’t understand what personal boundaries are, do you?”
“It’s not as if you’re banging Jett and I’d walk in on the two of you getting it on, is it?” She bites her lip and waits for my answer.
“You’re shameless,” I mutter as I return my attention to my work.
She plops down on the chair opposite me. “Come on, bestie. Give me something here. Does he stare at you with longing in his eyes? Has he accidentally ended up in your bedroom in the middle of the night?”
“How do you accidentally end up in the wrong bedroom in the middle of the night?”
She shrugs. “No idea. But if anyone could manage it, Jett could.”
She can fish for answers all she wants. I’m not telling her how he woke me up the other night to show me the first snow of the season. It’s none of her business.
A girl rushes into the house. “Come on, Indigo. I want to go to the festival.”
“Isla, have you met Aurora yet? Aurora, this is Leia’s daughter, Isla.”
Despite living next door to Leia and Fender and their daughter Isla, I haven’t had a chance to meet the girl yet. I haven’t had much time to get outside period. Planning a concert tour within a few weeks is nearly impossible. But I’ll manage.
“Hello, Isla, it’s lovely to meet you. I’m Aurora.”
“Are you Jett’s girlfriend?”
“I am not.”
Her nose wrinkles as she studies me. “Why are you living with Jett if he isn’t your boyfriend?”
“How much time you got, kid?”
She giggles. “You’re silly.”
“Isla!” Jett shouts as he bounds down the stairs.
“Uncle Jett!”
“Are you ready for the festival?”
She nods.
“Wonderful. Your chariot awaits.”
He picks her up and puts her on his shoulders. “Hurry up, Indigo and Aurora. We can’t miss the festival,” he shouts as he zooms out of the house with Isla on his shoulders.
“Jett is Isla’s favorite uncle,” Indigo declares and I realize my mouth is gaping open.
I know Jett spends time with Isla. It would be hard to miss since she lives next door. But I didn’t realize the affection they have for one another. Why is Jett determined not to have a child when he obviously loves children?
“Come on.” Indigo stands. “Time to go.”
I motion to my work spread out on the table. “I don’t have time.”
“It’s Saturday afternoon. You can have a few hours to yourself.”
I snort. “You haven’t met my boss.”
She shivers. “Mike’s an asshole.”
“Ah, you have met him.”
She hauls me to my feet. “I’m not accepting no. It’s nearly Christmas. You should be allowed to enjoy the holidays.”
I frown. I haven’t enjoyed the holidays since my parents died. But I’m not getting a choice here since Indigo is literally dragging me out of the house.
Virginia, Leia, and Mercy are waiting on the porch with an elderly man.
“This is my uncle Mercury,” Mercy introduces. “Ignore everything he says. He’s a crotchety old man.”
“Dang youngsters, think they can push me around,” Mercury grumbles as he approaches me while leaning heavily on his cane.
I hurry to help him but he swats me away. “I don’t need no help.”
I hold up my hands. “Of course, you don’t.”
“She’s sarcastic like you, Mercy. She’ll fit right in.”
Indigo claps her hands. “Are we going to this festival or what?”
“Or what,” Mercury says.
“I can stay home with Mercury,” I offer.
Mercy wags her finger at me. “Nice try. Virginia’s old boss is on her way.”
“I think you mean former boss,” an elderly woman says as she climbs the stairs to the porch.
Virginia sighs. “Aurora, this is Gratitude, my former boss.”
I shake her hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
She rakes her gaze over me before nodding. “The pleasure’s all mine.” She snaps her fingers at Mercury. “Let’s go old man. I have a bet to place.”
“A bet to place? On what?” I ask but no one answers me as we watch Gratitude and Mercury leave.
“Where’s Isla?” Leia asks.
“Jett has her,” Indigo answers.
Leia rolls her eyes. “Of course, he does. Those two are inseparable.”
“They are?” I ask. “Jett hates children.”
She shrugs. “He adores Isla.”
“You ready?” Cash shouts from the front lawn next door where he’s standing with Dylan, Fender, and Gibson.
“We’re coming,” Indigo shouts to Cash.
I decide to try and sneak away but I don’t manage to step toward the door before Indigo captures my arm and draws me away from it.
“You’ll have fun, I promise.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s a Winter Falls festival. They’re always a ball.”
“What’s the festival for?”
“It’s Yule.”
“A Christmas festival?”
Virginia groans. “You did it now.”
I look around the group as we walk toward downtown. “Did what?”
“Trust me. Yule isn’t Christmas. I got a lecture from my uncle when I mixed the two up this morning,” Mercy says. “For an old hippie, Uncle Mercury is sure opinionated.”
“Okay,” I give in. “Yule isn’t Christmas. What does one do at a Yule festival?”
Indigo threads her arm through mine. “There are presents and crafting and a yule log cake contest.”
I perk up. “Yule log cake as in chocolate cake?”
“Let’s find out. The booth is set up in front of Clove’s Coffee Corner. ”
“I miss coffee,” I complain as we near the café and the scent of coffee wafts through the air.
Virginia sighs. “Me, too.” She rubs her belly which is bigger than mine since she’s due several months before me. “But think of the reward.”
Dylan slings his arm around her and kisses her hair. “A little girl who looks exactly like you.”
She gazes up at him with love in her eyes. “Or a little boy with your blue eyes.”
My stomach sours as jealousy hits me. I want what they have. I want a partner who looks at me as if he can’t live without me. A partner who worries about me. A partner who wants me to have his baby.
Speak of the devil. Jett joins us tugging Isla behind him. She has chocolate smeared all over her face.
Leia groans. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Isla declares. “Rudolph started it.”
Fender growls. “Who’s Rudolph?”
Leia elbows him. “Not the important part.”
I turn away from them before I become jealous of a domestic squabble. I notice the tables of log cakes set out and make a beeline for them.
“Here.” The woman standing next to the first table hands me a scorecard. “Write down your scores in each category and return your scorecard to me when you’re finished.”
I study the card. “Neatness, creativity, attention to detail, difficulty? I don’t have a clue about any of those things. All I care about is taste.”
“Score however you want. We don’t judge in Winter Falls.”
“Except everyone is literally judging the best cake.”
“Good point.”
I start with the first cake and pick up a small slice. I shove it into my mouth and moan. I don’t care if I have to work all night long to make up for skipping work this afternoon. This cake is worth it.
Jett sidles up to me. “You decided to join in on the fun?”
I snort. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“Good. You work too hard.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m putting together a week-long concert tour and I was given less than a month to prepare. Of course, I’m working hard.”
His gaze falls to my stomach. “Maybe you should hire an assistant?”
“I am the assistant.”
“I’ll speak to Mike about it.”
“Good luck with that,” I mutter as I stuff another piece of cake in my mouth. Holy cow. This one is even better. I couldn’t help myself from moaning if I wanted to.
Jett’s eyes heat as he stares at me devouring the cake but he clears his throat and the heat disappears. Good. I don’t need any reminders of what I can’t have. Trust me. The sex dreams are enough of a reminder.
“I’m serious. It’s ridiculous how much you work. Mike doesn’t pay you enough as it is. I’ll discuss this with the band.”
I should bristle at his words. How much I work and how much I earn isn’t any of his business. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want me to be any of his business.
But I don’t. Nope. My stupid heart pounds against my chest as I stare up at him.
How am I ever supposed to get over Jett when everything he says and does makes my heart tether stronger to him?