The Billionaire's Burden (Key to My Heart #2) (3 page)

A reunion dinner was promptly scheduled by Karina, who was zealous to chat with her son once more.

Sebastian and I had not had any more time to reconnect, and now that we sat beside one another at the fine dining table at La Grange, there were no words I could come up with. My tongue was dry in my throat, watching the way he tiredly stared down at the coffee cup in front of him.

He’d barely been able to rest at all before we left, and it was obvious he was mentally on a whole other planet. His arm draped around the back of my chair, though I was fairly certain it was more of an attempt to keep straight up than anything affectionate.

George sat at the end of the table, Karina and Alissa seated on either side of him, across from Sebastian. Alissa’s big brown eyes shifted between the man who was her lover, and the man she wanted desperately. Karina once again had the wine and champagne flowing freely, though Sebastian had barely touched his.

I couldn’t help but to wonder if she ordered so much booze in order to put up with Alissa Grant’s utter flaunting of her body. This evening, the redhead was dressed to the nines, as was typical, in a tight lavender gown that barely reached the tops of her thighs.

George couldn’t keep his eyes or hands off of her, Sebastian could barely keep his eyes open, and Karina gazed at her wine bottle like a lover.

All in all, it was sorting out to be a typical Davis family dinner of deeply agonizing proportions. I sipped on the bubbly white wine in front of me, unsure whether to stare at the ceiling or my empty plate.

“You should have seen Buckingham Palace.” Alissa sighed dreamily, leaning against her palm towards Karina, “It was a dream, and the weather was lovely.”

“I’m sure it was miraculous, dear.” The woman answered boredly, smile painted on her face.

I always jealous of that painstakingly fake contentment on Karina’s face towards Alissa, all I ever got was snotty smugness.

“Oh it was, Karina, we all wished you were there to join us.” Alissa purred, sipping her merlot.

George finally tore his eyes from the woman’s cleavage to wave over a waiter.

I glanced sideways at Sebastian as he let out a long yawn, stifling it with his tan hand.

“Hanging in there?” I asked quietly, leaning slightly towards my husband to whisper in his ear.

A grim smile twitched faintly on his lips as he nodded, “I am, but I’m ready to bail on this dinner.” He added under his breath, “I’m not hungry.”

I shook my head quickly, perhaps even more eager to escape the hellish depths of his family than he was, “Me neither.”

“Good.” He nodded, his arm withdrawing from behind my shoulders as he leaned forward across the table.

“Well, this has been lovely, but I really must be getting my sleep now.” Sebastian announced, standing up as he reached out to take my hand and help me up, “I’ll see you in the office tomorrow, Father.”

“Do you really have to go, Bast?” Karina asked, red lips almost pouting if she could have shown that much emotion, “Really?”

“I do, Mother.” Sebastian said as he walked around the table to press his lips against her cheek, “But I’ll call you tomorrow for lunch.”

“You better.” Karina sighed, not acknowledging me as I gathered my things, not that I expected her to really.

Sebastian shook hands with his father and moved to kiss Alissa’s cheek as he’d done with his mother when the redhead snatched his tie in her hands, holding his face close to hers.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bast.” She murmured with a wink, before allowing the tie slip from her hand as Sebastian straightened.

He cleared his throat, avoiding my wide eyed stare as we waved a final goodbye and headed out the doors towards his car.

The questions piled within me, burning my tongue as I bit back the urge to interrogate him. What was that about? Why did Alissa think it was okay to be so intimate with another woman’s husband, especially when that woman was right in front of her?

Had anything happened in London?

As we slid into his fancy vehicle, I watched him carefully from the corner of my eye.

“Did anything…interesting happen while you were overseas?” I asked, struggling to keep my tone as cool as possible. I didn’t want him to think I was a jealous freak or anything.

“Nope.” He replied, tone just calm and collected. He offered no further details than that.

“I was pretty surprised I didn’t hear from you.” I offered, unsure exactly where I was taking this conversation. I could feel it spinning out of my control already.

“Did you want to hear from me?” He asked, turning his head just slightly my way, his eyes glancing towards me for just a second off the road.

Outside my window, the lights flashed by one by one, illuminating his strong, square jaw with golden light. Even in the darkness of evening, I could see the blue steely glint of his beautiful eyes.

“No,” I responded hurriedly, embarrassment flushing my cheeks with a pink he couldn’t see, “I was just surprised.”

“Ah.” He hummed, once again going quiet.

Were we ever going to be less awkward with each other?

While I contributed the heavy, tense silence to the both of us being exhausted, I could feel there was more to it lurking below the surface, boiling away. At some point, it was going to explode.

“Listen,” I began awkwardly, holding up my hands helplessly, “I went and saw the bakery and…and it’s doing really well but I want to change some things.” I began, stumbling over my words as though they were boulders falling in my path.

Why was I talking about this now, when he was clearly exhausted and slightly cranky? I had been planning on waiting longer to spring this one him.

My mouth however, would not stop the piles of word vomit that kept spewing forth. So much for patience.

“I just want to change some things, maybe spend more time out there. I miss being behind the counter. I miss the customers.” Not that I’d had many customers, that is, “You know how it is, it just feels like I’m not involved at all anymore and-“

“Macy.” Sebastian interrupted, not looking my way, “Just do what you want.”

Mouth still gaping open like a dying goldfish, I slowly closed my lips, giving a quiet nod.

“Thank you.” I offered, glad that the discussion was done.

My husband’s tone, however, was not a pleasant one at all.

I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable though it was the finest leather crafted. The rest of the ride home remained as uncomfortable as ever.

Normally, Sebastian helped me from the car, or at least waited until I was out to walk in together. This time, though, he simply climbed out and walked into the mansion without a single glance back towards me.

I watched him go, biting my lip. At some point in the ten minute car ride from the restaurant, I’d managed to make a complete mess of things.

Story of my life.

With a heavy sigh, I followed him into the manor. By the time I crept inside, Sebastian had already vanished.

The lights in the kitchen and dining room were off, Harry was out for the evening. There would be no one to talk to about what had happened between Sebastian and myself. There would be no one to talk to about the complete confusion this evening had left me.

I walked upstairs to my room, glancing towards the light under Sebastian’s door at the other end of the hall.

I paced quietly towards his door, almost reaching for his doorknob. In the end, however, I backed away, afraid of making things even worse than they already were.

Disheartened, I retreated back to my room, closing the door after me.

Flopping down on the bed, I sprawled out, studying the ceiling high overhead. The LED fireplace in the corner of the room popped convincingly, as though it were trying to cheer me up.

Why was it that every time I managed to get what I wanted, I ended up feeling even worse than I did originally?

All I’d wanted was to keep the bakery in business, and my marriage had definitely accomplished that but left me unsure and unhappy. All I’d wanted was the bakery back under my control and Sebastian and I had definitely discussed that, and he was fine with it, but now he was being short and gruff.

Frowning, I rolled onto my side, pulling my pillow tight up against my chest.

There was definitely a piece of this puzzle that I was missing, there was definitely something that I just wasn’t thinking of.

Was I being selfish? Was I being delusional?

Marriage was turning out to be much more complicated than I ever could have imagined.

With a groan, I settled down for another troubled night of sleep.

The next morning I rose from my bed unusually early.

The soft purples of dawn peered curiously through my window as the sleepy sun only just barely began to break the horizon.

Tiredly, I stretched out in the bed like a starfish, my limbs creeping farther and farther away.

With a yawn, I rolled out of the bed, trudging into the bathroom for a shower.

The warm water flowed over my face, caressing away the tiredness from my joints and tense back.

The night had been long and restless. I wasn't sure if I'd even slept for more than an hour or so straight. I could practically feel the bulging bags sagging below my eyes.

It was a big day, a bright day, and a new day. I had a lot to accomplish with the bakery, and to be honest, I wanted to sneak out of the home before Sebastian had a chance to run awkwardly into me again.

I could only hope this wasn't what we were destined to become, husband and wife avoiding each other as much as possible. It would surely lead to a lonely and dull life.

Turning around carefully on the slipper floor of the shower, I planted my palms against the other end of the smooth aqua tile as I let the water pour against the flesh of my back like a burning massage.

Finally, I climbed out of the shower, not pausing to glance at myself as I wrapped the fluffiest towel I could find tight around me.

By the time I emerged, the sun's rays had pierced the magentas of dusk, blue like Sebastian's clear eyes rising quickly.

If I was going to make it out without running into my new husband, I had to get out fast. I had to get out now.

Tossing the towel onto the bed, I snatched out a simple navy blue sundress from the closet, sliding it over my head and stuffing my feet into silver sandals. As my fingers hastily threw my hair into a messy braid, I darted down the stairs.

Behind me, I thought I could hear Sebastian's own shower running through his bedroom door.

I all but ran over Harry as I hastily descended into the foyer, sending the old chef stumbling backwards in startled surprise.

"Well good morning, Macy." He said, rubbing his eyes as though he thought there was a chance he was hallucinating me there.

It was honestly the first time I'd bothered to climb out of bed before 11 in the past few weeks.

"Good morning, Harry!" I said cheerily, "I'm just on my way out now."

"Oh. Okay then." He replied, staring after me as I waved and dashed out the door.

Long after I was gone, the grey haired man shook his head, staring up the stairs then to the closed front door before wandering back into the kitchen.

I dove headlong into my car, bringing the engine to life as I sped down the gravel path away from Sebastian's huge house. The building lingered for a mile down the road in my rearview mirror, always watching.

Fortunately enough for me, I arrived at the bakery before the huge rush had begun for the day. I sat in my car, gazing at the storefront, only one little light on in the back office. It felt like old times again, when my father would stay up all night working on the office books.

The road in front of the shop was peaceful and calm, though I doubted it would stay that way for long.

I walked towards the front door of the shop, peering in through the darkened glass. I didn't think my ego could take another hit of not being recognized when I walked in the back door.

Surprisingly enough, the front door, however, was locked. I hadn't even realized the front lock still worked, though, then again, Alissa would definitely have taken care of that.

I peered again through the glass, rapping lightly on the door.

Seconds later, I heard the click of the lock popping open, door pushing out for me.

"Good morning, Mrs. Davis!" Lewis said cheerily, cup of steaming coffee in his hand, "Come on in."

The tall blond man stepped to the side, holding the door open for me as I walked in.

"It's Macy, Lewis." I sighed, still unsure how the sound of 'Davis' made me feel.

"Right, of course." The manager murmured, locking the door once it closed again.

"Aren't you all preparing for opening?" I asked curiously, checking my watch.

At the very least, the ovens should be preparing for the first morning's serving of lemon scones.

Lewis cleared his throat uncomfortably, smoothing a straight blond lock of hair out of his green eyes.

"Didn't...didn't Mr. Davis talk to you?" He finally asked, "I just assumed..."

"What did Sebastian say?" I asked, frustration coloring my voice.

Had I angered Sebastian the night before? Had he pulled all funding from the shop just to spite me?

He was going to get a strong piece of my mind. I wished I'd remembered that phone he'd purchased for me, so I could call him up and chew him out right this second.

"He said to close until you got a chance to review everything." Lewis continued, "I just figured that you talked to him about your ideas."

"Wait, what?" I sputtered, surprised.

That blue eyed man was full of surprises.

"He said you'd look over the policies and recipes and to make any changes you requested." The blond man reiterated, walking back towards the office and gesturing me to follow.

On the desk, where the neatly organized pile of notebooks had been piled before, they were now open and scattered about. It was frightfully reminiscent of my father's messy desk - though lacking the overdue notices.

"I tried to pull all the important information but there's just so much of it." Lewis sighed, taking a sip of his coffee, "Where do you want to start?"

I walked to the desk, slapping shut one of the notebooks, "We're going to start over." I said, smirk tugging the corners of my lips, "Just you and me, Lewis."

The man leaned against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief, "Thank God." He mused, "I thought I was going to be out of a job when I got the news."

I laughed, shaking my head, "No, of course not. But the other staff, what happened to them?"

I glanced curiously towards the front door, where no cashiers or bakers entered.

"They were given a pension and put in contact with other employers." Lewis shrugged, "I wasn't too worried...but, I really like it here, to be honest." He mumbled, a bit embarrassed, "The feel of this shop, it's so warm."

"I know." I responded, fingers brushing the oak of the desk, "That’s what I want to preserve. My parents loved this place, I want everyone else to love it as well."

Walking past him, I turned to the counter, kneeling down to dig through the cabinet below the cash register. There, stuffed in the back, were my mother's recipes.

I pulled them out, flicking through the pages, "What should we make first?" I asked, turning to Lewis.

There seemed like no better place to start than practicing a recipe or two.

The handsome blond stopped mid sip of his coffee, green eyes staring at me blankly. After a long moment's hesitation he lifted his mouth from the mug, "Uh, what do you mean?" He asked, frowning.

"What should we make first?" I repeated, slowly this time. Was Lewis feeling okay?

"I can't...make anything." He mumbled, embarrassment beginning to turn his neck red, "I just tell people what to do."

"You can't cook?" I asked, groaning as I rubbed my fingers against my forehead, "We're screwed, then."

"You don't know anyone who can work a kitchen?" He asked, moving closer to take a peek at the recipe book.

"Not anyone looking for a job." I sighed, "I guess we're just going to have to figure this out ourselves. Keep that front door locked, we're closed today." Maybe for much longer than a day, honestly.

"Aye, aye, captain." Lewis sighed begrudgingly, placing his coffee down as he clapped his hands together, rubbing his palms as he attempted not to look completely miserable, "Where do we start?"

"Muffins." I said firmly, "That should be easy enough, right?"

Harry made it look easy, anyway. The thought of his blueberry buttermilk muffins practically made my mouth water.

That man was definitely a magician in the kitchen.

"Sure." Lewis shrugged, eyes completely uncertain.

We stood, shoulder to shoulder, staring intently down at my mother's recipe, trying to make sense of the words and directions.

Neither of us knew how to decode what felt like an ancient language full of ‘cups’ and ‘sifting’ and ‘jelly roll pans.’

"Why do they mix the wet and the dry ingredients separately first?" Lewis asked, leaning over to whisper in my ear as though he were worried the ghostly spirits of my parents would leap out and strike him down for questioning them.

"I have no idea." I responded, grabbing two bowls and placing them in front of us, "But I’m sure that’s not important."

Lewis frowned at me, shaking his head as I handed him a large sack of flour.

"It won't be too bad." I said again, "Everything will be fine."