Authors: Kate Perry
Before she could make up with Treat
and Grant, she had to set herself right. Meaning she needed to get
her finances in order and fix things with Eve.
But Margaret had a plan—on both
fronts.
The front door opened, and a small
group of women walked in. A brunette in New York black and towering
heels led the charge, followed by a mousy woman juggling a
notebook, pen, and cell phone. At the back was a thin woman with
softly curling brown hair and the face of a Raphaelite
angel—Daniela Rossi. Margaret recognized her from the pictures of
her on the Food Network website.
Pasting a smile on her face, she went
forward to greet them. “Welcome to Crumpet. I’m Margaret Byrnes,
the proprietor.”
“
Carmen McKnight,” the
woman in the lead said brusquely, sticking her hand out. “Daniela
Rossi and her assistant Marley.”
The mousy woman gave her a shy smile.
Daniela nodded but continued looking around the store. “Can I see
the kitchen?”
“
You don’t need to look at
the kitchen, Daniela.” Carmen’s jaw went steely, and she sounded
like she’d said it a hundred times before. “You’re talking, not
cooking.”
Daniela’s only response was a slight
firming of her lips. Crossing her arms, she ambled through the
front room, occasionally touching the china or rearranging a
napkin.
Carmen rolled her eyes and sighed
dramatically. Adjusting the large Coach tote on her arm, she said,
“We’ve looked at quite a number of spaces today,” as though trying
to explain the pastry chef’s behavior.
“
Have you looked at Grounds
for Thought, down the street?” she asked.
“
Yes.” Carmen’s nose
wrinkled. “It had promise.”
“
It’s a beautiful space.
The owner’s done well there.” Margaret thought about the excited
look in Eve’s eyes and the passion with which she operated her
business. “She’s quite the baker. Did you try her
croissants?”
“
It was delicious,” Daniela
said enthusiastically, gravitating back over. “Her biscotti too.
Just like my Nana used to make.”
“
Eve bakes with passion.”
Margaret reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace.
“Grounds for Thought is the perfect place for what you
want.”
Carmen frowned. “Excuse
me?”
She set the pearls on the host’s
podium. It felt right, taking them off. Harry would approve. He
would have been the first one to tell her she needed to snap out of
the self-pity. Why had it taken her so long to see?
Standing firm, invigorated for the
first time in ages, Margaret nodded. “Eve is an accomplished baker,
and she sells books in her store. Not to mention that she’ll be
able to pull in a good crowd.”
“
I liked Grounds for
Thought,” Daniela said, arms crossed defensively, as if she was
ready to taken on her publicist.
“
Daniela,” Carmen started
as if talking to a five year old, “I thought we agreed that while
it was a nice space, it was a little too undone for our
purposes.”
“
Eve had some vandalism
recently.” Margaret felt a twinge of guilt. “But the café should be
back in order by the end of the week. Definitely by the
event.”
Daniela nodded. “And her pastries were
excellent.”
“
Yes, but—”
“
I want Grounds for
Thought.” Daniela squared off as if daring the other woman to argue
with her.
Carmen threw her hands in the air. “I
have reservations about it, but if you want it, fine. I won’t even
say I told you so when things don’t go well there.”
“
Eve will handle everything
beautifully,” Margaret assured Daniela.
The chef smiled at her for the first
time. She visibly relaxed, as though a weight had been lifted from
her shoulders. “My gut tells me that too.”
Margaret extended her hand. “Thank you
for considering me as well.”
Daniela’s grip was surprisingly firm.
“I’m a little confused why you’d hype Grounds for Thought when you
were in competition with her.”
“
Eve and I aren’t in
competition,” she said echoing Treat’s words. “And, frankly, Eve is
much better suited for you. It was apparent once I met
you.”
Daniela nodded. “Thank you for your
honesty.”
Carmen huffed, as though put out.
“I’ll get in touch with her then. I hope you’re right about
this.”
Daniela said nothing, but Margaret had
a sense that she was right about most things. She escorted the
women out of her shop, turned the lock, and got out her cell
phone.
The first call she made was to the
real estate office down the street. She needed to put her house for
sale and lease Crumpet out. The money from the house would be a
nice nest egg, and the rent on the commercial space would give her
monthly income.
The thought that she wouldn’t have to
see another doilie—ever—was oddly relieving.
The next call was harder.
Treat picked up the third ring. “I’m
at work, Mom.”
She winced at the terseness
in his voice.
She
did that. She was going to fix it though. “Treat, I’m sorry,
not just for how I’ve behaved lately, which I admit has bordered on
manic, but also for the way I’ve been the past eight
years.”
There was silence on the other end of
the line. Then he said, “Are you okay, Mom? Because you’re scaring
me.”
She gave a watery laugh. “For the
first time in a long time, yes, I am.”
“
You aren’t dying, are
you?”
“
We’ll all die eventually,
but I plan on being around for a long time.” She swallowed thickly.
“I want to see you happy, Treat. I’m sorry I got in the way of
that.”
He sighed. “I’m responsible for my
actions. You aren’t the only one to blame.”
No, but she was the main one, and no
matter how gracious her lovely son was, she wasn’t going to allow
him to absolve her so easily. “I’ll let you go back to work. I love
you, Treat.”
“
Love you too,
Mom.”
Hanging up, she walked out of Crumpet
toward Grounds for Thought. As she got near, she automatically
reached for her pearls. Her hand touched bare skin before she
remembered she put them aside.
Right. She straightened her back. She
didn’t need them.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open
the door and walked into the coffeehouse.
Eve looked up, her hostess’s smile
freezing on her lips.
Margaret went straight up to her.
“I’ve behaved badly, and I want to apologize. I’ll of course pay
for damages.”
She shook her head coolly. “That’s not
necessary.”
“
Yes, it is.” Margaret
lifted her chin. “I’m not going to offer you excuses or
explanations. I’m not going to bare my soul. But I will tell you I
regret how my actions have reflected on Treat. You shouldn’t hold
my son responsible for what I’ve done.”
The young woman said
nothing.
Margaret nodded. “I don’t expect you
to welcome me with open arms just because I said I’m sorry, but I
hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me enough that we can get to
know each other. Treat cares about you, and I care about Treat.”
She thought of being excluded from Treat’s life and tears
threatened her eyes. She blinked rapidly to dispel them. “Just
consider it. That’s all I ask.”
She turned to leave, but paused. Over
her shoulder, she said, “I told Daniela Rossi you were the best
person to host her event. I didn’t do it because I wanted to win
you over or manipulate you. I did it because it’s true. Your café
is lovely and your baked goods are heaven,” she said, really
meaning it. “But more than that, you really care. Daniela should
have that. You should have what you want.”
Eve gaped at her.
Margaret nodded, smiled, and walked
out. She had one more thing to take care of. Pulling out her cell
phone as she headed back to Crumpet, she dialed the number from
heart.
“
Margaret?” Grant’s deep
voice sounded hesitant.
“
I was hoping you were free
for dinner tonight.” She said it blithely, but fear clutched her
belly. What if it was too late? He had every right not to want to
see her anymore after the crazy way she’d acted.
“
I have plans already
tonight,” he said.
Her heart sank. “Oh.”
“
But for the right woman
I’m willing to change them.”
Confidently she said, “I’m the right
woman.”
“
That’s what I’ve been
telling you,” he said softly.
She smiled, hope buoying her heart. “I
finally listened.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Eve was staring off into space when
Olivia walked into the café. “You look deep in thought,” her friend
said as she strode to the counter.
“
I’m thinking.”
“
I can see that.” Olivia
crossed her arms and waited.
She sighed. “Treat’s mother came to
see me today.”
Olivia straightened, at attention.
“And?”
“
She apologized. She said
she encouraged Daniela Rossi to pick my shop for the
event.”
“
Do you believe
her?”
“
Half an hour later Daniela
called me herself to give me the news.”
Olivia smiled brightly. “That’s great
news.”
“
Yes.”
“
You don’t sound very
enthused for someone whose business has just been
saved.”
Frowning, she tucked her hair behind
her ear. “Do you think I acted hastily with Treat?”
Understanding dawned on Olivia’s face.
“It doesn’t matter what I think. You’re the one who’s in love with
him.”
“
I am.” Her heart stuttered
at having it said out loud.
“
So what are you going to
do about it?”
She pulled out a pastry box and began
loading it. “I’m going to go get him back.”
“
That’s what I’m talking
about.” Olivia grinned. “Stop by and see me before you go. I just
got in this bra set that he won’t be able to refuse.”
“
You think he’s going to
refuse me?”
“
Hell no. That man wants
you forever. You can tell by the way he looks at you.”
Eve melted. “You can?”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Duh. It’s
enough to make a girl gag.”
She laughed. “How did someone who’s so
pragmatic about love and sex end up selling romance for a
living?”
“
Go figure.” She headed
toward the door. “Be back in a couple. Make me a latte, will
you?”
“
Where are you going?” Eve
asked, confused.
She grinned devilishly over her
shoulder. “To get your secret weapon.”
Eve stood on Treat’s doorstep. It was
dark, but she told herself that didn’t mean anything. She wouldn’t
have turned on the porch lights unless she was expecting someone,
and she’d been pretty clear that he shouldn’t expect her ever
again.
She winced. What had she been
thinking?
Taking a deep breath, she rang the
doorbell.
She waited.
And waited.
Leaning, she pressed her ear to the
door. She didn’t hear anything.
The door flung open and she pitched
forward—right into Treat’s arms.
She looked up into his dear face and
said, “Hi.”
He frowned. “What are you doing here,
Eve?”
Oh shit—he had someone over. Maybe it
was a woman. She stepped back, her heart hurting. “I should have
called before I came. I’ll just go.”
“
No.” He took her arm and
pulled her inside, looking behind her as he closed the door. “How
did you get here?”
“
Olivia gave me a ride.”
She’d been hopeful that she wouldn’t have to leave. “I came to tell
you your mom fixed everything for me.”
He nodded, watching her impassively.
“She told me.”
“
It was brave.”
“
It was no less than what
needed to be done.”
“
Still.” She frowned at
him. “You forgive her, don’t you?”
“
Not if it cost the only
woman I’ve ever fallen in love with.”
All the tension dissolved from her
shoulders. “You really love me?”
He scowled. “Of course. That’s never
going to change, even if you push me away.”
She nodded calmly even though her
heart soared. “Okay.”
“
Okay what?” he asked
cautiously.
“
I’m good with
this.”
He lifted her chin to look
directly into her eyes. “
This
is forever. It’s a lifetime with me, even though
my mother is apparently crazy and God knows what she’ll do in the
future. It’s sharing a home and going to sleep together. It’s
having children one day. It’s trusting each other.”