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From her perch on one of the tall stools lining the burgundy-tiled counter, Kelly made a face. “At least spaghetti and a salad would have been nice. I mean, come on, corn dogs? The guy asked you to marry him again, not scrub his toilets.”
“True,” Candy said, pulling open the oven door and sliding in the tray of dogs. “And, hey, at least this time around he’s loaded. He can afford a dozen housekeepers to do all the dirty work. Think they clean up broken hearts?”
For a brief second, she squeezed her eyes shut while forcing back tears. Sarcasm wasn’t like her, which proved that the sooner Jake returned to Florida, the better off her mood—not to mention, life—would be. “Sorry to be so testy,” Candy said. “It’s just that where Jake Peterson is concerned, one marriage was way more than enough.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “From your first bizarre date spent picnicking on the Lonesome High football field, you two were made for each other. Everyone knows it. Why do you think Jake never married again?”
“How should I know? We haven’t exactly stayed close. And for your information, our first date wasn’t bizarre, it was romantic.” Candy threw extra force into whacking a freezer-burned bag of French fries against the butcher-block cutting board.
“Eww,” Kelly said. “How old are those?”
“Judging by the ice pack’s density, I’d make a conservative guess that I bought them around the time I broke up with Chad. Remember that grease phase I went through?” Candy shuddered. “My skin breaks out just thinking about it. At least one good thing is coming out of this dinner.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m cleaning out the freezer.”
Grinning, Kelly shook her pretty blond head. “You’re hopeless. Back to the subject of Jake, what do you think he’s up to?”
“You mean, besides no good? Ba-bum ching.” While tapping the high hat on her imaginary drums, Candy flashed her friend a smile.
“You’re not fooling me, you know.”
Reaching into the fridge for mustard and ketchup, Candy said, “I wasn’t trying to.”
“You’re scared to death, aren’t you?”
“About what? This is just dinner. I do it every night of the week, every week of the year—except during our annual cruise, and then I do it two times a night. Ba-bum ching.” Using the ketchup bottle as a microphone, she said in a deep Elvis voice, “Thank you, thank you very much. You can catch my act nightly at the Lonesome Lounge.”
“This is bad. Very bad.” Leaning her right elbow on the counter, Kelly cupped her chin in her hand. Tapping her cheek with her index finger, she said, “I haven’t seen you this un-funny since the night you heard Jake was leaving for Florida.”
“What are you talking about?” Candy said, filling two glasses with iced tea. “We celebrated that night. Remember? I sprung for all of us girls to eat the Holiday Motel’s seafood buffet. It was a lot of fun.”
“Of course, how could I forget a thrill-a-minute evening of culinary delights like crab-flavored chicken wings—not to mention the fact that you must’ve told enough cornball jokes to keep Laffy Taffy in business for the next hundred years. Come on,” Kelly said with a sigh. “It’s me you’re talking to. You can tell me how you really feel.”
“How many times do I have to say this,” Candy said, putting the mustard and ketchup in the dishwasher. “I feel fine. I’m not the least bit upset about Jake being back in town.” One by one, she started to unload mugs from the top rack and slide them onto the brass hooks beneath the cabinets.
“Is it because you’re on such an emotional high that you’ve decided to unload the dishes before even washing them?”
Candy gazed at the assorted dribbles of coffee, tea, and cocoa pooling on the counter. “Crap.”
“What was that? Miss Sunshine isn’t actually a tad on edge is she?”
“No,” Candy all but growled.
“Good, then when you finish reloading all those dirty mugs, you might want to unload the ketchup and mustard.”
A squeal of pure panic escaped Candy’s lips. “Oh, God. I am a wreck, aren’t I? Kelly, you’ve got to stay through dinner. What am I going to do? Say? I can’t be alone with him. You know what just looking at Jake does to me. I mean, I despise him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still think he’s the hottest guy on the planet. I mean, you should’ve seen him at the store today, his hair all mussed and that disgustingly handsome chiseled jawline of his all freshly shaven and tanned. And his bod—don’t even get me started on what ten years have done for the man’s physique.” When Candy’s shoulders slumped, her best friend hopped off her stool to enfold her in a hug.
“Trust me,” Kelly said, “you’re going to be fine. You two were high school sweethearts. You’ve known each other forever. Maybe, just maybe,” she said, brushing away one of Candy’s tears, “he misses you, and that proposal was more real than you think.”
“Fat chance,” Candy said through one last sniffle. “Even if I wanted to get back together with him—which I don’t—you weren’t here the morning he came home to pick up the last of his stuff. I handed him the shoe box he kept my love letters in, but he told me to keep it, Kel. He told me he didn’t want a single thing in his new life to remind him of me. After that, he walked out. He didn’t even say goodbye.”
“Thanks,” Kelly said, using a paper towel to blot at her own tears. “Now you’ve got me all choked up, too—and I’m supposed to be the strong one.” She pulled Candy into a fierce hug.
“Please stay for dinner,” Candy whined. “I’ll make you a steak—oh, and those twice-baked potatoes you love.” A sharp metallic noise called her gaze to the window. “Oh, no, was that a car door?”
“See ya,” Kelly said, pulling back with a wave of her paper hanky.
“What about your steak? You love my steaks.”
Kelly blew her a kiss on her way out the back door. “I also love you, which is why I think it’d be best for you to handle this one on your own. Besides which, not only do I have a watercolor class tonight, but I happen to know for a fact you have nothing in that fridge of yours besides moldy cheese and three-year-old pickles. ’Bye.”
“Deserter,” Candy mumbled, watching her only link to sanity fairly skip across the backyard.
The doorbell rang.
The screen door creaked open. “Candy? You in there?”
She crossed through the living room on her way to the front door.
“Hi,” was all she could think to say when, just like when she’d been a new bride watching her groom saunter into the house, Jake’s lopsided grin tumbled her heart.
“Something smells good,” he said. “What’s for dinner?”
“Corn dogs.”
“Yum. My favorite.”
Had he always been so tall? The room never used to feel cramped when he was in it. And why was she suddenly wishing she’d taken Kelly’s advice and at least made a quick batch of spaghetti? “Sorry I didn’t fix a more substantial meal. I’m basically running low on everything.”
“Who’s complaining?” he said, gazing around the comfortable room with what she hoped was appreciation.
They’d bought the once-nearly-condemned Queen Anne not long after their wedding because the payments had been cheaper than rent. The rambling home sat atop a forested hill overlooking Lonesome Lake. Over the years she’d restored the place to its former glory, and though she couldn’t fathom why, it meant a lot to her that Jake liked what she’d done.
Licking her lips, she said, “A lot’s changed around here since you left.”
“I’ll say.” He let loose with a low whistle. “It actually looks cozy instead of like the poorest frat house on campus. What happened to the cement-block bookshelves and Goldilocks—that old gold sofa we had to prop up with leftover bathroom tiles?”
“They died. They’re now at the city dump, resting in peace beside a lovely retired couple. You might know them. The Kenmores? Adorable pair of washer and dryers. Used to live over on Pecan Lane in a yellow ranch.”
Jake’s chuckle caught Candy off guard, filling her with velvety images of the past. Breakfasts and dinners shared upon a wobbly sawhorse table. Saturday night candlelit bubble baths, exchanging off-color jokes as to why the hot water pipes groaned. For a second, Candy’s world felt right again, the way it used to. Back in the days when if only she could make Jake laugh, everything would be okay.
A pang shot through her at the realization of just how not okay those old days had turned out to be.
Since the last thing she wanted Jake knowing was how topsy-turvy his presence made her feel, she played tour guide. “On the left, you’ll see my sort-of-new sofa. Note the soft floral chintz. Always a big hit during the occasional bridal shower I get wheedled into hosting. And to the right, we have a real, live bookshelf/entertainment unit—I’m still working on the entertainment part.”
“Nice,” Jake said with a slow nod. “But how do you see what’s on TV? It’s awfully small. I didn’t even know they made that size for home use.”
“Well, now you do. Besides, it suits me just fine since now that the house is done, my nights are usually spent reading or doing the shop’s books.”
“That’s all well and good, Candy, but if you want a big screen TV, all you have to do is—”
“Thank you, but I don’t want your money, Jake.”
“It’s our money.”
“You formed the current-day Galaxy Sports after our divorce.”
“Yeah, but in the divorce papers, it states quite clearly that you’re a half owner.”
“But I don’t want to be.”
“Tough. You are.”
“Argh!” she said, ducking her gaze from his intense dark one. “Ten years certainly hasn’t put a dent in your pride.”
They stood only three feet apart but, in that instant, they might as well have been on separate planets. What was it about him that after all this time still turned her legs to taffy? Part of her wanted nothing more than to drop the pretense of not-so-polite chitchat and get to the reasons for his sudden—not to mention ludicrous—proposal. But another part of her, the part fighting a bizarre desire to drag the man back into her life, to lock him up and throw away the key, felt that the more casual they kept this meeting, the better.
“I know this’ll sound strange,” he said, “but once I tell you why I’m here, you’ll see just how little pride I have left.”
“I’m all ears.” She mimed bunny ears at the sides of her head, wiggling her fingers in a feeble attempt to disguise a nervous giggle.
“Okay, well…” He sniffed, looked toward the kitchen. “Is that smoke? Jeez, Candy, from the looks of it, your whole damned kitchen’s on fire!”
A FEW MINUTES LATER Jake had extinguished supper, but a thick, not to mention, smelly, gray cloud still clung to the ceiling. On the scary meter, the oven flame-up had been nothing compared to the white-hot terror stuck in his throat at the mere possibility of Candy being in danger. Now that he knew she’d be okay, he felt even worse.
Because really, he had no business worrying about her.
For a minute there, he’d felt as though they were married again, as though she was still his responsibility.
“Well, that oughtta do it,” he said, setting the extinguisher on the counter before adding, in what he hoped was a carefree tone, “Good thing I carry that model in all of my stores. If I hadn’t been familiar with how it works, your kitchen might be toast.”
“Yeah,” Candy said from beside the sink. Already having opened the windows and turned on the fan, she now wielded the faucet’s spray attachment—just in case. “Guess I’d better start keeping a closer eye on those rascally corn dogs, huh?”
“Might be a good idea—especially when you set the oven on broil.”
“Oops. I thought I’d set it on three-fifty. Guess before you got here I was sort of wound up.”
A charming blush pinkened her cheeks, but it did little to quench his frustration with her for being so careless. Didn’t she know how much she meant to him?
Whoa, buddy. Shouldn’t that be how much she used to mean? Because now, a reunion with Candy only meant one thing: keeping Bonnie.
Leaning against the counter, he turned serious. “I’m afraid you’re going to need a new oven.”
“You think?”
He nodded and crossed to where she stood. Hands on her shoulders, in his best manly fireman voice, he said, “It’s okay, ma’am. Fire’s out. You can safely put down the hose.” Easily enough said, but the jolt zinging through his arms from just touching her made him think he was the one in danger from fire. The flames leaping from her!
He must not have been the only one affected by their touch. Candy not only popped the spray nozzle back into its hole, she scooted a good two feet down the counter.
In all the excitement, she’d earned a black smudge of courage across her left cheek. Years of watching out for her leaned him forward, where, with the pad of his thumb, he brushed away the soot.
“What’re you—” She tensed until she realized what he was doing.
“Sorry, you had some—”
“It’s okay.” Her dusky gaze darted to the floor, then back to him. “Thanks. For the cleanup job and for saving our—I mean, my house.”
“No problem.” Had he only imagined it, or was the Ice Queen starting to thaw? “Glad I was here to help.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” Candy gave herself a mental thwack on the head. Yeah. Me, too? What was wrong with her? For a second there, she’d actually enjoyed his company.
Time for a reality check. And the lonely reality was that no matter how right Jake’s being back in their kitchen might feel, his presence was only temporary.
Which was good.
Because, really, she was far better off without him.
How could she have forgotten how relieved she’d been when he’d left? How great it had felt knowing she’d never hear him ask those tired old questions again?
“When do you want to start our family?” he’d asked morning, noon and night. “You’re gorgeous. Only in my dreams can I imagine how adorable our kids are going to be.” Nuzzling her neck, he’d follow up with, “Any idea how soon we can expect to be expecting?” And toward the end of their marriage, “Come on, Candy Cane. I’m just asking for a couple of kids. How bad could they be?”
Candy swallowed hard, watching through watery eyes as the only man she’d ever loved sauntered to the fridge.
Head inside, giving her an entirely too attractive view of his tight, jeans-clad derriere, he said, “I’m hungry, woman. What’s to eat around here besides—” he pulled out a jar, squinting at the label “—mini-gherkins?”
Hurriedly wiping at a stray tear, she said, “Ketchup or mustard. Take your pick.”
“You need to go to the store. This is no way to live.”
“Ordinarily, I’d say you’re right, but in case you forgot, I’m leaving for Peru in six days, so there’s not much need for stocking up.”
He closed the fridge, eyed the now soggy bag of fries. “Wanna order a pizza?”
“Nah, let’s save money and play food scavenger hunt.”
“Why? There’s no need to save money.”
“For you, maybe.”
“Candy,” Jake said, softening his tone. “Half of everything Galaxy Sports has ever made is sitting in an account with your name on it. Why won’t you use it?”
“Simple, because I don’t want your money.”
“It’s our money. Dad gave that business to me and you on our first anniversary. Remember? The divorce papers say all profits are to be split fifty/fifty.”
“For the last time, Jake, please listen. Thank you for the offer. It’s sweet—beyond sweet. But really, I don’t want or need it. Give the money to charity. Send a few kids to college.” She turned her back on him, knotting her arms across her chest.
