Chapter 19
“Like it?” His breath tickled my neck and I shivered.
I took in the polished floors, the moss-green cabinets with the quartz countertop that gleamed in the light.
The double ovens fit perfectly into the wall, somehow making the green seem richer.
The island was huge with so much space; I couldn’t wait to fill it with baked goods.
The wine fridge Ty had talked me into glowed in the corner, but didn’t look too modern in the space, which was hilarious given it was an ultramodern item.
Accents of copper and chrome gleamed in the low light of the setting sun.
“It’s perfect,” I whispered.
Ty’s heat surrounded me. I wanted to lean back, to sink into him, just so I could make sure this was all really happening.
“The city inspector just certified it, too.”
That was a relief. I didn’t love the idea of baking at the café given everything, and now I didn’t have to.
His hand found my hip, and I trembled. “Go check it out.” He pushed me forward gently, and I went on feet that couldn’t feel the smooth wood of the floor.
He moved with me, thank God, keeping a hand on my back or I might have fallen over from the pure awe flowing through me.
For a woman of words, I found I had none. Not that that seemed to bother Ty. He showed me all the little details. He’d gone the extra mile and had unpacked my kitchen boxes and all the new things I’d ordered, putting them away for me.
I turned in the space between the island and the counter lining the wall. “It’s everything I could have ever wanted and never thought I could have,” I marveled.
Completing my turn, I found myself face-to-face with Ty, who was standing practically against me.
The air around us crackled. I was no longer warm from the heat of my house but from the feelings swirling around me. I hadn’t seen him since I’d gotten home, except briefly. I’d thought he’d done it on purpose, giving me time to adjust to him knowing my secret. All he’d done was make me miss him.
“You can have everything you want.” His voice was low, and I knew he wasn’t talking about my kitchen.
“I can?” My heart hammered in my chest.
Ty stepped into me. I could feel the hard planes of his muscles beneath his clothes.
“What do you want?” he asked, his hand coming up to cup my face.
I placed trembling fingers on his chest, feeling his muscle jump beneath my touch. His heart pounded in his chest, and each beat echoed through me.
We’d been dancing around this for weeks, and now that it was here, I found myself leaning forward—
“Mom! Cady-Jo and Scarlette are here!” Lock’s voice succeeded in doing one thing. It smacked me in the face with the bat of cold, hard reality.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Ty saw my reaction, sighing. Giving me one last long look, he stepped away just as Cady-Jo appeared in the doorway.
I missed his warmth, my face tingling from his touch. Blindly, I reached for the edge of the counter, grabbing onto it. The stone was cold, the hardedge biting into my palm.
“Hey, Mom,” Ty greeted his mother, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Hey, Ty.” Cady-Jo looked between us, suspicion etched clearly on her face. “I thought you’d be gone by now?” She looked pointedly at her watch.
Glancing at the digital clock on my new oven, I saw it was past five. According to his contract, he was supposed to clock out at four thirty. He hadn’t exactly been leaving according to that schedule for a while now, and I was both relieved and surprised Cady-Jo didn’t seem to know it.
“The health inspector just finished, and I had some things to do.” He looked at me when he said that, and my throat went tight. There was no mistaking the innuendo in his statement.
Say something, Phoebe. Use your big-girl words.
“It—It’s my fault. I was late p—picking Lock up from the library, and Ty was nice enough to handle the health inspector now that the kitchen is done.
Isn’t it beautiful?” I waved a hand at the space, giving me an excuse to look just about anywhere other than at Ty and Cady-Jo.
“It is.” Cady-Jo took in the work Ty had done. “He’s always been a very hard-working young man.”
My mouth snapped shut; not missing her meaning.
“Why are you here, Mom?” Ty asked impatiently, clearly unimpressed with his mother’s remark.
“Ty, your mom is always welcome.” I tried to smooth things over, hoping the atmosphere wouldn’t be so chilly. I could keep hoping.
He looked at his mom expectantly.
Moving fully into the room, she pulled some papers out of her purse. “We’ve encountered a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Seriously? What freaking now?
She handed me the papers, and I opened them. “Is this for real?”
Ty leaned over my shoulder. He stood close, and I was so used to him being in my space lately I didn’t react. Guess what else didn’t go unnoticed?
“Amber-Rae has struck again,” Cady-Jo griped.
“She’s claiming my house has to be rezoned to commercial because I’m baking cookies for the café, even though I’m not selling them here.
That’s ridiculous.” I knew it was. I’d looked into it.
I qualified as a cottage bakery. As long as I didn’t sell any goods out of my house, I didn’t need to be rezoned.
Flipping through the complaint and notice, I asked, “Why would she do this?” I’d call Winston first thing tomorrow. He was one of the best lawyers in the South. He’d have this cleared up by lunchtime.
“It’ll be okay.” Ty’s hands rested reassuringly on my shoulders.
Cady-Jo’s gaze sharpened at the familiar way he touched me.
“My lawyer will have this sorted by tomorrow. I’ll call him in the morning.” I finished reading the papers, looking up.
“Great,” she said.
Yeah, that didn’t sound like a great great.
“Actually, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about, Phoebe.”
“Oh?” I cocked my head, not even aware of what Ty had done or how it looked.
“Alone, Ty?” Her tone was positively glacial, and I suddenly was wishing for a parka.
“Of course!” I said because really what else could I say? “Can you give us a couple of minutes, or are you done for the day now?”
Ty looked between us, clearly debating what to do. After what felt like forever, he said he’d head out after saying bye to Lock. Saying goodbye to me, he kissed Cady-Jo’s cheek, promising to call her later in a tone I was one hundred percent sure was going to mean trouble.
When we were alone, I offered her some wine. Grabbing it from the fridge, we sat down at the dining room table. When there was a liberal amount in our glasses, I took a large sip and then asked, “What’s up?”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you.”
“Meaning?” I’d made assumptions about things before and been wrong. I didn’t really want to do it now and fuck myself over by outing my feelings for Ty if that wasn’t the reason she looked like I’d just shit on her roses.
“I want you to know this isn’t easy for me.” She played with the wine glass, not taking a drink. “I know how rumors can be in this town, and I’d largely dismissed them. But after what I just saw…”
“What rumors?” There were rumors?
“Is there something going on with you and my son?”
Ah, crap.
Her question repeated over and over in my head.
Was there something going on between me and Ty? Yes. Well, no. Maybe? Honestly, I didn’t know. I thought there was something. The way he touched me, looked at me. Then today…
Except nothing really happened.
My throat constricted as panic clawed at my insides. What followed the panic was a massive dose of guilt. Cady-Jo had welcomed me into her home, her friend group. She was my friend. I couldn’t lie to her. I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood.
“Ty is my contractor and my friend. We’ve never so much as kissed.” Please don’t let her question me further. I hadn’t lied, not technically. The wine turned to sludge in my stomach.
Studying me, she weighed my response. “If that’s true, then why is there a rumor going around that you and Ty were seen making out behind the church at the first babysitting night?”
Huh? “That’s ridiculous! That sounds like a rumor made up by—”
“Amber-Rae,” she finished for me, sighing.
Amber-fucking-Rae. She hadn’t been directly involved with me in the last few weeks, even if I was still acutely aware she was around. I had half a mind to write her into my next story and kill her off, no name changes.
Cady-Jo sat back, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip. “I’m sorry. I should have considered the source. I did, but then I came in here and it looked like something…more was going on.”
“I understand.” Danger. Danger. Danger. The warning bells in my head was clanging loudly.
“It’s just, he’s my son, you know? Some lines shouldn’t be crossed.”
I did know and I had to do a better job remembering that.
“I get it.” Boy, did I ever get it. “Nothing other than work or friendship,” I promised, determined that it would be the only thing between Ty and me.
I didn’t begrudge Cady-Jo her feelings. I was her friend.
He was her son. He was thirty. I was thirty-nine, going through a messy divorce, with a kid.
I didn’t think I’d be thrilled if Lock was in the same situation.
“Okay.” She seemed mollified. As she drank her wine, we talked about the zoning issue and how I was going to test out the double ovens this weekend, so I’d be ready for my first cookie order next weekend.
All the time we talked, I felt like the biggest jerk in the world. Because despite what I said, I had a terrible feeling I wasn’t going to be able to be just friends with Ty.