Then I shouted to the swinging doors, "Guys! Anything they want, on the house for my two boys!"
"You got it, Tess!" Suni shouted back.
Joel muttered, "Awesome," and took off on a dash into the front.
Rex was already gone.
I giggled again.
Then I looked at Brock and asked, "What're you guys doing here?"
I asked this because our plans for the day were set. Considering my schedule and the fact it was girls' night in and Brock had the boys, I was working all day then hoofing it to Martha's. Depending on my level of inebriation and the lateness of the festivities, I was either going to go to Brock's later, call him to get me if I was hammered or crashing at Martha's.
A visit to the bakery wasn't on the agenda thus a surprise though a good one.
"You got a minute?" Brock asked in return and that was when I wondered if this surprise was a good one.
I looked down at the cake which was almost done. I'd baked them all the day before and only had to decorate them. This was the last birthday cake and next up was the anniversary cake. My appointments weren't until after three. Therefore I had time.
So I nodded, put down the pastry bag and muttered, "Let's go to my office."
We went and when I closed the door behind me and saw Brock looking around with unconcealed surprise, I realized he'd never been back here. Not when we were seeing each other when he was Jake and not when we got back together when he was mine.
He looked at the chaos then at me and said simply, "Babe."
"I know where everything is," I defended myself.
He looked around again then back at me. "That's impossible."
"No, really."
He grinned.
Then he tipped his head toward the door, crossed his arms on his chest and remarked, "Madhouse."
I nodded. "I need to consider more hires, decorators for the back, staff for the front. It isn't lightening up even on weekdays and special orders are getting out of hand so I don't have time to help the girls keep the front stocked."
"You need to consider opening new locations," Brock returned and I blinked at him. "It's a madhouse out there 'cause this is the only place in Denver they can get your stuff so they descend en masse here. You open shops in LoDo, Park Meadows, considering additional foot traffic and convenience to locals, you'll clean up."
I had, of course, thought of this after I'd learned Brock was not Jake, we were apart for those three months and I was hell-bent on doing anything that might take my mind off being played but mostly losing him (an effort that, incidentally, failed). I'd even looked at locations for expanding, including one in LoDo or what lower downtown Denver was known as.
However, these activities clashed with my half-baked plans to sell my house and move to Kentucky so I didn't fully investigate them. But also, I didn't fully investigate them because already the success of my shop was cutting into the time I got to do the fun stuff. I had an accountant and outsourced payroll but that was it. All the hires, scheduling of personnel, ordering, inventory, my calendar and the rest of it I did. The idea of adding another shop to that load, or, worse, two, didn't fill me with glee.
"I'm uncertain of my desire to be the Cake Guru of Denver. I like baking and decorating.
I'm not chomping at the bit to build and oversee a cake empire."
He grinned then decided he was done with our distance, which, considering my office was tiny was only two feet so the distance wasn't that distant but still, he obviously didn't like it. I knew this because his arms uncrossed and one shot out, he grabbed my hand, tugged on it hard so I was forced to take a big step forward and I fell into his body. Then both his arms wrapped around me and I tilted my head back to look up at him as my arms slid around his waist. Then he gave me no time to make a comment or react to this change of physical circumstances, he casually continued the conversation like yanking me into his arms in the middle of one was a totally normal thing to do.
Which, I realized in that nanosecond, for Brock it was.
"So hire a business manager to oversee the shit you don't wanna do at your different locations and spend your time baking and decorating," he suggested.
This idea held merit but I still shook my head and explained, "Sometimes, when folks expand, things get out of hand. You lose quality. You lose personality. It starts to be about money, not about soul. I put a lot of work into what's happening out there and my name is on these cakes." I gave his waist a squeeze and said quietly, "To me, baby, this isn't just cakes, it's my vision, it's me. And I need to control it."
And it was my vision, it was me. I'd not that long ago finally discovered who I was and what was inside me and that didn't only include a mountainous swirl of frosting under which was rich, moist cake. It also included robin's egg blue and lavender and hibiscus blossoms and hummingbirds and smiling clerks and kids who walked in with looks on their faces like Rex and walked out with smiles on their faces like pretty much everybody.
"All right, darlin'," Brock said softly and my focus went back to him. "You'd had a tough night so you might have missed it but over Mexican, your girl bitched... at length... about her job. She's in a bad place, hates what she's doin' and she's been lookin' around now for months and findin' nothin'. You told me your income quadrupled over Christmas and that isn't slowing. Right now, you got the means to do this and you got someone you trust, someone who knows you and your vision and understands the importance of it to you. Talk to Martha, maybe she'll be open to takin' on a new gig. Even if you don't expand, with how it is out there, you still could use someone doin' what you do in here so you can get outta here and do what you prefer to do out there."
Again, this idea held merit but this one held more. Like a lot more. Doable more.
"That's a great idea, honey," I whispered.
"It's a selfish idea, baby," he whispered back. "The more money you make, the more sexy nighties I get and if you get help, I'll maybe see you sometimes when you're not flat out exhausted and trying to hide it."
See? Totally could not pull shit over on Brock.
"I'll talk to her tonight," I told him.
"Good," he said on an arm squeeze.
"So," I tipped my head to the side, "did you come here to advise me on the future of my bakery?"
He shook his head and answered, "Nope, gotta go to work. Mom's got plans to go see a movie with friends. Laura's got a gaggle of girls over because Ellie had a slumber party last night. Jill and Fritz are up in the mountains snowshoeing. I don't think Dad's up to it, Levi isn't answering his phone and Kalie and Kellie are out there. 'Cause of that, I need to ask you to look after the boys. If I can get hold of Levi, I'll give you a call and send him 'round to pick them up."
It was then I noticed he wasn't in a thermal and his leather jacket and faded jeans but in a navy blue turtleneck (again, one I bought him for Christmas), his nice jeans and his black overcoat.
Work attire.
"Someone get a cap busted in their ass?" I asked.
He grinned, shook his head in that way he did (that way I liked) when I knew he thought I was cute and answered, "Yeah, and that someone was done exactly the way another someone was done who hit my desk last week. I gotta get to the crime scene and I gotta look into that shit."
Not fun.
"Okay," I agreed readily and his arms gave me another squeeze.
"They'll be cool," he told me.
"I know they will," I told him.
"If they can help out, put them to work," he suggested.
"They just got KP duties," I decided.
He smiled again. Then he dipped his head to touch his lips to mine.
The he lifted his head and murmured, "Thanks, baby."
"Anytime, honey," I murmured back but even at a murmur I meant it and he knew it.
Therefore, he smiled then that smile faded as a shadow drifted through his eyes telling me he wanted to spend a Saturday when he should be with his sons going to a crime scene and "looking into that shit" about as much as he wanted to get a tooth pulled without Novocain then he muttered, "I gotta go."
I pressed into him and whispered, "Yeah."
I got another squeeze, another lip touch (this one on my forehead) then he let me go but lifted a hand to cup my jaw before he murmured, "Later."
Then he was gone.
I followed him out, moved through the back and front telling the girls we had two new helpers, approached Joel and Rex at their table where they were finishing up devouring a slice of carrot cake (Rex) and a red velvet cupcake (Joel), told them what they were going to do to earn their keep and at this news their eyes lit.
Only kids would think clearing tables and washing up coffee cups, plates and forks in a bakery was cool.
Or maybe it was only Brock's kids.
And lucky for me they did because I could use the help.
"Aunt Tess!" I heard shrieked, I turned from loading a cake stand on the back shelves with cupcakes just in time to see Ellie darting through the shop, heading for the opening at the end of the counter and rounding it.
Luckily, although her speed was akin to an Olympian who, with great dedication trained daily and maintained an athlete's lifestyle twenty-four, seven, I had time to brace before she hit my legs, arms wrapped around them.
My hand not holding the cupcake tray settled on her head and then dropped as she arched her back at an impossible angle without releasing her hold and grinned up at me.
"Mom's buyin' us pink cupcakes!" she screeched then jumped back and clapped, "I can't wait! "
I smiled at her and was surprised to see she'd ditched the princess attire and was now a mermaid complete with flashy, green, iridescent tail and flat, lilac shells as bodice however this ensemble was marred by a winter coat and a cute, fluffy wool hat with a bobble on the top both of which didn't exactly say "under the sea".
"Ellie, come out from behind that counter right now," Laura snapped, standing at the end of it. "What did I tell you about when your Aunt Tess is working? You don't go behind the counter when Aunt Tess is working."
This wasn't true. Ellie always came behind the counter when she visited Tessa's Cakes, that was, she came behind the counter if Aunt Tess was there in order to do what she just did.
"She doesn't care," Ellie shot back and this was the true but Laura instantly got a Mom Face that clearly stated without words that she was not in the mood for backtalk. Ellie read her mother's face, she scrunched her face, looked up at me, unscrunched her face, gave me a toothy grin then skipped out from behind the counter.
"Go, sit down with your friends," Laura ordered. "I'll be there with cupcakes and milk in a second but I won't be there with cupcakes and milk if you don't behave."
I could tell by Ellie's face she took this seriously and I could also tell it by her ensuing actions for she did not delay in rounding up her three also mermaid-attired friends (obviously this slumber party had a theme) and herding them to an open table at the window.
Suni took my tray of cupcakes, I shot her a grateful smile and moved to Laura and the minute I arrive she started bitching in an undertone.
"Remind me never but never to do this again. I knew it, I've done it before but, like childbirth, you forget how freaking painful it is in between times and therefore convince yourself you're good for another go. And Ellie gets invited to slumber parties all the time and it was our turn. I shouldn't care. Turns don't matter. Peace of mind matters. Not losing your hearing due to the constant shrieking of little girls matters. Sanity matters. If those girls'
mothers are fool enough to take on that energy and noise level, great, fine, more power to them. But I... am... not. "
I nodded like I understood (when I actually didn't) and opened my mouth to say something soothing but she kept bitching.
"And Austin abandoned me. He had four hours with the girls last night and he took off first thing this morning leaving me a note. "
Oh man. Not a smooth move on Austin's part. I had a feeling Austin was in the doghouse.
Laura kept right on going.
"Okay, so, he took the boys out to breakfast and then to a movie so I don't also have Grady and Dylan to deal with but Grady and Dylan are a piece of cake compared to four four year old little girls. Ellie told them all about you and your cupcakes and that's all they've been talking about so, to shut them up, I had to bring them here. But I have to tell you, Tess, I'm uncertain about injecting even a teaspoon of sugar into those four. They're bouncing off the walls now. With sugar in them, they might explode through like four year old little girl Hulks in mermaid outfits."
I bit my lip and waited for her to continue complaining so she could get it all off her chest but she didn't. Her eyes suddenly wandered to a blackboard but she wasn't reading it. They'd glazed over and I knew she was on a mental deserted island with a very strong mai tai and a romance novel.
I waited a moment to allow her to experience her fantasy before I was going to lift my hand and wave it in front of her face but I didn't get the chance.
"Aunt Laurie," Rex called, moving through the swinging doors followed by Joel.
Laura's body jerked, her mouth tilted up into a smile and she said, "Hey kiddo," and accepted a hug around her hips as she ruffled his hair then her eyes went to Joel and she said, "Hey there, Joey."
"Hey Aunt Laurie," Joel replied, two years older than his brother and those two years were the two years you grew out of giving your Aunt a hug around her hips.
At the arrival of the boys, I took charge.
"All right guys, I've got a big job for you. Your Aunt Laura needs a breather so I want you to go over to Ellie's table, get cupcake and milk flavor orders from those girls, put the cupcakes on plates, get the milk and get Kalie to make your aunt a coffee. And also, find out what treat your aunt wants and sort that out. Then I want you to hang with the girls and make sure they're good. Can you do that?"
"Sure," Joel said.
"Cool," Rex said then asked, "Like, we're waiters?"
I smiled at him. "Yeah, like that."
"Awesome," he muttered, his eyes alight.
Jeez, kids.
"You do the girls, I'll do Aunt Laurie," Joel ordered, all bossy big brother. Rex nodded, all used to being bossed little brother and took off. Joel headed to his cousin Kalie.
I looked to Laura. "Do you want to take a moment of sanity in my office or do you want your coffee to go and Joey, Rex and I can watch the girls while you take a much longer moment of sanity walking through the shops of Cherry Creek?" I asked. "With Kalie and Kellie here as well as the boys, I'm sure we'll be good with the girls and you can nip away for half an hour? Forty-five minutes?"
She grinned and stated, "Now I know why Slim loves you. I always thought it was your, um... endowments." She tipped her head to my chest then explained, "He's my brother; I know it's gross but you can't help but notice that stuff and he's totally a boob man."
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing and to stop myself from informing her that she was not correct. Yes, Brock liked breasts and it had to be said he liked them a lot but it was a tossup if he went for the rack or the ass since he showered attention on both.
Then again, there were other, better areas he showered attention on so who knew? I only knew I was not going to share any of this knowledge with his sister.
Even so, Laura didn't give me a chance because she kept speaking. "Olivia, she was busty too then she got her ball and chain on him and lost twenty-five pounds she didn't have to lose which was not looked on favorably by Slim but all the rest of his chicks," she grinned, "totally. But now I'm seeing things more clearly. This place is crazed and you still offer a moment of sanity to a mother on the verge of breakdown. Very cool."