Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
B y Wednesday of that week, Mak felt like a bad person for not making another attempt to apologize to Finn.
She’d exchanged heated texts with Brad, who continued to threaten everything from going back to court for custody to suing Finn and Sam because the horse supposedly scratched his new car.
She called him out on the lie, pointing out the only way it could’ve been scratched was if he had scratched it climbing over the door rather than opening it, and that he’d been asked to leave multiple times.
Now she sat at a table inside of London’s Lattes and split her attention between Emi, where she sat and flipped through a book over in the kids’ play area, and the large group of women occupying a couple of tables across the room.
The group was obviously together, and if she guessed correctly, the second table was made up of nannies or babysitters. Either that or they were a really large group of sister wives.
The first table held the majority of ladies, with the second only occupied by three adults and several kids of various ages.
Her gaze shifted back to Emi, and Mak breathed a small sigh of relief. She’d taken Emi to her counseling appointment as recommended by her pediatrician.
Apparently Mak was the one wearing the chaos on her face because the counselor’s partner, Zoey Barnes-Davenport, had entered the waiting room where Mak paced, her too astute gaze seeing all. In seconds flat, the counselor had informed her partner she was taking Emi’s mama into her office to talk.
That had opened the flood gates, and Mak had unloaded on the woman every bad thought, painful truth, and emotional dagger she felt.
According to Zoey, children adapted much faster to their environments while adults had a harder time working through the nuances of a divorce, location move, child-rearing, coparenting—and impending death of a loved one.
It was a lot.
And that didn’t even include Mak’s growing fascination and concern with Finn Blackwell. There was that, too, but Mak didn’t want the woman to put her in a padded room.
Just hearing Zoey stack up the list of things pulling Mak out to sea like a riptide had left Mak acknowledging that she felt more than a bit shaky and off-kilter. So while Emi had her session with Rachel, Mak talked with Zoey about trying to find her footing in this new world of divorced single mom. Of her desire for stability and a sense of peace in the storm.
Thankfully Zoey knew her stuff, and it helped having someone objective to talk to. By the end of the session, the woman had encouraged Mak to make a short list of goals to think about and help give her a sense of direction and control.
Topping the list?
Figure out what she was going to do to support them once Sam no longer needed her to work as his aide. Child support only went so far, especially with Brad not paying the spousal he was court ordered to pay, and they wouldn’t live with Sam forever.
Emi started school full-time next year, and Mak would need a job that allowed her some flexibility unless she was able to find—and afford—after-school care. The weight of the worry staggered her at times.
“Is your order okay? If not, I can make you another.”
The woman’s voice startled Mak so badly she practically hovered over her seat for a few seconds.
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry!” the woman gushed. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m London, the owner. I was sitting over there doing paperwork and saw you weren’t drinking, and since I take coffee orders and customer satisfaction very seriously, if there’s anything wrong with it…”
Mak forced a smile and tried to slow her thundering heart rate as she plucked at the list of goals she’d scribbled onto a paper napkin.
The counseling office was a block away from London’s Lattes, so they’d taken advantage of the sunshine and beautiful day and gotten some fresh air. “No, it’s fine. I—just have a lot on my mind. I actually forgot it was there.”
Another burst of laughter came from the tables up front and drew Mak’s attention, giving her an excuse to shift the focus off her as she gave the group an envious glance. “They’re having fun over there.”
“Oh, yeah, they always do. They’re a group of local artists and friends who meet up whenever they can. Several of them are new moms, so it’s kind of a mix of mom-therapy and artist gab-fest.” London tilted her head to the side. “I haven’t seen you in here before. Are you just visiting Carolina Cove? Here for a winter rental?”
So much for shifting the focus. Mak took a long look at the woman’s smiling, friendly face and judged her as being kind. “Actually I just moved here. Well, not here, but just over the bridge. I used to live in Wrightsville, but—it’s a long story.”
“Most of them are,” the woman said with a knowing grin and a glance in the direction of Mak’s left hand. “And I see a goal list. You bake?”
Another item on the list was to check into whether or not she could bake at home and sell her cakes. Apparently London noticed.
A bell chimed, and multiple footsteps sounded.
“I do, but I’m not a professional. I’m self-taught. It’s just…kind of a dream of mine. I don’t know the logistics of baking at home as a business, though, or if it’s even possible.”
“Easy enough to check into. I looked into it myself years ago, but I’m more interested in coffee than baking. That’s why I order things in. I do know it’s doable so long as nothing requires refrigeration, but you’ll need a license and inspection.”
“Mak? Hey, beautiful. It’s good to see you,” Hudson said with a wide, gorgeous grin.
Mak blinked and then blinked again at the man standing beside him. She sucked in a breath and then frowned.
“Ha! That expression never gets old,” Hudson said, grinning from ear to ear as he chuckled. “Makayla Jensen, this is my brother, Elias. He’s Finn’s twin.”
Twins? Yeah, that fact definitely fell under new and noteworthy. The two were so similar and yet…not. It was uncanny. But where Finn was a jeans-and-cowboy-hat kind of guy, Elias looked more… What was the word? Fastidious? Intense? Was that even possible? “It’s nice to meet you, Elias.”
“Mak is Finn’s new neighbor,” Hudson said. “She and her daughter live with Sam.”
She’d have to be blind not to see and sense Elias’s increased interest at that last bit of news. But why?
Had Finn said something about what happened yesterday?
Or mentioned getting handcuffed by the police?
Either way, she hadn’t made a good impression to his family if Elias’s intense expression was anything to go by.
“Nice to meet you as well,” Elias said.
“Did I hear you talking about Mak baking? London, you have to get her treats in here. You’d sell anything she made. For real. I’ve never had anything taste as good as they did.”
“Well, that’s high praise.” London eyed Mak again.
“I could bring you some samples,” Mak offered, heart in her throat. “I’d be happy to do it, and I’d love a professional opinion.”
“I’m wounded,” Hudson said, hand over his heart.
Mak and London laughed while Elias just shook his head at Hudson’s antics.
“An opinion I can do,” London said with a nod. “That would be great. I couldn’t sell them until you got your license, but I’d be happy to sample them myself and offer feedback.”
“Let me know when that day is,” Hudson said. “I volunteer, too.”
Mak blinked, unable to believe her ears. “Okay. I’ll do that and check into the licensing as well. Thank you.”
“Every dream starts somewhere. My coffee shop started off as a dream. Pretty sure Elias would agree, given the number of businesses on his roster of late,” London added. “Congratulations on the new restaurant, by the way. I’ve heard wonderful things.”
Elias dipped his head. “So far so good.”
“Hey, mind if we join you?” Hudson asked as he pulled out a chair across from her and plopped himself right down.
Mak was taken aback by the move, as was Elias, given his hesitation.
“Uh, sure.”
“Great.”
Elias pulled out the chair beside his kid brother, and Mak was treated to the full force of both men’s stares. “You guys really do look a lot alike.”
London laughed softly, still standing there, taking it all in.
“You should see the group of them at once. The brothers are basically all twins. Just at different ages and stages. What can I get you guys to drink? Are you hungry?”
They placed their order without once looking at a menu, and London asked Mak if she wanted anything else. The moment London walked away, Hudson pounced.
“So, couple of things,” he said, angling his head as he stared at her. “Have you seen Finn since you went paddleboating and the picnic?”
Mak sensed the younger Blackwell had a reason for asking, but given how things had ended yesterday… “Ummm. Briefly.”
“So he came over to visit? Brought one of the sheep?”
Hudson looked far too excited at the thought. Like he’d put his brother up to it?
She glanced at Elias and found him studying her with just as much intensity as Hudson. “He…brought Dash over.”
“Ah, Dash is a cutie. Did Emi like him? Did Finn stay a while and visit?”
Mak huffed out an awkward breath when Elias elbowed his brother in the ribs, earning a quick glance from Hudson and a glare from Elias that Hudson obviously chose to ignore.
“Dude, it’s not like Finn’s gonna tell us.”
Elias’s thick, dark eyebrows drew down more tightly over his nose, but then he grimaced and gave her an apologetic shrug.
“At least give her a chance to respond before asking five more questions,” Elias drawled.
A laugh bubbled out of her despite the heaviness she carried from Finn’s last visit. But thanks to London’s keen eye on the napkin goal list and Hudson’s words, she did feel a bit lighter, mood wise.
“Here you go,” London said, breaking the moment by delivering their drinks. “The chicken and cheese panini is in the works, and I’ll bring it out as soon as it’s ready. Also, your sister told me to tell you she’s with her boss and her friends, and Hudson’s not allowed to come over and—these are her words—mack on them.”
There’s a sister too? Mak immediately searched the crowd of ladies at the other tables.
“Isla is the one by the window holding the baby,” Elias said, lips quirking at her blatant interest. “Ponytail and pink shirt. She’s the youngest and last of us.”
Sure enough, Isla fit what Mak had discovered was the Blackwell family gene pool. Dark hair, though not as dark as her brothers. Lean body type. She didn’t look as tall as her brothers, but she carried herself—from what Mak could tell since she cradled a toddler in her arms—with a confidence Mak could only wish she’d had at her age.
Maybe if she’d been more self-confident, she wouldn’t have fallen for Brad’s stupid pickup lines and love bombing and seen them for what they were before it was too late.
Her attention shifted back to the men in front of her, and she studied them just as curiously as they did her. Both men exuded confidence. Not the arrogant, cocky kind like her ex but real confidence. The kind that came from being comfortable with themselves.
Whereas Finn?
Her heart shattered when she remembered his expression after dealing with Brad. How…broken and sad and resigned he’d seemed.
“So?”
Hudson’s patience was obviously wearing thin.
“I’m afraid the visit didn’t go well,” she said, inhaling a steadying breath and using her cup as a distraction to give her hands something to do.
“What happened?” Elias asked. “Did he get nervous and stutter?”
“He gets embarrassed and grumpy when he does that, but don’t take it personally.”
She glanced up at Hudson and found the younger man’s gaze full of hopeful concern. He might be overly flirtatious at times, but it was obvious he loved his brother. They both did.
Maybe Elias and Hudson could help her understand Finn better? “It’s not that. At least not in the way you probably think. My…ex was there when Finn arrived and— Apparently he and Finn have a history. They went to school together.”
Elias suddenly shifted forward in the seat, his large hands wrapping around his coffee mug like he wanted to strangle it. “Who’s your ex?”
There was no mistaking the low growl in his voice or the thread of anger in it. “Um…Brad Jensen.” She hated the feeling knotting her stomach at the look on Finn’s twin’s face. “I take it you know him?”
“Yeah, we know him. Brad and his buddies made Finn’s life a living hell in school.” Elias settled back in his seat and lifted a hand to his face and jaw, rubbing hard. “Guess some things never change. What happened?”
Mak got distracted when Emi got up and twirled around with a magic wand she’d found, bopping it along a stack of books until she picked out a new one and pulled it from the pile. Book chosen, she settled down in a bean bag chair and opened the pages.
“I’m guessing the same type of thing he did in high school,” she told them softly. “Brad showed himself, things got tense, and Finn spoke up and told Brad to leave—and he stuttered—which riled Brad up even more. He…mocked Finn and made fun of him.”
“And you? What did you do?”
Those questions came from Hudson, and the weighted words held a wealth of potential judgement. “I told Brad to stop and to leave, and when he wouldn’t, Finn managed to get Brad in his car. I thanked Finn for stepping in and apologized for Brad’s behavior, but Finn acted like he didn’t hear a word of it. He just took Dash and left.”
She stared down at the cup in front of her and ran her fingertips along the rim, the prickle of tears forcing her to blink several times to alleviate the pressure. She could still see the pain on Finn’s face, the way he’d avoided her gaze as though he was unworthy of it. “I hate what Brad did, how he acted—what he said. I wish I could do something, but cupcakes definitely won’t fix what happened. It was all just…really bad.”
And tonight she’d have to deal with Brad in person again. If he showed up for his Wednesday evening date with Emi.
“You could bake me a birthday cake and bring it to my party,” Hudson said.
“Hud, not the time,” Elias said with a shake of his head and a disgruntled glare toward his brother.
“No, I mean she could bring it as an excuse to talk to Finn. That, and I really do want you to make my birthday cake,” he added, giving Mak one of his handsome smiles, though it wasn’t as bright as before. “I meant what I said to London. Your cakes are the best. I’ll pay you for it. It’s just gotta be big though because there’s a lot of us. And German chocolate.”
Makayla huffed a broken laugh and glanced at Elias to find him smiling wryly and shaking his head along with her. “Well, if you’re serious, I’d be happy to bake your birthday cake, Hudson.”
“Awesome,” Hudson said, rubbing his hands together. “It’ll be the best cake ever.”
“Chicken and cheese panini,” London said as she lowered the plate into Hudson’s now outstretched hands.
“Mak just agreed to bake my birthday cake,” Hudson said. “German chocolate. I’m telling you, London—it’ll be awesome.”
London smiled at the news. “I can’t wait to get those samples. Oh, gotta run. Customers.”
London walked away, and Mak went back to the original conversation while Hudson dug into his food. “Hudson, I’m happy to make your cake, but I don’t know about coming to the party. I don’t want to make Finn uncomfortable.”
“Did he talk to you? When you were paddleboating on the lake?” Hudson asked around a bite of panini.
“Some? Mainly one-word responses. But doesn’t he always do that?”
She watched as Elias cocked an eyebrow high at the news before his gaze sharpened on her once more.
“No. He doesn’t. He ignores the question or nods or just walks off. It’s rude as can be, but he doesn’t care,” Hudson told her.
Both men stared at her. And slowly began to grin. And the combination?
Yeah. Heady, heart-pounding stuff that would spike any girl’s pulse into the stratosphere, but more than anything was the fact they seemed to think Finn’s behavior toward her was special?
“Finn stopped even trying to talk to women a while ago. Just…gave up. The fact he tries with you? That means something.” Elias leaned forward once more, holding her gaze. “It means a lot, actually.”
Oh. “I’m, um, sure he’s just being nice because I’m Sam’s niece.” She wasn’t sure what to say other than that.
She didn’t want to mislead anyone, and it did her heart good to know Finn was comfortable enough with her to at least try. But the last thing she wanted to do was make another bad decision where her love life was concerned.
“It’s more than that,” Elias said softly. “And Finn’s worth the extra effort needed to put up with his idiosyncrasies.”
Hudson’s smile widened. “Just like I’m worth the cake for playing matchmaker.”
She gaped at the younger Blackwell and held up both hands. “A cake and an apology are all I’m bringing to the party,” she stated firmly.
She wasn’t even sure if she was ready for a relationship, especially with a man who was so…emotionally touchy.
Besides, after her talk with Zoey today, she realized no one needed to venture into another relationship before fixing oneself first. She had a few things to work through when it came to her Brad-battered self-esteem. “I don’t know what my future holds or…how long Emi and I’ll be staying with Sam. I have a lot going on right now, and I don’t need to add more to the mix.”
“But you’ll make my cake and bring it over to Finn’s? He’s hosting at the venue.” Hudson flashed her a boyish, hopeful grin. “You can apologize to Finn then.”
She inhaled, aware of both men watching her and waiting for her to give them a response. “When’s the party?”