Okay, she was making a fool of herself, although no one else seemed to notice. The customers kept talking over their mugs and pastries, unaware of the drama. She whispered, “I came early this morning for the apple tarts.”And I’m a mess.Had she even brushed her teeth? Backing away, she brought her lips together and tried to smooth her topknot.
Busy with the coffee carafes, Izzy tilted her head toward their conversation. Suddenly it all came together. Had her sister engineered this? Probably.
“Samantha, your tarts are ready.” Debbie patted the white box sitting on the display case.
Standing there, she realized that in her rush that morning, she hadn't brought her purse. She’d snatched her keys from the hook in the kitchen and left. The keys were bulging in her pants pocket. Sam had no money and no credit cards.
Sweeping her bangs back with one hand, she felt the snarls. What had she been thinking, coming here like this? “Looks like I've forgotten my purse, Debbie. Sorry, could I pay you later? I'll call you with my c-credit card number.” With each word she felt more like an idiot. But she was not leaving those tarts here. She may have lost her dignity that morning but shewas not losing the apple tarts too. Izzy drew closer, a small smile hovering over her lips.
Setting his to-go cup on the nearest table, Josh whipped out a wallet. Sam's face burned. “No problem.” He handed a card to Debbie. The woman wore a silly smile as if she found his chivalry wonderful.
But it wasn't wonderful. It was awful. Knowing that she looked disgusting, Sam wanted to magically disappear. “That's...that’s…”
“Very sweet of you, Josh.” Closer now, Izzy handed the box to Sam. In no time Debbie had rung up the sale.
The box tight in her arms, Sam had to get out of there. “Yes, right, very considerate.” Shoving her way through the tables, Sam ran into more than one chair. Grabbing his coffee, Josh made it to the front door first. Must have been those long legs of his. He held the door open while the bell jingled overhead.
“Let me walk you to your car.”
How could she say no? Her arms kept the cardboard box tight against her chest. “Wonderful weather, isn't it?” Really? That was all she could think of to talk about? Thank goodness her car was right at the curb. She was there in five steps. So was Josh. She could hear his steady breathing, smell the spicy soap he used. Her entire body was on red alert. And boy, how she wished that she’d brushed her teeth that morning.
“I've missed seeing you, Sam.” Josh had never been one for small talk.
Her arms clasped the tarts closer. “I think we agreed that we would…give each other some room.”
“We agreed?” His harsh laugh exploded in the soft air. “Come on, Sam. That decision was yours and yours alone.”
“It's the best thing to do. Best thing for me and you.” Sam felt like a schoolteacher telling the kids they had to do their homework.
When she went to open the car door to put the box in the passenger seat, Josh stood in her way. With one arm on the hood of the car and the coffee in his other hand, he was clearly upset. Sam didn't know when she'd seen him so ticked off. And the man looked haggard. Circles were evident under his eyes and his hair was a mess. Maybe he looked as bad as Sam. She stood up taller.
“Sam, we're adults now and I hope we're going to act like adults.” Josh wasn’t giving up. “People in a relationship both have an equal voice.”
“In a r-relationship?” She could hardly get the words out. What was he talking about?
“Yes, a relationship. Sam, come on. We have the possibility of something really special.” His hazel eyes swirled into dark brown, taking her with them. Setting the coffee on the top of her car, Josh tipped Sam’s chin up with one hand. She was shivering. “Let's not mess this up, okay? I know about your whole oldest child thing. You're used to giving orders. But I'm not going to stand by while you head for the exit. What’s the problem? Is this about my kids?”
“No. Yes.” That uncomfortable dinner had played some role in her decision. And Marlowe had played a part too. They’d both decided to “play the field.” Life was a banquet, or so Aunt Cate had said at dinner one night. Was Sam being foolish, getting serious with Josh so soon after her divorce?
“Cut me some slack, Sam. I'm trying to be a single dad and I'm probably messing that up too. But let's talk about this.” He looked so upset. How could she just walk away?
“Okay.” Her voice was a whisper. A surge of feelings threatened to take her down like a riptide. What he was saying made sense. She hadn’t given him a chance to speak for himself. That was unkind and embarrassing. “I guess adults do work things out.”
“Yes, yes we do.” He brushed her cheek with a kiss and pushed back to smile down at her. She could see every muscle in his face relaxing. Of course, she was a puddle by that time and the box with the tarts had buckled. She’d held them crushed against her chest.
“So I'll call you? That’s allowed now, right?” Josh looked so darn sincere.
“Yes, of course.” Her body feeling likewarm taffy, Sam made it around the front of the car with Josh following.
When he opened the driver’s door for her, she tossed the beaten up box of tarts onto the passenger seat and got in. Digging out her keys, she almost forgot how to start her own SUV. Josh stood on the sidewalk, watching her with a dazed smile. When she pulled away with a jerk, Sam thought she heard Josh yell something about coffee. Later she’d wonder about the wet streak across her back window.
Somehow she got home. Her aunt was still sitting at the kitchen table paging through the newspaper. She liked to keep up on things. Aunt Cate looked up. “Oh, good. I’ve been thinking about those tarts.”
Dazed, Sam set the crumpled box on the table. Somehow Aunt Cate managed to tear the box open. The tarts were a sticky mess. “What happened?”
“Josh McCall.” That's all she could say. Sam plopped into a seat. “You know when you told us that life was a feast?”
“Yes,” her aunt said slowly, as if she was dreading what came next.
