“Tom’s a dick,” Eli said as they pulled chairs off the stack in the barn to prepare for the wedding this evening. “I still think we should head over to his office and deal with it.”
“Like I really need to make things more complicated between me and Anna,” Beckett said, yanking another chair down.
“Complicated? How’s that?”
Beckett blew out a breath and went for the tables next. He didn’t mind complicated. What he did mind was the lack of trust. If Anna wouldn’t tell her family about them, what did that say about their relationship? That she expected it to end?
Or she didn’t want them to know because it was him?
“She doesn’t want to tell your family about us,” Beckett said when Eli followed him over.
“No?” Eli looked amused. “A dirty little secret, huh? Go Anna.”
Beckett rolled his eyes. “Love how your mind always goes to the kinky.”
“Isn’t that supposed to make it more exciting? Keep it a secret?”
“Yeah, so I have to keep my hands to myself the whole damn time we’re around anyone else. Which is all the time.”
Eli scratched his cheek in thought. “Not that I want to picture your hands anywhere near my sister, but I get where you’re coming from.”
Beckett settled another table over a tiny X Jillian had made on the floor and arranged the chairs around it.
“So tell her everyone already knows,” Eli said. “’Cause they do, right? The whole family except maybe Mom. Tell her we’re all in on it.”
“Sure. That’ll go over well. By the way, everyone knew about our relationship before you did? Hell, that’ll make Tom’s dick status go way down. Then where does that leave me?”
Eli shrugged. “With the truth. There’s something to be said for honesty.”
Beckett bit back the flicker of frustration that brought. This wasn’t Eli’s fault. More than that, he was right. Beckett knew it was way past time for telling Anna what had been going on. It wasn’t even a huge deal, but it was becoming one the more it progressed. Now that her entire family knew about them, he couldn’t just keep it quiet.
“You should bring her flowers,” Eli said. “Open some wine. A little romance. And then tell her the truth. She’ll understand. She’s Anna. Usually all those emotions don’t get in the way.”
Which didn’t make him feel better. He wanted her emotions involved in this. He wanted her to think with her heart—to see if they really had a future beyond this. “Not sure that’ll work.”
Eli smirked. “Bake her a cake. Oh, wait—she’s probably already doing that right now.”
“Forget it. I don’t want your help.”
Eli chuckled and then immediately looked contrite. “Okay, sorry. My bad. Listen, it’s going to take time.”
“I don’t have time,” Beckett mumbled.
“Why’s that?”
He turned, leaning his hip on the edge of the table, and debated whether or not to tell Eli about France. It didn’t feel like his place to say anything, but at the same time Anna wasn’t telling anyone, and Eli was her brother. His best friend. He didn’t know who else to talk to.
Finally, he gave in. “Poppy said Anna’s considering going to stay with her friend Celeste for a while.”
“Celeste?” Eli squinted like he was trying to remember. “Doesn’t she live in France?”
Beckett nodded.
Eli straightened. “Wait, Anna’s thinking of going to France? Moving to France for a while?”
“Not so loud. You can’t tell anyone about this.”
“But—”
“Poppy told me Anna hasn’t told anyone. You can’t say anything.”
“But this is a big deal.”
Beckett sighed. “Which is why I feel like I’m running out of time. And it seems to me like Anna’s just considering it because of Tom and how everything else is going in her life right now.”
“Well, you’d better not tell her that.”
“You mean, on top of all the other shit I’m keeping from her?” Beckett asked.
Eli paced to one table and then back again. “I can see your dilemma.”
“And what do I do about it?”
“I have no idea.”
Beckett groaned and started setting out tables again. “You’re so helpful.”
“I can’t believe she’s thinking about going to France. It’s not like she can just up and leave. She’s got a job here. Family.”
And me, Beckett wanted to say. But maybe Anna didn’t see it that way. He didn’t want to believe that, though. He’d seen the way she looked at him. Like she thought there could be something more. They fit. Like the last pieces of a puzzle.
“She also has a past,” Beckett reasoned. “With Tom in the picture, I can see why she’d want to find an escape.”
But with him in the picture, he was supposed to be the escape. The new start. And she wouldn’t even let him help with Tom.
He checked his watch. “I should head back. I told Jillian I’d help with the flowers and whatever else she needs hauled over here.”
“I’ll come with you. I need to pick up the last of my gear before I head over to the church.”
They took Beckett’s truck into town. Summer had hit full force and already waves of heat rolled off the street this early in the morning.
“Busy today,” Eli commented.
Beckett nodded. Cars lined the sides of Main Street, leaving little parking. Summer crowds. It got busy this time of year, especially with the warm weather they’d been having. He stopped at a crosswalk and waited as a group crossed.
“Hey.” Eli leaned forward in his seat. “Is that…?”
“Tom.” Beckett ground his teeth together and watched as the man headed into the bakery.
“What’s he doing?” Eli asked.
“Looks like he’s going to talk to Anna.”
A car horn sounded behind him and Beckett reluctantly pulled forward.
“Go around the back,” Eli said. “If he’s not out of there in ten minutes, we’re going in to make sure everything is okay.”
Beckett turned right toward the street behind the storefronts. “Ten minutes,” he agreed. Though it was going to be hell to wait even that long.
{}{}{}
“This is going to look great,” Leah said, stepping back from the cake.
Anna nodded, adjusting the bandana on her head. Four tiers of white wedding cake with intricate piping, roses, and beads. And she’d only had to come in at six this morning to get it.
But it was a masterpiece. Times like this made her realize how much she loved her job. And how much she’d miss it if she ever left.
She had so much creative license here. She got to make people happy. Those moments were priceless.
But so was having peace about her future, and Anna had been struggling with that since her talk with Beckett. She realized it wasn’t fair to make him keep this secret. Their secret. But it scared the shit out of her when she thought of telling her family.
Not because they wouldn’t support her. No, they’d probably love the idea. And then everything would fall apart if it didn’t work out. It’d create a rift. Could they even work together after that?
When she heard the bell at the front door jingle as someone walked in, her heart did its slow roll of pleasure because she assumed it was Beckett. He stopped in every day. Sometimes more than once. She wanted now more than ever to see him. To take a little of his confidence for herself.
Anna started around the table. “I’ll get this,” she told Leah.
She hurried to the front of the store, but her feet came to an abrupt halt when she saw Tom instead of Beckett.
He stayed close to the door, hesitating like he wasn’t sure he was welcome. Anna paused behind the counter.
She tried to keep her voice even when she said, “We’re not doing any tastings today.”
Tom flashed his charming smile at her. “You know that’s not why I’m here.”
“Why are you here?”
He ventured further inside, giving her a casual shrug. “You haven’t been taking my calls or answering my texts.”
“Because I don’t have anything to say to you. If you have a concern about the wedding, you need to talk to Jillian.”
“I do have a concern and it has nothing to do with the wedding. It has to do with me and you.”
Anna curled her hands into fists, her stomach twisting. He looked so easy going, standing there like they were talking about the weather instead of their past. Their very painful past.
“There is no me and you,” she said calmly.
“Come on, Anna. We were together a long time, and then all the sudden it’s over. It’s not that easy to walk away from.”
Her mouth dropped open. Was he out of his mind? He’d cheated on her. What did he expect? They’d stay together? That he’d keep cheating and she’d just pretend it hadn’t happened?
Anna walked around the counter, determined to keep herself calm. She’d moved on the best she could, and she wasn’t about to let Tom bring her back to that night she’d found out about him.
“Does Catrina know you’re here?” she asked.
Tom stared at his shoes with a sigh, and she knew her answer. Catrina had no idea.
“I didn’t want her to get upset,” Tom said, looking back up. “But I needed to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to talk this through. You left before I even got home. A note—that’s all I got. I didn’t even have a chance to tell you my side of things.”
A fire of rage lit inside Anna. “Damn it, Tom. There are no sides to cheating. It happened and that was it. Nothing else to say.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. He scooped a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “Nothing else for you to say, maybe, but I didn’t get a chance to say anything.”
“I can’t do this right now,” Anna said. “I have to finish decorating a cake.”
“But you’ll talk to me, then?”
“I don’t know—”
“You have to, Anna. We need this.”
She shook her head at the word “we” but he ignored it and stepped closer, reaching out for her.
“Anna, please.”
Words clogged at the back of her throat, and she stood suspended for a long moment, unsure of what to do. And then the door opened.
She saw Beckett first, and then Eli following close behind, and she took a hasty step back.
“Shit,” Tom mumbled.
“Everything okay?” Beckett asked Anna.
She nodded, hating the anger she saw in his eyes. Or the fact that she couldn’t take any comfort from him right now. “It’s fine.”
Eli brushed around Tom to stand at her side. “You don’t look fine. You’re pale.”
“I’m…” She pressed a hand to her cheek. “Just stressed. I have a cake to finish.”
She met Beckett’s eyes and saw that he didn’t believe her.
“What is he doing here?” Eli asked, not even looking at Tom.
“I needed to talk to Anna,” Tom answered anyway. “And I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”
Eli whipped around, getting in Tom’s face. “My business? It’s my business because Anna’s my sister and you cheated on her. You cheated and treated her like shit and you think you can just walk in here whenever you want? You—”
“Eli, stop.” Anna reached for him, but he shook her off.
Tom moved in as well and panic somersaulted in her stomach.
“Beckett, please,” she said.
He gripped Eli’s arm, trying to get him to back up.
“He deserves this, and you know it,” Eli told Beckett.
Beckett glanced over his shoulder at Tom. “It’s better if you go now.”
Tom’s jaw hardened. He looked at Anna. “Just say you’ll talk, okay? Just once. Coffee and talk.”
“No!” Eli glared at him. “You leave her alone.”
“Just once,” Tom repeated.
“Fine.” Anna made a shooing motion. “Just once. Go.”
Tom dipped his head in a nod, like he’d gotten exactly what he’d come in for. Then he left through the front door.
Eli turned on her. “Anna, this is bullshit. He—”
“I don’t have time,” she said. “I need to get this cake done.”
“He’s been bothering you. Someone needs to take care of this.”
“How do you know he’s been bothering me?” Anna turned her attention to Beckett. “Did you tell him?”
Beckett folded his arms with a nod and no hesitation. “I thought maybe you’d listen to Eli. And Tom needs to back off. He—”
“Stop.” Anna closed her eyes briefly and set her hands on her hips. “Just stop. I can handle this on my own. I need to handle this on my own.”
“We’re trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help, Eli. I just need…”
She pressed her hands over her face, taking a long, calming breath. She needed to deal with Tom. To say to him what she should have said before so this could be over. So it could finally, after all this time, be done.
“Please,” she said, already turning. “I need to finish the cake.”
She didn’t wait for a response, just returned to the kitchen. Leah threw her a wide-eyed look but wisely stayed quiet.
Neither Eli nor Beckett followed her and she was grateful. She’d handled Tom in the first place on her own, she could do it this time, too.
But that little bit of guilt tried to nip at her. Eli was just doing what was right. And Beckett…Beckett had a big heart. He wanted to help. And she couldn’t blame him. It was his style, and she was trying to take it away.
You’re being unfair, that voice said. She shoved it aside for now. Cake first. Then she’d talk to Beckett and smooth the edges.