Chapter Fourteen
Art and Itijcle
Harlow
Dodging and weaving, I made my way through the packed crowd that showed up to celebrate the new Hyde opening.
Kase had left me in bed at the crack ass of dawn to take care of the fifty billion last minute details and emergencies that’d popped up. Although I’d wanted to help, I wasn’t able to miss my first class without sinking my GPA.
Since that still gave me plenty of time to get there early, I’d assumed I’d beat the crowd.
Clearly, I was wrong.
I tugged at my black cuffed shorts and zipped up my hoodie, suddenly feeling stupid about my wardrobe choice.
After seeing the gray undershirt with a blue Hyde logo in Kase’s dresser a couple weeks before, I’d decided it would be mine. I’d planned to wear it to the opening, which would give me my opening to steal it.
As I’d grabbed the soft beater, I hadn’t been able to figure out why he never wore it.
Once it was on, I’d had my answer.
The fabric stretched to fit across my breasts. If I weren’t wearing a cami underneath, there’d have been a clear view of my bra. There was no way the shirt had the stretching power to fit Kase’s wide chest.
And now I probably look like a groupie.
Wanting to kick myself, I double checked the logo was blocked by my hoodie. Finally getting to the building, I saw Kase scanning the crowd.
I knew he was looking for me. As awesome as it made me feel, I couldn’t resist the urge to sneak up and startle him.
I’ll be the ninja for once!
Careful not to trip on a tiny crack or bump, I crept up behind him. Ninja attack forgotten, my steps halted when I was able to fully see what he was standing next to.
“You’re an artist,” I breathed.
Cue the cocky comment in three, two, one…
When he remained silent, I glanced up to see Kase looking unexpectedly sheepish.
“It’s just a paint job,” he muttered.
I shook my head emphatically. “No, it’s not. It’s the exact opposite of ‘just’ anything.”
When we went out for Asian fusion the night before, I’d asked Kase about his schedule. Taking his phone from his pocket, he’d shown me his calendar.
It’d been eye-opening.
First of all, his workload was full. Not just for a week or two, but for months.
Second, and more shocking, the whole thing was color-coded. There were organized notations that opened to spreadsheets, detailed notes, and invoices.
I knew Hyde’s was his job and he loved it. Seeing that, though, I realized it was his profession and he treated it as such.
With his whole look, easy smile, and chill vibe, it was easy to think that Kase was just another goofball slacker. While he was totally a goofball, he was also ambitious and driven.
Looking back at the van parked on the sidewalk, I wanted to study each intricate detail.
“Was this the surprise you were working on?” I asked. “Has she seen it?”
“Yeah, Jake brought her earlier.”
I wiggled my eyebrows and lowered my voice to whisper, “Ten bucks said they had sex in or against it.”
“Anyone that takes that bet is a fool.”
I leaned closer to the hood, fighting the urge to run my fingers across it. “This should make her deliveries easier.”
“Yeah. Jake’s been busting his ass to get it all tricked out with everything she could want.”
“And what’s a van without a new paint job?” I murmured, making my way around it.
Looking almost identical to Piper’s tattoo, a giant airbrushed cupcake covered each of the back doors and the front hood. Swirls of pinks, blues, purples, and grays added bits of detail to the pattern.
Although the colors and design were super fun, they still managed to be professional.
Just like Piper herself.
Looking closer, I noticed there were still a few areas covered in painter’s tape and plastic.
I pointed to one of them. “What happened?”
“The last bit of the surprise.”
Knowing better than to try to get any answers, I dropped the subject.
Instead, I weaved my fingers with Kase’s. Reaching over with my other hand, I held his forearm and rested my head on his bicep. I stood like that for a moment, taking in all the chaos and excitement.
I was proud of my friends, and seriously proud of my boyfriend.
And I was grateful to be a part of it.
Leaning down, Kase pressed his lips to the top of my head. “Glad you’re here, ipo.”
“Funny, I was just thinking the exact same thing.”
After a minute, Eli and Key approached, giving me chin lifts.
“It’s a fuckin’ madhouse already,” Eli said, smiling wide. His boy next door good looks were getting a lot of interest from the women in the crowd.
Key remained silent, though he half smiled and nodded. From what I could tell, that was pretty expressive for him.
I’d always thought Key wasn’t as close to the group as the others. When I’d asked Kase, he’d laughed before telling me that other than Jake, he was tightest with Key.
The quiet one and the loud one must’ve made for an interesting friendship.
“I’m surprised there’s such a big turnout.” I scrunched my face. “Not that there shouldn’t be. Of course there would be. I just didn’t know—”
Eli laughed, jerking his head toward the giant building. “Jake invited some of the car groups we’ve worked with. There are classics on display, including a Sox player’s. Plus, we’re raffling off stuff.”
“Free shit always draws a crowd,” Key added, scanning the area.
“Harlow!” I heard yelled. I saw Piper heading my way, her grin so big I worried her cheeks would crack.
Dressed in cuffed gray skinny jeans, a flatteringly clingy purple scoop neck tee, and a pair of wedge shoes, she was a total knockout. Her black hair was a tumble of loose curls down her back. Excitement shone in her violet eyes.
Bright, fun, and yet totally professional.
Kase seriously nailed her vibe with the paint job.
She ran her hand along the van. “Isn’t this freakin’ kickass?”
“Totally.”
“Kase is awesome.”
I glanced at him. “Agreed. He’s an artist.”
“Exactly!” Her fingers started slowly up the van, heading for the covered section.
“Sweets,” Jake said, the warning in his voice getting lost in his chuckle.
She snapped her hand away. “I was just fixing it.”
He shook his head, but his green eyes showed his amusement.
“Are you excited?” I asked her, noticing some of the stress and exhaustion on her face. “Do you have everything ready?”
“I’m so freakin’ excited. I barely slept last night.” She looked at Jake, catching his gaze. When his darkened, a faint blush covered her cheeks. Her eyes shot back to me. “And, uhh, I think it’s all ready to go.”
“Do you need help?”
“I could totally use a hand.” She looked around at the growing crowd. “Or twenty.”
I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers. “I’ve only got two, but they’re yours for the day.”
“I think I had a dream that started like this,” Xavier whispered loudly to Eli.
“Dude!” Kase barked out his warning, his head whipping around to glower at him.
“Kidding! I’m kidding.”
“And you thought I was bad,” Jake said to Piper through a laugh.
“You are,” she confirmed. “It must be contagious.”
As conversation deteriorated into playful accusations, my phone vibrated.
The Mama Bear: We’re here and it’s packed! Where are you?
Before I could respond, Kase grabbed my phone and typed out a reply fast enough to rival a teenage girl’s texting speed.
He handed it back to me. “I’m gonna go meet up with them since it’ll be easier for me. Chill here.” Dropping a kiss to the top of my head, he easily maneuvered through the crowd without all the ducking and weaving.
“At least he explains himself instead of just telling you to stay like you’re a dog,” Piper said, giving Jake the side eye. Her smile turned mischievous. “Of course, once I started barking at him in return, he stopped doing it. So progress all around, I guess.”
I laughed. “You didn’t!”
“Oh, I so did.” Shifting away from the men, she lowered her voice. “You guys are seriously cute together. Things still good?”
I thought back to our work free weekend that’d included amazing sex, delicious food, and us just being… us. “Really good.”
Looking over, I saw my mom, Hadley, and Kase heading our way. Hadley rode happily on Kase’s shoulders, her jaw dropped and eyes wide as she took it all in.
When they reached us, she tapped Kase’s forehead. “Can I get down?”
I moved to help, but he reached back and easily shifted her around, lowering her to the ground.
Her toothless grin was huge with excitement as she turned and ran to me.
And continued running past me.
“Piper!” she squealed. Crashing into her, Hadley wrapped her arms around Piper’s hips.
“Traitor,” I mumbled as Kase wrapped his arm around me, chuckling at my expense.
Hads looked at Piper, bouncing with excitement. “Low Low said you made lots of cupcakes!”
“Ohhhhhh.” I nodded. “Now I get it.”
My love for my best friend grew when she crouched down to Hadley’s level and talked to her. I could hear enough to know she wasn’t using the condescending voice most adults used with kids.
As Hadley laughed and lunged at her, Piper barely wobbled as she caught her, returning the hug.
“Look,” Kase whispered to me, jerking his head to the side.
Jake watched Piper like there was no one else around. People were talking, but he gave no indication he heard them. Instead, his focus was entirely on his wife.
There was so much love and intensity between them, it was impossible to not feel it.
I’m not overly romantic, but even I think their love is swoon-worthy.
“Ten bucks says he has her pregnant within the year,” Kase said.
“Bad bet,” Mom put in.
Before I could answer, Piper stood and took Hadley’s hand. “I have to get a few things finished before we open and Hadley volunteered to be my official taste tester. Is that okay?” she asked my mom.
“Of course. Just don’t let her use those big blue eyes to sucker you into giving her your entire inventory.”
“Definitely not. Just a cake. Maybe two.”
“Two cakes!” Hadley yelled.
My mom ruffled her hair. “She was kidding, baby.”
Piper gestured back to the building. “Would you like to come in and see the bakery before it turns into a disaster zone?”
My mom nodded. “I’d love to.”
“I’ll come, too,” I said. “It’ll give me a chance to see where everything is so I can help.”
“Oh, do you need more help?” Mom asked Piper.
She nodded as she looked around. “The turnout is already more than we’d anticipated.”
“Sign me up.”
“Done and done,” Piper said, more of the tension easing from her shoulders.
She hadn’t tried to decline the needed help, or question Mom about whether she felt up to it.
Based on Mom’s warm expression, that hadn’t gone unnoticed by her or me.
While her easy affection with Hadley earned Piper a spot in the Best Friends Hall of Fame, that interaction with my mom was enough to get her a shrine there.
Maybe even a whole wing named after her.
After giving Kase a quick kiss, I followed behind as Hadley practically dragged Piper inside.
“You’ve got good friends,” Mom said to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
I glanced over at the group of men, including Kase, before looking ahead at my best friend. “Yeah, I really do.”
*******
After our tour, Piper showed Mom and I how to use the register and where the price list was. When we were almost finished, Jake stuck his head in.
“Sweets, time to get this shit over with.” He looked at Hadley and my mom. “Sorry. Stuff. Time to get this stuff over with.” Letting the door close, he waited outside, his arms crossed over his chest.
“He looks like a bouncer. I mean, I get it, your cupcakes are seriously good, but is he anticipating a riot?” I asked.
“There’s press here.” Piper shook her head. “You’d think he’s never interacted with people before. But he freakin’ rocks at it, even if he does loathe it.” Smoothing down her shirt and shaking out her hair, she spun around. “How do I look?”
“Like a baker babe.”
“Just what I was going for.” Inhaling deeply, she headed for the door. “Here goes nothing.”
When we got outside, Jake and Piper headed over to the van. Mom, Hadley, and I moved to the front of the crowd with the rest of the Hyde guys.
Grabbing a cordless mic, Jake spoke to the crowd, welcoming them and talking about some of the raffles they were running.
Proudly, he bragged about Piper and all she’d accomplished before handing her the mic.
She briefly thanked everyone and talked a little about her expanded business. After listing off some of the desserts that were available that day, which resulted in a lot of ohhhs, ahhhs, and excited discussion, she handed the mic back.
As Jake began speaking again, I quickly learned Piper was correct. Though he was usually monosyllabic, it wasn’t for lack of skills. His words were thoughtful and surprisingly eloquent. There was a deep passion as he reminisced about starting Hyde and how far it had come.
When he thanked the men, his brothers, they all walked up, posing quickly for pictures. Jake stepped out of the way and allowed Kase, Key, Eli, and Xavier to cut the ceremonial ribbon as flashes went off like crazy.
As they stood for more pictures, usually involving pretending to cut Kase’s hair with the giant scissors, Edge and Ray came up next to me.
“It’s a madhouse. Holy sh—” Edge started before seeing Hadley, “tuff. Holy stuff. Hey kid.”
“That’s my sister, Hadley. And this is my mom, Helena,” I said. “Mom, this is Edge and Ray.
After exchanging greetings, Ray craned to see. “Did we miss it? Nope, phew, we’re good.”
“Miss what?”
Her lips tipped up with her secret. “You’ll see in a minute.”
When the guys finished, Kase came back over to me. Standing behind me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on the top of my head.
Jake grabbed the mic again. “One last thing before we officially open. New digs means new signs.” Turning it off, he tossed it to the side, obviously happy to be done with it.
Jake and Piper stopped next to a hanging rope. His hand covered hers as they gripped it, pausing as pictures snapped. Tugging, the long covering slowly billowed to the ground, revealing the new signs.
Even over the crowd, Piper’s gasp and squeal was audible. She launched herself at Jake.
Cupping her ass, he lifted her as she talked animatedly, pausing to hug him before talking some more.
Looking up, I saw what had her so excited.
Piper’s Cakes was no more.
In its place, marked clearly with a gorgeous pink and gray sign, was Sweets You Rock.
While the Hyde logo was sharp and angular, the new Sweets You Rock one flowed in a soft, swirl design. A cupcake was underneath the words.
Tilting my head, I asked Kase, “Did you design the sign?”
“Yeah.”
“Totally an artist.”
He squeezed me tighter, but didn’t reply.
When Jake said something to Piper, she lowered her legs. She was on the move before her feet touched the ground, hurrying over to the van.
“Kase, c’mon!” she yelled.
“You go ahead!” he shouted back.
“Dude!”
“Fine.” Kissing my head, he walked over to her.
After a whispered discussion that involved her moving her hands around dramatically, he sighed and reached for the tape on the van. Carefully peeling it back, he revealed her new business name. Moving around, he repeated the process in each location until the van was completely uncovered.
Piper hugged him before pulling back and talking excitedly again, her fingers tracing along the letters.
They chatted for a few moments before Kase made his way back to me, his expression uncomfortable, bordering on almost pained. “I’ve gotta get into the shop. You working with Pipe?”
I nodded.
Pulling me close, he kissed me long and hard. “Glad you’re here,” he said, his lips moving against mine.
“Me, too.”
“I’ll pop in and see you soon.”
“Can’t wait. Have fun.”
As he walked away, Ray threw her arm around my shoulders. We started for the bakery, my mom and Hadley leading the way. “Told you so.”
“Am I ever going to hear the end of it?”
“Nope.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
*******
Kase
Pride and pain.
Looking at the van, I felt proud of what I’d been able to do.
Okay, I admitted it.
And, yes, cool, whatever; Harlow was right and it was totally art.
But it hurt to see.
Willa had been the one to teach me how to draw. She used to tell me that I needed to feel it, not just see it. To her, the colors were fluid, the patterns melodic.
I didn’t get it.
Not until I lost her.
After that, my work became special to me. Guarded.
When Jake had seen me painting my old car, he’d been the one to convince me to pick up some of the shop’s paint work.
As I thought about the way Harlow’s lips had parted, the way she felt the design, pride mixed with the pain of my connection to Wil.
“Teo,” Lars called as he approached, pulling me from my funk. “Quite the fuckin’ turnout.”
“This is after it’s died down a bit.”
“That’s what Jake was saying.”
“You saw him already?”
He raised his chin. “He looks ready to hideout in his office with a bottle of scotch.”
“Since there’s a door in there that opens to Piper’s kitchen, I’d say you’re right.”
“I stopped in and dropped flowers off to her. Saw Harlow.”
I fought the urge to clench my fists. It didn’t matter that hardly anything had happened between them.
I didn’t fuckin’ like the small amount that had.
“She looks happy, man. It’s cool as shit to see.” He rubbed the top of his head. “I still think I should grow out my hair.”
“You know it’s not about the hair, man. She’s all about my magical—”
He held up his hand. “I don’t need to hear this shit.”
“Personality.” I grinned. “She’s all about my magical personality.”
“You’re a fuckin’ tool.” He shook his head. “I did meet her mom, though. Total fuckin’ babe. Should’ve macked a little, maybe she’d like my lumpy head.”
Busting out laughing, I shook my head. “You’re a sick fuck.”
“Yeah,” he admitted, not looking even slightly ashamed. “You heading back in to rescue Jake?”
“Nah, I’m on my way to see Harlow.”
He patted my shoulder, strangely saying, “As much as I wish I could stick around for that, I’ve gotta get back to the club. Congratulations on today, man.”
Heading over to the bakery, I caught sight of Harlow in the big glass windows. Her hair was wild, twisted pieces falling around her flushed face. She was smiling at someone as she handed over a cake box.
She looked gorgeous.
Absolute fuckin’ perfection.
But that wasn’t what stopped my steps and had me clenching my fists, the muscles in my shoulders bunching.
My beater.
It clung to her like second skin. The Hyde logo stretched across her full, perky tits.
As she stepped out from behind the counter to clear off one of the small tables, I got a view of her long ass legs in her short ass shorts.
Fuck. I’m gonna kick a motherfucker’s ass today, I know it.
“What’s up?” Key asked. He looked into the bakery. “Oh.”
I took a step before he grabbed my arm.
“Standing behind her and glowering at everyone isn’t gonna help.”
“No, but it’ll make me feel a fuck of a lot better.”
“She’s wearing your shirt,” he pointed out.
“Yeah, I know.”
I never wore it ‘cause it was tight as fuck on me. The word Hyde stretched so much that it looked like ‘Itijcle’. But it was fuckin’ cool looking and it meant a lot to me, so I kept it.
“No, dude,” Key said, shaking his head. “She’s wearing your shirt. Supporting you. And, just sayin’, she’s basically marking your territory for you since everyone knows you’re the only one that wears beaters like that.”
The tension in my shoulders eased, taking the pain I’d been feeling with it. “You pick up on everything, don’t you?”
“Told you,” he tapped the side of his head, “it’s the quiet ones. And now that you’re not about to throw someone through Piper’s brand new window, I’m gonna go help Eli with the raffle ticket shit.”
I headed into the bakery, my eyes on Harlow.
She looked up from the boxes she was rushing to fold and grinned at me. “Hey—”
Cupping the back of her head, I took her mouth in a kiss, hard but way too fuckin’ fast. And definitely inappropriate as fuck for where we were.
“Like your shirt, ipo.”
Her expression warmed with happiness and pride, proving Key was right. “I’m glad.”
Forcing myself away from her, I ignored the looks we were getting. I went behind the counter and pushed open the swinging door that led to the kitchen. “Hadley, wanna go see all the cars and stuff at the garage?”
“Yeah!” She ran toward me, her face smudged with frosting and cake crumbs.
“Awesome.” Holding her hand, we walked back through the storefront. “Hadley and I will be causing a ruckus over at the shop.”
Harlow kissed me quickly. “No dangerous power tools.”
“What’s your definition of dangerous? And do you consider a flamethrower a power tool?”
She rolled her eyes before going back behind the counter to help another customer.
“She’s got a lot of rules,” Hadley said as we went outside. “But it’s only ‘cause she loves us and wants us safe.”
I hope like hell you’re right, kid.
‘Cause I’ve been long fuckin’ gone for a while now.
*******
Harlow
No, no, those aren’t fireworks.
It’s just the sound of a hundred ovaries exploding.
When Kase and Hadley, were out of view, I returned my focus to filling the cake box and cashing the customer out. As the door closed behind her, Piper flipped the ‘Closed’ sign over and locked the door that connected the Hyde waiting room to hers.
I could’ve fallen to the floor and slept.
Mom, Piper, and I had spent somewhere between three and a million and seven hours nonstop busy. I honestly wasn’t sure which one. The door barely ever closed, which was good because it was hot as hell in the shop. Rhys, Lars, Piper and Jake’s families, and seemingly everyone they’d ever met was in to check out the new place.
“I’m totally out of everything,” Piper said with awe in her tone. “I’ve got cookies in the oven right now and cakes cooling, but nothing is ready yet.” She opened the display cooler and pulled out a few water bottles, handing them to us.
“I’ve tasted your stuff, so I shouldn’t be surprised,” Mom said, holding the bottle to her flushed cheeks. “But I am. I’ve never seen a place so busy.”
My stomach dropped when I saw the fatigue on her face. She’d been doing so well and I didn’t want to ruin her good day. But I really didn’t want her pushing herself.
“Since there’s nothing to sell right now, Mom, maybe—”
Smiling, she patted my cheek. “I called Abbey, she’s on her way. I’m fine, but I knew I was starting to get a bit worn out.”
“Where’s David?”
Mom and David had always been independent people, doing their own separate thing. Unless Mom was having a flare up, it wasn’t uncommon for them to spend a lot of time apart.
Even so, it seemed like he was gone more and more.
“Probably on the golf course pretending to work. You know how busy he’s been. Abbey’s husband is away on business so she and I are going to crack open a bottle of wine and get caught up on some reality TV. You’re welcome to—”
I grimaced and shook my head. “No, no, I’m good.”
“Don’t you wanna know who gets the rose?”
“Honestly? I’ve never not wanted something so badly.”
“I figured. I’m going to see if I can hunt down your sister.” Turning to Piper, she hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. “Congratulations. You should be so proud of yourself.”
“I am,” Piper said, her voice soft. “Thanks for helping out so much.”
“My pleasure. I’m sorry your dad couldn’t make it.”
“Me, too. Stupid delayed flight. He should be here tomorrow, though.”
“Good.” With a final hug for each of us, Mom left.
“Your mom is seriously freakin’ awesome,” Piper said, pulling out a stack of unfolded cake boxes.
“I know.” Grabbing my own pile, I started assembling. The matte finished black box had a grayish shimmer to it. There was an embossed pink and blue cupcake on the top with the new bakery name.
Kase had the tendency to be on the bossy side. Jake, however, made a job of it.
Literally.
Piper said since he ran his own business, being bossy was just part of who he was. He bent a lot because he loved her, but he was still a take charge kinda guy. Especially when it came to making her happy.
Since she was easy to please and deliriously in love, it’d worked well thus far.
But Piper’s business was her own and it meant a lot to her. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d finally pushed too far.
“So…” I hesitated, not wanting to shatter her good mood. Because I wasn’t sure how long we had to chat, though, I rushed on. “How do you feel about the name thing?”
Her finger stroked across the logo on the box in front of her. “There are so many times when I think I can’t love my husband more than I already do. And then I do.”
“I take it that means you’re cool with it?”
“Totally. When I started baking, it was just a hobby. There’d be a party or holiday or whatever and someone would ask me to bring cake. And then someone at the get-together would taste it and say they wanted to order one of Piper’s cakes.” Her lips tipped up. “That’s not exactly the most creative name. Or origin, for that matter. I mentioned to Jake that I wished I could change the name, but I thought it was too late. I’m not verbally creative like that, anyway, so I just figured I’d settle with it.” She shrugged. “I should’ve known; he’s never let me settle.”
I looked around at the slate gray storefront. The brightly colored pink and blue tables, chairs, and accent details matched her whole theme. Her new logo and bakery name were painted as a mural on one wall.
Kase created that.
Not doodled, designed, or painted.
Created.
“Didn’t Kase do such a good job?” Her smile turned mischievous as she glanced at me. “Speaking of—”
Before she could continue, her oven timer started beeping.
“I’m sorry,” I said, lowering my voice to sound like a voiceover announcer. “That’s all the time we have for today.”
“I’d almost think you planned it like that,” she called out as she headed into the kitchen.
“Nope, not at all.”
But I would’ve.