Epilogue
One week later
Sunday dinner at the Sutherlands’. Yippee.
Cash stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom and grimaced. “You sure I don’t need to wear a suit and tie?” he called to Callie.
She laughed from the vanity between his bedroom and the en suite bathroom. “No, you do not need to wear a suit and tie. You can wear whatever you want.”
“You know, I don’t think this is a good time to tell them about us.”
Callie’s head popped out, and she frowned at him. “We have to tell them. They have to know that things are seriously over for me and Beau.”
He and Beau had salvaged their partnership, and they both agreed that if the Sutherlands didn’t want to give them the job for the refinery, it would suck big donkey balls, but they’d survive that, too. They’d had a serious conversation about possible cutbacks and layoffs if that happened, and although they didn’t want to go there, they’d do what they had to do to ensure their business survived.
“That looks nice,” Callie said, nodding at his gray plaid shirt and black pants.
“Okay, thanks.” He shrugged. Meeting the girlfriend’s parents was never easy, but in this case, it was a little more complicated. It was the Sutherlands.
Callie disappeared, then walked out a moment later.
“Damn, you look pretty.” He studied her dress, white with pink and gray flowers, the bodice hugging her slender torso, the skirt flaring out to her knees. Tiny straps showed off her toned shoulders.
Her cheeks went pink, and her eyelashes fluttered. “Thank you.”
He set his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “I’d kiss your mouth, but you already have such pretty pink lip gloss on. I’ll mess you up later,” he promised, moving his lips to just in front of her ear.
She smiled. “I hope so.”
They arrived at Josh and Audrey’s River Oaks home before anyone else, Callie having told her mother she’d be there a bit early as there was something she needed to talk to them about. Callie opened the front door and stepped into the spacious foyer, calling out, “Hello! Mama? We’re here.”
Audrey Sutherland appeared from a room on the left, carrying a glass of wine. “Hello, Callie.” Her gaze shifted and landed on Cash. “And Cash. Hello.” Her false eyelashes fluttered, but her smile was gracious.
“Hi, Mrs. Sutherland.”
Callie and her mom exchanged air kisses, and then Mrs. Sutherland did the same with him. “Call me Audrey, Cash.”
“Yes, ma’am. Audrey.” He flashed a smile at her.
“Come in. I was just having a glass of wine.” She led the way into an opulent yet comfortable-looking den.
“Where’s Daddy?”
“Oh, he’s still in his office working on something. On a Sunday. You know what he’s like.” Audrey waved a hand.
“I’ll go find him.” Callie tapped out of the room in her heels.
Cash’s body tightened. Fuck. He was alone with Callie’s mom. He wasn’t afraid of her. Nope, not at all. He relaxed his shoulders and smiled at her again.
“Would you like a drink, Cash?” She moved to a small bar in the corner. “I’m having a nice Pinot Noir, if you’d like some of that.”
“That sounds great, thanks.”
She poured wine into a glass and crossed back to hand it to him.
“Thanks.” He took a sip and nodded. “This is nice. Satiny. Full-bodied.”
She tilted her head, then nodded. “Yes, this is a more complex, savory Pinot Noir. I’m impressed that you picked up on that.”
He was totally bullshitting. He’d gone to some hipster wine-tasting classes and remembered a few basic things, but he couldn’t tell the difference between Pinot Noir and his ass. If she hadn’t said what it was, he wouldn’t have remembered how to describe it. But he smiled. “Thanks.”
“Have a seat, please.” Audrey took a seat on a leather couch and gestured to him. She might be dying of curiosity about why he was there, but her manners were impeccable.
He sat on an adjacent love seat. “This is a nice room.”
“Thank you. I spend a lot of time in this room. This house is so huge for the two of us, now that the kids are gone.”
“Yeah. Callie was saying the same thing about her house…how it’s so big for one person.”
Audrey’s lips twitched. “I guess it is.”
Callie and her father entered the room, and Cash rose to his feet. “Daddy, you remember Cash.”
“Of course.” Joshua Sutherland extended a hand, and Cash shook it while the older man gave him a piercing stare from beneath thick, low eyebrows. Joshua’s dark hair held only a hint of gray at the temples, and his neatly trimmed beard and mustache were still black.
Cash gave him a firm grip, one pump, and a smile. “Good to see you again, sir.”
“You too, Cash. I see you have a drink. Callie, what would you like?”
Cash met Callie’s eyes and knew she wanted to ask for the whole bottle of wine. A moment of wordless, shared humor passed between them.
“Some of that red wine is fine,” she answered.
Joshua poured two more glasses and handed one to his daughter, and they all sat again, Callie beside Cash on the love seat.
“Cash was impressing me with his wine knowledge,” Audrey said.
Callie shot him a startled glance. He smiled modestly.
“How’s business, Cash? I hear from Beau you have a bid in for the refinery substation project.”
His body tensed, but he answered casually. “That’s right, sir. We’re really hopeful about working with Sutherland Industries.”
Joshua nodded, his expression stern.
“That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, Daddy,” Callie said.
Cash swallowed.
Joshua gave his daughter a puzzled look. “What?”
He felt Callie inhale slowly. “Beau said you’ve been putting pressure on him to get back together with me. And you hinted that you could influence whether they get that job.”
Cash had to give Joshua credit—he kept his face neutral.
“That’s ridiculous,” Joshua said.
“You deny it?” Callie straightened, glancing at Cash, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing—had Beau lied about that, too?
“It’s true I hope…hoped you and Beau would try again.”
Cash caught the quick correction. Was Joshua getting the picture of what was going on here?
“But I have no influence over decisions Aaron and Jed make for the refinery.”
Callie studied her father. “So you wouldn’t interfere with that project?”
Joshua lifted a hand and scratched in front of his ear. “Of course not.”
“I hope you’re being honest,” Callie said.
Joshua frowned.
“Because Beau and I are not getting back together.” She reached for Cash’s hand and twined her fingers with his. “Cash and I are together now.”
This announcement was met with heavy silence and blank looks.
Cash tightened his fingers on hers in a brief squeeze. “We’re really happy,” she added.
“What about Beau?” Mama asked.
“We’re divorced. Remember, Mama?”
“I realize that, Callie. But Cash and Beau are friends…partners…does he know about this?”
“Yes, he does.” Cash spoke up. “I told him last Friday.” Then he punched me in the face. He resisted the urge to laugh.
“He’s okay with it,” Callie added. “He wasn’t happy at first, but…we talked. We’re okay now.” She narrowed her eyes at her father. “So that’s why I came early to talk to you. To tell you about Cash and me…but also to tell you that I will not allow you to interfere with my life. I’m with Cash now. I have my business. You may not approve, but I’m happy. Happier than I’ve ever been.” She turned her eyes on Cash and smiled.
He smiled back. “Me, too, darlin’.” He turned to her parents. “I love Callie and want her to be happy. I promise you that I’ll spend my life making sure that happens.”
Callie vibrated next to him, and he wished he could pull her onto his lap and kiss her.
Audrey started to speak, but Joshua reached out and touched her shoulder. “Audrey.”
She looked at him with one raised eyebrow.
“This is about Callie,” Joshua said to her.
Audrey’s face remained impassive, but she nodded.
“I’ve never seen her so happy,” Joshua continued. He turned to face his daughter, and Callie’s hand tightened on his. “You did impress me with your business plan, cupcake. And you’re right. I was surprised. I apologize for underestimating your abilities.”
Callie’s hand trembled, and Cash squeezed it gently. “I’m a Sutherland,” she said, lifting her chin.
“Yes, you are. The way you stood up to me and Beau also impressed me.” He paused. “I respect that.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Cash saw Callie’s jaw drop. Christ. All her life she’d tried to please her father, when maybe what she’d really needed to do was stand up for herself. Cash’s heart nearly burst out of his chest with pride.
“Grandma and Grandpa Sutherland apparently paid you a visit,” Joshua continued.
“Yes. They did.”
“They were mighty impressed, too. And they had a few words for me when I told them I hadn’t seen your shop.” He shook his head. “Your grandmother is a spitfire. You may have a little of that in you.”
Cash bit his lip while Callie grinned.
“If baking cakes makes you happy, then that’s what you should do,” he continued. “And Cash apparently also makes you happy.” Joshua fastened a stern glare on Cash, and Cash’s shoulders went back.
“Yes, Daddy. He does. I love him.”
“You’re a smart young man.” Joshua lifted his chin at Cash. “You’ve done remarkably well with your business.”
Cash ignored the implied surprise at the use of the word “remarkable” and said, “Thank you, sir.”
“I only hear good things about you in the business community. You’re building a great reputation.”
Cash smiled and nodded.
“So Audrey and I are happy for you both.”
Cash stole a glance at Audrey, saw her blink, give her husband a long look, then smile.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Callie said softly.
“Of course we are,” Audrey added.
Cash wasn’t sure if he believed her. Only time would tell. It seemed Joshua was beginning to accept that Callie was going to make her own life. And Cash intended to make good on his promise. Making Callie happy was his most important goal. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, meeting her eyes. And from the glow in them, he knew she understood that and felt the same.
…
Three weeks later
Callie finished up the marshmallow macarons sandwiched with marshmallow fluff and carried the tray out front to slide it into the display case, ready to open Saturday morning.
Cash and Ginnie were spending the afternoon with their dad and half brother, who’d driven to Houston for the weekend to meet them. Kristy was helping her in the store since Ginnie had taken the day off. Later that night, Cash and Callie were going out for dinner to celebrate Talmadge Hale Consulting being awarded the project to design the Sutherland Industries refinery substation.
“How was your date with Tyler last night?” she asked Kristy.
They’d exchanged numbers at the Crab Festival that weekend and had gone out a few times.
“It was fantastic.” Kristy smiled, happiness lighting up her eyes. “I really like him.”
Callie beamed. “He seems like a great guy.” She selected a few macarons to set on the marble counter and quickly snapped several pictures with her phone. She tapped the image she liked best and shared it to various social media sites. Whoa. She had a lot of notifications. She scrolled through them. Wow.
At first she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing. Then she realized she’d been tagged in a post…by Martha Stewart.
She gave her head a hard shake. Holy crap.
She read the post again, which named the top ten bakeries to follow on Instagram.
Top ten…holy crap.
Caked was there at number five. Martha Stewart was complimenting her cakes. Her cupcakes. Her macarons. Her photographs.
HOLY CRAP!
She did a little run in place in excitement. “Kristy!”
Kristy popped out from the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
“Look at this!” Callie’s hands were shaking so much, Kristy had to grab and steady them so she could read the post.
“Oh my God! Is this for real?”
“Yes! I think so.” She shoved a hand into her hair. “Yes, it has to be. Holy, holy shit!”
Kristy laughed. “Wow. That’s amazing. Congratulations, Callie!”
“Thank you. I know. Wow.” She turned in a circle. “I don’t even know what to do. Oh my God.”
Kristy handed her cell phone back with a smile. “Here. Call Cash.”
She found his number and hit the call button. “Go on Instagram!” she cried into the phone when he answered.
“Uh, what?”
She laughed again, a little hysterically. “Instagram. Martha Stewart. Oh my God, Cash!”
“Darlin’, slow down. What is going on?”
She managed to string some words into a sentence, then bounced up and down again.
Kristy called from the front of the store. “Holy shit, Callie. There’s a line all the way down the block waiting for you to open.”
Callie zipped out front and looked over Kristy’s shoulder. “Oh my God. We are so going to run out of macarons.”
She heard Cash’s low laugh. “Congratulations, baby. I knew you could do this.”
“Yes. You did.” She drew in a breath and fought back tears. “You believed in me.”
“I did, too,” Kristy said.
Callie laughed and high-fived her friend.
“I’m so proud of you, Callie,” Cash said.
“Thank you.” She took another deep breath. “So am I.”
And she was. In finally doing what she really wanted to do, in being the person she wanted to be, she’d come to love herself and be proud of herself, and she’d found love…Cash’s love.
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