Beyond Control (30 page)

“Off to lunch with Aaron,” I told her. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need luck,” she said. “He loves you and you love him.”

I smiled at her and walked toward the elevator, hoping that was true. I’d tried my hardest to put a lot of the stuff behind me, and I really didn’t want to bring it up over and over again. What was done was done. Granted, if Jason hadn’t popped up into my life, I might be feeling very different.

I stepped in the elevator and rode it down to the lobby where Aaron was already waiting for me. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, and I noticed more than one woman turn to take notice.

“Good to see you,” he said, giving me a brotherly hug.

“Great to see you too. Ready for a quick dad’s-on-my-ass lunch?”

Aaron started laughing as we walked through the lobby to the outside world. Breathing in the fresh air felt good for the soul or at least my soul. I didn’t want to squash the dreams of my brother or Brandy for that matter. Whatever floats whosever’s boats.

“Sandwich shop okay?” I asked, pointing across the street. “They’re usually pretty quick.”

“I love that place. Their salami is the best.”

We placed our order and found seating outside. I was sipping my iced tea wondering what to say.

“Everything going well at work?” I asked.

“Yeah. Same old, same old. But I enjoy it,” he said, leaning back on the chair.

Right. He’s been at this longer than I had. Maybe I’d learn to enjoy it.

I nodded.

“You?” he asked.

“I’m not really feeling it,” I confessed.

“It takes time and if it doesn’t I’m sure dad would be fine with you moving into a different role at another—”

“Weeell,”I interrupted him. “I’m thinking I’m not really into it as in the whole corporate thing.”

He pushed his lips into a thoughtful position and stretched out his legs.

“I kind of wondered about that,” he replied after a few seconds.

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “What are you thinking of instead?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what Jason may or may not have already told him.

“I’m thinking of owning a nail salon,” I replied. “There’s one for sale down the street.”

His brows furrowed in a confused expression.

“Aha,” I said. “Jason’s already told you.”

Aaron’s confusion quickly turned to amusement. “Jason was right. You really are something else.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that, and I honestly don’t know if I’m supposed to be thrilled with that assessment or not.”

“Coming from the both of us, it’s a compliment,” he said, grinning. “Trust me.”

Our sandwiches got delivered, and I scooted closer to the table.

“So you think it’s a good idea? Owning the coffee shop and making my own pastries and stuff?” I asked, suddenly wanting his approval.

“I think whenever an opportunity presents itself to merge what you like to do with a way to make a living, it’s something that can’t be ignored.”

“That’s a yes?” I asked, smiling.

“That’s a yes.” He grabbed his sandwich and took a bite, but I noticed his gaze drifting behind me.

I turned quickly and saw Brandy walking down the sidewalk.

“Brandy,” I called.

She turned and waved and kept on walking.

“That’s weird,” I said.

“What’s weird?”

“I would have thought she would have come over to say hi. I wonder if she’s on her way to see the guy she hinted about awhile ago…”

“You are speaking in tongues,” he laughed. “She hinted about seeing someone?”

“Yeah. She got setup on a blind date and Jason and I went with her because she wouldn’t do it alone. And she was pretty miserable about it.”

“Who made her go?”

“I did.”

He started laughing. “So you think she’s seeing that guy secretly?”

“No. She had no interest in him romantically, but she told me she had her sights set on someone else, if it all went well. I have to admit I’ve been kind of an absent friend since the ‘I have a long-lost brother and I met a boy’ ordeals, so I haven’t heard the latest update. But she promises me she needs the time so she can have a head start with her classes.”

He looked completely captivated as I went on and on about Brandy and me while we were in college or else he was just polite. Regardless, it felt really amazing to be sitting with my older brother talking to him about life, my life. He told me about the types of training that he and Jason received in the military. Apparently, that’s where Jason learned his mad EMT skills that he tried to whip out on us on the bridge. I told Aaron how he brought that up, and he busted out laughing.

“That’s a pickup line I haven’t heard before,” he said, shaking his head.

“He’s full of them,” I said, grimacing.

“Can I count on another lunch date?” my brother asked.

“Absolutely,” I said, giving him a quick hug before I walked back across the street.

A pulse of continual happiness pulsed through my veins as I thought back to how drastically my life had changed once I started accepting my past and being open to the future. Maybe there was something to what a person puts out into the world. I opened up the door to the lobby and felt the ice-cold blast of air hit me, reminding me that I was indeed still human, and my bubble could burst at any moment. After all, I was going into my magnificently mundane cheese job and happily lying to myself about it, kind of.

The next few weeks were a glorious whirlwind of secret planning for the opening of Gabby’s Goodies while holding down my day job. Jason and I had decided to do a soft open with a slow transition from one owner to the next. We didn’t want to disrupt the already established clientele or make the staff nervous.

I’d been testing out recipe after recipe and all were selling out daily. Kayla even became a fan, which told me things must be tasty, and I allowed myself to relinquish a little bit of the fear about taking the espresso shop over.

Every morning I woke up exhilarated and grateful. I had wanted to know what it felt like to live my life for no one but me, and now I had that chance. No one else would make my dreams come true. I had to take control of my own destiny. And I had Jason to thank for showing me the way.

It also didn’t hurt that many of the mornings that I was waking up, happened to be in Jason’s bed, like this morning.

I heard his breathing change slightly and knew he was on the verge of waking up. I’d always been one to love sleep, but ever since I started working toward taking over the espresso shop, I’d had newfound energy. I turned on my side and Jason slowly opened his eyes, a small smile spreading across his lips.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. He reached over and softly touched my chin, bringing a smile to my lips.

“Good morning,” I sang, placing a quick kiss on his forehead.

He propped himself up, leaning back on his elbows as his eyes adjusted to the morning light.

“I’m sad you’re leaving today, but I promise I’ll take amazing care of the girls,” I told him.

“It won’t be the same without you.” He sat up and threw the covers off. “I have a feeling the end of the week is going to be intense. The convention doors are open until 10 at night.”

“If I were there, I’d give you massages every night to make you feel revived for the next day,” I teased.

“If you’d given notice, you could have come,” he replied, grinning, knowing I wouldn’t take the bait.

Jason stood up from the bed, and his pajama bottoms hung low as he stretched toward the ceiling. He started laughing when he caught my eyes following his V-muscles down toward his waistband.

“What?” I giggled, tossing the pillow at him.

I heard Sunny and Tomato waddling up the stairs, and I rolled out of bed. Once they decided it was playtime, all bets were off.

“Besides,” I said. “Even if I was only focused on the bakery, I couldn’t just up and leave it.”

“What?” he teased. “You don’t think you’ll ever be taking a vacation from the moment you’re fully immersed at the shop? Ever?”

I gave him a final huff as I trudged to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

“I’m just saying once everyone’s trained, you’ll be able to take an occasional day off, which is good because I’ve got something planned.”

“Like what?” I asked, turning around with a mouthful of bubbles.

“You’ll see,” he said, noticing the panic rising.

“It won’t be until fall and it won’t be for more than a day, maybe two. Promise.”

“You know, you’re just like I was when I first opened my bike shop. The first few months, I didn’t have any orders. But I’d go in there so excited to see what the day held, and I never let the lack of business get me down. It’s amazing to see that in you now. But on that note, I better hop in the shower and take off for the airport.”

“Well, I can’t wait for you to get home because being without fabulous nights for this long will be terribly hard to deal with,” I pouted.

“You’re telling me,” he said, grabbing a towel.

“I’ll go start the coffee and feed the girls.”

I watched him step into the shower and my belly tightened. I glanced at the clock and wondered if there’d be enough time.

“What time’s your flight again?” I asked.

He started laughing as if he could read my mind.

“I’ll go make the coffee,” I repeated, walking out of the bedroom with Tomato and Sunny on my heels.

I scooped the grounds into the filter and poured the water into the coffee maker, letting the wonderful scent of coffee penetrate right through me. There was nothing like the aroma of coffee to completely wake a person up.

I heard the shower upstairs turn off and looked outside at the glistening water, barely moving from the breeze. The scene was right off of a painting, with the large trees on each side, framing the water and the wildflowers tucked along the shore. Soon the lawn would be blanketed in ice-crystals and the flowers gone. It was an amazing place to be.

Jason’s suitcases were already packed and by the door and when I heard his steps slowly come down the stairs, my stomach tightened. I was really going to miss him.

“Coffee’s ready,” I said, as he walked into the kitchen. He gave each of the girls extra loves and came over and gave me a passionate kiss that lifted me off my toes.

“If you were coming with me, there would be more of that,” he teased.

“Well, I can only imagine what your homecoming night will encompass,” I said, giving him another kiss.

“Encompass?” he teased, winking. “I better get going. Who knows what the traffic will be like.”

“Okay. I’ll take good care of the girls,” I promised, following behind him to the door.

“And they’ll take good care of you,” he whispered, turning around to face me. “I’m really gonna miss you.”

“Me, too, and,” I said. But his mouth found mine before any other words could come out. His kisses softened as I wrapped my arms around his waist, and I honestly couldn’t stand the thought of having to wait a week to see him again.

He pulled back slightly and his eyes connected with mine. “I love you, Gabby, and I’ll be home soon.”

Hearing those words stopped me in my tracks. My heartbeat quickened as I looked up into his eyes. I hadn’t expected that, not yet. I was feeling it, but…

“I love you too,” I whispered, kissing him one last time before he left for the airport.

“How are you and Jason doing?” Brandy asked, her eyes glimmering from the sunlight. “I’m guessing really well, considering how few nights you’ve spent here recently.”

“Hey!” I started laughing and glanced over at the Sound.

“Well?” She gave me a sly smile.

“So far so good,” I said. “But I don’t want to jinx anything.”

“You’re not going to jinx anything. I swear there has been something interesting between you two since the beginning,” she gushed.

“How about you? I’ve noticed you’ve gotten pretty quiet about the whole dating thing?” I arched a brow.

“Same old, same old.” She waved her hand, rolling her eyes.

I wasn’t sure I believed her.

“And you’re realizing he loves you for you and doesn’t care about the transplant?” she asked, her tone gentle.

“Yes, mom,” I teased. “He’s been so sweet. I guess I expect it to freak everyone else out as much as it freaked me out. He said those three famous words to me before he left.”