Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Purple. Definitely go with purple.”
“No way.” Annie shook her head and plucked a Gerber daisy from a bucket. “Yellow. How can you not go with yellow?” She waved the flower in Kat’s direction.
“Because these are way too pretty.” Kat grabbed a few iris stems from the bucket she was standing next to and wielded them as if they were weapons. “Purple for sure.”
From the back of the storeroom, Charli groaned. “You two aren’t really helping, you know.”
Kat locked eyes with Annie across the rows of flowers that were ready to be turned into beautiful bouquets and laughed. “I don’t know. I think we’re being very helpful.”
Annie crossed the distance and put her daisy next to Kat’s. “Maybe yellow and purple?” She turned to Charli, but Kat’s sister wasn’t paying any attention to them, so she looked at Kat with a grin. “Maybe we aren’t being very helpful? ”
“Nonsense.” Kat grabbed the flowers and dropped them into a nearby bucket of water. “We are always super helpful.” Together they walked through the storeroom until they found Charli, who was surrounded by different types of roses that she was carefully removing from their shipping boxes.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” she said with a shake of her head. “And right now, you’d be a lot more help if you could keep Poppy from putting anything else in her mouth.” She gestured with her head to the baby, who was sitting up on a blanket, surrounded by plush toys.
“Anything else ?” Kat grimaced and mouthed the words to Annie, who laughed, but she didn’t ask for clarification, because it was probably best not to know what Poppy had gotten into.
“This little angel is never any trouble.” She bent and scooped up her niece. “Are you, sweetheart?” The baby reached for her nose, and Kat laughed as she pulled away. “See? Charli, I don’t know what you’re even saying. She’s perfect.”
“She is perfect.” Charli shook her head. “She’s also a menace when she wants to be. Kind of like her auntie.”
Behind her, Annie burst out laughing.
Kat turned and glared at her. “What are you laughing at?”
“Ohh…nothing.”
Kat turned away but not before she saw the wink Annie gave her sister .
Charli busied herself with a box of white rosebuds. “You’ll understand one day when you’re a mother.”
The thought stopped her and wiped the smile from Kat’s face. “What makes you think I’m ever going to be a mother?”
Annie reached out and took a bundle of roses that Charli offered her. She put them in a bucket of water and moved them to the side before handing Charli an empty one.
“Of course you’re going to be a mother.” Her sister wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing. “You’re going to find someone who makes you want things you never knew you wanted before, and everything will change so quickly your head will spin.”
It was a good thing Charli was preoccupied because Kat was pretty sure that everything she was feeling was written all over her face. Visions of walking through the plaza hand in hand with Andy as they pushed a baby stroller flashed through her mind. But just as quickly, she pushed it away.
She’d never let herself think about such a future before. But then again, she’d never let herself think about anything beyond fooling around with Andy.
It was different now.
Wasn’t it?
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
Yes. It was different. Mostly.
After their fight, for lack of a better word, when Andy confessed that he was moving back to Trickle Creek permanently, things had felt very different between them, like they might actually be able to have something real. Maybe they could be a real couple.
But that was still a very big maybe.
“Ouch!” Kat snapped her eyes open to see her niece with a fistful of her red hair. “No, no, no, kiddo. We don’t pull Auntie’s hair.”
Charli laughed. “See? A menace. Besides, she was just trying to get you to pay attention.”
“To what?” Kat looked at her sister and best friend, who stared at her expectantly. “What was I supposed to be paying attention to?” There was no point denying she’d been daydreaming when she’d clearly been caught out.
“I was just wondering out loud what it would take for you to fall for someone who made you want things you never wanted before.” Annie grinned at her and wiggled her eyebrows.
Kat had to resist the urge to murder her best friend.
Thankfully, Poppy once more reached out and tried for Kat’s hair.
“No way, kiddo.” Kat held the baby out from her and distracted her by pretending to fly her through the backroom toward the exit. “You know what, I think maybe Annie and I should take Poppy for a little walk and give you a chance to get some flowers sorted.”
As far as Andy could tell, there was nothing wrong with the apartment. It was an open-concept studio style, but big enough for everything he needed. He didn’t have much stuff, and what he did have would work well in the space.
It was bright and recently updated with new appliances, a light finish hardwood floor and neutral paint. The location was ideal as far as being in the middle of everything in the plaza. It was walkable to most of the shops, and had off-street parking.
Jess told him over and over how lucky he was that the apartment hadn’t already been snapped up by someone. In fact, it already had, but the deal had fallen through, which was the only reason why Andy stood in it now.
“It won’t last long,” Jess told him again. “I’m personally showing it to three other interested parties later today. If you’re even remotely interested in this place, you need to make an offer today.”
“Today, huh?” Andy walked to the window that looked out over the plaza. Just across the way, and a little to the right, was Kat’s living room window. He let his eyes drift up to the tiny third story, where the bedrooms were. Including the bedroom he’d been very happily sleeping in, with Kat in his arms.
The studio apartment was nice, but it wasn’t nearly as nice as the feel of Kat’s naked body pressed up next to his.
Not even close.
“Even if your offer is accepted, the earliest move-in we could guarantee you wouldn’t be for two months.”
He turned to look at Jess, who had no doubt noticed where he was looking. “Two months?”
“There’s currently a tenant in here,” she said, not bothering to hide her smile. “Two months is generally the accepted amount of notice to give. As long as it’s okay for you to stay at Kat’s for two more months?” She wiggled her eyebrows, and Andy shook his head with a laugh.
“I know the other day you?—”
“I didn’t see anything.” Jess held up her hands. “Nothing that is any of my business, anyway.” She winked. “But I can see you’re still a little hesitant about this space.” She moved back into professional mode. “Is it the apartment or something else?”
Yes, he wanted to yell. He was hesitant about signing the paperwork on a new place when the only place he wanted to be was with Kat. But it wasn’t as if he could say that. Not to Jess. Or anyone else.
“Two months you say?”
A lot could happen in two months. It could be enough time to figure out a way forward with Kat that didn’t involve sneaking around like teenagers.
“Two months for this tenant, yes. And there’s always an option to use the space for an investment property as well,” Jess added. “I know Craig Carlson was using the space above the Sugar Shack as a short-term rental before his new chocolatier moved in.”
Andy nodded and turned away from the window. “That’s right. So that’s always an option?”
Jess smiled knowingly. “Absolutely. In fact, if your personal situation changes,” she spoke carefully, “this would be an excellent investment property. I really don’t think you can go wrong here, Andy. ”
“Okay.” He clapped his hands together. “Let’s put in an offer and make it official.”
Jess immediately started talking numbers and details, but Andy was no longer listening. His attention was pulled by the flash of red hair in the plaza below.
Kat and Annie were coming out of Charli’s flower shop. Kat’s long red hair had been pulled up into a messy knot on the back of her head. Instantly, Andy’s memory flashed to earlier that morning, when her hair had been splayed out over the pillow when he looked up from between her legs and she screamed his name while she came apart all over his tongue.
That was a memory he would happily replay over and over.
A few minutes later, after agreeing to pretty much everything Jess suggested when it came to the offer, she’d headed back to her office and Andy was jogging over to Kat and Annie, who’d stopped in front of the Bean Bag coffee shop.
Charli was more than happy for the break and a few minutes later, Poppy was safely strapped into the stroller as they headed out into the plaza.
The moment they were alone, Kat spun on her best friend. “What are you thinking?”
Annie shrugged. “I’m thinking that I want the best for you.”
“And having my family go ballistic would be the best? ”
Annie laughed. “They wouldn’t go ballistic if they found out you were sleeping with Andy.”
“Annie! You can’t say that out loud.” Kat stopped abruptly and grabbed her friend’s arm. “Besides, how do you know we’re,” she lowered her voice, “sleeping together?”
It was true that Kat generally told her best friend everything, which was exactly why she knew and had always known about her crush on Andy since they were kids. Annie also knew details about their hookup on her trip to Vancouver. But that was before. Now that Andy was staying with Kat, it was so much riskier. Not to mention the fact that Annie and Kat’s oldest brother were happily shacked up and madly in love.
Best friend or not, Kat couldn’t risk Annie telling her secrets to Chase. Not if she didn’t want everything to blow up in her face.
“Ha!” Annie pointed at her triumphantly. “I knew it!”
Shit.
“I didn’t admit to anything.”
Annie laughed. “You didn’t have to, Kat. You forget that I know you. Like, know you know you. I can see it all over your face. Never mind the way the two of you look at each other.”
“We do not.” She froze with a moment of panic as she quickly tried to dissect how the two of them behaved when they were around other people. “Do we?”
Annie was about to answer when a familiar voice sent a thrill through Kat’s body .
“Hey there, you two.”
When she turned around to see Andy behind them, Kat couldn’t help the full-body response she had at the sight of him.
“Hey, Andy. What are you doing here?”
“See?” Annie practically shouted the word and clapped triumphantly.
“See, what?” Andy looked between them, confusion on his face. “What are you two talking about?”
Kat glared at her friend before answering Andy. “Annie is just being?—”
“Annie is trying to save your ass,” her friend interrupted, the glee gone from her voice now.
Again, Andy shook his head, but before Kat could try to explain, Annie jumped in.
“I’m not trying to get involved with whatever is going on between the two of you, but I do think it’s fair to tell you both that you’re terrible liars and if you don’t want anyone else figuring out what is going on here,” Annie waved a finger between the two of them, “I strongly suggest that you sort out how to fix your facial expressions when you’re around each other.”
Andy looked at Kat with raised eyebrows.
“Yes,” Annie continued. “Obviously I know. And so will everyone else if you don’t stop looking at her like you can’t wait to strip her clothes off and do dirty things to her.”
“Annie!”
Kat’s face flamed with embarrassment, but Andy laughed .
He scrubbed a hand over his own face and shook his head. “Well, you’re not wrong,” he said, causing Kat’s blush to intensify. “But you do have a point.” Then to Kat, he said, “She has a point. Maybe we need to be a little more discreet?”
“Well, it looks like you’re both going to have the opportunity to practice that discretion right now.” Annie waved at someone over Kat’s shoulder. “Hey, guys.” She held out her arm and a moment later, Kat’s big brother Chase joined them, kissing Annie by way of a greeting.
“What are you all doing here?” Craig asked, as he too joined the group. “And you have the baby.” He knelt and tickled Poppy until she giggled.
“We’re giving Charli a break,” Kat said. “She had a huge shipment come in, and it turns out we’re more help with the baby than we are with the flowers.”
Andy chuckled, but cognizant of what Annie had just said about practicing discretion, Kat made a point not to look at him.
“Don’t tell me you’re helping babysit, too?” Chase asked Andy.
“I can’t take any credit for helping out,” Andy said. “I was actually just with Jess.”
A shot of completely unreasonable jealousy shot through Kat at the mention of the other woman, despite the fact that she knew nothing was going on with her and Andy. A moment later, the feeling of jealousy was replaced completely with a brand-new emotion when Andy said, “ I’m putting in an offer on the apartment over the kitchen shop.”
“What?”
Annie elbowed her sharply in the ribs.
Kat worked to keep her expression as neutral as possible. “You’re buying an apartment?”
“He can’t live in your tiny place forever,” Craig said with a laugh.
“It looks like it will be a little bit longer though.”
Kat still refused to look at Andy, despite the fact that he was clearly speaking directly to her.
“I mean, my offer still needs to get accepted. But there’s a renter in there, so I have to give two months’ notice.”
Two months.
The thought of him moving out at all made her want to cry, but there was no way she could let that happen. Not now. Not in front of her brothers.
“What?” Kat shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I have to put up with you for two more months?”
She risked a glance at him then but quickly looked away when she saw the longing in his eyes.
“You can always move in with us,” Chase said. “We have lots of room at the big house, and I’m sure Kat would like to have a little bit of space with everything that she’s got going on right now.”
Kat’s mouth fell open as she turned to stare at her brother and her friend. Annie gave her a look, and Kat quickly shut her mouth and busied herself with the baby, who’d thrown a toy out of her stroller .
“I mean, I don’t think it’s too much of a big deal,” Andy said. “But if?—”
“I kind of like you staying at Kat’s place, actually.”
Kat froze, the plush giraffe in her hand when she heard Craig. He liked that Andy was staying with her?
“Why is that?” Annie asked for her.
“If she’s got a roommate, it’s harder for any assholes to come along and take advantage of her.” Craig spoke as if she wasn’t right there. “Especially now with all this stuff with the will winding down. I think it’s more important than ever for us to make sure that some dude doesn’t mess with Kat.”
Poppy let out a screech of protest and tried to lunge for the giraffe, reminding Kat that she was holding the baby toy hostage. She gave it back to her niece and rose to standing.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Kat asked her brother with a shake of her head. “Do you think I’m some helpless woman who will fall for some douchebag dude who only wants to date me for some family money that they think I might be getting?” She stared at Craig in disbelief. There was no way he was serious.
“It’s actually not a bad thought,” Chase added. “I mean, you’re our baby sister, Kat. It makes sense that we should be protective of you.”
“Protective, sure.” She shot a look at Chase. “But not all caveman.”
Chase shook his head, dismissing her. “No. I think Craig has a good point. As long as Andy’s around, he can vet any jerks who might come around. ”
“Because my own personal judgment isn’t enough?” Kat could truly not believe what she was hearing.
Andy had apparently chosen that moment to stay quiet, so it was Annie who stepped in. “So, you’re not worried about Andy and Kat?”
If looks could kill, Kat would have been looking for a new best friend after the look she shot Annie. So much for flying under the radar.
But her brothers were way too focused on Kat’s personal lack of judgment to notice anything else. Craig laughed, and Chase made a snorting noise at Annie’s suggestion.
“Yeah, no,” Chase said. “Andy’s one of us. He’s our brother.”
Annie raised her eyebrows.
“Besides,” Craig spoke up. “Andy already knows how I feel about anyone like him going anywhere near Kat.”
“Anyone like him? ” Kat raised her brow in question. “And what is that exactly?”
“He’s a total player, with more women than he can keep track of.” Craig rolled his eyes. “Andy’s made it perfectly clear that he’s never going to settle down, and just keeps women around for?—”
“Whoa.” Andy raised his hand. “First of all, I already told you,” he said first to Craig before looking at Kat, “I am not a player.”
“If a leopard has spots,” Craig muttered under his breath.
Andy shook his head and ignored his friend, focusing instead on Kat. “People change,” he said softly, his gaze locked on hers. “Things change.”
He looked like he was about to say more, but Annie cleared her throat loudly. “It’s not like any of this matters, anyway.” She stepped between Kat and Andy, forcing them to look away from each other. “First of all, Kat is her own woman, and I think we can all trust her judgment. Wouldn’t you agree?” When Craig and Chase didn’t respond immediately, Annie nudged them. “Right, guys?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure.”
“Okay.” Annie grinned. “Now, I think we should get this sweet little girl back to her mama for a nap. Come on, Kat.”
With a sigh of relief, Kat steered the stroller around and together, she and Annie started walking. They’d only gone a few steps when Craig called out.
“Wait. What was the second thing?” he asked. “You said first of all . What was the other thing?”
Annie reached for Kat’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before she turned to Craig. “There is no other thing. We can trust Kat’s judgment. Period.”
And then, before anyone else could respond, the women walked away, and Kat couldn’t help but wonder what she’d done to get such an amazing best friend.