“As in you can’t have your cake and eat it, too?”
“Something like that.”She felt depressed just thinking about some of the choices she’d made—and the ones still waiting for her.
“Does your cake have anything to do with you and me?”
“It might.”
Theo’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath.“You should try doing what you do best.”
Barbara frowned.“What’s that?”
“Analyze the problem, research the options, then choose the course of action that makes the most sense.Ifthatfails, buy an extra cake.”
“Then I’ll always have a backup, even if I eat one of the cakes?”
“Exactly.A problem is only a problem if you let it become one.And most cakes are too good to be problems.”
“Is that how you decided to stay in Sapphire Bay?”
Theo spun her in a circle.“Sort of.But in my case, I thought about what I’d lose if I moved away from Sapphire Bay and what I’d gain if I worked in New York.The losses exceeded the gains, so here I am.”
Barbara sighed.“And where exactly are you?”
His gaze became soft and sexy, and took her breath away.“I’m right where I belong.”
THEO THREW BACKthe blankets on his bed and groaned.He’d finally stumbled home sometime after two o’clock in the morning.After the reception, most of Penny and Wyatt’s family and close friends had gone back to The Lakeside Inn.They’d sat around the living room, talking about what had been happening since they’d last seen each other and sharing lots of laughter.After the late night, he’d thought everyone would still be asleep.
So who was knocking like a demented chicken on his front door?If it was Katie, he’d tell her he was installing an invisible forcefield around his house to prevent anyone from ringing, knocking, or tapping on his door before eight o’clock in the morning.
She was a children’s author.She’d appreciate the imagination that had gone into explaining why she needed to stay away until a more reasonable hour.
Just to be sure he wasn’t doing anyone a disservice, he checked the time.It was seven-thirty on the Friday after Thanksgiving.Didn’t she have a conscience, an internal alarm that told her normal people liked to occasionally have a sleep in?
He plastered on his most severe growly face and opened the door.It wasn’t Katie.
His growly face was replaced by what felt like the goofiest grin in the world.
“I had to see you.”Barbara pushed past him and hurried toward the kitchen.“I brought muffins and pancakes.Katie and Diana have been cooking up a storm at the inn.No one else is out of bed, which isn’t surprising given the amount of wine that was drunk last night and the talking that kept going on and on.”
Theo followed her and looked in the basket she’d left on the kitchen counter.He breathed in the heavenly scent of chocolate chip muffins and blueberry pancakes.Drooling seemed a little uncivilized, but he was starving.
“I knew you’d like them.”Barbara handed him a cup of coffee.“Diana said it was too early to come around.Katie told me you’d be sexy but grumpy.”
He choked on the hot drink.“If I’d known your sisters were so perceptive, I would have let them come around more often.”
Barbara finally sat down.
He took a clean plate out of the dishwasher and handed her a muffin.“I don’t mean to be rude, but what’s happened?I thought you’d still be asleep.”
“I would have been, except Charlie started barking at five o’clock when the neighbor’s cat got stuck in our veranda.I was the only person who fell out of bed to stop him.By the time I walked back to my bedroom, Charlie thought we were going for a walk.He ran to the entryway and took his harness off the table.If he had hands, he would have pulled it on.”
“So, you went for a walk?”
“I did.We walked through town and ended up beside the lake.It’s so peaceful outside this morning.I guess most people are still in bed.”
Theo was still trying to work out why she was here.“Is everything all right with your family?”
“I think so.Knowing Mom, she’ll be awake, but I’m not so sure about Dad.The reason I’m here is because of Chloe.”
