Kate's Kisses (Sweet Treats Bakery)

Kate’s Kisses

A Sweet Treats Bakery Story

Mary Manners

A happy heart makes the face cheerful.

—Proverbs 15:13—

1

Kate glanced at the clock on the wall over the pastry case and frowned. Her older sister, Mattie was nearly a half hour late…and she was never late. Sweet Treats bakery was her life…and passion. Something was wrong, and the idea caused a platoon of chills to march up Kate’s spine.

She dipped the last ruby-red cherry into dark chocolate fondue, stepped back to survey her handiwork, and then took a precious moment to sigh with satisfaction. This was the best batch of delectable confections she’d ever prepared, by far. She had finally gotten the hang of the delicate process of combining ripe cherries, rich sweet cream, and chocolate, and the result was worth the effort. The new recipe would work nicely into the growing line of sweet-shop selections.

Kate reached for a towel and wiped beads of chocolate from her hands, then delved into the pocket of her apron for her cell phone. She’d give Mattie a quick call and see what was causing the hold-up.

As Kate speed-dialed, the bell on the bakery’s door jangled. A cool breeze filled the room as the door
swooshed
open, and she glanced up to see Mattie rush in. She wasn’t wearing a jacket to ward off the early-spring chill, and her white cotton blouse was rumpled and untucked from the waistband of navy slacks—highly unusual. Though often casual, Mattie’s appearance was unfailingly neat. Kate frowned. One of the shoelaces on her sensible tennis shoes had come untied, and it flopped with each step.

“What happened to you?” Kate rushed to her sister’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re barely even dressed for the chill this morning, and you’re pale as a pastry box. Are you sick?”

Breathless, Mattie shook her head. Her eyes were huge, onyx-black saucers. Kate couldn’t imagine what had her so rattled. Mattie was the most unflappable of the four sisters. She had to be—she was the oldest.

“Take a breath before you pass out.” Kate grabbed the hem of her sister’s blouse and tucked it into her slacks, then smoothed the fabric. “Whatever it is, it can’t be
that
bad. I’ll handle things here. You go on back home.”

“N-no.” Mattie paced the length of the pastry case as she struggled with the words. “He’s coming.”

“Who’s coming?”

She paused and nodded toward the door. Her sleek raven hair, woven into a neat braid, shimmered in sunlight that cascaded through the expansive front window. She pointed as she fought to catch her breath. “
Him
—Logan Daniels.”

“L-Logan?” Kate followed Mattie’s gaze and her heart caught at the sight of him striding across the two-lane street, his long legs eating up the ground between them. His dark hair curled in waves around the collar of his navy polo shirt and smoke-gray eyes seemed to be searching for something through the storefront glass.

Could it be…her? “Oh, Mattie, you can’t let him in. I don’t want to see him again—
ever
. Not after…” The room suddenly began to darken and whirl, and Kate grabbed the counter.

“Easy there.” Mattie took hold of Kate’s arm as she began to tremble. “I’ve got you. Maybe it’s best that you talk to him. Just air things out. The way it ended between the two of you, well, you need closure, Kate.”

“No.” Kate drew a deep breath and waited for the dizziness to pass. Her skin flashed hot and then cold as the aroma of maraschino cherries swirled around her. “What I need is to lock the door.”

“Nonsense.” Mattie frowned. “We never lock the door to our customers.”

“But he’s—he’s not a customer. He’s…” Exasperated, Kate reached for a chocolate-covered cherry and popped it into her mouth. The chocolate soothed a bit. She drew a breath. “What’s he doing
here
…in Mount Ridge?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Mattie pressed a cool palm to Kate’s cheek. “Gather yourself, Kate, because we’re about to find out.”

The bell over the shop door jangled as Logan stepped inside. His gaze found Kate, and when he smiled, heat flared in her belly. To her utter dismay, her insides melted into a puddle of hot paraffin. She felt paralyzed as his gaze wavered between her and Mattie.

“Hello, Mattie.” His deep voice was as smooth as warm caramel.

“Logan.” Mattie’s gaze held his as she drew an apron from the box beneath the counter and tied it around her waist. Kate knew by the way her sister twisted and re-twisted the apron strings that Logan’s sudden appearance had Mattie just as nervous, but Mattie seemed to dismiss the anxiety as she turned toward the stairs that led to the storage room. She waggled her fingers at Kate. “It’s…well…you two have a nice little chat. I’ll…be upstairs.”

“Wait!” Kate sputtered. “I need—”

“You’ll figure it out.” Mattie nodded curtly, and then started a hasty retreat up the stairs. “Stock’s waiting.”

Kate smelled the clean scent of Logan. Soap mingled with aftershave so familiar that it hurt. He turned to her, his eyes like two smooth stones beneath a tumble of dark hair. “Hi, Katie.”

“You’re gone nearly four years, and that’s all you have to say?” Tears burned her eyes, and she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to drench him in a pan of simmering chocolate or throw her arms around him and smother him with kisses. No one had called her Katie in years. In fact, no one ever called her Katie…except him. “Wh-what do you want, Logan?”

His gaze held hers for the longest moment, and then he motioned to the tray of sweet cherry kisses she’d just finished preparing. “I’ll take a couple of those...for starters.”

****

Kate looked as good as he remembered—even better, if that was possible. He watched her delicate fingers gently remove a half-dozen chocolate-cherry kisses from the baking sheet where chocolate had hardened into a smooth puddle beneath. Her fingers trembled with the effort, and he stifled the urge to help her. From the startled look in those pretty green eyes, she’d probably slap his hand.

Her long, delicate fingers were bare of jewelry. The detail registered with a hint of satisfaction. Then a sudden thought twisted his gut—maybe she just didn’t wear rings while she baked. He checked her neck to see if she kept one on a delicate silver chain like she once had with his high school ring, before he’d surprised her one warm starlit night with a princess cut solitaire.

No—he found nothing but the collar of her floral blouse peeking over the strap of a baby-blue apron…and a glimpse of smooth, ivory skin lightly dusted with freckles.

“Nice place you have here.” He leaned over the counter to peer at her. Waves of cinnamon hair that she’d gathered into a thick ponytail curled down her back to kiss her waist. He’d always loved her hair…had spent hours stroking the smooth curls as they sat together exchanging plans for their future. Regret gnawed at him. None of those plans had worked out. “Business has really taken off, huh?”

Kate’s head snapped up. “There’s no need to sound so surprised.”

He took a step back and raised both hands. “No disrespect intended, Katie. I’m just…happy for you.”

“Are you?” Her green eyes pierced him. “And quit calling me Katie. You lost that—” she hesitated and then enunciated, “—
privilege
when you ran away four years ago.”

“Ran away?” The words were a dagger straight to his heart. He took the small white box she’d filled with cherries and then secured with a length of twine woven into a neat bow. The sweet scent of chocolate wafted from inside. “Now wait a minute.”

“That’ll be five dollars.” Kate stepped over to the register and held out an open palm. “Cash, debit, or charge?”

“Look, Katie, we need to talk.” The aroma of dark chocolate mingled with vanilla latte. He eyed the espresso machine and a dozen bottles of assorted flavors. He didn’t go for the fancy stuff with names as long as his arm, but a hit of strong brew might ease the throbbing that had set in at the base of his skull. “How about you pour a couple cups of coffee and we sit for a while?”

 “No, Logan.” Kate’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head. “Whatever business you have here in Mount Ridge, it doesn’t include me.”

“OK, if you say so.” He rocked back on his heels. “But I want to talk to you about a new library. It’s what brought me into town.”

That
got her attention. He knew books were a passion of hers and that she’d lobbied hard for a new library in Mount Ridge for years before the project finally came to fruition, thanks in part to a generous donation from his parents. They’d always been fond of Katie.

“You—you’re—oh, no.” The color drained from her cheeks, and for a moment, he thought she might topple over. There wasn’t much to her…still the same willowy beauty with curves in all the right places he’d fallen in love with so many years ago. The passage of time had been more than kind to her.

“Oh, yes.” He undid the bow on the cute little white box she’d filled and lifted the lid. The chocolates almost spoke to him as he took one and popped it into his mouth. The blend of cherry, cream and chocolate was pure heaven. He leaned into the counter and licked chocolate from his fingers. “I’m supervising the project. We break ground tomorrow, nine o’clock. So, like it or not, I’m going to be around for a while.”

“Well, let’s just get one thing clear—I
don’t
like it, and nothing will change that, Logan.” Kate took the box from him, added another cherry to replace the one he’d eaten, closed the lid, and double-knotted the twine before sliding it across the counter back to him. “I’ve got work to do—orders that need to be filled—so I think you should leave now.”

“Is that so?” He grinned and forked five crisp bills onto the counter. “I’ll see you again soon, Katie.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” She grabbed a spray bottle and a roll of paper towels and busied herself scrubbing the showcase glass. The doorbell jangled, signaling someone had come into the shop behind him.

Logan dipped his head and tapped the little white box. “These kisses are good, Katie,” he whispered, “though nothing rivals the sweet kisses I remember…from you.”

She gasped and a flush of color returned to her face before she turned her back to him. She ripped a paper towel, wadded it, and scrubbed the display glass as if she meant to bore a hole right through it. “Goodbye, Logan.”

“For now.” He winked. “I’ll be back tomorrow for some of that coffee…and a few more kisses.”

****

“Was that Logan Daniels?” Grace strode into the bakery with her four-year-old son, Adam, in tow as Logan sauntered out. Adam watched him pass, mesmerized by his height and the sheer power of him, Kate imagined. Logan had always had that effect on people—a kind of charisma that left others gaping as he walked away. She was doing it now—staring at him—and, disgusted with herself, she drew her gaze away and glanced at her sister.

“Yes, it was.” Kate tossed the wad of soiled paper towels into the trash. “And he’s still the most insufferable, egocentric man on the face of the earth.”

Grace let go of Adam’s hand and he raced to press his nose against the pastry case glass. Tiny fingerprints smudged the window she’d just finished scrubbing, but Kate didn’t mind.

“It went that well, huh?”

“And then some.” Kate stomped to the foot of the staircase. “You can come down now, Mattie,” she called, “so I can throttle you. Thanks for leaving me alone with him.”

“You used to love being alone with him,” Grace chided as she eased to the counter to sample one of the cherries.

“That was before he…dumped me.”

“That sounds so crass, Kate.”

“Well, it
was
crass. You remember how many nights I cried myself to sleep.”

“Yes, I do. We all do. How could we forget?”

It had been an awful time, a heartbreaking time, shouldering Logan’s betrayal so soon after the death of her parents. She was in the process of helping Mattie open the bakery, with Grace married right out of high school and having just given birth to Adam. Tessa had just finished the eighth grade, and Kate and Logan had graduated from college only the month before, with the wedding a short few weeks away—and he’d up and left.

“Mattie!”

“I’m coming.” Footsteps padded the wooden stairs as Mattie joined them. “What did I do?” She feigned innocence. “I was just checking stock. It’s time to place an order. We’re running out of fondant.”

“The order can wait.” Grace swooped around the counter and over to the espresso machine. The heels of her navy pumps clacked along the tile floor. “Clearly, we’re in the midst of a crisis situation.” She reached for a foam cup and filled it with strong espresso mixed with a generous splash of hazelnut flavoring. “Take this, Kate. You’ll feel better.”

“I just don’t get it.” Kate took the cup and drew a long sip, though she knew nothing could loosen the knot that gripped her belly. “Why is he here?”

“That big man, Auntie Kate?” Adam wrapped his arms around her leg. “Can I meet him?”

“Why don’t you get yourself an apple muffin?” Kate stroked his disheveled wheat-blond hair—the same summery hue as Grace’s. “I just baked a fresh batch. They’re probably still warm.”