Tasty (21 page)

Luke
looks back at me, shrugs. But Ginny rushes after me. “Oh, I’ll
give you a hand,” she says.

“Really,”
I tell Ginny through gritted teeth, “I can handle it.”

But
she follows me anyway. I rattle through the screen door into Luke’s
massive kitchen. It’s all stainless appliances and endless
countertops that he probably never uses, like something out of a
chef’s dream. I fill a cup with crushed ice from the ice
machine and begin to pour vodka overtop.

“Are
you okay?” Ginny asks, watching me top off the glass with
orange juice. “Is it something I said?”

“No,”
I respond quickly, and drink down the first mouthful. “Everything
is fine. I’m happy for you guys. You know I am. I’m
always so goddamned happy for you. And if you don’t believe me,
in a few months, you’ll get to hear my speech all about how
thrilled I am that you two found each other again. I’ll be
happy for you then, too.”

“Jules
. . .” is all Ginny says, slowly, sadly. I cringe. I don’t
want her pity, but I can understand why she’s giving it. I
sound pretty pitiful. But I remember my conversation with Cal, and
realize that this—her wedding, the fact that Cal is leaving
soon, without me—isn’t even what it’s all about.
It’s about me and Ginny, and our friendship. Which hasn’t
been feeling too friendly lately.

“I’m
sorry, Gin. I’m not half as bitter as I sound. Not about the
wedding. It’s just—well, I miss you.”

“Oh.”
My best friend is quiet for a minute, studying me with her careful,
intelligent eyes. “But I’m right here.”

“You’re
not, though. Every second I’m with you lately, you’re
with Luke. Or you’re talking about Luke. Don’t get me
wrong. You know I love the big lug.”

Ginny
smiles faintly. “He loves you, too. He always has.”

It
makes my heart warm to hear that. It really does. Luke’s always
felt like a big brother to me. Even after Ginny left, we stayed
friends. Nothing serious. Just beers at Lenny’s on occasion, on
nights when we both missed the most important woman in our lives. But
that’s not the point. I’ve never doubted that Luke cared
about me.

“That’s
great to hear, Gin. But this isn’t about Luke. It’s about
the two of us.”

“Oh?”

I
take another gulp of my screwdriver. I’m going to need it, if
I’m going to tell Ginny the truth about how I feel. I’ve
always been good with joking and bluster and bravery. But honesty is
another thing entirely.

“You’re
checked out. You’ve been a little checked out since
Park
Avenue Princess
aired. And when you try to check back in, it’s either half
assed or . . . well . . .”

“Go
on.” I can see Ginny bracing herself, and I love her a little
for it. She’s so
strong
,
in ways I never have been. “I can take it.”

“Judgey.
The stuff you said about my loan, or cutting back Summer’s
hours. It felt like advice a high school guidance counselor would
give. Not my best friend. I’m a grown woman, Gin. I can manage
my shit. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need you. But I
need you to
listen
.
Not to fix things.”

I
can see the way that Ginny’s chewing over that from the way she
bites her lower lip. Finally, she gives a resolute nod.

“Okay.
I can see that. Less wedding talk. Less advice. More listening.”

She
sounds so
determined
that I almost want to laugh. That’s my Ginny. She’s a
Capricorn, through and through. Earnest. Hardworking. Loyal. Always
has been.

“Thank
you,” I tell her. “I appreciate that. C’mere.”

I
hold my arms open. Ginny steps inside my embrace, resting her head on
my shoulder. I plant a kiss at the top of her head.

“Thank
you,” I tell her. She laughs.

“I
haven’t done anything. But you can do something for me.”

I
break our hug and look down at her.

“Anything,
girl.”

“Make
me one of those? I’m way too sober to hear Luke regale Cal with
his old football stories.”

I
grin. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

#

When
we go outside, the men are waiting for us. Ginny tucks herself under
Luke’s arm. I go and stand beside Cal. He puts a hand on my
hip, draws me close. I like the way he feels against me, a wall of
warmth against the ocean wind. I like the way he smells, the way he
feels. I like the fact that he got me to talk to Ginny, an impossible
task. Once, I would have stewed over this for weeks until it finally
erupted into a massive argument. Instead, he helped me get to the
root of my feelings, and helped me solve my problems, too. I turn my
body toward him and give him a long, tender kiss.

“What
was that for?” he asks, as we separate.

“Everything,”
I say, and mean it, too.

“Steak’s
ready, lovebirds,” Luke calls. I lace my fingers with his as we
get our food. I like being a pair, a couple. I like the person I am
when I’m with Cal.

“Great,”
Cal says, “I’m famished.”

But
I’m not sure that he just means for food. As I turn away, he
gooses me through my dress. My face is burning red. I can only hope
that Luke and Ginny are so wrapped up in each other, even now, that
they can’t see.

#

After
dinner, a couple of drinks, and some
Cards
Against Humanity
,
Cal and I head back out to his car, calling our farewells to Ginny
and Luke standing by their front door.

“I
really like them,” Cal says, as he holds the door open for me.
“It’s a shame . . . ”

And
then he trails off, smiling grimly. He doesn’t have to finish
his sentence. I can catch his drift. It’s a shame that Cal’s
leaving. It’s a shame that he and Luke won’t be able to
have an epic bromance for decades to come.

“They’re
great,” I agree. Cal looks at me, an eyebrow raised.

“I
take it that means you and Ginny worked things out?”

“I
did!” I exclaim. “And oh, Cal, it’s such a relief.
No drama. We talked it out. I think things will really be better now.
I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I
hardly did anything,” he says, shrugging, but I can see the
bashful pride in his eyes. “It just seemed to me that a
friendship as long-lived as yours and Ginny’s might carry some
extra baggage. And that it’s worth unloading that, once a
decade, at least.”

“You’re
so right,” I agree, as Cal starts up the car. We begin to
dawdle through the streets of Pelican Key Cove. But before we can
leave, I have an idea.

“Hey,
pull over. And give me your GPS.”

“What’s
that?” asks Cal. He’s eying me suspiciously, and I don’t
blame him. I look suspicious as hell as I lean over and try to look
sexy as I key in an address.

“A
secret,” I reply. But it’s not, not really. Not if you
live in Pelican Key Cove and are, or have ever been, a teenager.

“I
like secrets,” says Cal, grinning wickedly.

He
follows the GPS’s robotic commands. Little overgrown bungalows
dotting the sides of the road give way to swampy marshland. This is
familiar territory, and it hasn’t changed a bit since I was a
teenager. Back then, I used to come here with Wes, sit in his junker,
and hope he’d get up the courage to kiss me. He never did.

“I
feel like I’m going to be abducted by aliens out here,”
Cal says when we arrive, peering up at the empty sky.

“No
aliens. Just horny teenagers making out.” I slip down the
spaghetti strap of my dress and lean forward, letting my cleavage
show.

“And
what about the horny adults?”

I
arch my back a little so that my nipples, hard in the air conditioner
of Cal’s car, show through the fabric.

“Them,
too,” I say.

Cal
reaches a big hand across the dark seat of his SUV. The engine’s
still purring. The radio is on low. His fingertips grace my nipples,
but he doesn’t grab me, not yet.

“You’re
hotter than any cheerleader,” he says. I’m already wet. I
part my legs a little, feeling my pussy ache and swell in my little
thong.

“You’re
not so bad yourself, Mr. Quarterback.”

Cal
grimaces. “Not my sport. Try cricket.”

“Mr.
Sexy Wicketer?” I offer. Cal laughs. It’s a big, hearty
sound, and it seems to fill up the whole car.

“That
works,” he says. And then, just like that, he’s leaning
over the console to kiss me. His mouth is open, warm, and hungry. His
hands circle my breasts, lightly at first, and then with increasing
force. Pleasure warms me. He’s soon groping me hard through my
dress. I arch my back, letting my breasts fill his hands.
This
never would have happened in high school, when I had absolutely no
tits to speak of. I’m aching for him already. With a small
laugh, I climb into the back seat, then beckon Cal to follow.

“Tight
squeeze,” he says doubtfully. I hike my dress up high, spread
my legs, and begin fingering myself through the black lace of my
panties.

“I
think you’ll fit,” I say. Cal scrambles over the seat
after me and unbuckles his jeans.

His
cock springs free, fully hard and dripping with his desire. I touch
him, and stroke. Cal leans his weight against me, his cock pressing
against my thigh, his warm, slippery moans sounding in my ear.

With
one sure movement, he turns me over. I feel his cock against my ass
as he yanks my panties down. Then the head rests against the swollen
lips of my pussy. I’m aching for him. I want him inside.
Slowly, he draws the shaft along my lips. I’m so wet that I
feel slick and aching.

“Fuck
me,” I gasp. He pauses just before my opening. I can feel his
cock pulse there. One hand guides him inside of me. The other is
tangled in my hair, holding my face against the leather seat.

In
one motion, he plunges into me. He’s rock hard inside my body,
which is all soft and slippery around him. I shiver, my desire
mounting. His huge cock fills me up, massive and sweet and aching. He
begins to rock against me. My back is arched, my eyes cast up toward
the moon. I cry out as he pounds his cock into me, slow, rhythmic
strokes.

As
he fucks me, his hand finds my nipple. It caresses, tweaks, twists.
Goosebumps cover my belly. He takes me to the edge, and keeps me
there, trembling, at that strange place that’s just between
pleasure and pain. And then he leans down and puts his mouth against
my ear.

“I
love ye, Juliette,” he says, his accent suddenly thick in his
husky, lustful voice.

I
don’t even get a chance to answer, because he starts pounding
me, hard. His cock feels rock hard. My pussy clenches and writhes
around him. He’s balls deep in me, and fucking me so hard that
every cell seems to explode. I brace myself against the car door,
arching my ass up. As I come, my vision is a burst of color and
light. I push my tits against the leather seats, feeling my clit
swell. Just when I think Cal can’t get any bigger, any harder,
he comes, deep inside, hitting all the places that I don’t even
touch when I’m alone.

He
stays inside me for a long time. I don’t want him to go
anywhere. Our bodies sticky with sweat and cum, my hair all tangled
around my eyes, I turn my head back and peer at him. he’s
holding me with those big arms. I don’t think he wants to go
anywhere, either.

“I
love you, too,” I whisper. Cal leaves a trail of sweet, soft
kisses against my shoulder.

The
last time I said those words, I was twenty-five years old. Fresh out
of culinary school. So naive that I would have believed anything my
boss told me, no matter how unlikely. That those kids in his wallet
were his nieces and nephews. That he didn’t have cell reception
at home, and could only talk with me at work. That he loved me, and
more, that he had never loved anyone before me. That I was special. I
swallowed it all, hook, line, and sinker.

And
yet with Cal, it’s not a line. I know that in every cell of my
body. The future might be uncertain, but I know intuitively that I
can trust him. And that knowledge has me flying high. For the next
four days, I feel like I’m floating over the air. At home, at
the cupcake shop, while biking through Key West. It doesn’t
matter that business sucks or that Summer is snarky. Everything is
cotton candy and bubblegum. The whole world is coming up Jules, all
because Cal—Callum Fucking McKenzie, the Cake Nazi, for
Christ’s sake—loves
me
.

Which
is why it’s especially a shame that the next few days keep us
away from each other. He’s busy wrapping up the pop-up; I’m
scrambling to figure out some way to lure my customers back to the
store. Things are picking up again. Most of our regulars have
returned, swearing that Cal’s cupcakes couldn’t hold a
candle to mine, but things are still slower than I’d like.
After all, I still have to pay Summer’s salary and make things
up to Mr. Honeycutt. As much as I’d love to spend every waking
moment nestled in Cal’s arms, instead I’m busy
brainstorming. Summer helps some. Ginny, too, at night while I’m
alone in my apartment.

“So
I’m thinking of doing some sort of promotion after Mecca Cakes
closes up shop. You know, remind my customers that I’m still
here.”

“I
think that would be a great idea. I’ll be sure to pass your
info onto my clients in my vendor booklet, too.”

“Full
page advert, right?”

“You
betcha.”

My
call waiting beeps. It’s Cal.

“Gotta
go, Gin. The Cupcake Casanova is calling.”

“Ooh
la la. Talk to you later, Jules.”

I
switch calls. Cal’s voice is rich and throaty on the other end.
Every hair on my body immediately stands on end. He has that effect
on me, even when he’s on the other side of town.

“I
miss you.”

“I
miss you too. How have your meetings been?”